Conhecimento e utilização do Biobanco de Dentes Humanos pela comunidade acadêmica do curso de Odontologia da UFPR / Knowledge and use of the Human Teeth Biobank by the academic community of the UFPR Dentistry course

Oobjetivo desteestudofoianalisaro perfil dos usuários do Biobanco de Dentes Humanos da Universidade Federal do Paraná (BDH-UFPR), os serviços mais procurados, se háutilização de dentes obtidos externamentee o grau de satisfaçãodos usuários.Para isso,foi aplicado um questionário eletrônico semiestruturado à comunidade interna do curso de Odontologia daUFPR, entre agosto edezembro de 2019. Um total de 300 questionários foram respondidos, sendo263 por estudantes degraduação, 4 por pós-graduandos, 24 por professores e 9 por servidores técnico-administrativos.A maioria dos estudantes erado sexo feminino entre 17e 22 anos, enquantopara osservidores (professores e técnicos) houve uma distribuição semelhante entre os sexosna faixa etária entre 40e 59 anos. Embora 80,99% dos discentes afirmaram conhecer oBDH-UFPR, apenas 50,19%usaram seus serviçose59,32% relataram játerembuscadodentesexternamente.O serviço mais utilizado foi o empréstimo de dentes para atividades de ensino, porém apenas 42,15% os devolveram após ouso.Os dentes obtidos externamente foram provenientes,principalmente, deconsultórios particulares e apenas 56,33% dos alunosrelataram sempre ter submetido-os à desinfecção/esterilização, sendo a autoclave o método mais indicado. Todos os servidores conheciam o BDH-UFPR e,dentre os professores,a maioria realizoutanto empréstimos quanto doações. Os empréstimostiveram como principal finalidade a pesquisae 63,6% relataramterem devolvido os dentes.Quanto à satisfação, a comunidade acadêmica mostrou-se predominantemente totalmente satisfeita.Por fim, ressalta-se a necessidade de ampliar as ações de conscientização para a comunidade acadêmica quanto aos aspectos éticos, legais e de biossegurança na aquisição e manipulação de dentes humanos (AU).

Thisstudy aimed toanalyze the profile of users of the Human Teeth Biobank at the Federal University of Paraná (HTB-UFPR), the most sought-after services, whether externally obtained teeth are used and the degree of user satisfaction. For this, a semi-structured electronic questionnaire was applied to the internal community of the Dentistry course at UFPR, between August and December 2019. A total of 300 questionnaires were answered, 263 by undergraduate students, 4 by graduate students, 24 by professors and 9 by technical-administrative employees. Most students were female between 17 and 22 years old, while for employees(teachers and technicians) there was a similar distribution between the sexes in the age group between 40 and 59 years old. Although 80.99% of the students claimed to know the HTB-UFPR, only 50.19% used its services and 59.32% reported having already looked for teeth externally. The most used service was the withdrawalfor teaching activities, but only 42.15% returned them after use. The teeth obtained externally came mainly from private offices and only 56.33% of the students reported having always submitted them to disinfection/sterilization, with the autoclave being the most indicated method. All employees knew the HTB-UFPR and, among the teachers, most made both withdrawaland donations. The main purpose of the withdrawals was the research and 63.6% reported having returned their teeth. As for satisfaction, the academic community was predominantly fully satisfied. Finally, it emphasizes the need to expand awareness actions for the academic community regarding ethical, legal and biosafety aspects in the acquisition and manipulation of human teeth (AU).

Rethinking Gain-of-Function Experiments in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Proponents of the use of gain-of-function (GOF) experiments with pathogens with pandemic potential (PPP) have argued that such experiments are necessary because they reveal important facets of pathogenesis and can be performed safely. Opponents of GOF experiments with PPP have argued that the risks outweigh the knowledge gained. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the vulnerability of human societies to a new PPP, while also validating some arguments of both camps, questioning others, and suggesting the need to rethink how we approach this class of experiments.

Five Things Students and Clinicians Should Know About "Biocontainment".

Biocontaining was one way that Western, affluent, allopathic cultures tended to respond and make meaning during the 2013-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) pandemic. It became a pathway to restore trust in biomedicine itself, which had been shaken by unease across the globe when the EVD threat was at its height. Yet biocontaining barely qualifies as a public health measure. Successful public health efforts rely on trust, which is difficult to maintain during a pandemic. Such efforts require balancing the need to be close to patients to care well for them against the need to remain distant from a virulent pathogen. Biocontainment tries to navigate this tension and, in so doing, simultaneously frustrates and supports public trust. This article suggests 5 things clinicians and health professions students should consider about the project of biocontainment that could affect their orientation to their public health duties.

The Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNet): Report of a workshop on live animal handling.

The Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNet) was established in 2016, to provide a means of communication and support for the global high-containment laboratory community. Its working groups focus on international response, institutional cooperation and knowledge sharing, scientific excellence and training. In the latter role, BSL4ZNet sponsored its first international workshop in February 2018, held at the USDA National Centers for Animal Health, Ames, Iowa, USA, focused on necropsy procedures in high-containment laboratories. A second workshop, in November 2018, was held at the National Microbiology Laboratories (CFIA/PHAC) in Winnipeg, Canada, and focused on decontamination. A third workshop, held at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Australia, in February 2019, was devoted to handling methods and ethical concerns for live animals in high-containment laboratories. The third workshop brought together 12 laboratorians from seven partner organizations in Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. It included both discussion-based and hands-on training sessions on animal welfare, animal models, site-specific infrastructure constraints, health monitoring and humane endpoints, sampling procedures, and carcass disposal. This report summarizes the inception, development, and structure of the BSL4ZNet, and highlights the aims and results of the Geelong workshop.

Awareness and Attitudes of Research Students Toward Dual-use Research of Concern in Pakistan: A Cross-sectional Questionnaire.

Dual-use research poses a significant challenge for scientists in the biomedical field and for global health security in general. As the scientific knowledge and materials required for the development of biological agents become progressively more accessible and inexpensive, there is an increased need to understand and improve the governance of scientific research. Prevention of the misuse of facilities, equipment, agents, and scientific knowledge requires high levels of awareness of the concept of dual-use research, starting with early-career scientists and graduate students. In this study, the attitudes and level of awareness of postgraduate students in Pakistan toward the issues surrounding dual-use research were assessed through a survey containing both quantitative and qualitative questions in 32 universities in 4 provinces, federal area, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir regions of Pakistan; 933 students responded. Most (58.2%) had never heard of dual-use research of concern (DURC), while 18.5% had heard the term but were unsure of its meaning. Irrespective of prior knowledge, a higher percentage of students (68.6%) felt an obligation to report research misuse. Considering the need for DURC training, 94.1% of the respondents agreed that the principal investigator should take the responsibility to train students on DURC at the start of a research project. When experimental results having dual-use potential, 69.1% indicated they would publish with limited protocol, with 43.5% indicating they would publish the limited protocol only if there was a way for scientists to access their data. The survey results revealed limited DURC awareness among researchers across Pakistan. However, the respondents, although not formally educated about DURC, were quite aware of its impact. The information gained in this survey will be valuable in addressing country-specific awareness and training needs.

Temas de Bioética e de Biossegurança para uso de professores da educação secundária na preparação da autonomia de jovens entre 12 e 17 anos / Bioética y Bioseguridad para uso de profesores de la educación secundaria en la promoción de la autonomía de jóvenes entre 12 y 17 años / Bioethics and biosafety issues for the use of teachers in secondary education in the preparation of the autonomy of young people between 12 and 17 years / Bioètica i bioseguretat per a ús de professors d'educació secundària en la promoció de l'autonomia de joves entre 12 i 17 anys

A educação é crucial para a alocação da liberdade de decisão e autonomia, que possibilita a real dignidade aos indivíduos. A compreensão dos avanços científico-tecnológicos favorece a redução das desigualdades sócio-político-econômicas e culturais na população. Este artigo propõe temas para a abordagem dos professores sobre bioética e biossegurança no ensino secundário. Os professores podem escolher e adaptar temas, de acordo com as indicações institucionais, sua experiência e percepção, considerando o tempo, as idades, as características regionais e a realidade dos alunos

En los últimos años, el consentimiento informado del paciente ha asumido un papel tan importante en la relación médico-paciente, que ha cambiado el sistema de responsabilidad penal del médico en caso de intervención sin consentimiento, incluso en casos con resultados exitosos. También ha habido propuestas legislativas para introducir el delito de intervención médica arbitraria, pareciendo muy difícil encontrar una solución a este conflicto. En la actualidad, el Parlamento italiano examina una propuesta de ley sobre voluntades anticipadas, centradas en el consentimiento del paciente, que pueden no prestarse, o revocarse después de haberse dado, también para tratamientos como la nutrición y la hidratación artificial, eximiendo de toda responsabilidad civil y penal al médico. Es evidente que tal énfasis en el consentimiento informado, que involucra con tal fuerza al paciente en su tratamiento, está tomando un camino peligroso que puede vaciar por completo la alianza terapéutica médico-paciente que se juega en el campo de la atención médica

In recent years, informed consent of the patient has assumed such an important role in the physician-patient relationship that it has changed the system of criminal liability of the physician in case of intervention without consent, even in cases with successful results. There have also been legislative proposals to introduce the crime of arbitrary medical intervention, making it difficult to find a solution to this conflict. At present, the Italian Parliament is examining a draft bill on advanced directives, focusing on patient consent, which may not be given, or may be revoked after they have been given, also for treatments such as artificial nutrition and hydration, exempting the doctor from all civil and criminal liability. It is evident that such an emphasis on informed consent, which involves the patient in his treatment, is taking a dangerous path that can completely empty the doctor-patient therapeutic alliance played out in the field of medical care

L'educació és fonamental per a la llibertat i l'autonomia, que donen dignitat a les persones. La comprensió dels avanços científics i tecnològics afavoreix la reducció de les desigualtats socioculturals i políticoeconòmiques entre els ciutadans d'una població. En aquest article es proposen exemples de temes de bioètica i de bioseguretat per a ús de docents a l'escola. Els mestres poden adaptar els temes transversalment segons les exigències institucionals, la seva experiència i percepció, considerant les edats, temps, característiques regionals i realitats dels seus alumnes

Surrogate strains of human pathogens for field release.

Surrogate microorganisms, in short surrogates, are an essential part of pathogen research. Compared to surrogates used in controlled laboratory environments, surrogates for field release are restricted by concerns about human and environmental safety. For field research of food-borne pathogens, strains of an attenuated pathogen or strains of genetically close non-pathogenic species have been used as surrogates. Genetic modification is usually performed to attenuate virulence, through for examples deletion of genes of virulence and transcriptional regulators and removal of virulence plasmids, and to facilitate detection and monitoring through observing antibiotic resistance, fluorescence, and bioluminescence. For field research of a biological warfare agent Bacillus anthracis, strains of genetically close non-pathogenic species or strains of genetically distant non-pathogenic species have been used, mostly without any genetic modification. Recently, we constructed strains of Bacillus thuringiensis as surrogates for B. anthracis, demonstrating that strain engineering could significantly enhance the utility of surrogates, and that the application of a simple genetic circuit could significantly impact surrogate safety. Thus far, enormous potential of biotechnology has not been exploited enough due to safety concerns regarding the field release of genetically engineered microorganisms. However, synthetic biology is rapidly developing, providing new concepts for biocontainment as well as ingenious genetic circuits and devices, which should be applied in future research of field-use surrogates.

Fiabilidad test-retest del umbral de sensibilidad a la vibración periférica en los pacientes con dolor crónico de espalda baja / Test-retest reliability of peripheral vibration sensitivity threshold in non-specific low back pain patients

Introducción. El dolor crónico inespecífico de espalda baja puede provocar pérdida de sensibilidad periférica. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar los índices relativos y absolutos de fiabilidad test-retest del protocolo «Two alternative forced choice» como método de estimación del umbral de sensibilidad a la vibración periférica (USVP). Material y métodos. Seis pacientes con dolor crónico inespecífico de espalda baja fueron derivados por una unidad hospitalaria especializada en pacientes con dolor. Se empleó el dispositivo Vibratron II (R) (Sensortek, Inc. Clifton, NJ, EE. UU.) para la determinación USVP en 2 ocasiones separadas por un periodo de tiempo de 12 semanas. El procedimiento se siguió según las instrucciones del proveedor, y adicionalmente se calculó el USVP mediante distintos estimadores robustos de localización. El análisis de los datos consistió en el cálculo de los índices de fiabilidad relativos, coeficientes de correlación intra-clase (CCI) y absolutos, error estándar de medida (EEM) y mínima diferencia real (MDR), así como la representación de los datos mediante los correspondientes gráficos de Bland-Altman. Resultados. Los índices de fiabilidad obtenidos en este estudio mostraron una alta fiabilidad a nivel relativo (CCI > 0,80), mientras que en los estadísticos absolutos la fiabilidad fue moderada (EEM < 0,90 unidades de vibración; MDR < 2,60). Conclusión. El procedimiento empleado para la determinación del USVP muestra una consistencia temporal alta, por lo que podría ser utilizado como medio para evaluar los cambios en la sensibilidad periférica de pacientes con dolor crónico inespecífico de espalda baja, especialmente en muestras homogéneas en términos de USVP (AU)

Introduction. Chronic non-specific low back pain could cause loss of peripheral sensitivity. This study has aimed to determine relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the «Two alternative Forced Choice» protocol as a method of estimating the peripheral vibration sensitivity threshold (PVST). Material and methods. Six patients with chronic non-specific low back pain were referred from a hospital unit specialized in patients with pain. The study used the Vibratron II (R) device (Sensortek, Inc. Clifton, NJ, EE. UU.) to assess PVST on two occasions separated by a 12-week time period. The procedure was carried out in accordance with the supplier's instructions. The PVST was also calculated using different robust estimators of location. The data were analyzed by calculating the relative reliability indices, intra-class (ICC) and absolute correlation coefficients, standard error of measurement and smallest real difference (SRD). The data was represented using the corresponding Bland-Altman plots. Results. The reliability indices obtained in this study showed high relative correlation (ICC>0.80). The absolute statistics showed that reliability was moderate (SEM <0.90 vibration units; SRD<2.60). Conclusion. The procedure used for determining PVST showed values a high temporal consistency. Thus, it could be used as a measure to assess changes in peripheral sensitivity of patients with chronic non-specific low back, especially in homogeneous samples in terms of PVST (AU)

Code of Conduct on Biosecurity for Biological Resource Centres: procedural implementation.

A globally applicable code of conduct specifically dedicated to biosecurity has been developed together with guidance for its procedural implementation. This is to address the regulations governing potential dual-use of biological materials, associated information and technologies, and reduce the potential for their malicious use. Scientists researching and exchanging micro-organisms have a responsibility to prevent misuse of the inherently dangerous ones, that is, those possessing characters such as pathogenicity or toxin production. The code of conduct presented here is based on best practice principles for scientists and their institutions working with biological resources with a specific focus on micro-organisms. It aims to raise awareness of regulatory needs and to protect researchers, their facilities and stakeholders. It reflects global activities in this area in response to legislation such as that in the USA, the PATRIOT Act of 2001, Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001; the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 and subsequent amendments in the UK; the EU Dual-Use Regulation; and the recommendations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), under their Biological Resource Centre (BRC) Initiative at the beginning of the millennium (OECD, 2001). Two project consortia with international partners came together with experts in the field to draw up a Code of Conduct on Biosecurity for BRCs to ensure that culture collections and microbiologists in general worked in a way that met the requirements of such legislation. A BRC is the modern day culture collection that adds value to its holdings and implements common best practice in the collection and supply of strains for research and development. This code of conduct specifically addresses the work of public service culture collections and describes the issues of importance and the controls or practices that should be in place. However, these best practices are equally applicable to all other microbiology laboratories holding, using and sharing microbial resources. The code was introduced to the Seventh Review Conference to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), United Nations, Geneva, 2011; the delegates to the States' parties recommended that this code of conduct be broadly applied in the life sciences and disseminated amongst microbiologists, hence the publishing of it here along with practical implementation guidance. This paper considers the regulatory and working environment for microbiology, defines responsibilities and provides practical advice on the implementation of best practice in handling the organism itself, associated data and technical know-how.