Evaluation of quality of life (QOL) of young patients with primary hyperhidrosis (PH) before and after endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS).

BACKGROUND: Primary hyperhidrosis (PH) affects young patients and may cause emotional distress and a negative quality of life (QOL). OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the QOL of children and adolescents with PH treated by endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. METHODS: A study of 220 patients was performed, based on submitted QOL questionnaires from their first consultation. Patients were evaluated within 1 week and 24 months after surgery. RESULTS: Before endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy, the QOL in relation to PH was declared very poor by 141 patients, and poor by the remaining 79 (P = .552). Postoperative cure was reported in 100% of palmar and axillary PH cases, and in 91.7% of facial PH. After 24 months, the QOL was described as much better by 212 patients, a little better by 6 patients, and 2 patients reported no change. LIMITATIONS: Convenience sampling was used and patients were taken from private practice only, raising the possibility of bias in gathering the data. CONCLUSION: Onset of PH symptoms was mainly before the age of 10 years and substantially affected daily activities. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy cured PH and promoted significant improvement in the QOL of these young patients.

Life cycle management in bakeries: a proposed roadmap towards sustainability.

PURPOSE: Some commercial/industrial sectors have increased their interest in sustainability, in some cases changing their business focus, from a profit-centered approach to a more balanced view, including environmental and social factors. It means that the interest in sustainability is increasing. Life cycle management (LCM) is a methodology/concept that can contribute to this paradigm shift. In this research, the potential application of LCM in the bakery segment was investigated, considering the entire value chain related to the sector (inputs, packaging, suppliers, customers, waste management). METHODS: Bakeries were visited, in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, to learn about the products, services, production processes, and the socio-environmental and economic sustainability practices, aiming at identifying bottlenecks and to propose alternatives based on LCM. Besides the field approach, the study was structured based on the literature that brings the concepts and potentialities of applying LCM in various economic/industrial sectors. The PDCA cycle and the SWOT Matrix were also used to assist the implementation of LCM. A roadmap was proposed aiming at the LCM implementation in bakeries. RESULTS: The results show that although the sector has some environmentally sustainable practices (waste separation, energy savings, reuse of products, inputs purchased locally), the primary intention is to reduce costs and not to mitigate environmental impacts. Regarding social responsibility, they donate bread to institutions. This is an important attitude, but not the only one for fulfilling the social role within the value chain. They do not consider suppliers that show concern for the environment (certified companies), and both marketing and product labels do not evoke these issues too. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Thus, there is the possibility of implementing LCM in bakeries if there is a concern with sustainable production and consumption. A roadmap for implementing LCM in bakeries was proposed including some steps: mapping the life cycle of products/processes/services associated with the sector; analyzing factors that can influence the actions towards sustainability; disseminating life cycle information to the entire value chain; efficient waste management, including the partnership with recycling companies; and treatment of the collected data and improvement proposal, using management tools such as the PDCA Cycle, the SWOT Matrix, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aiming at the search for environmental and economic sustainability and social fair alternatives. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11367-021-02008-7.

Sources of Microplastic Generation in the Environment.

The number of scientific papers on microplastics in the environment has grown exponentially [...].

Residential swimming pools maintenance under an environmental perspective.

Swimming pools provides various benefits for users, but their owners need to carry out constant maintenance to ensure water quality and user safety. This paper goal was to assess the maintenance process of residential swimming pools, through Life Cycle Assessment based on NBR ISO 14040:2014 and NBR 14044:2014. The standard steps were followed and primary data on materials and quantities for the treatments were collected during 2022. The purchase costs of the treatment process were obtained, which based the cost analysis. The Impact Assessment Method used was the ReCiPe Endpoint (H) 2016, which assesses damage across three categories. The water, electricity and hypochlorite production processes were the most impactful in the categories of damage to human health, ecosystems and resources availability. These inputs production have an intense natural resources consumption and causes emissions into the environment. The highest expenses in pool maintenance were associated to human resources (worker) and chlorine purchase, followed by electricity. Scenarios were created to identify feasible changes to reduce the impacts. The waiver of water for replacement in the rainy season had greater potential for reducing impacts than the consumption changes in electricity and chlorine.

Selenium status and its relationship with thyroid hormones in obese women.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Studies have been conducted with the purpose of elucidating thyroid gland dysfunction in obesity, however the contributing factors for such dysfunction are not yet fully understood. Selenium is notable for its role in thyrocyte protection against oxidative damage and control of thyroid hormone synthesis. In addition, subjects with obesity may exhibit alterations in the selenium homeostasis. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the selenium status and its relationship with serum thyroid hormone levels in obese women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 69 euthyroid women, aged between 18 and 50 years, who were divided in two groups: an obese group (n = 35) and a control group with women of normal weight (n = 34). Selenium intake was assessed by three-day diet records and analyzed using NutWin software version 1.5. Plasma, erythrocyte, and urinary selenium levels were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Testing for thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies was performed based on chemiluminescence. RESULTS: The median dietary selenium content was adequate according to the recommendations, with no statistical difference between groups. Obese women had reduced plasma and erythrocyte selenium levels compared to the control group, although selenium concentration in erythrocytes was adequate within the normal range for both groups. There was no significant difference between the urinary selenium concentrations in the subjects; however, the mineral clearance was higher in the obese group. Free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels were higher in obese women with class II obesity when compared to the control group. There was a negative correlation between plasma selenium and serum fT4 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Obese women showed impairment in selenium homeostasis, however, this fact did not seem to adversely affect thyroid metabolism.

Relationship between selenium status and biomarkers of oxidative stress in Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Crohn disease (CD) is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation and various factors involved in its pathogenesis including oxidative stress. The oxidative stress in CD may compromise antioxidant nutrients, such as selenium. The aim of this study was to assess the status of selenium and its relationship with markers of oxidative stress in patients with CD in comparison to controls. METHODS: The study included 47 patients with CD (20 with active disease and 27 in remission) and 25 healthy individuals. Blood samples were collected for the analysis of plasma and erythrocyte selenium concentrations using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Selenoprotein P (SepP) was evaluated by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) activity was assessed by using an automatic biochemistry analyzer, and the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was measured. Comparative analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. For correlations, Pearson's coefficient test was used. The determinants for CD and lipid peroxidation were indicated by odds ratio. RESULTS: Plasma and erythrocyte selenium levels and SepP concentrations were lower in the CD patient groups than in the healthy group. GPx1 activity and the concentration of TBARS were significantly higher in the CD groups. In the univariate analysis, plasma and erythrocyte selenium and TBARS were associated with CD. CONCLUSION: Patients with CD have impaired selenium status, which is related to the increased oxidative stress observed in these patients.

The Quality of Toothbrushing in Children with Intellectual Disabilities Enrolled in an Oral Health Promotion Programme: A Paired Study.

PURPOSE: To assess the quality of toothbrushing of children with intellectual disability (ID). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirty-six children, 68 with ID (SG = study group) and 68 non-ID (CG = control group), were paired. Their caregivers completed a questionnaire about socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and another about oral hygiene habits. The toothbrushing technique and position adopted were documented and the duration of the procedure was measured. A modification of the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (SM-OHI) was used to classify the quality of brushing as: adequate, when all the teeth had SM-OHI 0 or 1; or inadequate, when at least one tooth had SM-OHI 2 or 3. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of data distribution for age, duration of brushing and SM-OHI. Fisher's exact test and the chi-squared test were applied to assess the association between ID and oral hygiene habits or characteristics of toothbrushing. To compare the duration of brushing groups, the Mann-Whitney test was applied. Student's t-test for independent samples was applied to compare mean MS-OHI. RESULTS: Mothers were the main persons performing children's toothbrushing in SG. They reported a higher daily brushing frequency, longer toothbrushing duration of children in the SG, SG children had lower SM-OHI scores and were thus rated as having adequate toothbrushing, in contrast to the CG (p < 0.001, p < 0.001; p = 0.012; p < 0.001; p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Toothbrushing provided by caregivers for ID children was more effective than toothbrushing carried out by non-ID children of the same age and gender.

Mineral status and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity in Alzheimer's disease.

The study evaluated the dietary intake of zinc and copper, as measured by plasma and erythrocyte concentrations, the Cu/Zn ratio and measure the erythrocyte superoxide dismutase enzyme (eSOD) activity and the relationship between these markers and the degree of dementia in elderly individuals with and without Alzheimer's Disease (AD). A total of 93 elderly people aged 60-94 years were divided into two groups: with AD (n=44) and without AD (n=49). The NINCDS-ADRDA criteria were used for diagnosing AD, and dementia staging was determined using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. The dietary intake of Zn and Cu was obtained from a standard 3-day food record. Plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of the minerals were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and by measuring eSOD activity in an automatic biochemical analyzer. The results showed dietary intake of Zn and Cu above the reference values with no differences observed between the two groups (p>0.05). Plasma and erythrocyte normocupremia as well as alteration in the Zn pool, with its reduced plasma concentrations and high in the erythrocytes, were observed in both groups (p>0.05). The plasma Cu/Zn ratio were not significantly different in patients with and without AD (p>0.05). The eSOD activity was high in both patient groups (p>0.05). However, among elderly patients with AD there was a positive correlation between this marker and dementia severity. According to our study results, we conclude that plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of Cu and Zn, as well as Cu/Zn ratio among elderly individuals is not related to Alzheimer's Disease. However, antioxidant activity of eSOD is associated with dementia severity.

Retrospective study of dental trauma in children with autism spectrum disorders: a paired study.

The objective was to evaluate the history of traumatic dental injury (TDI) among children with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at the Centro Integrado de Educação Especial (CIES), in Teresina, Brazil. The dental records of 228 children, 114 with ASD (SG = study group) and 114 without ASD (CG = control group), paired by age, gender and socioeconomic characteristics between January 2007 and September 2014 were reviewed. Data were analyzed using chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression (alpha = 5.0%). Dental trauma in SG was lower than in the CG (24.6% and 41.2%, respectively, p = 0.007). The risk of trauma was lower among males in SG (OR: 0.35; 95%CI: 0.18 to 0.67). The likelihood of TDI in SG was 3.17 higher in females than that of males (p = 0.040). The prevalence of TDI was lower in ASD individuals compared to controls. Dental trauma was higher among ASD girls than ASD boys.

Cephalometric and anthropometric data of obstructive apnea in different age groups.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome usually present with changes in upper airway morphology and/or body fat distribution, which may occur throughout life and increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with age. OBJECTIVE: To correlate cephalometric and anthropometric measures with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in different age groups. METHODS: A retrospective study of cephalometric and anthropometric measures of 102 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was analyzed. Patients were divided into three age groups (≥20 and <40 years, ≥40 and <60 years, and ≥60 years). Pearson's correlation was performed for these measures with the apnea-hypopnea index in the full sample, and subsequently by age group. RESULTS: The cephalometric measures MP-H (distance between the mandibular plane and the hyoid bone) and PNS-P (distance between the posterior nasal spine and the tip of the soft palate) and the neck and waist circumferences showed a statistically significant correlation with apnea-hypopnea index in both the full sample and in the ≥40 and <60 years age group. These variables did not show any significant correlation with the other two age groups (<40 and ≥60 years). CONCLUSION: Cephalometric measurements MP-H and PNS-P and cervical and waist circumferences correlated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in patients in the ≥40 and <60 age group.