Search

Este estudo comparou o treinamento de força, aeróbico e resistência muscular, sobre a autonomia funcional e qualidade de vida de idosos. 133 participantes, divididos em quatro grupos, realizaram 16 semanas de treinamento de força, resistência e aeróbico, além do grupo controle que não realizou nenhuma prática. Para avaliar a autonomia funcional foi utilizado o protocolo GDLAM e para qualidade de vida o questionário WHOQOL-OLD. Após a análise dos resultados, verificou-se que, apesar dos efeitos positivos para todos os grupos experimentais, o grupo força se mostrou mais eficiente na diminuição do tempo para execução dos testes da autonomia funcional (∆%-22.5876, p

ABSTRACT Considering the challenges faced by poultry farming, this study aimed to develop a neuro-fuzzy model to predict eyeball and crest temperatures of egg-laying hens based on environmental conditions (dry bulb temperature and relative humidity). To develop the models and simulations, Matlab’s Fuzzy Toolbox® (Anfisedit) was used. Different configurations were used for each of the several neuro-fuzzy models developed. Eyeball temperature (ET) and chicken crest temperature (CCT) were simulated from the developed neuro-fuzzy models, and the obtained results were validated with the variables collected experimentally with the aid of recorder sensors and an infrared thermographic camera. The proposed neuro-fuzzy models allow the accurate estimation of ET and CCT of two lineages of egg-laying hens raised in conventional aviaries, thus helping in decision-making for better animal welfare.

ABSTRACT Rapid cooling is necessary to remove heat from fruit; however, it directly affects the water loss of grapes under certain conditions. Fuzzy logic is an important theory for analyzing results as it simplifies the assimilation of the phenomena through refined adjustments, allowing the prediction of the weight loss of fruits in relation to rapid cooling conditions. The objective of this study was to develop a fuzzy model that could predict weight loss as a function of the rapid cooling of table grapes in different plastic film bags. Modeling was performed using three types of plastic film bags (micro-perforated, macro-perforated, and non-perforated) at three levels of palletization (lower, intermediate, and upper), arranged in an experimental design in randomized blocks, in a 3 × 3 factorial scheme, with three blocks. The influence of the relative humidity and amplitude of humidity on the variable weight loss percentage of the Arra 15 grape variety was measured. The average percentage error of the fuzzy model was 9.78%. The intermediate level alone showed an error of 4.02%. Thus, the developed fuzzy model provided a good prediction of the weight loss of table grapes.

En este estudio tuvimos como objetivo explorar la Implicación Académica, identificar elementos que conforman las Dimensiones Conductual, Afectiva, Cognitiva y determinar dimensión prevalente en entrevistas tomadas a alumnos de primer año de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Trabajamos con datos secundarios provistos por la Cátedra Entrevista Psicológica. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 50 entrevistas seleccionadas al azar de un total de 500. Se evaluó en cada entrevista presencia/ausencia de indicadores que dieran cuenta de cada Dimensión. Estos datos se incorporaron en una grilla construida Ad-Hoc. Determinamos Dimensión prevalente por cálculo de Moda. Se obtuvieron porcentaje altos de respuestas positivas en subcategoría “Técnicas de Estudio” y “Expectativa en la Asignatura”, lo que define la Dimensión Cognitiva como prevalente. Consideramos necesario implementar estrategias que fortalezcan la Dimensión Cognitiva, promover el desarrollo de las otras Dimensiones, fomentando la participación, generando interés y mayor comprensión del material.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the world and is considered a risk factor for developing cervical cancer. The objective of this study was to observe the sensibility to detect the presence of HPV by PCR in samples of cervical material, compared to cytologic results and determine the viral prevalence in asymptomatic patients in the extreme west of Santa Catarina. For this study were sampled 496 women living in the extreme west region of Santa Catarina. The samples underwent cytologic test and the PCR technique. The results showed which 12.7% of samples were positive for the presence of viral DNA by PCR test, while that the cytologic tests detected cellular changes in 2.4% of the samples. The results demonstrate that the use of molecular techniques for proving the presence of HPV is significantly more sensitive than cytological tests (P < 0.0001). The prevalence found in this study was within the pattern found in other studies, which ranged from 10.6% to 17%.

In this study cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and carboxymehtylcellulose acetate butyrate (CMCAB) films adsorbed onto silicon wafers were characterized by means of ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) and contact angle measurements. The adsorption behavior of lysozyme (LIS) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto CAB and CMCAB films was investigated. The amounts of adsorbed LIS or BSA onto CMCAB films were more pronounced than those onto CAB films due to the presence of carboxymethyl group in the CMCAB structure. Besides, the adsorption of BSA molecules on CMCAB films was more favored than that of LIS molecules. Antimicrobial effect of LIS bound to CAB or CMCAB layers was evaluated using Micrococcus luteus as substrate.

Do início do século passado aos dias atuais o uso dos polímeros tem se tornado cada vez mais freqüente na sociedade. Existe uma incrível quantidade de artigos que utilizam polímeros como matéria-prima para suas diferentes elaborações. A busca inicial por polímeros sintéticos esteve baseada em sua relativa inércia e resistência a biodegradação. Devido a essas características, a enorme quantidade de lixo produzido nas cidades tornouse um sério problema, estimulando a substituição desse material de difícil degradação por um polímero natural biodegradável, o Polihidroxibutirato (PHB), alvo das pesquisas atuais. A importância do PHB está no fato de poder ser usado na fabricação de diversos produtos. O tempo médio de degradação desses bioplásticos é de 6 a 12 meses contra 40 a 50 anos ou até 200 anos no caso dos polímeros sintéticos. Apesar da vantagem no critério ambiental, os plásticos biológicos são mais caros e, por serem menos flexíveis, têm aplicações mais limitadas que os sintéticos. Palavras-chave: Polihidroxibutirato; PHB; Biodegradação; Indústria

SUMMARY. The global nutrition community recognizes the usefulness of nuclear and isotopic techniques and especially stable isotopes for accurate measurements in key areas of human nutrition and health. Although progress has been made in many Latin America countries in reducing the absolute number of undernourished people, food policy and public health communities have to face the double burden on health. On one side they have to address the prevention of obesity and on the other side they are trying to reduce under-nutrition. However, to be successful in development of sustainable nutrition programs, a combination of relevant scientific knowledge and approaches that are practical is required to assure even a reasonable level of success. The objectives of this review are to highlight the role of isotopic techniques in nutritional studies and to review the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in supporting nutrition interventions in Latin America countries.Resumen. La comunidad global de la nutrición reconoce la utilidad de técnicas nucleares e isotópicas y especialmente de isótopos estables para las medidas exactas en las áreas dominantes de la nutrición humana y de la salud. Aunque se ha progresado en muchos países de América Latina en la reducción el número absoluto de desnutridos en la populación y política alimenticia. Las comunidades de la salud pública tienen que hacer frente a la carga doble en la salud. Por un lado se tiene que tratar la prevención de la obesidad y, por otro lado, se está intentando reducir la malnutrición y la pobreza. Para ésto, el conocimiento científico relevante y el arte de la práctica son necesarios para ser acertados en el desarrollo de los programas sostenibles de la nutrición. Los objetivos de esta revisión son destacar el papel de técnicas isotópicas en estudios nutricionales y revisar el papel del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA) en la intervención y soporte del estado de la nutrición en los países de América Latina.

Objetivos: Estimar a soroprevalência de HBsAg positivo entre mulheres atendidas em uma clínica d e DST e m Vitória. Método s: Estudo de corte-transversal foi condu-zido d e Janeiro a Dezembro de 1997. Todas as mu-lheres foram convidadas a participar do estudo, elas responderam a uma entrevista contendo dados só-cio-demográficos e comportamentos de risco. Uma amostra d e sangue foi coletada para hepatite B . De-tecção d e HbsAg foi obtida em dois passos (triagem e teste confirmatório) usando um teste ELISA. Resultados: Quatrocentos e dez mulheres foram testadas para hepatite B, a taxa de prevalência foi d e 5 ,4 %. A média de idade foi de 28,3 (SD9,3). Em relação à educação, 7, 1 % eram analfabetas, 69 ,2% tinham somente o curso primário, 20,2% o curso secundário e 3,5% estavam na universidade. Con-siderando o estado marital, 46,5% das mulheres eram c a sadas e 53,5% eram não casadas. Sessenta e nove mulheres relataram um parceiro fixo nos últimos cinco anos. História de DST foi relatada por 18,2 % mulheres e 67% relatou nunc a ter usado preservativos. Somente 1,4 % delas relatou uso de drogas injetáveis e 2 ,5% tinha história de transfu-são de sangue. Fatores de risco dos parceiros sexu-ais incluíram: UDI 12% , bissexual 2 ,7 % , múltiplos parceiros 18%. Não houve associação estatistica-mente significativa entre as variáveis testadas. Foi observado uma tendência de associação em rela-ção à infecção pelo HIV [2.2 (0.59-7.89)] e sífilis [2.6 (0 .70-9.65)]. Conclusão: A alta prevalência de HBsAg positi-vo encontrada neste estudo mostra a necessidade da implementação de programas de vacinação e aconselhamento para est a população porque são mulheres jovens com vida sexual e risco de trans-missão vertical.

The objective of this study was to evaluate women's knowledge of methods for screening breast cancer. The study was done on a population of women aged 18 or over in the city of Rio Grande between April and November 2011. Interviewers used questionnaires on all of the women at selected households. Models were developed for every type of screening (self-examination of breasts, mammography, and clinical exams) that were analyzed through the use of Poisson regression. Out of the 1596 women interviewed, 1355 reported self-examination, 456, mammography, and only 191, clinical examination of the breast, performed by a health professional, as important for the prevention of breast cancer. White women with 11 years or more worth of schooling had a greater probability of having mammography exams and clinical examinations as methods for screening. We noted, linked to the aforementioned, that there was a linear tendency whereby there was a greater probability for those with high incomes to undergo one of the above interventions. The study noted that there was a need for more detailed information aimed at the population on prevention methods in order to avoid late diagnosis. We noted that non-white women with little education and on low incomes showed less knowledge of clinical examination methods and mammographies.

The increase in the number of reported cases of microcephaly in Pernambuco State, and Northeast Brazil, characterized an epidemic that led the Brazilian Ministry of Health to declare a national public health emergency. The Brazilian Ministry of Health initially defined suspected cases as newborns with gestational age (GA) ≥ 37 weeks and head circumference (HC) ≤ 33cm, but in December 2015 this cutoff was lowered to 32cm. The current study aimed to estimate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of different cutoff points for HC, using ROC curves, with the Fenton and Intergrowth (2014) curves as the gold standard. The study described cases reported in Pernambuco from August 8 to November 28, 2015, according to sex and GA categories. The Fenton and Intergrowth methods provide HC growth curves according to GA and sex, and microcephaly is defined as a newborn with HC below the 3rd percentile in these distributions. Of the 684 reported cases, 599 were term or post-term neonates. For these, the analyses with ROC curves show that according to the Fenton criterion the cutoff point with the largest area under the ROC curve, with sensitivity greater than specificity, is 32cm for both sexes. Using the Intergrowth method and following the same criteria, the cutoff points are 32cm and 31.5cm for males and females, respectively. The cutoff point identified by the Fenton method (32cm) coincided with the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommendation. Adopting Intergrowth as the standard, the choice would be 32cm for males and 31.5cm for females. The study identified the need to conduct critical and on-going analyses to evaluate cutoff points, including other characteristics for microcephaly case definition.

Background: The massive use of Highly-Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coincided with an increase in cardiovascular disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in this group., Objective: To determine the frequency of carotid atherosclerosis and the association between biomarker levels and carotid intimal-medial thickening in HIV-positive individuals treated for HIV at referral centers in Pernambuco., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 122 HIV-positive patients. Subclinical carotid atherosclerosis was considered with the presence of increased intimal-medial thickness of the common carotid artery > 0.8 mm or plaques in the carotid ultrasound. The following inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed: IL6, IL1-β, TNF-α, high-sensitivity CRP, sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1., Results: Of the 122 patients analyzed, most were men (60.7%) aged > 40 years (57.4%) receiving HAART (81.1%). The prevalence of atherosclerosis was 42.6% (52 cases). Patients older than 40 years and intermediate or high Framingham score were more likely to develop atherosclerosis at the univariate analysis. Age older than 40 years (OR = 6.57, 95%CI: 2.66 to 16.2, p = 0.000), male gender (OR = 2.76, 95%CI: 1.12 to 6.79, p = 0.027) and presence of syndrome metabolic (OR = 2.27, 95%CI: 0.94 to 5.50, p = 0.070) were associated with atherosclerosis at the multivariate analysis. Elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules were not associated with the presence of atherosclerosis., Conclusion: There was no association between inflammatory biomarkers, adhesion molecules and presence of carotid atherosclerosis. However, a higher chance of subclinical atherosclerosis was observed in men, those older than 40 years, with intermediate / high Framingham score or metabolic syndrome.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has dramatically increased life expectancy in patients with HIV/AIDS although atherosclerosis has been associated with long-standing therapy., Objective: To investigate the prevalence of atherosclerosis in patients with AIDS undergoing antiretroviral therapy and the influence of different schemes and duration of treatment., Methods: HIV/AIDS patients were approached during routine consultations. Those who had been on antiretroviral therapy for at least two years had their blood collected for analysis of lipid profile and fasting glycemia and underwent cardiac CT for quantification of calcium score within six days at the most. Atherosclerosis was defined as calcium score greater than zero (CAC > 0). Traditional risk factors, metabolic syndrome and Framingham score were analyzed., Results: Fifty-three patients performed cardiac CT. Twenty-seven (50.94%) were male, mean age 43.4 years; 20.00% had hypertension, 3.77% diabetes, 67.92% hypercholesterolemia, 37.74% hypertriglyceridemia and 47.17% low HDL. Thirteen (24.53%) met criteria for metabolic syndrome and 96.23% were classified in Framingham score as "low risk." Ten patients (18.87%) were smokers. Mean duration of antiretroviral treatment was 58.98 months. Coronary atherosclerosis occurred in 11 (20.75%) patients. Duration of antiretroviral therapy was not related to atherosclerosis (p = 0.41) and there were no significant differences between different antiretroviral regimens (p = 0.71). Among traditional risk factors, smoking (OR = 27.20; p = 0.023) and age (OR = 20.59; p = 0.033) were significant in the presence of atherosclerosis. There was a trend towards a positive association of atherosclerosis with hypercholesterolemia (OR = 8.30; p = 0.0668)., Conclusion: Factors associated with atherosclerosis were age, smoking and hypercholesterolemia. Duration and type of antiretroviral therapy had no influence on the prevalence of atherosclerosis.

Background: Hypertension (HBP) is modifiable risk factor, whose control may reduce cardiovascular disease in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)., Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hypertension and describe the characteristics of patients with hypertension infected by HIV/AIDS., Methods: A cross-sectional study aligned to a cohort of patients with HIV/AIDS. The study considered hypertension at levels > 140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive drugs and pre-hypertension at levels > 120/80 mmHg., Results: Out of 958 patients, 388 (40.5%) were normotensive, 325 (33.9%) were pre-hypertensive, and 245 (25.6%) were hypertensive. Out of these 245 patients, 172 (70.2%) were aware of the fact there they were hypertensive, and 36 (14.8%) had blood pressure controlled. Sixty-two (62) patients (54.4%) were diagnosed with hypertension after HIV diagnosis. Lipodystrophy occurred in 95 (46.1%) patients; overweight/obesity in 129 (52.7%). Use of antiretrovirals occurred in 184 (85.9%), 89 (41.6%) with protease inhibitors (PI) and 95 (44.4%) without PI. Out of these patients, 74.7 used antivirals > 24 months. Age, family history of hypertension, waist circumference, body mass index and triglyceride levels were higher among hypertensive patients. Time of HIV infection, CD4 count, viral load, time and type of antiretroviral regimen were similar in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients., Conclusion: The high frequency of uncontrolled hypertensive patients and cardiovascular risks in HIV-infected patients point out to the need for preventive and therapeutic measures against hypertension in this group.

Despite reductions in the incidence of accidental tetanus cases in Brazil, there has not been any significant decrease in its mortality. In this case series, the mortality rates before and after establishing standard management practices for tetanus patients in the intensive care unit at the Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital are compared over the period from 1981 to 2004. Over these 24 years, 1.971 patients were admitted. Before establishing the intensive care unit management, the mortality rate was 35%. The Intensive care unit for attending to tetanus patients was established in 1997. From 1998 to 2004, the mortality rate fell to 12.6%: OR = 0.27 (95% CI = 0.18-0.39); p < 0.001. This trend was seen in all age groups and both sexes. The centralization of attendance for these patients into a single specialized service with early treatment in an intensive care unit has therefore been decisive in reducing the mortality rate. This service can count on the medical team's vast experience of tetanus management, with better treatment of symptoms that forestalls the serious complications from this disease.

There is controversy regarding indications for cerebrospinal fluid control tests on patients who have clinically recovered from bacterial meningitis, as a cure criterion. Some authors advocate discharge after confirmation of clinical and cerebrospinal fluid normalization, while others maintain that cerebrospinal fluid analysis is not justified in all cases. This case series with group comparisons investigated changes seen in cerebrospinal fluid control tests and evaluated the importance of this for the discharge decision. Out of 297 patients studied, the cerebrospinal fluid control test did not change the discharge intention in 89.9% of the cases (healed cerebrospinal fluid), while in 10.1%, the discharge was suspended (non-healed cerebrospinal fluid). Of these, the antibiotic scheme was changed in 30%. Among the variables that might predict the presence of non-healed cerebrospinal fluid on admission, cerebrospinal fluid protein levels higher than 100mg/dl (p = 0.04) and glycorrhachia lower than or equal to 20 mg/dl (p = 0.03) were associated with a 2.5-times greater chance. These may be useful as criteria for indicating cerebrospinal fluid control tests before discharge.