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Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of great importance for One Health. In this context, the Amazonian biome may harbor numerous hosts for Leptospira spp. that contribute to the maintenance of the pathogen in the environment. Some reptiles, such as chelonians, have been little studied in terms of their involvement with leptospires. The objective of this study was to detect Leptospira spp. DNA in Kinosternon scorpioides turtles kept in captivity in a region of the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 147 samples of blood (n = 40), cloacal fluid (n = 27), cloacal lavage (n = 40), and stomach (n = 40) were collected from 40 chelonians. After DNA extraction, the samples were subjected to amplification of a 331 base pair product of the 16S rRNA gene using the Lep1 and Lep2 primers. PCR products were Sanger sequenced, assembled, and subjected to online blast search and phylogenetic analysis. Of the animals tested, 40% (16/40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 25–55) had at least one or two samples positive for Leptospira spp. Considering the total number of samples collected, 12.93% (19/147) were positive, being blood clots (27.5%; 11/40), followed by cloacal washings (10%; 4/40), cloacal fluid (11.11%; 3/27) and gastric washings (2.5%; 1/40). Of these, 11 samples were sequenced and showed 99% to 100% identity with Leptospira interrogans sequences, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This is the first study to detect pathogenic Leptospira DNA in chelonians in a region of the Brazilian Amazon. It has been concluded that K. scorpioides turtles in captivity have been exposed to pathogenic Leptospira.

Inhibitory control (IC) is defined as the (in)ability to change, suppress, or delay a response that is no longer required under the current circumstances. This ability was previously argued to increase in social contexts, based on Stroop's performance, showing that participants performed the Stroop task better in others' presence than alone. In this paper, we extend the testing of this same hypothesis to the use of two other tasks that Mitake et al. (2000) show to grasp the same IC ability; the Antisaccade and Stop signal tasks. If Stroop's performance was capturing the impact of the presence of others on CI abilities, the effect would generalize to performance on these tasks. This hypothesis was only generally supported by stop signal task performance; those in the presence condition were significantly more efficient than those in the alone conditions. For the Antisaccade tasks, evidence shows that higher levels of interference occurs in the presence of others condition for participants' fastest responses We discuss how this evidence contributes to the literature suggesting that the two tasks may index different constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depletion of health professionals' morale and motivation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an interest in understanding what drives workers to choose and remain motivated in the health sector. This study contributes to a better understanding of this phenomenon by specifically analyzing the sociodemographic underpinnings of health professionals' public service motivation (PSM) in Portugal. The rationale is to analyze whether PSM varies among health professionals according to gender, age, education, and managerial position in an unexplored area (health) and context (Portugal). A shorter version of the PSM scale was applied to health professionals (doctors and nurses) (n = 413). The results suggest that there are differences regarding gender and age, specifically with female and older participants presenting higher levels of PSM. The same is true for those who hold a managerial position. Our results align with patterns found in studies conducted within other cultural contexts. Most importantly, however, by exploring higher and lower PSM levels according to different sociodemographics, we provide relevant clues for future qualitative studies and formulate practical measures to tackle these issues, thereby strengthening evidence-based policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study was conducted with the primary aim of assessing the dosage of 3-nitrooxypropanol, its effectiveness in methane mitigation performance of feedlot cattle, and its impact on the quality of meat. The results obtained through its application have already demonstrated its efficacy as an additive for methane reduction. Consequently, further research is warranted to confirm its suitability for use in commercial production. 30 Nellore animals with an average weight of 407.25 ± 2.04 kg, were distributed in a completely randomized design across the following treatments: 1—Control (without inclusion of 3-NOP); 2—BV75 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 75 mg/kg DM); 3—BV100 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 100 mg/kg DM). No significant effects were observed between treatments on ingestive behavior. However, the notable effect on the BWfinal and ADG of animals supplemented with 3-NOP compared to the control group was measurable. Cattle beef receiving 3-NOP exhibited reduced methane emissions (p < 0.0001) for all variables analyzed, resulting in an average decrease of 38.2% in methane emissions compared to the control, along with increased hydrogen emissions (g/day) (p < 0.0001). While supplementation with BV100 demonstrated lower methane emission, the performance was lower than BV75 in DMI, BWfinal, ADG, and ADG carcasses. Partial separation of metabolomics observed between groups indicated changes in meat metabolism when comparing the control group with the 3-NOP group, identifying metabolites with a variable importance projection (VIP) score > 1. In conclusion, supplementation with 3-NOP effectively reduced methane emissions and did not negatively influence animal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical and physical denudation rates have been assessed in areas with different lithologies. Surprisingly, there are no studies that attempt to document these rates in the Poços de Caldas Alkaline Massif (PC), the largest alkaline magmatism in South America and an important Al supergene deposit in Brazil. Therefore, the chemical and physical denudation rates were assessed and explained in the PC. Surface water and rainwater samples were collected at the Amoras Stream basin, covering one complete hydrological cycle (2016). All samples were analyzed for dissolved cations, silica, anions, total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended solids (TSS). The results reflected the seasonal variation on discharge, water temperature, and electrical conductivity in the Amoras Stream, with most of the cations, anions, silica TDS, and TSS being carried in the wet season. Partial hydrolysis and silicate incongruent dissolution are the main water/rock interactions in the PC, with an atmospheric/soil CO2 consumption rate of 1.6 × 105 mol/km2/a. The annual fluxes of Cl−, PO43−, NO3−, and Al3+ were significantly influenced from rainwater. Chemical and physical weathering rates were 4 ± 0.8 and 3.0 ± 0.6 m/Ma in the PC, respectively, indicating that under the current climatic condition, the weathering profile is in dynamic equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated the effects of diets containing or not containing deactivated soybean sums on productive performance, carcass attributes, carcass ultrasound, and feed cost in confined heifers with 1/2 Nellore-Angus blood. We used blood from 60 1/2 Nellore-Angus heifers aged 2 or 25 years with a body weight of 404.62 kg. A completely randomized design was used, in which the animals were divided into 2 experimental groups: Cont (concentrated for semi feedlot without added deactivated soybean) and Bocchi (concentrated for semi feedlot with the addition of deactivated soybeans). There was no significant difference in the final weight between the experimental groups or for the consumption of concentrate in the evaluation periods. However, heifers supplemented with deactivated soybean in the diet showed greater daily weight gain than did those in the Cont group, as well as greater carcass weight, arrobas gain, and carcass yield. Bocchi concentrate was less expensive than Cont (U$ 7.26 ton-1). The addition of deactivated soybean for finishing cattle is indicated because it provided the animals with higher energy intake and positively influenced the productive performance as a final weight gain greater than that of the feed without adding the deactivated soybean in addition to lower production cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze longitudinal changes between two brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams performed one year apart in symptomatic infants with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and normocephalic infants exposed to the Zika virus (ZIKV) prenatally., Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Infants born to women who tested positive for ZIKV on reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction during pregnancy were classified into two groups: symptomatic infants with CZS and asymptomatic infants. All of the infants underwent brain MRI at presentation and after one year of follow-up. All MRI scans were evaluated independently by a pediatric radiologist and a pediatric neuroradiologist, and the infants underwent clinical monitoring by a pediatric neurologist., Results: The sample included 36 infants exposed to ZIKV perinatally. Therefore, a total of 72 MRI scans were evaluated. Among the 36 infants included a diagnosis of CZS was made in 25 (69.4%), of whom 18 presented with a combination of classic findings (including reduced brain volume, subcortical calcifications, brainstem hypoplasia, malformations of the corpus callosum, malformations of cortical development, and ventriculomegaly), as well as atypical findings such as hyperintense foci in the white matter on T2-weighted sequences. Of those same 25 infants, seven presented with mild lesions. Of the 11 normocephalic patients, five (13.9%) had atypical findings such as hyperintense foci in the white matter on T2-weighted sequences and no other manifestations of CZS, although there was mild neurological involvement. Six (16.6%) of the 36 patients had completely normal MRI scans with no neurological changes. No disease progression was observed during follow-up., Conclusion: In infants exposed to ZIKV perinatally, the frequency of classic and atypical findings on brain MRI seems to be associated with the neurological status. Brain MRI is an important diagnostic tool in the evaluation and monitoring of patients with congenital infection, because intracranial changes other than microcephaly can occur.

Objectives: To monitor by the first 24 months of life, children born to mothers with laboratory evidence of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection during pregnancy or up to 8 weeks before it, and to describe abnormalities in head circumference (HC), auditory and ophthalmological assessments and neuroimaging tests during the follow-up period., Method: This is a observational, descriptive, longitudinal and prospective study of children born to mothers who had a rash and a positive test for CHIKV during pregnancy or up to 8 weeks before it. They were admitted between November 2015 and May 2019 in the outpatient multidisciplinary clinic to investigate acute exanthematous disease. The exposed children were followed up by a multidisciplinary team and underwent periodic measurements of the HC. The Denver II test was applied, in addition to transfontanellar ultrasound (TU) to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes during the study period. Ophthalmological and auditory examinations, echocardiography and laboratory tests were also included., Results: We included in the study 27 children vertically exposed to CHIKV. All children had a negative polymerase chain reaction test for the virus collected at the first outpatient visit (mean age of 16.8 days and standard deviation of 8 days). No clinical condition compatible with congenital infection at birth was reported. A change in HC characterized by macrocephaly and mild global delay development was observed in a 1-year-old child whose mother was infected in the peripartum, but with normal TU. Changes in the TU were observed in 2 other children with nonspecific subependymal cystic malformation that was not evident by the cranial computed tomography. The other children monitored showed normal results in the Denver II test, in the HC and TU. No changes were identified on ocular ophthalmoscopy or auditory brainstem response test. Two children had an increase in serum ferritin levels during the first year of life, with the others' inflammatory disease markers normal., Conclusions: Our study added knowledge about the neurodevelopment of children exposed to CHIKV during pregnancy by a longitudinal and prospective follow-up, throughout their first 24 months of life. We did not observe a negative impact of exposure to the virus on the neurological examination, global developmental test or measurements of the HC of these children., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

30 Nellore animals with an average weight of 407.25 ± 2.04 kg, were distributed in a completely randomized design across the following treatments: 1-Control (without inclusion of 3-NOP); 2-BV75 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 75 mg/kg DM); 3-BV100 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 100 mg/kg DM). No significant effects were observed between treatments on ingestive behavior. However, the notable effect on the BWfinal and ADG of animals supplemented with 3-NOP compared to the control group was measurable. Cattle beef receiving 3-NOP exhibited reduced methane emissions ( p < 0.0001) for all variables analyzed, resulting in an average decrease of 38.2% in methane emissions compared to the control, along with increased hydrogen emissions (g/day) ( p < 0.0001). While supplementation with BV100 demonstrated lower methane emission, the performance was lower than BV75 in DMI, BWfinal, ADG, and ADG carcasses. Partial separation of metabolomics observed between groups indicated changes in meat metabolism when comparing the control group with the 3-NOP group, identifying metabolites with a variable importance projection (VIP) score > 1. In conclusion, supplementation with 3-NOP effectively reduced methane emissions and did not negatively influence animal performance.