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During the water crisis of 2015–2016, the construction of small earth-filled dams grew to supply irrigated crops of the north of Espírito Santo-ES, Brazil. This paper reports the hydrogeochemical study of eight reservoirs conducted between 10/2016 to 11/2017 to assess the water suitability for agricultural purposes and its risk to irrigation systems. The reservoirs of São Mateus (SM) are located in large drainage basins with many impoundments upstream. Nova Venecia's reservoirs (NV) have small and circular drainage areas with few, or any, upstream dams. The results are consistent with freshwater classification and Na-Cl composition to all reservoirs. Nevertheless, canonical discriminant analysis and Spearman's coefficients revealed distinct composition and patterns of correlations between municipalities. The mean permeability index of 53 and the low risk of sodicity and salinization (C1S1) demonstrate that these waters' use is harmless to the soil and crops. However, the phosphate contents make the new reservoirs susceptible to algae blooms. The same reservoirs also presented total solids and Fe levels above the tolerable limit for safety irrigation use, imposing a severe risk of clogging. The low replenishment of SM's reservoirs reflects the dispute over water resulting from the high number of impoundments in these drainage areas. The drought that preceded the study diminished the drainage basins' vegetation cover, favoring soil particles' runoff, elevating the TS and Fe levels, especially in the recently built reservoirs. Farmers must control soil erosion to avoid water quality compromise, to reduce the risk of failure and the irrigation system's maintenance cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocular toxoplasmosis is the leading cause of posterior uveitis worldwide. We conducted an observational study of 262 consecutive individuals (n = 344 eyes) with ocular toxoplasmosis who were followed over a 34-month period. Most subjects were T. gondii IgG + /IgM- (n = 242; 92.4%; 317 eyes), and 140 eyes (40.7%) had active lesions. For eyes in which retinal lesions were active at recruitment and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) could be measured (n = 133), 21.0% (n = 28) remained blind (BCVA below 20/400) after inflammation resolved. In these eyes, atypical ocular toxoplasmosis (OR 4.99; 95% CI 1.14–22.85; p = 0.0330), macular lesion (OR 9.95; 95% CI 2.45–47.15; p = 0.0019) and any complication (OR 10.26; 95% CI 3.82–30.67; p < 0.0001) were associated with BCVA below 20/200. For eyes with only inactive lesions at recruitment and BCVA measured (n = 178), 28.1% (n = 50) were blind. In these eyes, having at least one lesion larger than one disc-diameter (OR 6.30; 95% CI 2.28–22.46; p = 0.0013) and macular lesion (OR 5.69; 95% CI 2.53–13.54; p < 0.0001) were associated with BCVA below 20/200. Older age (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00–1.05; p = 0.0493) and active disease at presentation (OR 4.74; 95% CI 1.95–12.91; p = 0.0011) were associated with recurrences. Additional clinical attention should be directed towards patients with risk factors for poor visual outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall monitoring by using conventional rain gauges usually presents problems related to low pluviometric station densities, failures in historical series, difficult access to the precipitation station sites, and lack of people for operating equipment. In this context, remote sensing precipitation evaluation represents a useful alternative for rainfall characterization and precipitation volume determination. The present work analyzes the estimates of rainfall total values and indications of numbers of rainfall occurrence days by using data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite for the Itapemirim River basin (Espirito Santo, Brazil). There were considered historical series corresponding to twenty (20) pluviometric stations and precipitation data produced by TRMM satellite (product 3B42, version 7) monitoring for a 25-km space network, for the period between 1998 and 2015. It is concluded that the values estimated for precipitation totals and rainfall occurrences for the study area are consistent, indicating that TRMM satellite monitoring may be an adequate alternative for the evaluation of precipitation characteristics in the Itapemirim basin and in other basins that present low rainfall monitoring station densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate 24-week visual acuity and anatomic outcomes of two "pro re nata" (prn) treatment strategies (intravitreal bevacizumab [IVB] prn versus intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide [IVT] prn) in patients with persistent diabetic macular edema (pDME) after 24 weeks of prn-IVB. Methods: One hundred eyes with center-involving DME were enrolled and treated with prn-IVB for 24 weeks; at week 24, eyes with pDME (central subfield thickness [CST] on spectral domain optical coherence tomography > 300 μm) were randomized to IVB monthly prn (group I; prn-IVB) or IVT every 3 months prn (group II; prn-IVT) and eyes in which the CST was ≤ 300 μm were assigned to continue prn-IVB (group III). Results: Seventy-four eyes completed a 48-week study period. At week 24, 65 (79.3%) eyes still had DME with CST > 300 μm and, therefore, were randomized to prn-IVB (group I, n = 33) or prn-IVT (group II, n = 32); the remaining 17 (20.7%) eyes had CST ≤ 300 μm and were assigned to continued treatment with prn-IVB (group III). At baseline, mean CST (μm) ± standard error of the mean (SEM) was 447.2 ± 24.4, 478.0 ± 19.7, and 386.0 ± 21.0 in groups I, II, and III, respectively (p > 0.05). At week 48, there was no significant difference in mean CST between groups I and II (369.9 ± 23.3 and 426.0 ± 26.1, respectively; p = 0.9995). A significant reduction in mean CST, compared with baseline, was noted at weeks 28 (p = 0.0002) and 44 (p = 0.0002) in group II. Group I did not show a significant reduction in mean CST compared with baseline at any study visit. There were no significant differences in mean CST between groups I and II at any study visit. At baseline, mean ± SEM best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logMAR) was 0.50 ± 0.00, 0.60 ± 0.10, and 0.50 ± 0.10 in groups I, II, and III, respectively (p > 0.05). At week 48, there was no statistically significant difference in mean BCVA between groups I and II (0.50 ± 0.10 and 0.80 ± 0.10, respectively; p = 0.4473). There was no significant improvement in mean BCVA, as compared with baseline, at any study follow-up visit in any of the groups. Group II demonstrated significantly lower BCVA after 24 weeks of IVT (at week 48) compared with baseline (p = 0.0435). There was no significant difference in mean BCVA between groups I and II at any time-point. Conclusion: In eyes with pDME after 24 weeks of treatment with prn-IVB, there was no difference between continued treatment with prn-IVB versus a treatment switch to prn-IVT with respect to mean BCVA or mean CST at week 48. However, BCVA was stable in the prn-IVB group, while prn-IVT was associated with BCVA reduction from baseline and a higher risk of IOP elevation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of the proteins of the apical tight junctions (TJs) depends on a continuous supply of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in colonic epithelium. No studies have evaluated the tissue contents of the TJs proteins in colon segments devoid of a fecal stream. To evaluate the contents of claudin-3 and occludin in the glands of colonic mucosa devoid of a fecal stream. Forty-five rats underwent a diversion of the fecal stream via a left side colostomy and distal mucous fistula. Three groups of 15 animals each were sacrificed at 6, 12 or 18 weeks after surgery. The presence and severity of colitis were defined by histology and inflammation grading scales, respectively. The expression of claudin-3 and occludin were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and their contents were evaluated by computer-assisted image analysis. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to evaluate the results at a significance level of 5 % ( p < 0.05). The colonic epithelium without a fecal stream had a higher degree of inflammation. Colonic glands without a fecal stream showed a reduction in claudin-3 content independent of the time and reduction in occludin content after 12 weeks of intestinal exclusion. The content of claudin-3 and occludin were mainly reduced at the apical surfaces of the colon glands, whereas segments retaining the fecal stream were maintained. The content of claudin-3 was not reduced with time, although the levels of occludin were reduced after 6 weeks and did not vary thereafter. Deficiencies in SCFAs decreased the content of claudin-3 and occludin in colonic glands with the areas of worst inflammation, confirming the importance of an adequate supply of SCFAs in maintaining the integrity of TJ proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress has been related to inflammation of the colonic mucosa in patients with diversion colitis (DC).Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidants effects of n-acetylcysteine (NAC) in colon segments without faecal stream.Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats were subjected to diversion of the faecal stream by proximal colostomy and a distal mucosal colon fistula. They were distributed into three experimental groups of 12 animals each; the animals in each group underwent daily enemas containing saline solution (control group) or either a 25 or 100 mg/kg dose of NAC (treated groups). In each group, animals were sacrificed after 2 or 4 weeks. The degree of inflammation was determined by histopathological analysis and stratified by inflammatory grading scale. Oxidative DNA damage was measured by comet assay. The Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis; p<0.05 was considered significant.Results: The oxidative DNA damage in colon segments without faecal stream was significantly lower in animals treated with either concentration of NAC than in control group, regardless of the duration of intervention (p<0.01).Conclusions: Intrarectal application of NAC reduces the inflammation as well as DNA oxidative damage and could be beneficial as a complementary agent in the treatment of DC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress has been related to inflammation of the colonic mucosa in patients with diversion colitis (DC). Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidants effects of n-acetylcysteine (NAC) in colon segments without faecal stream. Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats were subjected to diversion of the faecal stream by proximal colostomy and a distal mucosal colon fistula. They were distributed into three experimental groups of 12 animals each; the animals in each group underwent daily enemas containing saline solution (control group) or either a 25 or 100 mg/kg dose of NAC (treated groups). In each group, animals were sacrificed after 2 or 4 weeks. The degree of inflammation was determined by histopathological analysis and stratified by inflammatory grading scale. Oxidative DNA damage was measured by comet assay. The Mann–Whitney test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The oxidative DNA damage in colon segments without faecal stream was significantly lower in animals treated with either concentration of NAC than in control group, regardless of the duration of intervention ( p < 0.01). Conclusions: Intrarectal application of NAC reduces the inflammation as well as DNA oxidative damage and could be beneficial as a complementary agent in the treatment of DC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-cataract endophthalmitis has increased after introduction of clear cornea incisions (CCI). Laboratory models suggested that these incisions might not be competent at certain changes in intraocular pressure (IOP). Considering that side-port incisions (SPI) might behave similarly, the purpose of the present study was to determine the most stable side-port incision configuration. Methods: Using four cadaveric human eyes, four different side-port incisions (SPI) were created in each cornea: 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm squared tunnel, 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm stab tunnel. Fluorescein was placed on the eye, and the IOP varied from 10 to 80 mmHg. IOP at which each SPI started leaking was recorded. In the second part of the study, India ink was applied to the corneal surface at normal IOP, and then rinsed with balanced salt solution (BSS). The ink influx was recorded by planimetry. IOP was elevated to 80 mmHg, ink was reapplied, and IOP was dropped to 0 mmHg. Ink influx was measured again. Histological examination was used to visualize ink inflow into each incision. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the IOP levels at which the different incisions leaked ( p = 0.52). A significant increase in the length of India ink ingress in all incision types was measured after IOP variation ( p < 0.05). The 2.5 mm squared incision showed the least increase in ink inflow in this test. Conclusion: All incision types of SPIs tested exhibited similar resistance to leakage after IOP variation. Good resistance to wound leakage may not predict adequate resistance to the inflow of bacterial-sized particles into the wound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]