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The aim of the study is to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of a series of older patients consecutively admitted into a non-ICU ward due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (14, males 11), developing delirium. Hypokinetic delirium with lethargy and confusion was observed in 43% of cases (6/14 patients). A total of eight patients exhibited hyperkinetic delirium and 50% of these patients (4/8) died. The overall mortality rate was 71% (10/14 patients). Among the four survivors we observed two different clinical patterns: two patients exhibited dementia and no ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), while the remaining two patients exhibited ARDS and no dementia. The observed different clinical patterns of delirium (hypokinetic delirium; hyperkinetic delirium with or without dementia; hyperkinetic delirium with or without ARDS) identified patients with different prognosis: we believe these observations may have an impact on the management of older subjects with delirium due to COVID-19.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: The American Heart Association (AHA) developed a concept to measure cardiovascular health in populations. We aimed to analyse participants in the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study (SWICOS) according to the AHA concept. METHODS: We analysed cardiovascular health according to the AHA concept in all 474 participants of the prospective, population-based SWICOS study who were 18 years or older. The AHA concept uses seven health metrics of known cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose, smoking, body weight, physical activity and diet), and classifies each health metric according to three levels (ideal, intermediate and poor) using pre-defined cut-offs. RESULTS: Ideal cardiovascular health for three or more of the seven health metrics was found in 259 participants (54.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 50.1–59.4%), but a relevant number of participants (n = 213, 45.1%, 95% CI 40.6–49.7%) showed ideal cardiovascular health for only two or fewer of the seven health metrics. Poor cardiovascular health for three or more of the seven health metrics was found in 40 participants (8.5%; 95% CI 6.1–11.4%); a majority of 432 participants (91.5%; 95% CI 88.6–93.9%) showed a poor level for only two or fewer of the seven health metrics. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found favourable results for cardiovascular health in the population-based SWICOS cohort. Nevertheless, we see the need for further health prevention campaigns given the fact that a relevant proportion of the participants could optimise their cardiovascular health. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT02282748

Em meados de março de 2020 ocorreu a suspensão das atividades educacionais presenciais nas redes de ensino pública e privada, em decorrência do afastamento social provocado pela pandemia de Covid-19, motivo pelo qual as instituições educacionais tornaram-se adeptas do ensino remoto emergencial (ERE). Considerando este cenário, ainda em movimento, este texto busca: 1) apresentar trabalhos desenvolvidos por pesquisadores de diferentes países neste curto espaço de tempo, no intuito de entender o que representou a suspensão das atividades escolares presenciais e a continuidade do calendário via ERE; e 2) apresentar dados de pesquisa de campo desenvolvida com professores da Educação Básica e Superior, na qual participaram 321 docentes de 14 Estados brasileiros. Por meio da aplicação de questionários digitais investigou-se, junto a esses professores, suas experiências, desafios, sentimentos, reflexões e como se objetivava a docência em formato remoto. Evidenciaram-se depoimentos de descontentamento e impotência frente às condições atuais do trabalho docente, grande angústia relacionada à aprendizagem dos estudantes e, também, relatos de esforços individuais e coletivos em prol de ações pedagógicas que desenvolvam o ERE do melhor modo possível.

Faced with the challenges of adapting agriculture to climate change, seed production should have increased resilience to abiotic stress factors and the expected proliferation of pathogens. This concerns both the nutritional quality and seed vigor, two crucial factors in seedling establishment and yield. Both qualities are acquired during seed development, but how environment influences the genetic and physiological determinisms of these qualities remains to be elucidated. With a world production of 71 Mt of seeds per year, oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is the third largest oleaginous crop. But its productivity must cope with several abiotic stresses, among which drought is one of the main constraints in current and future climate scenarios. In addition, clubroot disease, caused by the pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, leads to severe yield losses for the Brassica crops worldwide. Clubroot provokes the formation of galls on the infected roots that can restrict the flow of water and nutrients within the plant throughout the growth cycle. In order to get new insights into the impact of single or combined constraints on seed qualities, metabolic profiling assays were run for a collection of 330 seed samples (including developing, mature and imbibed seeds) harvested from plants of two B. napus cultivars (“Express” and “Montego”) that were grown under either drought conditions, the presence of P. brassicae, or a combination of both stresses. Metabolites were identified and quantified by UPLC or GC. In addition, monitoring germination traits was conducted for 60 mature seed lots under in vitro conditions using an automated phenotyping platform. The present dataset contains the raw contents for 42 metabolites (nmol.mg−1 of seed dry weight) filtered and analyzed with statistical tests as well as germination speed and percentages. This dataset is available under accession at Data INRAE. These data will contribute to a better understanding of the crosstalk between the plant responses to water deprivation and/or pathogen attack and how it compromises seed quality. A better understanding of the molecular and physiological responses of the seed to (a)biotic stress on a molecular and physiological will be a first step to meet scientific and technological challenges of adapting seeds to their environment.

ABSTRACT: Acute hepatotoxicity caused by plants poisoning is responsible for economic losses in farm animals in Brazil. Reports of Cestrum intermedium natural poisoning in cattle are not commonly described in Rio Grande do Sul (RS). This study aimed to document an outbreak of spontaneous C. intermedium poisoning in dairy cattle in the Central-Eastern Mesoregion of RS. Three nine-month-old Holstein and Jersey heifers were affected after they were placed in a small paddock with shortage forage. In this area, specimens of C. intermedium Sendtn with signs of consumption were observed. Morbidity and lethality rates were 100% and clinical courses ranged from 9 to 12 hours. At post mortem examination of the three heifers, there was predominance of acute liver lesions. The liver was moderately enlarged and on the cut surface there was a marked accentuation of the lobular pattern and hemorrhage. Inside the rumen, partially digested C. intermedium Sendtn leaves were observed. The histological aspects of the liver were mostly centrilobular coagulative necrosis and hemorrhage, frequently extended to the midzonal region. The immunohistochemistry technique was performed, in which the polyclonal antibody caspase 3 was used in liver fragments. Moderate to marked immunolabeling was observed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of hepatocytes, predominantly on the periphery of areas of hepatic necrosis indicating cell apoptosis. The diagnosis of C. intermedium Sendtn poisoning in dairy cattle in this study was based on epidemiological, clinical and anatomopathological findings. Since the C. intermedium poisoning is uncommon in dairy cattle, we are describing it for the first time in the Central-Eastern Mesoregion of RS, and represents a differential diagnosis of other acute toxic liver diseases in cattle.

We present the first measurement of H i mass of star-forming galaxies in different large scale structure environments from a blind survey at z ∼ 0.37. In particular, we carry out a spectral line stacking analysis considering 2875 spectra of colour-selected star-forming galaxies undetected in H i at 0.23 < z < 0.49 in the COSMOS field, extracted from the MIGHTEE-H i Early Science data cubes, acquired with the MeerKAT radio telescope. We stack galaxies belonging to different subsamples depending on three different definitions of large-scale structure environment: local galaxy overdensity, position inside the host dark matter halo (central, satellite, or isolated), and cosmic web type (field, filament, or knot). We first stack the full star-forming galaxy sample and find a robust H i detection yielding an average galaxy H i mass of |$M_{\rm H \, {\small I}}=(8.12\pm 0.75)\times 10^9\, {\rm M}_\odot$| at ∼11.8σ. Next, we investigate the different subsamples finding a negligible difference in M H i as a function of the galaxy overdensity. We report an H i excess compared to the full sample in satellite galaxies (M H i  = (11.31 ± 1.22) × 109, at ∼10.2σ) and in filaments (M H i  = (11.62 ± 0.90) × 109. Conversely, we report non-detections for the central and knot galaxies subsamples, which appear to be H i -deficient. We find the same qualitative results also when stacking in units of H i fraction (f H i ). We conclude that the H i amount in star-forming galaxies at the studied redshifts correlates with the large-scale structure environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of the most distant OH megamaser (OHM) to be observed in the main lines, using data from the MeerKAT International Giga-Hertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey. At a newly measured redshift of z  = 0.7092, the system has strong emission in both the 1665 MHz (L ≈ 2500 L⊙) and 1667 MHz (L ≈ 4.5 × 104 L⊙) transitions, with both narrow and broad components. We interpret the broad line as a high-velocity-dispersion component of the 1667 MHz transition, with velocity v ∼ 330 km s−1 with respect to the systemic velocity. The host galaxy has a stellar mass of M ⋆ = 2.95 × 1010 M⊙ and a star formation rate of SFR = 371 M⊙ yr−1, placing it ∼1.5 dex above the main sequence for star-forming galaxies at this redshift, and can be classified as an ultraluminous infrared galaxy. Alongside the optical imaging data, which exhibit evidence for a tidal tail, this suggests that the OHM arises from a system that is currently undergoing a merger, which is stimulating star formation and providing the necessary conditions for pumping the OH molecule to saturation. The OHM is likely to be lensed, with a magnification factor of ∼2.5, and perhaps more if the maser emitting region is compact and suitably offset relative to the centroid of its host galaxy's optical light. This discovery demonstrates that spectral line mapping with the new generation of radio interferometers may provide important information on the cosmic merger history of galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate quality parameters of magistral topical solutions containing minoxidil (A, B and C), comparing the results with the ones obtained for the industrial formulation. Organoleptic tests, evaluation of the pH and density, centrifuge test, drug content determination, comparison of indicated dosages and in vitro follicular penetration of minoxidil were performed. Regarding the organoleptic properties, differences in color and viscosity were observed between the magistral (composed of minoxidil sulfate) and the industrial formulations (composed of minoxidil base). For pH values, the magistral solutions presented considerably more acidic pH, compared to the industrial sample. For the density test, the samples with the highest ethanol percentages (B and C) presented lower density. In the centrifuge test, none of the samples showed changes. Considering the drug content test, only the industrial sample and the magistral sample C showed drug percentage within the expected (90-110%), indicating lack of correction factor determination by the magistral pharmacies. Furthermore, it was observed that the dosage indicated by the magistral pharmacies do not correspond to the dose indicated by the industry, being significantly lower. All topical solutions tested presented hair follicle penetration of minoxildil, without statistical difference. The results indicate that there is a failure in the magistral pharmacies regarding the production and the indication of dosage of minoxidil topical solutions.

Resumo: Este artigo investiga a política de formação inicial de pesquisadores na educação básica e sua recontextualização na prática, com foco, em termos de empiria, no Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica para o Ensino Médio (Pibic-EM) da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), inserido no contexto da iniciação científica júnior. Analisa o modus operandi dos sujeitos com ênfase nos processos de seleção e nas razões da sua adesão/desistência ao programa. Realiza estudo de caso na UFSC, que desenvolve o Pibic-EM, e em dez escolas públicas em que foram entrevistados 46 sujeitos, entre orientadores, bolsistas, coorientadores/professores das escolas e coordenadores institucionais do programa. O fator determinante para a escolha dos bolsistas foi a presença de um habitus e de disposições próximas das requeridas pelo campo acadêmico. Entre os motivos da desistência dos estudantes/bolsistas, destacam-se: o reduzido valor da bolsa; a exigência de trabalho/remuneração para auxiliar a família; as expectativas da família em relação à trajetória acadêmica; o excesso de atividades escolares; e o baixo rendimento escolar.

RESUMO Neste artigo se analisa o que dizem os Organismos Internacionais (OI) e seus especialistas acerca da possibilidade de construção e/ou existência de Universidades de Classe Mundial (UCM) nos países da América Latina e Caribe (ALeC), com o objetivo de evidenciar como estão sendo delineadas as especificidades deste modelo para esses países, que não compõem o eixo dinâmico do capital. Nesse mesmo sentido, buscou-se compreender o movimento desta tendência a partir dos lugares ocupados pelas universidades latino-americanas nos principais rankings acadêmicos internacionais. Em termos metodológicos, foram utilizados os levantamentos bibliográfico e de dados e a análise documental, considerando-se que a investigação sobre as tendências e manifestações da UCM pressupõe a compreensão da totalidade histórica e social.

Abstract Liver‐X‐receptor (LXR) agonists are known to bear anti‐tumor activity. However, their efficacy is limited and additional insights regarding the underlying mechanism are necessary. By performing transcriptome analysis coupled with global polar metabolite screening, we show that LXR agonists, LXR623 and GW3965, enhance synergistically the anti‐proliferative effect of BH3 mimetics in solid tumor malignancies, which is predominantly mediated by cell death with features of apoptosis and is rescued by exogenous cholesterol. Extracellular flux analysis and carbon tracing experiments (U‐13C‐glucose and U‐13C‐glutamine) reveal that within 5 h, activation of LXRβ results in reprogramming of tumor cell metabolism, leading to suppression of mitochondrial respiration, a phenomenon not observed in normal human astrocytes. LXR activation elicits a suppression of respiratory complexes at the protein level by reducing their stability. In turn, energy starvation drives an integrated stress response (ISR) that up‐regulates pro‐apoptotic Noxa in an ATF4‐dependent manner. Cholesterol and nucleotides rescue from the ISR elicited by LXR agonists and from cell death induced by LXR agonists and BH3 mimetics. In conventional and patient‐derived xenograft models of colon carcinoma, melanoma, and glioblastoma, the combination treatment of ABT263 and LXR agonists reduces tumor sizes significantly stronger than single treatments. Therefore, the combination treatment of LXR agonists and BH3 mimetics might be a viable efficacious treatment approach for solid malignancies.

In this work we present an optical method for the direct determination of the piezoelectric coefficient of polymeric thin films. This is achieved through the measurement of nanometric mechanical displacements generated in the film when it is excited by low frequency harmonic electrical signals (0.5 Hz). The system is based on the temporal speckle pattern interferometry technique and the recovery of phase by using a bivariate empirical mode decomposition framework. The experimental scheme was used on a sample of vinylidene polyfluoride deposited on a glass substrate. The sample presents similar conditions to those found in the characterization of complex fluids by photoacoustic techniques. The measured value agrees with those obtained by other methods and with the value reported by the manufacturer.

This paper looks at the relationship between project and rights. At first, it discusses the redefinition of housing rights in the space of the city, by observing a workers’ district of Geneva, the neighborhood of Les Grottes, that was the object of struggles and occupations in the eighties. Today it is an eco-neighborhood like many in Europe, where the right to housing, forcefully demanded during the past urban struggles, has broken down into an ensemble of superimposed fragments.Pluralization of the right to housing refers to two different perspectives. The first originates from the influence of social analysis, according to which our current condition is an expression of neo-liberal policies. In this perspective, the broken down of rights is the other side of rights retraction of its modern form. The second refers to pragmatism and its democratic individualism. Here the multiplication of subjective rights, no longer hierarchical or competitive, is an expression of what each individual considers a right way of living. The project needs to be prepared to manage any gaps arising between these dimensions.