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The polysaccharide β-glucan, found in the cell wall of cereals such as wheat, oats, and barley, is believed to lower the concentration of bad cholesterol in humans, but the molecular-level mechanisms responsible for such an action are unknown. In this study, we use Langmuir monolayers of cholesterol and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC) as cell membrane models that are made to interact with β-glucan. Neat cholesterol and mixed cholesterol/DPPC monolayers were expanded upon incorporating β-glucan from the aqueous subphase. This incorporation was found to induce ordering in mixed monolayers and dehydration of the carbonyl group at higher cholesterol concentrations. These effects are attributed to hydrophobic interactions as identified with polarization-modulated infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy. They correlate well with the hypothesis that cholesterol levels can be lowered by the formation of soluble fibers with β-glucan through hydrophobic interactions, blocking cholesterol absorption by the organism.

The heat treatment effect on kaolin waste from mining was evaluated on the structural and thermal behavior of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The PCL/KW (kaolin waste) and PCL/HTKW (heat-treated kaolin waste) composites were processed in an internal mixer and subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The kaolin waste showed kaolinite and quartz in its composition, while the heat treatment at 1200°C modified it to mullite, quartz and silica-rich amorphous phase. By XRD, there was an increase in the intensity of the peak 2θ = 23.9° of the PCL/KW composites compared to neat PCL. In contrast, PCL/HTKW composites tended to reduce the intensity of the peak 29 = 23.9°, especially at 5% HTKW. The crystalline melting temperature and the degree of crystallinity of PCL/KW and PCL/HTKW composites were practically unchanged, compared to PCL. However, the crystallization process was more effective with the kaolin waste (KW) without heat treatment, indicating that the HTKW amorphous phase inhibited crystallization. The PCL/KW development promoted an increase in crystallization temperature, relative crystallinity, and crystallization rate, surpassing PCL and the PCL/HTKW system. In view of this, kaolin waste has the potential to accelerate the PCL crystallization process, contributing to add value to a material that would otherwise be discarded and minimizing environmental impacts. Resumen Se evaluó el efecto del tratamiento térmico en los desechos de caolín de la minería sobre el comportamiento estructural y térmico de la poli (ε-caprolactona) (PCL). Los compuestos PCL/DC (desechos de caolín) y PCL/DCT (desechos de caolín tratados térmicamente) se procesaron en un mezclador interno y luego se caracterizaron por difracción de rayos X (DRX) y calorimetría de barrido diferencial (DSC). El residuo de caolín tenía caolinita y cuarzo en su composición, mientras que el tratamiento térmico a 1200 °C lo cambio a mullita, cuarzo y fase amorfa rica en sílice. Por XRD, hubo un aumento en la intensidad del pico 29 = 23,9° de los compuestos PCL/DC, en comparación con el PCL puro. Por el contrario, los compuestos PCL/DCT tendieron a reducir la intensidad máxima 2θ = 23,9°, especialmente con el 5 % de DCT. La temperatura de fusión cristalina y el grado de cristalinidad de los compuestos PCL/DC y PCL/DCT se mantuvieron prácticamente sin cambios, en relación al PCL. Sin embargo, el proceso de cristalización fue más eficiente con residuo de caolín (DC) sin tratamiento térmico, lo que indica que la fase amorfa del DCT inhibió la cristalización. El desarrollo de los PCL/DC promovió un aumento en la temperatura de cristalización, cristalinidad relativa y velocidad de cristalización, superando a la PCL y al sistema de los PCL/ DCT. Como resultado, el residuo de caolín tiene el potencial de acelerar el proceso de cristalización de la PCL, contribuyendo a agregar valor a un material que de otra manera sería descartado y minimizando los impactos ambientales.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a widespread, highly contagious inflammatory process that causes respiratory, physical and psychological dysfunction. COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system and evolves in the acute phase from mild cases with common symptoms, such as fever, cough, and fatigue, to the moderate-to-severe form, causing massive alveolar damage resulting in dyspnea and hypoxemia that can rapidly progress to pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The acute form usually causes severe pulmonary sequelae such as pulmonary fibrosis or progression to organ failure, leading to worsening metabolic dysfunction and/or death.PurposeTo verify the effects of an outpatient and home pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) on clinical symptoms, pulmonary function, physical activity level, functional status, autonomic activity, peripheral muscle strength, static and functional balance, functional mobility, anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress, health-related quality of life, and survival of patients with sequelae from COVID-19.MethodsThis study will be a cohort, parallel, two-arm multicentric study, to be carried out in three clinical centers, with blind evaluation, with 06 weeks of training and follow-up. This study was designed according to the recommendations of the CONSORT statement. To be involved in this clinical study, according to the inclusion criteria, women and men aged between 16 and 75 years affected by COVID-19. The proposed PRP is based on the guidelines recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and, consists of a combination of aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises, lasting six weeks, with a frequency of three times a week.DiscussionIn patients infected with COVID-19 with persistent symptoms and sequelae, PRP mainly seeks to improve dyspnea, relieve anxiety and depression, prevent, and reduce complications and/or dysfunctions, reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve health-related quality of life.Trial registrationThis study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID: COVID-19 PULMONARY REHAB NCT04982042).

Background: Due to the clinical situations faced, patients with COVID-19 who survive the intensive care unit (ICU) are at greater risk of developing post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), characterized by typical physical, psychological and cognitive consequences in the post hospital discharge. Given this situation, it is important to assess these patients for the presence of musculoskeletal and psychosocial changes, so that they are referred to an outpatient and/or home rehabilitation program. Objective: to identify in the scientific literature the effects of hospitalization on the functional status and health-related quality of life of patients with complications from COVID-19. Methods: Searches were performed for scientific articles indexed in the MEDLINE database (accessed by Pubmed), between the years 2019 to 2022. Articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria determined to compose this study were included. Results: from a total of 524 articles found in the literature, only 15 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The sample was represented by eight cross-sectional studies and seven cohort studies, and the main outcomes found to assess functional status were the six minute walking test the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status scale and for quality of life the EuroQol visual analogue scale and the Short form-36. Conclusion: With this literature review, it can be concluded that patients hospitalized for complications of COVID-19 showed a significant decline in functional status and health-related quality of life.However, updates are necessary to characterize the symptoms and persistent sequelae in the post-COVID-19.

Background Mammographic breast density is an important predictor of breast cancer, but its measurement has limitations related to subjectivity of visual evaluation or to difficult access for automatic volumetric measurement methods. Herein, we describe the design and clinical validation of Aguida, a software program for automated quantification of breast density from flat mammography images. Materials and methods The software program was developed in MatLab. After image segmentation separating the background from the breast image, the operator positions a cursor defining a region of interest on the pectoralis major muscle from the mediolateral oblique view. Then, in the craniocaudal view, the threshold for separation of the dense tissue is based on the optical density of the pectoral muscle, and the proportion of dense tissue is calculated by the program. Mammograms obtained from 2 different occasions in 291 women were used for clinical evaluation. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between breast density measurements by the software and by a radiologist was 0.96, with a bias of only 0.67 percentage points and a 95% limit of agreement of 13.5 percentage points; the ICC was 0.94 in the interobserver reliability assessment by two radiologists with different experience; and the ICC was 0.98 in the intraobserver reliability assessment. The distribution among the density classes was close to the values obtained with the volumetric software. Conclusions Measurement of breast density with the Aguida program from flat mammography images showed high agreement with the visual determination by radiologists, and high inter- and intra-observer reliability.

Submitted by Gilson Rodrigues (gilson.rodrigues@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2022-08-22T18:44:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 adriano_l?lis_medeiros.pdf: 1535522 bytes, checksum: de411e3a3908b5eef512b917193f7745 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2022-08-23T17:18:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 adriano_l?lis_medeiros.pdf: 1535522 bytes, checksum: de411e3a3908b5eef512b917193f7745 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-08-23T17:18:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 adriano_l?lis_medeiros.pdf: 1535522 bytes, checksum: de411e3a3908b5eef512b917193f7745 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022 Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM) O principal objetivo da pesquisa acad?mica ? apresentar propostas que, aliadas ? reflex?o te?rica, busquem beneficiar a sociedade atrav?s de a??es pr?ticas. Dentro dessa vis?o, o maior desafio que se apresenta aos estudiosos do Direito, mais especificamente falando, ? o de atribuir efic?cia concreta a instrumentos normativos abstratos. A Justi?a do Trabalho surgiu como resposta a essas demandas, passando historicamente por diversas redistribui??es de compet?ncia, implementadas no sentido de assegurar tanto a empregados quanto a empregadores acesso ? presta??o jurisdicional em todo o territ?rio nacional. A S?mula Vinculante 53, publicada no ano de 2015, pretendia pacificar o conflito de compet?ncia existente entre a Justi?a do Trabalho e a Justi?a Federal no que diz respeito ? execu??o de contribui??es previdenci?rias devidas sobre v?nculo trabalhista reconhecido em Ju?zo, nas denominadas senten?as declarat?rias. Tal dispositivo referendou a posi??o j? adotada desde o ano de 2005 pela S?mula n? 368 do Tribunal Superior do Trabalho, relegando definitivamente ? Justi?a Federal a prerrogativa de cobrar e recolher tais valores. Essa pr?tica vem sendo renovada reiteradamente desde ent?o, o que acaba adiando por v?rios anos a arrecada??o de um montante significativo de receitas tribut?rias necess?rias ? manuten??o da m?quina p?blica e ao financiamento das pol?ticas sociais visto que, conforme dados do Conselho Nacional de Justi?a, a execu??o na seara trabalhista se processa de maneira muito mais c?lere do que a execu??o fiscal realizada pela Justi?a Federal. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo procurou demonstrar que a restri??o da capacidade arrecadat?ria da Justi?a do Trabalho ocasionada pela jurisprud?ncia dos tribunais superiores, materializada na S?mula Vinculante n? 53, n?o atende ? efici?ncia administrativa e ? responsabilidade fiscal. Para tanto buscou, atrav?s da an?lise estat?stica dos relat?rios ?Justi?a em N?meros? do CNJ publicados entre 2003 e 2021, complementada por pesquisa estat?stica descritiva envolvendo processos distribu?dos no ano de 2012 na Vara do Trabalho de Te?filo Otoni, estimar o montante da perda que poderia estar sendo causada por essa postura. Os resultados demonstraram estatisticamente uma diferen?a real e possivelmente elevada entre a m?dia dos valores executados na JT e a m?dia dos valores cuja execu??o se transfere para a JF, indicando a necessidade de maiores aprofundamentos no sentido de se determinar mais precisamente o tamanho dessa diferen?a. Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-gradua??o em Administra??o P?blica, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2022. The main objective of academic research is to present proposals that, allied to theoretical reflection, seek to benefit society through practical actions. Within this vision, the greatest challenge for legal scholars, more specifically speaking, is to attribute concrete efficacy to abstract normative instruments. The Labor Courts arose as a response to these demands, historically going through several redistributions of competence, implemented in order to ensure both employees and employers access to jurisdictional provision throughout the national territory. The Binding Precedent 53, published in 2015, was intended to pacify the conflict of jurisdiction between the Labor Court and the Federal Court regarding the enforcement of social security contributions due on the labor relationship recognized in court, in the so-called declaratory judgments. Such device endorsed the position already adopted since 2005 by Precedent no. 368 of the Superior Labor Court, definitively relegating to the Federal Court the prerogative to collect such amounts. This practice has been repeatedly renewed since then, which ends up delaying for several years the collection of a significant amount of tax revenue needed to maintain the public machine and fund social policies since, according to data from the National Council of Justice, the execution in the labor court is processed much faster than the tax execution carried out by the Federal Court. In this context, the present study sought to demonstrate that the restriction on the collection capacity of the Labor Court, caused by the jurisprudence of the higher courts, materialized in the Binding Precedent No. 53, does not comply with the administrative efficiency and fiscal responsibility. To this end, through statistical analysis of the CNJ's "Justi?a em N?meros" reports published between 2003 and 2021, complemented by descriptive statistical research involving cases distributed in 2012 in the Te?filo Otoni Labor Court, we sought to estimate the amount of loss that could be caused by this stance. The results statistically showed a real and possibly high difference between the average of the amounts executed in the JT and the average of the amounts whose execution is transferred to the JF, indicating the need for further study in order to determine more precisely the size of this difference.