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Background/purpose: Ageing has profound impact on the immune system, mainly on T-cells. However, it has been suggested that chronic exercise may delay immunosenescence. Master athletes represent an interesting sub-demographic group to test this theory since they maintain a high training frequency and load throughout life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lifelong training on the senescence and mobilization of T lymphocytes in response to acute exercise., Material and Methods: Nineteen athletes who regularly participated in training and competitions for more than 20 years throughout their lives and a control group of 10 healthy individuals participated in this study. All subjects performed a progressive test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. Blood samples were obtained before (Pre), 10 min after the test (Post) and 1 h after the test (1h). Phenotypic study of peripheral blood T-cells was performed by flow cytometry. Genes of interest expression was done on T-cells purified by cell sorting., Results: Master athletes had a lower percentage of senescent naïve, central memory and effector memory CD8+ T-cells and senescent naïve and effector memory CD4+ T-cells. Age had a positive effect on SLEC CD8+ T-cells and a negative effect on naïve CD8+ T-cells. VO2max positively correlated with the proportion of naïve CD4+ T-cells and negatively correlated with the percentage of total lymphocytes. No differences were founded for CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells and their subsets between master athletes and the control group at all times of measurement. No differences were observed in the CD45RA expressing effector memory cells (EMRA) for the various study conditions. The mRNA expression of the CCR7 gene for naïve CD8+ T-cells and the Fas-L gene for effector-terminal CD8+ T-cells was not different between masters and controls and did not change in response to the maximal protocol test., Conclusion: In conclusion, maintaining high levels of aerobic fitness during the natural course of aging may help prevent the accumulation of senescent T-cells., (Copyright © 2016 International Society of Exercise and Immunology. All rights reserved.)

Setting: Confirmation of tuberculosis (TB) in children is difficult, so clinicians use different procedures when deciding to treat., Objective: Identify criteria to initiate and maintain TB treatment in children younger than 5 years-old, without diagnosis confirmation., Design: A web-based survey was distributed by email to the corresponding authors of journal articles on childhood TB. The observations were clustered into disjoint groups, and analyzed by Ward's method., Results: We sent out 260 questionnaires and received 64 (24.6%) responses. Forty-six respondents (71.9%) said that microbiological confirmation was not important for initiation of anti-TB treatment, and that the epidemiological context and signs/symptoms suggestive of disease were most important. Sixty-one respondents (95.3%) said that the decision to continue therapy was mainly dependent on clinical improvement. A cluster of older respondents (median age: 52 years-old) who were active at a hospital or primary health care centre placed the most value on immunological test results and chest X-rays. A cluster of younger respondents (median age: 38 years-old) who were less experienced in management of TB placed more value on Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) results and chest computed tomography (CT) scans. A cluster of respondents with more experience in treating TB and working at specialized TB centres placed greater value on the clinical results and specific radiological alterations ("tree-in-bud" pattern and pleural effusion)., Conclusion: TB management varied according to the age, work location and experience of the clinicians. It is necessary to establish standardized guidelines used for the diagnosis and decision to treat TB in children., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS). Patients with AF may undergo preventive therapy. Although the AF impact in the clinical burden of IS has been studied, information is lacking in Southern Europe and there are no studies about the impact in potential years of life lost. Moreover, no nationwide or long-term study analyzed the economic burden of IS stratified by AF., Objective: To study the impact of AF in the clinical and economic burden of IS., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using nationwide administrative data for all public hospitalizations in mainland Portugal from 2000 to 2014. We considered IS hospitalizations stratified by the presence of AF as secondary diagnosis., Results: Of the total 275,173 IS hospitalizations, 22.6% reported AF. The total number of IS hospitalizations increased from 14,836 in 2000 to 19,561 in 2014 (32% increase), with an increase of 138% in the AF group (from 2,411 to 5,727). In-hospital mortality decreased from 13.6% to 11.5% and was consistently higher in the AF group (17.3% vs. 11.1%). Mean charges were also higher in the AF group (€2297 vs. €2191). Age-adjusted potential years of life lost rate was higher in the group without AF (39.6 vs. 7.5)., Conclusions: AF-associated IS hospitalizations more than doubled in the studied 15-year period. Also, AF was responsible for higher in-hospital mortality and hospitalization charges. These facts highlight the need for early detection of AF and preventive treatment to limit IS occurrence, its associated burden, and poorer health outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Burns are a major public health concern, affecting mostly low- and middle-income countries. However, there is a lack of epidemiological studies on burns in these countries, particularly in Latin American countries. Our aim was to analyze nationwide demographic, epidemiological and economic characteristics of hospitalized burn patients in Brazil., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including inpatients admitted with a diagnosis of burns (ICD-10:T20-T31) from all hospitals in Brazil from 2000 to 2014. We calculated hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates. Length of stay (LoS), charges and premature mortality were also assessed., Results: A total of 412,541 burn hospitalizations were found, with a hospitalization rate of 14.56 hospitalizations/100,000 inhabitants/year. This rate is decreasing since 2003, mostly due to the reduction among children and elderly. Children below 5 years old accounted for 24% of all admissions. In-hospital mortality rate was 8.1% and median LoS was 5 days. Mean hospitalization charge was 856 international dollars. Substantial regional discrepancies were found in several indicators., Conclusion: In this first Latin American nationwide study of burn patients, a decreasing trend of hospitalization rate and a low charge contrasted with a high in-hospital mortality rate. This latter indicator, associated with a low LoS, may raise concerns regarding the quality of healthcare. Important discrepancies were found between regions, which may indicate important differences in regard to healthcare access and risk of burns. Targeting effective prevention, improving healthcare quality and providing more widespread and accurate burn registry are recommended.

Background: Association between caesarian section (C-section) and obesity is controversial and mostly based on body mass index (BMI), which has inherent limitations. Using direct estimates of body fat mass, we aimed to assess the association between C-section and adiposity using fat mass index and BMI z-score in three birth cohort studies from Pelotas, Brazil., Methods: We measured weight, height and fat mass (using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)) at ages 6, 18 and 30 years among participants in the 2004, 1993 and 1982 population-based Pelotas Birth Cohort Studies, respectively. We used multiple linear regression analysis to examine the crude and adjusted association between C-section and the body composition indicators. We also modelled height as an outcome to explore the presence of residual confounding., Results: We observed that fat mass index and BMI z-score were strongly and positively associated with C-section in the crude analysis. However, when we adjusted for socioeconomic characteristics, maternal BMI, parity, age and smoking during pregnancy, effect estimates were attenuated towards the null, except for 30-year-old women. In those women from the 1982 cohort, C-section remained associated with fat mass index (β = 0.82; CI95% 0.32;1.32) and BMI z-score (β = 0.15; CI95% 0.03;0.28), even after adjusting for all potential confounders, suggesting an increase in fat mass index and BMI at 30 years among those born by C-section., Conclusion: We found no consistent association of C-section with fat mass index measured by DXA and BMI z-score in individuals aged 6, 18 and 30 years, except for women in the latter group, which might be explained by residual confounding. Confounding by socioeconomic and maternal characteristics accounted for all the other associations.

Involuntary choreiform movements are clinical hallmark of Huntington's disease, an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an increased number of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene. Involuntary movements start with an impairment of facial muscles and then affect trunk and limbs muscles. Huntington's disease symptoms are caused by changes in cortex and striatum neurons induced by mutated huntingtin protein. However, little is known about the impact of this abnormal protein in spinal cord motoneurons that control movement. Therefore, in this study we evaluated abnormalities in the motor unit (spinal cervical motoneurons, motor axons, neuromuscular junctions and muscle) in a mouse model for Huntington's disease (BACHD). Using light, fluorescence, confocal, and electron microscopy, we showed significant changes such as muscle fibers atrophy, fragmentation of neuromuscular junctions, axonal alterations, and motoneurons death in BACHD mice. Noteworthy, the surviving motoneurons from BACHD spinal cords were smaller than WT. We suggest that this loss of larger putative motoneurons is accompanied by a decrease in the expression of fast glycolytic muscle fibers in this model for Huntington's disease. These observations show spinal cord motoneurons loss in BACHD that might help to understand neuromuscular changes in Huntington's disease., (© 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Despite the high burden of children with burns, there is not a paediatric burn unit (PBU) in Portugal. We aimed to estimate the Portuguese health care providing needs on paediatric burns., Methods: We performed a nation-wide retrospective study, between 2009 and 2013, among less than 16 years-old inpatients with burns that met the transfer criteria to a burn unit in Portugal. A bed-day approach was used, targeting an occupancy rate of 70-75%, and possible locations were studied. The primary outcome was the number of beds needed, and secondary outcomes were the overload and revenue for each possible number of beds in a PBU., Results: A total of 1155 children met the transfer criteria to a burn unit, representing a total of 17,371 bed-days. Occupancy rates of 11-bed, 12-bed, 13-bed and 14-bed PBU were, respectively, 79.7%, 75.3%, 71.0% and 66.8%. The 13-bed PBU scenario would represent an overload of 523 bed-days, revenue of more than 5 million Euros and a ratio of 1 PBU bed per 123,409 children., Conclusions: Using a groundbreaking approach, the optimal number of PBU beds needed in Portugal is 13. However, as half of the patients who met burn transfer criteria are not transferred, this bed number might be overestimated if this pattern maintains, despite the underestimation with our method approach. If a PBU is to be created the preferable location is Porto. Cost-effectiveness studies should be performed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Recently, there have been many studies exploring the biological effects of angiotensin-(1-7), which has been proved to have cardioprotective actions. However, the effects of this peptide on cardiac arrhythmias in vivo and details regarding its mechanism of action are still undetermined. What is the main finding and its importance? We investigated protective effects of angiotensin-(1-7) on cardiac arrhythmias in vivo, which were not properly explored in terms of cellular mechanisms. To verify effects of angiotensin-(1-7), we used different but complementary experimental approaches. Our data provide new evidence on the cellular mechanism and an in vivo demonstration of the acute antiarrhythmic effect of angiotensin-(1-7). Angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] has been proved to have cardioprotective effects. However, the effects of this peptide on cardiac arrhythmias in vivo and details regarding its mechanism of action are still undetermined. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of Ang-(1-7) against cardiac arrhythmias, its in vivo effects and cellular mechanism of action. We analysed the ECG upon inducement of arrhythmias in vivo in rats using a combination of halothane and adrenaline. To analyse the effects of Ang-(1-7) on cells, fresh mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated. The cardiomyocytes were superfused with a solution containing halothane and isoprenaline as a model to induce arrhythmias and used in three different approaches, namely a contractility assay, patch-clamp technique and confocal microscopy. The in vivo ECG showed that the injection of Ang-(1-7) (4 nm i.v.) significantly reduced cardiac arrhythmias [before, 49 ± 43 arrhythmic events versus after Ang-(1-7), 16 ± 14 arrhythmic events]. This effect was blocked by injection of A-779 and l-NAME, without changes in haemodynamic parameters. In addition, contractility experiments showed that Ang-(1-7) significantly decreased the number of arrhythmic events without changing the fractional shortening. This protection was associated with a reduction of the action potential repolarization and membrane hyperpolarization. Moreover, Ang-(1-7) decreased the number of calcium waves without any changes in the amplitude of the calcium transient, despite a significant reduction in the decay rate. Our data provide new evidence on the cellular mechanism together with an in vivo demonstration of the antiarrhythmic effects of Ang-(1-7)., (© 2016 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.)

The production rates of viable embryos using sexed semen through the conventional methodologies of multiple ovulation and embryo transfer are generally not satisfactory. However, the cryopreservation of these embryos is considered efficient. Knowledge of epigenetics can provide new tools or allow for adapting new protocols that could enhance the efficiency of reproductive biotechnologies. The aim of this study was to characterize the pattern of trimethylation of histone 3 at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) in bovine embryos produced in vivo with sexed semen that were submitted to cryopreservation. Bos taurus × Bos indicus cows (n = 5) were superovulated and inseminated with sexed (two sessions) or conventional (two sessions) semen. A portion of the embryos collected on Day 7 was immediately stored in paraformaldehyde (3%) and another portion was stored in paraformaldehyde after cryopreservation/thawing. All embryos from the four groups (fresh, conventional semen; fresh, sexed semen; cryopreserved, conventional semen; and cryopreserved, sexed semen; 15 embryos per group) were evaluated by immunofluorescence under confocal microscopy to identify and quantify the H3K4me3 status. In total, 190 embryos were recovered, 100 of which were produced with conventional semen and 90 with sexed semen. The use of conventional semen after superovulation yielded 72% (72 of 100) viable embryos, which were mostly (81%; 59 of 72) in advanced stages of development (blastocysts and expanded blastocysts). Embryos produced with sexed semen had a lower viability rate (36.7%; 33 of 90), and most of them were collected at earlier stages of development (morulae and early blastocysts; P < 0.05). The H3K4me3 signal was similar among groups; however, there was a difference between morulae and blastocysts. A high intensity of H3K4me3 was observed in bovine embryos produced in vivo, and this pattern did not vary using sexed semen and the slow cryopreservation process. The lower viability of bovine embryos produced with sexed semen could be not explained by differences in H3K4me. Cryopreservation did not alter the pattern of H3K4me3; in this sense, we suggest that it is a process that exerts minimal damage to the embryos., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/objective: There is an increasing number of older patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection due to the success of antiretroviral therapy, the improved prognosis and life expectancy of patients, and the higher number of new infections among older individuals. The main objective of the present study was to compare the characteristics of older human immunodeficiency virus patients with those of younger patients., Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients who were treated at the Specialized Care Service (Serviço de Assistência Especializada) for human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS in the city of Pelotas, South Brazil. Sociodemographic information as well as data on human immunodeficiency virus infection and treatment were collected. All participants underwent psychiatric and neurocognitive assessments, and their adherence to antiretroviral therapy was evaluated., Results: A total of 392 patients participated in the study, with 114 patients aged 50 years and older. The characteristics showing significant differences between older and younger human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients included race/ethnicity, comorbidities, duration and adherence to antiretroviral therapy, currently undetectable viral load, and cognitive impairment. Compared to younger patients, older patients were at higher risk of exhibiting cognitive impairment [OR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.35-3.82, p=0.002)] and of having increased adherence to antiretroviral therapy [OR 3.11 (95% CI: 1.67-5.79, p<0.001)]., Conclusions: The prevalence of neurocognitive impairment remained high in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients despite antiretroviral therapy. In the present study, the prevalence of this type of impairment was significantly higher in patients aged ≥50 years, most likely due to aging, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and a possible synergistic effect between these factors. Despite this higher prevalence, older patients exhibited higher rates of adherence to antiretroviral therapy and of undetectable human immunodeficiency virus viral load., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Infectologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Background: With the advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and significant reductions in sequencing costs, it is now possible to sequence large collections of germplasm in crops for detecting genome-scale genetic variations and to apply the knowledge towards improvements in traits. To efficiently facilitate large-scale NGS resequencing data analysis of genomic variations, we have developed "PGen", an integrated and optimized workflow using the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) high-performance computing (HPC) virtual system, iPlant cloud data storage resources and Pegasus workflow management system (Pegasus-WMS). The workflow allows users to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion-deletions (indels), perform SNP annotations and conduct copy number variation analyses on multiple resequencing datasets in a user-friendly and seamless way., Results: We have developed both a Linux version in GitHub ( https://github.com/pegasus-isi/PGen-GenomicVariations-Workflow ) and a web-based implementation of the PGen workflow integrated within the Soybean Knowledge Base (SoyKB), ( http://soykb.org/Pegasus/index.php ). Using PGen, we identified 10,218,140 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,398,982 indels from analysis of 106 soybean lines sequenced at 15X coverage. 297,245 non-synonymous SNPs and 3330 copy number variation (CNV) regions were identified from this analysis. SNPs identified using PGen from additional soybean resequencing projects adding to 500+ soybean germplasm lines in total have been integrated. These SNPs are being utilized for trait improvement using genotype to phenotype prediction approaches developed in-house. In order to browse and access NGS data easily, we have also developed an NGS resequencing data browser ( http://soykb.org/NGS&#95;Resequence/NGS&#95;index.php ) within SoyKB to provide easy access to SNP and downstream analysis results for soybean researchers., Conclusion: PGen workflow has been optimized for the most efficient analysis of soybean data using thorough testing and validation. This research serves as an example of best practices for development of genomics data analysis workflows by integrating remote HPC resources and efficient data management with ease of use for biological users. PGen workflow can also be easily customized for analysis of data in other species.

Background: Evidence suggests that there is an association between ethnicity/skin color and depression; however, many contextual and individual variables, like sense of discrimination and socioeconomic position (SEP), might influence the direction of this association. We assessed the association between African ancestry and major depression among young adults that have been followed-up since birth in a Southern Brazilian city, and the mediating effect of SEP and discrimination., Methods: In 1982, all hospital deliveries in Pelotas (Southern Brazil) were identified; liveborns were examined and their mothers interviewed (n = 5914). In 2012-13, at 30 years of age, we used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for major depression diagnosis. In addition, DNA samples were genotyped for approximately 2.5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using Illumina (CA, USA) HumanOmni2.5-8v1 array. Genomic ancestry estimation was based on approximately 370 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mutually available for the Pelotas cohort and selected samples (used as reference panels) of the HapMap and Human Genome Diversity (HGDP). We estimated prevalence ratios (PR) using Poisson regression models and evaluated the association between percentage of African ancestry and major depression. We used G-computation for mediation analysis., Results: At 30 years, 3576 individuals were evaluated for major depression (prevalence = 7.9 %). Only individuals in the highest SEP, who had a percentage of African ancestry between >5-30 % and >30 % had a prevalence of major depression 2.16 (PR = 2.16 95 % CI [1.05-4.45]) and 2.74 (PR = 2.74 95 % CI [1.06-7.06]) times higher, than those with 5 % or less, respectively. Among these subjects, sense of discrimination by skin color, captured 84 % of the association between African ancestry and major depression., Conclusion: SEP is an important effect modifier of the positive association between African ancestry and major depression. In addition, this association is predominantly mediated by the sense of feeling discriminated by skin color.

Objectives: Legal abortion based purely in maternal option without fetal/maternal pathology was liberalised in Portugal in 2007 and since then abortion rates have increased substantially. The aim of this paper was to study the impact of the liberalisation of abortion by maternal request on total legal abortion related hospitalisation trends., Study Design: We considered hospitalisations of legal abortion (ICD-9-CM codes 635.x) with discharges from 2000 to 2014. Data was obtained from a Portuguese administrative database, which contains all registered public hospitalisations in mainland Portugal. Performed legal abortions during the same period were obtained from INE (National Statistics Institute). Hospitalisations per abortion were calculated by dividing the number of legal abortions hospitalisations per the number of legal abortions, mean ages, number of hospitalisations per age group, complications, admission type and length of stay were also analysed, throughout the study period., Results: Hospitalisations rose during the study period, (from 618 episodes in 2000 to 1,259 in 2014, with a peak of 1,603 in 2010). Since the liberalisation law was passed there was a significant decrease in the number of hospitalisations per abortion: from 1.07 in 2000 to 0.11 in 2014 (p<0.001). Furthermore, the mean age maintained stable since liberalisation (30.8 years before 2007 and 31.0 after). Abortion related hospitalisations are more frequent in women aged 25-39. A significant decrease from the emergent to the scheduled type of admission occurred from 2000 to 2014 (from 83.5% to 56.7% of emergent admissions) (p<0.001). Complications remained stable between 2000 and 2014 and delayed or excessive haemorrhage was the most frequent (4.6%)., Conclusions: Since the liberalisation, hospitalisations per abortion have decreased, reflecting the major impact that the liberalisation of legal abortion by maternal request had on abortion trends nationwide. Before the liberalisation, each abortion led to approximately one hospitalisation while after the liberalisation this trend shifted to approximately 10% of the number of abortions. Legal abortion related hospitalisations are more frequent in women aged between 25 and 39 years old, an older age group when compared to the one registered in all cases of legal abortions, reflecting the differences between those hospitalised and those who are not. Our study shows the impact that legal abortion by maternal request liberalisation law can bring to abortion and to hospitalisation trends., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: There is a lack of recent and nation-wide epidemiological studies of burns in Europe, mainly in southern Europe. There are no recent studies describing the clinical and economic burden of burns in this European area. Hence, this research aimed to describe the clinical and economic burden of burn hospitalisations in Portugal., Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed and the Portuguese hospitalisation database of public hospitals was used; all inpatients, discharged between 2000 and 2013, with a main or secondary diagnosis of burns (ICD-9-CM: 940.xx-949.xx) were taken into account. Furthermore, admissions to hospitals with and without burn centres were compared., Results: A total of 26,447 burn hospitalisations were registered (mean of 1889burn admissions/year). The total hospitalisation rate was of 18.9hospitalisations/100,000inhabitants/year, and there was a higher incidence of male patients. Burn hospitalisations and hospitalisation rates are significantly decreasing - mostly in 0-14-year-old patients - and children below the age of 5 years represented a fifth of all admissions. Besides the important morbidity, the in-hospital mortality rate was of 4.4%. With a total annual charge of almost 13million Euros, the average cost per burn admission is increasing, and reached 8032Euros in 2013. Additionally, more than half of the patients admitted to hospitals without burn centres were not transferred to hospitals with burn centres, not following the European Burns Association transferral criteria., Conclusions: As the largest southern European nation-wide epidemiological study of burn patients, this research highlights that burn admissions, as well as hospitalisation rates, are decreasing significantly. This was particularly obvious among the youngest patients despite the fact that the numbers still remain very high. Moreover, the in-hospital mortality rate is still excessively high and the burn transferral criteria are not being followed. Thus, it is important to improve preventive measures, reach out to and educate providers about the burn transferral criteria, and develop specific health care strategies for children with these injuries., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Objective To investigate the social impact of literacy on the smoking behavior of illiterate individuals who share the household with literate individuals. Method This cross-sectional study employed data from the 2008 Brazilian National Household Survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios, PNAD). Smokers were defined as individuals reporting use of any tobacco product daily or less than daily. The literacy profiles of residents were identified. Poisson regressions adjusted for skin color, age, and maximum level of literacy in the household were performed. Four groups were analyzed: men living in rural areas, men living in urban areas, women living in rural areas, and women living in urban areas. Results For urban men, the presence of literate women only in the household was a protection factor against smoking (prevalence ratio, PR: 0.77; 95%CI: 0.71-0.82) vs. households in which all the males were illiterate. The same protective effect was found for rural men (PR: 0.79; 95%CI: 0.73-0.85). In turn, the presence of literate men only living in the same household with illiterate men did not provide protection against smoking in any case (PR: 0.93; 95%CI: 0.83-1.03 for the urban subsample; and PR: 0.99; 95%CI: 0.88-1.11 for the rural subsample). Illiterate women benefited from the presence of both literate men (PR: 0.77; 95%CI: 0.71-0.84 for the urban sample; and PR: 0.78; 95%CI: 0.69-0.89 for the rural subsample) and literate women (PR: 0.81; 95%CI: 0.72-0.92 for the urban subsample; and PR: 0.75; IC95%: 0.60-0.93 for the rural subsample). Conclusions Literate women seem to have positively affected illiterate co-residents of both sexes. This result is in agreement with reports showing broad advantages of female schooling.

Purpose: Methodological paper aiming to describe the development of a digital and self-reported food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), created to the 1982 and 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohorts., Methods: The instrument was created based on FFQs previously applied to subjects belonging to both cohorts in the 2004 and 2008 follow-ups. The FFQ was developed including 88 foods and/or meals where frequencies were clustered from a minimum of never or once/month to a maximum of greater than or equal to 5 times/day. The closed options related to portions were based on a 24-hour recall previously asked to a subsample from the 1993 cohort. Three options for portions were created: equal to, less than or greater than. Equal to portion was described based on the 50 percentile of each food consumed reported in a 24-hour recall. Photographs of portions related to the 50 percentile for each food were also included in the software., Results: This digital FFQ included food and meals based on the needs of current researches. The layout of the software was attractive to the staff members as well as to the cohort members. The responding time was 12 minutes and the software allowed several individuals to use it at the same time. Moreover, this instrument dismissed interviewers and double data entry., Conclusion: It is recommended the use of the same strategy in other studies, adapted to different contexts and situations.

Introduction: A mandibular setback reduces space in the pharyngeal airway, and it has been suggested that it might induce sleep-disordered breathing., Objectives: An evidence-based literature review was conducted to identify the effect of mandibular setback on the respiratory function during sleep., Methods: The authors performed a systematic review of pertinent literature published up to 2014. A structured search of literature was performed, with predefined criteria. A survey of the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane database was performed. A manual search of oral and maxillofacial surgery-related journals was accomplished. Potentially relevant studies then had their full-text publication reviewed., Results: A total of 1,780 publications were evaluated, through which nine papers (seven case series and two case-control studies) were selected for the final review. No evidence of sleep disorder after six months was related in 223 patients. In one study, two patients developed obstructive sleep apnea syndrome after surgery, and in another two studies, seven patients presented an increase of obstructive apneas/hypopneas events and oxygen desaturation index. Most of the patients analyzed were young and thin., Conclusion: There was no evidence of postoperative sleep apnea syndrome after a mandibular setback surgery. However, one should always consider a potential reduction of the upper airway space during the treatment plan. Obese patients and those submitted to large amounts of mandibular setbacks present a higher chance to develop obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Background: Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is one of the most important legumes cultivated worldwide, and Brazil is one of the main producers of this crop. Since the sequencing of its reference genome, interest in structural and allelic variations of cultivated and wild soybean germplasm has grown. To investigate the genetics of the Brazilian soybean germplasm, we selected soybean cultivars based on the year of commercialization, geographical region and maturity group and resequenced their genomes., Results: We resequenced the genomes of 28 Brazilian soybean cultivars with an average genome coverage of 14.8X. A total of 5,835,185 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,329,844 InDels were identified across the 20 soybean chromosomes, with 541,762 SNPs, 98,922 InDels and 1,093 CNVs that were exclusive to the 28 Brazilian cultivars. In addition, 668 allelic variations of 327 genes were shared among all of the Brazilian cultivars, including genes related to DNA-dependent transcription-elongation, photosynthesis, ATP synthesis-coupled electron transport, cellular respiration, and precursors of metabolite generation and energy. A very homogeneous structure was also observed for the Brazilian soybean germplasm, and we observed 41 regions putatively influenced by positive selection. Finally, we detected 3,880 regions with copy-number variations (CNVs) that could help to explain the divergence among the accessions evaluated., Conclusions: The large number of allelic and structural variations identified in this study can be used in marker-assisted selection programs to detect unique SNPs for cultivar fingerprinting. The results presented here suggest that despite the diversification of modern Brazilian cultivars, the soybean germplasm remains very narrow because of the large number of genome regions that exhibit low diversity. These results emphasize the need to introduce new alleles to increase the genetic diversity of the Brazilian germplasm.

Background: Soybean is a major crop that provides an important source of protein and oil to humans and animals, but its production can be dramatically decreased by the occurrence of drought stress. Soybeans can survive drought stress if there is a robust and deep root system at the early vegetative growth stage. However, little is known about the genome-wide molecular mechanisms contributing to soybean root system architecture. This study was performed to gain knowledge on transcriptome changes and related molecular mechanisms contributing to soybean root development under water limited conditions., Results: The soybean Williams 82 genotype was subjected to very mild stress (VMS), mild stress (MS) and severe stress (SS) conditions, as well as recovery from the severe stress after re-watering (SR). In total, 6,609 genes in the roots showed differential expression patterns in response to different water-deficit stress levels. Genes involved in hormone (Auxin/Ethylene), carbohydrate, and cell wall-related metabolism (XTH/lipid/flavonoids/lignin) pathways were differentially regulated in the soybean root system. Several transcription factors (TFs) regulating root growth and responses under varying water-deficit conditions were identified and the expression patterns of six TFs were found to be common across the stress levels. Further analysis on the whole plant level led to the finding of tissue-specific or water-deficit levels specific regulation of transcription factors. Analysis of the over-represented motif of different gene groups revealed several new cis-elements associated with different levels of water deficit. The expression patterns of 18 genes were confirmed byquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method and demonstrated the accuracy and effectiveness of RNA-Seq., Conclusions: The primary root specific transcriptome in soybean can enable a better understanding of the root response to water deficit conditions. The genes detected in root tissues that were associated with key hormones, carbohydrates, and cell wall-related metabolism could play a vital role in achieving drought tolerance and could be promising candidates for future functional characterization. TFs involved in the soybean root and at the whole plant level could be used for future network analysis between TFs and cis-elements. All of these findings will be helpful in elucidating the molecular mechanisms associated with water stress responses in soybean roots.

Background/aims: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the hair follicle, can lead to scarring and disability. With an estimated European prevalence of 1%, few epidemiological studies of HS have been performed, and none focused on hospitalisations. We aimed to study the time trends of HS hospitalisations and to evaluate the demographic characteristics, hospital incidence rate, readmissions, length of stay, comorbidities and risk factors of hospitalised HS patients., Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study using a national administrative database in Portugal, with discharges between 2000 and 2014. All the inpatients aged 5 years or more with a diagnosis of HS were included. Variables analysed were age, sex, admission and discharge date, discharge outcome and diagnoses., Results: A total of 1,177 patients were hospitalised in this time period (48 were aged 18 years or younger) with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.17. There was a hospital incidence rate of 0.83 patients with HS per 100,000 person-years (95% CI = 0.78-0.88). The age group with the highest incidence rate was 20-29 years among women and 40-49 years among men. We recorded an increasing trend in the number of new hospitalised patients and in the hospital incidence rate of HS. Tobacco was the most common comorbidity/risk factor. Eighty-three percent of our population underwent HS surgery., Conclusion: This hospital-based incidence study showed that admission for HS is increasing and that the majority of the HS inpatients were surgical cases. In the future, prospective studies will be important to assess risk factors for hospitalisations and complications., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Poor nutrition and growth during fetal life and childhood might be associated with depression in adulthood; however, studies evaluating these associations present controversial results, especially when comparing studies using different proxies for fetal growth. We evaluated the association of fetal and childhood growth/nutrition with depression, in adulthood, using different approaches and measurement methods., Method: In 1982, hospital births (n = 5914) in Pelotas, southern Brazil, were examined and have been prospectively followed. At 30 years, the presence of major depression and depressive symptoms severity was evaluated using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The present study assessed their association with birth weight, premature birth, small for gestational age (SGA), stunting and conditional growth during childhood., Results: At 30 years, 3576 individuals were evaluated and 7.9% had major depression. Low birth weight (PR = 1.01 95%CI [0.64-1.60]), having been born SGA (PR = 0.87 95%CI [0.64-1.19]) and premature birth (PR = 1.22 95%CI [0.72-2.07]) were not associated with major depression in multivariable models. However, those born SGA who were also stunted in childhood had a higher prevalence of major depression (PR = 1.87 95%CI [1.06-3.29]) and greater odds of scoring a higher level of depression in the BDI-II (OR = 2.18 95%CI [1.34-3.53])., Conclusion: In this Brazilian cohort of young adults, those born SGA who were also stunted during childhood had a higher risk of depression in adulthood. Our results show that the effect of growth impairment on depression is cumulative.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mental disorders at 30 years of age and social mobility by formally testing three hypotheses: Risk Accumulation; Critical Period; and Social Mobility. The study was performed using data from the 30-year follow-up of the Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, conducted in 1982, and data from previous follow-ups. The tool used to evaluate mental health was the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20). For the statistical analysis, the chi-square test with the Yates correction was used to estimate the prevalence of mental disorder, and the Poisson regression with robust variance was used to formally test the hypotheses according to the Risk Accumulation, Critical Period and Social Mobility Models. The analyses were stratified by gender. The prevalence of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) was 24.3% (95% CI 22.9-25.7) when the whole sample was considered. The highest prevalence, 27.1% (95% CI 25.1-29.2), was found in women, and the difference between genders was significant (p < 0.001). CMDs were more frequent in participants who remained "poor" in the three follow-ups. In both men and women, the best fit was obtained with the Risk Accumulation Model, with p = 0.6348 and p = 0.2105, respectively. The results indicate the need to rethink public income maintenance policies. Finally, we suggest further studies to investigate the role of different public policies in decreasing the prevalence of mental disorders and thus contribute proposals of new policies that may contribute to the prevention of these disorders.

This study assessed the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescence and adulthood among subjects enrolled in the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, according to social and demographic characteristics. In 1982, hospital births in Pelotas were identified and all live born infants (n = 5,914) were examined and have been followed since. The data were collected at 15, 18, 23, and 30 years of age. In women, prevalence of overweight increased from 23.6% at 15 years to 52.4% at 30 years of age, while obesity increased from 6.6% to 23.8%. In men, overweight increased from 22.9% to 62.9%, and obesity from 7.5% to 22.1%. Overweight and obesity increased more among individuals of both sexes with lower socioeconomic status, which can lead to more inequality in the occurrence of chronic diseases.

Brazil is one of the countries with the lowest intergenerational income mobility. This article aimed to analyze intergenerational income mobility in the 1982 Birth Cohort in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State. Two methods were used, intergenerational income elasticity and quantile regressions, in order to measure heterogeneity in income mobility as a function of different levels of parents' past income. The results show relatively high income mobility for Brazilian standards. The main explanation is that the data cover the children's income at a younger age (about 23 years). Quantile regressions show higher social mobility in the intermediary social stratum. The results reinforce the notion of two opposite "traps", poverty and wealth.

Introduction: Depression during pregnancy in adolescents is increasing significantly. However, instruments for early depression screening during prenatal care are scarce. Faced this fact, the objective of this research is to identify the best cutoff points for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in a sample of pregnant adolescents., Method: 807 pregnant adolescents, with a mean age of 17 years, met in public antenatal services were evaluated. Two screening scales for depression were analyzed, EPDS and the BDI. These scales had their accuracy measured by AUC of their ROC curve, as well as their respective sensitivity and specificity., Results: In the analysis, the best cutoff for the EPDS was≥10, in which the sensitivity was 81.1% and specificity 82.7%. For the BDI, it was with recognized the cutoff ≥11, sensitivity 86.7% and specificity 73.8%. In the analysis of the ROC AUC, values of 0.89 (CI 0.87-0.92) for the EPDS and BDI for 0.87 (CI 0.84-0.89) were identified compared to the MINI., Limitations: The sample was composed majority by middle and low income adolescent and the study was performed only with pregnant women in the second trimester., Conclusions: The results indicate that both scales have good accuracy in screening of depression in adolescent mothers. However, the EPDS scale shows higher AUC ROC and also better sensitivity and specificity values, the latter being more precise and effective for screening for depression in this population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study is to review the literature on longitudinal studies that have evaluated the effect of social mobility on the occurrence of smoking in various populations. Articles were selected from the web databases PubMed and Web of Science using the words: follow up, cohort longitudinal prospective, social mobility, social change life, course socioeconomic, smoking, and tobacco. Of the six studies identified in this review, four used occupational classification to measure social mobility. All six were carried out on the continent of Europe. The results indicate higher proportions of tobacco users among those with lower socioeconomic level during the whole period of observation (for all variables analyzed); and that people who suffered downward mobility, that is to say people who were classified as having a higher socioeconomic level at the beginning of life, tended to mimic habits of the new group when they migrated to a lower social group.

Objective: Data on the burden of gastrointestinal diseases are incomplete, particularly in Southern European countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the burden of digestive diseases in Portugal., Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study based on the national hospitalizations database that identified all consecutive episodes with a first diagnosis of a digestive disease between 2000 and 2010 using ICD-9-CM codes. Comparative analyses were carried out to assess hospitalization trends of major indicators over time and across regions., Results: More than 75,000 deaths attributable to digestive diseases were observed, representing 16% of the overall in-hospital mortality. Over half of these (59%) were premature deaths (in patients <75 years of age). Biliary tract disease was the most common digestive disorder leading to hospitalization (249,817 episodes, 5210 episodes of acute stone-related cholecystitis in 2010, with an 11% increase compared with 2000). Gastric cancer was responsible for the highest number of in-hospital deaths (10,278) and alcohol-related liver disorders accounted for the highest in-hospital premature deaths (7572). Both costs and the in-hospital mortality rate for major digestive diseases showed a significant positive relation with progression of time (β=0.195, P<0.001); however, when adjusted for age, this was not significant. Significant positive associations were found between age and in-hospital mortality (odds ratio=1.032, P<0.001) and between costs and in-hospital mortality (odds ratio=1.054, P<0.001)., Conclusion: In Portugal, digestive diseases represent a major burden, with evidence of an increasing trend. An ageing population contributes strongly towards this increase, placing further demands on healthcare organizations. Diseases such as gastric cancer, biliary tract disease and alcohol-related liver disorders may require particular attention.

Background: Root system architecture is important for water acquisition and nutrient acquisition for all crops. In soybean breeding programs, wild soybean alleles have been used successfully to enhance yield and seed composition traits, but have never been investigated to improve root system architecture. Therefore, in this study, high-density single-feature polymorphic markers and simple sequence repeats were used to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) governing root system architecture in an inter-specific soybean mapping population developed from a cross between Glycine max and Glycine soja., Results: Wild and cultivated soybean both contributed alleles towards significant additive large effect QTLs on chromosome 6 and 7 for a longer total root length and root distribution, respectively. Epistatic effect QTLs were also identified for taproot length, average diameter, and root distribution. These root traits will influence the water and nutrient uptake in soybean. Two cell division-related genes (D type cyclin and auxin efflux carrier protein) with insertion/deletion variations might contribute to the shorter root phenotypes observed in G. soja compared with cultivated soybean. Based on the location of the QTLs and sequence information from a second G. soja accession, three genes (slow anion channel associated 1 like, Auxin responsive NEDD8-activating complex and peroxidase), each with a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism mutation were identified, which may also contribute to changes in root architecture in the cultivated soybean. In addition, Apoptosis inhibitor 5-like on chromosome 7 and slow anion channel associated 1-like on chromosome 15 had epistatic interactions for taproot length QTLs in soybean., Conclusion: Rare alleles from a G. soja accession are expected to enhance our understanding of the genetic components involved in root architecture traits, and could be combined to improve root system and drought adaptation in soybean.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods, its associated factors, and its influence on nutrient intake in young adults. METHODS In 2004-2005, the individuals belonging to the Pelotas birth cohort of 1982 were identified for a home interview. A total of 4,297 individuals were interviewed and 4,202 individuals were included in the study (follow-up rate of 77.4%). Diet was assessed using a questionnaire on dietary intake and the percentage of daily caloric intake attributed to ultra-processed foods as well as the intake of macro- and micronutrients were estimated. The association between cohort characteristics and the consumption of ultra-processed foods was assessed using linear regression. Analysis of variance and Pearson's Chi-square test were used to evaluate the association between the quintiles of the consumption of ultra-processed food, nutrient intake and adequacy of nutrient intake, respectively. RESULTS The consumption of ultra-processed foods corresponded to 51.2% of the total caloric intake. The consumption of ultra-processed foods was higher among women, individuals with higher education, and individuals who were never poor and eutrophic. The increased consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively correlated with the consumption of fat, cholesterol, sodium, iron, calcium, and calories (p < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the consumption of carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The high consumption of ultra-processed foods and its positive correlation with the intake of sodium, cholesterol, and fats underscores the need to perform interventions aimed at decreasing the intake of this food group.

Objective: The aim of this paper is dedicated to assess the risks of the embolization of the hypogastric arteries following the endovascular management of aorto-iliac aneurysms, looking at the incidence and nature of the most common complications, in the unilateral "versus" bilateral embolization with coils., Methods: A systematic review of the literature was made on the subject, including the outcome of patients who underwent unilateral versus bilateral embolization of hypogastric arteries with coils in the EVAR., Results: The most common complications were buttock claudication and erectile disfunction, with an estimation respectively of 28% and 15%, independently of the unilateral or bilateral procedure. Less commonly, colonic ischemia was found in 2%, as well as spinal cord ischemia, also found in 2%., Conclusions: The embolization of the hypoastric arteries may extend the field of utilization of the EVAR, however it cannot be regarded as an innocuous procedure. This systematic review suggests that more complications can be expected in patients who underwent bilateral versus unilateral embolization, namely related to buttock claudication. However, a similar evidence could not be demonstrated with erectile disfunction.

Purpose: The purpose of this trial was to evaluate crestal bone level changes radiographically in a standardized fashion over a period of 12 months in humans for implants with a 0.7-mm machined collar (implant type A) versus type B implants with a 1.5-mm machined collar., Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients with multiple missing teeth in posterior sectors were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: A (0.7-mm machined-collar implants) or B (1.5-mm machined-collar implants). Changes at crestal bone level were assessed by measuring the shoulder-crest distance (SCD) on the mesial and distal aspects of each implant on customized periapical radiographs, which were taken on the day of surgery and 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery., Results: Eighty-one implants were included in the study. Mean SCD was 0.54 ± 0.53 mm at baseline and 1.49 ± 0.40 mm after 12 months. For 0.7-mm-collar implants, mean SCD was 1.40 ± 0.39 mm, while it was 1.56 ± 0.40 mm for 1.5-mm-collar implants. Statistically significant differences were found only between the two types of implants for distal measurements at 3 and 12 months after placement., Conclusion: Both 0.7- and 1.5-mm machined-collar implants can be used with predictable results, as changes in peri-implant crestal bone levels are similar for both implant types and do not seem to be significant from a clinical point of view. The SCD may well depend more on the location of the abutment-implant interface than on machined-collar height.

Objective: To propose a short version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale., Methods: Two samples were used to test the results obtained in the analyses in two distinct scenarios. One of the studies was composed of 230 low income families from Pelotas, RS, Southern Brazil, and the other was composed of 15,575 women, whose data were obtained from the 2006 National Survey on Demography and Health. Two models were tested, the first containing seven questions, and the second, the five questions that were considered the most relevant ones in the concordance analysis. The models were compared to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy parameters were calculated, as well as the kappa agreement test., Results: Comparing the prevalence of food insecurity between the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale and the two models, the differences were around 2 percentage points. In the sensitivity analysis, the short version of seven questions obtained 97.8% and 99.5% in the Pelotas sample and in the National Survey on Demography and Health sample, respectively, while specificity was 100% in both studies. The five-question model showed similar results (sensitivity of 95.7% and 99.5% in the Pelotas sample and in the National Survey on Demography and Health sample, respectively). In the Pelotas sample, the kappa test of the seven-question version totaled 97.0% and that of the five-question version, 95.0%. In the National Survey on Demography and Health sample, the two models presented a 99.0% kappa., Conclusions: We suggest that the model with five questions should be used as the short version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, as its results were similar to the original scale with a lower number of questions. This version needs to be administered to other populations in Brazil in order to allow for the adequate assessment of the validity parameters.

It has been demonstrated that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) associated with sodium hyaluronate (HY-CNTs) accelerate bone repair in the tooth sockets of rats. Before clinical application of HY-CNTs, it is important to assess their biocompatibility. Moreover, cardiac toxicity may be caused by the translocation of these particles to the blood stream. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible changes in cardiovascular function in male Wistar rats whose tooth sockets were treated with either CNTs or HY-CNTs (100 μg/mL, 0.1 mL). Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored in conscious rats 7 days after treatment. Cardiac function was evaluated using the Langendorff perfusion technique. The data showed no changes in blood pressure or heart rate in rats treated with either CNTs or HY-CNTs, and no significant changes in cardiac function were found in any of the groups. To confirm these findings, experiments were conducted in rats injected intraperitoneally with a high concentration of either CNTs or HY-CNTs (0.75 mg/kg). The same parameters were analyzed and similar results were observed. The results obtained 7 days following injection indicate that the administration of low concentrations of CNTs or HY-CNTs directly into tooth sockets did not cause any significant change in cardiovascular function in the rats. The present findings support the possibility of using these biocomposites in humans.

Objective: Comparing reliability of Osstell Mentor and Osstell ISQ in implant stability measurement, and assessing whether their measurements are comparable., Materials and Method: Implant stability was measured with both devices on 58 implants in 15 patients. Six measurements were completed with each device with 2 different transducers (3 measurements with each transducer), that is, 12 measurements for each implant., Results: Mean implant stability quotient (ISQ) value with Osstell ISQ was 72.59, 72.47, and 73.17 in the first measurements, respectively. With Osstell Mentor, the results were 72.43, 72.60, and 73.26, respectively; mean ranges were 3.37, 3.60, and 3.75, respectively. However, mean value with Osstell ISQ and Osstell Mentor was 72.87 and 72.04, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.98. This means an almost perfect degree of concordance between both devices., Conclusions: Resonance frequency analysis systems in Osstell Mentor and Osstell ISQ show almost perfect reproducibility and repeatability.

This article addresses food insecurity among urban Brazilian families with children under seven years. A cross-sectional study in areas covered by primary health care centers identified 5,419 families in the Northeast and 5,081 in the South of the country. Food insecurity was assessed by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was 22.9% in the Northeast and 7.5% in the South. According to the adjusted analysis, increased likelihood of moderate or severe food insecurity was associated with families headed by women, black or brown maternal skin color, low maternal education, low family income, and enrollment in the Bolsa Família program (conditional income transfer). Moderate or severe food insecurity would be reduced by 59.5% in the Northeast and 45.4% in the South with a per capita income of at least BRL 175.00 per month. Increased family income for the poorest families and better targeting of Bolsa Família are essential for reducing food insecurity in the country.

The scope of this study was to evaluate the influence of the social determinants and the provision of primary care services in relation to the use of emergency dental care services in a medium-sized municipality. Data recorded for the 57,231 users of emergency care between 2007 and 2009, in accordance with age, gender, date and period of dental care, social exclusion indices of the suburb in which they live and the existence of a benchmark oral health team, were used to perform the analysis. Of the total population, 5.24% on average per year used the service during the period under scrutiny, with the 20-49 year age group (63.84%) showing the highest demand and equality between genders for such care. Surgical procedures (54.90%) were the most prevalent with an increasing trend for restorative procedures (62,8%). Users living in areas of greater social exclusion were 4.15 times more likely to seek dental care (p < 0.05). No statistically significant association was found between gender or the existence of an oral health team of the suburb in which they live and the demand for emergency dental care. In conclusion, there was greater recourse to emergency municipal dental care by individuals living in vulnerable areas, proving the importance of such care in diminishing oral health inequality.

From the leaves of Solanum campaniforme (Solanaceae), eight solanidane alkaloids were isolated, four of which contain a p-hydroxyphenylethylamine unit. Their structures were established as: 22β,23β-epoxy-solanida-1,4-dien-3-one; 22α,23α-epoxy-10-epi-solanida-1,4,9-trien-3-one; 22α,23α-epoxy-solanida-4-en-3-one; 22β,23β-epoxy-solanida-4-en-3-one; (E)-N-[8'(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-22α,23α-epoxy-solanida-1,4,9-trien-3-imine; (E)-N-[8'(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-22α,23α-epoxy-solanida-1,4-dien-3-imine; (Z)-N-[8'(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-22α,23α-epoxy-solanida-1,4,9-trien-3-imine and (Z)-N-[8'(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-22α,23α-epoxy-solanida-1,4-dien-3-imine. All structures were determined using spectroscopic techniques, such as 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. The cytotoxicity and the antiophidic activities of the alkaloids were evaluated. The alkaloids did not show any cytotoxicity, but inhibited the main toxic actions of Bothrops pauloensis venom., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recovery of arsenic contaminated areas is a challenge society faces throughout the world. Revegetation associated with microbial activity can play an essential role in this process. This work investigated biological attributes in a gold mining area with different arsenic contents at different sites under two types of extant revegetation associated with cover layers of the soil: BS, Brachiaria sp. and Stizolobium sp., and LEGS, Acacia crassicarpa, A. holosericea, A. mangium, Sesbania virgata, Albizia lebbeck and Pseudosamanea guachapele. References were also evaluated, comprising the following three sites: B1, weathered sulfide substrate without revegetation; BM, barren material after gold extraction and PRNH (private reserve of natural heritage), an uncontaminated forest site near the mining area. The organic and microbial biomass carbon contents and substrate-induced respiration rates for these sites from highest to lowest were: PRNH > LEGS > BS > B1 and BM. These attributes were negatively correlated with soluble and total arsenic concentration in the soil. The sites that have undergone revegetation (LEGS and BS) had higher densities of bacteria, fungi, phosphate solubilizers and ammonium oxidizers than the sites without vegetation. Principal component analysis showed that the LEGS site grouped with PRNH, indicating that the use of leguminous species associated with an uncontaminated soil cover layer contributed to the improvement of the biological attributes. With the exception of acid phosphatase, all the biological attributes were indicators of soil recovery, particularly the following: microbial carbon, substrate-induced respiration, density of culturable bacteria, fungi and actinobacteria, phosphate solubilizers and metabolic quotient.

It has been hypothesized that oxidative imbalance and alterations in nitrergic signaling play a role in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Preliminary evidence suggests that adjunctive minocycline treatment is efficacious for cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This study investigated the effects of minocycline in the prevention and reversal of ketamine-induced schizophrenia-like behaviors in mice. In the reversal protocol, animals received ketamine (20 mg/kg per day intraperitoneally or saline for 14 days, and minocycline (25 or 50 mg/kg daily), risperidone or vehicle treatment from days 8 to 14. In the prevention protocol, mice were pretreated with minocycline, risperidone or vehicle prior to ketamine. Behaviors related to positive (locomotor activity and prepulse inhibition of startle), negative (social interaction) and cognitive (Y maze) symptoms of schizophrenia were also assessed. Glutathione (GSH), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and nitrite levels were measured in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum. Minocycline and risperidone prevented and reversed ketamine-induced alterations in behavioral paradigms, oxidative markers (i.e. ketamine-induced decrease and increase in GSH levels and TBARS content, respectively) as well as nitrite levels in the striatum. These data provide a rationale for evaluating minocycline as a novel psychotropic agent and suggest that its mechanism of action includes antioxidant and nitrergic systems.

Objectives: Our study presents the results of a survey of physicians and/or researchers working in 21 European countries, on their opinion about the relevance of perinatal indicators, in order to compare it with the EURO-PERISTAT recommendations., Study Design: In this cross-sectional study, we selected 21 out of the initial set of 34 indicators of the national data supply on the European Perinatal Health Report, and added four other indicators based on expert opinion. The relative relevance of these 25 perinatal indicators was then rated by 134 respondents--expert physicians and/or researchers who have published in perinatal medicine--through a web-based survey. We summarized our data using descriptive statistics., Results: The top five perinatal indicators, according to the respondents' rating were: neonatal mortality rate by gestational age, birth weight and plurality; percentage of highly preterm babies delivered in units without a NICU; prevalence of severe maternal morbidity; severe neonatal morbidity among babies at high risk and prevalence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Of these top five indicators, however, only neonatal mortality rate by gestational age, birth weight and plurality was considered a core indicator, in 2003. Moreover, severe neonatal morbidity among babies at high risk and prevalence of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, that were considered in 2003 as requiring further development, were now considered by the respondents as highly relevant., Conclusions: Current views of European physicians and/or researchers working in the perinatal field may not be in agreement with the EURO-PERISTAT recommendations. A revision of the set of perinatal indicators is, therefore, mandatory if a more comprehensive view of health care systems performance across Europe is to be achieved., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to adjust the zidovudine (AZT) release from solid tablets to an ideal profile, by developing matrices comprising swellable polymers with nonswellable ones., Methods: Directly compressed matrices comprised different ratios of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose K15M and K100M, ethylcellulose, and methacrylic acid (Eudragit(®) RS PO and Eudragit(®) RL PO) were prepared. Technological characterization and evaluation of the in vitro release behavior were carried out. Cell density and viability following drug exposure were evaluated by the SRB method, for the Caco-2 line, while cell morphology was assessed upon Trypan blue staining., Results: A specific formulation containing 5% of each excipient - HPMC K15M, HPMC K100M, Eudragit(®) RS PO, and Eudragit(®) RL PO - was found to yield the best release profile. Application of the Korsmeyer-Peppas model to the dissolution profile evidenced that a non-Fickian (anomalous) transport is involved in the drug release. Regarding the influence of the tablets' composition on the drug's cytotoxic effect toward the Caco-2 cell line, a reduction of cell biomass (0-15%) was verified for the distinct AZT formulations tested, F19 having displayed the highest cytotoxicity, after 24 and 48 h of incubation. Additionally, a high reversibility of the AZT effect was observed., Conclusions: The results showed that the simultaneous application of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers can modulate the drug release process, leading to an improved efficacy and patient compliance. All AZT formulations studied were found to be cytotoxic against Caco-2 cells, F19 being the most effective one.

Vascular Dementia (VaD) and Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) are increasingly common worldwide. Nevertheless, the clinical-neuropsychiatric profile of these patients at presentation is still poorly characterized in developing countries., Objective: We aimed to characterize the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, as well as the clinical and cognitive profile of patients with VaD and VCI in our tertiary University outpatient cognitive clinic., Methods: We reviewed data on 253 patients diagnosed with VaD or VCI at our center between January 1996 and December 2005, located in an industrial region of the state of Sao Paulo, southeast Brazil. We excluded 19 patients who did not complete the medical investigation or who did not meet the clinical or neuroimaging criteria for vascular dementia. We collected socio-demographic data, educational level, vascular risk factors, behavioral and neuropsychological symptoms and cognitive complaints at presentation., Results: Two hundred and thirty-four cases were included in this analysis. The mean age was 67.77±10.35 years; 72% were males and 82% had less than four years of education (average 2.84±2.96 years). The initial Clinical Dementia Rating score was 2 & 3 in 68%. A total of 185 patients had neuropsychiatric symptoms distributed in main categories as follows: psychosis (52.6%), hallucinations (23.5%), psychomotor agitation (22.5%), depression (17.5%) and apathy (17.5%). Hypertension and previous stroke were the most prevalent risk factors., Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The clinical-neuropsychiatric profile of patients presenting to cognitive clinics in developing countries may differ greatly to that of more developed nations. These characteristics may have implications for public health strategies., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Introduction: The prevalence of undernutrition, which is closely associated with socioeconomic and sanitation conditions, is often higher among indigenous than non-indigenous children in many countries. In Brazil, in spite of overall reductions in the prevalence of undernutrition in recent decades, the nutritional situation of indigenous children remains worrying. The First National Survey of Indigenous People's Health and Nutrition in Brazil, conducted in 2008-2009, was the first study to evaluate a nationwide representative sample of indigenous peoples. This paper presents findings from this study on the nutritional status of indigenous children < 5 years of age in Brazil., Methods: A multi-stage sampling was employed to obtain a representative sample of the indigenous population residing in villages in four Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Central-West, and Southeast/South). Initially, a stratified probabilistic sampling was carried out for indigenous villages located in these regions. Households in sampled villages were selected by census or systematic sampling depending on the village population. The survey evaluated the health and nutritional status of children < 5 years, in addition to interviewing mothers or caretakers., Results: Height and weight measurements were taken of 6,050 and 6,075 children, respectively. Prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, and wasting were 25.7%, 5.9%, and 1.3%, respectively. Even after controlling for confounding, the prevalence rates of underweight and stunting were higher among children in the North region, in low socioeconomic status households, in households with poorer sanitary conditions, with anemic mothers, with low birthweight, and who were hospitalized during the prior 6 months. A protective effect of breastfeeding for underweight was observed for children under 12 months., Conclusions: The elevated rate of stunting observed in indigenous children approximates that of non-indigenous Brazilians four decades ago, before major health reforms greatly reduced its occurrence nationwide. Prevalence rates of undernutrition were associated with socioeconomic variables including income, household goods, schooling, and access to sanitation services, among other variables. Providing important baseline data for future comparison, these findings further suggest the relevance of social, economic, and environmental factors at different scales (local, regional, and national) for the nutritional status of indigenous peoples.

The present study proposes an analytical methodology that employs ion chromatography-conductivity detection for simultaneous quantification of inorganic (F(-), Cl(-), NO(3)(-), SO(4)(2-), and PO(3)(-)), monocarboxylate (HCOO(-), CH(3)COO(-), propionate, n-butyrate, lactate, and pyruvate), dicarboxylate (oxalate and succinate), and tricarboxylate anions (citrate), as well as crustal cations (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), NH(4)(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+)) at low pgm(-3) range in airborne particle samples in one single run. The optimized conditions for anions were as follows: 0.6 mmol L(-1) KOH for 0-14 min, 0.6-15 mmol L(-1) KOH 14-20 min, 15-38 mmol L(-1) KOH during 20-32 min and finally returned to 0.6 mmol L(-1) for a period of 3 min, thereafter the eluent flow rate was 0.38 mL min(-1). Similarly, for cations, isocratic elution was adjusted to 0.36 mL min(-1) at 17.5 mmol L(-1) H(2)SO(4). LOD ranged 3.0-130 pgm(-3) and LOQ was within 10-400 pgm(-3) (Li(+) and PO(4)(3-), respectively) as well as recoveries ranged 89% (Ca(2+)) to 120% (Li(+)). Major ions were successfully determined in real PM1 and PM2.5 samples. The method used here was found to be a comprehensive, simple, cheap and reliable procedure for studying ions in particulate matter (PM) samples even those from remote areas or near ecosystem natural conditions., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)