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The Graciosa donkey has been associated with husbandry and social activities in Graciosa Island for decades. Although donkeys played an essential role in the development of the island, their numbers are severely reduced. The Graciosa donkey is characterised by its small stature, strong bony constitution and strong hooves. They are extremely gentle, patient and submissive fully integrated into the island's ecosystem. As so they must be considered as elements of an environmentally sustainable ecosystem. This study aimed to define the morphotype of the Graciosa donkey and to access its genetic diversity using microsatellite markers. Biometric data consisted of 15 morphological traits from 39 individuals. The Graciosa donkey is dolichocephalic, hypermetric according to the dactilothoracic index, hypometric regarding the approximate live weight and far from ground. Twenty-four individuals, which showed no kinship, based on results of 13 markers were considered as founders and were genotyped for two additional markers and further analysed in this study. All microsatellites used were polymorphic, but low levels of genetic diversity were identified. As the Graciosa donkey gains popularity, the information obtained from this study will be very useful for conservation and management purposes by safeguarding its genetic diversity.

The demand for broad-spectrum antibacterial agents continues with increasing rates of resistance of microbial pathogens to traditional antibiotics. Peptides and lipopeptides are gaining traction as promising novel, class-reference antibiotics for tackling difficult-to-treat infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. To identify novel candidates and expand treatment options in clinical settings, we explored the in vitro antibacterial potential and mode of action of a short octapeptide combining a cationic block of four lysines and a highly hydrophobic segment of four phenylalanines (K4F4), and two K4F4-inspired lipopeptides (Palmitoyl-K4F4 and K4-NH-Palmitoyl). Preliminary AI-based screening had revealed the antimicrobial potential of the K4F4 peptide coupled with limited haemolytic activity. Broth dilution and haemolytic assays have confirmed these in silico predictions. Overall, our lipidated peptides were more active at lower MIC values compared to non-lipidated species, indicating the beneficial impact of tailing lipidation on design of peptide-based antimicrobials. An integrated view of the membrane-active mechanism of these novel therapeutic templates was obtained using a combination of flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and dye-based permeabilization assays. K4F4 and its lipidated derivatives act via a fast-disrupting mechanism without inducing bacterial resistance mechanisms in a long-term exposure assay. A K4F4-inspired lipopeptide together with its shorter version (K4-NH-Palmitoyl), were more stable in environments closer emulating physiological conditions, showing a higher antibacterial response in physiological salts and serum than their parent peptide. Our findings reveal the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of a novel polylysine-polyphenyalanine peptide and highlight the significant contribution of lipidation and shortening as molecular engineering strategies to improve and guide the future design of next-generation membrane-targeting antibiotics.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209393.].

Brazil is the world's largest supplier of niobium to industry, accounting for 98% of world production, with Minas Gerais supplying 80% of total production. The mineral exploration industry generates millions of tons of waste annually. In several mining industries, waste is considered a burden for companies. Based on the radiation protection exemptions for the disposal of mining waste, the study analyses the use of waste as a raw material for the construction industry. The minimum dose rate found for gamma radiation in the waste was 0.24 µSv/h and a maximum dose of 0.33 µSv/h, which corresponds to an annual dose above the population exposure limit. The radio concentrations from gamma spectrometric analyses with the Ge(HP) detector for the two samples are a maximum of 240 Bq/kg for Ra-226 and a maximum of 840 Bq/kg for Ra-228. Despite the dose values determined for gamma radiation, CNEN Resolution 179 of 2014 considers materials with natural radioactive concentrations of radium 226 and 228 of up to 1000 Bq/kg suitable for use in the cement industry. Nevertheless, further analysis must be carried out. Since the tailings contain a concentration of Ra-226 and the radio is a source of radon gas, new analyses need to be carried out targeting the exhalation of radon.

O papel do gestor municipal é primordial, no planejamento, acompanhamento e avaliação das ações em saúde do seu município, dentre elas a do manejo da obesidade, por isso este artigo objetiva descrever a perspectiva dos gestores da atenção primária dos nove municípios polos das regiões de saúde do estado do Amazonas sobre a linha de cuidado da obesidade. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, censitário, descritivo e quali-quantitativo. A média de idade dos gestores foi 38 anos, maioria do sexo feminino (57,1%), e pardo (71,4%). Pelos critérios utilizados para a pontuação da análise do cuidado da obesidade pelos gestores, os municípios apresentaram classificação entre “crítica” e “incipiente”, isto é, todos apresentaram ausência de fatores que influenciam no cuidado da obesidade. Os temas citados pelos gestores reforçam os resultados, sendo eles: Desafios no Fluxo da Linha de Cuidado; Carência de Infraestrutura dos serviços e ações para o Manejo da Obesidade e Processo de Trabalho. Sendo primordial reavaliar o modelo de assistência praticado, enfatizando os cuidados e a autonomia dos sujeitos, o papel de equipe, da gestão pública, as particularidades de cada localidade para entender as multicausalidades dos dados e auxiliar no desenvolvimento de ações específicas voltadas ao enfrentamento da obesidade.

Prostate Cancer (PCa) was first diagnosed in 1853 as cirrhosis of the prostate gland. Silently asymptomatic, PCa is usually diagnosed with Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. Since the first treatment of an advanced prostatic malignancy with X-rays by Imbert and Imbert in 1904, External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is now a curative option for localised and locally advanced disease and a palliative option for the metastatic low-volume disease. With the introduction of computers in EBRT and better imaging techniques, volume delineation is still a very time-consuming task. While Deep Learning methods are urged, EBRT systems still rely on manual or semi-automatic segmentation techniques. The U-Net architecture was specially designed for medical image segmentation presenting promising results. This literature review gathers work using U-Net architectures, outlining methods, techniques and obtained outcomes as a potential foundation for an automated segmentation framework for PCa.

Antimicrobial peptides have been developed based on plant-derived molecular scaffolds for the treatment of infectious diseases. Chenopodin is an abundant seed storage protein in quinoa, an Andean plant with high nutritional and therapeutic properties. Here, we used computer- and physicochemical-based strategies and designed four peptides derived from the primary structure of Chenopodin. Two peptides reproduce natural fragments of 14 amino acids from Chenopodin, named Chen1 and Chen2, and two engineered peptides of the same length were designed based on the Chen1 sequence. The two amino acids of Chen1 containing amide side chains were replaced by arginine (ChenR) or tryptophan (ChenW) to generate engineered cationic and hydrophobic peptides. The evaluation of these 14-mer peptides on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli showed that Chen1 does not have antibacterial activity up to 512 µM against these strains, while other peptides exhibited antibacterial effects at lower concentrations. The chemical substitutions of glutamine and asparagine by amino acids with cationic or aromatic side chains significantly favoured their antibacterial effects. These peptides did not show significant hemolytic activity. The fluorescence microscopy analysis highlighted the membranolytic nature of Chenopodin-derived peptides. Using molecular dynamic simulations, we found that a pore is formed when multiple peptides are assembled in the membrane. Whereas, some of them form secondary structures when interacting with the membrane, allowing water translocations during the simulations. Finally, Chen2 and ChenR significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings demonstrate that Chenopodin is a highly useful template for the design, engineering, and manufacturing of non-toxic, antibacterial, and antiviral peptides.

Basiliximab (BAS) is an interleukin-2 monoclonal antibody initially used as induction therapy after liver and kidney transplantation. BAS use after lung transplantation (LTx) has supplanted antithymocyte globulin (ATG) as the main induction immunosuppression over the years, but few studies have compared them. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between BAS and ATG in LTx. We performed a retrospective analysis of all LTx done in Portugal between January 2016 and December 2019. Three groups were made according to the initial induction status: BAS, ATG or no induction (NI). The occurrences of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, pneumonia, side effects, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), acute rejection, chronic allograft disfunction (CLAD) and death episodes were assessed during two years after LTx. A total of 124 patients were divided in 3 groups: 61 (49.2%) BAS; 43 (34.7%) ATG; 20 (16.1%) NI. The incidences of pneumonia and CMV were similar between induction groups. Additionally, there was no difference between the induction groups in PGD, acute rejection, CLAD, deaths and two-year survival. Side effects were reported only in ATG group (n = 20; 46.5%). In our study, BAS had a better safety profile than ATG in LTx with a similar efficacy.

The membrane-active nature of phospholipase A2-derived peptides makes them potential candidates for antineoplastic and antibacterial therapies. Two short 13-mer C-terminal fragments taken from snake venom Lys49-PLA2 toxins (p-AppK and p-Acl), differing by a leucine/phenylalanine substitution, were synthesized and their bioactivity was evaluated. Their capacity to interfere with the survival of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as with solid and liquid tumors was assessed in vitro. Toxicity to red blood cells was investigated via in silico and in vitro techniques. The mode of action was mainly studied by molecular dynamics simulations and membrane permeabilization assays. Briefly, both peptides have dual activity, i.e., they act against both bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains and tumor cells. All tested bacteria were susceptible to both peptides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most affected. RAMOS, K562, NB4, and CEM cells were the main leukemic targets of the peptides. In general, p-Acl showed more significant activity, suggesting that phenylalanine confers advantages to the antibacterial and antitumor mechanism, particularly for osteosarcoma lines (HOS and MG63). Peptide-based treatment increased the uptake of a DNA-intercalating dye by bacteria, suggesting membrane damage. Indeed, p-AppK and p-Acl did not disrupt erythrocyte membranes, in agreement with in silico predictions. The latter revealed that the peptides deform the membrane and increase its permeability by facilitating solvent penetration. This phenomenon is expected to catalyze the permeation of solutes that otherwise could not cross the hydrophobic membrane core. In conclusion, the present study highlights the role of a single amino acid substitution present in natural sequences towards the development of dual-action agents. In other words, dissecting and fine-tuning biomembrane remodeling proteins, such as snake venom phospholipase A2 isoforms, is again demonstrated as a valuable source of therapeutic peptides.

ABSTRACT Objective Radiographically evaluate the quality of reduction over six weeks of follow-up in patients with surgically treated deviated acetabular fractures who underwent rehabilitation with immediate loading as tolerated and compare this with the results of the unloaded protocol. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the records of 137 patients with deviated acetabular fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Sixty-six (48.2%) patients underwent postoperative rehabilitation with immediate loading as tolerated, while 71 (51.8%) patients completed rehabilitation using a no-load protocol. The quality of the reduction was assessed radiographically by measuring the fracturing step and gap on radiographs taken immediately after surgery and three and six weeks after surgery. Results Comparing the joint step, group 1 had an average of 0.44 ± 1.4 mm, 0.47 ± 1.5 mm, and 0.51 ± 1.6 mm immediately, three and six weeks after surgery, respectively. Group 2 had a mean step of 0.24 ± 0.8 mm, 0.27 ± 0.9 mm, and 0.37 ± 1.2 mm immediately, three, and six weeks after surgery. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups. With a joint gap, group 1 had a mean of 1.89 ± 1.7 mm, 2.12 ± 1.8 mm, and 2.36 ± 2.1 mm; and group 2 had a mean of 2.16 ± 2.4 mm, 2.47 ± 2.6 mm, and 2.67 ± 2.8 mm in the immediate postoperative period, three, and six weeks, respectively. There was also no statistical difference between groups in these measurements. Conclusion Immediate loading after surgical treatment of deviated acetabular fracture had no negative impact on radiographic reduction parameters and had similar results to the protocol without weight bearing. Level of evidence III; Therapeutic Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract Background The interpretation of the load variations across a period seems important to control the weekly progression or variation of the load, or to identify within- micro and mesocycle variations. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the in-season variations of training monotony, training strain, and acute: chronic workload ratio (ACWR) through session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE), total distance and high-speed running (HSR) according to playing positions in an elite soccer team. Methods Seventeen professional players from an European First League team participated in this study. They were divided four central defenders (CD), three wide defenders (WD), four central midfielders (CM), three wide midfielders (WM) and three strikers (ST). The players were monitored daily over a 41-week period of competition where 52 matches occurred during the 2015–2016 in-season. Through the collection of s-RPE, total distance and HSR, training monotony, training strain and ACWR were calculated for each measure, respectively. Data were analysed across ten mesocycles (M: 1–10). Results The main results showed significant differences (p

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze within-week and within-match external load variations in male soccer players over three consecutive matches during a congested week. Methods: The study cohort included nineteen elite professional male players (age: 26.5 ± 4.3 years) from a European First League team. Players were monitored daily over a full season using measurements collected by global positioning systems (GPSs). GPS-derived measures of total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), high metabolic load (HML), and maximal speed (maxSpeed) were collected during each match. Results: TD and HML intensity were meaningfully lower during the second half of the season than the first half for all weeks (p < 0.05), regardless of the number of matches. Also, the standardized differences for both metrics presented moderate-to-strong effect sizes. Although no significant differences between halves were found for HSR or maxSpeed (p > 0.05), these measures presented inconsistently minimum-to-strong effect sizes in some matches in overall weeks. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that TD and HML distances were significantly different between halves for all weeks, regardless of the number of matches. Meanwhile, HSR and maxSpeed measures presented no significant differences across matches overall.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious and neglected disease present worldwide. Chemotherapy using pentavalent antimony (SbV) is the most practical and inexpensive strategy available for the VL treatment today, however, it has high toxicity. Alternatively, other drugs are used as viable leishmanicidal therapeutic options. Miltefosine is the only anti-leishmanial agent administered orally, however, it has been reducing its effectiveness. In this sense, there is no ideal therapy for VL since the drugs currently used trigger severe side effects causing discontinuation of treatment, which carries an imminent risk for the emergence of parasite resistance. With that, other therapeutic strategies are gaining prominence. Among them, immunotherapy and/or immunochemotherapy, which the activation/modulation of the immune system can redirect the host's immune response to an effective therapeutic result. Therefore, this work was designed to assess an immunochemotherapy protocol composed of half course of Miltefosine associated with LBSap vaccine (Milt+LBSap) using the hamster Mesocricetus auratus as an experimental model for VL treatment. When evaluating the main hematobiochemical, immunological and therapeutic efficacy parameters, it was demonstrated that the treatment with Milt+LBSap showed restoration of hematobiochemical condition and reduced serum levels of IgG-anti-Leishmania compared to animals infected non treated (INT). Beyond that, an increase in the number of CD4+ lymphocytes producers of IFN-γ in relation to INT or to animals treated with miltefosine during 28 days, and TNF-α increased compared to INT were observed. Also, it was found a reduction of IL-10-production in relation to INT, or animals that received LBSap vaccine only, or miltefosine, following by a reduction in the splenic parasitic burden. These results demonstrate that the immunochemotherapy protocol used can stimulate the immune response, inducing an expressive cellular response sufficient to control spleen parasitism, standing out as a promising proposal for the VL treatment.

The aim of this study was to compare distance-based workload indices during congested fixture periods among different levels of participation in matches. Nineteen elite professional male players (age: 26.5 ± 4.3 years) from a European First League team were monitored daily over a full season using global positioning measurements. Distance-based measures (total distance, high-intensity running, high-speed running distance, and number of sprints) were collected daily. The following workload indices were calculated weekly: (i) acute load; (ii) acute : chronic workload ratio; (iii) training monotony; and (iv) training strain. During the season, seven congested weeks were selected. The participation levels of the players were categorized as starting in three matches (S3M), two matches (S2M), or one match (S1M) in the same week. Comparisons of the workload indices between levels of participation revealed that the acute load of total distance wassignificantly greater for S2M than S1M (+27%) and for S3M than for S1M (+30%). Moreover, the acute load of high-speed running was significantly greater for S2M than for S1M (+79%) and for S3M than for S1M (+60%). The acute load of high-intensity running was also significantly greater for S2M than for S1M (+54%) and for S3M than for S1M (+67%). This study revealed that acute load and training strain were meaningfully greater for S2M and S3M than S1M, although no significant differences were found between S1M, S2M, and S3M for the overall distance measures in terms of acute : chronic workload ratio and training monotony.

The aim of this study was to provide reference data of variation in external training loads for weekly periods within the annual season. Specifically, we aimed to compare the weekly acute load, monotony, and training strain of accelerometry-based measures across a professional soccer season (pre-season, first and second halves of the season) according to players’ positions. Nineteen professional players were monitored daily for 45 weeks using an 18-Hz global positioning system to obtain measures of high metabolic load distance (HMLD), impacts, and high intensity accelerations and decelerations. Workload indices of acute load, training monotony, and training strain were calculated weekly for each of the measures. The HMLD had greater training strain values in the pre-season than in the first (p ≤ 0.001; d = 0.793) and second halves of the season (p ≤ 0.001; d = 0.858). Comparisons between playing positions showed that midfielders had the highest weekly acute load of HMLD (6901 arbitrary units [AU]), while central defenders had the lowest (4986 AU). The pre-season period was associated with the highest acute and strain load of HMLD and number of impacts, with a progressive decrease seen during the season. In conclusion, coaches should consider paying greater attention to variations in HMLD and impacts between periods of the season and between players to individualize training accordingly.

Although macrophages have long been considered key players in the course of Leishmania infections, other non-professional phagocytes have lately been shown to maintain low levels of the parasite in safe intracellular niches. Recently, it was demonstrated that the adipose tissue is capable of harboring Old World L. (L.) infantum in mice. However, there is no evidence of experimental adipocyte infection with New World Leishmania species so far. In addition, it was not known whether adipocytes would be permissive for formation of the unique, large and communal parasitophorous vacuoles that are typical of L. (L.) amazonensis in macrophages. Here we evaluated the ability of L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (V.) braziliensis promastigotes and amastigotes to infect 3T3-L1 fibroblast-derived adipocytes (3T3-Ad) using light and transmission electron microscopy. Our results indicate that amastigotes and promastigotes of both species were capable of infecting and surviving inside pre- and fully differentiated 3T3-Ad for up to 144 h. Importantly, L. (L.) amazonensis amastigotes resided in large communal parasitophorous vacuoles in pre-adipocytes, which appeared to be compressed between large lipid droplets in mature adipocytes. In parallel, individual L. (V.) braziliensis amastigotes were detected in single vacuoles 144 h post-infection. We conclude that 3T3-Ad may constitute an environment that supports low loads of viable parasites perhaps contributing to parasite maintenance, since amastigotes of both species recovered from these cells differentiated into replicative promastigotes. Our findings shed light on the potential of a new host cell model that can be relevant to the persistence of New World Leishmania species.

Background: The adjuvants’ optimal dose and the administration route can directly influence the epitope recognition patterns and profiles of innate response. We aimed to establish the effect and the optimal dose of adjuvant systems for proposing a vaccine candidate to be employed with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Methods: We evaluated the adjuvants saponin (SAP), monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and resiquimod (R-848) isolated and combined as adjuvant systems in a lower dose corresponding to 25%, 33%, and 50% of each adjuvant total dose. Male outbred BALB/c mice were divided into 13 groups, SAP, MPL, and R-848 isolated, and the adjuvant systems SAP plus MPL (SM), SAP plus R-848 (SR), and MPL plus R-848 (MR). Results: SM50 increased levels of all chemokines analyzed and TNF production, while it presented an increased inflammatory cell infiltrate in the skin with macrophage recruitment. Thus, we proposed a vaccine candidate employing L. (V.) braziliensis antigen associated with the SM adjuvant system against experimental L. (Leishmania) infantum challenge. We observed a significant increase in the frequency of cells expressing the central and effector memory CD4+ T cells phenotype in immunized mice with the LBSM50. In the liver, there was a decreased parasite load when mice received LBSM50. Conclusions: When combined with L. (V.) braziliensis antigen, SM50 increases TNF and IFN-γ, which generates central and effector memory CD4+ T cells. Therefore, using an adjuvant system can promote an effective innate immune response with the potential to compose future vaccines.

Silently asymptomatic at an early stage and often painless, requiring only active surveillance, Prostate Cancer (PCa) is traditionally diagnosed by a Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) and a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. A histological examination, searching for pattern irregularities on the prostate glandular tissue, is performed to quantify the aggressiveness of PCa. The assigned Gleason Score (GS), usually combined with Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Biopsy (TRUS), allows the stratification of patients according to their risk group. Intermediate-risk patients may have a favourable (GS = 3 + 4) or unfavourable (GS = 4 + 3) prognosis. This borderline is critical for defining treatments and possible outcomes, while External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) is a curative option for localised and locally advanced disease and as a palliative option for metastatic low-volume disease; active surveillance or watchful waiting can also be an option for patients with a favourable prognosis. With radiomics, quantifying phenotypic characteristics in medical imaging is now possible. In the EBRT workflow, there are several imaging modalities, such as Magnetic Ressonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Ultrasound and Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Most radiomic PCa studies focused on MRI and addressed tumour staging, GS, PSA or Biochemical Recurrence (BCR). This study intends to use CBCT radiomics to distinguish between favourable and unfavourable cases, with the potential of evaluating an ongoing treatment. Seven of the most used feature selection methods, combined with 14 different classifiers, were evaluated in a total of 98 pipelines. From those, six stood out with Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) values ≥ 0.79. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to evaluate a PCa favourable vs. unfavourable prognosis model based on CBCT radiomics.

Abstract: The article presents methodological aspects of anthropometric assessment of nutritional status in children under five years of age and their biological mothers. It discusses the strategies used for training and data collection in the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019). ENANI-2019 is a population-based household survey conducted in 123 municipalities in Brazil’s 26 states and the Federal District. The anthropometric measurements were body mass and length/stature. The equipment was purchased according to its measurement capacity and precision, portability, and cost-benefit ratio after an extensive market search. The study used internationally established procedures described in manuals, videos, and support material developed for the study by a group of experts. The interviewers were trained to perform the anthropometric measurements and were assessed according to technical measurement error, which was considered adequate (0.30cm) for the children’s length/stature measurements. Measurement errors were identified, and the interviewers were retrained when necessary. Of the 14,558 children in the sample, body mass and length/stature measurements were taken in duplicate in 13,835 and 13,693 children, respectively. The standardized methodological aspects will be helpful in future population studies and were essential for obtaining greater reliability in the data for generating current evidence on the anthropometric assessment of the nutritional status of Brazilian children under five years of age, allowing new perspectives for public policy development.

Abstract Introduction: Hemicorporectomy progresses with hemodynamic and ventilatory repercussions that make anesthesia management definitive to patient outcome. Objective: Report anesthesia approach for a patient with squamous cell carcinoma submitted to urgent hemicorporectomy after an episode of hypovolemic shock. Case report: After lesion bleeding, the patient presented hypovolemic shock class 3, and was submitted to urgent procedure under general inhalation anesthesia and intravenous multimodal analgesia, presenting hemodynamic instability requiring massive blood transfusion after spinal cord transection and removal of surgical specimen. Conclusion: Anesthetic management is essential in scenarios such as the one reported to assure patient survival.

The spleen plays a central role in human and canine visceral leishmaniasis, where the activation of the immune response occurs in one of the tissues where Leishmania infantum reproduces. Therefore, this organ is both a target to understand the mechanisms involved in the parasite control and a parameter for assessing the therapeutic response. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the main histological, immunological and parasitological aspects in the spleen of symptomatic dogs naturally infected by L. infantum treated with the therapeutic vaccine LBMPL. For this, dogs were divided into four groups: dogs uninfected and untreated (NI group); L. infantum-infected dogs that were not treated (INT group); L. infantum-infected dogs that received treatment only with monophosphoryl lipid A adjuvant (MPL group); and L. infantum-infected dogs that received treatment with the vaccine composed by L. braziliensis promastigote proteins associated with MPL adjuvant (LBMPL group). Ninety days after the therapeutics protocol, the dogs were euthanized and the spleen was collected for the proposed evaluations. Our results demonstrated a reduction of hyperplasia of red pulp and follicular area of white pulp, increased mRNA expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 and iNOS, and decreased IL-10 and TGF-β1, and intense reduction of splenic parasitism in dogs treated with the LBMPL vaccine. These results possibly suggest that the pro-inflammatory environment promoted the progressive organization of the splenic architecture favoring the cellular activation, with consequent parasite control. Along with previously obtained data, our results propose the LBMPL vaccine as a possible treatment strategy for canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL).

ABSTRACT This study aims to report the diagnostic course and treatment of a fast-growing mycobacteria infection after cesarean delivery. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman admitted to the Infectious Diseases’ Clinic of the Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Pernambuco State, Brazil, four months after a cesarean section, presenting with healing difficulties and located pain outside the surgical site. The first diagnosis was a probable rejection of the sutures that were not absorbed, but based on the clinical signs, reported history, complementary laboratory tests and no response to treatment with the conventional antibiotic therapy (cephalosporins/quinolones) prescribed, the ultimate diagnosis was a mycobacteriosis caused by Micobacterium fortuitum. Since fast-growing mycobacteria do not easily penetrate host tissues, they is mainly related to post-trauma or post-surgical procedures. It is extremely important to call attention to these occurrences in the gynecological-obsthetric field. Treatment for mycobacteriosis is often complicated because of the side effects of antibiotics, especially the ototoxicity of amikacin.

The aims of this study were: (i) to describe weekly variations of acute load (AL), acute:chronic workload ratio, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and fatigue; (ii) to analyze variations of weekly workload and well-being in three periods of the season (P1, P2, and P3); and (iii) to analyze the relationships between workload and well-being measures. Fifteen professional basketball players from a first-league European club were monitored throughout the season using the CR-10 Borg scale and the Hooper questionnaire. Weekly AL and acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) were weekly calculated for monitoring of the internal load. In addition, DOMS and fatigue values were weekly calculated. Greater AL, DOMS, and fatigue values were found during the early season, and the highest ACWR value was found during the second period. Overall, AL presented large correlations with DOMS (r=0.60) and fatigue (r=0.62). The results of this study indicate that load is higher in the first period and then decreases throughout the season. The results also showed that AL is more closely related to well-being parameters than ACWR.

Studies have shown the influence of magnetic fields on several biological systems. Some of these fields, such as shortwave (SW) magnetic fields, have been used for therapeutic purposes. However, the possible adverse effects caused by this treatment still need to be better understood. The present study aimed to ascertain whether a single daily exposure (15 min.), for 15, 30 and 60 days, to SW magnetic field (27.12 MHz) can impede spermatogenesis. Exposure to SW magnetic fields did not change the weight of body, testis, epididymis, prostate, seminal vesicle or the gonadosomatic index. The plasma testosterone levels and testicular component volumes (seminiferous tubules, lumen, lamina propria, connective tissue, blood vessels, intertubular tissue) also remained unchanged. Histopathological analysis and spermatogenesis markers showed no changes after exposure to SW magnetic fields. However, some analyses showed changes in the lamina propria, daily sperm production, individual volume and population of Leydig cells. In conclusion, exposure to SW magnetic field for up to 60 days seems to be safe for spermatogenesis, but this exposure caused minor testicular changes that need to be better understood in the long term. This is of particular interest to health professionals who handle such SW devices for long periods of time.

Este artigo, enquadrado no projeto Europeu Play your Role – Gamification Against Hate Speech, propõe o estudo e a análise do estado da arte no panorama dos videojogos, focando a tendência para o recurso ao discurso de ódio pelos jovens. A imersão do jogador na arena simbólica do jogo, onde tudo pode ser possível, levanta questões morais e éticas às quais os jovens não estão muitas vezes preparados para responder. O recurso ao anonimato e a criação de comunidades e grupos de jogo pode gerar exclusão e ataque a minorias. Além disso, a comunicação por chat facilita não só a partilha de interesses e táticas de jogo, como também de insultos em momentos de tensão entre jogadores, o que justifica a reflexão acerca do papel das plataformas no controlo dos conteúdos partilhados. Tendo em conta as inúmeras possibilidades oferecidas pelos videojogos, este artigo reflete ainda acerca da literacia dos jogos e de como estes se podem tornar poderosas ferramentas de aprendizagem.

O tempo e as suas possíveis relações com o cinema e com a literatura são o fio condutor deste artigo. Os processos psicossomáticos podem proporcionar-nos diferentes sensações e, consequentemente, diferentes percepções relativas à passagem do tempo, ganhando, no suporte cinematográfico, um potencial de experimentação eminente. Este fenómeno pode incentivar a passagem do espetador de um plano extradiagético para um plano intradiagético, conferindo-lhe um papel ativo na construção da narrativa. No entanto, este potencial não é exclusivo do filme interativo e já tinha sido trabalhado na literatura, por autores como Jorge Luís Borges e Italo Calvino.

Background: The aims of this study were to describe the variations of training monotony (TM), training strain (TS), and acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) through Hooper Index categories (fatigue, stress, DOMS, and sleep quality) and to compare those variations between player status and player positions. Methods: Seventeen male professional soccer players participated in this study. Considering player status, participants were divided in nine starters and eight non-starters. Additionally, participants were divided by playing positions: three wide defenders, four central defenders, three wide midfielders, four central midfielders, and three strikers. They were followed during 40-week in-season period. TM, TS, and ACWR were calculated for each HI category, respectively. Data were grouped in 10 mesocycles for further analysis. Results: Results showed variations across the mesocycles. In general, starters showed higher values for TM, TS, and ACWR calculations than non-starters, although there were some exceptions. Regarding player positions, significant differences were found in stress between wide defenders vs central midfielders for TM (p = 0.033, ES = 5.16), central defenders vs wide defenders for ACWR (p = 0.044, ES = 4.95), and in sleep between wide defenders and strikers for TM (p = 0.015, ES = 5.80). Conclusions: This study revealed that an analysis of players’ well-being parameters according to player status and positions can provide clear information to the coaches and their staff to complement the tasks of training monitoring.

Peptides have positively impacted the pharmaceutical industry as drugs, biomarkers, or diagnostic tools of high therapeutic value. However, only a handful have progressed to the market. Toxicity is one of the main obstacles to translating peptides into clinics. Hemolysis or hemotoxicity, the principal source of toxicity, is a natural or disease-induced event leading to the death of vital red blood cells. Initial screenings for toxicity have been widely evaluated using erythrocytes as the gold standard. More recently, many online databases filled with peptide sequences and their biological meta-data have paved the way toward hemolysis prediction using user-friendly, fast-access machine learning-driven programs. This review details the growing contributions of in silico approaches developed in the last decade for the large-scale prediction of erythrocyte lysis induced by peptides. After an overview of the pharmaceutical landscape of peptide therapeutics, we highlighted the relevance of early hemolysis studies in drug development. We emphasized the computational models and algorithms used to this end in light of historical and recent findings in this promising field. We benchmarked seven predictors using peptides from different data sets, having 7–35 amino acids in length. According to our predictions, the models have scored an accuracy over 50.42% and a minimal Matthew’s correlation coefficient over 0.11. The maximum values for these statistical parameters achieved 100.0% and 1.00, respectively. Finally, strategies for optimizing peptide selectivity were described, as well as prospects for future investigations. The development of in silico predictive approaches to peptide toxicity has just started, but their important contributions clearly demonstrate their potential for peptide science and computer-aided drug design. Methodology refinement and increasing use will motivate the timely and accurate in silico identification of selective, non-toxic peptide therapeutics.

This article proposes the study and analysis of the state-of-the-art in video game panorama, focusing on the tendency to use hate speech among young players. The immersion of the player in the symbolic arena of the game, where everything becomes possible, raises questions about the relationship between video games in the virtual world, and the player’s behavior in the physical world. It is shown that anonymity and the creation of communities and game groups can lead to the exclusion of and attacks to minorities; chat communications can facilitate sharing interests and game techniques as well as insults in times of tension between players, leading to imperative reflection on the role of gaming platforms in the control of shared content. Considering the boundless possibilities of video games, this article also reflects on game literacy and on how games have the potential to become powerful learning tools.

En este artículo se establece una comparación entre la programación de dos segundos canales públicos de televisión; Canal Sur 2 y la RTP2, que es la segunda cadena de la Televisão Pública Portuguesa. Con este análisis se pretende demostrar que hay paralelismo entre los contenidos que se emiten en los segundos canales públicos de televisión y que esta analogía señala que en ambos casos los contenidos con más calidad quedan relegados a los segundos canales. El objetivo de esta investigación es dar a conocer esta situación y conseguir que los organismos competentes recuperen para el primer canal los formatos que dan valor a la televisión pública.

Abstract Background: Adequate preoperative fasting is critical in preventing pulmonary aspiration of gastric content. We proposed to study the sonographic gastric content dynamics after the ingestion of liquid or solid food in healthy volunteers and confront it with current guidelines for preoperative fasting times. Methods: We performed a prospective, crossover, evaluator-blinded study involving 17 healthy volunteers of both sexes. Each participant fasted for 10 h and was subjected to a baseline gastric ultrasound, intake of 400 mL of coconut water or a 145 g, 355 kcal meat sandwich, and sonographic gastric evaluations after 10 min and every hour until the stomach was completely empty. Results: At baseline, all subjects had an empty stomach. At 10 min, gastric content [mean + standard deviation (SD)] was 240.4 + 69.3 and 248.2 + 119.2 mL for liquid and solid foods, respectively (p > 0.05). Mean + SD gastric emptying times were 2.5 + 0.7 and 4.5 + 0.9 h for liquid and solid foods, respectively (p < 0.001). For the drink, the stomach was completely empty in 59% and 100% of the subjects after two and four hours, and for the sandwich, 65% and 100% of the subjects after four and seven hours, respectively. Conclusions: Sonographic gastric dynamics for coconut water and a meat sandwich resulted in complete gastric emptying times higher and lower, respectively, than those suggested by current guidelines for preoperative fasting.

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Treatment of asthma implies inhalation of specific drugs to reach high concentrations in the respiratory tree and ensure low drug bioavailability and few adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the inhalation technique among outpatients with asthma. DESIGN AND SETTING: Tertiary-care hospital-based cross-sectional study in Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: We evaluated inhalation practices in a convenience sample. A questionnaire was used to investigate sociodemographic data and assess disease control level, duration of use of the inhalation device, length of treatment and previous instructions provided by the prescribing physician. Patients demonstrated their inhalation technique using empty devices, and their technique was considered correct when all steps were appropriately performed or when errors did not interfere with the treatment outcome. RESULTS: Among the 71 participants, 53 (74.7%) had been using the same inhaler device for at least two years and 41 (57.8%) had been under treatment for two years or more. Twelve (17.1%) said that they had been taught once and 57 (81.4%) at least twice, while one (1.4%) reported not having received any guidance regarding use of inhaler devices. Eighteen patients (25.3%) presented controlled asthma and 28 (39.5%) performed the inhalation technique correctly. Incorrect technique was associated with fewer evaluations of the inhalation technique (P =0.04) and uncontrolled asthma (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Less than half of the sample performed the inhalation technique correctly. Incorrect inhalation technique was related to lower number of evaluations of the use of the inhalation device and uncontrolled asthma.

Aim: Chemical sterilization is a non-surgical method of contraception based on compounds injected into the testis to induce infertility. However, these injections can cause discomfort and pain able to impair the recovery of animals after this treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate if anti-inflammatories or pain relievers inhibited the sterilizing effect of zinc gluconate-based solution on the testis. Materials and Methods: Adult rats were treated in groups: G1 (control), G2 (dimethyl sulfoxide + dipyrone); G3 (dipyrone/ zinc); G4 (dipyrone + celecoxib/zinc); G5 (dipyrone + meloxicam/zinc), and G6 (dipyrone + dexamethasone/zinc) in a single dose per day during 7 days. Animals were analyzed at 7, 15, and 30 days after treatments. Results: The zinc-induced a widespread testicular degeneration and decreased testosterone levels even in combination with anti-inflammatories or pain relievers. Testis, epididymis, prostate, and seminal vesicle had a weight reduction. The anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone interfered in the desired action of zinc gluconate in the 1st 15 days and celecoxib up to 7 days. Conclusion: Meloxicam plus dipyrone did not impair the chemical sterilization based on zinc gluconate, and it can be used to reduce nociceptive effects in animals after chemical sterilization.

O acesso cirúrgico ao espaço mastigatório/parafaríngeo representa um desafio ao cirurgião. A dupla mandibulotomia permite um acesso mais amplo e menos mórbido a tumores profundos ou com extensão para base do crânio. O presente trabalho relata um caso de acesso transmandibular com dupla osteotomia em paciente com adenoma pleomórfico em espaço mastigatório.

Introdução: a importância da face para o convívio social faz com que defeitos cirúrgicos na região representem desafios reconstrutivos. Particularmente as regiões do nariz e canto de olho apresentam dificuldades reconstrutivas inerentes ao tipo de pele e funções. Bastante utilizado, o retalho médio-frontal tem a desvantagem de necessitar de dois tempos operatórios, elevando gastos e expondo o paciente a semanas de condição estética bastante desagradável. Proposta por Kersidag, a modificação da técnica com a ressecção da pele do pedículo e tunelização subcutânea para região distante como a ponta de nariz permite a cirurgia em tempo único. Objetivo: o presente trabalho objetiva demonstrar que a técnica de Kersidag é segura e adequada. Metodologia: como procedimento metodológico, recorremos a referências bibliográficas sobre a temática e realizamos procedimento com base nas modificações descritas. Resultados: três pacientes do sexo feminino, de 64 a 81 anos foram submetidos à técnica, com reconstrução com excelente resultado estético e sem nenhuma perda de retalho em todos os casos. Conclusão: concluímos que a técnica de Kersidag é uma opção viável e segura para reconstrução de defeitos em ponta nasal e em canto de olho em único tempo sem prejuízos estéticos ou funcionais.

Apesar da importância de indicadores hematológicos no futebol, a sua compreensão e uso é umas das limitações mais comuns na modalidade. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo consiste em caracterizar hematologicamente os jogadores de uma equipa de elite de futebol da 1ª liga portuguesa ao longo do período de 1 ano. Vinte jogadores de elite de uma equipa de futebol profissional da 1ª Liga Portuguesa, com uma média de idades de 26 anos (DP = 5.0) foram estudados. Os dados recolhidos resultam de avaliações e análises clínicas realizadas em três fases. Testes de Wilcoxon para medições repetidas e de Friedman foram realizados. No caso de análises post-hoc às variáveis significativas do teste de Friedman, o ajuste de Bonferroni foi aplicado. As medianas do hematócrito na fase 1, 2 e 3 foram, respetivamente, 44%, 46.9% e 43.15%, com diferenças observadas entre a fase 1 e 3 (Z=-3.101, p=0.002) e 2 e 3 (Z=-3.547, p

Abstract Background The development of a vaccine for the prevention of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) still represents a significant unmet medical need. A human vaccine can be found if one takes into consideration that many people living in endemic areas of disease are infected but do not develop active VL, including those subjects with subclinical or asymptomatic infection. Methods In this study, a phage display was used to select phage-exposed peptides that were specific to immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies from asymptomatic and symptomatic VL patients, separating them from non-infected subjects. Phage clones presenting valid peptide sequences were selected and used as stimuli of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from both patients’ groups and controls. Those with higher interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)/interleukin (IL)-10 ratios were further selected for vaccination tests. Results Among 17 evaluated clones, two were selected, B1 and D11, and used to immunize BALB/c mice in an attempt to further validate their in vivo protective efficacy against Leishmania infantum infection. Both clones induced partial protection against the parasite challenge, which was evidenced by the reduction of parasitism in the evaluated organs, a process mediated by a specific T helper (Th)1 immune response. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to use a rational strategy based on in vitro stimulation of human PBMCs with selected phage-displayed clones to obtain new immunogens against VL.

It is crucial to ensure an adequate nutritional support for young soccer players under high physical stress situations, including match days and high training load days. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the dietary intake of young male soccer players from a Portuguese first league soccer club, both on match day and on the highest training load day of the week. All players recorded their ingestion at these moments for 3 consecutive weeks, by completing a food diary and making a photographic record. On match day, the intake of carbohydrates (5.2 ± 0.6 g.kg-1. d-1), proteins (2.1 ± 0.2 g.kg-1. d-1), and fats (1.0 ± 0.2 g.kg-1. d-1) represented 55.1 ± 5.0 %, 22.3 ± 1.52 %, and 23.9 ± 5.1%, respectively, of the average daily energy intake. Regarding the highest training load day, the intake of carbohydrates (5.2 ± 0.9 g.kg-1. d-1), proteins (2.0 ± 0.3 g.kg-1. d-1), and fats (1.0 ± 0.3 g.kg-1. d-1) represented 54.8 ± 5.3 %, 21.8 ± 1.8 %, and 24.6 ± 4.6 %, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between intakes during match day and on the highest training load day, for all the variables analyzed, except for percentage of fat intake (Energy intake p = 0.873; Protein p = 0.335; Carbohydrates p = 0.814; Fat p=0,000). The results obtained are in line with previous research and reveal that energy and carbohydrate intake are below the recommendations for this population

Prostate Cancer (PCa) is mostly asymptomatic at an early stage and often painless requiring active surveillance screening. Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Biopsy (TRUS) is the principal method to diagnose PCa following a histological examination by observing cell pattern irregularities and assigning the Gleason Score (GS) according to the recommended guidelines. This procedure presents sampling errors and, being invasive may cause complications to the patients. External Beam Radiotherapy Treatment (EBRT) is presented as curative option for localised and locally advanced disease, as a palliative option for metastatic low-volume disease or after prostatectomy for prostate bed and pelvic nodes salvage. In the EBRT worflow a Computed Tomography (CT) scan is performed as the basis for dose calculations and volume delineations. In this work, we evaluated the use of data-characterization algorithms (radiomics) from CT images for PCa aggressiveness assessment. The fundamental motivation relies on the wide availability of CT images and the need to provide tools to assess EBRT effectiveness. We used Pyradiomics and Local Image Features Extraction (LIFEx) to extract features and search for a radiomic signature within CT images. Finnaly, when applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the features, we were able to show promising results.

Background and Objectives: Interpretation of the load variations across a period seems important to control the weekly progression or variation of the load, or to identify in-micro- and mesocycle variations. Thus, the aims of this study were twofold: (a) to describe the in-season variations of training monotony, training strain and acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) through session ratings of perceived exertion (s-RPE), total distance and high-speed running (HSR); and (b) to compare those variations between starters and non-starters. Materials and Methods: Seventeen professional players from a European First League team participated in this study. They were divided in two groups: starters (n = 9) and non-starters (n = 8). The players were monitored daily over a 41-week period of competition where 52 matches occurred during the 2015–2016 in-season. Through the collection of s-RPE, total distance and HSR, training monotony, training strain and ACWR were calculated for each measure, respectively. Data were analyzed across ten mesocycles (M: 1 to 10). Repeated measures ANOVA was used with the Bonferroni post hoc test to compare M and player status. Results: The results revealed no differences between starters vs. non-starters (p > 0.05). M6 had a greater number of matches and displayed higher values for monotony (s-RPE, total distance and HSR), strain (only for total distance) and ACWR (s-RPE, TD and HSR). However, the variation patterns for all indexes displayed some differences. Conclusions: The values of both starters and non-starters showed small differences, thus suggesting that the adjustments of training workloads that had been applied over the season helped to reduce differences according to the player status. Even so, there were some variations over the season (microcycles and mesocycles) for the whole team. This study could be used as a reference for future coaches, staff and scientists.

Introdução e Objetivo: A observação e análise são fundamentais no estudo de equipas adversárias e da própria equipa, uma vez que fornecem informações pertinentes para a planificação dos treinadores. O objetivo desta investigação centrou-se na análise dos gols da equipa do Barcelona mediante técnicas de análise notacional, sequencial e detecção de T-patterns. Materiais e Métodos: Foram codificados 65 gols do Barcelona através do SGOF, utilizando o programa Lince®. Para o tratamento dos dados foram utilizados o IBM SPSS Statistics®, SDIS-GSEQ® e THEME®. Resultados: Foram registradas mais ocorrências de gols obtidos através de recuperações pela interceção, nas zonas do meio campo ofensivo, em que último passe acontece no último terço do campo e a finalização na área de grande penalidade e com o pé direito. O método mais efetivo para a concretização do gol é o ataque rápido. Foi verificada a importância dos esquemas táticos. Discussão: Os resultados obtidos permitiram determinar algumas regularidades comportamentais nos gols obtidos por esta equipa. Conclusões: A análise complementar realizada permite a recolha de um conjunto de informações importantes para o planeamento realizado pelo treinador para o treino e para a competição. ABSTRACT Complementary Analysis of Goal in Football through Notational analysis, Sequential Analysis and T-patterns detection Introduction and Objective: The observation and analysis are fundamental in the study of opposing teams and the team itself, as they provide relevant information for the planning of the coaches. The purpose of this research focused on the analysis of the Barcelona team goals through techniques of notational analysis, sequential and T-patterns detection. Materials and Methods: We coded 65 goals from Barcelona through SGOF using Lince® program. For the processing of data were used IBM SPSS Statistics®, SDIS-GSEQ® and THEME®. Results: We recorded more occurrences of goals obtained through the interception recoveries in areas of the offensive midfield, where last pass happens in the last third of the field and finalizing in the penalty area and with the right foot. The most effective method for achieving the goal is the fast attack. The importance of tactical schemes has been verified. Discussion: The results obtained allowed to determine some behavioral regularities in the goals achieved by this team. Conclusions: The complementary analysis allows the collection of a set of important information for the planning carried out by the coach for training and for competition.

Cardiac arrest during neuraxial anesthesia is a serious adverse event, which may lead to significant neurological damage and death if not treated promptly. The associated mechanisms are neglected respiratory failure, extensive sympathetic block, local anaesthetic toxicity, total spinal block, in addition to the growing awareness of the vagal predominance as a predisposing factor. In the case reported, the patient was 25 years old, ASA I, scheduled for a esthetic lipoplasty. After sedation with midazolam and fentany, epidural anesthesia in interspaces T12-L1 and T2-T3 and catheter insertion into inferior puncture were performed. The patient remained in the supine position for 10 min. Then, she was placed in the prone position, developing asystolic cardiac arrest 20 min after the completion of neuraxial blockade. The medical team immediately placed the patient in the supine position and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Spontaneous circulation was achieved after twenty minutes of resuscitation. We discuss in this report the exacerbated vagal response as the main event mechanism. The patient's successful outcome emphasizes the importance of anaesthetic monitoring by anesthesiologists, prompt recognition and treatment of rhythm changes on the electrocardiogram. Resumo: A parada cardíaca durante anestesia neuroaxial é um evento adverso grave, que pode ocasionar sequelas neurológicas importantes e morte se não tratada em tempo hábil. Os mecanismos associados são insuficiência respiratória negligenciada, bloqueio simpático extenso, toxicidade por anestésicos locais, raquianestesia total, além da crescente consciência da predominância vagal como fator predisponente. No caso reportado, a paciente tinha 25 anos e estado físico ASA I e foi programada para lipoplastia estética. Após sedação com midazolam e fentanil, foi feita anestesia peridural nos interespaços T12-L1 e T2-T3 e inserção de cateter na punção inferior. A paciente foi mantida em decúbito dorsal horizontal durante 10 minutos. Em seguida, foi posicionada em decúbito ventral, evoluiu com parada cardíaca em assistolia 20 minutos após o bloqueio do neuroeixo. A equipe médica imediatamente colocou a paciente em decúbito dorsal e iniciou as manobras de ressuscitação cardiorrespiratória. O retorno da circulação espontânea foi obtido após 20 minutos de reanimação. É discutida neste relato a resposta vagal exacerbada como principal mecanismo causal do evento. O sucesso do desfecho da paciente em questão ressalta a importância da vigilância do anestesiologista, e do pronto reconhecimento e tratamento de mudanças de ritmo no eletrocardiograma. Keywords: Cardiac arrest, Epidural anesthesia, Resuscitation after spinal anesthesia, Palavras-chave: Parada cardíaca, Anestesia peridural, Reanimação após peridural

Because of the increase in the demand for the calibration of neutron detectors, there is a need for new calibration services. In this context, the Calibration Laboratory of Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN), São Paulo, which already offers calibration services of radiation detectors with standard X, gamma, beta and alpha beams, has recently projected a new test laboratory for neutron detectors. This work evaluated the contribution of dispersed neutron radiation in this laboratory, using the Cone Shadow Method and a Bonner Sphere Spectrometer to take the measurements at a distance of 100 cm from the neutron source. The dosimetric quantities Ambient Dose Equivalent Rate (Ḣ*(10)) and Ambient Dose Equivalent Conversion Coefficient (h*(10)) were obtained at the laboratory, allowing the calibration of detectors.

Elite soccer teams that participate in European competitions need to have players in the best physical and psychological status possible to play matches. As a consequence of congestive schedule, controlling the training load (TL) and thus the level of effort and fatigue of players to reach higher performances during the matches is therefore critical. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to provide the first report of seasonal internal and external training load that included Hooper Index (HI) scores in elite soccer players during an in-season period. Nineteen elite soccer players were sampled, using global position system to collect total distance, high-speed distance (HSD) and average speed (AvS). It was also collected session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) and HI scores during the daily training sessions throughout the 2015-2016 in-season period. Data were analysed across ten mesocycles (M: 1 to 10) and collected according to the number of days prior to a one-match week. Total daily distance covered was higher at the start (M1 and M3) compared to the final mesocycle (M10) of the season. M1 (5589m) reached a greater distance than M5 (4473m) (ES = 9.33 [12.70, 5.95]) and M10 (4545m) (ES = 9.84 [13.39, 6.29]). M3 (5691m) reached a greater distance than M5 (ES = 9.07 [12.36, 5.78]), M7 (ES = 6.13 [8.48, 3.79]) and M10 (ES = 9.37 [12.76, 5.98]). High-speed running distance was greater in M1 (227m), than M5 (92m) (ES = 27.95 [37.68, 18.22]) and M10 (138m) (ES = 8.46 [11.55, 5.37]). Interestingly, the s-RPE response was higher in M1 (331au) in comparison to the last mesocycle (M10, 239au). HI showed minor variations across mesocycles and in days prior to the match. Every day prior to a match, all internal and external TL variables expressed significant lower values to other days prior to a match (p

Peptide-based drugs are an attractive class of therapeutic agents, recently recognized by the pharmaceutical industry. These molecules are currently being used in the development of innovative therapies for diverse health conditions, including tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis. Despite its socioeconomic influence on public health, leishmaniasis remains long-neglected and categorized as a poverty-related disease, with limited treatment options. Peptides with antileishmanial effects encountered to date are a structurally heterogeneous group, which can be found in different natural sources—amphibians, reptiles, insects, bacteria, marine organisms, mammals, plants, and others—or inspired by natural toxins or proteins. This review details the biochemical and structural characteristics of over one hundred peptides and their potential use as molecular frameworks for the design of antileishmanial drug leads. Additionally, we detail the main chemical modifications or substitutions of amino acid residues carried out in the peptide sequence, and their implications in the development of antileishmanial candidates for clinical trials. Our bibliographic research highlights that the action of leishmanicidal peptides has been evaluated mainly using in vitro assays, with a special emphasis on the promastigote stage. In light of these findings, and considering the advances in the successful application of peptides in leishmaniasis chemotherapy, possible approaches and future directions are discussed here.

Objective: to identify the relationship between Burnout Syndrome and demographic, socioeconomic, health, lifestyle habits/attitudes/behaviors and working conditions among Brazilian Army soldiers. Methods: cross-sectional study of a military battalion in Minas Gerais. Evaluated the Burnout syndrome through Maslach Burnout Inventory, validated instrument for use in Brazil, and the data collected by researchers calibrated. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Brazilian Educational Association. Results: the study involved 121 soldiers, of whom 119 answered the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Reported a prevalence of BS in 89.1% (n=106) of the military. Through the analysis of multiple logistic regression found a higher chance of developing burnout, military with low perception on Life Quality in the physical level (OR: 6.95, CI: 1.08 to 44.82; p: 0.042) and psychological (OR : 5.12, CI: 1.03 to 25.50; p: 0.046). Less likely to occur Burnout was found between military with low perception of life quality level in the environmental field (OR: 0.16; CI: from 0.03 to 0.82; p: 0.027) and those who make continued use of medicine (OR: 0.16, CI: 0.03 to 0.83; p: 0.029). Conclusion: a relationship was identified between burnout and health conditions (low perception of life quality level in the physical, psychological and environmental and use of medication).

In this study, we performed a phase I and II clinical trial in dogs to evaluate the toxicity and immunogenicity of LBSap-vaccine prototype, in comparison to Leishmune® and Leish-Tec® vaccines. Twenty-eight dogs were classified in four groups: (i) control group received 1 mL of sterile 0.9% saline solution; (ii) LBSap group received 600 μg of Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes protein and 1 mg of saponin adjuvant; (iii) Leishmune®; and (iv) Leish-Tec®. The safety and toxicity of the vaccines were measured before and after three immunizations by clinical, biochemical, and hematological parameters. The clinical examinations revealed that some dogs of LBSap and Leishmune® groups presented changes at the site of vaccination inoculum, such as nodules, mild edema, and local pain, which were transient and disappeared seventy-two hours after vaccination, but these results indicate that adverse changes caused by the immunizations are tolerable. The immunogenicity results demonstrate an increase of B lymphocytes CD21+ regarding the Leishmune® group and monocytes CD14+ concerning LBSap and Leishmune® groups. In the in vitro analyses, an increase in lymphoproliferative activity in LBSap and Leishmune® groups was observed, with an increase of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the LBSap group. A second approach of in vitro assays aimed at evaluating the percentage of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes producers of IFN-γ and IL-4, where an increase in both IFN-γ producing subpopulations in the LBSap group was observed, also showed an increase in IFN-γ producers in CD8+ lymphocytes in the Leish-Tec® group. Our data regarding immunogenicity indicate that the vaccination process, especially with the LBSap vaccine, generated a protective immune response compatible with L. infantum parasite control. Based on the foregoing, the LBSap vaccine would be suitable for further studies of phase III clinical trial in endemic areas with high prevalence and incidence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases.

Many vaccine candidates against visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been proposed; however, to date, none of them have been efficacious for the human or canine disease. On this basis, the design of leishmaniasis vaccines has been constantly changing, and the use of approaches to select specific epitopes seems to be crucial in this scenario. The ability to predict T cell-specific epitopes makes immunoinformatics an even more necessary approach, as in VL an efficient immune response against the parasite is triggered by T lymphocytes in response to Leishmania spp. immunogenic antigens. Moreover, the success of vaccines depends on the capacity to generate long-lasting memory and polyfunctional cells that are able to eliminate the parasite. In this sense, our study used a combination of different approaches to develop potential chimera candidate vaccines against VL. The first point was to identify the most immunogenic epitopes of Leishmania infantum proteins and construct chimeras composed of Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II epitopes. For this, we used immunoinformatics features. Following this, we validated these chimeras in a murine model in a thorough memory study and multifunctionality of T cells that contribute to a better elucidation of the immunological protective mechanisms of polyepitope vaccines (chimera A and B) using multicolor flow cytometry. Our results showed that in silico-designed chimeras can elicit polyfunctional T cells producing T helper (Th)1 cytokines, a strong immune response against Leishmania antigen, and the generation of central and effector memory T cells in the spleen cells of vaccinated animals that was able to reduce the parasite burden in this organ. These findings contribute two potential candidate vaccines against VL that can be used in further studies, and help in this complex field of vaccine development against this challenging parasite.

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar a tese de que o pensamento poético aplicado à criação de interfaces culturais reconfigura os modos de pronúncia e de interação no âmbito da cibercultura. Transcriar, nesse contexto, é recriar novas formas e funções para as interfaces culturais, neste caso, os blogues. Por meio da pesquisa em arte baseada na prática, é apresentado o percurso metodológico de transcriação do signo blogue para o blogue Metaforametrias.

ABSTRACT Objective: To develop and validate an algorithm for laser wound therapy. Method: Methodological study and literature review. For the development of the algorithm, a review was performed in the Health Sciences databases of the past ten years. The algorithm evaluation was performed by 24 participants, nurses, physiotherapists, and physicians. For data analysis, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the chi-square test for independence was used. The level of significance of the statistical test was established at 5% (p