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Background: Assessing the elements of nursing practice environments is crucial, as investing in their improvement will enhance outcomes for nurses, patients, and organizations. Moreover, comparing practice environments from different countries improves the definition of cross-cutting guidelines that can be applied in various contexts. Thus, this study aims to evaluate nursing practice environments in hospitals in Portugal and Brazil. Methods: A multicenter and cross-sectional study was conducted in eight Portuguese and eight Brazilian hospitals. Five hundred eighty-two nurses completed a survey regarding their sociodemographic and professional attributes, as well as the Scale for the Environments Evaluation of Professional Nursing Practice. The data were subjected to comparative analyses between the two countries. We adhered to ethical requirements in both participating countries. Results: In Brazil, the Structure, Process, and Outcome components were considered favorable to the quality of care and well-being of nurses. In Portugal, nurses considered the Structure and Outcome components favorable and the Process component very favorable. Statistically significant differences were found between the two countries in several dimensions of the three subscales. The Structure and Outcome components scored significantly better in hospitals in Brazil, and the Process component scored better in Portuguese hospitals. Conclusions: These conclusions underscore the urgent need for investment in continuous training and a culture of evaluation that promotes continuous improvement. Additionally, promoting the involvement and participation of nurses could simultaneously contribute to the development of more sustainable health systems.

The oral mucositis is a mucosal alteration that usually arises from oncological treatments, such as chemotherapy, and it is characterized as an inflammatory process. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the chromatographic constitution of Andiroba oil, comparing and evaluating Andiroba oil and laser scarring efficiency in treatments of oral mucositis in hamsters. These animals were submitted to 5-Fluorouracil. A total of 122 animals were used, randomized and divided into the following groups: (a) positive control; (b) laser associated to andiroba oil; (c) laser; (d) andiroba oil; (e) negative control; (f) cyclophosphamide (genotoxicity control). The induction of oral mucositis occurred by the administration of intraperitoneal Fluorouracila (60 mg/kg) and trauma to the mucosa. The laser protocol was performed once a day and the andiroba oil applied 3 times a day (1,5 ml/day). The mucosae were photographed and removed for clinical and histopathological analysis on day 4, 8, 12 and 15. The analysis was based in OM severity, in specific scoring for the clinical and histopathological aspect. Toxicity was evaluated on day 15 using comet assay and it was performed by variant DNA damage parameters. The data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) Tukey post -test and Kruskal-Wallis Dunn post -test . The "andiroba oil" and "laser" groups presented better results when compared to the control groups and the treatment associations. The andiroba oil presented the best scarring results, even considering its efficiency proximity to the laser treatment. Andiroba and laser, separately, did not present genotoxicity, however their association evidences damage to DNA.

Background: Currently, there are no regulatory guidelines indicating spacer devices/valved holding chamber (VHC) should be used routinely during pulmonary function tests, and few studies evaluated if spacer devices reduce beta-agonist bronchodilators' side effects. Methods: A prospective study compared salbutamol's cardiovascular effects and bronchodilation response during spirometry tests with and without a spacer device/VHC. Heart rate (HR), the corrected QT interval (QTc), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured 10 minutes after the first spirometry test, before the drug administration, and 20 minutes after inhalation in both groups. Spirometric parameters (forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and FEV1/FVC) were also measured for both groups. Results: HR and QTc increase were significantly higher in the pressurized meter dose inhalers alone group versus the VHC group [mean SD] [73.1 ± 10 bpm to 74.3 + 10 bpm, p  = 0.021] and [median (25%-75% interquartile range)] [389 ms (381-404) to 398 ms (387-407), p  = 0.045] vs. [mean SD] [75.4 ± 9 to 73.8 + 8 bpm, p  = 0.4] and [median (25%-75% interquartile range)] [388 ms (347-408) to 385 ms (366-408), p  = 0.35], respectively. FEV1 variation before and after salbutamol were similar between both groups. Discussion: Although VHC significantly reduces HR and QTc variation when using beta-agonist bronchodilators in healthy patients, no clinical repercussions of this variation were found in this study, since no event of tachycardia or pathological QTc was recorded. Conclusion: VHC has a diminished clinical impact for healthy patients when considering cardiovascular effects and spirometric parameters. Beta-agonist bronchodilators may be administrated despite the use of spacer devices in patients without known cardiovascular diseases. Its significance for other populations still needs to be determined.

Sex estimation is an important step for subject identification in forensic medicine, to which paranasal sinuses may contribute, as they remain intact even upon severe damage to the skull and other bones. Cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) is an excellent tool in the examination of these structures. The present study aimed to evaluate the maxillary, frontal and sphenoidal sinuses through a discriminant analysis to determine the sex correlations with foramen magnum measurements were also assessed. Two-hundred cranial CBCT scans were analysed. The volume of the maxillary, frontal and sphenoidal sinuses were measured using the ITK-SNAP software (4.0.2). Student's t test and the Mann-Whitney test were applied for the descriptive analysis of independent samples, and data were subjected to discriminant analysis. The volumes of the maxillary, frontal and sphenoidal sinuses of female subjects were smaller than those of male subjects (p < 0.001). Upon summing up the volumes of the evaluated paranasal sinuses, the chances to correctly determine an individual's gender are 96.2% and 92.7% for males and females, respectively. When correlating said values with foramen magnum measurements, sex identification chances increase to 100%. Thus, adult paranasal sinus volumes analysed by CBCT may be useful for sex identification when summed together and correlated with foramen magnum measurements.

Tunable femtosecond light sources in the short wave and middle wave infrared regions are of utmost importance for various applications ranging from multiphoton microscopy, mid-infrared supercontinuum generation to high-harmonic generation. We report on an all-fusion-spliced fiber laser emitting 80 fs pulses up to 2.9 μm with 35 kW peak power. The laser is based on Raman self-frequency shift effect from 1560 nm up to 3000 nm in germanium-doped fibers fabricated by the widespread modified chemical vapor deposition process.

The enhancement and control of non-linear phenomena at a nanometer scale has a wide range of applications in science and in industry. Among these phenomena, high-harmonic generation in solids is a recent focus of research to realize next generation petahertz optoelectronic devices or compact all solid state EUV sources. Here, we report on the realization of the first nanoscale high harmonic source. The strong field regime is reached by confining the electric field from a few nanojoules femtosecond laser in a single 3D semiconductor waveguide. We reveal a strong competition between enhancement of coherent harmonics and incoherent fluorescence favored by excitonic processes. However, far from the band edge, clear enhancement of the harmonic emission is reported with a robust sustainability offering a compact nanosource for applications. We illustrate the potential of our harmonic nano-device by performing a coherent diffractive imaging experiment. Ultra-compact UV/X-ray nanoprobes are foreseen to have other applications such as petahertz electronics, nano-tomography or nano-medicine.

Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have led to stunning applications in various fields from quantum information to microscopy. We examine OAM from the recently observed high-harmonic generation (HHG) in semiconductor crystals. HHG from solids could be a valuable approach for integrated high-flux short-wavelength coherent light sources. First, we verify the transfer and conservation of the OAM in the strong-field regime of interaction from the generation laser to the harmonics. Secondly, we create OAM beams by etching a spiral zone structure directly at the surface of a zinc oxide crystal. Such diffractive optics act on the generated harmonics and produces focused optical vortices with sub-micrometric size.

We introduce a fiber-based laser system providing 130 fs pulses with 3.5 nJ energy at 920 nm at a 43 MHz repetition rate and illustrate the potential of the source for two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy of living mouse brain. The laser source is based on frequency-doubling high-energy solitons generated and frequency-shifted to 1840 nm in large mode area fibers. This simple laser system could unleash the potential of two-photon microscopy techniques in the biology laboratory where green fluorescent proteins with two-photon absorption spectrum peaking around 920 nm are routinely used.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the healing activity of andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) against oral mucositis (OM) induced by 5-fluorouracil in golden Syrian hamsters., Materials and Methods: A total of 122 animals were randomized and divided into six groups: andiroba oil 100%, andiroba oil 10%, andiroba oil 10% refined, no treatment group, all n = 28; and negative control (NC) and cyclophosphamide (CPA) groups, both n = 5. OM was induced by intraperitoneal administration of 60 mg/kg 5-FU on days 0, 5 and 10 followed by mechanical trauma on the oral mucosa on days 1 and 2. From day 1 to day 15, the animals of the andiroba group were treated three times a day. On days 4, 8, 12 and 15, the mucosa was photographed and removed for clinical and histopathological analysis. The bone marrow of the femur was removed and the micronucleus test was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, followed by the Tukey and Bonferroni test., Results: Treatment with 100% andiroba oil reduced the degree of OM compared to that reported in the other groups (p < 0.05). Andiroba oil at both concentrations was not cytotoxic, but treatment with 100% andiroba oil showed a genotoxic potential (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Frequent administration of andiroba oil accelerated the healing process in an experimental model of 5-fluorouracil-induced OM. However, the genotoxicity of andiroba in other cell systems and under other conditions are being tested., Clinical Relevance: The use of andiroba in topical form may be associated with reduced intensity of OM. Seek therapeutic alternatives to minimize the pain and suffering that these side effects cause cancer patients is an important scientific step.

Lectins are proteins able to interact specifically and reversibly with carbohydrates. They are present in all living beings, particularly in legume seeds, which have many biological functions. The aim of this study was to isolate, characterize and verify antioxidant, anti-hemolytic, antitumor and gastroprotective activities in a lectin present in seeds of Phaseolus lunatus L. var. cascavel (PLUN). The isolation of lectin was performed by size exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-100, which was isolated from a protein capable of agglutinating only human erythrocytes type A, being this the only inhibited haemagglutination n-acetyl-d-galactosamine. Its weight was estimated by PAGE is 128kDa. The lectin is thermostable up to 80°C and is active between pH 2-11. As 8M urea was able to denature the lectin. PLUN is a glycoprotein consisting of 2% carbohydrate and has antioxidant action with ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (μMAA/g) of 418.20, 326 and 82.9 for total antioxidant activity, ABTS radical capture and capture of DPPH radical, respectively. The lectin has antitumor activity against melanoma derived cells at doses of 100 and 50mg/ml, reducing up to 83% tumor cells, and gastroprotective action, reducing up to 63% damaged area of ​​the stomach induced by ethanol., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Astronomical Light Optical Hybrid Analysis project investigates the combined use of a telescope array interferometer and nonlinear optics to propose a new generation of instruments dedicated to high-resolution imaging for infrared astronomy. The nonlinear process of optical frequency conversion transfers the astronomical light to a shorter wavelength domain. Here, we report on the first fringes obtained on the sky with the prototype operated at 1.55  μm in the astronomical H band and implemented on the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy telescope array. This seminal result allows us to foresee a future extension to the challenging midinfrared spectral domain.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders show inflammatory components, heavily impacting on quality of life. Abelmoschus esculentus is largely cultivated in Northeastern Brazil for medicinal purposes, having it shown anti-inflammatory activity. We evaluated A. esculentus lectin (AEL) efficacy in reducing zymosan-induced temporomandibular joint inflammatory hypernociception in rats along with the mechanism of action through which it exerts anti-inflammatory activity. Animals were pre-treated with AEL (0.01, 0.1 or 1mg/kg) before zymosan (Zy) injection in the TMJ to determine anti-inflammatory activity. To analyse the possible effect of the hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the nitric oxide (NO) pathways on AEL efficacy, animals were pre-treated with ZnPP-IX (3mg/kg), a specific HO-1 inhibitor, or aminoguanidine (30mg/kg), a selective iNOS inhibitor, before AEL administration. Von Frey test evaluated inflammatory hypernociception, synovial fluid collection was performed to determine leukocyte counting and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity 6h after Zy injection, and Evans Blue extravasation determined vascular permeability. TMJ tissue was collected for histopathological analysis (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (TNF-α, IL-1β, HO-1). In addition, TMJ tissue and trigeminal ganglion collection was performed for TNF-α and IL-1β dosage (ELISA). AEL increased inflammatory nociceptive threshold, reduced leukocyte influx along with MPO activity, leukocyte influx into the synovial membrane, and Evans Blue extravasation. It promoted HO-1 overexpression whilst decreased TNF-α and IL-1β expression in the TMJ tissue. AEL reduced TNF-α and IL-1β levels in TMJ tissue and trigeminal ganglion. AEL effects, however, were not observed in the presence of ZnPP-IX. These findings suggest that AEL efficacy depends on TNF-α/IL-1β inhibition and HO-1 pathway integrity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A two-stage master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) system based on Yb:YAG single-crystal-fiber (SCF) technology and designed for high peak power is studied to significantly increase the pulse energy of a low-power picosecond laser. The first SCF amplifier has been designed for high gain. Using a gain medium optimized in terms of doping concentration and length, an optical gain of 32 dB has been demonstrated. The second amplifier stage designed for high energy using the divided pulse technique allows us to generate a recombined output pulse energy of 2 mJ at 12.5 kHz with a pulse duration of 6 ps corresponding to a peak power of 320 MW. Average powers ranging from 25 to 55 W with repetition rates varying from 12.5 to 500 kHz have been demonstrated.

We demonstrate a three-stage diode-pumped Yb:YAG single-crystal-fiber amplifier to generate femtosecond pulses at high average powers with linear or cylindrical (i.e., radial or azimuthal) polarization. At a repetition rate of 20 MHz, 750-fs pulses were obtained at an average power of 85 W in cylindrical polarization and at 100 W in linear polarization. The report includes investigations on the use of Yb:YAG single-crystal fibers with different length/doping ratio and the zero-phonon pumping at a wavelength of 969 nm in order to optimize the performance.

Marine sponges are primitive metazoans that produce a wide variety of molecules that protect them against predators. In studies that search for bioactive molecules, these marine invertebrates stand out as promising sources of new biologically-active molecules, many of which are still unknown or little studied; thus being an unexplored biotechnological resource of high added value. Among these molecules, lectins are proteins that reversibly bind to carbohydrates without modifying them. In this review, various structural features and biological activities of lectins derived from marine sponges so far described in the scientific literature are discussed. From the results found in the literature, it could be concluded that lectins derived from marine sponges are structurally diverse proteins with great potential for application in the production of biopharmaceuticals, especially as antibacterial and antitumor agents.

In the field of high resolution imaging in astronomy, we experimentally demonstrate the spatial-coherence analysis of a blackbody using an up-conversion interferometer in the photon counting regime. The infrared radiation of the blackbody is converted to a visible one in both arms of the interferometer thanks to the sum-frequency generation processes achieved in Ti-diffused periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides. The coherence analysis is performed through a dedicated imaging stage which mimics a classical telescope array analyzing an astrophysical source. The validity of these measurements is confirmed by the comparison with spatial-coherence analysis through a reference interferometer working at infrared wavelengths.

This paper reports on the experimental implementation of an interferometer featuring sum frequency generation (SFG) processes powered by a pump spectral doublet. The aim of this configuration is to allow the use of the SFG process over an enlarged spectral domain. By analyzing the converted signal, we experimentally demonstrate a frequency spectral compression effect from the infrared input signal to the visible one converted through the SFG process. Recently, such a compression effect has been numerically demonstrated by Wabnitz et al. We also verify experimentally that we fully retrieve the temporal coherence properties of the infrared input signal in the visible field. The experimental setup permits to demonstrate an experimental frequency spectral compression factor greater than 4. This study takes place in the general field of coherence analysis through second order non-linear processes.

This article draws on data from a 1999 survey on youth victimization, crime and delinquency in Alberta conducted by the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta. The survey included 2,001 youth attending Grades 7 to 12 in public and Catholic schools in selected urban and rural areas in the province. Analyses focus on self-reported past-year delinquency. Statistically significant results were found for relationships between extent of delinquency and gender, grade level, psychosocial problems (as measured by conduct, hyperactivity, and emotional problems), and extent of past-year victimization. For low/moderate delinquency, females were comparable to males, and even reported slightly higher rates for low/moderate violence-related delinquency. Younger students were more likely to indicate engaging in violence-related delinquency, while older students were more likely to report property-related delinquent acts. Overall, Grade 9 students had the highest rates of delinquency. For personal characteristics, a high score on conduct problems was most strongly correlated with moderate/high delinquency. The relationship between high levels of delinquency and victimization was stronger for violence-related delinquency than for property-related delinquency.

Data from the population based Cancer Registry of Vila Nova de Gaia for the 1981-1987 period are presented. Cancer is becoming a disease increasingly frequent in Portugal, causing progressively higher mortality rates. Population and geographic characteristics of Vila Nova de Gaia country is presented. Information sources of this Registry are hospitals, pathology labs, Health Authority files and death certificates. Net (229.2, 216.6) and standardized for european population (369.9, 245.9) incidence rates are presented for respectively men and women. Comparisons with registries from other countries (e.s.) are made.