Search

Rabbits have been used as an experimental model in many diseases and for the study of toxicology, pharmacology and surgery in many universities. However, some aspects of their macro anatomy need a more detailed description, especially the abdominal and pelvic arterial vascular system, which has a huge variability in distribution and trajectory. Thirty cadaveric adult New Zealand rabbits, 13 male and 17 female, with an average weight and rostrum-sacral length of 2.5 kg and 40cm, respectively, were used. The thoracic aorta was cannulated and the vascular system was filled with stained latex S-65. The celiac artery and its proximal branches were dissected and lengthened in order to evidence origin and proximal ramifications. The celiac artery emerged between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra in 11 (36.7%) rabbits; at the level of the 13th thoracic vertebra in 6 (20%) rabbits; between the 13th thoracic vertebra and the 1st lumbar vertebra in 12 (40%) rabbits; and at the level of the 1st lumbar vertebra in only one (3.3%) rabbit. The mean length of the celiac artery was 0.5cm. The celiac artery first branch was the lienal artery, the second branch was the left gastric artery and the hepatic artery arose from the left gastric artery in all the dissected rabbits. No relation was observed between the celiac artery length and the rostrum-sacral length in rabbits. The number of left gastric and lienal artery branches and the distribution of celiac artery origin are not gender dependent.Os coelhos têm sido usados como modelo experimental em diferentes patologias e para estudos de toxicologia, farmacologia e cirurgia em várias universidades. Entretanto apesar de sua grande utilização, muitos aspectos de sua macroanatomia, em especial os que se referem ao sistema vascular arterial que irrigam as viscerais abdomino-pélvicas ainda carecem de uma descrição mais detalhada, pois os vasos arteriais apresentam grande variabilidade na sua distribuição e trajeto. Foram utilizados 30 coelhos, 13 machos e 17 fêmeas, pesando em media 2,5 kg e apresentando comprimento rostro-sacral em torno de 40cm. A artéria aorta torácica foi canulada e através da mesma foi feita à fixação com solução de formaldeído a 10% e repleções vasculares com solução de Petrolátex S65 corado. A artéria celíaca e suas ramificações proximais foram dissecadas ao longo do seu percurso, registrando com auxílio de um paquímetro seu comprimento e sua esqueletopia. A artéria celíaca teve sua emergência de forma única diretamente da artéria aorta abdominal em todos os animais dissecados. Emitiu inicialmente a artéria lienal e a seguir a artéria gástrica esquerda que se continuou como hepática em todos os 30 animais. A artéria celíaca teve sua origem entre a 12ªe 13ª vértebra torácica em 11 animais (36,7 %), na 13ª vértebra torácica em 6 (20 %), entre a 13ª vértebra torácica e a 1ª vértebra lombar em 12 (40 %) e na 1ª vértebra lombar em apenas 1 animal (3,3%). O comprimento médio da artéria celíaca foi de 0,5cm. Não foi observada relação entre o comprimento da artéria celíaca e o comprimento rostro-sacral dos coelhos. O número de artérias gástricas esquerdas, ramificações principais da artéria lienal, bem como a origem da artéria celíaca independeram do sexo do animal.

Rabies is endemic in the Philippines. To support the rabies campaign in the Bicol region at the southeastern part of Luzon, the BAI-OIE Stop Transboundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (STANDZ) Rabies project was implemented in the pilot provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Masbate. A community awareness survey was conducted with the residents of these provinces to determine their knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on rabies during the start and end of the project. Qualitative, descriptive research was done with a structured KAP questionnaire. Pet owners in the pilot provinces were chosen as respondents. Results showed that respondents know that they can acquire rabies in animals through the bite of a rabid dog (pre-project implementation (PRI): 19.6%, post-project implementation (POI): 38.0%). Vaccination was the top rabies preventive measure (PRI: 61.8%, POI: 92.8%). Biting incidents were noted in some respondents, and observing the dog and killing it immediately were some of the actions taken by bite victims. If a supposed rabid dog was seen, respondents would either: immediately kill the dog (PRI: 20.3%, POI: 13.7%), report it to authorities (PRI: 26.3%, POI: 63.1%), and capture and observe the dog concerned (PRI: 13.5%, POI: 6.0%). Pet owners increased their KAP about rabies prevention and control as compared to the pre-implementation study. However, certain gaps in their KAP need to be given attention; thus continuous education of pet owners must be done.

Boron (B) is desirable for energetic applications due to high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities. However, their use is limited because the native oxide shells on their surfaces limit oxidation and heat release by acting as a diffusion barrier and dead weight that does not contribute to heat release during oxidation. This paper reports a facile and efficient method of blending B with perfluoro additives to obtain materials with augmented heat release. We use polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a fluorine source that reacts with the oxide layer exothermally and use thermochemical analysis to identify the optimum composition of PTFE to extract high energy from B as a result of synergistic oxidation and fluorination reactions. The reduction in ignition temperatures of B is also observed due to its blending with PTFE. In this work, we determined B/PTFE blends with lower ignition temperature and higher oxidative heat release. These effects are due to the gasification of native surface oxide by fluorine via exothermic reactions that facilitate the enhanced reactions in the exposed metal core by eliminating the kinetic/thermodynamic barrier in the diffusion of the oxidizer to the B particle core. The study demonstrates the optimized formulation of highly energetic blends of B/PTFE for energetic applications.

Abstract Background There is an emerging need to systematically investigate the causes for the increased cesarean section rates in Greece and undertake interventions so as to substantially reduce its rates. To this end, the ability of the participating Greek obstetricians to follow evidence-based guidelines and respond to other educational and behavioral interventions while managing labor will be explored, along with barriers and enablers. Herein discussed is the protocol of a stepped-wedge designed intervention trial in Greek maternity units with the aforementioned goals in mind, named ENGAGE (ENhancinG vAGinal dElivery in Greece). Methods Twenty-two selected maternity units in Greece will participate in a multicenter stepped-wedge randomized prospective trial involving 20,000 to 25,000 births, with two of them entering the intervention period of the study each month (stepped randomization). The maternity care units entering the study will apply the suggested interventions for a period of 8–18 months depending on the time they enter the intervention stage of the study. There will also be an initial phase of the study lasting from 8 to 18 months including observation and recording of the routine practice (cesarean section, vaginal birth, and maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality) in the participating units. The second phase, the intervention period, will include such interventions as the application of the HSOG (the Hellenic Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology) Guidelines on labor management, training on the correct interpretation of cardiotocography, and dealing with emergencies in vaginal deliveries, while the steering committee members will be available to discuss and implement organizational and behavioral changes, answer questions, clarify relevant issues, and provide practical instructions to the participating healthcare professionals during regular visits or video conferences. Furthermore, during the study, the results will be available for the participating units in order for them to monitor their own performance while also receiving feedback regarding their rates. Τhe final 2-month phase of the study will be devoted to completing follow-up questionnaires with data concerning maternal and neonatal morbidities that occurred after the completion of the intervention period. The total duration of the study is estimated at 28 months. The primary outcome assessed will be the cesarean section rate change and the secondary outcomes will be maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Discussion The study is expected to yield new information on the effects, advantages, possibilities, and challenges of consistent clinical engagement and implementation of behavioral, educational, and organizational interventions described in detail in the protocol on cesarean section practice in Greece. The results may lead to new insights into means of improving the quality of maternal and neonatal care, particularly since this represents a shared effort to reduce the high cesarean section rates in Greece and, moreover, points the way to their reduction in other countries. Trial registration NCT 04504500 (ClinicalTrials.gov). The trial was prospectively registered. Ethics Reference No: 320/23.6.2020, Bioethics and Conduct Committee, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

RESUMO Objetivo Adaptar e validar um instrumento para avaliar a percepção de pares de contraste mínimo na língua de sinais chilena (ChSL). Método Este estudo foi desenvolvido em sete etapas, sendo a primeira delas a identificação dos pares de contraste mínimo na língua de sinais (Etapa 1). Posteriormente, esses pares foram avaliados por quatro juízes especialistas (Etapa 2). Na Etapa 3, um ilustrador profissional criou os desenhos correspondentes a cada par. Na Etapa 4, os pares foram avaliados por juízes não especialistas. A Etapa 5 envolveu o desenvolvimento de materiais do teste. Na Etapa 6, foi produzida uma gravação em vídeo dos estímulos-teste. Na Etapa 7, foi realizado um estudo piloto envolvendo seis crianças e adolescentes surdos. Resultados Na Etapa 1, foram identificados 69 pares de contraste mínimo. Na Etapa 2, os juízes alcançaram taxas de concordância aceitáveis em 46 (CVR ≥ 0,95; AC1=0,659, considerado substancial). Após avaliar sua relevância e presença no vocabulário infantil, os juízes selecionaram 29 pares. Isso foi seguido por uma avaliação de representatividade, que reduziu os estímulos a 24 pares. Na Etapa 3, foram elaborados desenhos para representar cada item dos 24 pares. Os juízes não especialistas (Etapa 4) revelaram a necessidade de redesenhar seis pares. Nas Etapas 5 e 6, as ilustrações foram ajustadas e um vídeo foi gravado para exibir as instruções do teste. Na Etapa 7, a amostra piloto entendeu o teste e o concluiu com sucesso em sua totalidade. Conclusão O instrumento para avaliação da percepção de pares de contraste mínimo em ChSL foi adaptado com sucesso e apresentou validade de conteúdo adequada.

The limited use of boron (B) in energetic applications is due to the presence of a native oxide layer on its surface, which acts as a thermodynamic barrier and adds to the dead weight that does not contribute to the oxidation energy release. To extract maximum energy from B oxidation, its native oxide must be chemically reduced or modified. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a new energetic material via solid-state reactions, a composite of boron (B), aluminum (Al), and magnesium (Mg), which we call BAM. We use Al and Mg to induce cyclic thermite reactions in parallel to metal oxidation: Al and Mg reduce B2O3 to form B and oxides of Al and Mg, while Mg reduces Al2O3 to form MgO along with Al, which further reduces B2O3. The result is a material that registers higher energy release than its constituents. Specifically, BAM composites show enhanced gravimetric heat release by 40% and improved oxidation by 25% than B alone under identical conditions. The sequence and synergy of oxidation and thermite reactions are illustrated by integrating XRD with thermal analysis in the air for different exothermic peaks and temperature stages. The results demonstrate that the proper selection of metallic additives can enhance the oxidation and energetic performance of B.

RESUMEN Objetivo Obtener evidencias de confiabilidad de la prueba para evaluar la percepción de los contrastes mínimos en Lengua de Señas Chilena (LSCh). Método Participaron 10 niños y adolescentes Sordos con edades entre los 7 y 14 años, que fueron evaluados con la prueba de percepción de los contrastes mínimos en LSCh. En un primer momento se les aplicó la prueba, y entre 11 y 14 días después se les reaplicó nuevamente (confiabilidad test - retest). Para analizar los datos, fue realizada la correlación Rho de Spearman. Durante la primera aplicación se solicitó autorización a los padres de los niños y adolescentes para grabar las respuestas de los participantes para que otro evaluador pudiese repuntuar los protocolos, con el fin de obtener la confiabilidad interevaluador. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó el cálculo estadístico first-order agreement coefficient (AC1) de Gwet. Resultados En la confiabilidad test - retest se obtuvo una correlación fuerte y significativa (Rho= 0,741; p=0,014). En la confiabilidad interevaluador, los valores de concordancia obtenidos varían entre 0,962 a 1 (p

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The High Activity Arthroplasty Score (HAAS) is a self-administered questionnaire, developed in British English, that reliably and validly measures the levels of sports activities in patients following hip and knee arthroplasty surgery. OBJECTIVE: To cross-culturally adapt the HAAS to Brazilian Portuguese language. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a public university hospital in Brazil. METHODS: The Brazilian version of the HAAS was created through a six-step process: translation, synthesis, committee review, pretesting, back-translation, and submission to developers. The translation step was conducted by two independent bilingual translators, both native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. The back-translation was performed by an independent translator, a native speaker of British English. To ensure the questionnaire's comprehensibility, 46 volunteers (51% men; average age 34-63) participated in the pre-testing step. RESULTS: The cross-cultural adaptation process necessitated modifications to certain terms and expressions to achieve cultural equivalence with the original HAAS. CONCLUSION: The HAAS has been translated from English into Brazilian Portuguese and culturally adapted for Brazil. The validation process for HAAS-Brazil is currently underway.

Abstract Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) are developed to align standards of health care around the world, aiming to reduce the incidence of misconducts and enabling more effective use of health resources. Considering the complexity, cost, and time involved in formulating CPG, strategies should be used to facilitate and guide authors through each step of this process. The main objective of this document is to present a methodological guide prepared by the Epidemiology Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology for the elaboration of CPG in rheumatology. Through an extensive review of the literature, this study compiles the main practical recommendations regarding the following steps of CPG drafting: distribution of working groups, development of the research question, search, identification and selection of relevant studies, evidence synthesis and quality assessment of the body of evidence, the Delphi methodology for consensus achievement, presentation and dissemination of the recommendations, CPG quality assessment and updating. This methodological guide serves as an important tool for rheumatologists to develop reliable and high-quality CPG, standardizing clinical practices worldwide.

To examine the influence of carboxytherapy on wound healing under venous insufficiency, full‐thickness excisional wounds were created on Wistar rats. We used three groups with 32 rats each: Group (I): daily cleaning with 0.9% saline solution; Group Sulfadiazine (II): 1% silver sulfadiazine; and Carboxytherapy (III): subcutaneous application of 0.3 mL of carbon dioxide. The predetermined periods of analysis were the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 30th day. The slides were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and Picrosirius red and submitted for immunohistochemistry. Groups II and III presented a statistically significant decrease in relation to the presence of neutrophilic and lymphocytic infiltrates. The presence of collagen significant increased in groups II and III. However, group III presented better organisation. Only group I maintained the neovascularisation until the 30th day. The new epithelium statistically significantly increased in groups II and III. On immunohistochemistry, regarding fibronectin expression, only group III demonstrated a statistically significant increase since the beginning of the healing process. Thus, the use of carboxytherapy promotes the formation of a tissue better structured and that may be an important resource for the treatment of wounds under venous insufficiency, especially those of recurrent re‐openings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The Hip Sports Activity Scale (HSAS) is a hip-specific instrument for assessing the present levels of physical activity among patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome. When evaluating treatment outcomes in patients with FAI syndrome, it is necessary to use joint-specific instruments and ones that can evaluate the levels of physical activity in these patients, such as the HSAS-Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To validate the HSAS-Brazil among a group of physically active patients after arthroscopic treatment of FAI syndrome. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional research of quantitative and qualitative types using data obtained from July 2018 to October 2019. METHODS: A total of 58 patients of both genders diagnosed with FAI syndrome and who had undergone hip arthroscopy participated in this research. To establish reliability and validity, patients first answered the Brazilian versions of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS), and HSAS; after a 48-hour interval, they answered the HSAS-Brazil again. RESULTS: For test-retest reliability, the interclass correlation was 0.908 (P < 0.001). The HSAS-Brazil correlated to the NAHS-Brazil (r = 0.63, P < 0.001), as well as the SF-12 (Physical Health) (r = 0.42, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The HSAS-Brazil was validated and proved to be a reliable and valid scale to assess sports activity levels in physically active patients with FAI syndrome after arthroscopic treatment.

RESUMO A Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro possui diversos programas de bolsas de ensino, pesquisa e extensão. A grande maioria é destinada aos seus próprios graduandos, mas a bolsa de apoio técnico-acadêmico pode ser desfrutada por alunos externos que ainda estejam cursando o ensino médio. Essa bolsa destina-se prioritariamente a estudantes de baixa renda, regularmente matriculados nos cursos de graduação e no Colégio Técnico da UFRRJ e no ensino médio de colégios da cidade de Seropédica/RJ. A bolsa destina-se à realização de atividades de apoio técnico-acadêmico e de interesse institucional, abrangendo ensino, pesquisa, extensão e administração acadêmica, como uma forma de aprendizagem complementar, possibilitando ao estudante uma melhor integração à Universidade e uma formação complementar. O objetivo desse trabalho foi descrever as atividades desenvolvidas por quatro estudantes do ensino médio de Seropédica/RJ como bolsistas de Apoio Técnico-Acadêmico na disciplina de Anatomia Humana e avaliar a importância dessa experiência para a sua formação educacional e pessoal. Todas as tarefas desenvolvidas pelas bolsistas de apoio técnico-acadêmico foram destinadas ao enriquecimento das aulas da graduação dos cursos de Farmácia e de Psicologia. Mas, sobretudo, contribuiu de maneira ímpar para a formação educacional, o crescimento profissional e o amadurecimento pessoal de cada uma dessas bolsistas, que a partir da experiência obtida deram seguimento aos seus estudos. Três ingressaram no Colégio Técnico da UFFRJ, tendo concluído esse ensino técnico, e dentre estas, duas se matricularam em cursos de graduação na própria UFRRJ. Palavras-chave: Educação. Ensino-aprendizagem. Inserção acadêmica. ABSTRACT The Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro has several scholarship programs for teaching, research and extension. The vast majority are intended for their own graduates, but the scholarship for technical and academic support can be enjoyed by external students who are still in high school. This scholarship is primarily intended for low-income students, regularly enrolled in undergraduate courses, at the Technical College of UFRRJ, and in high schools in the city of Seropédica/RJ. The scholarship is intended to carry out activities of technical and academic support and of institutional interest, covering teaching, research, extension and academic administration, as a form of complementary learning, enabling the student to better integrate into the University and provide additional training. The objective of this paper was to describe the activities developed by four high school students from Seropédica/RJ as scholarship holders of technical-academic support in the discipline of Human Anatomy and to evaluate the importance of this experience for their educational and personal training. All the tasks developed by the technical and academic support fellows were aimed at enriching the undergraduate classes of Pharmacy and Psychology courses. But, above all, it contributed in a unique way to the educational formation, professional growth and personal maturity of each one of these fellows, who based on the experience obtained, continued their studies. Three entered the Technical College of UFFRJ, having completed this technical education, and among these, two enrolled in undergraduate courses at UFRRJ itself. Keywords: Education. Teaching-learning. Academic insertion.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The Hip Sports Activity Scale (HSAS) is a reliable and valid tool for determining the levels of sports activities among patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). OBJECTIVE: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the HSAS to the Brazilian Portuguese language. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: The Brazilian version of the HSAS was developed following a process that comprised six steps: translation, synthesis, back-translation, review by committee, pretesting and submission of documentation to the developers. The translation phase involved three independent bilingual translators whose mother language was Brazilian Portuguese. The back-translation phase involved three independent translators whose mother language was English. In order to verify comprehension of the questionnaire, 30 undergraduate students in physical education (65% men), with mean age 23.2 years (standard deviation = 6.8), participated in the pre-testing phase. RESULTS: During the translation step, some terms and expressions were changed to obtain cultural equivalence to the original HSAS. In the pre-testing phase, each item of the scale showed a comprehension level of 100%. CONCLUSION: The HSAS was translated from English to the Brazilian Portuguese language and adapted to Brazilian culture. The HSAS validation is ongoing.

We study the set of integer partitions as a probability space that generates distributions and, in the asymptotic limit, obeys thermodynamics. We view ordered integer partition as a configuration of cluster masses and associate them with the distribution of masses it contains. We organized the set of ordered partitions into a table that forms a microcanonical ensemble and whose columns form a set of canonical ensembles. We define a functional of the distribution (selection functional) that establishes a probability measure on the distributions of the ensemble, study the combinatorial properties of this space, define its partition functions, and show that, in the asymptotic limit, this space obeys thermodynamics. We construct a stochastic process that we call exchange reaction and used it to sample the mean distribution by Mote Carlo simulation. We demonstrated that, with appropriate choice of the selection functional, we can obtain any distribution as the equilibrium distribution of the ensemble.