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BACKGROUND: The prevalence of persistent respiratory symptoms tends to be low in patients with a longer recovery time after COVID-19. However, some patients may present persistent pulmonary abnormalities.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of tomographic abnormalities 90 days after symptom onset in patients with COVID-19 and compare two chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) analysis techniques.METHODS: A multicentre study of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 having oxygen saturation RESULTS: Of the 91 patients included, 81% had at least one pulmonary lobe with abnormalities 90 days after discharge (84% were identified using the automated algorithm). Ground-glass opacities (76%) and parenchymal bands (65%) were the predominant abnormalities. Both chest HRCT technical assessments presented high sensitivity (95.9%) and positive predictive value (92%), with a statistically significant correlation at baseline (R = 0.80) and after 90 days (R = 0.36).CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pulmonary abnormalities on chest HRCT 90 days after symptom onset due to COVID-19 was high; both technical assessments can be used to analyse the images.

This study investigated the occurrence of plastic particles in the digestive tracts of fish from headwater streams in a human-thinly populated region of the subtropical Sinos River basin in southern Brazil. In total, 258 individuals from 17 species were collected using electric fishing. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the specimens contained plastic particles. All of them were fibers, with a maximum count of 43 per individual. Plastic fibers were the fourth most abundant food category. Results showed that the uptake of these plastic particles was proportional to the number of ingested food items. Fiber counts in the guts correlated with the uptake of Trichoptera, which are invertebrates using plastic particles to construct their protective cases. No significant difference in plastic uptake was detected between benthic and water column fish. No evidence of bioaccumulation of plastic particles was found in the intestines. The distance from urban areas was not related to the number of ingested plastic particles, concluding that plastics are ubiquitous and available to biota, even in remote locations. The most probable source of these particles is residences close to the streams which discharge the sewage of washing machines without any treatment. Resumo Este estudo investigou a ocorrência de partículas plásticas no trato digestivo de peixes de riachos de cabeceira em uma região de baixa densidade humana da bacia subtropical do rio dos Sinos no sul do Brasil. No total, 258 indivíduos de 17 espécies foram coletados por meio da pesca elétrica. Trinta e oito por cento (38%) dos espécimes continham partículas de plástico. Todos eram fibras, com contagem máxima de 43 por indivíduo. As fibras plásticas foram a quarta categoria de alimentos mais abundante. Os resultados mostraram que a absorção dessas partículas plásticas foi proporcional ao número de itens alimentares ingeridos. A contagem de fibras nos intestinos se correlacionou com a absorção de Trichoptera, que são invertebrados que usam partículas de plástico para construir suas capas protetoras. Nenhuma diferença significativa na absorção de plástico foi detectada entre peixes bentônicos e de coluna d'água. Nenhuma evidência de bioacumulação de partículas plásticas foi encontrada nos intestinos. A distância das áreas urbanas não foi relacionada ao número de partículas plásticas ingeridas, concluindo que os plásticos são ubíquos e disponíveis para a biota, mesmo em locais remotos. A fonte mais provável dessas partículas são as residências próximas aos córregos que descarregam os esgotos das máquinas de lavar sem nenhum tratamento.

In this paper, the effects of adding vitamin C to biomedical ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (B-UHMWPE) on thermal behavior and thermal degradation kinetics are investigated. The kinetic studies were conducted using Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), corresponding to pre-exponential factor (A) and activation energy (Ea). Compounds with 1.0 and 2.0% mass vitamin C exhibited a lower decomposition rate. Activation energy results from the OFW and Kissinger methods were close to each other and showed a dependence on the degree of conversion (α), with Ea being an increasing function of conversion degree to B-UHMWPE and a decreasing function for the compounds. Finally, the pre-exponential factor increases with the addition of vitamin C, favoring its interaction with the free radicals originated from the thermal degradation of B-UHMWPE, also suggesting a reduction in its decomposition rate.

A bacia de drenagem do rio Sao Joao possui um papel importante e estrategico para a Regiao dos Lagos, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, uma das regioes turisticas mais importantes do Brasil. Entretanto, o rapido crescimento economico e o subsequente crescimento populacional na regiao geram impactos atraves das atividades antropogenicas, os quais incluem a contaminacao por metais tracos na agua superficial. O presente estudo tem por objetivo relatar o comportamento dos ions maiores e metais tracos ao longo de uma campanha de amostragem de um ano, fornecendo informacoes sobre as suas principais fontes e controle geoquimico nos tres principais compartimentos fluviais da bacia de drenagem. Os dados obtidos revelam que a pluviosidade e a principal responsavel pela variacao dos parâmetros quimicos e dos constituintes dissolvidos da agua. As contribuicoes geologicas e antropogenicas, as quais sao as principais fontes para a carga dissolvida na agua, foram analisadas pelo Indice de Quimica Inorgânica (IQI). Esses resultados corroboram a grande influencia da pluviosidade e revela a contribuicao antropogenica em algumas partes do reservatorio de Juturnaiba.

Estrogen reduction is associated with a decline in skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. Molecular events associated with improvements in markers of mitochondrial biogenesis after resistance training and estradiol replacement are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ovariectomy, resistance training, and estradiol replacement on markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and protein expression related to oxidative capacity in the rat gastrocnemius pool. Estradiol replacement was performed using Silastic(®) capsules. During the 12-week resistance training, animals climbed a ladder with weights attached to their tails. Gene expression was analysed by RT-PCR, and protein content was determined by western blotting. Ovariectomy decreased the gene expression of the mitochondrial biogenesis markers PGC-1α (~73%), NRF-1 (~44%), and TFAM (~53%) (p

Detailed information about lung cancer patients requiring admission to intensive care units (ICUs) is mostly restricted to single-center studies. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of lung cancer patients admitted to ICUs.Prospective multicenter study in 449 patients with lung cancer (small cell, n = 55; non-small cell, n = 394) admitted to 22 ICUs in six countries in Europe and South America during 2011. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards frailty models were built to identify characteristics associated with 30-day and 6-month mortality.Most of the patients (71%) had newly diagnosed cancer. Cancer-related complications occurred in 56% of patients; the most common was tumoral airway involvement (26%). Ventilatory support was required in 53% of patients. Overall hospital, 30-day, and 6-month mortality rates were 39%, 41%, and 55%, respectively. After adjustment for type of admission and early treatment-limitation decisions, determinants of mortality were organ dysfunction severity, poor performance status (PS), recurrent/progressive cancer, and cancer-related complications. Mortality rates were far lower in the patient subset with nonrecurrent/progressive cancer and a good PS, even those with sepsis, multiple organ dysfunctions, and need for ventilatory support. Mortality was also lower in high-volume centers. Poor PS predicted failure to receive the initially planned cancer treatment after hospital discharge.ICU admission was associated with meaningful survival in lung cancer patients with good PS and non-recurrent/progressive disease. Conversely, mortality rates were very high in patients not fit for anticancer treatment and poor PS. In this subgroup, palliative care may be the best option.

The Sao Joao Drainage Basin is a very important and strategic waterbody located in the Lagos Region, Rio de Janeiro State, one of the most popular tourist regions of Brazil. However, the fast economic and subsequent population growth in that region has created untreated wastes from several anthropogenic activities, which include the trace metals disposal into the surface waterbody. This study aims to relate the major ions and trace metals behavior during a 1-year sampling campaign and to provide information about the sources of chemical constituents and the factors that control their concentrations in the three main fluvial compartments of the drainage basin, including the Juturnaiba Reservoir which has a crucial role for water supply in the Lagos Region. The chemical data reveal that rainfall is the main factor responsible for the physicochemical parameters and the water dissolved constituent’s variations. The geological and anthropogenic factors which are the main sources of water constituents were assessed by the Inorganic Chemical Index. Those data corroborate the great influence of rainfall and reveal the importance of anthropogenic sources of chemical constituents in some parts of the Juturnaiba Reservoir. The geochemical modeling suggests that hydrolysis reactions are primarily responsible for the trace metals availability in the three fluvial compartments in both dry and wet seasons, followed by carbonate and sulfate complexation.

This work aims to establish an estimation of the blood perfusion coefficient in cancerous tissues, using inverse problem techniques. The blood perfusion coefficient is modeled as a constant parameter or as a function of the position. Several optimization methods are studied for the constant parameter model. The function estimation approach is performed by the conjugate gradient method with adjoint problem to evaluate the model with spatial variation of the blood perfusion coefficient. The heat transfer problem is represented by the Pennes’ equation. It is a standard heat diffusion equation with a sink term and a source term. The sink term accounts for the blood flow within the biological tissue and the source term accounts for the combined effect of the internal metabolic heat generation together with an external heat flux associated to the cancer treatment. The results are obtained for different functions of blood perfusion coefficients, simulating measurements with and without errors. The performances of the studied inverse problem techniques are analyzed.

Foi padronizado e validado um método analítico para determinação de resíduos de abamectin, doramectin e ivermectin em fígado bovino empregando extração com acetonitrila, purificação com cartucho de C18 , derivatização, detecção e quantificação por CLAE/FL. Nos ensaios com amostras adicionadas de solução padrão em níveis entre 5 e 100mg/kg as recuperações médias obtidas variaram de 69,0 a 101,4% com valores de coeficiente de variação entre 5,5 e 28,1%. O limite de detecção e quantificação do método, para os três resíduos estudados, foi 5µg/kg.A method for determination of abamectin, doramectin and ivermectin residues in bovine liver was standardized and validated using acetonitrile extraction, clean-up with nd C18 cartridges, derivatization, detection and quantification by HPLC/FL. In the assays using spiked samples in levels varying from 5 to 100mg/kg the average recovery values ranged from 69.0 to 101.4% with coefficient of variation values between 5.5 and 28.1%. The limit of detection and quantification of this method, for each studied residue, was 5µg/kg.

Foi padronizado e validado um método analítico para determinação de resíduos de abamectin, doramectin e ivermectin em fígado bovino empregando extração com acetonitrila, purificação com cartucho de C18 , derivatização, detecção e quantificação por CLAE/FL. Nos ensaios com amostras adicionadas de solução padrão em níveis entre 5 e 100mg/kg as recuperações médias obtidas variaram de 69,0 a 101,4% com valores de coeficiente de variação entre 5,5 e 28,1%. O limite de detecção e quantificação do método, para os três resíduos estudados, foi 5µg/kg.

An approach to study turbulent flow and conjugate heat transfer in tubes is proposed in this work. Instead of using the usual finite element or finite volume methods, this formulation applies a different technique that calculates both for the flow and heat transfer. It discretizes the flow in the radial direction using a fourth order finite differences method, which is more accurate than the traditional second order schemes. Using this technique, a system composed of several ordinary differential equations for the temperature and a set of linear equations for the velocities and pressure gradient is obtained. The equations are then integrated in the axial direction using a fourth order Runge–Kutta method. The values of viscosity, density and thermal conductivity are dependent on temperature, which makes the model suitable for the calculation of high temperature gradients, as in the case of refinery fired heaters. The turbulence is taken into account using a zero order turbulence model. A very interesting feature of this formulation is that for the laminar case the method is non-iterative, which makes it more desirable and faster than conventional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) packages.

Foi padronizado e validado um método analítico para determinação de resíduos de nitrofurazona, furazolidona e nicarbazina em tecido muscular empregando-se extração com acetonitrila, purificação com cartuchos de sílica e C18 e detecção e quantificação por CLAE/UV. Nos ensaios com amostras fortificadas entre 5 e 200mg/kg as recuperações médias obtidas variaram de 73,6 a 95,6% com valores de C.V. entre 4,8 e 26,4%. O limite de detecção e quantificação do método foi de 5mg/kg, para cada um dos três resíduos estudados.A method for determination of nitrofurazone, furazolidone and nicarbazin residues in muscle tissues was standardized and validated using acetonitrile extraction, clean-up with silica and C18 cartridges and detection and quantification by HPLC/UV. In the assays using spiked samples in levels varying from 5 to 200mg/kg the average recovery values ranged from 73.6 to 95.6% with C.V. values between 4.8 and 26.4%. The limits of detection and quantification of this method was 5mg/kg for each studied residue.

In relation to some inorganic membranes, polymeric membranes have relatively low separation performance. However, the processing flexibility and low cost of polymers still make them highly attractive for many industrial separation applications. Polymer-inorganic hybrid membranes constitute an emerging research field and have been recently developed to improve the separation properties of polymer membranes because they possess properties of both organic and inorganic membranes such as good hydrophilicity, selectivity, permeability, mechanical strength, and thermal and chemical stability. The structures and processing of polymer-inorganic nanocomposite hybrid membranes, as well as their use in the fields of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, pervaporation, gas separation and separation mechanism are reviewed.

Procedimentos para validação intralaboratorial de kits de ELISA foram adotados na verificação da eficiência de um kit para detecção e quantificação de aflatoxina M1 em leite. Foram realizados ensaios com soluções padrões fornecidas pelo kit, amostras artificialmente contaminadas e amostras naturalmente contaminadas. Os valores médios de recuperação obtidos para os padrões do kit apresentaram-se entre 85,6 e 114,8%, com valores de coeficiente de variação entre 11,6 e 23,1%. Nos ensaios com amostras artificialmente contaminadas, foi definida uma faixa ótima de trabalho para análises quantitativas entre 0,019 e 0,090µg/L. A presença de aflatoxina M1 em 110 amostras de leite do estado de Minas Gerais foi investigada. Cinco das 27 amostras positivas na triagem por ELISA foram confirmadas por cromatografia em camada delgada.Procedures for intralaboratory validation of an ELISA kit were adopted to verify its efficiency in aflatoxin M1 detection and quantification in milk. Assays were accomplished with standard solutions provided with the kit, spiked samples and naturally contaminated samples. The mean recovery values obtained for the kit standard solutions were between 85.6 and 114.8%, with coefficient of variation ranging from 11.6 to 23.1%. Working with spiked samples, a concentration range for quantitative analysis (0.019 to 0.090µg/L) was defined. The occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in 110 milk samples from the State of Minas Gerais was investigated. Five of the 27 positive samples in the screening for ELISA were confirmed by thin layer chromatography.

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of Qualea grandiflora, a typical species of the Brazilian cerrado. • METHODS: and Results: Eight microsatellite loci were isolated using an enrichment cloning protocol. These loci were tested on a population of 110 individuals of Q. grandiflora collected from a cerrado fragment in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The loci polymorphism ranges from seven to 19 alleles and the average heterozygosity value is 0.568, while the average polymorphic information content is 0.799. • CONCLUSIONS: The developed markers were found to be highly polymorphic, indicating their applicability to studies of population genetic diversity in Q. grandiflora.

There is scientific evidence to suggest that the medicinal mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill (AbM) has immunomodulatory effects on cytokine synthesis, both in vitro and in vivo. This study was the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to investigate these purported actions in elderly women. The objective of this study was to ascertain the effects of AbM intake on serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in community-living seniors. The sample consisted of 57 elderly females who were carriers or homozygous for the majority allele of functional polymorphisms for the chosen cytokines. Subjects were randomly allocated to receive placebo (n = 29) or AbM dry extract (n = 28), 900 mg/day for 60 days. Body mass index, abdominal girth, body composition, blood pressure and cytokine (IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) levels were measured, and food intake was assessed as a possible confounder. Analysis of these parameters showed the sample was characterized by overweight and excess adiposity. After the study period, no changes from baseline were detectable for any parameter in either group. In this study, AbM extract had no modulating effect on IL-6, IFN-γ or TNF-α levels in elderly females.

O boro e o cálcio são nutrientes essenciais para o desenvolvimento vegetal, contudo existem poucos registros da atuação desses elementos em nível nutricional. Visando avaliar possíveis implicações desses nutrientes no desenvolvimento morfológico de Eucalyptus urophylla, calos foram cultivados in vitro sob concentrações de boro (0, 25, 50, 100 e 200 µM de H3BO3) e cálcio (0; 3,75; 7,50; 11,25 e 15,00 mM de CaCl2). O experimento foi conduzido no delineamento inteiramente casualizado, no arranjo fatorial (5 x 5) contendo 5 repetições. Aos 21 e 31 dias foram avaliados os calos quanto à morfologia externa e interna. Foi possível verificar que nos dois períodos avaliados as concentrações de boro e cálcio interferiram significativamente tanto na morfologia externa como na interna, resultando em respostas diretas com aspectos visuais das estruturas calogênicas. Os resultados mostraram que as combinações de 25 µM de B com 0; 3,75; 7,50; 11,25 e 15,00 mM de Ca, aos 21 dias, apresentaram menores prejuízos ao desenvolvimento das raízes, o que favoreceu adequadamente a formação do órgão. A produção de biomassa seca foi influenciada diretamente pela concentração de boro, sendo esse efeito constante para todas as doses de cálcio estudadas e para ambas as idades avaliadas.Palavras-chave: Alterações morfoanatômicas; calogênese; nutrição mineral; cultura de tecidos vegetais. AbstractMorphology of Eucalyptus urophylla callus, cultivated in vitro under boron and calcium concentrations. Boron and calcium are essential nutrients in plant development, but there are few registers of the common action of these nutrients in vegetable. In order to identify and quantify the possible implications of these micro and macronutrients in the morphogenetic development of Eucalyptus urophylla, callus were cultivated in vitro with different concentration of boron (0, 25, 50, 100 e 200 µM H3BO3) and calcium (0, 3.75, 7.50, 11.25 e 15.00 mM CaCl2). The experiment was completely randomized design in factorial arrangement (5 x 5) with 5 replications. It was evaluated after 21th and 31th days of culture the relation of external and internal morphology. It could be verified that in two evaluations periods the combined of boron and calcium had intervened in aspects of the internal e external morphology that had caused direct answers in visual aspects of the calluses. The combinations of 25 µM B with 0, 3.75, 7.50, 11.25 e 15.00 mM Ca in 21th day, were less harmful of the roots favoring appropriately organ development. The production of dry matter weight was directly influenced by boron concentration and this effect was constant for all calcium concentration and for both evaluated days.Keywords: Morphoanatomic alterations; callogenesis; mineral nutrition; vegetable tissue culture.

The prognostic effect of neutropenia in cancer patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) was addressed exclusively in cohort studies with conflicting results. Our aim was to address this question using a matched case-control study.Ninety-four neutropenic patients and 94 non-neutropenic controls were matched for age, cancer type, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and need for mechanical ventilation and vasopressors. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality.The ICU (66% versus 66%, P = 0.999) and hospital (73% versus 78%, P = 0.611) mortality rates were similar in neutropenic and non-neutropenic patients. Adjusting for the type of admission and length of hospital stay before ICU admission, the characteristics associated with increased mortality were the severity of acute disease and organ failures, compromised performance status and sepsis diagnosis. The impact of both previous chemotherapy and neutropenia on the outcomes was not significant.Using a matched case-control study design, our results provide additional evidence that the presence of neutropenia is no longer associated with worse outcomes in critically ill patients with cancer. Moreover, our results also corroborate that recent exposure to chemotherapy is not associated with increased risk for death.

Recentely, Si3N4 has been used as cutting tools in several alloys machining. Such materials shows SiAlONs and β-Si3N4, that it has excellent thermomachanical properties. This work had as objetive to develop and to apply β-Si3N4 cutting tools in machining of gray cast iron, starting from a mixture composed by 78.30 wt % α-Si3N4, 1.00 wt % A12O3, 14.40 wt % A1N, 3.15 wt % CeO2 and 3.15 wt % Y2O3, that was pressed and sintered at 1900°C. After characterization, cutting tools showed, HV = 20.50 GPa, KIC = 6.45 MPa.m1/2, with 95 % β-Si3N4 phase. Then, it were submited to machining of gray cast iron using: 1 a step - Vc=180, 240, 300 and 360 m/min, f = 0.12mm/rot and ap = 1.00 mm; and 2 a step — Vc = 300m/min, f = 0.23, 0.33 and 0.40 mm/rot and ap = 1.00 mm. For 7500 m cutting length, results showed excellent performace.