Policies for control and prevention of infections related to healthcare assistance in Brazil: a conceptual analysis

Abstract This article is a theoretical-reflexive study that aims to discuss the development and changes in the quality of healthcare assistance to the patient over the years in Brazil, in light of the policies of control and prevention of Healthcare-associated Infection (HAI). Aspects of HAI and the process of change in health policy in Brazil, as well as the quality of assistance associated with its control, are approached in relation to policies of patient safety. There are various new theoretical and practical proposals created in Brazil. In spite of the difficulty of measuring patient safety, directed to the prevention and control of HAI, we emphasize that to only create policies and establish norms, guidelines, and indicators is not sufficient. If no structural support or conditions exist for interventions in the practices of healthcare professionals, aiming at results in acceptable levels, the control of HAI will not be achieved

Ecological implications of a flower size/number trade-off in tropical forest trees

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exercise inhibits the effects of smoke-induced COPD involving modulation of STAT3

Purpose . Evaluate the participation of STAT3 in the e ff ects of aerobic exercise (AE) in a model of smoke-induced COPD. Methods . C57Bl/6 male mice were divided into control, Exe, COPD, and COPD+Exe groups. Smoke were administered during 90 days. Treadmill aerobic training begun on day 61 until day 90. Pulmonary in fl ammation, systemic in fl ammation, the level of lung emphysema, and the airway remodeling were evaluated. Analysis of integral and phosphorylated expression of STAT3 by airway epithelial cells, peribronchial leukocytes, and parenchymal leukocytes was performed. Results . AE inhibited smoke-induced accumulation of total cells ( p <0 001 ), lymphocytes ( p <0 001 ), and neutrophils ( p <0 001 ) in BAL, as well as BAL levels of IL- 1 β ( p <0 001 ), CXCL1 ( p <0 001 ), IL-17 ( p <0 001 ), and TNF- α ( p <0 05 ), while increased the levels of IL-10 ( p <0 001 ). AE also inhibited smoke-induced increases in total leukocytes ( p <0 001 ), neutrophils ( p <0 05 ), lymphocytes ( p <0 001 ), and monocytes ( p <0 01 ) in blood, as well as serum levels of IL-1 β ( p <0 01 ), CXCL1 ( p <0 01 ), IL-17 ( p <0 05 ), and TNF- α ( p <0 01 ), while increased the levels of IL-10 ( p <0 001 ). AE reduced smoke-induced emphysema ( p <0 001 ) and collagen fi ber accumulation in the airways ( p <0 001 ). AE reduced smoke-induced STAT3 and phospho-STAT3 expression in airway epithelial cells ( p <0 001 ), peribronchial leukocytes ( p <0 001 ), and parenchymal leukocytes ( p <0 001 ). Conclusions .AE reduces smoke-induced COPD phenotype involving STAT3

The GenoChip: A New Tool for Genetic Anthropology

The Genographic Project is an international effort aimed at charting human migratory history. The project is nonprofit and nonmedical, and, through its Legacy Fund, supports locally led efforts to preserve indigenous and traditional cultures. Although the first phase of the project was focused on uniparentally inherited markers on the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the current phase focuses on markers from across the entire genome to obtain a more complete understanding of human genetic variation. Although many commercial arrays exist for genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, they were designed for medical genetic studies and contain medically related markers that are inappropriate for global population genetic studies. GenoChip, the Genographic Project’s new genotyping array, was designed to resolve these issues and enable higher resolution research into outstanding questions in genetic anthropology. TheGenoChip includes ancestry informativemarkers obtained for over 450 human populations, an ancient human (Saqqaq), and two archaic hominins (Neanderthal and Denisovan) and was designed to identify all knownY-chromosome andmtDNAhaplogroups. The chip was carefully vetted to avoid inclusion ofmedically relevant markers. To demonstrate its capabilities, we compared the FST distributions of GenoChip SNPs to those of two commercial arrays. Although all arrays yielded similarly shaped (inverse J) FST distributions, the GenoChip autosomal and X-chromosomal distributions had the highestmean FST, attesting to its ability to discern subpopulations. The chip performances are illustrated in a principal component analysis for 14 worldwide populations. In summary, the GenoChip is a dedicated genotyping platform for genetic anthropology. With an unprecedented number of approximately 12,000 Y-chromosomal and approximately 3,300 mtDNA SNPs and over 130,000 autosomal and X-chromosomal SNPswithout any known health,medical, or phenotypic relevance, the GenoChip is a useful tool for genetic anthropology and population genetics