Material Didático para Ensino de Biologia: Possibilidades de Inclusão

Esta pesquisa buscou entender as especificidades de aprendizagem de alunos com deficiência visual (com cegueira e baixa visão) no que concerne ao ensino de biologia. Sabe-se que por lei, o alunado com necessidades educacionais especiais tem direito a se matricular no ensino regular, entretanto, ao fazer isso, pode encontrar obstáculos de diversas ordens, sendo que uma delas é a falta de materiais adaptados. Este estudo teve por objetivo a elaboração de materiais inclusivos para o ensino de biologia, especificadamente modelo de tradução, célula eucariótica e núcleo celular, com características que respeitam as necessidades de alunos com deficiência visual. A avaliação do material foi realizada por nove professores do ensino superior da área de biologia, três professores universitários de educação especial/inclusiva, dois professores de educação especial na área de deficiência visual, dois alunos com deficiência visual, duas professoras com deficiência visual e dezessete alunos sem qualquer NEE. Os modelos foram considerados adaptados na avaliação de todos os participantes, podendo-se verificar que o mesmo apresenta características que podem auxiliar na disciplina de biologia

Fatores associados a desfechos desfavoráveis após trauma craniano leve pediátrico em um centro de referência da região norte de Minas Gerais

Study Design: Prospective cohort. Objective: To describe clinical and demographic characteristics of a sample of children with HI referred for acute care in a referral center of the north region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and assess clinical and radiological markers associated with unfavorable outcomes. Methodology: All children between the ages 0 to 14 years referred with head injury from February to September 2011 were included in this study. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected at the moment of the initial assessment under informed consent. The patients were also reassessed via telephone calls after 7 and 91 days. Results: A total of 77 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 3.9 years with a standard deviation of 3.76 years. Falls and bicycle collisions were the main mechanisms of trauma. The most relevant clinical marker associated with unfavorable outcomes at 7 days was the parental perception of unusual behavior (Odds Ratio = 11.33; 95% confidence interval: 1.38-93.13; p = 0.02). Computer tomography scan abnormalities were associated with both unfavorable outcomes at 7 days (p=0.03) and at 91 days (p=0.02). Conclusions: The peculiar aspects of head injuries in a Brazilian population were described in this study. It was also found that unusual behavior and abnormalities on CT scan are factors that predict unfavorable outcomes in children with mild HI in this population.Modelo do Estudo: Coorte prospectivo. Objetivo do Estudo: Descrever características clínicas e demográficas de uma amostra de crianças encaminhadas por traumatismo craniano em um centro de referência na região norte de Minas Gerais e avaliar marcadores clínicos e radiológicos associados a desfechos desfavoráveis. Metodologia: Foram incluídas neste estudo todas as crianças entre 0 e 14 anos atendidas com traumatismo craniano de fevereiro a setembro de 2011. Dados sócio demográficos e clínicos foram coletados no momento da avaliação inicial sob consentimento informado. Os pacientes também foram reavaliados por telefone após 7 e 91 dias. Resultados: Um total de 77 pacientes foi incluído neste estudo. A idade média foi de 3,9 anos, com desvio padrão de 3,76 anos. Quedas e colisões de bicicleta foram os principais mecanismos de trauma. O marcador clínico mais relevante associado a desfechos desfavoráveis com 7 dias foi a percepção pelos pais de comportamento anormal (Odds Ratio = 11,3; intervalo de confiança de 95%: 1,38-93,13; p = 0,02). Alterações na Tomografia Computadorizada foram associadas tanto a desfechos desfavoráveis após 7 dias (p=0,03) como após 91 dias (p=0,02). Conclusões: Os aspectos peculiares do traumatismo craniano em uma população brasileira são descritos neste estudo. Encontrou-se, ainda, que um comportamento anormal e alterações na TC são fatores que predizem desfechos desfavoráveis em crianças com traumatismo craniano leve nessa população

Doença arterial obstrutiva periférica: aspectos epidemiológicos, fisiopatológicos e manejo terapêutico

A doença arterial obstrutiva periférica (DAOP) é uma condição comum em pessoas mais velhas, caracterizada pelo estreitamento ou obstrução das artérias que levam o sangue para as pernas e pés. A fisiopatologia da DAOP envolve o estreitamento das artérias periféricas devido ao acúmulo de placas de gordura e colesterol, levando a uma diminuição do fluxo sanguíneo para os membros inferiores, sendo comum em idosos e em pessoas com fatores de risco cardiovasculares. Quanto à epidemiologia, a DAOP é mais comum em países desenvolvidos (7,1% da população) e está mais relacionada com as populações de baixa/média renda (72,9%). A prevalência da doença aumenta conforme a presença de fatores de risco, como tabagismo, diabetes, idade avançada, raça/etnia negra, e presença de biomarcadores como proteína C-reativa (PCR), dímero D, β2-microglobulina e troponina T cardíaca. O diagnóstico da DAOP envolve história clínica, exame físico, avaliação dos sintomas e exames complementares, como ultrassonografia Doppler, angiografia e tomografia computadorizada (TC), que podem ser utilizados para confirmar o diagnóstico e determinar a gravidade da obstrução arterial. A classificação é baseada no estágio da doença e nos sintomas apresentados pelo paciente. Já a abordagem terapêutica tem como objetivo aliviar os sintomas, melhorar a qualidade de vida e prevenir complicações graves, como amputação dos membros afetados e inclui mudanças no estilo de vida, como cessação do tabagismo e exercícios físicos, e o uso de medicamentos para controlar os fatores de risco cardiovascular. Ainda, em casos graves, medicamentos para controlar os fatores de risco cardiovasculares podem ser necessários

Racial differences in systemic sclerosis disease presentation: a European Scleroderma Trials and Research group study

Objectives. Racial factors play a significant role in SSc. We evaluated differences in SSc presentations between white patients (WP), Asian patients (AP) and black patients (BP) and analysed the effects of geographical locations.Methods. SSc characteristics of patients from the EUSTAR cohort were cross-sectionally compared across racial groups using survival and multiple logistic regression analyses.Results. The study included 9162 WP, 341 AP and 181 BP. AP developed the first non-RP feature faster than WP but slower than BP. AP were less frequently anti-centromere (ACA; odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, P < 0.001) and more frequently anti-topoisomerase-I autoantibodies (ATA) positive (OR = 1.2, P = 0.068), while BP were less likely to be ACA and ATA positive than were WP [OR(ACA) = 0.3, P < 0.001; OR(ATA) = 0.5, P = 0.020]. AP had less often (OR = 0.7, P = 0.06) and BP more often (OR = 2.7, P < 0.001) diffuse skin involvement than had WP.AP and BP were more likely to have pulmonary hypertension [OR(AP) = 2.6, P < 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.7, P = 0.03 vs WP] and a reduced forced vital capacity [OR(AP) = 2.5, P < 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.4, P < 0.004] than were WP. AP more often had an impaired diffusing capacity of the lung than had BP and WP [OR(AP vs BP) = 1.9, P = 0.038; OR(AP vs WP) = 2.4, P < 0.001]. After RP onset, AP and BP had a higher hazard to die than had WP [hazard ratio (HR) (AP) = 1.6, P = 0.011; HR(BP) = 2.1, P < 0.001].Conclusion. Compared with WP, and mostly independent of geographical location, AP have a faster and earlier disease onset with high prevalences of ATA, pulmonary hypertension and forced vital capacity impairment and higher mortality. BP had the fastest disease onset, a high prevalence of diffuse skin involvement and nominally the highest mortality

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Neotropical freshwater fisheries : A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications

Health-status outcomes with invasive or conservative care in coronary disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA trial, an invasive strategy with angiographic assessment and revascularization did not reduce clinical events among patients with stable ischemic heart disease and moderate or severe ischemia. A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status among these patients. METHODS We assessed angina-related symptoms, function, and quality of life with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) at randomization, at months 1.5, 3, and 6, and every 6 months thereafter in participants who had been randomly assigned to an invasive treatment strategy (2295 participants) or a conservative strategy (2322). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate differences between the treatment groups. The primary outcome of this health-status analysis was the SAQ summary score (scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status). All analyses were performed in the overall population and according to baseline angina frequency. RESULTS At baseline, 35% of patients reported having no angina in the previous month. SAQ summary scores increased in both treatment groups, with increases at 3, 12, and 36 months that were 4.1 points (95% credible interval, 3.2 to 5.0), 4.2 points (95% credible interval, 3.3 to 5.1), and 2.9 points (95% credible interval, 2.2 to 3.7) higher with the invasive strategy than with the conservative strategy. Differences were larger among participants who had more frequent angina at baseline (8.5 vs. 0.1 points at 3 months and 5.3 vs. 1.2 points at 36 months among participants with daily or weekly angina as compared with no angina). CONCLUSIONS In the overall trial population with moderate or severe ischemia, which included 35% of participants without angina at baseline, patients randomly assigned to the invasive strategy had greater improvement in angina-related health status than those assigned to the conservative strategy. The modest mean differences favoring the invasive strategy in the overall group reflected minimal differences among asymptomatic patients and larger differences among patients who had had angina at baseline