Contaminated soils and sediments associated with Zn ore metallurgy near the São Francisco River, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Draining through industrial areas of the Minas Gerais mining state (Brazil), some tributaries of the São Francisco River constitute a potential environmental hazard for this great river and threaten the quality of the regional soils for agriculture and other activities. Extensive geochemistry and mineralogy of sediments, soils and alluvial plains from six selected areas within the Consciência drainage basin close to an important Zn-extraction plant, have been carried out. In this report, detailed mineralogy of those samples and supporting geochemical data are discussed, taking into account their specific climactic and environmental context. Petrographic and electron microprobe characterization of the sand-grained fraction of these materials was complemented by XRD on their finer fraction: the main contaminant minerals are willemite (one of the Zn ores used in the industrial plant) and jarosite, though their contents are quite variable in the studied areas and also with depth; minor amounts of Zn-, Pb-, Cd-, and Mn-bearing mineral phases are also frequent, usually as inclusions in willemite or in polycrystalline clasts, or adsorbed on the finer materials, such as clay minerals and associated Fe-hydroxides. Mineralogical contamination is responsible for high metal contents in the soils and sediments of the areas closer to the plant (e.g. Zn ≫ 2000 mg kg−1 and Cd ≫ 20 mg kg−1, which are the Intervention Values for Industrial Areas) and the greatest contamination risks are related to the more labile phases that circulate throughout the alluvial plains, the shallow sediments and the stream bed. Monitoring the mineral/chemical contamination and its extent also constitutes a useful basis for future proposals to remediate and recover this industrial area in order to decrease medium- and long-term negative impacts of metal contamination on the local and downstream environments

Development of thermo-and pH-sensitive liposomal magnetic carriers for new potential antitumor thienopyridine derivatives

The development of stimuli-sensitive drug delivery systems is a very attractive area of current research in cancer therapy. The deep knowledge on the microenvironment of tumors has supported the progress of nanosystems’ ability for controlled and local fusion as well as drug release. Temperature and pH are two of the most promising triggers in the development of sensitive formulations to improve the efficacy of anticancer agents. Herein, magnetic liposomes with fusogenic sensitivity to pH and temperature were developed aiming at dual cancer therapy (by chemotherapy and magnetic hyperthermia). Magnetic nanoparticles of mixed calcium/manganese ferrite were synthesized by co-precipitation with citrate and by sol–gel method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy in transmission mode (STEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The citrate-stabilized nanoparticles showed a small-sized population (around 8 nm, determined by XRD) and suitable magnetic properties, with a low coercivity and high saturation magnetization (~54 emu/g). The nanoparticles were incorporated into liposomes of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesteryl hemisuccinate (DPPC:CHEMS) and of the same components with a PEGylated lipid (DPPC:CHEMS:DSPE-PEG), resulting in magnetoliposomes with sizes around 100 nm. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) measurements were performed to investigate the pH-sensitivity of the magnetoliposomes’ fusogenic ability. Two new antitumor thienopyridine derivatives were efficiently encapsulated in the magnetic liposomes and the drug delivery capability of the loaded nanosystems was evaluated, under different pH and temperature conditions.This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding of CF-UM-UP (UIDB/04650/2020) and through the research project PTDC/QUI-QFI/28020/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028020), financed by the European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), COMPETE2020, and Portugal 2020. J.M.R. acknowledges FCT, ESF (European Social Fund—North Portugal Regional Operational Program) and HCOP (Human Capital Operational Program) for a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/115844/2016)

TECNOLOGÍAS DEL CUIDADO UTILIZADAS POR LA ENFERMERÍA EN LA ASISTENCIA AL PACIENTE POLITRAUMATIZADO: REVISIÓN INTEGRATIVA

The aim of this study was to identify healthcare technologies used by nurses in the care for polytraumatized patients. This is an integrative review, with articles found in three databases in the period from May to July 2014. Nineteen articles from the period between 2009 and 2014 were selected and distributed among the three categories of healthcare technology: soft, soft-hard and hard. It was found that nursing workers adopted the three types of healthcare technology when caring for polytraumatized patients, emphasizing the soft-hard category. Soft technologies included health support and education of patient and family members/caregivers and training of the nursing team; soft-hard technologies: care management, admission of patients under risk, assessment and treatment of pain, nursing process and development of protocols; and hard technologies: information systems. Care improvements caused by healthcare technologies were found, since they reach all aspects of care.El objetivo del estudio fue identificar las tecnologías del cuidado utilizadas por el enfermero en la asistencia al paciente politraumatizado. Revisión integrativa, cuya búsqueda de artículos ocurrió en tres bases de datos, en el periodo de mayo a julio de 2014. Fueron seleccionados 19 artículos, comprendidos en el periodo de 2009 a 2014, distribuidos en las tres categorías tecnológicas de cuidado: leves, leve-duras y duras. Se verificó que los profesionales de enfermería utilizan los tres tipos de tecnologías del cuidado en la asistencia al paciente politraumatizado, con énfasis a las leve-duras. Entre las tecnologías leves: apoyo y educación en salud del paciente y familiares/cuidadores y la capacitación del equipo de enfermería; tecnologías leve-duras: gerencia del cuidado, acojimiento del paciente con clasificación de riesgo, evaluación y tratamiento del dolor, proceso de enfermería y elaboración de protocolos; y tecnologías duras: sistemas de información. Se percibió la mejoría asistencial proporcionada por las tecnologías del cuidado, a causa de que estas abarcan todos los aspectos del cuidar.Objetivou-se identificar as tecnologias do cuidado utilizadas pelo enfermeiro na assistência ao paciente politraumatizado. Revisão integrativa, com busca de artigos em três bases de dados, no período de maio a julho de 2014. Foram selecionados 19 artigos, compreendidos no período de 2009 a 2014, distribuídos nas três categorias tecnológicas do cuidado: leves, leve-duras e duras. Verificou-se que os profissionais de enfermagem utilizam os três tipos de tecnologias do cuidado na assistência ao paciente politraumatizado, com ênfase às leve-duras. Entre as tecnologias leves: apoio e educação em saúde do paciente e familiares/cuidadores e a capacitação da equipe de enfermagem; tecnologias leve-duras: gerência do cuidado, acolhimento do paciente com classificação de risco, avaliação e tratamento da dor, processo de enfermagem e elaboração de protocolos; e tecnologias duras: sistemas de informação. Percebeu-se a melhoria assistencial proporcionada pelas tecnologias do cuidado, por estas abrangerem todos os aspectos do cuidar

Gut Microbiota Diversity and C-Reactive Protein Are Predictors of Disease Severity in COVID-19 Patients

Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the NOVA Medical School of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, CINTESIS, and CHRC. Funding. This study was sponsored by the Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (FCT, project no. 268_596883842), BIOCODEX, and CINTESIS (reference UIDB/4255/2020). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or manuscript writing. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Moreira-Rosário, Marques, Pinheiro, Araújo, Ribeiro, Rocha, Mota, Pestana, Ribeiro, Pereira, de Sousa, Pereira-Leal, de Sousa, Morais, Teixeira, Rocha, Silvestre, Príncipe, Gatta, Amado, Santos, Maltez, Boquinhas, de Sousa, Germano, Sarmento, Granja, Póvoa, Faria and Calhau.The risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity are still poorly understood. Considering the pivotal role of the gut microbiota on host immune and inflammatory functions, we investigated the association between changes in the gut microbiota composition and the clinical severity of COVID-19. We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study prospectively enrolling 115 COVID-19 patients categorized according to: (1) the WHO Clinical Progression Scale—mild, 19 (16.5%); moderate, 37 (32.2%); or severe, 59 (51.3%), and (2) the location of recovery from COVID-19—ambulatory, 14 (household isolation, 12.2%); hospitalized in ward, 40 (34.8%); or hospitalized in the intensive care unit, 61 (53.0%). Gut microbiota analysis was performed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the data obtained were further related to the clinical parameters of COVID-19 patients. The risk factors for COVID-19 severity were identified by univariate and multivariable logistic regression models. In comparison to mild COVID-19 patients, the gut microbiota of moderate and severe patients have: (a) lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio; (b) higher abundance of Proteobacteria; and (c) lower abundance of beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria such as the genera Roseburia and Lachnospira. Multivariable regression analysis showed that the Shannon diversity index [odds ratio (OR) = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.09–7.41, p = 0.032) and C-reactive protein (OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.33–8.91, p = 0.011) are risk factors for severe COVID-19 (a score of 6 or higher in the WHO Clinical Progression Scale). In conclusion, our results demonstrated that hospitalized patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 have microbial signatures of gut dysbiosis; for the first time, the gut microbiota diversity is pointed out as a prognostic biomarker of COVID-19 severity.publishersversionpublishe

uma análise transversal

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © Ordem dos Médicos 2022.Introduction: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has gained relevance as a method of prevention for HIV in certain people and settings. Following the publication of the guideline on PrEP prescribing in Portugal, we aimed to assess the knowledge of Portuguese Medical Students about PrEP. Material and Methods: An online survey was sent to Medical students of Portuguese Medical Schools. We conducted a descriptive analysis of the results and an analytic cross-sectional study to identify factors associated with “knowing about PrEP”, “having had one class about PrEP” and “identifying eligible groups correctly”. Results: Of the 796 students that responded to the survey, 64.6% were aware of what PrEP is. Of these, 34.44% acquired this knowledge during their training. Out of the total amount of respondents, 4.77% could identify correctly and completely the eligible groups for PrEP. As the training years went by, the probability of being aware of PrEP, having had one class about PrEP, and identifying the eligible groups correctly, increased. Of the sixth-year students, 43.48% had had one class about PrEP and among the students that were aware of PrEP, 28% identified what the eligible groups were. After adjusting for the school year, we found differences between Medical Schools regarding the outcomes. The association between the different ways of knowing about PrEP and the ability to correctly identify eligible groups for PrEP was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The differences between Medical Schools could be harmonized through changes in the medical curricula that would allow for this topic to be addressed more often.publishersversionpublishe

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

A relação entre a Síndrome dos Ovários Policísticos e o sobrepeso: uma revisão da literatura / The relation between the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and overweight: a literature review

INTRODUÇÃO: A Síndrome dos Ovários Policísticos (SOP) é um distúrbio endócrino que afeta pacientes do sexo feminino, principalmente durante a idade reprodutiva, e é considerada a causa mais comum de infertilidade anovulatória entre as mulheres. Além disso, está relacionada a um risco aumentado de complicações gestacionais. A obesidade é considerada uma condição que aumenta as chances para o desenvolvimento da síndrome, uma vez que entre as pacientes acometidas, cerca de 50% apresentam sobrepeso ou obesidade, e 50 a 90% possuem resistência à insulina. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste artigo foi fazer uma revisão sistemática atualizada da relação existente entre SOP e obesidade, assim como possíveis tratamentos, formas de prevenção e identificação diagnóstica precoce. METODOLOGIA: Foi realizada revisão de literatura entre agosto de 2020 e fevereiro de 2021 de estudos publicados originalmente em inglês, dos últimos 10 anos, em humanos, tendo como referência a base de dados National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE). A busca pelos descritores e termos utilizados foi efetuada mediante consulta ao Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), através do portal da U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) e os descritores utilizados foram: “Body Weight”; “Obesity, Overweight”; “Abdominal Obesity”; “Metabolically Benign Obesity”; “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome”; “Stein-Leventhal Syndrome”. Foram incluídos somente os estudos que consideravam a SOP relacionada com distúrbios metabólicos e corroborados com aumentos dos níveis de andrógenos, bem como a proposta de tratamento voltada à perda de peso, para melhora dos parâmetros clínico-laboratoriais. A escala PRISMA foi utilizada no intuito de melhorar o relato desta revisão. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: Nesse artigo será explorado a perspectiva da obesidade e sua relação com a SOP. Será demonstrada a efetividade que o emagrecimento em mulheres obesas ou acima do peso tem sobre o prognóstico da SOP, de modo que, mesmo perdas de peso pequenas, entre 5-10%, já determinam melhorias clinicamente significativas dos sintomas manifestados. Além da relação entre a diminuição da gordura abdominal e do IMC e a diminuição do hirsutismo, da resistência à insulina (RI) e da quantidade dos andrógenos circulantes. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS: O emagrecimento e as mudanças de estilo de vida direcionadas para a perda de peso se fazem fundamentais como parte do tratamento da SOP, sendo consideradas essenciais no tratamento de primeira linha. A associação com o tratamento farmacológico pode ser necessária e, nos casos mais graves, a cirurgia bariátrica pode ser uma aliada no manejo da condição

Identification of clusters of asthma control: A preliminary analysis of the inspirers studies

This work was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI- -01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases - generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies”) co-funded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).© 2020, Sociedade Portuguesa de Alergologia e Imunologia Clinica. All rights reserved. Aims: To identify distinct asthma control clusters based on Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) and to compare patients’ characteristics among these clusters. Methods: Adults and adolescents (≥13 years) with persistent asthma were recruited at 29 Portuguese hospital outpatient clinics, in the context of two observational studies of the INSPIRERS project. Demographic and clinical characteristics, adherence to inhaled medication, beliefs about inhaled medication, anxiety and depression, quality of life, and asthma control (CARAT, >24 good control) were collected. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using CARAT total score (CARAT-T). Results: 410 patients (68% adults), with a median (percentile 25–percentile 75) age of 28 (16-46) years, were analysed. Three clusters were identified [mean CARAT-T (min-max)]: cluster 1 [27(24-30)], cluster 2 [19(14-23)] and cluster 3 [10(2-13)]. Patients in cluster 1 (34%) were characterised by better asthma control, better quality of life, higher inhaler adherence and use of a single inhaler. Patients in clusters 2 (50%) and 3 (16%) had uncontrolled asthma, lower inhaler adherence, more symptoms of anxiety and depression and more than half had at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Further-more, patients in cluster 3 were predominantly female, had more unscheduled medical visits and more anxiety symp-toms, perceived a higher necessity of their prescribed inhalers but also higher levels of concern about taking these inhalers. There were no differences in age, body mass index, lung function, smoking status, hospital admissions or specialist physician follow-up time among the three clusters. Conclusion: An unsupervised method based on CARAT--T, identified 3 clusters of patients with distinct, clinically meaningful characteristics. The cluster with better asthma control had a cut-off similar to the established in the validation study of CARAT and an additional cut-off seems to distinguish more severe disease. Further research is necessary to validate the asthma control clusters identified.publishersversionpublishe

Time trends and social inequalities in infant and young child feeding practices: national estimates from Brazil’s Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, 2008–2019

Abstract Objective: To describe the time trends and socio-economic inequalities in infant and young child feeding practices in accordance with the Brazilian deprivation index (BDI). Design: This time-series study analysed the prevalence of multiple breast-feeding and complementary feeding indicators based on data from the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, 2008–2019. Prais–Winsten regression models were used to analyse time trends. Annual percent change (APC) and 95 % CI were calculated. Setting: Primary health care services, Brazil. Participants: Totally, 911 735 Brazilian children under 2 years old. Results: Breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices differed between the extreme BDI quintiles. Overall, the results were more favourable in the municipalities with less deprivation (Q1). Improvements in some complementary feeding indicators were observed over time and evidenced such disparities: minimum dietary diversity (Q1: Δ 47·8–52·2 %, APC + 1·44, P = 0·006), minimum acceptable diet (Q1: Δ 34·5–40·5 %, APC + 5·17, P = 0·004) and consumption of meat and/or eggs (Q1: Δ 59·7–80·3 %, APC + 6·26, P < 0·001; and Q5: Δ 65·7–70·7 %, APC + 2·20, P = 0·041). Stable trends in exclusive breast-feeding and decreasing trends in the consumption of sweetened drinks and ultra-processed foods were also observed regardless the level of the deprivation. Conclusions: Improvements in some complementary food indicators were observed over time. However, the improvements were not equally distributed among the BDI quintiles, with children from the municipalities with less deprivation benefiting the most