Acid Mine Drainage Precipitates at the Nanometric Scale – Properties and Environmental Role

The mineral-water interactions responsible for mobilization of dissolved toxic elements in mine drainage often generate colloids that commonly occur at the nanometric scale. This study presents typical properties of these materials, mostly composed by iron-rich products. The samples were obtained in a variety of contexts, representing mine waters as well as natural acid rock drainage. It concludes by noting the potential influence of the waste and/or the host rocks on the hydrogeochemistry of the systems. Further, the water properties could control the morphology and mineralogy of this very fine material, and consequently its environmental role

EVIDENCIA ADICIONAL DE VALIDEZ DE LA ESCALA DE ANSIEDAD POR CORONAVIRUS (CAS) EN UNA MUESTRA DE MUJERES BRASILEÑAS

Em 2020, a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) declarou a pandemia da COVID-19 e trabalhadores ajustaram as atividades laborais para a forma remota. O excesso de informações sobre a COVID-19 e a intensa exposição a situações de sofrimentos podem provocar o aumento da ansiedade. Diante disso, urge identificar grupos de alto risco de impactos psicológicos, tais como as mulheres, a fim de direcionar tratamentos. Logo, objetivou-se buscar evidências adicionais de validade da escala, consistência interna e correlação com outras variáveis, da Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS-BR) em mulheres brasileiras. As correlações foram verificadas entre a ansiedade frente à COVID-19 e o estresse percebido, mesurado pela Escala de Estresse Percebido, e a resiliência, avaliada pela Escala Breve de Coping Resiliente. Participaram deste estudo 203 mulheres brasileiras com idades entre 23 e 59 anos, majoritariamente da região sudeste (61,1% de Minas Gerais, 17,7% do Rio de Janeiro). Realizou-se a análise fatorial confirmatória, através da modelagem de equações estruturais, utilizando-se o software MPLUS. A escala apresentou bons índices de ajustes (x² =12,909 (5); CFI =0,997 TLI = 0.994; RMSEA = 0,088). As cargas fatoriais foram excelentes e variaram de 0,84 a 0,91, enquanto a consistência interna do instrumento avaliada pelo Alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,91. Conclui-se que a escala tem propriedades psicométricas adequadas e sugere-se o seu uso para avaliar os níveis de ansiedade frente ao coronavírus de mulheres no território brasileiro.In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic and workers adjusted their work activities to the remote form. Excessive information about COVID-19 and intense exposure to situations of suffering can lead to increased anxiety. Therefore, it is urgent to identify groups at high risk of psychological impacts, such as women, in order to target treatments. Therefore, the objective was to seek additional evidence of scale validity, internal consistency and correlation with other variables of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS-BR) in the Brazilian mothers. Correlations were verified between anxiety regarding COVID-19 and perceived stress, measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, and resilience, assessed by the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. 203 Brazilian women aged between 23 and 59 years, mostly from the Southeast region (61.1% from Minas Gerais, 17.7% from Rio de Janeiro) participated in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out through structural equation modeling, using the MPLUS software. The scale showed good fit indices (x² =12.909 (5); CFI =0.997 TLI = 0.994; RMSEA = 0.088). The factor loading were excellent and ranged from 0.84 to 0.91, while the instrument's internal consistency assessed by Cronbach's alpha was 0.91. It is concluded that the scale has adequate psychometric properties, and its use is suggested to assess the levels of anxiety regarding the coronavirus of women in Brazilian territory.En 2020, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) declaró la pandemia de COVID-19 y los trabajadores ajustaron sus actividades laborales a la forma remota. La información excesiva sobre COVID-19 y la exposición intensa a situaciones de sufrimiento pueden provocar un aumento de la ansiedad. Por lo tanto, es urgente identificar a los grupos con alto riesgo de impactos psicológicos, como las mujeres, para orientar los tratamientos. Por lo tanto, el objetivo fue buscar evidencia adicional de validez de escala, consistencia interna y correlación con otras variables de la Escala de Ansiedad por Coronavirus (CAS-BR) en madres brasileñas. Se verificaron correlaciones entre la ansiedad respecto al COVID-19 y el estrés percibido, medido por la Escala de Estrés Percibido, y la resiliencia, evaluada por la Escala Breve de Afrontamiento Resiliente. Participaron en este estudio un total de 203 mujeres brasileñas de entre 23 y 59 años, en su mayoría de la región Sudeste (61,1% de Minas Gerais, 17,7% de Rio de Janeiro). El análisis factorial confirmatorio se realizó mediante el modelado de ecuaciones estructurales, utilizando el software MPLUS. La escala mostró índices de buen ajuste (x² = 12,909 (5); CFI = 0,997 TLI = 0,994; RMSEA = 0,088). Las cargas factoriales fueron excelentes y variaron de 0,84 a 0,91, mientras que la consistencia interna del instrumento evaluada por el alfa de Cronbach fue de 0,91. Se concluye que la escala tiene propiedades psicométricas adecuadas y se sugiere su uso para evaluar los niveles de ansiedad ante el coronavirus de mujeres en territorio brasileño

Insights on Host–Parasite Immunomodulation Mediated by Extracellular Vesicles of Cutaneous Leishmania shawi and Leishmania guyanensis

Funding Information: This study was supported by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., through research grant PTDC/CVT-CVT/28908/2017 and PTDC/CVT-CVT/0228/2020 and by national funds within the scope of Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA, UIDB/00276/2020) and Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM, UID/04413/2020). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by different species of Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of sand flies vector. Macrophages (MΦ), the target cells of Leishmania parasites, are phagocytes that play a crucial role in the innate immune microbial defense and are antigen-presenting cells driving the activation of the acquired immune response. Exploring parasite–host communication may be key in restraining parasite dissemination in the host. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) constitute a group of heterogenous cell-derived membranous structures, naturally produced by all cells and with immunomodulatory potential over target cells. This study examined the immunogenic potential of EVs shed by L. shawi and L. guyanensis in MΦ activation by analyzing the dynamics of major histocompatibility complex (MHC), innate immune receptors, and cytokine generation. L. shawi and L. guyanensis EVs were incorporated by MΦ and modulated innate immune receptors, indicating that EVs cargo can be recognized by MΦ sensors. Moreover, EVs induced MΦ to generate a mix of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and favored the expression of MHCI molecules, suggesting that EVs antigens can be present to T cells, activating the acquired immune response of the host. Since nano-sized vesicles can be used as vehicles of immune mediators or immunomodulatory drugs, parasitic EVs can be exploited by bioengineering approaches for the development of efficient prophylactic or therapeutic tools for leishmaniasis.publishersversionpublishe

Python e predição de dados usando redes neurais multicamadas/Python and data prediction using multi-layered neural networks

 Este artigo descreve uma abordagem de predição usando redes neurais multicamadas (MLP) que são grafos em redes de neurônios artificiais, onde recebem entradas para gerar as saídas baseadas nas deferências anteriores, processo conhecido como aprendizado ou treinamento, sugerindo que a Inteligência Artificial seja aperfeiçoada nestes processos, até que se torne perfeita, inerrável, para aquele mesmo ambiente. Para simulação foi utilizada a tabela verdade da porta lógica XOR (Ou Exclusiva) para 3 entradas e suas respectivas prediçõe

COVID-19: ANÁLISE DE CASOS CONFIRMADOS EM TERESINA, PIAUI, BRASIL

Introduction: Coronavirus are microorganisms responsible for causing respiratory infections that can vary from asymptomatic to severe. The spread of the virus around the world has led to a pandemic position, which has claimed numerous victims. Given the magnitude of the problem, the study aims to analyze the epidemiological profile of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Teresina-PI. Design: Descriptive and epidemiological study. The study population consisted of 315 confirmed cases of Covid-19, in individuals residing in the city of Teresina-PI, between March and April 2020. The variables evaluated were: age group, sex, deaths confirmed by Covid- 19 and confirmed cases of Covid-19 by area of ​​the city. Results: There was a predominance of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in young, female individuals living in an urban area of ​​Teresina. Most deaths occurred in the elderly, being more prevalent in males. Implications: The epidemiological monitoring of cases strengthens the need to implement preventive measures, such as social containment. In addition, the expansion of testing in the population is important in order to identify asymptomatic cases and, consequently, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, considering that these cases favor the transmission chain.Introdução: Os coronavírus são microrganismos responsáveis por causar infecções respiratória que podem variar de quadros assintomáticos a graves. A disseminação do vírus pelo o mundo conduziu para uma posição de pandemia, a qual tem somado inúmeras vítimas. Mediante a magnitude da problemática, o estudo tem como objetivo analisar o perfil epidemiológico dos casos confirmados de COVID-19 em Teresina-PI. Delineamento: Estudo descritivo e epidemiológico. A população do estudo foi composta por 315 casos confirmados de Covid-19, em indivíduos residentes na cidade de Teresina-PI, no período entre de março e abril de 2020. As variáveis avaliadas foram: faixa etária, sexo, óbitos confirmados por Covid-19 e casos confirmados de Covid-19 por área da cidade. Resultados: Observou-se a predominância de casos confirmados de Covid-19 em indivíduos jovens, do sexo feminino e que residem em área urbana de Teresina. A maioria dos óbitos ocorreu em idosos, sendo mais predominantes em indivíduos do sexo masculino. Implicações: O monitoramento epidemiológico dos casos fortalece a necessidade da implementação de medidas preventivas, como a contenção social. Somado a isso, a ampliação da testagem na população é importante, a fim de identificar casos assintomáticos e, consequentemente, evitar a disseminação do coronavírus, tendo em vista que esses casos favorecem a cadeia de transmissão

Fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de pseudoartrose: uma revisão integrativa

Introduction: Pseudarthrosis is a complication that occurs in the process of consolidation of the fractured bone, being caused, above all, by mechanical instability, deficient vascularization and inadequate or late treatment. Therefore, the objective of this study was to discuss the risk factors that permeate this clinical scenario, in order to aim for an improvement in patient’s quality of life and prevent such situation. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review. The Health Sciences Descriptors platform (DeCS/MeSH) was used, using the descriptors “pseudoarthrosis” and “risk factors” in both Portuguese and English. Therefore, a search was carried out in the databases: Pubmed, Lilacs and Scielo. A total of 363 articles were obtained. The inclusion criteria are articles from the last 5 years that answer the research question and are in Portuguese, English or Spanish, with 14 articles being included to build this research. Results: An increase in cases of pseudarthrosis was observed when related to infections, and social determinants were relevant in the complications of cases. Comorbidities proved to be possible post-surgical complications and there was a relationship between spinal deformity in adults, pseudarthrosis and nail fracture. There were also interferences from surgical techniques and the possibility of a pseudarthrosis outcome. Conclusion: Therefore, it was possible to realize that there are several risk factors for pseudarthrosis. Faced with multifactorial causes, it is necessary to understand each patient's condition, seeking to improve quality of life, in order to mitigate factors that predispose to the development of pseudarthrosis.Introdução: A pseudoartrose é uma complicação que ocorre no processo de consolidação do osso fraturado, sendo causada, sobretudo, por instabilidade mecânica, vascularização deficiente e tratamento inadequado ou tardio. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi discutir os fatores de risco que permeiam tal cenário clínico, a fim de almejar melhora na qualidade de vida dos pacientes e prevenir tal quadro. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura. Foi utilizada a plataforma de Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS/MeSH), utilizando os descritores “pseudoartrose” e “fatores de risco” tanto na língua portuguesa, quanto na língua inglesa. Assim, foi feita uma pesquisa nas bases de dados: Pubmed, Lilacs e Scielo.Foram obtidos um total de 363 artigos. Os critérios de inclusão são os artigos dos últimos 5 anos que respondem à pergunta de pesquisa e são de língua portuguesa, inglesa ou espanhola, sendo incluídos 14 artigos para construir essa pesquisa. Resultados: Observou-se aumento dos casos de pseudoartrose quando relacionados a infecções, bem como os determinantes sociais mostraram-se relevantes nas complicações dos casos.  As comorbidades se mostraram como possíveis complicadores no pós-cirúrgico e houve relação entre deformidade da coluna vertebral em adultos, pseudoartrose e a fratura de haste. Verificou-se também, interferências das técnicas cirúrgicas e possibilidade de desfecho em pseudoartrose. Conclusão: Logo, foi possível perceber que existem diversos fatores de risco para a pseudoartrose. Diante de causas multifatoriais, é necessário entender o quadro de cada paciente, buscando melhora da qualidade de vida, a fim de mitigar fatores que predisponham ao desenvolvimento da pseudoartrose

Guidelines for the management of neuroendocrine tumours by the Brazilian gastrointestinal tumour group

Neuroendocrine tumours are a heterogeneous group of diseases with a significant variety of diagnostic tests and treatment modalities. Guidelines were developed by North American and European groups to recommend their best management. However, local particularities and relativisms found worldwide led us to create Brazilian guidelines. Our consensus considered the best feasible strategies in an environment involving more limited resources. We believe that our recommendations may be extended to other countries with similar economic standards.Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Canc Estado Sao Paulo, BR-01246000 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Radiol & Oncol, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Sirio Libanes, BR-01308050 Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Moinhos de Vento Porto Alegre, BR-90035000 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilOncoctr, BR-30360680 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Dept Cirurgia, BR-90040060 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHosp Clin Porto Alegre, BR-90035903 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Fac Med, Dept Fisiol & Farmacol, BR-60020180 Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilHosp Univ Walter Cantidio, BR-60430370 Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilInst Nacl Canc, BR-20230240 Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Disciplina Endocrinol & Metabol, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo, BrazilAC Camargo Canc Ctr, Dept Surg, BR-01509010 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Gastroenterol, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Ciencias Saude Porto Alegre, BR-90050170 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHosp Albert Einstein, BR-05652900 Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Base, Fac Med Sao Jose do Rio Preto, BR-15090000 Sao Paulo, BrazilSanta Casa Sao Jose do Rio Preto, BR-15025500 Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, BrazilPontificia Univ Catolica Parana, Hosp Erasto Gaertner, BR-81520060 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Norte, BR-59300000 Natal, RN, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Inst Coracao, BR-05403900 Sao Paulo, BrazilAC Camargo Canc Ctr, Med Oncol, BR-01509010 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Disciplina Gastroenterol, BR-04021001 Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Sao Rafael, BR-41253190 Salvador, BA, BrazilHosp Canc Barretos, Dept Cirurgia Aparelho Digest Alto & Hepatobiliop, BR-14784400 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Patol, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo, BrazilClin AMO, BR-1950640 Salvador, BA, BrazilHosp Sao Jose, BR-01323001 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Nove de Julho, BR-02111030 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Disciplina Gastroenterol, BR-04021001 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

The application of omics in ruminant production: a review in the tropical and sub-tropical animal production context

The demand for animal products (e.g. dairy and beef) in tropical regions is expected to increase in parallel with the public demand for sustainable practices, due to factors such as population growth and climate change. The necessity to increase animal production output must be achieved with better management and production technologies. For this to happen, novel research methodologies, animal selection and postgenomic tools play a pivotal role. Indeed, improving breeder selection programs, the quality of meat and dairy products as well as animal health will contribute to higher sustainability and productivity. This would surely benefit regions where resource quality and quantity are increasingly unstable, and research is still very incipient, which is the case of many regions in the tropics. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how omics-based approaches play a major role in animal science, particularly concerning ruminant production systems and research associated to the tropics and developing countriesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio