The Impact of CO2 Laser Treatment and Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride on Enamel Demineralization and Biofilm Formation

Introduction: This study evaluated the impact of CO2 laser treatment and acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) on enamel demineralization and biofilm formation, using in vitro and in situ designs.Methods: Demineralized enamel slabs were distributed among 8 groups: placebo, placebo + continuous CO2 laser, placebo + repeated CO2 laser, placebo + ultrapulsed CO2 laser, 1.23% APF, APF + continuous CO2 laser, APF + repeated CO2 laser and APF + ultrapulsed CO2 laser. In the in vitro study, 15 enamel slabs from each group were subjected to a pH-cycling regimen for 14 days. In the cross over in situ design, 11 volunteers wore palatal appliances with demineralized enamel slabs for 2 periods of 14 days each. Drops of sucrose solution were dripped onto enamel slabs 8×/day. Biofilms formed on slabs were collected and the colony-forming units (CFU) of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus were determined. Results: For both in vitro and in situ studies, there was no significant difference between treatments (P > 0.05). However, all treatments increased microhardness of demineralized enamel (P < 0.05). After a further in situ cariogenic challenge, with the exception of the placebo, all treatments maintained microhardness values (P < 0.05). Microbiological analysis showed no difference in Streptococcus mutans (P > 0.05) or Lactobacillus (P > 0.05) counts between groups. Conclusion: The results suggest that APF gel combined with the CO2 laser, regardless of the pulse emission mode used, was effective in controlling enamel demineralization, but none of the tested treatments was able to prevent bacterial colonization

Solid-state fermented brewer's spent grain enzymatic extract increases in vitro and in vivo feed digestibility in European seabass

Brewers spent grain (BSG) is the largest by-product originated from the brewery industry with a high potential for producing carbohydrases by solid-state fermentation. This work aimed to test the efficacy of a carbohydrases-rich extract produced from solid-state fermentation of BSG, to enhance the digestibility of a plant-based diet for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). First, BSG was fermented with A. ibericus to obtain an aqueous lyophilized extract (SSF-BSG extract) and incorporated in a plant-based diet at increasing levels (0control; 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4%). Another diet incorporating a commercial carbohydrases-complex (0.04%; Natugrain; BASF) was formulated. Then, all diets were tested in in vitro and in vivo digestibility assays. In vitro assays, simulating stomach and intestine digestion in European seabass, assessed dietary phosphorus, phytate phosphorus, carbohydrates, and protein hydrolysis, as well as interactive effects between fish enzymes and dietary SSF-BSG extract. After, an in vivo assay was carried out with European seabass juveniles fed selected diets (0control; 0.1%, and 0.4%). In vitro digestibility assays showed that pentoses release increased 45% with 0.4% SSF-BSG extract and 25% with Natugrain supplemented diets, while amino acids release was not affected. A negative interaction between endogenous fish enzymes and SSF-BSG extract was observed in both diets. The in vivo digestibility assay corroborated in vitro data. Accordingly, the dietary supplementation with 0.4% SSF-BSG increased the digestibility of dry matter, starch, cellulose, glucans, and energy and did not affect protein digestibility. The present work showed the high potential of BSG to produce an added-value functional supplement with high carbohydrases activity and its potential contribution to the circular economy by improving the nutritional value of low-cost and sustainable ingredients that can be included in aquafeeds. © 2021, The Author(s).Te authors thank UNICER, a sof-drink company (Porto, Portugal), for providing the brewer’s spent grain used in this study. Tis study was supported by the project “SPO3-Development of innovative sustainable protein and omega-3 rich feedstufs for aquafeeds, from local agro-industrial by-products”, reference POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-030377, funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and by strategic funding of UIDB/04423/2020 by UIDB/04469/2020 unit, the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) through national funds provided by FCT, and under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. Te H.F. and C.C were supported by grants SFRH/BD/131219/2017 and SFRH/BPD/114942/2016, respectively, from FCT, MCTES, FSE, and UE under the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020). José Manuel Salgado was supported by Beatriz Galindo contract of Ministry of Education (Spain).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribuição de Monitores de Graduação nas Atividades do Coral da USP Ribeirão Preto: O Trabalho nos Bastidores

Considerando que a expansão das atividades do Coral da USP Ribeirão Preto pode ser impulsionada pela modificação de aspectos organizacionais relacionados à gestão de competências e que há necessidade de permear as atividades da Cultura e Extensão com a Graduação, o objetivo deste artigo é analisar o impacto do trabalho realizado por alunos de graduação de diferentes áreas de conhecimento sobre a expansão das atividades deste coral. Selecionados onze alunos de graduação, foram-lhes designadas funções com o propósito de auxiliar o desenvolvimento das atividades do Coral da USP Ribeirão Preto durante um ano. O trabalho dos monitores viabilizou quarenta apresentações artísticas no período. Em acréscimo, houve cerca de 16 mil acessos sobre as publicações relacionadas aos grupos musicais na rede social, com um público de aproximadamente 4 mil pessoas. Cerca de oitenta candidatos se inscreveram para o processo de audição organizado pelos alunos monitores. O trabalho com os alunos de graduação apresentou impacto positivo sobre o desenvolvimento, a expansão e a respeitabilidade do Coral da USP Ribeirão Preto. Outras iniciativas devem ser estimuladas de forma a aprimorar a relação entre Graduação e atividades de Cultura e Extensão Universitária.Considering that the expansion of activities of the choral project of USP-Ribeirão Preto can be driven by the organizational modification in relation to the management of competencies and the need to spread the activities of Culture and Extension through the Undergraduates, the aim of the work is to analyze the impact of the work carried out by undergraduate students from different areas of knowledge on the development and expansion of the USP-Ribeirão Preto’s Choral. Eleven undergraduate students were selected and assigned different functions to help develop the activities of the USP Ribeirão Preto Choir during 1 year. The work of the monitors enabled 40 artistic presentations in the period. In addition, there were about 16,000 hits on the publications related to the musical groups in the social network, with an estimated audience of approximately 4 thousand people. About 80 candidates signed up for the selecting process to choose new singers. The work with undergraduate students had a positive impact on the development, expansion and respectability of the USP- Ribeirão Preto’s Choral. Other initiatives should be encouraged in order to improve the relationship between Undergraduate and Culture and Extension University activities

Functional Feeds to Tackle Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) Stress: Physiological Responses under Acute Stressful Handling Conditions

19 Pág. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA)Marine algae are recognised sources of bioactive compounds that have attracted great interest as nutritional supplements for aquaculture fish. Intensive rearing conditions often expose fish to husbandry-related stressors, rendering fish more susceptible to disease and reducing production yields. The present work evaluated the potential of two marine algae extracts (Fucus vesiculosus and Nannochloropsis gaditana) as nutritional supplements to mitigate stress effects in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) exposed to an acute handling stress (AS). A plant-based diet was used as a control, and three other diets were prepared, which were similar to the control diet but supplemented with 1% of each algal extract or a combination of the two extracts (0.5% each). The effects of supplemented diets on stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzyme activities, and immune response were analysed in fish exposed to AS after 4 weeks of feeding. Supplemented diets did not affect growth performance but the inclusion of F. vesiculosus promoted higher feed efficiency, as compared to the control group. Dietary algal extracts supplementation reduced plasma glucose levels, increased white blood cell counts, and reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory genes when compared with the control. N. gaditana supplementation led to a reduction in hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity and glutathione levels, while F. vesiculosus supplementation increased muscle glutathione reductase activity and reduced lipid peroxidation. These findings support the potential of algal extracts as nutraceuticals in aquafeeds to enhance the ability of fish to cope with husbandry-related stressful conditions and ultimately improve fish health and welfare.This research was funded by U. Porto and SOJA DE PORTUGAL, grant number PP-IJUP2019-SOJA DE PORTUGAL-14 This research was also partially supported by the FCT, grant numbers POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007621 and PTDC/CVT-WEL/5207/2014.Peer reviewe

Complete blood count parameters as biomarkers of retinopathy of prematurity: a Portuguese multicenter study

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Purpose: To evaluate complete blood count (CBC) parameters in the first week of life as predictive biomarkers for the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: Multicenter, prospective, observational study of a cohort of preterm infants born with gestational age (GA) < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g in eight Portuguese neonatal intensive care units. All demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from the first week of life were collected. Univariate logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for ROP and then multivariate regression was performed. Results: A total of 455 infants were included in the study. The median GA was 29.6 weeks, and the median birth weight was 1295 g. One hundred and seventy-two infants (37.8%) developed ROP. Median values of erythrocytes (p < 0.001), hemoglobin (p < 0.001), hematocrit (p < 0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.001), lymphocytes (p = 0.035), and platelets (p = 0.003) of the group of infants diagnosed with ROP any stage were lower than those without ROP. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (p = 0.044), red blood cell distribution width (RDW) (p < 0.001), erythroblasts (p < 0.001), neutrophils (p = 0.030), neutrophils-lymphocytes ratio (p = 0.028), and basophils (p = 0.003) were higher in the ROP group. Higher values of MCV, erythroblasts, and basophils remained significantly associated with ROP after multivariate regression. Conclusion: In our cohort, the increase in erythroblasts, MCV, and basophils in the first week of life was significantly and independently associated with the development of ROP. These CBC parameters may be early predictive biomarkers for ROP.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was supported by the Laboratório de Genética and the Instituto de Saúde Ambiental (ISAMB) of the Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade de Lisboa and the Instituto de Investigação Científica Bento da Rocha Cabral. The writing of the manuscript was also supported by funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia to ISAMB (ref. UIDB/04295/2020 and UIDP/04295/2020). This work was also part of a doctoral project funding by the company CUF with a PhD grant in Medicine awarded in 2021 and by the Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology with a PhD grant awarded in 2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soroprevalência de anticorpos do vírus SARS-CoV-2 em escolares no município de São Paulo, 2020

OBJECTIVE: To estimate seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in schoolchildren aged 4 to 14 years living in the city of São Paulo, according to clinical, demographic, epidemiological, and social variables, during the school closure period as a measure against covid-19 spread. METHODS: A serological survey was made in September 2020 with a random sample stratified by school system (municipal public, state public and private) type. A venous blood sample was collected using the Wondfo SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Test (lateral flow method) for detection of total SARS-CoV-2 virus antibodies. Semi-structured questionnaires were applied to collect clinical, demographic, social, and epidemiological data. RESULTS: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in schoolchildren was of 16.6% (95%CI 15.4–17.8). The study found higher seroprevalence in the municipal (18.5%; 95%CI 16.6–20.6) and state (16.2%; 95%CI 14.4–18.2) public school systems compared to the private school system (11.7; 95%CI 10.0–13.7), among black and brown students (18.4%; 95%CI 16.8–20.2) and in the most vulnerable social stratum (18.5 %;95%CI 16.9–20.2). Lower seroprevalence was identified in schoolchildren who reported following the recommended protective measures against covid-19. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is found mainly in the most socially vulnerable schoolchildren. This study can contribute to support public policies that reinforce the importance of suspending face-to-face classes and developing strategies aimed at protective measures and monitoring of the serological status of those who have not yet been included in the vaccination schedule.OBJETIVO: Estimar a soroprevalência de anticorpos do vírus SARS-CoV-2 em escolares de quatro a 14 anos de idade residentes no município de São Paulo, segundo variáveis clínicas, demográficas, epidemiológicas e sociais, durante o período de fechamento das escolas como medida de controle da covid-19. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um inquérito sorológico em setembro de 2020 com amostra aleatória estratificada por tipo de rede de ensino (pública municipal, pública estadual e privada). Foi coletada amostra de sangue venoso utilizando-se o teste de imunoensaio de fluxo lateral da fabricante Wondfo para detecção de anticorpos totais contra o vírus SARS-CoV-2. Aplicaram-se questionários semiestruturados para o levantamento de dados clínicos, demográficos, sociais e epidemiológicos. RESULTADOS: A soroprevalência de anticorpos do vírus SARS-CoV-2 em escolares foi de 16,6% (IC95% 15,4–17,8). O estudo encontrou soroprevalências mais elevadas na rede pública municipal (18,5%; IC95% 16,6–20,6) e estadual (16,2%; IC95% 14,4–18,2) em relação à rede privada (11,7; IC95% 10,0–13,7) e entre escolares da raça/cor preta e parda (18,4%; IC95% 16,8–20,2) e no estrato social mais vulnerável (18,5%; IC95% 16,9–20,2). A pesquisa identificou menores soroprevalências nos escolares que relataram seguir as medidas recomendadas de proteção contra a covid-19. CONCLUSÃO: A soroprevalência de anticorpos contra o vírus SARS-CoV-2 atinge principalmente os escolares socialmente mais vulneráveis. Este estudo pode contribuir para embasar políticas públicas que reforcem a importância da suspensão das aulas presenciais e da necessidade de estratégias de medidas de proteção e acompanhamento do status sorológico daqueles que ainda não foram contemplados no calendário vacinal

Incidência da síndrome pré-menstrual na prática de esportes: aspectos atuais: Incidence of pre-menstrual syndrome in sports: current aspects

A síndrome pré-menstrual (SPM) é uma constelação complexa de alterações de humor, comportamentais e físicas que se limitam à fase pré-menstrual. Esses sintomas se recuperam dentro de alguns dias após o início da menstruação.&nbsp; Assim, o objetivo desse estudo é demonstrar a incidência da síndrome pré-menstrual na prática de esportes a partir de uma revisão integrativa sobre o tema. Para isso, foi realizado uma revisão integrativa sobre o tema, onde foi considerado textos publicados desde 2010, em inglês e português e que estejam disponíveis para leitura, no PUBMED, LILACs e Scielo. Esta revisão sistemática fornece algum suporte adicional para diretrizes clínicas que recomendam o exercício como um tratamento eficaz para a TPM. As análises secundárias realizadas também fornecem novas evidências de que o exercício pode ser útil no alívio de sintomas psicológicos, físicos e comportamentais específicos associados à TPM, além de auxiliar no gerenciamento do perfil global de sintomas

Sobre Ciência, ciclos desinformativos e fake news: rupturas possíveis

La ciencia tuvo un impacto significativo para la comprensión del escenario de lapandemia de COVID-19, declarada oficialmente en diciembre de 2019: el coronavirus fuesecuenciado genéticamente solo 2 semanas después de la evidencia en China, se certificaroncomo efectivas medidas sanitarias simples para la contención del virus (higiene de manos,distanciamiento social, uso de barbijo, ventilación de los ambientes) y las vacunas sedesarrollaron en menos de 1,5 años después del inicio de la pandemia. Sin embargo, larápida consolidación del conocimiento científico no fue un factor determinante para ampliarla capacidad del Estado y de la sociedad para mantener la coherencia sobre las estrategiasefectivas para contener la enfermedad. De hecho, la desinformación (falta de información) y las noticias falsasque se crearon (fake news), a menudo, sustituyeron los logros de la ciencia.Está comprobado que las fake news se difunden un 70% más rápido que las noticias reales(1). Estoimplica que mientras que una publicación real llega, en promedio, a mil personas, las publicaciones falsas máspopulares tienen un alcance de entre mil y cien mil personas. La exposición frecuente a la desinformación y alas fake news es peligrosa, dado que la repetición aumenta la confianza en la información falsa. Particularmentedurante la pandemia, la propagación de mitos, métodos de prevención ineficaces y curas milagrosas causaronmuertes evitables(2), simplemente por inducir a la población a tomar decisiones equivocadas. Un estudioreciente descubrió que la confianza en las noticias de las redes sociales contribuyó a una mayor creencia enlos mitos e información falsa sobre el COVID-19, lo que a su vez contribuyó a que se implantaran prácticas depublicación en las redes sociales menos críticas, exacerbando la pandemia de desinformación y manteniendo el ciclo desinformativo(3). Por ende, no se trata solo de informar; también es necesario garantizar que las personasestén informadas para actuar de manera adecuada.En su libro clásico “El mundo y sus demonios: la ciencia como una luz en la oscuridad”, el físico Carl Sagan describió,de manera brillante, una tesis para combatir las fake news, pero no con el tono de un profesor, sino estimulando elpensamiento crítico de los legos para reconocer los argumentos fraudulentos, utilizando la ciencia como herramientaorgánica de supervivencia en la sociedad(4). No es casualidad que sea considerado uno de los mayores divulgadoresde la ciencia de todos los tiempos. Según Sagan, la ciencia solo tiene sentido si se comparte como una forma deinstrucción y este sería el primer paso para romper el ciclo de la desinformación. Sin embargo, datos recientes muestranque aún queda mucho por hacer: los brasileños no están seguros de los beneficios que podría traer el desarrollo dela ciencia(5). En otras palabras: la ciencia no forma parte de la vida cotidiana de la población, lo que hace que seainalcanzable, y choque con los estándares culturales de muchos brasileños. A su vez, esta incredulidad en la cienciaabre brechas donde la negación de todo se convierte en una opción, creando un terreno fértil para la difusión denoticias sin fundamento, generando miedo, ansiedad y otro tipo de enfermedades emocionales, agravando aún másla pandemia de COVID-19.Si bien las prácticas actuales de comunicación científica han renovado las transformaciones sociales que la cienciaviene protagonizando, es evidente que uno de los principales desafíos de la pandemia es de carácter comunicativo.Sin embargo, el esfuerzo de la comunidad académica por establecer una comunicación clara con la sociedad ha sidonotable durante la pandemia de coronavirus. En definitiva, si antes estas actividades las llevaban a cabo generalmentelos periodistas de periódicos y revistas, hoy, en el contexto actual, el puesto de comunicador científico también loocupan, en gran medida, los científicos en diferentes medios. El gran desafío es mantener esta dinámica en el escenariopospandémico.La comunicación científica es capaz de cambiar comportamientos, aumentar la confianza de la comunidad noespecializada en la investigación científica e influir en la toma de decisiones en diversas áreas. La reformulación dellenguaje y la formación de comunicadores científicos es un paso fundamental para romper el ciclo de la desinformación,lo que podría contribuir a reducir la brecha comunicativa entre ciencia y sociedad. Por lo tanto, hacer que la informaciónsobre la investigación sea accesible se torna tan importante como desarrollarla.Science exerted a significant impact on the understanding of the COVID-19 pandemicscenario, officially declared in December 2019: the coronavirus was genetically sequencedonly 2 weeks after evidence was found in China, simple sanitary measures were certified aseffective for containment of the virus (hand hygiene, social distancing, use of masks, roomventilation) and vaccines were developed less than 1.5 years after the beginning of thepandemic. However, the rapid consolidation of the scientific knowledge was not a determiningfactor to expand the capacity of the State and of society to maintain coherence aroundeffective strategies to contain the disease. In fact, misinformation (lack of information)and the fake news created have often supplanted the achievements of Science.It is well established that fake news spreads 70% faster than real news(1). This implies that, while a realpost reaches a mean of 1,000 people, the most popular fake posts reach from 1,000 to 100,000 individuals.Frequent exposure to misinformation and fake news is dangerous, as repetition increases reliance on falseinformation. Particularly during the pandemic, the dissemination of myths, ineffective prevention methods andmiracle cures caused preventable deaths(2), simply by inducing the population to make wrong choices. A recentstudy concluded that reliance on social media news contributed to increased belief in COVID-19 myths andmisinformation, which in turn contributed to less critical posting practices in the social media, exacerbatingthe misinformation pandemic and maintaining a disinformation cycle(3). Therefore, informing is not sufficient;it is also necessary to ensure that people are informed to act in a proper way. In his classic book entitled “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”, physicist Carl Saganbrilliantly described a thesis to fight against fake news - not in a professorial tone, but stimulating lay people’s criticalthinking to recognize fraudulent arguments, using Science as an organic survival tool in society(4). It is not surprisingthat he is considered one of the greatest Science popularizers of all times. According to Sagan, Science only makessense if it is shared as a form of instruction and this would be the first step to break the disinformation cycle. However,recent data show that there is still a lot to be done: Brazilians are not confident in relation to which benefits could bebrought by Science development(5). In other words: Science is not perceived in people’s daily lives, contributing tomaking it unattainable, clashing with the cultural standards to which many Brazilians belong. In turn, this disbelief inScience creates gaps where denial of everything becomes an option, providing fertile soil for the spread of ungroundednews, generating fear, anxiety and other types of emotional illness, further aggravating the COVID-19 pandemic.Although the current scientific communication practices have implemented a new glow into the social transformationsthat Science has been leading, it is clear that one of the main challenges of the pandemic is of a communicative nature.However, the effort by the academic community to establish clear communication with society has been remarkablein coronavirus times. Ultimately, if these activities used to be carried out predominantly by journalists in newspapersand magazines, today, in the current context, the position of Science communicator is also significantly occupiedby scientists in the different media. The main challenge is to maintain this dynamic in the post-pandemic scenario.Science communication is capable of changing behaviors, increasing reliance of the non-specialized communityon scientific research and influencing decision-making in the most diverse areas. Language reformulation and trainingof scientific communicators are fundamental steps towards breaking the disinformation cycle, which could contributeto reducing the communication gap between Science and Society. Thus, making information about research studiesaccessible becomes as important as developing them.A Ciência teve impacto significativo no entendimento do cenário da pandemia deCOVID-19, oficialmente declarada em dezembro de 2019: o coronavírus foi sequenciadogeneticamente apenas 2 semanas após evidências na China, medidas sanitárias simplesforam atestadas como eficazes para a contenção do vírus (higiene das mãos, distanciamentosocial, uso de máscaras, ventilação de ambientes) e as vacinas foram desenvolvidas emmenos de 1 ano e meio do início da pandemia. Entretanto, a rápida consolidação dosconhecimentos científicos não foi fator determinante para ampliar a capacidade do estadoe da sociedade em manter a coerência em torno de estratégias eficazes para conter adoença. De fato, a desinformação (falta de informação) e as notícias falsas criadas (fake news) suplantaram,em muitos momentos, as conquistas da Ciência.É bem estabelecido que as fake news se espalham 70% mais rápido que notícias verdadeiras(1). Issoimplica dizer que enquanto uma postagem verdadeira atinge, em média, mil pessoas, as postagens falsas maispopulares atingem de mil a 100 mil pessoas. A exposição frequente à desinformação e fake news é perigosa,pois a repetição aumenta a confiança na informação falsa. Particularmente durante a pandemia, a disseminaçãode mitos, métodos de prevenção ineficazes e curas milagrosas causaram mortes evitáveis(2), simplesmentepor induzir a população a escolhas equivocadas. Um estudo recente concluiu que a confiança nas notícias dasmídias sociais contribuiu para aumentar a crença nos mitos e informações falsas da COVID-19, o que, porsua vez, contribuiu para práticas de postagem nas mídias sociais menos críticas, exacerbando a pandemia da desinformação e mantendo o ciclo desinformativo(3). Portanto, não se trata apenas de informar; é também necessáriogarantir que as pessoas sejam informadas para agir de maneira adequada.Em seu clássico livro “O mundo assombrado pelos demônios: a Ciência vista como uma vela no escuro”, o físicoCarl Sagan descreveu, de modo brilhante, uma tese para combater as fake news - não em tom professoral, mas simestimulando o pensamento crítico de leigos para reconhecer argumentos fraudulentos, utilizando a Ciência como umaferramenta orgânica de sobrevivência na sociedade(4). Não é à toa que ele é considerado um dos maiores divulgadorescientíficos de todos os tempos. Segundo Sagan, a Ciência só faz sentido se for compartilhada como forma de instruçãoe esse seria o primeiro passo para romper o ciclo da desinformação. Entretanto, dados recentes mostram que ainda hámuito o que ser feito: os brasileiros não se mostram confiantes em relação a quais benefícios poderiam ser trazidos pelodesenvolvimento da Ciência(5). Em outras palavras: a Ciência não é percebida no cotidiano das pessoas, contribuindopara torná-la inatingível, destoando dos padrões culturais nos quais muitos brasileiros se inserem. Por sua vez, essadescrença na Ciência cria lacunas onde a negação de tudo torna-se uma opção, propiciando um terreno fértil paraa propagação de notícias sem fundamento, gerando medo, ansiedade e outros tipos de adoecimento emocional,agravando ainda mais a pandemia de COVID-19.Apesar das práticas de comunicação científica atuais terem implementado um novo brilho às transformaçõessociais que a Ciência vem protagonizando, fica claro que um dos principais desafios da pandemia é de naturezacomunicativa. Porém, o esforço da comunidade acadêmica para o estabelecimento de uma comunicação clara coma sociedade tem sido marcante durante os tempos do coronavírus. Afinal, se antes essas atividades eram realizadaspredominantemente por jornalistas em jornais e revistas, hoje, no contexto atual, a posição de comunicador de ciênciapassa a ser ocupada expressivamente também por cientistas nas diferentes mídias. O grande desafio é manter essadinâmica no cenário pós-pandêmico.A comunicação da Ciência é capaz de mudar comportamento, aumentando a confiança da comunidade nãoespecializada na pesquisa científica e influenciando tomadas de decisão nas mais diversas áreas. A reformulação dalinguagem e a formação de comunicadores científicos é um passo fundamental para a ruptura do ciclo desinformativo,o que poderia contribuir para uma diminuição da lacuna comunicacional entre Ciência e Sociedade. Assim, tornaracessíveis as informações sobre pesquisas torna-se tão importante quanto desenvolvê-las

Contextualized Class Improves Perception of Students About Spectrophotometry in Biochemistry Laboratory Practices

Practical work in the laboratory occupies a considerable proportion of students’ time in Pharmacy courses. Thus, it is vital for students who are taking courses in health science to experience handling practices thinking about its practical application. However, students have difficulty in correlating the knowledge acquired in other disciplines - especially, Analytical Chemistry - to Biochemistry. Here, we use an existing laboratory practice and contextualized it using a case-oriented examination and a dynamic discussion about spectrophotometry as a routine analysis in scientific research. With this goal, a group of students was submitted to a traditional practical class (control group, n= 65) while another one was submitted to an contextualized practical class (experimental group, n= 30). After a practical test, the scores of both groups were compared to each other. The results suggested that the contextualization of the practical classes could provide conditions to obtain technical competence of the students, increasing their comprehension about the relevance of interdisciplinary concepts and its applications.As aulas práticas ocupam uma considerável proporção do tempo dos estudantes do curso de Farmácia. Assim, torna-se vital que os alunos dos cursos de saúde participem de aulas laboratoriais que os remetam a uma aplicação prática. Entretanto, os estudantes têm dificuldade em correlacionar o conhecimento adquirido em outras disciplinas - especialmente Química Analítica - com Bioquímica. Neste trabalho, utilizou-se uma aula prática existente (tradicional) e uma aula prática contextualizada com um caso clínico, seguida de uma orientação dinâmica sobre espectrofotometria como análise de rotina em pesquisa científica. Com este objetivo, um grupo de estudantes foi submetido à aula prática tradicional (grupo controle, n= 65) enquanto outro foi submetido à aula prática contextualizada (grupo experimental, n= 30). Após a avaliação prática, as pontuações de ambos os grupos foram comparadas entre si. Os resultados sugerem que a contextualização das aulas práticas fornece condições para que os alunos adquiram competência técnica, aumentando sua compreensão acerca da relevância de conceitos interdisciplinares e suas aplicações