Reproducibility of lower limb circumference measurement by using metric tape and Leg-O-Meter II

A fita métrica (FM) e o Leg-O-Meter II (LGM) são instrumentos utilizadospara medir circunferência dos membros inferiores (MMII) e estimar dimensão de edema. A confiabilidade desses métodos ainda não foi testada em avaliadores sem experiência clínica. Este estudo visou contrastar a confiabilidade da medição de circunferência de MMII intra e inter-avaliadores usando FM e LGM. Vinte indivíduos saudáveis participaram do estudo. Dois avaliadores mediram a circunferência de ambos os membros inferiores utilizando os dois métodos em duas ocasiões consecutivas (teste e reteste). As circunferências avaliadas em decúbito dorsal com a FM foram medidas 20 cm acima da base da patela e 15 cm abaixo do pólo inferior da patela. Com o LGM as circunferências foram medidas a 20 e a 30 cm acima da plataforma do aparelho, na posição ortostática. Não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significante entre a média das circunferências medidas com cada instrumento tanto intra quanto inter-avaliadores. O coeficiente de correlação de Pearson inter-avaliadores variou de 0,86 a 0,99 (p<0,0005) para ambos os instrumentos. Conclui-se que a reprodutibilidade das medições das circunferências de MMII obtidas com ambos os instrumentos é excelente, mesmo entre avaliadores sem experiência clínica, não sendo percebida superioridade de um método em relação ao outro.In view of the established relationships between neonatal malnutrition and the immuno system, peritoneal macrophages of male Wistar rats were exposed to diatermic pulsate short waves (DPSW) and to alternatedmagnetic field on extreme low frequency, in order to verify in vitro adhesion index and phagocytic activity. The rats were submitted to malnutrition during the nursing period and to a recovery diet after weaning. The extracted peritoneal macrophages were exposed to DPSW modulated at 30 Hz, 50 Hz and 430 Hz by using the Schliephake and conventional techniques in parallel, and to a magnetic filed of 60 Hz. Results show increased adhesion index only with the 30 Hz and 50 Hz experimental groups using Schliephake technique and CM 60 Hz; phagocytic activity was reduced with 30 Hz and 50 Hz using Schliephake technique and CM 60 Hz, as compared to the control group (p<0,05). Since macrophages of malnourished and recovered animals responded to such irradiations, and since these are largely used in physical therapy, present results could be used to choose correct DPSW modulation in therapeutic process, particularly in cases who have previously suffered malnutrition

MarinEye - A tool for marine monitoring

This work presents an autonomous system for marine integrated physical-chemical and biological monitoring – the MarinEye system. It comprises a set of sensors providing diverse and relevant information for oceanic environment characterization and marine biology studies. It is constituted by a physicalchemical water properties sensor suite, a water filtration and sampling system for DNA collection, a plankton imaging system and biomass assessment acoustic system. The MarinEye system has onboard computational and logging capabilities allowing it either for autonomous operation or for integration in other marine observing systems (such as Observatories or robotic vehicles. It was designed in order to collect integrated multi-trophic monitoring data. The validation in operational environment on 3 marine observatories: RAIA, BerlengasWatch and Cascais on the coast of Portugal is also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Confiabilidade de testes de caminhada em pacientes claudicantes: estudo piloto

CONTEXTO: Uma vez que a obstrução arterial periférica pode se apresentar de maneira difusa, com clínica diversa e com resultados de intervenção variados, é fundamental que a avaliação dos pacientes com doença arterial obstrutiva periférica seja feita com instrumentos que possam apresentar dados objetivos e reprodutíveis. OBJETIVO: Investigar e contrastar a confiabilidade do teste de caminhada de 6 minutos (T6M) com teste de deslocamento bidirecional progressivo (TDBP) em indivíduos claudicantes portadores de doença arterial obstrutiva periférica. MÉTODOS: Quatorze pacientes em estágio II de Fontaine participaram deste estudo piloto. Onze pacientes realizaram ambos os testes e três realizaram apenas T6M. Após familiarização, os pacientes foram avaliados em duas ocasiões distintas com intervalo máximo de 1 semana entre si. O coeficiente de correlação de intraclasse (ICC2,1) foi utilizado para avaliação da reprodutibilidade teste-reteste. RESULTADOS: A média da distância máxima de caminhada no teste e no reteste no T6M foi de 397,04±120,74 e 408,6±153,64 metros (p = 0,58), respectivamente, com ICC = 0,87 (p = 0,00005); já no TDBP, a média foi de 345±145,75 metros e, no reteste, de 345,91±127,97 (p = 0,92), com ICC = 0,99 (p = 0,00005). O tempo médio para surgimento da dor inicial, em segundos, com o T6M, foi de 172,25±88,23 (teste) e 148,58±70,36 (reteste) (p = 0,13), com ICC = 0,81 (p = 0,0004). No TDBP, o tempo médio foi de 282±141,90 (teste) e 267,14±150,58 (reteste) (p = 0,55), com ICC = 0,91 (p = 0,0008). CONCLUSÃO: Ambos os testes de caminhada são confiáveis e úteis para avaliação clínico-funcional desses pacientes. O TDBP, entretanto, gerou índices de confiabilidade mais elevados, podendo ser melhor opção para avaliação da performance desses indivíduos

Avaliação e tratamento fisioterápico na doença arterial obstrutiva periférica de membro superior: um estudo de caso Assessment and physical therapy treatment for peripheral artery occlusive disease of the upper limb: a case study

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar um estudo de caso em que se propõe um protocolo de avaliação e intervenção para uma paciente com claudicação de membro superior. Descrição do caso: mulher de 50 anos com 4 meses de evolução de quadro de obstrução de artéria braquial esquerda pós-cateterismo. Na avaliação com Doppler contínuo, observou-se presença de som monofásico em artérias radial e ulnar. No teste do cicloergômetro, a dor isquêmica iniciou aos 2 minutos e 30 segundos e atingiu o ponto máximo aos 9 minutos e 26 segundos. Foi realizado tratamento em cicloergômetro três vezes por semana durante 8 semanas. Após o tratamento, o tempo de teste em cicloergômetro aumentou: dor inicial aos 5 minutos e 7 segundos e máxima aos 18 minutos. A paciente relatou desaparecimento da cianose e melhora na realização de atividades de vida diária. O protocolo de avaliação proposto envolvendo medidas objetivas (cicloergômetro) e subjetivas (questionário SF-36 traduzido e validado em português) foi bem tolerado, tendo sido capaz de detectar alterações no estado funcional da paciente. As alterações detectadas no tempo de surgimento de dor inicial e de dor máxima podem ter acontecido de modo espontâneo, mas não se pode descartar que a intervenção possa, potencialmente, ser benéfica para indivíduos com claudicação de membros superiores. Os resultados observados neste estudo de caso avalizam futuros estudos envolvendo maior número de participantes.<br>The aim of this paper was to present a case study proposing a protocol for assessment and rehabilitation of a patient with upper limb intermittent claudication. Case description: 50-year-old woman with obstruction of the left brachial artery secondary to catheterization performed 4 months ago. Monophasic sound was observed during continuous Doppler ultrasound assessment of both the radial and ulnar arteries. During the arm crank test, ischemic pain started at 2 minutes and 30 seconds of cranking, while maximal pain was reached at 9 minutes and 26 seconds. The patient was treated by arm cranking exercises performed three times a week for 8 weeks. After the treatment, arm crank time increased: ischemic pain onset was at 5 minutes and 7 seconds and maximal pain was reached at 18 minutes. The patient reported disappearance of cyanosis and improvement in performance of daily activities. The assessment protocol comprehended both subjective (validated Brazilian Portuguese version of SF-36 questionnaire) and objective (arm crank) measurements and was well tolerated, besides being able to detect changes in the patient's functional capacity. Changes detected at pain onset and at maximal pain may have occurred spontaneously, but it cannot be ruled out that this intervention can be potentially beneficial for individuals with upper limb claudication. The results observed in this case study warrant further studies involving larger sample size

Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery

p. 1-5Background: Neuromuscular electrostimulation has become a promising issue in cardiovascular rehabilitation. However there are few articles published in the literature regarding neuromuscular electrostimulation in patients with heart failure during hospital stay. Methods: This is a randomized controlled pilot trial that aimed to investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrostimulation in the walked distance by the six-minute walking test in 30 patients admitted to ward for heart failure treatment in a tertiary cardiology hospital. Patients in the intervention group performed a conventional rehabilitation and neuromuscular electrostimulation. Patients underwent 60 minutes of electrostimulation (wave frequency was 20 Hz, pulse duration of 20 us) two times a day for consecutive days until hospital discharge. Results: The walked distance in the six-minute walking test improved 75% in the electrostimulation group (from 379.7 ± 43.5 to 372.9 ± 46.9 meters to controls and from 372.9 ± 62.4 to 500 ± 68 meters to electrostimulation, p<0.001). On the other hand, the walked distance in the control group did not change. Conclusion: The neuromuscular electrostimulation group showed greater improvement in the walked distance in the six-minute walking test in patients admitted to ward for compensation of heart failure