Mode of delivery and labour analgesia: a study of preference in portuguese pregnant women

Background: Portugal has had one of the highest cesarean rates in Europe, possibly influenced by patient preferences. A reduction in the prevalence of these rates due to safety, quality, and concern with costs is one of the current goals of obstetric care. Fear of pain, often associated with vaginal delivery, is one of the reasons why pregnant women might prefer a cesarean section. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the type of delivery and anaesthesia/analgesia preferred, as well as the reasons and factors associated with this preference, in a representative sample in order to identify possible modifiable factors possibly involved in increased rates. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by an anonymous questionnaire to 245 pregnant women from February to April 2018. Respondents were also asked about their preference for peripartum anaesthesia/analgesia and on the sources of information that helped decide their preferences. Results: 22% of respondents would prefer an elective cesarean section. This preference was higher in women with a previous cesarean section. The preference for vaginal delivery was higher in women with more advanced pregnancies. The main reasons that led participants to prefer a vaginal delivery were the quicker postpartum recovery and not wanting to miss the first hours of their child's life. Regarding the preference for an elective cesarean section, the main reasons were fear and convenience. Most pregnant women preferred epidural analgesia. Respondents who selected their doctor (most common source) were more likely to prefer vaginal delivery. Conclusion: A minority of women showed a preference for cesarean delivery. A majority would prefer to have epidural anaesthesia. Despite the high cesarean rates, maternal desire for cesarean section is low, suggesting that this number is due to factors other than the preference of pregnant women.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

High value-added lignin extracts from sugarcane by-products

This study evaluates the production of lignin bioactive extracts from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and straw (SCS) alkaline black liquors using greener precipitating agents (methane sulfonic acid (MSA), formic acid (FA) and lactic acid (LA)) as replacers of sulfuric acid (SA), the most common one used in industry. Results showed that the highest precipitation yield was achieved by LA when applied to SCB (14.5 g extract/g SCB). Lignin SCB extracts were similar in composition in terms of total carbohydrates (61–70 %), lignin (22–30 %) and inorganics (1.6–2.6 %). Regarding the SCS extracts, similar yields were obtained among all extracts, however; differences in composition were observed between SA and greener precipitating agents, particularly in terms of sugar content. All extracts exhibited radical scavenging activity; overall the extracts were more effective in the scavenging of ABTS radical. FA was the most promising alternative to SA to recover lignin bioactive extracts. This work suggests organic acids as good candidates for obtaining valuable extracts from alkaline pulping of SCB and SCS instead of the conventional sulfuric acid, thus suggesting a green solution for this biomass valorization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antioxidant, allelopathic and toxic activity of Ochna serrulata

Ochna serrulata (Ochnaceae) is an ornamental plant introduced into Brazil from Asia and Africa. Species of the Ochna genus are rich in phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids. The biological screening of extracts and fractions showed that this plant exhibited a significant antioxidant activity, when evaluated by the DPPH and reducing potential assays. Ochna serrulata also demonstrated slight toxic activity against Artemia salina and a potential inhibitory allelopathic activity, when evaluated using the Lactuca sativa seed germination test. The ethyl acetate fraction, the most active one, was partitioned on a silica gel column to obtain epicatechin, which showed potential antioxidant activity.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Antioxidant, allelopathic and toxic activity of Ochna serrulata

Ochna serrulata (Ochnaceae) is an ornamental plant introduced into Brazil from Asia and Africa. Species of the Ochna genus are rich in phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids. The biological screening of extracts and fractions showed that this plant exhibited a significant antioxidant activity, when evaluated by the DPPH and reducing potential assays. Ochna serrulata also demonstrated slight toxic activity against Artemia salina and a potential inhibitory allelopathic activity, when evaluated using the Lactuca sativa seed germination test. The ethyl acetate fraction, the most active one, was partitioned on a silica gel column to obtain epicatechin, which showed potential antioxidant activity.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Reading emotional faces in deaf and hard-of-hearing and typically hearing children

Pathways through Adolescenc

Valorization of sugarcane by-products through synthesis of biogenic amorphous silica microspheres for sustainable cosmetics

Ashes from sugarcane by-product incineration were used to synthesize silica powders through alkaline hot extraction, followed by ethanol/acid precipitation or the sol–gel method. Both production methods allowed amorphous spherical silica microparticles with sizes ranging from 1–15 μm and 97% purity to be obtained. Water absorption ranged from 135–155 mL/100 g and 150–250 mL/100 g for precipitated silica and silica gel, respectively, while oil absorption ranged from 305 to 390 and from 250 to 350 mL/100 g. The precipitation with ethanol allowed the recovery of 178 g silica/kg ash, with a lab process cost of EUR 28.95/kg, while the sol-gel process showed a yield of 198 g silica/kg ash with a cost of EUR 10.89/kg. The experimental data suggest that ash from sugarcane by-products is a promising source to be converted into a competitive value-added product, minimizing the environmental impact of disposal problems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Methodological considerations for kinematic analysis of upper limbs in healthy and poststroke adults Part II: a systematic review of motion capture systems and kinematic metrics

To review the methods used to analyze the kinematics of upper limbs (ULs) of healthy and poststroke adults, namely the motion capture systems and kinematic metrics. A database of articles published in the last decade was compiled using the following search terms combinations: (“upper extremity” OR “upper limb” OR arm) AND (kinematic OR motion OR movement) AND (analysis OR assessment OR measurement). The articles included in this review: (1) had the purpose to analyze objectively three-dimension kinematics of ULs, (2) studied functional movements or activities of daily living involving ULs, and (3) studied healthy and/or poststroke adults. Fourteen articles were included (four studied a healthy sample, three analyzed poststroke patients, and seven examined both poststroke and healthy participants). Most articles used optoelectronic systems with markers; however, the presentation of laboratory and task-specific errors is missing. Markerless systems, used in some studies, seem to be promising alternatives for implementation of kinematic analysis in hospitals and clinics, but the literature proving their validity is scarce. Most articles analyzed “joint kinematics” and “end-point kinematics,” mainly related with reaching. The different stroke locations of the samples were not considered in their analysis and only three articles described their psychometric properties. Future research should validate portable motion capture systems, document their specific error at the acquisition place and for the studied task, include grasping and manipulation analysis, and describe psychometric properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antioxidant, allelopathic and toxic activity of Ochna serrulata

Ochna serrulata (Ochnaceae) is an ornamental plant introduced into Brazil from Asia and Africa. Species of the Ochna genus are rich in phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids. The biological screening of extracts and fractions showed that this plant exhibited a significant antioxidant activity, when evaluated by the DPPH and reducing potential assays. Ochna serrulata also demonstrated slight toxic activity against Artemia salina and a potential inhibitory allelopathic activity, when evaluated using the Lactuca sativa seed germination test. The ethyl acetate fraction, the most active one, was partitioned on a silica gel column to obtain epicatechin, which showed potential antioxidant activity.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Impact of deficit irrigation on grapevine cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’ during three seasons in Douro region: an agronomical and metabolomics approach

The introduction of irrigation in vineyards of the Mediterranean basin is a matter of debate, in particular in those of the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR), due to the limited number of available studies. Here, we aimed to perform a robust analysis in three consecutive vintages (2018, 2019, and 2020) on the impact of deficit irrigation on the yield, berry quality traits, and metabolome of cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’. Results showed that in the peaks of extreme drought, irrigation at 30% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) (R30) was able to prevent a decay of up to 0.4 MPa of leaf predawn water potential (ΨPd), but irrigation at 70% ETc (R70) did not translate into additional protection against drought stress. Following three seasons of irrigation, the yield was significantly improved in vines irrigated at R30, whereas irrigation at R70 positively affected the yield only in the 2020 season. Berry quality traits at harvest were not significantly changed by irrigation, except for Total Soluble Solids (TSS) in 2018. A UPLC–MS-based targeted metabolomic analysis identified eight classes of compounds, amino acids, phenolic acids, stilbenoid DP1, stilbenoid DP2, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, di-OH- and tri-OH anthocyanins, and showed that anthocyanins and phenolic acids did not change significantly with irrigation. The present study showed that deficit irrigation partially mitigated the severe summer water deficit conditions in the DDR but did not significantly change key metabolites.This research was funded by the VISCA project (Vineyards’ Integrated Smart Climate Application), funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 730253. The Région-Centre Val de Loire (France) supported this work under the grant agreement to Project VITI’ACTIF. The work was also supported by the “Contrato-Programa” UIDB/04050/2020 funded by Portuguese national funds through the FCT I.P. The work was also supported by FCT, CCDR-N (Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission) and European Funds (FEDER/POCI/COMPETE2020) through the project AgriFoodXXI (NORTE01-0145-FEDER-000041) and the research projects BerryPlastid (PTDC/BIA-FBT/28165/2017 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028165), MitiVineDrought (PTDC/BIA-FBT/30341/2017 and POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030341), and GrapeInfectomics (PTDC/ASPHOR/28485/2017). A.T. was supported by a post-doctoral researcher contract/position within the project “BerryPlastid”. This work also benefited from the networking activities within the European COST Action CA 17111 INTEGRAPE, the CoLAB VINES & WINES, and the CoLAB 4FOOD—Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in the Food Industry

Initial impact and cost of a nationwide population screening campaign for diabetes in Brazil: A follow up study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2001 Brazilian citizens aged 40 or older were invited to participate in a nationwide population screening program for diabetes. Capillary glucose screening tests and procedures for diagnostic confirmation were offered through the national healthcare system, diagnostic priority being given according to the severity of screening results. The objective of this study is to evaluate the initial impact of the program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Positive testing was defined by a fasting capillary glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL or casual glucose ≥ 140 mg/dL. All test results were tabulated locally and aggregate data by gender and clinical categories were sent to the Ministry of Health. To analyze individual characteristics of screening tests performed, a stratified random sample of 90,106 tests was drawn. To describe the actions taken for positive screenees, a random sub-sample of 4,906 positive screenees was actively followed up through home interviews.</p> <p>Main outcome measures considered were the number of diabetes cases diagnosed and cost per case detected and incorporated into healthcare.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 22,069,905 screening tests performed, we estimate that 3,417,106 (95% CI 3.1 – 3.7 million) were positive and that 346,168 (290,454 – 401,852) new cases were diagnosed (10.1% of positives), 319,157 (92.2%) of these being incorporated into healthcare. The number of screening tests needed to detect one case of diabetes was 64. As many cases of untreated but previously known diabetes were also linked to healthcare providers during the Campaign, the estimated number needed screen to incorporate one case into the healthcare system was 58. Total screening and diagnostic costs were US$26.19 million, the cost per diabetes case diagnosed being US$ 76. Results were especially sensitive to proportion of individuals returning for diagnostic confirmation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This nationwide population-based screening program, conducted through primary healthcare services, demonstrates the feasibility, within the context of an organized national healthcare system, of screening campaigns for chronic diseases. Although overall costs were significant, cost per new case diagnosed was lower than previously reported. However, cost-effectiveness analysis based on more clinically significant outcomes needs to be conducted before this screening approach can be recommended in other settings.</p