Fetal Distress during the Last Third of Pregnancy in Bitches - Evaliation by Doppler Ultrasound Imaging

Background: Diagnostic ultrasound has revolutionized obstetric practice. Doppler techniques provided in vivo studies of the fetus-placental and uterus-placental circulations, in an increasingly precise manner. The assessment of fetal well-being is essential in obstetric practice, however, in veterinary medicine, there is a deficit of ultrasound parameters related to fetal distress. The main of this research was to determine the hemodynamic characteristics and behavior, through Doppler ultrasonography, of maternal-fetal vessels during the final third of gestation in bitches with fetuses under stress, as well as correlating them with each other and with fetal distress. Materials, Methods & Results: An observational, prospective study was carried out, in which 30 healthy bitches were examined, during the last third of pregnancy, with fetuses under fetal distress. Fetuses were evaluated in 2 stages: (1st): 50-54 days and (2nd): 55-60 days of gestation. All fetuses were calmly assessed, one by one, and fetal heart rate (FHR) was measured 5 times, for at least 3 min, to identify and confirm fetal distress. At least 3 fetuses were evaluated in each bitch and each measurement was performed in triplicate, setting a hemodynamic mean for each value evaluated. The flow pattern in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), internal carotid artery (ICA) and umbilical artery (UA) was evaluated. The analyzed vessel was initially visualized in B mode, followed by evaluation by color and spectral Doppler. The variables observed were: peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and the resistivity (RI) and pulsatility (PI) index, as well as the systole/diastole ratio (S/D). The analysis of RI and PI of the umbilical artery showed a statistically significant difference between the mean values ​​found for the times studied, increasing from time 1 to time 2. For middle cerebral and internal carotid arteries, PI, RI and the relationship systole/diastole (S/D), showed a statistically significant difference between the mean values ​​found for the times studied, decreasing from time 1 to time 2. Discussion: Fetal heart rate (HR) findings are considered normal above 200 beats per minute (bpm), only if preceded by acceleration and deceleration. This fact confirms the presence of fetal stress, by this parameter, for the fetuses in the present study. Corroborating the picture of fetal distress, another study concluded that HR tends to increase up to 20 days before delivery, a fact that did not occur in the study in question, where animals in the same gestational period were evaluated. Recent research has concluded that an elevated umbilical artery PI at 28 weeks of gestation, in the absence of fetal growth restriction or prematurity, is associated with some adverse cognitive findings in 12-year-olds children. In the present study, a progressive increase in this index was observed throughout the final third of pregnancy. Although the pups were not monitored after birth, this data serves as a warning for veterinarians, and can be useful in the assessment and diagnosis of possible postnatal nervous alterations. Like what was found in the present study, a study reported that from the 4th week to birth, the PSV of the umbilical artery (UA) increased almost linearly, with high significance. For the middle cerebral arteries, the PI showed a statistically significant difference between the mean values ​​found for the times studied, however, decreasing throughout the final third of pregnancy. Keywords: Imaging diagnosis, obstetrics, reproduction, clinical medicine.Background: A ultrassonografia diagnóstica revolucionou a prática obstétrica. As técnicas de Doppler propiciaram estudos in vivo das circulações feto-placentária e útero-placentária, de forma cada vez mais precisa. A avaliação do bem-estar fetal é fundamental na prática obstétrica, no entanto, em medicina veterinária, observa-se um déficit de parâmetros ultrassonográficos relacionados ao sofrimento fetal. O objetivo deste trabalho é determinar as características hemodinâmicas e o comportamento, por meio de ultrassonografia Doppler, de vasos maternofetais durante o terço final da gestação de cadelas com fetos sob estresse, bem como correlaciona-los entre si e com o sofrimento fetal. Material, Métodos e Resultados: Foi realizado um estudo observacional, prospectivo, onde foram examinadas 30 cadelas saudáveis, durante o último terço de gestação, com fetos sob estresse fetal. Os fetos foram avaliados em dois tempos: (1º): 50-54 dias e (2º): 55-60 dias de gestação. Todos os fetos foram avaliados com calma, um a um, e a frequência cardíaca fetal (FCF) foi mensurada cinco vezes, por pelo menos três minutos, para identificação e confirmação do estresse fetal. Parte superior do formulárioForam avaliados pelo menos três fetos em cada cadela e cada mensuração foi realizada em triplicata, configurando uma média hemodinâmica para cada valor avaliado. Avaliou-se o padrão de fluxo em artéria cerebral média (ACM), artéria carótida comum (ACC) e cordão umbilical (CU). O vaso analisado foi inicialmente visualizado em modo B, seguindo-se com a avaliação por Doppler colorido e espectral. As variáveis observadas foram: velocidade de pico sistólico (VPS), velocidade diastólica final (VDF) e os índices de resistividade (IR) e de pulsatilidade (IP), bem como a relação sístole / diástole (S/D). A análise do IR e IP do cordão umbilical, demonstrou diferença estatística significativa entre os valores médios encontrados para os tempos estudados, aumentando do tempo 1 para o tempo 2. Para as artérias cerebral média e carótida comum, o IP, o IR e a relação sístole / diástole (S/D), demonstraram diferença estatística significativa entre os valores médios encontrados para os tempos estudados, diminuindo do tempo 1 para o tempo 2. Discussão: Achados de frequência cardíaca fetal (FCF) são considerados normais acima de 200 batimentos por minuto (bpm), apenas se precedida de aceleração e desaceleração. Tal fato confirma a presença de estresse fetal, por este parâmetro, para os fetos do presente estudo. Corroborando o quadro de sofrimento fetal, outro estudo concluiu que a FCF tende a aumentar até 20 dias antes do parto, fato este que não ocorreu no trabalho em questão, onde foram avaliados animais no mesmo período gestacional. Recente pesquisa concluiu que um IP da artéria umbilical elevado na gestação de 28 semanas, na ausência de restrição do crescimento fetal ou prematuridade, está associado a alguns achados cognitivos adversos em crianças de 12 anos. No presente estudo, observou-se um aumento progressivo deste índice ao longo do terço final de gestação. Apesar de não ter sido realizado o acompanhamento dos filhotes após o nascimento, este dado serve como alerta para médicos veterinários, e pode ser útil na avaliação e diagnóstico de possíveis alterações nervosas pós-natal. Semelhante ao encontrado no presente estudo, um trabalho relatou que da quarta semana ao nascimento, a VPS da artéria umbilical (AU) aumentou quase linearmente, com significância elevada. Para as artérias cerebral média, o IP demonstrou diferença estatística significativa entre os valores médios encontrados para os tempos estudados, no entanto, diminuindo ao longo do terço final de gestação

Descrição dos casos hospitalizados pela COVID-19 em profissionais de saúde nas primeiras nove semanas da pandemia, Brasil, 2020

Objective. Describing the COVID-19 hospitalization in health professionals in Brazil. Methods. Serial cases descriptive study; we included the cases with illness between February 21st and April 15th, 2020; registered in Flu Surveillance Information System (SIVEP-Gripe, in Brazilian acronym). Results. From the 184 (1.76%) cases, 110 (59.8%) were female, with a median age of 44 years (min-max: 23-85). Of the 184, 89 (48.4%) are nursing professionals and 50 (27.2%) are doctors. Still, 92 (50.0%) presented comorbidity, with heart disease predominating (n = 37; 40.2%). Of the 112 professionals with a record of evolution, 85 (75.9%) were cured and 27 (24.1%) died, 18 (66.7%) of whom were male. Conclusion. The profile descripted is similar to the population’s in age and comorbidities, but different in relation to sex. The most affected areas were nursing and medicine.Objetivo. Descrever os casos hospitalizados pela COVID-19 em profissionais de saúde no Brasil. Métodos. Estudo descritivo de tipo Série de Casos; foram incluídos aqueles com adoecimento entre 21 de fevereiro e 15 de abril de 2020, registrados no Sistema de Informação de Vigilância da Gripe (SIVEP-Gripe). Resultados. Dos 184 casos, 110 (59,8%) eram do sexo feminino, com mediana de idade de 44 anos (mínima-máxima: 23-85), 89 (48,4%) eram profissionais da enfermagem e 50 (27,2%) médicos. Ainda, 92 (50,0%) apresentavam comorbidade, predominando cardiopatias (n=37; 40,2%). Dos 112 profissionais com registro de evolução, 85 (75,9%) alcançaram cura e 27 (24,1%) foram a óbito, 18 destes do sexo masculino. Conclusão. O perfil dos profissionais de saúde hospitalizados por COVID-19 é semelhante ao da população quanto à idade e comorbidades; porém, diferente quanto ao sexo. As áreas profissionais mais acometidas foram a Enfermagem e a Medicina

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Colorimetric determination of ether amine greases utilized in the flotation of iron ore.

Ether amine greases are commonly used in the flotation of iron ore, and after use are discarded in the tailings dams. The aim of this work was to quantify a commercial ether amine using the bromocresol green dye in chloroform. The statistical data obtained show that the method is characterized by satisfactory accuracy and precision with a detection limit below 1 mg/L. The recovery obtained was 98.53%, in average. In addition, the method presented here provided a recovery of ether amine contained in effluents and solids higher than 98%

Recycling of amines present in the residues from the reverse flotation of iron ore.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo investigar a possibilidade de reutilização de aminas residuais provenientes do processo de flotação de minério de ferro. Os testes de flotação em bancada foram realizados em pH 10,5, tendo o amido como depressor dos óxidos de ferro e as aminas Flotigam EDA 3B e F2835 como coletores para a sílica. Cada rejeito desses ensaios foi submetido à separação sólido/líquido através de filtração a vácuo. O líquido contendo amina residual foi reutilizado em um segundo ensaio de flotação, onde foi investigada a dosagem de reagente novo. Utilizando-se a água contendo amina residual, juntamente com quantidades novas dos coletores, observou-se que há a possibilidade de diminuir o consumo desse reagente em até 50%. Foi realizado também teste de dessorção das aminas contidas em rejeitos sólidos, adicionando-se água ao resíduo em diferentes valores de pH e massa do resíduo. Os resultados revelaram que mais de 95 % da amina adicionada pode ser recuperada.The present work has the objective of investigating the possibility of the reuse of residual amines resulting from the process of reverse flotation of iron ore. Benchscale flotation tests were performed at pH 10.5 with starch as the depressant of iron oxides and the amines Flotigam EDA 3B and F 2835 as silica collectors. Each waste effluent from these trials was submitted to solid/ liquid separation via vacuum filtration. The liquid containing residual amine was reutilized in a second flotation trial where the concentration of the new reagent was determined. Utilizing the water containing the residual amine together with new quantities of collectors, it was observed that it was possible to reduce the consumption of this reagent by as much as 50%. A desorption test of the amines contained in the solid waste was performed by putting different masses of the residual in contact with water of different pH values. The results revealed that more than 95% of the amine added could be recovered