Predictors of walking capacity in peripheral arterial disease patients

OBJECTIVE: To estimate walking capacity in intermittent claudication patients through a prediction model based on clinical characteristics and the walking impairment questionnaire. METHODS: The sample included 133 intermittent claudication patients of both genders aged between 30 and 80 years. Data regarding clinical characteristics, the walking impairment questionnaire and treadmill walking test performance were obtained. Multiple regression modeling was conducted to predict claudication onset distance and total walking distance using clinical characteristics (age, height, mass, body mass index, ankle brachial index lower, gender, history of smoking and co-morbid conditions) and walking impairment questionnaire responses. Comparisons of claudication onset distance and total walking distance measured during treadmill tests and estimated by a regression equation were performed using paired t-tests. RESULTS: Co-morbid conditions (diabetes and coronary artery disease) and questions related to difficulty in walking short distances (walking indoors - such as around your house and walking 5 blocks) and at low speed (walking 1 block at average speed - usual pace) resulted in the development of new prediction models high significant for claudication onset distance and total walking distance (p0.05) were observed. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that walking capacity can be adequately estimated based on co-morbid conditions and responses to the walking impairment questionnaire

Projeto e desenvolvimento de minibomba perist?ltica usando medi??o de vaz?o, aplicada a biossensores

A minibomba perist?ltica de roletes ? uma boa alternativa para sistemas que requeiram o transporte de fluidos de forma laminar, cont?nua e controlada, como ? o caso do sensoriamento biol?gico baseado na resson?ncia de pl?smons de superf?cie ou SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance). Nesse sentido, este trabalho apresenta o projeto e desenvolvimento de uma minibomba perist?ltica de roletes, acionada por um motor de passo conectado a uma caixa de redu??o mec?nica, associando-os a programa??o de sua estrutura de acionamento, de modo a possibilitar o ajuste dos par?metros do motor para um controle em malha aberta da vaz?o de sa?da para esses sistemas. Foram desenvolvidos projetos de tr?s diferentes atuadores, com 2, 3 e 4 roletes, usando o software Solidworks em pl?stico ABS, bem como atuadores de nylon com as mesmas caracter?sticas. A implementa??o utilizou uma impressora 3D usando pl?stico ABS para a sua prototipagem, e usinagem para os atuadores de nylon. A estrutura da minibomba de roletes possui dimens?es de 100 mil?metros quadrados em sua superf?cie e 55 mm de altura, sendo realizados de forma otimizadas em fun??o da vaz?o volum?trica. Foram realizados testes com ?gua e ?lcool dilu?do em ?gua (?lcool 20%) com os atuadores de pl?stico ABS, a uma rota??o de 10 a 100 RPM, sendo percebido um melhor comportamento da minibomba ? uma de 80 RPM (sendo esta utilizada para ajuste do motor para os tubos de l?tex e de silicone). Com uso do tubo de l?tex, obteve-se uma vaz?o m?xima, para 2 roletes, de 22,5 ml/min com ?gua e 20,5 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do na ?gua (?lcool 20%, sendo esta a propor??o usada para todos os casos), para o atuador com 3 roletes, obteve-se 20,5 ml/min com ?gua e 18,5 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do na ?gua e, para 4 roletes, foi obtido 20,5 ml/min com ?gua e 18,0 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do em ?gua. Uma segunda estrutura foi montada para a obten??o das vaz?es m?ximas para os atuadores usando o tubo de silicone, obtendo uma vaz?o m?xima, para 2 roletes, de 27,5 ml/min com ?gua e 22,0 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do em ?gua, com o atuador de 3 roletes, obteve-se 27,5 ml/min com ?gua e 22,5 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do em ?gua e, para 4 roletes, foi obtido uma vaz?o m?xima de 17,5 ml/min com ?gua e 16,0 ml/min com ?lcool dilu?do em ?gua. Contudo, para uma rota??o superior a 80 RPM, para os dois casos (tubo de l?tex e silicone) n?o foram observadas quaisquer varia??es da vaz?o para nenhum dos prot?tipos. O sistema proposto para mensurar a vaz?o ? composto de um microcontrolador para aquisi??o e processamento dos dados e circuitos de condicionamento do sinal. Na mesma estrutura tamb?m foi desenvolvida uma interface para visualizar e permitir a intera??o com a minibomba no tocante ? indica??o da vaz?o, calibrada em fun??o da rota??o do motor. A interface com o usu?rio ? realizada usando um display tipo LCD e bot?es que permitem indicar a vaz?o desejada. Foram realizados, ainda, testes com a press?o hidrost?tica e sua correla??o com a vaz?o medida. Finalmente, a minibomba perist?ltica de roletes proposta apresenta caracter?sticas dimensionais que possibilitam a portabilidade e um baixo consumo de pot?ncia, pois a fonte utilizada para a alimenta??o da minibomba ? a mesma que alimenta o Arduino, sendo esta uma fonte externa de 12V com uma corrente de 1A, tendo assim uma pot?ncia consumida de 12W

Using the IUCN Red List to map threats to terrestrial vertebrates at global scale

The Anthropocene is characterized by unparalleled human impact on other species, potentially ushering in the sixth mass extinction. Yet mitigation efforts remain hampered by limited information on the spatial patterns and intensity of the threats driving global biodiversity loss. Here we use expert-derived information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List on threats to 23,271 species, representing all terrestrial amphibians, birds and mammals, to generate global maps of the six major threats to these groups: agriculture, hunting and trapping, logging, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Our results show that agriculture and logging are pervasive in the tropics and that hunting and trapping is the most geographically widespread threat to mammals and birds. Additionally, current representations of human pressure underestimate the overall pressure on biodiversity, due to the exclusion of threats such as hunting and climate change. Alarmingly, this is particularly the case in areas of the highest biodiversity importance

Tracking the Origin of a Rabbit Haemorrhagic Virus 2 Outbreak in a Wild Rabbit Breeding Centre in Portugal; Epidemiological and Genetic Investigation

As key prey, the wild rabbit downsize constitutes a major drawback on the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) re-introduction in the Iberia. Several captive breeding units mostly located in Alentejo, endeavour the wild rabbit repopulation of depleted areas assigned for the lynx re-introduction. Here we report an RHDV2 outbreak that occurred in early 2016 in a wild rabbit captive breeding unit located in Barrancos municipality. The estimated mortality rate between March and April 2016 was approximately 8.67%. Anatomopathologic examination was carried out for 13 victimized rabbits. Molecular characterization was based on the complete vp60 capsid gene. The 13 rabbit carcasses investigated showed typical macroscopic RHD lesions testing positive to RHDV2- RNA. Comparison of the vp60 nucleotide sequences obtained from two specimens with others publically available disclosed similarities below 98.22% with RHDV2 strains originated in the Iberia and Azores and revealed that the two identical strains from Barrancos-2016 contain six unique single synonymous nucleotide polymorphisms. In the phylogenetic analysis performed, the Barrancos-2016 strains clustered apart from other known strains, meaning they may represent new evolutionary RHDV2 lineages. No clear epidemiological link could be traced for this outbreak where the mortalities were lower compared with previous years. Yet, network analysis suggested a possible connection between the missing intermediates from which the strains from Barrancos 2013, 2014 and 2016 have derived. It is therefore possible that RHDV2 has circulated endemically in the region since 2012, with periodic epizootic occurrences. Still, six years after its emergence in wild rabbits, RHDV2 continues to pose difficulties to the establishment of natural wild rabbit populations that are crucial for the self-sustainability of the local ecosystems

Operation of a slow rate anaerobic digester treating municipal secondary sludge

This study was designed to evaluate the performance of a slow rate anaerobic digester in treating secondary sewage sludge received from one local municipal wastewater treatment plant. The digester was fed by secondary sewage sludge without any previous thickening. A series of three independent batch experiments was investigated at an operation time of 60 days. The total solids (TS) in the influent sludge contained a percentage of organic matter of 59, 63 and 54%, a concentration of volatile suspended solids (VSS) of 23.7, 29.2 and 27.8 g L-1 and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 51.8, 32.9 and 65.7 g L-1 for the three experiments, respectively. The operation of anaerobic digestion was stable, with no noticeable scum or foaming problems. The COD reduction in each experiment reached 29, 21 and 45% in the sludge and 95, 85 and 82% in the supernatant. The microbial indicators were surveyed by sampling the sludge throughout the digester operation and counting the number of bacteria in the sampled sludge. Counted bacteria included the total culturable, the total and fecal coliform groups, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fecal streptococci. The percentage removal of the indicator bacteria was higher for fecal streptococci (99.9%) than for coliform bacteria (96.3%), which in turn was higher than for P. aeruginosa (95.6%). Parasitological analysis was also performed on multiple sludge samples by determination of protozoa and helminth eggs. Protozoa ( Eimeria and Entamoeba ), helminth eggs ( Ascaris , Trichuris , Toxocara , Hymenolepis ) and mites were detected in the influent sludge, and particularly among the helminth eggs, only Trichuris was detected in the effluent sludge