Detection of coronavirus-2 by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in conjunctival swabs from patients with severe form of Coronavirus disease 2019 in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: To test conjunctival swabs from patients with laboratory-confirmed severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). METHODS: Fifty conjunctival swabs were collected from 50 in-patients with laboratory-confirmed severe forms of COVID-19 at the largest teaching hospital and referral center in Brazil (HCFMUSP, São Paulo, SP). The samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 on rRT-PCR with the primers and probes described in the CDC protocol which amplify the region of the nucleocapsid N gene (2019_nCoV_N1 and 2019_nCoV_N2) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and compared with naso/oropharyngeal swabs collected within 24 hours of the conjunctival swabs. RESULTS: Five conjunctival samples (10%) tested positive (amplification of the N1 and N2 primer/probe sets) while two conjunctival samples (4%) yielded inconclusive results (amplification of the N1 primer/probe set only). The naso/oropharyngeal swabs were positive for SARS-CoV-2 on rRT-PCR in 34 patients (68%), negative in 14 (28%) and inconclusive in 2 (4%). The 5 patients with positive conjunctival swabs had positive (n=2), negative (n=2) or inconclusive (n=1) naso/oropharyngeal swabs on rRT-PCR. Patients with negative or inconclusive naso/oropharyngeal swabs had the diagnosis of COVID-19 confirmed by previous positive rRT-PCR results or by serology. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to present conjunctival swab rRT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 in a Brazilian population. In our sample of 50 patients with severe forms of COVID-19, 10% had positive conjunctival swabs, most of which were correlated with positive naso/oropharyngeal rRT-PCR results

Acid Mine Drainage Precipitates at the Nanometric Scale – Properties and Environmental Role

The mineral-water interactions responsible for mobilization of dissolved toxic elements in mine drainage often generate colloids that commonly occur at the nanometric scale. This study presents typical properties of these materials, mostly composed by iron-rich products. The samples were obtained in a variety of contexts, representing mine waters as well as natural acid rock drainage. It concludes by noting the potential influence of the waste and/or the host rocks on the hydrogeochemistry of the systems. Further, the water properties could control the morphology and mineralogy of this very fine material, and consequently its environmental role

Dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy findings in extra-genital hpv16-associated pigmented squamous cell carcinoma in situ

Cutaneous Oncology Department AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente, 211, São Paulo, BrazilPathology Department, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Rua Professor Antonio Prudente, 211, São Paulo, BrazilDepartment of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDermatology Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilDermatology Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Knee alignment with and without implements in leg press and squat exercises: a systematic review

Resistance training has been commonly used as a method of intervention in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries affecting the knee. Thus, the objective of this systematic review was to identify the methods employed with and without implements in leg press and squat exercises for the maintenance of knee alignment. The literature search was performed in the databases: PubMed, SciELO, and Lilacs. We used the descriptors "muscle strength" and "exercise" and their synonyms, available in the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), with the terms "valgus knee" and "varus knee". From the 1,117 articles found, eight studies were considered for the review. The included studies had samples composed of young men and women with advanced levels of training. Despite verifying conditions of valgus or varus knee, the studies presented different protocols and assessment methods. The implements comprised physioball, elastic resistance, and wedge. Electromyography and kinematics were used to assess muscle activity and movement patterns. These results reinforced the possibility of using implements to induce muscle and joint actions to reduce varus and valgus conditions. We suggest more studies to define the best strategies to reduce the excessive deviation of the patella in people who have valgus or varus knee

Sorofrequência de infecção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência felina e vírus da leucemia felina em gatos do município de Araçatuba, São Paulo

Feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia represent important infectious diseases caused by retroviruses. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infection by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in cats from the municipality of Araçatuba, São Paulo. Blood samples from 302 cats were collected and tested for the presence of antibodies against feline immunodeficiency virus and antigen of feline leukemia virus by ELISA ® Snap-Combo FIV-FeLV (IDEXX Laboratories). The frequency of FIV positivity was 5.63% (17/302) and of FeLV was 0.33% (1/302). Of the 17 cats infected with FIV, nine (52.94%) were symptomatic. There was a prevalence of FIV infection in males (p = 0.0316) and cats aged between one and three years (p = 0.0324).A imunodeficiência viral felina e a leucemia viral felina representam importantes doenças infecciosas causadas por retrovírus. O presente estudo teve por objetivos investigar a sorofrequência da infecção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência felina (FIV) e pelo vírus da leucemia felina (FeLV) em gatos provenientes do município de Araçatuba, Estado de São Paulo. Amostras de sangue de 302 gatos foram colhidas e testadas quanto à presença de anticorpos antivírus da imunodeficiência felina e do antígeno do vírus da leucemia felina por meio do ELISA Snap-Combo®FIV-FeLV (IDEXX Laboratories). A frequência de positividade para FIV foi de 5,63% (17/302) e para FeLV de 0,33% (1/302). Dos 17 gatos infectados pelo FIV, nove (52,94%) eram sintomáticos. Houve um predomínio da infecção pelo FIV em machos (p = 0,0316) e em gatos com idade variando entre um e três anos (p = 0,0324)

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and thyroid dysfunction (TD) are the two most common endocrine disorders in clinical practice. The unrecognized TD may adversely affect the metabolic control and add more risk to an already predisposing scenario for cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of TD in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM). METHODS: This is an observational cross-sectional study. Three hundred eighty-six (386) patients with T1DM or T2DM that regularly attended the outpatient clinic of the Diabetes unit, Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, participated in the study. All patients underwent a clinical and laboratory evaluation. Thyroid dysfunction was classified as clinical hypothyroidism (C-Hypo) if TSH > 4.20 μUI/mL and FT4 < 0.93 ng/dL; Subclinical hypothyroidism (SC-Hypo) if TSH > 4.20 μUI/ml and FT4 ranged from 0.93 to 1.7 ng/dL; Subclinical hyperthyroidism (SC-Hyper) if TSH < 0.27 μUI/ml and FT4 in the normal range (0.93 and 1.7 ng/dL) and Clinical hyperthyroidism (C-Hyper) if TSH < 0.27 μUI/ml and FT4 > 1.7 μUI/mL. Autoimmunity were diagnosed when anti-TPO levels were greater than 34 IU/mL. The positive autoimmunity was not considered as a criterion of thyroid dysfunction. RESULTS: The prevalence of TD in all diabetic patients was 14,7%. In patients who had not or denied prior TD the frequency of TD was 13%. The most frequently TD was subclinical hypothyroidism, in 13% of patients with T1DM and in 12% of patients with T2DM. The prevalence of anti-TPO antibodies was 10.8%. Forty-four (11.2%) new cases of TD were diagnosed during the clinical evaluation. The forty-nine patients with prior TD, 50% with T1DM and 76% with T2DM were with normal TSH levels. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that screening for thyroid disease among patients with diabetes mellitus should be routinely performed considering the prevalence of new cases diagnosed and the possible aggravation the classical risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidemia, arising from an undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction

Dermatite atópica em crianças e o papel da microbiota intestinal na fisiopatologia da doença

A dermatite atópica é uma doença crônica de etiologia multifatorial que afeta hoje 15 a 20% das crianças pelo mundo. Por se tratar de uma doença altamente prugirinosa, as manifestações na infância podem afetar fortemente o curso de desenvolvimento da criança e, consequentemente, a sua qualidade de vida e de todos os envolvidos. Assim, surge a necessidade de uma maior atenção sobre as possíveis formas de prevenção, tratamento e, primariamente, à etiologia por trás dos distúrbios cutâneos. Nessa linha, a relação entre a dermatite atópica infantil e a microbiota intestinal vem ganhando força em meio a hipóteses e teorias ainda pouco conhecidas. Considerando a relevância do assunto, o presente estudo tem por objetivo relacionar a dermatite atópica infantil com a atuação na microbiota intestinal e destacar as principais condutas frente à doença. Tratando-se, portanto, de uma revisão integrativa de literatura embasada em 28 artigos científicos e dados epidemiológicos entre 2011 e 2019, mediante busca nas de dados PubMed e Bireme com os descritores: “atopic eczema”, “etiology”, microbiota gastrointestinal, “probiotic supplement”. Dessa forma, foi possível, não só esclarecer a fisiopatologia da doença, como também evidenciar tópicos a serem aprofundados e chamar a atenção da comunidade científica atual

Metaverso no ramo empresarial: visão de futuro e atualidade – revisão bibliográfica

Analisando de forma sucinta e realista, é possível chegar à conclusão de que atualmente os modelos tecnológicos estão tomando forma e espaço nas indústrias e empresas, principalmente devido a maior pandemia na qual a humanidade enfrentou. Devido a essa pandemia os meios de trabalho remoto se ampliaram, e de forma mais tecnológica, sendo assim iniciou-se a implantação de algo que já vinha sendo estudado, o Metaverso (TOLEDO et al., 2022). É justamente nesse cenário de incertezas que a humanidade desafia uma nova fronteira do conhecimento: o advento do Metaverso. Novas tecnologias têm possibilitado a imersão, expansão da aceitação e utilização de mundos virtuais, mais comumente conhecidos como Metaverso. Assim, Metaverso seria “uma rede em grande escala e interoperável de mundos virtuais 3D renderizados em tempo real que podem ser experimentados de forma síncrona e persistente por um número efetivamente ilimitado de usuários” (TIBÚRCIO et al., 2022). A humanidade, desde sempre, constituiu-se de “mundos paralelos”, ou seja, mundos que se formam e se diferenciam pelo desenvolvimento de uma determinada forma de viver e de conviver, no fluir recursivo das ações dos seres vivos, com regras específicas, própria à natureza daquele mundo, construindo uma cultura (SCHLEMMER et al., 2008). É importante ressaltar que esses mundos não são pensados em termos de substituição, mas de coexistência no universo das relações e vivência humana (SCHLEMMER et al., 2008). Sendo assim, o uso das tecnologias imersivas e da web espacial está revolucionando a maneira como as pessoas trabalham levando as empresas para um e reconhecimento maior (BACKES et al., 2022). Assim, objetiva-se com este trabalho realizar uma breve revisão bibliográfica sobre o metaverso no ramo empresarial. Trabalhos como este são vantajosos para demonstrar as aplicações do metaverso para as empresas, pois o ambiente virtual recursos para que o indivíduo se depare com um contexto próximo à realidade, podendo desenvolver suas competências e ações