Effects of a novel calcium aluminate cement on the early events of the progression of osteogenic cell cultures

The present study evaluated the progression of osteogenic cell cultures exposed to a novel calcium aluminate cement (CAC+) in comparison with the gold standard mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Cells were enzimatically isolated from newborn rat calvarial bone, plated on glass coverslips containing either CAC+ or a control MTA samples in the center, and grown under standard osteogenic conditions. Over the 10-day culture period, roundening of sample edges was clearly noticed only for MTA group. Although both cements supported osteogenic cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation, CAC+-exposed cultures showed significantly higher values in terms of total cell number at days 3 and 7, and total protein content and alkaline phosphatase activity at day 10. The present in vitro results indicate that the exposure to CAC+ supports a higher differentiation of osteogenic cells compared with the ones exposed to MTA. Further experimental studies should consider CAC+ as a potential alternative to MTA when the repair of mineralized tissues is one of the desired outcomes in endodontic therapy.O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a progressão de cultura de células osteogênicas expostas a um novo cimento de aluminato de cálcio (CAC+) em comparação ao agregado de trióxido mineral (MTA). As células foram obtidas por digestão enzimática de calvária de ratos recém-nascidos, plaqueadas sobre lamínulas de vidro contendo em sua área central discos de CAC+ ou MTA e crescidas em condições osteogênicas por até 10 dias. Durante a cultura primária, observou-se o arredondamento das bordas das amostras de cimento apenas para MTA. Embora ambos os cimentos tenham permitido a adesão, o espraiamento e a proliferação celulares, as culturas crescidas em contato com CAC+ exibiram valores maiores de número total de células em 3 e 7 dias, e de conteúdo de proteína total e atividade de fosfatase alcalina em 10 dias. Os resultados indicam que a exposição ao CAC+ permite o desenvolvimento de uma proporção maior de células em estágios mais avançados da diferenciação osteoblástica, quando comparado ao MTA. Deve-se considerar em futuros estudos experimentais a utilização do CAC+ como um material alternativo ao MTA especialmente quando um dos objetivos do tratamento endodôntico é o de reparação dos tecidos mineralizados da região periapical.(FAPESP) São Paulo Research Foundation(CNPq) National Council of Scientific and Technological Developmen

Management effectiveness of Nature Conservation Units in southern Brazil

The implementation of protected areas, in particular, nature Conservation Units (CUs), is a conservation strategy recognised worldwide. However, these territories require efficient management to achieve their conservation goals. When the management of CUs is deficient, it results in damage to their own goals, affecting biodiversity and ecological processes, as well as causing social and economic impacts. In this context, we evaluated the management effectiveness of 11 integral Conservation Units of nature in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, through interviews, visits to these CUs and a review of their official documents. For this analysis, we used the adapted method of Effectiveness of Management of Protected Areas (EMAP), which was analysed using a Likert scale with five levels, eight scopes, 73 indicators and 65 evaluation scenarios. Ninety-one percent of the CUs assessed in southern Brazil by the EMAP method oscillated from average to very unsatisfactory efficacy and low management effectiveness: 18% of the CUs had a very unsatisfactory quality of management, 37% unsatisfactory, 36% average and only 9% high or satisfactory. Moreover, the CUs did not fulfil the main objectives for which they were created. In this context, we recommended a series of actions to be applied for CU improvement, such as the adoption of a quali-quantitative evaluation model for the units, through a mathematical model; increase in staff; training teams and managers; improvement of CU infrastructure and inputs; regular budget allocation; land regularisation, implementation of consultative councils and urgent review of management plans

Is the combination of depression symptoms and multimorbidity associated with the increase of the prevalence of functional disabilities in Brazilian older adults? A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Functional disabilities are more prevalent in older adults with multimorbidity and depression. However, few studies have investigated the combination of multimorbidity and depression with functional disability. This study aims to verify whether symptoms of depression and multimorbidity combined increase the prevalence of functional disability in Brazilian older adults. / Material and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) baseline examination in 2015-2016 in adults aged 50 years and older. The variables included were basic (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), depressive symptoms, multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases), sociodemographic variables, and lifestyle. Logistic regression was performed to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios. / Results: A total of 7,842 participants over 50 years of age were included. Of these, 53.5% were women and 50.5% were between 50 and 59 years old, 33.5% reported ≥4 depressive symptoms, 51.4% had multimorbidity, 13.5% reported difficulty in performing at least one BADL, and 45.1% reported difficulty in performing the IADL. In the adjusted analysis, the prevalence of difficulty on BADL was 6.52 (95% CI: 5.14; 8.27) and on IADL was 2.34 (95% CI: 2.15; 2.55), higher for those with depression and multimorbidity combined when compared with those without these conditions. / Conclusion: The combination of symptoms of depression and multimorbidity may increase functional impairments in the BADL and IADL of Brazilian older adults, impairing self-efficacy, independence, and autonomy. Early detection of these factors benefits the person, their family, and the healthcare system for health promotion and disease prevention

Revisão sobre o fenômeno da hibridização em cetáceos e pinípedes

The hybridism is the result of mating between two individuals from different and reproductively isolated gene pools accepted as species that usually generate infertile offspring. The evolutionary consequences of this phenomenon vary depending on the mating system, hybrid’s frequency, the degree of reproductive isolation and the genetic differences between the parental species as well as their speciation process. Hybrids have been recorded frequently in aquatic and terrestrial mammals, both in nature and captivity. We review studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1940 and 2010, in which hybrid cases were reported for cetaceans and pinnipeds. We found 37 scientific papers recording 1,201 hybrids: 57 in cetaceans (nature = 27; captivity = 30) and 1,144 in pinnipeds (nature = 1,137; captivity = 7). A possible explanation for this phenomenon in the wild could be the close phylogenetic relatedness between parental species and also the potential absence of conspecific breeding partners. This last factor could be a result of population decline due to commercial exploitation occurred in the past. This fact is valid for pinnipeds, but especially true for blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus. It is important to note that about 99% of pinniped hybrids were reported in sympatric breeding colonies along the subantarctic islands, which facilitate the hybridization. Outbreeding depression followed by loss of genetic variability and reduction of evolutionary potential and consequently increasing the risk of extinction are the most important results of the hybridism.Key words: aquatic mammals, Cetartiodactyla, Carnivora, hybrids, outbreeding depression, conservation threats.O hibridismo é resultado do cruzamento entre indivíduos com conjuntos gênicos diferentes e isolados considerados como espécies que geram prole, frequentemente, infértil. As consequências evolutivas desse fenômeno dependem da aptidão, frequência de ocorrência do híbrido, mecanismos de isolamento reprodutivo e processos de especiação que envolvem as espécies parentais. Nos mamíferos, híbridos têm sido registrados em espécies aquáticas e terrestres, ocorrendo frequentemente em cativeiro e na natureza. Nesse sentido, esta revisão bibliográfica teve como objetivo verificar os casos de híbridos ocorridos em cetáceos e pinípedes publicados na literatura científica entre 1940 e 2010. Ao todo, foram encontrados 1.201 híbridos formalmente reportados em 37 publicações. Para os cetáceos, foram registrados 57 híbridos (natureza = 27; cativeiro = 30) e para os pinípedes, 1.144 híbridos (natureza = 1.137; cativeiro = 7). Uma possível explicação para esse fenômeno em vida livre seria a proximidade filogenética e a potencial falta de parceiros reprodutivos nas espécies que tiveram suas populações reduzidas devido à caça comercial ocorrida no passado. Esse fato é válido para os pinípedes, mas especialmente verdadeiro para a baleia-azul, Balaenoptera musculus. No caso dos pinípedes, também é importante ressaltar que cerca de 99% dos híbridos ocorreram nas ilhas subantárticas e em colônias reprodutivas simpátricas, o que facilitaria a hibridização. Como resultado deste fenômeno pode-se mencionar a potencial depressão por exocruzamento, fato que pode levar à perda de variabilidade genética, diminuição do potencial evolutivo e aumento no risco de extinção.Palavras-chave: mamíferos aquáticos, Cetartiodactyla, Carnivora, híbridos, depressão por exocruzamento, ameaça à conservação

Psychological Complaints at Psychological Emergency Service Associated with Referral to Extended Screening in a Psychology School Clinic

The Psychological Emergency Service (PES) at psychology school clinics is an unscheduled and free psychological service to meet urgent demands. From this service, some patients whose complaints require more time for clinical work are referred to the Extended Screening (ES), a modality composed of six extra appointments. This study aims to analyze the sociodemographic profile of patients seen on PES in a Brazilian Psychology School Clinic, and to identify the demands that motivated referral to the ES, for better qualification of the care offered. This is a descriptive analysis research, carried out based on data from the medical records of 46 patients who went through the PES and were referred to the ES at the institution, between the years 2019 and 2021. Sociodemographic data were collected and, from the session reports, a content analysis of the thematic analysis modality was performed to identify the complaints. The participants’ age ranged from 18 to 65 years, with a mean of 32.28 years (sd = 10.95). There was a predominance of female participants (71.74%), that completed High School (39.14%) and had an income from one to two Brazilian minimum wages (32.61%). The most frequent complaints were depressive symptoms (56.52%) and difficulties in interpersonal relationships (32.61%). The results obtained, besides allowing the survey of the social and demographic profile of the clientele of the PES at the Psychology School Clinic, and demonstrating its social relevance by providing free psychological care, also show to be of great importance for the definition of more accurate criteria for referral to the ES of patients seen on PES

Violência conjugal: um fenômeno interacional

Conjugal violence is one of the most relevant phenomena in family psychotherapy and in public health in general because, besides the physical and psychological damages it brings, both in partners and the children that live with it directly or indirectly, it needs to be addressed by a multitude of actions to be prevented and treated. This article advances a critical review of the literature about the concepts of gender violence, violence against women and conjugal violence. Firstly, a panorama of the gravity of this phenomenon is drawn, emphasizing the historical and transgenerational character of intrafamily violence. We discuss the risk factors involved in this type of violence. We also describe the results of research that identify the profile of those involved in family violence and the characteristics of the links they have in the contexts where they are inserted. Secondly, we detail the perspectives of different authors in order to understand violence that occurs between members of a couple, characterizing it as preponderantly unidirectional (with victims and abusers well-established in a context of asymmetric violence) or as a relational phenomenon (part of the interactional pattern of a couple). Here we point to the systemic approach as a theoretical perspective to be used to understand this phenomenon. Eventually, we advance a reflection upon the possibilities of preventive and therapeutic action of family therapists and health professionals towards conjugal violence as a way of minimizing the damages brought by it and of promoting healthier conjugal links. Key words: gender violence, violence against women, conjugal violence.A violência conjugal é um dos fenômenos de maior relevância no âmbito da psicoterapia familiar e da saúde pública em geral, pois, além dos danos físicos e psicológicos que ocasiona, tanto nos parceiros como nos filhos que convivem com as agressões no cotidiano da família, necessita de um grande número de ações articuladas para a prevenção e tratamento. Este artigo se propõe a realizar uma revisão crítica da literatura acerca dos conceitos de violência conjugal, violência de gênero e violência contra a mulher. Em primeiro lugar, apresenta-se um panorama sobre a gravidade do fenômeno para os vínculos familiares e sociais, destacando-se o caráter histórico e transgeracional da violência intrafamiliar. São discutidos os fatores de risco envolvidos na ocorrência deste tipo de violência, bem como os resultados de pesquisas que identificam o perfil das pessoas envolvidas e as características dos vínculos que possuem e do contexto em que estão inseridas. Em seguida, detalham-se as perspectivas adotadas por diferentes autores na compreensão da violência que ocorre entre os membros do casal, situando-a, preponderantemente, como unidirecional (com vítimas e culpados bem estabelecidos em um contexto de violência assimétrica) ou como um fenômeno relacional (característico do padrão de interação conjugal). Posteriormente, evidencia-se a abordagem sistêmica como a perspectiva teórica utilizada para a compreensão do fenômeno. Por fim, propõe-se uma reflexão sobre as possibilidades de atuação, preventiva e terapêutica, de psicólogos, terapeutas familiares e profissionais da saúde face à violência conjugal, como forma de minimizar os danos causados e de promover vínculos conjugais mais saudáveis. Palavras-chave: violência de gênero, violência contra mulher, violência conjugal

Wind farm bat fatalities in southern Brazil: temporal patterns and influence of environmental factors

Energy demand created by the present model of economic growth has transformed the natural land scape. Changes in megadiverse environments should be accompanied by studies that describe and predict the effects of these changes on ecosystems, underpinning the avoidance or at least the re duction of impacts and species conservation. Wind farm impacts on bats are scarcely known in Brazil. To fulfill this gap on spatiotemporal patterns in bat fatalities in a wind complex in southern Brazil were analysed. Monthly surveys were done around 129 wind towers in search for bat car casses between 2014 and 2018. The number of specimens found per species was analysed in annual sets and also seasonally to understand the influence of land use in the spatial pattern of bat fatalit ies. The activity of aerial insectivore bats was monitored using ultrasound detectors and modelled using Generalized Linear Models (GLM), using meteorological variables as predictors. As a result of 48 months of surveys, 266 carcasses of six insectivorous bat species were recorded. The highest number of fatalities belonged to Tadarida brasiliensis. Fatalities occurred exclusively between Oc tober and May (Austral Spring to Austral Autumn), mainly in towers near the closest urban centre. Most fatalities occurred in the first (69%) and fourth (17%) years of operation; fatalities were pos itively related to wind speed. Eighty-three percent of the bat activity occurred between 15 ◦C and 23 ◦C. To minimize fatalities of synanthropic bat species such as T. brasiliensis, we suggest that wind complexes should be located at least 4 km distant from the urban centres, where those species roost. Moreover, between December and March, when most species from subtropical and temper ate South America reproduce, wind towers located closer to known roosts should shut down on warmer nights, when bats are more active

STABLE ISOTOPES ANALYSIS ON BALEEN WHALES (SUBORDER: MYSTICETI): A REVIEW UNTIL 2017

ABSTRACTStable Isotope Analysis (SIA) has provided information on ocean productivity, and ecological aspects related to whales’ habitat use and feeding ecology, stock structure, physiology, and evolution. We reviewed published studies using SIA on whales worldwide from November 1979 to June 2017. Gaps in geographical areas and heterogeneity amongst species studied using this methodology wereassessed. We also investigated which tissue was most frequently analysed, sources of variation in stable isotope values, how this methodology has been combined with other techniques, and how it can be useful for the conservation of the taxon and marine ecosystems. A total of 63 publications were found, and it was possible to detect a general increase in the number of publications along time, as 49% of the studies were from the last 7.5 years of the period analyzed. Almost 55% of studies focused on foraging ecology and habitat use. The baleen plate was the main tissue analyzed. Studies were related to 14 species, the most common being the fi n whale, Balaenoptera physalus (N=19) and the bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus (N=18). Telemetry and SIA methodologies combined were helpful to understand geographical variations in stable isotope values. The methodology can also be valuable under the current scenario of climate change, for example providing information on feeding plasticity and changes in niche amplitude of diff erent species. Despite uncertainties related with stable isotopes distribution in the ocean, and with its incorporation rates for whales, for example, SIA provides primordial ecological information for effi cient management and conservation of this group. RESUMOA análise de isótopos estáveis (AIE) fornece informações sobre a produtividade do oceano e aspectos ecológicos de baleias relacionados ao uso do habitat e ecologia alimentar, estrutura de estoque, fi siologia e evolução. Foram revisados estudos publicados usando a AIE em baleias em todo o mundo entre novembro de 1979 e junho de 2017. Foram avaliadas lacunas nas áreas geográfi cas eheterogeneidade entre as espécies estudadas usando essa metodologia. Também investigamos quais tecidos foram mais utilizados para análise, as fontes de variação em valores de isótopos estáveis, a combinação desta metodologia com outras técnicas e como pode ser útil para a conservação deste táxon e dos ecossistemas marinhos. Um total de 63 publicações foi encontrado e foi possível detectar aumento no número de publicações, uma vez que 49% dos estudos foram realizados nos últimos 7 anos e meio do período analisado. Quase 55% dos estudos concentraram-se na ecologia de forrageio e no uso do habitat. As cerdas bucais foram o principal tecido analisado. Os estudos investigaram14 espécies, sendo mais comuns aqueles relacionados a baleia-fi n, Balaenoptera physalus (N=19) e a baleia-da-Groenlândia, Balaena mysticetus (N=18). As metodologias de telemetria e AIE combinadas foram úteis para entender as variações geográfi cas em valores de isótopos estáveis. Ametodologia pode também ter valor no cenário de mudanças climáticas fornecendo informações sobre plasticidade alimentar e amplitude de nicho de diferentes espécies, por exemplo. Apesar das incertezas relacionadas à distribuição dos valores de isótopos estáveis no mar e às taxas deincorporação em baleias, por exemplo, a AIE fornece informações ecológicas primordiais para o manejo e conservação desse grupo.Palavras-chave: Balaenopteridae; Balaenidae; Análise de isótopos estáveis; Ecologia da conservação.