Effect of Acyl Chain Length on Hydrophobized Cashew Gum Self-Assembling Nanoparticles: Colloidal Properties and Amphotericin B Delivery

Given its many potential applications, cashew gum hydrophobic derivatives have gained increasing attraction in recent years. We report here the effect of acyl chain length on hydrophobized cashew gum derivatives, using acetic, propionic, and butyric anhydrides on self-assembly nanoparticle properties and amphotericin B delivery. Nanoparticles with unimodal particle size distribution, highly negative zeta potential, and low PDI were produced. Butyrate cashew gum nanoparticles presented smaller size (<~100 nm) than acetylated and propionate cashew gum nanoparticles and no cytotoxicity in murine fibroblast cells was observed up to 100 µg/mL for loaded and unloaded nanoparticles. As a proof of concept of the potential use of the developed nanoparticle as a drug carrier formulation, amphotericin B (AmB) was encapsulated and fully characterized in their physicochemical, AmB association and release, stability, and biological aspects. They exhibited average hydrodynamic diameter lower than ~200 nm, high AmB efficiency encapsulations (up to 94.9%), and controlled release. A decrease in AmB release with the increasing of the anhydride chain length was observed, which explains the differences in antifungal activity against Candida albicans strains. An excellent storage colloidal stability was observed for unloaded and loaded AmB without use of surfactant. Considering the AmB delivery, the acyl derivative with low chain length is shown to be the best one, as it has high drug loading and AmB release, as well as low minimum inhibitory concentration against Candida albicans strains

The Missing Part of Seed Dispersal Networks: Structure and Robustness of Bat-Fruit Interactions

Mutualistic networks are crucial to the maintenance of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, what we know about seed dispersal networks is based only on bird-fruit interactions. Therefore, we aimed at filling part of this gap by investigating bat-fruit networks. It is known from population studies that: (i) some bat species depend more on fruits than others, and (ii) that some specialized frugivorous bats prefer particular plant genera. We tested whether those preferences affected the structure and robustness of the whole network and the functional roles of species. Nine bat-fruit datasets from the literature were analyzed and all networks showed lower complementary specialization (H2' = 0.37±0.10, mean ± SD) and similar nestedness (NODF = 0.56±0.12) than pollination networks. All networks were modular (M = 0.32±0.07), and had on average four cohesive subgroups (modules) of tightly connected bats and plants. The composition of those modules followed the genus-genus associations observed at population level (Artibeus-Ficus, Carollia-Piper, and Sturnira-Solanum), although a few of those plant genera were dispersed also by other bats. Bat-fruit networks showed high robustness to simulated cumulative removals of both bats (R = 0.55±0.10) and plants (R = 0.68±0.09). Primary frugivores interacted with a larger proportion of the plants available and also occupied more central positions; furthermore, their extinction caused larger changes in network structure. We conclude that bat-fruit networks are highly cohesive and robust mutualistic systems, in which redundancy is high within modules, although modules are complementary to each other. Dietary specialization seems to be an important structuring factor that affects the topology, the guild structure and functional roles in bat-fruit networks

Atitudes profissionais para cultura de segurança do paciente em unidade de transplante de medula óssea

Objetivo: Identifi car as atitudes dos profissionais da saúde que evidenciem a cultura de segurança do paciente em unidade de Transplante de Medula Óssea.Métodos: Estudo quantitativo, survey transversal, realizado em unidade de Transplante de Medula Óssea de Santa Catarina/Brasil. Aplicado Questionário de Atitudes de Segurança com 33 profissionais, em agosto e setembo de 2013. Avaliadas 37 atitudes contempladas entre as seis dimensões que avaliam a cultura de segurança do paciente. Utilizou-se a estatística descritiva e inferencial, com realização dos testes Anova e Kruskall-Wallis, sendo considerado significativo p-valor igual ou menor 0,05.Resultados: As atitudes referentes a dimensão “satisfação no trabalho” se mostraram positivas para a cultura de segurança do paciente, sendo que houve diferença significava entre os profissionais nesta dimensão (p-valor de 0,05). As demais dimensões não foram avaliadas positivamente.Conclusão: É necessário fortalecer as atitudes dos profissionais para a cultura de segurança do paciente na unidade investigada.Palavras-chave: Cultura organizacional. Segurança do paciente. Transplante de medula óssea

Estado nutricional de gestantes avaliado por três diferentes métodos de classificação antropométrica Nutritional status of pregnant women according to three different anthropometric classification methods

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o estado nutricional de gestantes por três diferentes métodos. MÉTODOS: Estudo de corte transversal, realizado entre janeiro e junho de 2006, com 992 gestantes de um serviço público. O estado nutricional foi classificado por diferentes métodos de avaliação: nomograma de Rosso, método de Atalah e gestograma do Centro Latino Americano de Perinatologia. Os resultados foram comparados com o estado nutricional de mulheres não gestantes em idade reprodutiva da Região Nordeste e do Brasil. As diferenças foram analisadas pelo teste qui-quadrado de bondade de ajuste, adotando-se o nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: O baixo peso gravídico avaliado pelo nomograma de Rosso foi a condição que mais contribuiu para a diferença encontrada (p<0,001). Pelo método de Atalah, as diferenças extremas também foram observadas nas prevalências de baixo peso gravídico tanto no grupo de mulheres da Região Nordeste quanto do Brasil. Em relação ao gestograma do Centro Latino Americano de Perinatologia, os maiores diferenciais de prevalência também ocorreram na condição de baixo peso: 18% versus 7,4% para a Região Nordeste e 18% versus 6,7% para o Brasil, embora tenha sido o método de avaliação que mais se aproximou dos resultados da população de comparação. CONCLUSÃO: A distribuição do estado nutricional, avaliado pelos três métodos, foi diferente da distribuição nutricional da população de não gestantes tanto em nível regional quanto em nível nacional, particularmente o Nomograma de Rosso, demonstrando utilidade limitada desses instrumentos. A avaliação pelo Centro Latino Americano de Perinatologia é a que menos se distancia da situação encontrada para não gestantes.<br>OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the nutritional status of pregnant women by three different methods. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted between January and June 2006 with 992 pregnant women attending a public prenatal care facility. Nutritional status was classified according to different assessment methods (Rosso nomogram, Atalah method and the Latin American Center for Perinatology gestogram). The results were compared with the nutritional status of nonpregnant women in childbearing age in the Brazilian Northeast and all of Brazil. The differences were analyzed by the chi-square goodness of fit test, with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: Low weight of pregnant women according to the Rosso nomogram was the condition that most contributed to the difference (p<0.001). According to the Atalah method, extreme differences were also observed in the prevalences of underweight pregnant women both in the Northeast and in all of Brazil. In relation to the gestogram of the Perinatology Latin American Center, the greatest prevalence differences also occurred among the underweight: 18% versus 7.4% for the Northeast Region and 18% versus 6.7% for Brazil, although this was the assessment method that came closest to the results of the population being compared. CONCLUSION: Nutritional status distribution of pregnant women, assessed by three methods, was different from the nutritional status distribution of the nonpregnant population, both regionally and domestically, especially according to Rosso's nomogram, demonstrating the limited use of these instruments. Assessment by the Perinatology Latin American Center comes closest to the nutritional status distribution of nonpregnant women

Fisioterapia e saúde coletiva: desafios e novas responsabilidades profissionais Physiotherapy and collective health: challenges and new professional responsibilities

O fisioterapeuta vem destinando sua atenção, quase que exclusivamente, à cura de doentes e à reabilitação de sequelados. No entanto, o novo perfil epidemiológico e a nova lógica de organização do sistema de saúde sugerem a reestruturação das práticas profissionais e a redefinição do campo de atuação do fisioterapeuta. Neste sentido, esse artigo tem por objetivo discutir a reorientação do campo de atuação profissional da fisioterapia e novas possibilidades de atuação no SUS. Inicialmente, realiza-se um debate sobre as transições demográfica, nutricional e epidemiológica e as novas demandas profissionais diante dos novos modelos assistenciais. Tomando como referência o modelo de Vigilância em Saúde e a atenção básica como eixo de reestruturação do sistema de saúde, evidencia-se a necessidade de superação da reabilitação como único nível de atuação profissional e apresenta-se o modelo da fisioterapia coletiva como instrumento para reorientação da atuação do fisioterapeuta. Por fim, apresentam-se algumas possibilidades de atuação do fisioterapeuta na atenção básica e no âmbito coletivo.<br>The physiotherapist is destining its attention almost exclusively on the cure of patients and their rehabilitation. However, the new epidemic profile and the new logic of organization of the health system suggest the restructuring of this professional practices and the re-definition of the field of the physiotherapist's performance. In this sense, this article aims to discuss the reorientation of the field of the physiotherapy professional performance and the new possibilities of acting at the Unified Health System (SUS). The article starts with a debate about the demographic, epidemiological and nutrition transitions and the new professional demands before the new attendance models. Taking as reference the model of health surveillance and the primary attention as a restructuring axis of the health system, it is highlighted the overcome of the rehabilitation as only level of professional performance and showed the collective model of the physiotherapy as an instrument of reorientation of the physiotherapist's performance. Finally, it is presented some possibilities of the physiotherapist's performance in the basic attention and in the collective ambit