Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

Deliberação online em consultas públicas? O caso da assembleia legislativa de Minas Gerais

Este artigo busca analisar uma consulta pública online sobre reforma política promovida em 2011 pela Assembleia Legislativa de Minas Gerais. Embasado pela teoria deliberacionista, o estudo de 752 posts guiou-se pela discussão de seis tópicos: (1) inclusividade; (2) provimento de razões; (3) reciprocidade; (4) respeito mútuo; (5) orientação para o bem comum; e (6) articulação entre arenas. Os resultados indicam: (1) uma sobrerepresentação de participantes masculinos e oriundos da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, embora não tenha havido concentração de posts em alguns comentadores; (2) o predomínio de posts on topic e que apresentam justificativas para as posições advogadas; (3) índices muito baixos de reciprocidade entre posts e de uso de marcadores de interatividade; (4) graus muito elevados de respeito; (5) diferentes formas de ligação das justificativas a ideias de bem comum; (6) o baixo impacto decisório e a conexão com outras arenas da esfera pública, destacando-se a relação com uma matéria publicada em jornal de grande circulação. Os achados são ambivalentes para os defensores da deliberação, indicando baixa probabilidade de deliberação interna ao fórum, mas algum potencial deliberativo quando se adotam lentes mais amplas. Os cruzamentos entre variáveis sugerem que as pessoas tendem a prover mais justificativas em discussões mais controversas, embora tendam a dialogar menos nesses casos. Assim, a hipótese da preferência por conversas entre like-minded encontra respaldo nos dados analisados

Effect of terbium(III) chloride on the micellization properties of sodium decyl- and dodecyl-sulfate solutions

The effect of TbCl3 on the aggregation processes of the anionic surfactants sodium decyl sulfate (SDeS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been investigated. Electrical conductivity data, combined with Tb(III) luminescence measurements suggest that the formation of micelles involving TbCl3 and SDS occurs at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the pure surfactants; the formation of these mixed aggregates was also monitored by light scattering, which indicates that the addition of TbCl3 to surfactant concentration at values below the pure surfactant cmc results in a much greater light scattering than that found with pure sodium alkylsulfate surfactant micelles. This phenomenon is dependent upon the alkyl chain length of the surfactant. With Tb(III)/DS-, complexes are formed with a cation/anion binding ratio varying from 3 to 6, which depends upon the initial concentration of Tb(III). This suggests that the majority of the cation hydration water molecules can be exchanged by the anionic surfactant. When the carbon chain length decreases, interactions between surfactant and Tb(III) also decrease, alterations in conductivity and fluorescence data are not so significant and, consequently, no binding ratio can be detected even if existing. The surfactant micellization is dependent on the presence of electrolyte in solution with apparent cmc being lower than the corresponding cmc value of pure SDS.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WHR-4M6RXJ6-1/1/1def21af9db31ec7f144102b9f17a9b

Synchronization of germinal vesicle maturity improves efficacy of in vitro embryo production in Holstein cows

Germinal vesicle oocytes obtained by ovum pick-up (OPU) on a random day are heterogeneous in terms of chromatin maturity, and those with an intermediate degree of chromatin compaction present higher developmental competence. We previously developed a synchronization protocol combining follicle aspiration and FSH treatment capable of increasing the percentage of oocytes with intermediate chromatin compaction (classified as GV2 oocytes; within progressive stages of chromatin compaction ranging from GV0 to GV3) at the time of OPU. In this study, we tested the capacity of a similar protocol to synchronize oocyte chromatin maturity before OPU, as well as to improve the efficacy of in vitro embryo production (IVP) in Holstein cows. In the first experiment, eight non-lactating Holstein cows were subjected to the D5/4FSH, during which all follicles larger than 2 mm were aspirated and a progesterone intravaginal device was inserted on a random day (day 0). Subsequently, four IM injections of FSH (Folltropin; 40/40/20/20 mg) were administered 12h apart on days 2 and 3, and removal of the progesterone device and OPU were performed on day 5. Of the oocytes recovered by OPU, 83.2% were at the GV2 stage. In a second experiment, eighteen non-lactating Holstein cows (Synchro group) were subjected to the D5/4FSH protocol followed by IVM/IVF, and embryo production was compared with that of other seventeen cows submitted to OPU on a random day followed by IVM/IVF (Control group). Blastocyst rate in relation to total oocytes recovered was higher in the Synchro group (37.9%) compared to the Control group (21%; P < 0.05). The percentage of good quality blastocysts morphologically selected for freezing and later transfer in relation to the total number of oocytes recovered tended to be higher in the Synchro group (27.68%) compared to the Control group (14.34%; P = 0.1). These data suggest that synchronization protocols increasing the percentage of GV2 oocytes in the population subjected to IVM/IVF can improve the efficacy of embryo in vitro production in cattle