Accuracy of two methods to detect the presence of halitosis: the volatile sulfur compounds concentration in the mouth air and the information from a close person

This study aimed to analyze the accuracy of two methods for detecting halitosis, the organoleptic assessment by a trained professional (OA) with volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) measurement via Halimeter® (Interscan Corporation) and information obtained from a close person (ICP). Methodolody:Participants were patients and companions who visited a university hospital over one year period to perform digestive endoscopy. A total of 138 participants were included in the VSC test, whose 115 were also included in the ICP test. ROC curves were constructed to establish the best VSC cut-off points. Results:The prevalence of halitosis was 12% (95%CI: 7% to 18%) and 9% (95%CI 3% to 14%) for the OA and ICP, respectively. At the cut-off point >80 parts per billion (ppb) VSC, the prevalence of halitosis was 18% (95%CI: 12% to 25%). At the cut-off point >65 ppb VSC, sensitivity and specificity were 94% and 76%, respectively. At the cut-off point >140 ppb, sensitivity was 47% and specificity 96%. For the ICP, sensitivity was 14% and specificity 92%. Conclusions:VSC presents high sensitivity at the cut-off point of >65 ppb and high specificity at the cut-off point of >140 ppb. ICP had high specificity, but low sensitivity. The OA can express either occasional or chronic bad breath, whereas the ICP can be a potential instrument to detect chronic halitosis

Percepção de jovens LGBT sobre violência em relacionamentos íntimos

A violência entre parceiros íntimos (VPI) tem em sua raiz a desigualdade de gênero e pode ter como consequências desde o isolamento social até suicídios e homicídios. Ela ocorre também em casais não heterossexuais (lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, travestis e transexuais – LGBT. Pouco se conhece sobre VPI entre jovens LGBTs. O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender a percepção de jovens LGBT sobre VPI e seu enfrentamento. A pesquisa teve abordagem qualitativa, realizada por meio de entrevista semiestruturada com 16 jovens LGBT de 18 a 30 anos de duas universidades públicas do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foi feita análise de conteúdo dos dados coletados com o apoio do software webQDA. Os dados foram classificados em quatro categorias: tipificação do que é percebido como VPI, sua magnitude e fatores que a influenciam; desigualdades geradoras de VPI entre pessoas LGBT; LGBTfobia implícita e explícita percebida no ambiente universitário; reconhecimento e enfrentamento da VPI. A VPI com jovens LGBTs nem sempre é percebida pelos envolvidos e a desigualdade de gênero foi frequentemente considerada como motivação à VPI. O ambiente universitário foi visto como mais acolhedor, porém ainda assim existindo LGBTfobia. Amigos são os primeiros a serem buscados para apoio em violência, seguido pelo setor saúde. Conclui-se que jovens LGBTs passam por VPI com o agravante da sobreposição de vitimizações pela homofobia e têm maior dificuldade de obter apoio

Spatial and temporal patterns of infant mortality and its components in Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT Objectives. The study aims to assess the trend of neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality from 1996 to 2020 within the metropolitan region of the state of Rio de Janeiro and other regions. Methods. Ecological study using the region as analysis unity. Data were accessed from the Mortality Information System and Live Birth Information System in the capital Rio de Janeiro, in the neighboring areas of Niterói, São Gonçalo, Baixada Fluminense, and the remaining regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro State. We applied Poisson multilevel modeling, where the models’ response variables were infant mortality and its neonatal and post neonatal components. Fixed effects of the adjusted models were region and death year variables. Results. During the 1996-2020 period, the Baixada Fluminense showed the highest infant mortality rate as to its neonatal and post neonatal components. All adjusted models showed that the more recent the year the lower the mortality risk. Niterói showed the lowest adjusted risk of infant mortality and its neonatal and post neonatal components. Conclusion. Baixada Fluminense showed the highest mortality risk for infant mortality and its neonatal and post-neonatal components in the metropolitan region. The stabilization in mortality rates in recent years was identified by the research

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

The Effect of Continuous Low-Intensity Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Radio Base Stations to Cancer Mortality in Brazil

Background: this study aims to estimate the rate of death by cancer as a result of Radio Base Station (RBS) radiofrequency exposure, especially for breast, cervix, lung, and esophagus cancers. Methods: we collected information on the number of deaths by cancer, gender, age group, gross domestic product per capita, death year, and the amount of exposure over a lifetime. We investigated all cancer types and some specific types (breast, cervix, lung, and esophagus cancers). Results: in capitals where RBS radiofrequency exposure was higher than 2000/antennas-year, the average mortality rate was 112/100,000 for all cancers. The adjusted analysis showed that, the higher the exposure to RBS radiofrequency, the higher cancer mortality was. The highest adjusted risk was observed for cervix cancer (rate ratio = 2.18). The spatial analysis showed that the highest RBS radiofrequency exposure was observed in a city in southern Brazil that also showed the highest mortality rate for all types of cancer and specifically for lung and breast cancer. Conclusion: the balance of our results indicates that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from RBS increases the rate of death for all types of cancer