Evaluation of patients' discomfort regarding regional anesthesia: 8AP6‐7

Background and Goal of Study: Regional anesthesia may cause physical and psychological discomfort. 50% of patients scheduled for urologic procedures undergo regional anesthesia, and their comfort represents a concern to the anesthesiologist. This study aims to: 1. identify factors related to patients’ discomfort regarding regional anesthesia(position for anesthesia and surgery procedures, puncture site pain, room temperature, audio-visual perception, sensitive/motor blockade); 2. Evaluate patients’ satisfaction with anesthesia. Materials and Methods: Af ter approval from the Hospital Ethics Committee all patients over 18years old, scheduled for urologic surgery, understanding Portuguese and anesthetized with spinal anesthesia were included. Patients in day case surgery or with incomplete medical records were excluded. We performed a questionnaire(with closed ended questions) in the first 24 hours af ter surgery and consulted anesthesia records. We asked yes or no questions, used a 1-10 scale to evaluate pain and a 1-4 scale to evaluate satisfaction. Because there isn’t a valid questionnaire in the literature to evaluate what we aimed to, we created one based on multiple articles1,2. Results and Discussion: 50patients were included; mean age 65 years old (min.32, max.89); 78% males and 70% ASAII. 75%denied discomfort during positioning for back puncture and 58% referred cold during anesthesia or surgery. One person was uncomfortable in the surgical position and no one considered being awake uncomfortable; sensitive/motor blockade was uncomfortable for 22%. Spinal was more painful than the venous puncture for32%; for 50%venous puncture was more painful and for 18%pain was similar. Patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the anesthetic technique and would choose the same technique in the future in 98% of cases. Conclusion: Although this questionnaire is not validated, it allowed us to understand that cold during anesthesia/surgery is a problem for most patients but this is easily solved. It also showed us that most patients are not uncomfortable with positioning during procedures, being awake and not feeling the legs.Interestingly only about one third of the patients thought that the back puncture was more painful than the venous puncture. In general we consider spinal anesthesia a good choice for these patients and we are satisfied that patients don’t find it uncomfortable and are also satisfie

Estudo da antecipação do guarda-redes de andebol a remates de 1ª linha com oposição

Com este estudo pretendeu-se analisar os momentos em que o guardaredes de andebol antecipa os remates de 1ª linha, verificar a eficácia de acertos desta antecipação, identificar os indicadores utilizados pelo guardaredes para antecipar o remate e verificar se a interação com o defensor influencia a sua ação. Participaram 4 guarda-redes (25,5±1anos de idade e 14,5±3,1 anos de prática). Foram recolhidos 50 filmes de vídeo de remates de 1ª linha permitindo uma visualização dos movimentos de remate igual ao do guarda-redes. Cada guarda-redes observou as sequências de vídeo, com paragem de imagem aos 120ms, 80ms, 40ms e 0s antes da saída da bola da mão do rematador. Conclui-se que a oposição defensiva aos remates não influenciou decisivamente a capacidade do guarda-redes os conseguir antecipar acertadamente.This study aimed to analyze the times when the goalkeeper handball anticipates the shots from the 1st line, verify the effectiveness of hits this early, identify the indicators used by the goalkeeper to anticipate the shot and see if the interaction with the defender influences their action. Participated in four goalkeepers (25.5 ± 1anos of age and 14.5 ± 3.1 years of practice). We collected 50 movies video shots 1st line allowing a visualization of movements like the shot of the goalkeeper. Each goalkeeper watched the video sequences, stopping image to 120ms, 80ms, 40ms and 0s before the ball out of the hand of the shooter. It is concluded that the opposition to the defense does not trim decisively influenced the ability of the goalkeeper can anticipate correctly

Separation of nadolol stereoisomers by liquid chromatography : screening of the mobile phase composition

The screening of the most convenient mobile phase composition is presented for the chiral separation of the four stereoisomers of the beta-blocker drug nadolol. When the final goal is the preparative chiral separation, this selection is critical, since solubility, selectivity and retention are all parameters very sensitive with mobile phase composition. Experimental results will show that the best mobile phase composition is, generally, very different if we consider an analytical or a preparative separation point of view

Correspondence: The One Health concept applied to dirofilariasis-a zoonotic disease

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Monitorização electrocardiográfica ambulatória na distrofia miotónica do Tipo 1

A distrofia miotónica é uma doença multissistémica, sendo o envolvimento do coração a segunda causa de morte destes doentes. O atingimento do tecido de condução cardíaco é o mais frequente, caracteristicamente de forma variavelmente progressiva e assintomática. Uma vigilância especial nestes doentes, através da monitorização electrocardiográfica, torna-se então necessária, sendo a sua periodicidade desconhecida. Foi nosso objectivo avaliar as alterações “de novo” no Holter realizado aos oito meses de seguimento de um grupo de 36 doentes previamente estudados com o diagnóstico genético de distrofia miotónica do tipo 1 e correlacioná-las com dados genéticos, neurológicos, electrocardiográficos e factores de risco para eventos cardíacos. Encontramos elevada prevalência e variedade de alterações no Holter basal e de seguimento, sendo que em 11 doentes estas justificaram a implantação de pacemaker permanente. Em oito doentes estas não foram documentadas em Holter prévio. Sugerimos, com base nos nossos achados, que a monitorização por Holter nos doentes com distrofia miotónica deve ser feita em intervalos regulares, não superiores a 6 meses. Não foram encontrados parâmetros preditores para a ocorrência destas alterações.Myotonic dystrophy is a multisystemic disease, in which cardiac involvement is the second most common cause of death. Cardiac conduction tissue involvement is the most frequent, characteristically in a variably progressive and asymptomatic form. Careful surveillance through ambulatory monitoring is therefore needed, but with unknown periodicity. Our aim was to evaluate de novo changes on Holter monitoring performed at eight-month follow-up of a previously studied group of 36 patients with the genetic diagnosis of type 1 myotonic dystrophy, and to correlate them with genetic, neurological, and electrocardiographic data and risk factors for cardiac events. We found a high prevalence and variety of changes between baseline and follow-up Holter that justified permanent pacemaker implantation in 11 patients. In eight these were not documented in previous Holter readings. On the basis of our findings, we suggest that Holter monitoring in type 1 myotonic dystrophy patients should be performed on a regular basis, at intervals not greater than six months. Predictive parameters for the occurrence of these changes were not found

Monte Carlo Simulations for the Slow Relaxations of Crumpled Surfaces

In this paper we study crumpled surfaces through Monte Carlo Simulations. The crumpled surface is represented by a cluster of spins pointing up and spins pointing down represent the air both inside and around the surface. We follow the time dynamics of this fractal structure and we have shown that it presents a stretched exponential behaviour

Identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes involved in the resistance to multiple stresses during Very-High-Gravity and lignocellulosic biomass industrial fermentations

Most of the current processes for bioethanol production are based on the use of Very-High-Gravity (VHG) technology and the processing of lignocellulosic biomass, limited by the high osmotic pressure and ethanol concentration in the fermentation medium, and by inhibitors resulting from biomass pre-treatments, respectively. Aiming the optimization of strains for industrial bioethanol production an integrated approach was undertaken to identify genes required for simultaneous yeast resistance to different fermentation-related stresses. The integration of previous chemogenomics data was used to identify eight genes whose expression confers simultaneous resistance to high concentrations of glucose, acetic acid and ethanol, chemical stresses relevant for VHG fermentations; and eleven genes conferring simultaneous resistance to different inhibitors present during lignocellulosic fermentations. The expression of BUD31 and HPR1 lead to the increase of both ethanol yield and fermentation rate, while PHO85, VRP1 and YGL024w expression is required for maximal ethanol production in VHG fermentations. Five genes, ERG2, PRS3, RAV1, RPB4 and VMA8 were found to contribute to the maintenance of cell viability in wheat straw hydrolysate and/or for maximal fermentation rate of this substrate [1]. Moreover, the yeast disruptome was screened for strains with increased susceptibility to inhibitory compounds present in an industrial lignocellulosic hydrolysate obtained from wheat straw. With this genome-wide analysis, 42 determinants of resistance to inhibitors were identified showing a high susceptibility phenotype compared to the parental strain. The identified genes stand as preferential targets for genetic engineering manipulation to generate more robust and efficient industrial strains

De Novo Assembly of the Dirofilaria immitis Genome by Long-Read Nanopore-Based Sequencing Technology on an Adult Worm from a Canine Cardiopulmonary Dirofilariosis Case

Dirofilaria immitis is a zoonotic parasitic nematode that infects domestic and wild canids, among its vertebrate hosts. The genetic analysis of D. immitis nowadays transcends the need for genetic taxonomy of nematodes, such as the study of resistance to macrocyclic lactone. We expanded the use of long-read nanopore-based sequencing technology on nematodes by performing genomic de novo assembly of a D. immitis specimen retrieved from a canine cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis case using the ONT MinION platform, followed by the study of macrocyclic lactone resistance. The assembled genome of D. immitis consists of 110 contigs with an N50 of 3687191. The genome size is 87899012 and contains a total of 9741 proteins; 6 ribosomal RNAs, with three belonging to the small subunit (18S) and three to the large subunit (28S); and 73 tRNAs. Subsequent analysis of six loci previously characterized as being associated to macrocyclic lactone resistance selection pressure showed that four have a genotype associated with either some loss of efficacy or the resistance phenotype. Considering the zoonotic potential of D. immitis, the identification of a resistant parasite alerts for the overuse of macrocyclic lactone in the region, which poses a potential risk to both veterinary and human public health. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This work was supported by national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tec-nologia (FCT, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under projects UIDB/04750/2020, LA/P/0064/2020, UIDB/CVT/00772/2020, and LA/P/0059/2020

Identification of candidate genes for yeast engineering to improve bioethanol production in very high gravity and lignocellulosic biomass industrial fermentations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The optimization of industrial bioethanol production will depend on the rational design and manipulation of industrial strains to improve their robustness against the many stress factors affecting their performance during very high gravity (VHG) or lignocellulosic fermentations. In this study, a set of <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>genes found, through genome-wide screenings, to confer resistance to the simultaneous presence of different relevant stresses were identified as required for maximal fermentation performance under industrial conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chemogenomics data were used to identify eight genes whose expression confers simultaneous resistance to high concentrations of glucose, acetic acid and ethanol, chemical stresses relevant for VHG fermentations; and eleven genes conferring simultaneous resistance to stresses relevant during lignocellulosic fermentations. These eleven genes were identified based on two different sets: one with five genes granting simultaneous resistance to ethanol, acetic acid and furfural, and the other with six genes providing simultaneous resistance to ethanol, acetic acid and vanillin. The expression of <it>Bud31 </it>and <it>Hpr1 </it>was found to lead to the increase of both ethanol yield and fermentation rate, while <it>Pho85</it>, <it>Vrp1 </it>and <it>Ygl024w </it>expression is required for maximal ethanol production in VHG fermentations. Five genes, <it>Erg2</it>, <it>Prs3</it>, <it>Rav1</it>, <it>Rpb4 </it>and <it>Vma8</it>, were found to contribute to the maintenance of cell viability in wheat straw hydrolysate and/or the maximal fermentation rate of this substrate.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The identified genes stand as preferential targets for genetic engineering manipulation in order to generate more robust industrial strains, able to cope with the most significant fermentation stresses and, thus, to increase ethanol production rate and final ethanol titers.</p