Mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity and major fatty acid constituents of Amazonian native flora oils

Com o intuito de se tratar problemas dermatológicos de hiperpigmentação, há uma tendência mundial no desenvolvimento de cosméticos que possuam propriedades despigmentantes, os quais agem inibindo a biossíntese de melanina. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar in vitro a atividade de inibição da tirosinase de cogumelo de cinco óleos de plantas nativas da Amazônia e, desta forma, verificar a possibilidade de sua incorporação em produtos cosméticos. Ainda, a composição de ácidos graxos dos óleos foi determinada por cromatografia gasosa com detecção por ionização de chama, no intuito de determinar os principais componentes destes óleos. A atividade de inibição da tirosinase dos óleos testados foi encontrada na seguinte ordem: açaí (IA50 = 66,08 µg mL-1) >; tucumã >; patauá >; pracaxi >; castanha do Brasil. Este estudo sugere que o óleo de açaí possui grande potencial para o tratamento da hiperpigmentação cutânea e doenças correlatas, devido à sua considerável atividade de inibição da tirosinase.In order to treat hyperpigmentation-related problems, there has been a global trend in developing cosmetics claiming to have skin-whitening properties, which act by inhibiting melanin biosynthesis. The objective of this work was to evaluate the in vitro mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity of five Amazonian native flora oils, and so to verify the possibility of their incorporation into cosmetic products. In addition, the fatty acid composition of the essential oils was determined by gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection in order to determine the main components of these oils. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the tested oils was found to be in the following order: açaí (IA50 = 66.08 µg mL-1) >; tucumã >; patauá >; pracaxi >; castanha do Brasil. This study suggests that açaí oil has great potential in the treatment of hyperpigmentation and other related disorders, due to its considerable tyrosinase inhibitory activity

O PACIENTE COM TRANSTORNO MENTAL: A PERCEPÇÃO DE FAMILIARES CUIDADORES ACERCA DESSA CONDIÇÃO

This is a qualitative and descriptive study, whose objective was to verify the perception of caregivers about patients with mental disorders treated in the public health network in the city of Montes Claros-MG. The work was developed at the Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS). The data were obtained through a focal group and analyzed through the discourse analysis technique. After data collection, categories related to the difficulties and challenges encountered by caregivers, patient behavior and caregiver overload emerged. It was concluded that the family caregiver of the mentally ill person presents suffering and lack of information. This demonstrates the need to bring the health team closer to the caregiver, since this interaction may contribute to the process of mitigating the responsibility of caring.Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo e descritivo, cujo o objetivo foi verificar a percepção de cuidadores acerca de pacientes com transtornos mentais atendidos na rede pública de saúde na cidade de Montes Claros-MG. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no centro de atenção psicossocial (CAPS). Os dados foram obtidos através da realização de um grupo focal e analisados através da técnica de análise do discurso. Após a coleta de dados surgiram categorias relacionadas as dificuldades e desafios encontrados pelos cuidadores, comportamento do paciente e sobrecarga dos cuidadores. Concluiu-se que o familiar cuidador do portador de transtorno mental apresenta sofrimento e carência de informação. Isso demonstra a necessidade da aproximar a equipe de saúde ao cuidador, pois essa interação poderá contribuir no processo de amenização da responsabilidade do ato de cuida

O câncer e a criança: um impacto familiar

The aim of this work is a bibliographic review concerning the children living with cancer and their family, in order to identify the themes that have been already studied and to understand the impact on the family during the phases of childhood cancer. The information acquisition was based on documents from the Ministry of Health and on scientific studies available on the following databases: the Google Scholar, the Health virtual Library, the Scielo, the CAPES Journals, the MEDLINE, the LILACS and the Cochrane. The choice of the documents and journals was mainly justified by its link with the childhood health theme. The systematic of the studies research covered the period from 1999 to 2015. The keywords used for the research’s strategy were: childhood health, childhood cancer, family caregivers and grief. The results were presented in three themes: childhood cancer impact on the family, adaptation process of the family facing the sickness and the mourning regarding the death of the sick child. The review enabled to identify the need for special follow-up of the person, which is in direct contact with the child, usually the mother, since the moment of the diagnostic, until after the death.O objetivo desse estudo é revisar a literatura relativa à criança com câncer e sua família, a fim de identificar temas que têm sido pesquisados, e compreender o impacto causado na família durante as fases do câncer infantil. O levantamento de dados foi embasado em documentos do Ministério da Saúde e em trabalhos científicos disponibilizados no Google Acadêmico, Biblioteca virtual da Saúde, Scielo, Periodicos Capes, MEDLINE, LILACS e Cochrane. A escolha dos documentos e periódicos se deu pela sua relação com os temas Saúde da criança. A busca sistematizada de trabalhos abrangeram o período de 1999 a 2015. A estratégia de busca desse referencial utilizou as seguintes palavras-chave: Saúde da Criança, Câncer Infantil, Cuidadores Familiares e Luto. Os resultados foram apresentados em três temas: impacto do câncer infantil na familiar; processo de adaptação da família diante da doença e o luto diante da morte da criança. A revisão demonstrou que uma necessidade de acompanhamento especial a pessoa em contato direto com a criança, geralmente a mãe, desde o momento do diagnostico, e até após a morte

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Serum dipeptidyl peptidase 4: a predictor of disease activity and prognosis in inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Serum dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) has drawn particular interest as a biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as this protease inactivates several peptides that participate in the inflammatory cascade. Methods: Two prospectively recruited cohorts consisting of 195 patients (101 had Crohn’s disease [CD] and 94 had ulcerative colitis [UC]) were evaluated using clinical indexes and followed up to assess for treatment escalation. Sixty-eight patients underwent endoscopic evaluation at baseline. In the second cohort of 46 biologically treated patients, treatment response was assessed. Serum DPP-4, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fecal calprotectin levels were quantified at baseline and during follow-up. Results: Median DPP-4 levels were significantly lower in active IBD patients when compared with remitters (CD: 1043 [831–1412] vs 1589 [1255–1956] ng/mL; P < 0.001; UC: 1317 [1058–1718] vs 1798 [1329–2305] ng/mL; P = 0.001) and healthy controls (2175 [1875–3371] ng/mL). In fact, DPP-4 was able to distinguish clinical and endoscopic activity from remission, with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.81/0.93 (CD) and 0.71/0.79 (UC), along with the need for treatment escalation, with comparable AUCs of 0.79 (CD) and 0.77 (UC). Furthermore, DPP-4 levels were higher in responders to treatment and more pronounced among UC (1467 [1301–1641] vs 1211 [1011–1448] ng/mL; P < 0.001) than CD patients (1385 [1185–1592] vs 1134 [975–1469] ng/mL; P = 0.015). Conclusions: Our results suggest that serum DPP-4 can be used as a noninvasive biomarker of IBD activity and biological treatment response and a predictor of treatment escalation, particularly when combined with other biomarkers.Portuguese IBD Study Group (Grupo de Estudo da Doenca Inflamatoria Intestinal [GEDII])Janssen-Cilag PharmaceuticalsFundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) Portugal [PDE/BDE/114583/2016]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

North African fox genomes show signatures of repeated introgression and adaptation to life in deserts

Elucidating the evolutionary process of animal adaptation to deserts is key to understanding adaptive responses to climate change. Here we generated 82 individual whole genomes of four fox species (genus Vulpes) inhabiting the Sahara Desert at different evolutionary times. We show that adaptation of new colonizing species to a hot arid environment has probably been facilitated by introgression and trans-species polymorphisms shared with older desert resident species, including a putatively adaptive 25 Mb genomic region. Scans for signatures of selection implicated genes affecting temperature perception, non-renal water loss and heat production in the recent adaptation of North African red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), after divergence from Eurasian populations approximately 78 thousand years ago. In the extreme desert specialists, Rueppell's fox (V. rueppellii) and fennec (V. zerda), we identified repeated signatures of selection in genes affecting renal water homeostasis supported by gene expression and physiological differences. Our study provides insights into the mechanisms and genetic underpinnings of a natural experiment of repeated adaptation to extreme conditions