Qualidade de vida e funcionamento intelectual em crianças e adolescentes vítimas de traumatismocrânio-encefálico

[resumo][abstract

The tip of the iceberg: telework during the pandemic

The new coronavirus pandemic compulsorily brought work into the homes of thousands of workers worldwide. Therefore, this essay aims to highlight the psychosocial factors of health risks and telework’s panorama in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in this context, to analyze the telework policy in Brazil. We presented the different concepts of telework and discuss how and why it is not a risk-free modality. The literature highlights psychosocial factors, such as social and professional isolation, work intensification and overlapping of professional and family activities. Secondary data obtained from the National Household Sample Survey and analyses by the Institute of Applied Economic Research during the pandemic revealed a panorama of inequality in the profile of those who have access to telework, in addition to the accentuation of regional differences. Finally, we identified a mismatch between the regulation of telework and the workers’ needs, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it is necessary to elaborate, reformulate and implement policies, aiming to guarantee the rights and health of teleworkers.A pandemia do novo coronavírus levou o trabalho para a residência de milhares de trabalhadores no mundo, de maneira compulsória. Portanto, este ensaio objetiva evidenciar os fatores psicossociais de riscos à saúde e o panorama do teletrabalho no primeiro ano da pandemia de covid-19 e, neste contexto, analisar a política do teletrabalho no Brasil. Apresentamos os diferentes conceitos do teletrabalho e discutimos sobre como não é uma modalidade ausente de riscos. Fatores psicossociais, como o isolamento social e profissional, a intensificação do trabalho e sobreposição de atividades profissionais e familiares são alguns dos destacados na literatura. A partir de dados secundários obtidos da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios e análises do Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada durante a pandemia, revelou-se um panorama de desigualdade no perfil daqueles que tem acesso ao teletrabalho, além da acentuação das diferenças regionais. Por fim, identificamos um descompasso entre a regulamentação do teletrabalho e as necessidades dos trabalhadores, impactadas pela pandemia de covid-19. Assim, é necessária a elaboração, reformulação e implementação de políticas, visando garantir os direitos e saúde dos teletrabalhadores

Design of structured adsorbents for aplications in gas adsorption processes - Conventional shaping vs 3D-Printed formulation

Microporous materials highly activated and with potential to be used as adsorbents in many applications for gas separation/purification are usually available as powders. These solids usually have a great and reversible gas uptake, high gas selectivity, good chemical and thermal stability, but are unsuitable to be used in gas adsorption processes, such as Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) or Simulated Moving Bed (SMB). Zeolites, carbons and more recently metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are examples of those materials. Their use in adsorption-based processes are dependent of their upgrading from powders (micrometer scale) to particles (pellets, spheres or granules at millimeter scale). This would overcome large pressure drops and consequent energy consumptions when packing adsorbent columns in those processes. Thus, shaping adsorbents is an important step to use them in industry, although it greatly affects their capacity and selectivity towards a specific gas separation. In this work, we explore techniques to shape powdered adsorbents, followed by their textural and mechanical characterizations, and the study of their adsorption properties towards the main components of post-combustion flues gases (CO2 and N2). Materials densification is proposed by employing two approaches: - Conventional shaping through binderless mechanical compression and binder-containing extrusion; and - Formulation by 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) to produce packed bed morphologies that precisely replicate computer aided design (CAD) models. Porous separation media are important for fluid-solid contacting in many unit operations, including adsorption. Due to practical limitations, media particles are typically packed randomly into a column in a shaped form, allowing fluid to flow through the interstitial voids. Key to the effectiveness of packed columns are the flow-related properties of mass transfer, fluid distribution and dispersion, and back pressure, which in turn depend upon packing geometry. Until now, no alternative was found to overcome this limitation and have optimal ordered packing arrangements at the micron scale. 3D-Printing (or additive manufacturing) brings a wide range of benefits that traditional methods of manufacturing or prototyping simply cannot. With this approach, complex ordered geometries, that are not possible by conventional extrusion, can be designed and printed for a porous media, being the equipment resolution the only limiting step to overcome. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Physical, thermal, and antibacterial effects of active essential oils with potential for biomedical applications loaded onto cellulose acetate/polycaprolactone wet-spun microfibers

New approaches to deal with the growing concern associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are emerging daily. Essential oils (EOs) are natural antimicrobial substances with great potential to mitigate this situation. However, their volatile nature, in their liquid-free form, has restricted their generalized application in biomedicine. Here, we propose the use of cellulose acetate (CA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) wet-spun fibers as potential delivery platforms of selected EOs to fight infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Twenty EOs were selected and screened for their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), using the antibiotic ampicillin as positive control. The cinnamon leaf oil (CLO), cajeput oil (CJO), and the clove oil (CO) were the most effective EOs, against the Gram-positive (MIC < 22.38 mg/mL) and the Gram-negative (MIC < 11.19 mg/mL) bacteria. Uniform microfibers were successfully wet-spun from CA/PCL with an averaged diameter of 53.9 ± 4.5 µm, and then modified by immersion with CLO, CJO and CO at 2 × MIC value. EOs incorporation was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. However, while microfibers contained ampicillin at MIC (control) after the 72 h modification, the CLO, CO and CJO-loaded fibers registered ≈ 14%, 66%, and 76% of their MIC value, respectively. Data showed that even at small amounts the EO-modified microfibers were effective against the tested bacteria, both by killing bacteria more quickly or by disrupting more easily their cytoplasmic membrane than ampicillin. Considering the amount immobilized, CLO-modified fibers were deemed the most effective from the EOs group. These results indicate that CA/PCL microfibers loaded with EOs can be easily produced with increased antibacterial action, envisioning their use as scaffolding materials for the treatment of infections.Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER funds by means of Portugal 2020 Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI) and the Portuguese Government(OE) for funding the project PEPTEX with reference PTDC/CTM-TEX/28074/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074).Authors also acknowledge project UID/CTM/00264/2020 of Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T),funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES. SEM studies were performed at the Materials CharacterizationServices of the University of Minho (SEMAT/UM)

Lasertherapy efficacy in temporomandibular disorders: control study

A disfunção têmporo-mandibular é caracterizada pela presença de sintomatologia dolorosa articular/muscular na região da face. A principal justificativa do uso do laser da laserterapia na disfunção é seu efeito analgésico, fato observado na maioria dos estudos encontrados na literatura. OBJETIVO: Foi avaliar a eficácia da laserterapia no tratamento das disfunções têmporo-mandibulares. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: 50 voluntários com disfunção têmporo-mandibular foram divididos em dois grupos (controle e experimental) tiveram as amplitudes dos movimentos de abertura bucal, lateralidade direita e esquerda registrados, antes e após aplicação do laser. Foi registrada, também, a nota de dor do indivíduo através da escala analógica visual de dor e, através do exame físico, os pontos álgicos. Utilizou-se o laser de AsGaAl com potência de 40mW, com 80J/cm², por 16 segundos, em quatro pontos selecionados por apenas uma sessão com reavaliação após uma semana. Desenho Científico Utilizado: Clínico. RESULTADOS: Notou-se que a laserterapia promoveu aumento da média de amplitude dos movimentos mandibulares (p=0,0317) e houve redução significativa (43,6%) da intensidade de dor dos pacientes medida através da escala analógica visual de dor. CONCLUSÕES: A laserterapia promove redução da sintomatologia dolorosa do paciente após a aplicação por ação analgésica e/ou por um efeito placebo.Temporomandibular dysfunction is characterized by the presence of painful joint/muscular symptoms muscle in the face. The main justification for the use of lasers in laser therapy dysfunction is its analgesic effect, which was observed in most studies in the literature. AIM: We evaluated the effectiveness of laser therapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. METHODS: 50 volunteers with temporomandibular disorders were divided into two groups (control and experimental) had amplitudes of movements of mouth opening, right and left laterality recorded before and after laser application. Was also recorded, the score the individual gave to pain by visual analog scale and, through physical examination, the pain points. We used the AsGaAl laser with a 40mW power, with 80J/cm² for 16 seconds at four selected points for just one session with reassessment after a week. Study design: Clinical. RESULTS: It was noted that laser therapy increased the mean amplitude of mandibular movements (p = 0.0317) and decreased significantly (43.6%) the pain intensity measured by the visual analog scale. CONCLUSIONS: The laser decreases the painful symptoms of the patient after application through its analgesic and/or a placebo effect

Pullulan hydrogels as drug release platforms in biomedicine

It is increasingly urgent to develop new therapeutic systems to combat the spreading and evolution of various pathologies globally. Nonspecific therapies and/or insufficient medication biodistribution might hinder the patient's recovery. In this sense, a targeted and controlled delivery of various biomolecules allows overcoming the limitations of conventional delivery systems, taking the user one step closer to the successful treatment of a disease. Hydrogels have been highlighted for their drug delivery abilities, particularly for their tunable properties, like hydration capacity, biodegradability, release kinetics, etc., that can be adjusted to the desired needs. Additionally, they can be produced from either natural and/or synthetic polymers, with natural-origin sources providing exceptional features like biodegradation and acceptable integration in biological systems. One of those polymers is pullulan, a biodegradable, biocompatible and hemocompatible material, with multiple uses in biomedicine. Investigations into pullulan-based hydrogels have progressively increased over the last few decades. This review addresses the uses of pullulan in biomedical engineering, emphasizing its exceptional properties for drug delivery and its processing into hydrogel systems, either in its original or derivative forms.Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER funds by means of Portugal 2020 Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI) and the Portuguese Government (OE) for funding the project PEPTEX with reference PTDC/CTM-TEX/28074/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074) and 2C2T Strategic project UIDP/00264/2020. M.O.T. and H.P.F. also acknowledge FCT for funding PhD scholarship with reference 2021.06906.BD and auxiliary researcher contract via 2021.02720. CEEIND, respectively

Biodegradable wet-spun fibers modified with antimicrobial agents for potential applications in biomedical engineering

Wet-spinning is a non-solvent induced phase inversion technique that allows the production of continuous polymeric microfibers, with a uniform morphology, based on the principle of precipitation. It allows the production of 3D fibrous constructs with an intricated architecture that facilitates cell infiltration, something that is very limited in electrospun nanofibrous mats, thus increasing its interest in biomedicine. Wet-spun scaffolds are also more easily processed and can be loaded with a variety of biomolecules of interest. Antimicrobial agents that display a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses have been combined with such constructs demonstrating great potential to fight infections. In the present work, we explore the use of wet-spinning to process both natural and synthetic biodegradable polymers in the form of microfibers, and the necessary processes to modify their surface to increase their antimicrobial profile. The synergistic potential of specialized biomolecules within wet-spun fibrous architectures are also highlighted.Authors acknowledge the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) of Portugal for funding the projects PTDC/CTM-TEX/28074/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074) and UID/CTM/00264/2020 from 2C2T

Análise psicométrica preliminar da versão portuguesa da Kansas marital satisfaction scale

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparing follow-up of patients with vitamin K antagonists in a health center: pre- and post- COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction and objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the follow-up of patients treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) may have been affected. This study aims to compare how these patients were monitored preand post-COVID-19 pandemic and understand the impact of non-face-to-face appointments on their follow-up. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a Portuguese Health Center. The study included patients treated with VKAs and followed at the Health Center for international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring between March 2019 and March 2021. Data collected: sex, age, type of VKA; INR; date of INR assessment, type of appointment (face-to-face or phone/e-mail). Rosendaal’s method was used to calculate pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 time in therapeutic range (TTR). Good TTR control was defined if values ≥ 70%. Results: 44 patients were included. The mean TTR in the pre-COVID-19 period was 64.55% (95% CI: 58.10 - 71.00%). The post-COVID-19 mean was slightly higher (+ 2.26%), 66.81% (95% CI: 59.66 - 73.97%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.576). The use of non-face-to-face appointments did not contribute to worsening post-pandemic TTR, showing no lower follow-up than during pre-pandemic period in which all contacts were face-to-face [CI (95%) -0.397 - 0.196 for a reference range -0.489 - 0.693]. Conclusions: The TTR value in both periods was similar and lower than the value defined for effective hypocoagulation. The use of non-face-to-face consultation in the post-COVID-19 period does not seem to have influenced the quality of hypocoagulation.Introdução e objetivos: Durante a pandemia COVID-19 o acompanhamento de doentes medicados com antagonistas da vitamina K (AVKs) pode ter sido afetado. Este estudo pretende comparar a forma como estes doentes foram monitorizados antes e depois da pandemia COVID-19 e compreender o impacto da consulta não presencialno seu seguimento. Métodos: Estudo de coorte retrospetivo num Centro de Saúde em Portugal. O estudo incluiu doentes tratados com AVKs e seguidos no Centro de Saúde para monitorização do International Normalized Ratio (INR) entre março de 2019 e março de 2021. Dados recolhidos: sexo, idade, tipo de AVK; INR; data da avaliação do INR, tipo de consulta (presencial ou por telefone/e-mail). Foi utilizado o método de interpolação linear de Rosendaal para calcular o tempo em intervalo terapêutico (TTR) pré- e pós-COVID-19. Foi definido um bom controle se valores de TTR ≥ 70%. Resultados: Foram incluídos 44 doentes. A média de TTR no período pré-COVID-19 foi de 64,55% (95% IC: 58,10 - 71,00%). A média pós-COVID-19 foi ligeiramente superior (+ 2,26%), 66,81% (95%IC: 59,66 - 73,97%), mas a diferença não foi estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,576). A utilização da consulta não presencial não contribuiu para o agravamento do TTR no período pós-pandemia, não mostrando um seguimento inferior ao do período pré-pandemia em que todos os contatos foram presenciais [IC (95%) -0,397 - 0,196 para um intervalo de referência -0,489 - 0,693]. Conclusões: O valor de TTR em ambos os períodos foi semelhante e inferior ao valor definido para hipocoagulação eficaz. A utilização da consulta não presencial no período pós-COVID-19 não parece ter influenciado a qualidade da hipocoagulação

Distribuição geográfica da Cojoba arborea (L.) Britton & Rose nas Américas / Geographical distribution of Cojoba arborea (L.) Britton & Rose in the Americas

A espécie Cojoba arborea pertence à família Fabaceae e é subdividida em três variedades: arborea, angustifolia e cubensis. As variedades apresentam algumas características morfológicas que juntamente com a distribuição da espécie permitem sua identificação. Portanto, o objetivo do trabalho foi identificar a distribuição geográfica da Cojoba arborea e suas variedades bem como seus usos nas Américas. A pesquisa foi realizada nas bases de dados: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Herbário Virtual da Flora e dos Fungos, Trópicos, Reflora e Herbário New York Botanical Garden. As informações levantadas por exsicata foram: Identificação da variedade; Ocorrência da espécie; Vernáculos e Usos da espécie. Foram registrados 542 exsicatas de C. arborea distribuídas pela América Latina. A variedade angustifolia teve distribuição apenas na América do Sul. Já a variedade arborea apresentou maior número de exsicatas e ocorrência em toda América Latina. Enquanto, a variedade cubensis apresentou menor registro de exsicatas, tendo ocorrência apenas em Cuba e República Dominicana. Verificou-se ainda que o número de exsicatas nos herbários sem identificação da variedade da espécie foi cerca de 46,31%. A espécie recebe cerca de 22 nomes vernáculos em toda América Latina, dificultando sua identificação. Foi verificado ainda a subutilização da Cojoba no Brasil