Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Iconografia tropical: motivos locais na arte colonial brasileira

Este artigo estuda a representação visual da natureza tropical na arte sacra do período colonial brasileiro, entre os séculos XVI e XVIII, época em que as artes visuais do país se desenvolveram no contexto do barroco introduzido pelos missionários católicos. Foi na decoração das igrejas que apareceram algumas das primeiras representações artísticas de elementos da natureza local, notadamente as frutas tropicais, produzindo novas combinações junto à tradicional ornamentação fitomórfica europeia, constituída de folhas de acantos e vinhas. Após um levantamento das ocorrências dessas manifestações da temática local na decoração dos templos presentes nas regiões nordeste e sudeste do país, este trabalho aborda, nos textos dos viajantes e missionários produzidos no período, as interpretações cristãs da natureza tropical que permitiram o aproveitamento desses motivos como parte da estratégia de pregação e conversão católica por meio da alegorização moral e religiosa da natureza do Novo Mundo.This paper studies the visual representation of local nature in the sacred art developed during the colonial period of Brazilian history. In this period, between the XVIth and the XVIIIth centuries, the visual arts in the country evolved in the context of the Baroque introduced by Catholic missionaries. It was in the decoration of the churches in which the first representations of aspects of local nature, mostly the tropical fruits, appeared in Brazilian visual arts, producing new combinations together with the traditional European phytomorphic ornamentation of acanthus leaves and grapes. This research draws upon texts written by travellers and missionaries during the period to demonstrate how the Europeans interpreted and represented tropical nature and used these representations as part of the Catholic preaching strategy by means of moral and religious allegorization of the New World nature

Correção do astigmatismo irregular com lente intraocular tórica em um paciente com catarata e degeneração marginal pelúcida: relato de caso

A degeneração marginal pelúcida (DMP) é uma rara ectasia corneana cuja progressão resulta em astigmatismo irregular e baixa visual não corrigidos com óculos ou lentes de contato. O presente relato descreve um paciente com catarata e DMP que foi tratado com facoemulsificação e implante de lente intraocular tórica com recuperação da acuidade visual em ambos os olhos

Correção do astigmatismo irregular com lente intraocular tórica em um paciente com catarata e degeneração marginal pelúcida: relato de caso Toric intraocular lens implantation for cataract and irregular astigmatism related to pellucid marginal degeneration: case report

A degeneração marginal pelúcida (DMP) é uma rara ectasia corneana cuja progressão resulta em astigmatismo irregular e baixa visual não corrigidos com óculos ou lentes de contato. O presente relato descreve um paciente com catarata e DMP que foi tratado com facoemulsificação e implante de lente intraocular tórica com recuperação da acuidade visual em ambos os olhos.<br>Pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD) is a rare corneal ectasia and its progression leads to irregular astigmatism and low vision that can not have spectacles or contact lens correction. This report describes a patient with low vision due to cataract and PMD that was treated with phacoemulsification and implantation of a toric intraocular lens with a satisfactory visual acuity outcome

Intrauterine exposure to bisphenol A promotes different effects in both neonatal and adult prostate of male and female gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)

Substances that mimic endogenous hormones may alter the cell signaling that govern prostate development and predispose it to developing lesions in adult and senile life. Bisphenol A is able to mimic estrogens, and studies have demonstrated that low levels of exposure to this compound have caused alterations during prostate development. The aim of this study was to describe the prostate development in both male and female neonatal gerbils in normal conditions and under exposure to BPA during intrauterine life, and also to analyze whether the effects of intrauterine exposure to BPA remain in adulthood. Morphological, stereological, three-dimensional reconstruction, and immunohistochemical methods were employed. The results demonstrated that in 1-day-old normal gerbils, the female paraurethral glands and the male ventral lobe are morphologically similar, although its tissue components-epithelial buds (EB), periurethral mesenchyme (PeM), paraurethral mesenchyme (PaM) or ventral mesenchymal pad (VMP), and smooth muscle (SM)-have presented different immunolabeling pattern for androgen receptor (AR), and for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Moreover, we observed a differential response of male and female prostate to intrauterine BPA exposure. In 1-day-old males, the intrauterine exposure to BPA caused a decrease of AR-positive cells in the PeM and SM, and a decrease of the proliferative status in the EB. In contrast, no morphological alterations were observed in ventral prostate of adult males. In 1-day-old females, BPA exposure promoted an increase of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) positive cells in PeM and PaM, a decrease of AR-positive cells in EB and PeM, besides a reduction of cell proliferation in EB. Additionally, the adult female prostate of BPA-exposed animals presented an increase of AR- and PCNA-positive cells. These results suggest that the prostate of female gerbils were more susceptible to the intrauterine BPA effects, since they became more proliferative in adult life. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2015

dados macro e microscopia.xlsx

Aims: To evaluate the effects of heating the saline solution used in wound cleaning on healing events of excisional wounds experimentally induced in Wistar rats. Methods: The rats were divided into groups: G1- daily wound cleaning with saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) at room temperature (24.8±1.4ºC) and G2- daily wound cleaning with heated saline solution (39.5°C±0.4°C), experiment period at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days after injury induction (DAI). Morphometric, macroscopic, microscopic and cytokine analyzes were performed. Results: G2 maintained higher temperatures in the wound bed during the inflammatory and proliferative phases, and presented lower heat loss during dressing changes. During the healing process it was observed in G2 that the percentage of wound closure was higher at 07 and 14DAI. A lower intensity of collagen deposition was also observed in G2 at 7 and 14DAI, but with more organized deposition. In G2, myofibroblasts were more intense at 14DAI. In G2 there was less fibrin, hemorrhage and angiogenesis on day 3; and on day 7 more hemorrhage, however these events did not influence the overall healing time. There was no difference in cytokines quantification between groups. Conclusions: The use of heated saline solution for wound cleaning helped to maintain higher temperatures in the wound bed and led to a higher wound closure at 7 days. There was also a more orderly course of collagen deposition and quantification of myofibroblasts, which suggests a more organized direction of healing. Favoring the recommendation of heating the saline solution for wound cleaning.</p

Komplex Zinek-Schiffova báze-Novicidin jako potenciální léčba rakoviny prostaty

Prostate cancer cells control energy metabolism by chelating intracellular zinc. Thus, zinc delivery has been a popular therapeutic approach for prostate cancer. Here, we propose the use of the membrane-penetrating peptide Novicidin connected to zinc-Schiff base as a carrier vehicle for the delivery of zinc to prostate cells. Mass spectrometry, electrochemistry and spectrophotometry confirmed the formation/stability of this complex and provided insight regarding the availability of zinc for complex interactions. This delivery system showed minor toxicity in normal PNT1A cells and high potency towards PC3 tumor cells. The complex preferentially penetrated PC3 tumor cells in contrast to confinement to the membranes of PNT1A. Furthermore, zinc uptake was confirmed in both cell lines. Molecular analysis was used to confirm the activation of zinc stress (e.g., ZnT-1) and apoptosis (e.g., CASP-1). Our results strongly suggest that the zinc-Schiff base-Novicidin complex has great potential as a novel anticancer drug.Buňky rakoviny prostaty ovládají energetický metabolismus chelatací intracelulárního zinku. Tedy dodání zinku bylo populární jako terapeutický přístup k léčbě rakoviny prostaty. Zde navrhujeme použití membránou pronikajícího peptidu novicidinu připojeného k Schiffově bázi se zinkem jako nosného prostředku pro dodání zinku do buněk prostaty. Hmotnostní spektrometrie, elektrochemie a spektrofotometrie potvrdily tvorbu a stabilitu tohoto komplexu a poskytly pochopení ohledně dostupnosti zinku pro komplexní interakce. Tento systém ukázal menší toxicitu v normálních buňkách PNT1A a vysokou účinnost vůči nádorovým buňkám PC3. Komplex přednostně pronikl nádorovými buňkami PC3 na rozdíl od uzavření se membránám PNT1A. Dále byl potvrzen příjem zinku v obou buněčných linií. Molekulární analýza byla použita k potvrzení aktivace zinkového stresu (např. ZnT-1) a apoptózy (např. CASP-1). Naše výsledky silně naznačují, že komplex zinek-Schiffova báze-novicidin má velký potenciál jako nové protinádorové léčivo