Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) from Northeastern Brazil: State of the Art

For many years, research about social wasps in the Northeast was neglected due to its climatic and vegetative characteristics, insufficient incentive for training researchers to study these animals and perpetuation of low diversity of these groups in arid environments proposed by Ducke. This study carried out a bibliographic survey of research about social wasps in a 40 years period from January/1979 to December/2019, to determine the overall reality of biodiversity and richness knowledge for social wasps species. One hundred and twenty-four (124) social wasp species have been registered in the Northeast Region, distributed among 20 genera. Epiponini stands out with 84 species, followed by Mischocyttarini (24) and Polistini (16). Sergipe is the only state with no studies and records of species thus far. Such results show the importance of continuing taxonomic studies of these insects to expand their geographic distribution and to determine areas for environmental preservation in the Northeastern biomes, i.e., the Caatinga sensu lato, Cerrado and Amazon rainforest and their transition zones, as they have been insufficiently studied and present high potential for new discoveries. We suggest Alagoas, Ceará, Pernambuco and, especially Sergipe as priority areas since there is a lacking data in these states. Finally, we recommend continuing research on species reports in states like Bahia, using the map created herein to choose future study areas

Brachycephalic Syndrome in Dogs - Endoscopic Findings in the Airways

Background: Brachycephalic dogs have several abnormalities in the airways, which generate clinical manifestations that impair the quality of life of these animals. Primary alterations promote airflow obstruction and increase intraluminal negative pressure, causing secondary alterations due to a cycle of inflammation with consequent obstruction. With the onset of inflammation and other alterations in the airways, clinical manifestations can be observed, such as snoring, reverse sneezing, coughing, dyspnea, cyanosis, syncope, and vomiting. Endoscopic examination of the airways allows visualization and diagnosis of morphological changes in these animals. This study aimed to evaluate the endoscopic findings of the airways and determine the quantitative and qualitative assessment of the severity of clinical manifestations in 14 dogs with brachycephalic syndrome (BS). Materials, Methods & Results:  Historical and anamnesis data and clinical, respiratory, and digestive manifestations were collected from the owners’ reports. The clinical manifestations were classified as mild, moderate, or severe. All animals were subjected to endoscopy of the airways, and image findings were grouped according to the anatomical site where they were observed, then the abnormalities were correlated with the severity of the clinical manifestations. When comparing the frequency of endoscopic abnormalities with the severity of clinical manifestations, it is interesting to observe that animals with severe disease more frequently presented the following alterations: prolongation and thickening of the soft palate, laryngeal changes, presence of hyperemia, lymphoid hyperplasia and polyps in the nasopharynx, hypoplasia and presence of tracheal secretion and thickening of the dorsal tracheal muscle; bronchial collapse, hypoplasia of the main bronchi and bronchial hyperemia and the presence of aberrant nasal turbinates. Comparison between the means of nonparametric variables was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, with a 5% significance level.  Discussion: A higher frequency of French Bulldog dogs included in the study was observed, probably due to their greater popularity, although any brachycephalic dog may be affected by BS. Considering that nostril stenosis is a congenital alteration, which is usually diagnosed early, and since the animals included in the study were dogs referred for the rhinoplasty procedure the higher frequency of young dogs in the study was not surprising. The results revealed a significant difference in the endoscopic findings with the severity of the clinical manifestations in different variables, such as prolongation and thickening of the soft palate, eversion of the laryngeal saccules, presence of laryngeal inflammation and collapse, presence of polyps or lymphoid hyperplasia in the nasopharynx, thickening of the dorsal muscle of the trachea, polyps in the trachea and hypoplasia in addition to bronchial hyperemia. The larynx was the most affected anatomical site, with alterations present in 92.8% of the evaluated dogs. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that airway obstruction caused by primary alterations can cause secondary alterations, with consequent clinical manifestations in brachycephalic dogs it is possible to suggest that dogs with this syndrome may present severe manifestations of the disease, regardless of age. Furthermore, it can be concluded that in this study, dogs with BS had frequent laryngeal alterations and that alterations in the main bronchi were present in all animals with severe manifestations of the disease. Keywords: airway obstruction, bronchial collapse, endoscopy, larynx

Discount Coupons Dematerialization: a Comprehensive Literature Review

This article presents a comprehensive literature review regarding digital coupon processing in its various aspects: suppliers, retailers and customers. Current standards, solutions and platforms available in the market and proposed by the scientific community (research, patents, etc.) are presented. A brief summary of the major trends in digital coupon processing is also presented. By resuming the state of the art in digital coupon processing, the article may be useful both for researchers and practitioners interested in the topic

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Exercise on Pain Level, Functionality, and Rating of Exertion of Elderly Obese Knee Osteoarthritis Individuals: A Randomized Study

Introduction: Among chronic diseases, knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a joint disease that causes important progressive alterations in the articular and periarticular structures, including synovial inflammation. Exercise has been suggested as an intervention to KOA individuals, and studies suggest that whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise decreases pain levels and favours the functionality of KOA individuals. Objective: The aim of the present study is to analyze the acute effects of WBV exercise on pain levels, functionality (Timed Up and Go (TUG test), anterior trunk flexion (ATF)), and rating of exertion of elderly obese KOA individuals. Methods: Thirty-seven individuals with KOA were allocated to a WBV exercise group (WBVEG), n = 19 (15 females/4 males), and a control group (CG), n = 18 (15 females/3 males). WBVEG performed one session of WBV exercise (11 min, using 5 Hz, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mm, 0.12, 0.25, and 0.37 g). Three bouts were performed (working time of 3 min and rest time of 1 min) using a side-alternating vibrating platform (VP). The same position was used in CG; however, the VP was turned off and there was equipment coupled to the VP that emitted a sound like the vibrations. The pain level was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Functionality was evaluated with a TUG test and ATF. The rating of subjectively perceived exertion was measured with the category ratio CR-10 (BORG Scale CR-10), Results: A reduction of pain levels in WBVEG after the intervention (p = 0.001) and intergroups (p = 0.041) was found. A decrease of TUG test time in both groups (p = 0.001) and intergroups (p = 0.045) was found, while no statistical changes were observed in the Borg Scale score. Significant improvements of flexibility in both groups (p = 0.001) and intergroups (p = 0.043) were found. Conclusion: One session of WBV exercise can lead to important improvements in individuals with KOA, possibly triggered by physiological responses. However, more studies are needed, in this clinical context, to confirm these results

Complicações cardiovasculares decorrentes do uso abusivo de esteroides anabolizantes: uma revisão

Este trabalho tem por objetivo examinar e evidenciar as principais complicações cardiovasculares sucedidas do uso abusivo de esteroides anabolizantes. Sendo o presente estudo uma revisão integrativa, realizado a partir da busca dos seguintes Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS): cardiovascular; anabolic; steroid. Destes, foram escolhidos apenas artigos publicados de 2021 a 2023, até a data de 24/10/2023, sendo selecionados 14 artigos, em que 5 foram excluídos e somente 9 foram examinados para a produção deste estudo. As complicações cardiovasculares associadas ao uso de esteroide anabolizantes são de grande relevância levando em consideração sua morbidade e mortalidade, uma vez que podem possuir desfechos graves como infarto agudo do miocárdio, acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico e eventos trombóticos. A partir do conhecimento destas informações, necessita-se de um apanhado dos principais estudos acerca desta temática para que seja feita a conscientização dos usuários e da população no geral além de auxiliar no diagnóstico diferencial das etiologias para as referidas complicações cardiovasculares.  &nbsp

Associação entre a ooforectomia bilateral precoce e o desenvolvimento do parkinsonismo e Doença de Parkinson em mulheres na pré-menopausa

O parkinsonismo é um distúrbio do sistema nervoso de maior incidência masculina do que feminina, visto que, por mecanismos fisiológicos, o estrogênio possui efeitos neuroprotetores, com funções como aumento da dopamina, um neurotransmissor essencial para o controle das funções motoras. Além disso, previne a formação dos corpúsculos de Lewy e da agregação da α-sinucleína, responsáveis pela progressão da Doença de Parkinson. Por isso, a doença se apresenta diferentemente nas mulheres. A remoção cirúrgica de ambos os ovários em mulheres na pré-menopausa para a prevenção do câncer de ovário parece favorecer o surgimento da doença, tendo em vista a perda da produção do hormônio protetor. Assim, o objetivo do estudo é analisar a associação entre a ooforectomia bilateral precoce e o desenvolvimento de parkinsonismo e Doença de Parkinson em mulheres na pré-menopausa. Trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática, do tipo quantitativa, que utilizou as plataformas do PubMed, SciELO e Cochrane Library como bases de dados para seleção dos artigos, todos na língua inglesa. Foram utilizadas literaturas publicadas com recorte temporal de 2017 a 2022. De acordo com as literaturas analisadas, a ooforectomia bilateral precoce em mulheres na pré-menopausa aumenta o risco do desenvolvimento de parkinsonismo. Desse modo, a diminuição dos procedimentos cirúrgicos profiláticos para câncer de ovário nas pacientes com risco médio de malignidade reduziria o risco dessa condição

SARS-CoV-2 uses CD4 to infect T helper lymphocytes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects human CD4+ T helper cells, but not CD8+ T cells, and is present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T helper cells of severe COVID-19 patients. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) directly binds to the CD4 molecule, which in turn mediates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in T helper cells. This leads to impaired CD4 T cell function and may cause cell death. SARS-CoV-2-infected T helper cells express higher levels of IL-10, which is associated with viral persistence and disease severity. Thus, CD4-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of T helper cells may contribute to a poor immune response in COVID-19 patients.</p