Effectiveness of intensive physiotherapy for gait improvement in stroke: systematic review

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of functional disability worldwide. Approximately 80% of post-stroke subjects have motor changes. Improvement of gait pattern is one of the main objectives of physiotherapists intervention in these cases. The real challenge in the recovery of gait after stroke is to understand how the remaining neural networks can be modified, to be able to provide response strategies that compensate for the function of the affected structures. There is evidence that intensive training, including physiotherapy, positively influences neuroplasticity, improving mobility, pattern and gait velocity in post-stroke recovery. Objectives: Review and analyze in a systematic way the experimental studies (RCT) that evaluate the effects of Intensive Physiotherapy on gait improvement in poststroke subjects. Methodology: Were only included all RCT performed in humans, without any specific age, that had a clinical diagnosis of stroke at any stage of evolution, with sensorimotor deficits and functional gait changes. The databases used were: Pubmed, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) and CENTRAL (Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials). Results: After the application of the criteria, there were 4 final studies that were included in the systematic review. 3 of the studies obtained a score of 8 on the PEDro scale and 1 obtained a score of 4. The fact that there is clinical and methodological heterogeneity in the studies evaluated, supports the realization of the current systematic narrative review, without meta-analysis. Discussion: Although the results obtained in the 4 studies are promising, it is important to note that the significant improvements that have been found, should be carefully considered since pilot studies with small samples, such as these, are not designed to test differences between groups, in terms of the effectiveness of the intervention applied. Conclusion: Intensive Physiotherapy seems to be safe and applicable in post-stroke subjects and there are indications that it is effective in improving gait, namely speed, travelled distance and spatiotemporal parameters. However, there is a need to develop more RCTs with larger samples and that evaluate the longterm resultsN/

Desenvolvimento de um dispositivo de administração de insulina para crianças diabéticas

Este projeto visou o desenvolvimento de um dispositivo deadministração de insulina para crianças diabéticas que permitisse aumentar aqualidade de vida do doente através de um produto discreto e inovador. Assim,foi estudado o histórico da doença, identificado os dispositivos existentes nomercado, levantadas as novas tecnologias no tratamento da doença e asnecessidades do utilizador. O fator motivador para o desenvolvimento desteprojeto foi dado pela inexistência de um dispositivo de administração de insulinaexclusivo para crianças e adolescentes diabéticos. O conceito do dispositivo foibaseado em uma órtese umbilical, tornando o dispositivo imperceptível no corpodo diabético em sua vida diária. Além disso, aplicação tecnológica do dispositivopermite a conexão dos dados referentes a administração de insulina viabluetooth com medidores de glicemia, telemóveis, smartphones e tablets

Epidemiological studies of pan-azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus populations sampled during tulip cultivation show clonal expansion with acquisition of multi-fungicide resistance as potential driver

Pan-azole resistant isolates are found in clinical and environmental Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) populations. Azole resistance can evolve in both settings, with Af directly targeted by antifungals in patients and, in the environment, Af unintendedly exposed to fungicides used for material preservation and plant disease control. Resistance to non-azole fungi-cides, including methyl benzimidazole carbamates (MBCs), quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs) and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs), have recently been reported. These fungicide groups are not used in medicine but can play an important role in further spread of pan-azole resistant genotypes. We investigated the multi-fungicide resistance status and genetic diversity of Af populations sampled from tulip field soils, tulip peel waste and flower compost heaps using fungicide sensitivity testing and a range of genotyping tools, including STRAf typing and sequencing of fungicide resistant alleles. Two major clones were present in the tulip bulb population. Comparisons with clinical isolates and literature data revealed that several common clonal lineages of TR34/L98H and TR46/Y121F/T289A strains that have expanded successfully in the environment have also acquired resistance to MBC, QoI and/or SDHI fungicides. Strains carrying multiple fungicide resistant alleles have an advantage in environments where residues of multiple fungicides belonging to different modes of action are presen

UFPR-Periocular: A Periocular Dataset Collected by Mobile Devices in Unconstrained Scenarios

Recently, ocular biometrics in unconstrained environments using images obtained at visible wavelength have gained the researchers' attention, especially with images captured by mobile devices. Periocular recognition has been demonstrated to be an alternative when the iris trait is not available due to occlusions or low image resolution. However, the periocular trait does not have the high uniqueness presented in the iris trait. Thus, the use of datasets containing many subjects is essential to assess biometric systems' capacity to extract discriminating information from the periocular region. Also, to address the within-class variability caused by lighting and attributes in the periocular region, it is of paramount importance to use datasets with images of the same subject captured in distinct sessions. As the datasets available in the literature do not present all these factors, in this work, we present a new periocular dataset containing samples from 1,122 subjects, acquired in 3 sessions by 196 different mobile devices. The images were captured under unconstrained environments with just a single instruction to the participants: to place their eyes on a region of interest. We also performed an extensive benchmark with several Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures and models that have been employed in state-of-the-art approaches based on Multi-class Classification, Multitask Learning, Pairwise Filters Network, and Siamese Network. The results achieved in the closed- and open-world protocol, considering the identification and verification tasks, show that this area still needs research and development

Liver transplant after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review

Background: The Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically impacted liver organ transplantation. The American Society of Transplantation recommends a minimum of 28 days after symptom resolution for organ donation. However, the exact time for transplantation for recipients is unknown. Considering that mortality on the waiting list for patients with MELD >25 or fulminant hepatitis is higher than that of COVID-19, the best time for surgery after SARS-CoV-2 infection remains undetermined. This study aims to expand the current knowledge regarding the Liver Transplantation (LT) time for patients after COVID-19 and to provide transplant physicians with essential decision-making tools to manage these critically ill patients during the pandemic. Methods: Systematic review of patients who underwent liver transplantation after diagnosis of COVID-19. The MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane, Lilacs, Embase, and Scielo databases were searched until June 20, 2021. The MESH terms used were “COVID-19” and “Liver transplantation”. Results: 558 articles were found; of these 13 articles and a total of 18 cases of COVID-19 prior to liver transplantation were reported. The mean age was 38.7±14.6, with male prevalence. Most had mild symptoms of COVID. Five patients have specific treatment for COVID-19 with convalescent plasm or remdesivir/oseltamivir, just one patient received hydroxychloroquine, and 12 patients received only symptomatic treatment. The median time between COVID-19 to LT was 19 days (13.5‒44.5). Deceased donor liver transplantation accounted for 61% of cases, while living donor transplantation was 39%. Conclusion: Despite the concerns regarding the postoperative evolution, the mortality of patients with high MELD or fulminant hepatitis transplanted shortly after COVID-19 diagnosis does not seem to be higher. (PROSPERO, registration number = CRD42021261790

Diabetes mellitus: a necessidade de um dispositivo de administração de insulina para crianças e adolescentes

O diabetes mellitus é uma doença crônica em rápida expansão pelo mundo, afetando pessoas de qualquer idade ou sexo. É uma doença que atinge o pâncreas prejudicando a produção de insulina, e em alguns casos o pâncreas para de produzir este hormônio. Apesar de não haver cura, o tratamento da diabetes consiste em injeções diárias de insulina; assim, as corretas administrações de insulina são indispensáveis para manter o controle glicêmico e prevenir futuras complicações. A identificação da oportunidade do desenvolvimento deste projeto é apresentada pela inexistência de um dispositivo de administração de insulina específico para crianças. Este estudo visou a identificação das necessidades para o desenvolvimento de um novo dispositivo de administração de insulina para crianças diabéticas que permitisse aumentar a qualidade de vida das mesmas. Para tal, foi estudado o histórico da doença, identificados dispositivos existentes, levantadas novas tecnologias apara o tratamento da doença e identificadas as necessidades do utilizador

O IMPACTO DO SUICÍDIO NO CONTEXTO FAMILIAR

O estágio básico III no curso de Psicologia, tem como foco principal a identificação das demandas psicológicas em diferentes contexto da comunidade. Optou-se por abordar o tema do suicídio no contexto familiar, pois é um assunto pouco debatido em diversas áreas, até mesmo na psicologia. O pequeno município onde foi realizada a pesquisa chamou atenção dos acadêmicos após um levantamento no cartório municipal onde constatou-se que dos anos de 2005 a 2016 trinta e nove (39) casos de suicídio foram registrados. Entender o impacto que essa morte causa no contexto familiar é algo relevante, pois, quando um ente da família morre gera uma grande repercussão em todo contexto familiar. Para atingir os objetivos do estudo foi realizado uma pesquisa qualitativa, onde contou com a observação do grupo de apoio aos familiares de vítimas do suicídio do município e também duas entrevistas semiestruturadas. Constatou-se que os famliares se sentem culpados por não terem percebido qualquer mudança de comportamento, o que condiz com a literatura pesquisada. Além disso, percebeu-se a importância do apoio aos familiares para que possam lidar com os sentimentos envolvidos em função do falecimento e do luto.Palavras-chave: Teoria Sistêmica. Família. Suicídio

Avaliação da depleção linfóide folicular da Bursa de Fabricius: uma metodologia alternativa utilizando análise digital de imagem e redes neurais artificiais

Fifty Bursa of Fabricius (BF) were examined by conventional optical microscopy and digital images were acquired and processed using Matlab® 6.5 software. The Artificial Neuronal Network (ANN) was generated using Neuroshell® Classifier software and the optical and digital data were compared. The ANN was able to make a comparable classification of digital and optical scores. The use of ANN was able to classify correctly the majority of the follicles, reaching sensibility and specificity of 89% and 96%, respectively. When the follicles were scored and grouped in a binary fashion the sensibility increased to 90% and obtained the maximum value for the specificity of 92%. These results demonstrate that the use of digital image analysis and ANN is a useful tool for the pathological classification of the BF lymphoid depletion. In addition it provides objective results that allow measuring the dimension of the error in the diagnosis and classification therefore making comparison between databases feasible.Cinquenta Bursa de Fabrícius (BF) foram examinadas através de microscopia óptica convencional e imagens digitais foram obtidas e processadas através do software Matlab® 6.5. Redes Neurais Artificiais (ANN) foram geradas com a utilização do software Neuroshell® Classifier, e os dados das análises óptica e digital foram comparados. A ANN classificou corretamente a maioria dos folículos, atingindo sensibilidade e especificidade de 89% e 96%, respectivamente. Quando os folículos foram agrupados de forma binária houve um aumento da sensibilidade para 90% e obteve-se um valor máximo para a especificidade de 92%. Estes resultados demonstram que o uso da análise digital de imagem associada à ANNé uma ferramenta bastante útil para a classificação patológica da depleção linfóide da BF. Além disso, fornece resultados objetivos que permitem medir a dimensão do erro classificatório, tornando possível a comparação entre distintos bancos de dados

Construção de um Corpus etiquetado morfologicamente do português não padrão

Resumo. Um corpus linguístico facilita os estudos sobre a língua, já que possibilita ao pesquisador acesso a um grande volume de dados. Esse trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento de um corpus etiquetado morfologicamente do português brasileiro não padrão. Atualmente, o corpus possui cerca de 5 milhões de palavras etiquetadas morfologicamente e pretende-se na próxima etapa avaliar essa ferramenta junto a especialistas da área.Abstract. A linguistic corpus helps researchers, since it allows them access to a vast amount of data. This work describes the development of morphologically labeled corpus of non-standard Brazilian Portuguese. Currently, the corpus has about 5 million morphologically labeled words and we plan to evaluate this tool with specialists in the linguistic area as a future work.Palavras-chave: Corpus, Etiquetador, Processamento de Linguagem Natural