A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR DIAGNOSIS OF FANCONI ANEMIA BASED ON BIOLOGICAL DOSIMETRY

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a syndrome associated with chromosomal fragility. Current laboratory tests to diagnose this disease are based on the scoring of chromosomal aberrations induced in peripheral blood lymphocytes by clastogenic chemical agents, mainly: diepoxybutane (DEB) or mitomycin C (MMC). This study evaluated an alternative test for the diagnosis of FA, in which ionizing radiation replaces DEB/MMC. Two groups were studied: normal and DEB-sensitive individuals. From each individual, samples of peripheral blood were irradiated using an electron linear accelerator. Following lymphocyte cultures, and slide preparation, metaphases were scored based on the same methodology for biological dosimetry, according to recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our results emphasized a pattern of distribution of dicentrics, fragments, as well as abnormal chromosomal arrangements. The methodology of analysis here proposed permitted to distinguish normal from DEB-sensitive subjects

SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics in blood donors and COVID-19 epidemiology in eight Brazilian state capitals: A serial cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 situation in Brazil is complex due to large differences in the shape and size of regional epidemics. Understanding these patterns is crucial to understand future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 or other respiratory pathogens in the country. METHODS: We tested 97,950 blood donation samples for IgG antibodies from March 2020 to March 2021 in 8 of Brazil's most populous cities. Residential postal codes were used to obtain representative samples. Weekly age- and sex-specific seroprevalence were estimated by correcting the crude seroprevalence by test sensitivity, specificity, and antibody waning. RESULTS: The inferred attack rate of SARS-CoV-2 in December 2020, before the Gamma variant of concern (VOC) was dominant, ranged from 19.3% (95% credible interval [CrI] 17.5-21.2%) in Curitiba to 75.0% (95% CrI 70.8-80.3%) in Manaus. Seroprevalence was consistently smaller in women and donors older than 55 years. The age-specific infection fatality rate (IFR) differed between cities and consistently increased with age. The infection hospitalisation rate increased significantly during the Gamma-dominated second wave in Manaus, suggesting increased morbidity of the Gamma VOC compared to previous variants circulating in Manaus. The higher disease penetrance associated with the health system's collapse increased the overall IFR by a minimum factor of 2.91 (95% CrI 2.43-3.53). CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the utility of blood donor serosurveillance to track epidemic maturity and demonstrate demographic and spatial heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 spread. FUNDING: This work was supported by Itaú Unibanco 'Todos pela Saude' program; FAPESP (grants 18/14389-0, 2019/21585-0); Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship 204311/Z/16/Z; the Gates Foundation (INV- 034540 and INV-034652); REDS-IV-P (grant HHSN268201100007I); the UK Medical Research Council (MR/S0195/1, MR/V038109/1); CAPES; CNPq (304714/2018-6); Fundação Faculdade de Medicina; Programa Inova Fiocruz-CE/Funcap - Edital 01/2020 Number: FIO-0167-00065.01.00/20 SPU N°06531047/2020; JBS - Fazer o bem faz bem

Pedagogical reflective practice of nursing undergraduates: the portfolio as an instrument

Objective Analyzing the narratives related to the pedagogical practice experienced during the Supervised Curricular Internship reported in the portfolios of Nursing undergraduate students, regarding the levels of reflection. Method This is a documentary descriptive exploratory study that examined two of the activities proposed for the portfolio preparation. Results Among the 28 analyzed portfolios, all showed the three levels of reflection (technical, critical and metacritical). Conclusion The students had the opportunity to experience the pedagogical practice and presented reflections at metacritical level, reflecting on their performance, the construction of their teaching identity, and about the importance of reflecting on the practice with the objective of transforming it and transforming themselves

Construção da identidade docente na formação de professores de enfermagem: reflexão mediada por tecnologias digitais

RESUMO Objetivo Analisar o processo de construção da identidade docente na perspectiva do passado, presente e futuro na formação de professores de enfermagem por meio da integração de tecnologias digitais. Método Pesquisa descritivo-exploratória, vertente qualitativa, consolidada na aula presencial “Construção da Identidade Docente” em 2012. Das atividades síncronas e assíncronas, quatro foram analisadas por meio da análise de conteúdo. Resultados No Chat identificaram-se marcas positivas e negativas e a reflexão da construção da própria identidade (seis categorias); no “Túnel do tempo” a projeção da futura identidade (quatro categorias); no “portfólio” a percepção da própria identidade (quatro categorias) e na avaliação da aula, a percepção das experiências vivenciadas na aula (duas categorias). Conclusão A integração das tecnologias digitais favoreceu a discussão e compreensão dos licenciandos, de maneira colaborativa, acerca de como sua identidade é construída e a projeção de sua futura identidade alinhada ao perfil e ao papel do professor exigidos na contemporaneidade

Predicting SARS-CoV-2 variant spread in a completely seropositive population using semi-quantitative antibody measurements in blood donors

SARS-CoV-2 serologic surveys estimate the proportion of the population with antibodies against historical variants, which nears 100% in many settings. New approaches are required to fully exploit serosurvey data. Using a SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike (S) protein chemiluminescent microparticle assay, we attained a semi-quantitative measurement of population IgG titers in serial cross-sectional monthly samples of blood donations across seven Brazilian state capitals (March 2021–November 2021). Using an ecological analysis, we assessed the contributions of prior attack rate and vaccination to antibody titer. We compared anti-S titer across the seven cities during the growth phase of the Delta variant and used this to predict the resulting age-standardized incidence of severe COVID-19 cases. We tested ~780 samples per month, per location. Seroprevalence rose to >95% across all seven capitals by November 2021. Driven by vaccination, mean antibody titer increased 16-fold over the study, with the greatest increases occurring in cities with the highest prior attack rates. Mean anti-S IgG was strongly correlated (adjusted R2 = 0.89) with the number of severe cases caused by Delta. Semi-quantitative anti-S antibody titers are informative about prior exposure and vaccination coverage and may also indicate the potential impact of future SARS-CoV-2 variants