Effectiveness of a new toothbrush design versus a conventional tongue scraper in improving breath odor and reducing tongue microbiota

For centuries, specific instruments or regular toothbrushes have routinely been used to remove tongue biofilm and improve breath odor. Toothbrushes with a tongue scraper on the back of their head have recently been introduced to the market. The present study compared the effectiveness of a manual toothbrush with this new design, i.e., possessing a tongue scraper, and a commercial tongue scraper in improving breath odor and reducing the aerobic and anaerobic microbiota of tongue surface. The evaluations occurred at 4 moments, when the participants (n=30) had their halitosis quantified with a halimeter and scored according to a 4-point scoring system corresponding to different levels of intensity. Saliva was collected for counts of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Data were analyzed statistically by Friedman's test (p<0.05). When differences were detected, the Wilcoxon test adjusted for Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons (group to group). The results confirmed the importance of mechanical cleaning of the tongue, since this procedure provided an improvement in halitosis and reduction of aerobe and anaerobe counts. Regarding the evaluated methods, the toothbrush's tongue scraper and conventional tongue scraper had a similar performance in terms of breath improvement and reduction of tongue microbiota, and may be indicated as effective methods for tongue cleaning

Questão agrária e políticas públicas em Minas Gerais : conflitos sociais e alternativas populares

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Healthcare Access and Quality Index based on mortality from causes amenable to personal health care in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2015 : a novel analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high-income countries and faced several methodological challenges. In the present analysis, we use the highly standardised cause of death and risk factor estimates generated through the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to improve and expand the quantification of personal health-care access and quality for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. Methods We mapped the most widely used list of causes amenable to personal health care developed by Nolte and McKee to 32 GBD causes. We accounted for variations in cause of death certification and misclassifications through the extensive data standardisation processes and redistribution algorithms developed for GBD. To isolate the effects of personal health-care access and quality, we risk-standardised cause-specific mortality rates for each geography-year by removing the joint effects of local environmental and behavioural risks, and adding back the global levels of risk exposure as estimated for GBD 2015. We employed principal component analysis to create a single, interpretable summary measure-the Healthcare Quality and Access (HAQ) Index-on a scale of 0 to 100. The HAQ Index showed strong convergence validity as compared with other health-system indicators, including health expenditure per capita (r= 0.88), an index of 11 universal health coverage interventions (r= 0.83), and human resources for health per 1000 (r= 0.77). We used free disposal hull analysis with bootstrapping to produce a frontier based on the relationship between the HAQ Index and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a measure of overall development consisting of income per capita, average years of education, and total fertility rates. This frontier allowed us to better quantify the maximum levels of personal health-care access and quality achieved across the development spectrum, and pinpoint geographies where gaps between observed and potential levels have narrowed or widened over time. Findings Between 1990 and 2015, nearly all countries and territories saw their HAQ Index values improve; nonetheless, the difference between the highest and lowest observed HAQ Index was larger in 2015 than in 1990, ranging from 28.6 to 94.6. Of 195 geographies, 167 had statistically significant increases in HAQ Index levels since 1990, with South Korea, Turkey, Peru, China, and the Maldives recording among the largest gains by 2015. Performance on the HAQ Index and individual causes showed distinct patterns by region and level of development, yet substantial heterogeneities emerged for several causes, including cancers in highest-SDI countries; chronic kidney disease, diabetes, diarrhoeal diseases, and lower respiratory infections among middle-SDI countries; and measles and tetanus among lowest-SDI countries. While the global HAQ Index average rose from 40.7 (95% uncertainty interval, 39.0-42.8) in 1990 to 53.7 (52.2-55.4) in 2015, far less progress occurred in narrowing the gap between observed HAQ Index values and maximum levels achieved; at the global level, the difference between the observed and frontier HAQ Index only decreased from 21.2 in 1990 to 20.1 in 2015. If every country and territory had achieved the highest observed HAQ Index by their corresponding level of SDI, the global average would have been 73.8 in 2015. Several countries, particularly in eastern and western sub-Saharan Africa, reached HAQ Index values similar to or beyond their development levels, whereas others, namely in southern sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and south Asia, lagged behind what geographies of similar development attained between 1990 and 2015. Interpretation This novel extension of the GBD Study shows the untapped potential for personal health-care access and quality improvement across the development spectrum. Amid substantive advances in personal health care at the national level, heterogeneous patterns for individual causes in given countries or territories suggest that few places have consistently achieved optimal health-care access and quality across health-system functions and therapeutic areas. This is especially evident in middle-SDI countries, many of which have recently undergone or are currently experiencing epidemiological transitions. The HAQ Index, if paired with other measures of health-systemcharacteristics such as intervention coverage, could provide a robust avenue for tracking progress on universal health coverage and identifying local priorities for strengthening personal health-care quality and access throughout the world. Copyright (C) The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Biotransformation of the terpenes ?-caryophyllene and 3?-acetoxy-copalic acid found in Copaifera sp oleoresins using filamentous fungi and bacteria from gastrointestinal tract and cytotoxic activity evaluation of the obtained derivatives

Oleorresinas de espécies de Copaifera sp são amplamente utilizadas na medicina popular brasileira e estudos químicos e biológicos demonstram que diterpenos e sesquiterpenos estão entre os principais compostos bioativos das oleorresinas. Um importante fator para a avaliação da segurança e eficácia de fármacos é o conhecimento sobre o seu metabolismo, o qual pode ser adquirido por meio de estudos de biotransformação utilizando fungos filamentosos e bactérias do trato gastrointestinal. Os fungos filamentosos são organismos eucariotos e o aparato enzimático se assemelha com o dos mamíferos podendo contribuir para a elucidação de rotas metabólicas fornecendo informações sobre a formação de produtos farmacologicamente ativos, inativos ou tóxicos para o organismo. Esses estudos podem ainda contribuir para a obtenção de substâncias inéditas com potencial atividade biológica. O uso de bactérias da microbiota intestinal em estudos de metabolismo também é importante, pois os medicamentos e alimentos, quando ingeridos, podem ser metabolizados por essas bactérias que colonizam o trato gastrointestinal. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o potencial de fungos filamentosos e de bactérias do trato gastrointestinal para biotransformar o ácido 3?-acetoxi-copálico e ?-cariofileno, presentes em oleorresinas de Copaifera, bem como isolar os produtos de biotransformação para avaliação da citotoxidade. Os experimentos de biotransformação foram realizados com 10 linhagens de fungos filamentosos e com 8 linhagens de bactérias do trato gastrointestinal. Os extratos obtidos em acetato de etila das culturas das biotransformações do diterpeno foram analisados por CLAE/DAD/CAD e CLAE-EM e os extratos obtidos em n-hexano e em acetato de etila das culturas das biotransformações do sesquiterpeno, bem como a fração volátil captada das culturas por microextração em fase sólida (SPME) no modo headspace, foram analisados por CG-EM. Todos os micro-organismos testados foram capazes de biotransformar o ácido 3?-acetoxi-copálico e 9 produtos de biotransformação foram isolados, suas estruturas químicas foram identificadas, sendo seis inéditos e todos os produtos foram avaliados quanto a atividade citotóxica frente às linhagens celulares de glândulas mamárias normais (MCF-10A) e de adenocarcinoma mamário (MCF-7). Todos os metabólitos do ácido 3?-acetoxi-copálico apresentaram menor citotoxidade frente as linhagens avaliadas do que o próprio ácido 3?-acetóxi-copálico. Os fungos A. niger, A. brasiliensis e as três linhagens de Cunninghamella foram capazes de biotransformar o ?-cariofileno. Entretanto, como não foram obtidos bons rendimentos nesses processos, não foi possível isolar os produtos de biotransformação. Com os dados obtidos foi possível apenas elaborar uma proposta para a estrutura química de um dos produtos oriundos da biotransformação do ?-cariofileno realizada com C. echinulata ATCC 9245.Oleoresins from Copaifera sp species are widely used in Brazilian folk medicine and chemical and biological studies showed that diterpenes and sesquiterpenes are among the main bioactive compounds of oleoresins. An important factor for assessing the safety and efficacy of drugs is the knowledge about their metabolism, which can be acquired through biotransformation studies using filamentous fungi and human gut bacteria. Filamentous fungi are eukaryotic organisms and the enzymatic apparatus is similar to those of mammals and may contribute to the elucidation of metabolic pathways providing information on the production of pharmacologically active, inactive or toxic compounds to the organism. These studies may also contribute to provide new compounds with potential biological activity. The use of human gut bacteria in metabolism studies is also important because drugs and foods, when ingested, can be metabolized by bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of filamentous fungi and human gut bacteria to biotransform 3?-acetoxy-copalic acid and ?-caryophyllene found in oleoresins from Copaifera as well as to isolate the biotransformation products for evaluation of their cytotoxicity. Biotransformation experiments were carried out with 10 filamentous fungi strains and 8 human gut bacteria strains. The ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the biotransformation processes of diterpene were analyzed by HPLC/DAD/CAD and HPLC-MS and n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the biotransformation processes of sesquiterpene, as well as the volatile fraction collected by solid phase microextraction headspace, were analyzed by GC-MS. All tested microorganisms were able to biotransform the 3?-acetoxy-copalic acid and 9 biotransformation products were isolated, their chemical structures were identified, from which six are new and all the products were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against normal mammary gland (MCF-10A) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines. All metabolites of 3?-acetoxy-copalic acid showed lower cytotoxicity against the evaluated cell lines than the 3?-acetoxy-copalic acid. The fungi A. niger, A. brasiliensis and the three Cunninghamella strains were able to biotransform ?-caryophyllene. However, as good yields were not achieved in these processes, it was not possible to isolate the biotransformation products. The obtained data became possible to just make a proposal for the chemical structure of a product from the ?-caryophyllene biotransformation process performed by C. echinulata ATCC 9245

Relationships between falls, age, independence, balance, physical activity, and upper limb function in elderly Brazilians

Background: Falls are the most serious and frequent household accidents occurring in the elderly; their prevention is important in decreasing morbidity, mortality, and medical costs. This study aimed to identify and correlate factors such as gender, level of independence in daily activities, balance, physical activity, and function of the upper limbs within the elderly population. Methods: This was a correlational and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. Forty-three elderly participants were selected from a Primary Health Care Unit in the city of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Collection instruments included a questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Box and Blocks Test. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation. Results: Most participants were women (46.5%) between 60 and 70 years old being 58% of the sample. The total number of falls for older women was 31. The number of falls increased proportionally with the increasing age of the participant (r = 0.41) (p = 0.0063). The greater the number of falls, the lower the performance in balance (r = −0.47) (p = 0.0015) and independence (r = −0.63) (p ≤ 0.0001). Conclusion: This study resulted in evidence that can strengthen the development of preventative strategies, focusing on physical activity and its importance in the prevention of falls

Hydrodynamic Modeling for Flow and Velocity Estimation from an Arduino Ultrasonic Sensor

Flow is a crucial variable in water resources, although its determination is challenging. Rating curves are standard but have conceptual limitations, leading to significantly high uncertainties. Hydrodynamic models offer a more precise alternative, but they necessitate continuous measurements of velocities, which are complex and expensive to obtain. Thus, this article aimed to validate a hydrodynamic model that estimates flows and velocities in transient conditions based on water levels measured using a low-cost ultrasonic sensor. The results indicated that these estimates can be reliable if (1) hydrodynamic models are used to represent the flow, (2) the channel bed slope is well represented in the geometric data, and (3) Manning’s coefficients are accurately estimated during calibration. The calculated flow and velocity showed a maximum variation of 40% for the same water level compared to estimates using the rating curve. The model exhibited higher sensitivity in terms of the flow when varying the channel bed slope, highlighting the importance of topographic surveys for the estimates. The validity of the implemented model was assessed with experimental data, indicating precision and reliability for practical applications in natural channels

Antimicrobial potential of Casearia sylvestris against oral bacteria

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to obtain Casearia sylvestris leave extracts by different extractive methods, including the obtention of essential oil, in order to compare their antimicrobial activities to conventional mouthwash chlorhexidine against oral bacteria. Material and method For this evaluation, extracts from the leaves were obtained by different methods of extraction (infusion, decoction, maceration and percolation) using different solvent systems: water 100%, ethanol 100%, methanol 100%, water: ethanol 3:7; water: ethanol 7:3; water: methanol 7:3 and water: methanol 3:7. The essential oil, which corresponds to a volatile fraction, was obtained by hydrodistillation using Clevenger modified apparatus. The microdilution broth method was used to determine the values of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for the following microorganisms: Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, S. mitis ATCC 49456, S. sanguinis ATCC 10556, S. salivarius ATCC 25975, Lactobacillus casei ATCC 11578 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC4082. Chlorhexidine gluconate was used as a positive control. Result All extracts evaluated in the used protocol displayed MIC values higher than 400 µg/mL and few showed bactericidal activity. The antimicrobial activity of essential oil was higher than the activity of the extracts, and the best minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values were obtained against L. casei (MIC of 0.023 µg/mL and MBC of 0.046 µg/mL) and S. mutans (MIC of 25 µg/mL and MBC of 50 µg/mL), respectively. Conclusion The essential oil of Casearia sylvestris has significant antimicrobial activity against oral microorganisms

Necrophagous or predators? The role of Pheidole radoszkowskii

Figure 2. Average number of Pheidole radoszkowskii that exhibited necrophagous feeding behaviour – NFB – (fed on exudates and on pieces of flesh from the carcass) and predatory feeding behaviour – PFB – (predated on fly larvae).Published as part of Sales, Tatiane Archanjo de, Daemon, Erik & Lopes, Juliane Floriano Santos, 2015, Necrophagous or predators? The role of Pheidole radoszkowskii Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout) carcasses (Rodentia: Muridae), pp. 971-974 in Journal of Natural History 50 on page 973, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1091100, http://zenodo.org/record/399013