Terminal sterilization using supercritical carbon dioxide : SCCO2 : influence of several processing parameters

Dada a expansão do mercado de biomateriais e sofisticação dos dispositivos médicos, os processos de esterilização terão necessariamente de ser reformulados e melhorados para responderem eficazmente. Algumas das técnicas de esterilização utilizadas atualmente não conseguem executar a sua função de uma forma eficaz. Em muitos casos o material é danificado durante o processo ou a esterilização não é realizada eficientemente. Assim sendo, a esterilização por dióxido de carbono em estado supercrítico (SCCO2) responde eficazmente ao esterilizar diversos materiais biológicos e polímeros sensíveis, que antes não eram esterilizados por outras técnicas. A par desta vertente, o custo de operação, a sua segurança e rapidez processual são características positivas na esterilização por SCCO2. O trabalho realizado no âmbito da presente tese teve como objetivo estudar e analisar as variáveis de esterilização em tiras de esporos bacterianos de três estirpes diferentes: Bacillus atrophaeus, Bacillus pumilus e Bacillus stearothermophilus. Com este estudo, as variáveis como o tempo de esterilização efetiva, pressão e “Shelf life” foram aprimorados, aumentando assim a eficiência do processo. Em paralelo a este estudo, foram também estudadas amostras de placenta humana antes e depois do processo de esterilização de forma a verificar se a esterilização por SCCO2 poderá danificar ou modificar as propriedades físicas ou químicas deste material biológico. Conclui-se que para esterilizar eficazmente as tiras de esporos bacterianos é recomendável um tempo de esterilização efetiva no mínimo de 3 horas com um shelf life mínimo de 1 semana. De forma a aumentar a viabilidade do processo, demonstrou-se que é possível a utilização dos materiais esterilizados logo após o processo sem reativação dos esporos, quando estes estão em contacto com o SCCO2 no mínimo 3 horas. No reator os valores recomendados são: pressão a 140 bar, 600 rpm, 40ºC e com a adição de 300 ppm H2O2. As análises de High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) e Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstraram que as amostras de placenta após esterilização não sofrem alterações químicas significativas. Contrariamente, os testes mecânicos e análises de Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revelaram mudanças físicas e químicas significativas nas amostras. A esterilização por SCCO2 conferiu um aumento de rigidez nas amostras biológicas estudadas, assim como um aumento na sua resistência térmica. O estudo da eficácia desta técnica de esterilização (SCCO2) em amostras biológicas deve ser continuado para que se possa reunir mais informação que permita validar a sua aplicabilidade na área dos materiais médicos e biomateriais.Due the expanding market for biomaterials and the sophistication of medical devices, sterilization processes need to be refined and reinvented to respond effectively to this demand. Nowadays the current sterilization techniques, cannot perform their function effectively without damaging the material during the process. Thus, supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) sterilization can be an alternative solution for sterilizing various biological materials and complex/sensitive polymers. The great advantages of SCCO2 sterilization englobes the price of operation, its safety and procedural speed among others. The main goal of this thesis project was to study and analyse different variables, like effective sterilization time or pressure in the effective sterilization process of three different bacterial spore strains: Bacillus atrophaeus, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus stearothermophilus. In this study, the effect of the time interval between SCCO2 sterilization and the microbiological validation was also evaluated, despite of being a parameter that is not taken into account in the works described in literature to date. Parallel to this work, human placenta samples were analysed before and after the sterilization process to verify whether SCCO2 sterilization could damage or modify the physical or chemical properties of this biological material. Regarding the results obtained of the sterilization of the bacterial spore strips, the mildest conditions optimized were: 140 bar, 600 rpm, 40ºC, 300 ppm H2O2 and 4 hours of effective sterilization. Interestingly, the effectiveness of terminal sterilization of these biological indicators was dependent on the time period after scCO2 treatment. In addition, the minimum “shelf life” required is at least 1 week. In the second part of the work, the placenta samples sterilized by scCO2 did not undergo significant chemical changes as demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses that. In contrast, the mechanical tests and analyses of Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated significant physical and chemical changes in the samples. SCCO2 sterilization conferred rigidity to the biological sample and a different behaviour of the samples were detected when exposed to a constant increase of temperatures. The study of the innovative sterilization technique (SCCO2) should be continued to increase its applicability in the area of medical materials and biomaterials and their efficiency

Comparação dos efeitos da aplicação de um protocolo de 10 semanas no desenvolvimento da flexibilidade tendo em conta a lateralidade de alunos do 2º ciclo ao ensino Secundário. Estudo realizado com 2 grupos experimentais, em contextos distintos

N/

The role of tympanic membrane retractions in cholesteatoma pathogenesis

Objective. To analyze the contralateral ear (CLE) of patients with cholesteatoma and to correlate the cholesteatoma growth pattern in the affected ear with the findings in the CLE. Methods. Videotoscopy of both ears in 432 patients with cholesteatomas classified as posterior epitympanic (PEC), posterior mesotympanic (PMC), two routes, or undetermined. Tympanic membrane (TM) retractions were classified by location and severity and TM perforations according to signs of previous TM retraction. Results. TM retraction was the most prevalent alteration in the CLE (42.6%). Cholesteatoma was observed in 17.4%. In patients with PEC, the retraction in the CLE was more frequent in the PF (66.7%) than in the PT (1.4%), and in those with two-route cholesteatoma, the retraction in the CLE most frequently involved both the PT and PF (65.6%; < 0.0001). Conclusion. Our results confirm the essential role of TM retraction at least in the earlier phases of cholesteatoma pathogenesis

The modern coffee planting in the Brazilian savannah

The Brazilian coffee planting presents a great importance in the creation of job opportunities, resources, and exchange value, being very diversified, with local particularities. The Brazilian Savannah covers more than 200 million ha, distributed along the States of Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Bahia, Piauí, Maranhão, and Distrito Federal, and has reached a yield of more than 5 million bags per year, mainly for Coffea arabica L. The coffee growing, in that region, stands out for presenting yield above the national average and for using, in a more efficient way, agricultural inputs, irrigation, improved varieties, and mechanization, among other practices. The irrigated coffee crop, in Brazil, covers 240,000 ha, most of these in the Brazilian Savannah, representing 10% of the total planted area and 25% of the total coffee yield. The most used irrigation systems are the sprinkler ones (conventional, net sprinkler, and center pivot) and the located ones (dripping and modified). Its climate favours coffee quality, as it allows harvesting under low air humidity conditions, since rainfall is concentrated in the summer. It is also observed, in the Brazilian Savannah areas, higher insolation rates, mainly in the autumn and winter months, favorable to yield and quality. The most planted varieties are the Catuaí and Mundo Novo ones, along with other promising drought and diseases resistant materials

Efeitos da irrigação na produção e no desenvolvimento do cafeeiro na região oeste da Bahia

Irrigation redesigned the distribution of the cultivation of coffee in Brazil, and upon this, new studies in water consumption and in its relationships with production and growth in coffee became necessary. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of irrigation on the production and growth in coffee irrigated by drip irrigation, in the West region of Bahia. For this, a trial was carried out in the farm Café do Rio Branco, located in Barreiras – BA. The experiment was caried out with adult plants of coffee of the variety Catuaí Vermelho, approximately 3.5 years old and set up in a randomized block design, with five treatments and four replicates. The treatments corresponded to 75, 85, 100, 125 and 150% of the irrigation depth and were calculated by the Irriplus software. It was evaluated the productivity, water use efficiency (WUE), vegetative development, sieve classification, as well as the yield and maturation of fruits. A significant effect of the irrigation depth in yield, WUE and maturation of fruits (green and cherry) was observed at the end of four consecutive harvests. The estimated maximum productivity (60 sc ha-1), was obtained with 129% of the irrigation depth and a maximum WUE (5.7 kg mm-1) obtained with 75%. As to maturation, they were significant only for green (19.7%) and cherry fruits (67.5) with the irrigation depths of 119 and 121%, respectively. There was no significant effect of the different irrigation depths in the vegetative development, sieve classification and yield of fruits.A irrigação redesenhou a distribuição das lavouras cafeeiras no Brasil e com isso tornaram-se necessários novos estudos de consumo de água e suas relações com a produção e crescimento do cafeeiro. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos da irrigação sobre a produção e o desenvolvimento do cafeeiro irrigado por gotejamento na região Oeste da Bahia. Para isso foi implantado um experimento na fazenda Café do Rio Branco, localizada em Barreiras – BA, em cafeeiros adultos, aproximadamente 3,5 anos de idade, da variedade Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144. O experimento foi montado no delineamento em blocos casualizados, composto de 5 tratamentos, correspondentes à 75, 85, 100, 125 e 150% da lâmina de irrigação calculada pelo software Irriplus. Observou-se, ao final de quatro safras, efeito significativo da lâmina de irrigação na produtividade do cafeeiro. A produtividade máxima estimada (60 sc ha-1) foi obtida com a lâmina correspondente a 122% da lâmina de irrigação. Não houve efeito das diferentes lâminas de irrigação no desenvolvimento vegetativo, na classificação por peneira, no rendimento e na maturação dos frutos do cafeeiro

CONSTRUCTION AND VALIDATION OF A CLINICAL SCENARIO AND CHECKLIST FOR ASSESSING CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION SKILLS

Objectives: to build and validate a simulated scenario and checklist to assess skills in the care of hemodynamically unstable patients with evolution to Cardiorespiratory Arrest, and to test applicability to the target population, assessing skills and satisfaction/self-confidence with learning.Method: methodological study carried out in three stages (development of the scenario and checklist, validation by judges and pilot test) between April 2020 and September 2021, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fourteen judges and 24 nursing students participated. Results: the scenario and checklist achieved a Content Validity Coefficient greater than 90. The skills were adequately developed, with a mean of 4.71 ± 0.24 on the satisfaction-self-confidence scale, and 4.83 ± 0.25 for simulation design.Conclusion: The scenario may contribute to improving educational activities in undergraduate and health education and subsidize future studies to increase the quality of care and assistance to hemodynamically unstable patients with evolution to cardiac arrest

EDUCAÇÃO FINANCEIRA: APRENDENDO A LIDAR COM DINHEIRO

O presente artigo discorre sobre o projeto de extens&atilde;o da Universidade Federal de Vi&ccedil;osa Campus Rio Parana&iacute;ba/Minas Gerais (UFV-CRP), intitulado &ldquo;Educa&ccedil;&atilde;o Financeira: aprendendo a lidar com dinheiro. Tem como objetivo educar financeiramente crian&ccedil;as e jovens do ensino fundamental e m&eacute;dio, preparando-os para uma vida adulta com qualidade e financeiramente saud&aacute;vel. Primeiramente &eacute; feita uma apresenta&ccedil;&atilde;o a cerca do que vem a ser a educa&ccedil;&atilde;o financeira e sobre o projeto.Em seguida &eacute; mostrada a import&acirc;ncia da educa&ccedil;&atilde;o financeira, bem como as a&ccedil;&otilde;es extensionistas e a metodologia abordada no projeto. Por fim, s&atilde;o apresentados os resultados esperados com o desenvolvimento do projeto, assim como alguns resultados j&aacute; alcan&ccedil;ados e as considera&ccedil;&otilde;es finais. &nbsp; Palavras-chave : Educa&ccedil;&atilde;o Financeira, Projeto, Crian&ccedil;as e Jovens

Unveiling the Differences of Secretome of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells, and Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells: A Proteomic Analysis

The use of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) has emerged as a possible therapeutic strategy for CNS-related conditions. Research in the last decade strongly suggests that MSC-mediated benefits are closely related with their secretome. Studies published in recent years have shown that the secretome of hMSCs isolated from different tissue sources may present significant variation. With this in mind, the present work performed a comparative proteomic-based analysis through mass spectrometry on the secretome of hMSCs derived from bone marrow (BMSCs), adipose tissue (ASCs), and human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs). The results revealed that BMSCs, ASCs, and HUCPVCs differed in their secretion of neurotrophic, neurogenic, axon guidance, axon growth, and neurodifferentiative proteins, as well as proteins with neuroprotective actions against oxidative stress, apoptosis, and excitotoxicity, which have been shown to be involved in several CNS disorder/injury processes. Although important changes were observed within the secretome of the cell populations that were analyzed, all cell populations shared the capability of secreting important neuroregulatory molecules. The difference in their secretion pattern may indicate that their secretome is specific to a condition of the CNS. Nevertheless, the confirmation that the secretome of MSCs isolated from different tissue sources is rich in neuroregulatory molecules represents an important asset not only for the development of future neuroregenerative strategies but also for their use as a therapeutic option for human clinical trials.Foundation Calouste de Gulbenkian for the funds attributed to A.J.S.; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) PhD fel- lowships attributed to A.O.P. (SFRH/BD/33900/2009) and S.I.A. (SFRH/BD/81495/2011) and Ciência 2007, IF Development Grant attributed to A.J.S., and projects PTDC/ NEU-NMC/0205/2012, UID/NEU/04539/2013; cofinanced by COMPETE Programa Operacional Factores de Compe- titividade; and by The National Mass Spectrometry Network (RNEM) (REDE/1506/REM/2005); Prémios Santa Casa Neurociências—Prize Melo e Castro for Spinal Cord Injury Research; cofunded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2–O Novo Norte),ao abrigo do Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN), and através do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER). The authors also would like to thank Professor J.E.D. (University of Toronto, Canada) and Professor J.M.G. (Tulane University) for kindly providing HUCPVCs and ASCs, respectivelyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio