Quality Of Life Assessment In Children With Cerebral Palsy

Objectives: Evaluate the QoL of children with CP followed at Núcleo de Tratamento e Estimulação Precoce, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; identify the most affected domains of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, of which target population consisted of parents of children with CP (N = 62). Data collection was carried out by applying the socioeconomic questionnaire and the Health-related Quality of Life tool – HRQoL-PedsQL version 4.0, module applied to parents. Data analysis was performed with SPSS statistical software, version 23.0. Results: The results after transformation of scores into a scale of 0 to 100 in PedsQL, the data showed statistical difference between QOL domains except for physical capacity and social aspect and in descending order of impairment, the domains were related to school activity, the emotional aspect, physical capacity and the social aspect. Conclusions: Given the above, to attain improvement in QoL indicators, it is reasonable to propose interdisciplinary intervention among healthcare professionals in order to develop improved strategies aiming to promote early integration of children with CP in schools, to obtain significant results

Application of Nanofiltration to the Treatment of Acid mine Drainage Waters

This study investigated the separation of uranium and other elements in high concentrations from acid mine waters at Caldas Uranium Mining, in the southeast of Brazil, using nanofiltration membranes. Nanofiltrarion is widely used in water treatment due to the lower energy requirements and higher yields than reverse osmosis. Separation characteristics are dependent on both the molecular size and charge of the dissolved species in the feed solution as well as membrane properties. In this investigation the potential of nanofiltration to removed dissolved species like uranium from acid mine water drainage was measured. Two composite aromatic polyamide commercially membranes of FilmTec/Dow were tested and it found that uranium rejections of greater than 90% and also showed potential for the separation of aluminum and manganese

Diagnosis of \u3ci\u3eSchistosoma mansoni\u3c/i\u3e Infections: What are the Choices in Brazilian Low-Endemic Areas?

The population of Brazil is currently characterised by many individuals harbouring low-intensity Schistosoma mansoni infections. The Kato-Katz technique is the diagnostic method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assess these infections, but this method is not sensitive enough in the context of low egg excretion. In this regard, potential alternatives are being employed to overcome the limits of the Kato-Katz technique. In the present review, we evaluated the performance of parasitological and immunological approaches adopted in Brazilian areas. Currently, the diagnostic choices involve a combination of strategies, including the utilisation of antibody methods to screen individuals and then subsequent confirmation of positive cases by intensive parasitological investigations

Actividad antifúngica de extractos de plantas contra cepas de Microsporum canis y Candida spp.

Con el objetivo de encontrar compuestos fitoterapéuticos para tratar las infecciones por hongos de los animales, plantas que se encuentran comúnmente en el noreste de Brasil se evaluaron in vitro frente a cepas de Microsporum canis y Candida spp. aisladas de perros y gatos. Los extractos etanólicos de hojas de Momordica charantia, Calotropis procera, Peschiera affinis y Piper tuberculatum y la decocción de Mangifera índica fueron evaluados inicialmente por el método de difusión en pocillos de agar. Cuatro extractos indujeron zonas de inhibición del crecimiento contra M. canis: P. tuberculatum (20 mm), M. índica (14 mm), M. charantia (13 mm) y P. affinis (11 mm). Ninguno de ellos fue activo contra Candida spp. Se realizaron pruebas de microdilución en caldo para las cepas de M. canis (n = 5), para encontrar la concentración mínima inhibitoria (CIM) y la concentración fungicida mínima (CFM). Las medias geométricas de los valores de CIM fueron 590, 370, 350, 170 mg/ml, y para los valores de CFM fueron 1.190, 750, 700, 340 mg/ml de M. charantia, P. affinis, P. tuberculatum y M. indica, respectivamente. Por lo tanto, los extractos de M. charantia, P. affinis, P. tuberculatum y M. indica son buenos candidatos para la producción de fitoterápicos antifúngicos ya que estos extractos demostraron una buena actividad contra M. canis

Influence of dietary pattern on anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes in persons with dysglycemia: a Peruvian prospective cohort study

IntroductionDietary patterns (DPs) are associated with overall nutritional status and may alter the clinical prognosis of tuberculosis. This interaction can be further intricated by dysglycemia (i.e., diabetes or prediabetes). Here, we identified DPs that are more common with tuberculosis–dysglycemia and depicted their association with tuberculosis treatment outcomes.MethodsA prospective cohort study of persons with tuberculosis and their contacts was conducted in Peru. A food frequency questionnaire and a multidimensional systems biology-based analytical approach were employed to identify DPs associated with these clinical groups. Potential independent associations between clinical features and DPs were analyzed.ResultsThree major DPs were identified. TB–dysglycemia cases more often had a high intake of carbohydrates (DP1). Furthermore, DP1 was found to be associated with an increased risk of unfavorable TB outcomes independent of other factors, including dysglycemia.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the evaluation of nutritional status through DPs in comorbidities such as dysglycemia is a fundamental action to predict TB treatment outcomes. The mechanisms underlying the association between high intake of carbohydrates, dysglycemia, and unfavorable tuberculosis treatment outcomes warrant further investigation

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice