Uv-responsive screen-printed porous zno nanostructures on office paper for sustainable and foldable electronics

Funding Information: This work is funded by National Funds through FCT?Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, reference UIDB/50025/2020-2023 and FCT/MCTES. This work also received funding from the European Community?s H2020 program under grant agreement No. 787410 (ERC-2018-AdG DIGISMART), No. 640598 (ERC-StG-2014, NEWFUN), and No. 952169 (SYNERGY, H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA). S.H.F. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the AdvaMTech PhD program scholarship PD/BD/114086/2015 and IDS-FunMat-INNO project FPA2016/EIT/EIT RawMaterials Grant Agreement 17184. I.C. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/126409/2016. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The fabrication of low-cost, flexible, and recyclable electronic devices has been the focus of many research groups, particularly for integration in wearable technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). In this work, porous zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are incorporated as a UV sensing material into the composition of a sustainable water-based screen-printable ink composed of car-boxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The formulated ink is used to fabricate flexible and foldable UV sensors on ubiquitous office paper. The screen-printed CMC/ZnO UV sensors operate under low voltage (≤2 V) and reveal a stable response over several on/off cycles of UV light exposure. The devices reach a response current of 1.34 ± 0.15 mA and a rise and fall time of 8.2 ± 1.0 and 22.0 ± 2.3 s, respectively. The responsivity of the sensor is 432 ± 48 mA W−1, which is the highest value reported in the literature for ZnO-based UV sensors on paper substrates. The UV-responsive devices display impressive mechanical endurance under folding, showing a decrease in responsivity of only 21% after being folded 1000 times. Their low-voltage operation and extreme folding stability indicate a bright future for low-cost and sustainable flexible electronics, showing potential for low-power wearable applications and smart packaging.publishersversionpublishe

Use of teaching material about nervous system embryology: a students' evaluation

Human embryology is an extremely important part of training health professionals, but its study is often considered boring, decorative and without practical significance for many students, making it ineffective. This study aimed to produce interactive teaching material with embryonic models representing the embryonic development of the nervous system. To qualitatively evaluate the real effectiveness and ability to facilitate the teaching-learning process in the context of problem-based learning, the material was applied to first-year medicine and nursing students. The students felt that the material contributed to a better understanding of the topic and enabled visualization of embryonic events, as well as arousing interest in studying the subject. The material served to establish understanding and inspire the students to integrate the knowledge with other disciplines. Thus, in qualitative terms, analysis of the student questionnaires indicated that the material produced was effective for learning and worked as a resource in self-directed learning, promoting the diversification of search sources and being complementary to textbooks and other theoretical materials.A Embriologia Humana é de extrema importância na formação de profissionais de saúde, porém seu estudo, muitas vezes, é considerado desestimulante, decorativo e sem significado prático para muitos estudantes, tornando-se pouco efetivo. Este trabalho objetivou produzir material didático interativo com modelos embrionários representativos do desenvolvimento embrionário do sistema nervoso. Para avaliar de forma qualitativa a real efetividade e capacidade de facilitar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem no contexto da Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas, o material foi aplicado aos estudantes da primeira série de Medicina e Enfermagem da Faculdade de Medicina de Marília. Os estudantes consideraram que o material contribuiu para o entendimento do tema e facilitou a visualização dos eventos embrionários, além de despertar o interesse pelo estudo da disciplina. O material serviu como recurso para sedimentar o conhecimento e suscitou nos estudantes a integração dos conhecimentos com outras disciplinas. Em termos qualitativos, a análise dos questionários dos estudantes indicou que o material didático produzido foi efetivo na aprendizagem e funcionou como recurso na aprendizagem autodirigida, favorecendo a diversificação de fontes de busca e sendo complementar a livros-texto e outros materiais teóricos.Universidade Estadual de CampinasUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Faculdade de Medicina de MaríliaUNIFESPSciEL

Use of teaching material about nervous system embryology: a students' evaluation

Human embryology is an extremely important part of training health professionals, but its study is often considered boring, decorative and without practical significance for many students, making it ineffective. This study aimed to produce interactive teaching material with embryonic models representing the embryonic development of the nervous system. To qualitatively evaluate the real effectiveness and ability to facilitate the teaching-learning process in the context of problem-based learning, the material was applied to first-year medicine and nursing students. The students felt that the material contributed to a better understanding of the topic and enabled visualization of embryonic events, as well as arousing interest in studying the subject. The material served to establish understanding and inspire the students to integrate the knowledge with other disciplines. Thus, in qualitative terms, analysis of the student questionnaires indicated that the material produced was effective for learning and worked as a resource in self-directed learning, promoting the diversification of search sources and being complementary to textbooks and other theoretical materials.A Embriologia Humana é de extrema importância na formação de profissionais de saúde, porém seu estudo, muitas vezes, é considerado desestimulante, decorativo e sem significado prático para muitos estudantes, tornando-se pouco efetivo. Este trabalho objetivou produzir material didático interativo com modelos embrionários representativos do desenvolvimento embrionário do sistema nervoso. Para avaliar de forma qualitativa a real efetividade e capacidade de facilitar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem no contexto da Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas, o material foi aplicado aos estudantes da primeira série de Medicina e Enfermagem da Faculdade de Medicina de Marília. Os estudantes consideraram que o material contribuiu para o entendimento do tema e facilitou a visualização dos eventos embrionários, além de despertar o interesse pelo estudo da disciplina. O material serviu como recurso para sedimentar o conhecimento e suscitou nos estudantes a integração dos conhecimentos com outras disciplinas. Em termos qualitativos, a análise dos questionários dos estudantes indicou que o material didático produzido foi efetivo na aprendizagem e funcionou como recurso na aprendizagem autodirigida, favorecendo a diversificação de fontes de busca e sendo complementar a livros-texto e outros materiais teóricos.839

Relato de dois casos consecutivos de derivação biliodigestiva pela técnica de Couinaud-Soupault, no tratamento de icterícia obstrutiva por neoplasia de via biliar / Report of two consecutive cases of biliodigestive shunt by the Couinaud-Soupault technique, in the treatment of obstructive jaundice due to biliary tract neoplasia

A anastomose Biliodigestiva com técnica de Couinaud-Soupault foi realizada como tratamento paliativo de ictéricia obstrutiva em dois casos de neoplasias em via biliar intra-hepática no Hospital Municipal Lourenço Jorge (HMLJ)

Síndrome de Pendred causada por mutação em homozigoze no gene SLC26A4 em uma família brasileira consangüínea

ABSTRACTPendred Syndrome (PS) is an autossomal recessive disorder characterized by sensorineural deafness, goiter and iodide organification defect. The hearing loss is associated with inner ear abnormalities, ranging from an isolated enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) to a typical coclear dysplasia. Mutations in the gene that encodes pendrin (SLC26A4), a chloride/iodide transporter, have been shown to be associated with PS. We describe the clinical and molecular characteristics of a large consanguineous family harboring a mutation in the SLC26A4 gene. The proband was a 26-year-old deaf Brazilian woman who presented a bulky multinodular goiter and hypothyroidism since puberty. Five other siblings were deaf: one brother had a similar phenotype, three siblings also had goiters but normal thyroid function tests, and one brother had only a subtle thyroid enlargement. Other 4 siblings had no thyroid or hearing disorder. Parents were first degree cousins and had normal hearing. The mother was healthy, except for subclinical hypothyroidism; the father was deceased. A perchlorate test in the proband showed a discharge of 21% of the incorporated iodide 2h after the administration of 1g of KClO4. Audiological examinations showed profound hearing loss in all deaf subjects; CT and MRI of the temporal bones showed EVA in all of them. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood, from the 6 affected and 4 unaffected siblings, the mother and control. The coding region of the PDS gene (exons 2-21), including exon/intron boundaries, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. A single base-pair (T) deletion at position 1197 of exon 10 was detected in homozygous state in the 6 deaf siblings. The mother and 2 unaffected siblings were heterozygous for this mutation, which has been described by Everett et al. The 1197delT mutation is predicted to result in a frameshift and a truncated protein. The existence of PS phenocopies and intrafamilial phenotypic variability are well documented. The definite diagnosis requires molecular analysis. Our study illustrates the value and challenges of mutational analysis in selected patients with PS. __________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOA syndrome de Pendred (SP) é uma doença autossômica recessiva caracterizada por surdez neurossensorial, bócio e defeito de organificação do iodo. A perda auditiva está associada a anormalidades do ouvido interno, desde a dilatação isolada do aqueduto vestibular (DAV) até uma típica displasia coclear. Mutações no gene que codifica a pendrina (SLC26A4), um transportador de cloreto/iodeto, têm sido associadas à SP. Descrevemos as características clínicas e moleculares de uma grande família consangüínea portadora de uma mutação no gene SLC26A4. O caso-índice era uma paciente do sexo feminino, brasileira, 26 anos, portadora de surdez congênita, que apresentava um volumoso bócio multinodular e hipotireoidismo desde a puberdade. Outros cinco irmãos eram surdos: um irmão tinha fenotipo semelhante, três também tinham bócio, porém com função tiroideana normal e um irmão tinha apenas um discreto aumento da tiróide. Outros quatro irmãos não apresentavam alteração tiroideana ou auditiva. Os pais eram primos de primeiro grau e tinham audição normal. A mãe era saudável, exceto por hipotireoidismo subclínico; o pai era falecido. O teste do perclorato no caso-índice revelou a liberação de 21% do iodo incorporado duas horas após a administração de 1 g de KClO4. Os exames audiológicos mostraram perda auditiva profunda em todos os indivíduos afetados; TC e RMN dos ossos temporais mostraram DAV em todos eles. O DNA genômico foi isolado do sangue total dos seis irmãos afetados e dos quatro não-afetados, da mãe e do controle. A região codificante do gene PDS (éxons 2-21), incluindo as junções éxon/íntron, foram amplificadas por PCR e seqüenciadas. Foi detectada a deleção de uma base (T) na posição 1197 do éxon 10, em homozigoze, nos seis irmãos afetados. A mãe e dois irmãos não-afetados eram heterozigotos para a mutação, que foi descrita inicialmente por Everett e cols. A mutação 1197delT provavelmente resulta em um erro de fase de leitura (frameshift) e em uma proteína truncada. A existência de fenocópias da SP e a variabilidade fenotípica intrafamiliar são bem conhecidas. O diagnóstico definitivo requer análise molecular. O presente estudo ilustra o valor e os desafios da análise mutacional em pacientes selecionados com SP

Prevalência de arritmias em pacientes com Sars-cov-2 tratados com hidroxicloroquina e azitromicina / Prevalence of arrhytmias in patients with Sars-cov-2 treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin

INTRODUÇÃO: Este estudo tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão de narrativa a respeito da correlação entre o prolongamento do intervalo QT e desenvolvimento de Torsade de Pointes (TdP) em pacientes previamente diagnosticados com a COVID-19 e medicados com Hidroxicloroquina e Azitromicina. METODOLOGIA:  Foram realizadas buscas nas bases de dados PubMed/ MedLine utilizando-se os seguintes descritores: ‘’COVID-19”, ‘’hidroxicloroquine’’, “azithromycin”, “QTc interval”, ‘’arrhythmias’’ e ‘’cardiac’’ com ênfase nos resultados de até 1 ano. RESULTADOS: Um total de trinta e três artigos de periódicos internacionais foram selecionados, totalizando uma amostra de 1191 pacientes confirmados com COVID-19 e tratados com Hidroxicloroquina associado com Azitromicina. Estes pacientes que fizeram uso de HCQ em monoterapia desenvolveram menos anormalidades cardíacas e QTc > 500ms em comparação aos tratados com a combinação desses fármacos. DISCUSSÃO: O estudo identificou um prolongamento excessivo do intervalo qtc nos pacientes em uso combinado da medicação, além de algumas arritmias associadas, principalmente FA e TdP. No entanto, é necessária uma investigação mais ampla, com estudos que demonstrem eficácia no combate ao vírus sem o surgimento de efeitos deletérios. CONCLUSÃO: O desenvolvimento de TdP através do uso de Hidroxicloroquina + Azitromicina foi raro. Entretanto, foi significativo o número de pacientes que apresentaram prolongamento do intervalo QT, em particular aqueles que já possuíam alguma comorbidade

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on TAVR Activity: A Worldwide Registry

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on the provision of structural heart intervention worldwide. Our objectives were: 1) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) activity globally; and 2) to determine the differences in the impact according to geographic region and the demographic, development, and economic status of diverse international health care systems. Methods: We developed a multinational registry of global TAVR activity and invited individual TAVR sites to submit TAVR implant data before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the number of TAVR procedures performed monthly from January 2019 to December 2021 was collected. The adaptive measures to maintain TAVR activity by each site were recorded, as was a variety of indices relating to type of health care system and national economic indices. The primary subject of interest was the impact on TAVR activity during each of the pandemic waves (2020 and 2021) compared with the same period pre–COVID-19 (2019). Results: Data were received from 130 centers from 61 countries, with 14 subcontinents and 5 continents participating in the study. Overall, TAVR activity increased by 16.7% (2,337 procedures) between 2018 and 2019 (ie, before the pandemic), but between 2019 and 2020 (ie, first year of the pandemic), there was no significant growth (–0.1%; –10 procedures). In contrast, activity again increased by 18.9% (3,085 procedures) between 2020 and 2021 (ie, second year of the pandemic). During the first pandemic wave, there was a reduction of 18.9% (945 procedures) in TAVR activity among participating sites, while during the second and third waves, there was an increase of 6.7% (489 procedures) and 15.9% (1,042 procedures), respectively. Further analysis and results of this study are ongoing and will be available at the time of the congress. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to a reduction in the number of patients undergoing TAVR worldwide, although health care systems subsequently adapted, and the number of TAVR recipients continued to grow in subsequent COVID-19 pandemic waves. Categories: STRUCTURAL: Valvular Disease: Aorti

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio