Plastic biodegradation by marine-derived actinobacteria

Plastic is an integral part of our life, being present in most of the products that we use daily. Due to the production and consumption patterns of society, plastics are accumulating in the environment, which causes pollution issues, and intergenerational impacts on the life and health of organisms. We hypothesize that different actinobacteria strains are capable of degrading different types of (micro)plastics by using them as a carbon source, and then transformed them into bioplastics. In this way, this study aimed to find and develop solutions and sustainable methods to mitigate this environmental problem, focusing on the study of the ability of marine actinobacteria to accelerate plastics biodegradation. In this work, the screening of thirty-six marine-derived actinobacteria strains was performed to evaluate their polyvinylidene fluoride, polystyrene, and polylactic acid biodegradability potential. The selected actinobacteria (Streptomyces gougerotti, Micromonospora matsumotoense, M. terminaliae, and Nocardiopsis prasina) were used in the plastic biodegradation assays using plastic films and testing different conditions. Half of the plastic films used in the assays were pre-treated with UV irradiation and yeast extract was added to culture media to perceive its influence in biodegradation. In both cases, enhanced degradation by the microorganisms was observed. Biodegradation of films was monitored by weight loss, which was detected in all the inoculated films, except for LDPE UV films inoculated with M. terminaliae. The maximum weight loss percentage was 1.27% for PLA inoculated with N. prasina. Nocardiopsis was identified as a new genus with the ability to degrade PLA. Biodegradation was also accessed based on changes in surface chemical structure (by infra-red spectroscopy) and mechanical properties (tensile strength). The absorptions bands of carbonyl groups are the most related to biodegradation. The maximum decrease in Young modulus was 59% for polystyrene films inoculated with S. gougerotti. We conclude that S. gougerotti, M. matsumotoense, and N. prasina had the potential to use conventional plastics as a carbon source. Furthermore, S. gougerotti and M. matsumotoense were able to biodegrade conventional plastics and possibly transform them into bioplastics, through the pro-duction of PHA inclusions

Profile of children and adolescents with chronic renal failure followed up at nephrology units

Objective: Characterize the profile of children and adolescents with chronic renal failure followed up at nephrology units in the town of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: This is a quantitative, retrospective and descriptive, research which investigated socio-demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables in the medical records of 35 children and adolescents followed up at nephrology units by June 2010. Results: The main etiology was chronic glomerulonephritis (34,2%); 88,6% of patients were diagnosed and started treatment between 10 and 20 years of age. The most prevalent comorbidities were systemic arterial hypertension (51,4%) and diabetes ellitus (48,6%). The main associated clinical manifestations were systemic arterial hypertension (51,4%), uremia (48,6%), edema (42,9%), and anemia (31,4%); 97,1% of patients underwent hemodialysis. Most patients continued on hemodialysis (40%) up to 2 years of treatment (54,3%). Conclusion: This study allowed one to know this profile of patients, hitherto unknown, and it may contribute to the planning of care actions aimed at this clientele

Diversidade de gênero em empresas do setor de tecnologia da informação no Rio de Janeiro

O mercado de trabalho do setor de tecnologia da informação encontra-se em déficit de profissionais qualificados ao redor do mundo. Além disso, ainda é, em sua maioria, masculino, pois as mulheres enfrentam barreiras desde cedo na vida para seguir o estudo e trabalho em áreas técnicas. O objetivo deste estudo é, então, identificar as políticas e práticas de inclusão e gestão da diversidade de gênero em empresas de pequeno e médio porte do setor que tenham sido classificadas como Great Place To Work no estado do Rio de Janeiro. Com base em literatura voltada para os temas da diversidade, da mulher no mercado de trabalho em áreas tecnológicas e do mercado de trabalho no setor no estado do Rio, fez-se uma pesquisa qualitativa com os funcionários responsáveis pelo tema em tais empresas. As entrevistas foram gravadas para posterior análise do discurso. Os resultados revelaram três grupos de empresas. O primeiro é o das que dependem inteiramente do engajamento individual de funcionários para o avanço da pauta da diversidade, não sendo esta parte intrínseca da cultura organizacional. O segundo é o daquelas que seguem as tendências de mercado com o único objetivo de atrair talentos, sendo suas principais práticas voltadas para recrutamento e seleção. Por fim, existem aquelas que não possuem prática alguma, uma vez que a alta gerência não enxerga necessidade

Pediatric prehospital assistance conducted by the mobile emergency care service (SAMU)

Objective: Describe the prehospital pediatric assistance conducted by the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) in the town of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil, in 2009. Method: This is a quantitative, retrospective, and descriptive research, based on the records of pediatric treatments conducted by SAMU in the town of Feira de Santana. Results: One identified 372 treatments; 43,5% for children from 5 to 10 years; 57,1% of occurrences took place at home; falls (28,7%) and running over cases (22,9%) were the most usual external causes; the most prevalent clinical causes were respiratory problems (40,0%) and convulsive crises (27,9%). Conclusion: The study allowed knowing the reality of prehospital assistance for children in the town, and it can contribute to public policies aimed at this clientele; besides, it collaborates to the scientific production related to the prehospital child assistance, a theme poorly explored among this population

Assessing the impact of implementing multiple adherence measures to antiretroviral therapy from dispensing data: a short report

Pharmacy dispensing data are useful for estimating adherence to therapy. Here, we implement multiple adherence measures to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and provide an online tool for visualising results. We conducted a cohort study for 2,042 people dispensed ART in Australia. We assessed adherence using the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) within 360 days of follow-up as a continuous measure and dichotomised (PDC ≥80%). We defined a covered day as the 1) exposure to ≥3 antiretrovirals at the same time 2) exposure to any antiretroviral 3) lowest number of days covered per antiretroviral 4) average of days covered over all antiretrovirals 5) highest number of days covered per antiretroviral. For each method, we conducted sensitivity analyses. The median PDC ranged between 93.3%−98.3%. Between 67.0%−87.7% of individuals were classified as adherent, with higher values for measure 2 (85.5%−89.7%) and lower values for measure 3 (67.0%−70.9%). Censoring loss to follow-up had a higher impact on adherence estimates than considering a grace period. The variation in adherence estimates can be substantial, especially when dichotomising adherence. Researchers should consider operationalising multiple measures to estimate adherence bounds and identify a range of people at risk of non-adherence for targeted interventions

Demographic and health profiles of people with severe mental illness in general practice in Australia: a cross-sectional study

Background. People with severe mental illness have a higher rate of premature death than the general population, largely due to primary care preventable diseases. There has been little research on the health profile of this population attending Australian general practices. Methods. In this nationwide cross-sectional study, MedicineInsight data for adult patients regularly attending general practices in 2018 were analysed to estimate the prevalence of schizophrenia or bipolar disorders (SBD) and investigate the health profile of people with SBD compared with other patients. Multilevel models clustered by practice (n = 565) and patient, and practice characteristics were created. Results. The prevalence of recorded SBD was 1.91% (95% CI = 1.88%–1.94%) among the 618 849 patients included. Patients with recorded SBD were more likely than other patients to have records of health risk factors, particularly smoking (aOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 3.6–3.9) and substance use (aOR = 5.9, 95% CI = 5.6–6.3), and higher probabilities of comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases (aOR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.2–1.4), cancer (aOR = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.0–1.2), diabetes mellitus type 2 (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 2.0–2.3), chronic kidney diseases (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.5–2.0), chronic liver diseases (aOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 2.6–4.0) and chronic respiratory diseases (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.7–1.8). Conclusions. The higher prevalence of health risk factors and comorbidities among patients with recorded SBD underscores the need for proactive health risk monitoring and preventive care to address this health inequity

MEMÓRIAS DA INFÂNCIA NA VILA DONA TEREZA CRISTINA DE CRICIÚMA ANO DE 1975 a 1980

Este artigo trata de uma pesquisa sobre memórias da infância em um bairro de Criciúma. O objetivo do estudo foi de compreender como as crianças da Vila Dona Tereza Cristina de 1975 a 1980 construíram a sua infância no ambiente em que viviam. A metodologia adotada foi relatos por meio de um questionário de quatro antigos moradores que eram crianças no ano de 1975 a 1980 e que moravam na Vila Dona Tereza Cristina. As referências utilizadas para compreender a história da Vila Dona Tereza Cristina foram os autores Nascimento (2000), Generoso (2001). Para o conceito de infância utilizo Ariés (1978), e, para a reflexão de lembranças e memórias: Nora (1993). Bosi (1999). Também foi necessário consultar estudos que abordam brinquedos e brincadeiras como: Brougère (2004), e Fantin (1999). A pesquisa evidenciou que as crianças da Vila Tereza Cristina de 1975 e 1980 brincavam no espaço da “rua” e criavam seus próprios brinquedos e brincadeiras.PALAVRAS CHAVE: Memórias. Infância. Brinquedos. Dona Tereza Cristina

Persistence and Adherence to Cardiovascular Medicines in Australia

BACKGROUND: The burden of cardiovascular disease is increasing, with many people treated for multiple cardiovascular conditions. We examined persistence and adherence to medicines for cardiovascular disease treatment or prevention in Australia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using national dispensing claims for a 10% random sample of people, we identified adults (≥18 years) initiating antihypertensives, statins, oral anticoagulants, or antiplatelets in 2018. We measured persistence to therapy using a 60-day permissible gap, and adherence using the proportion of days covered up to 3 years from initiation, and from first to last dispensing. We reported outcomes by age, sex, and cardiovascular multimedicine use. We identified 83 687 people initiating antihypertensives (n=37 941), statins (n=34 582), oral anticoagulants (n=15 435), or antiplatelets (n=7726). Around one-fifth of people discontinued therapy within 90 days, with 50% discontinuing within the first year. Although many people achieved high adherence (proportion of days covered ≥80%) within the first year, these rates were higher when measured from first to last dispensing (40.5% and 53.2% for statins; 55.6% and 80.5% for antiplatelets, respectively). Persistence was low at 3 years (17.5% antiplatelets to 37.3% anticoagulants). Persistence and adherence increased with age, with minor differences by sex. Over one-third of people had cardiovascular multimedicine use (reaching 92% among antiplatelet users): they had higher persistence and adherence than people using medicines from only 1 cardiovascular group. CONCLUSIONS: Persistence to cardiovascular medicines decreases substantially following initiation, but adherence remains high while people are using therapy. Cardiovascular multimedicine use is common, and people using multiple cardiovascular medicines have higher rates of persistence and adherence

Avaliação da presença de risco para queda em idosos

As quedas são um importante fator causal para a dependência dos idosos, pois, estão relacionadas a um índiceelevado de incapacidade e de mortalidade. Objetivou-se avaliar os fatores de risco para quedas presentes em umgrupo de idosos de acordo com o diagnóstico de enfermagem “Risco para quedas” da NANDA (versão 2001/2002) edeterminar o grau de susceptibilidade aumentado para quedas nos idosos segundo a “Escala de risco de quedas deDownton”. Estudo descritivo realizado com 24 idosos no período de janeiro a julho de 2003 em um centro de saúde deFortaleza/CE. Distribuiu-se os fatores em: maior freqüência; menor freqüência e as categorias não citadas. Fatores derisco mais citados: quedas (87,5%); idade igual ou superior a 65 anos (70,8%); dificuldades visuais (95,8%);medicações (75%); quarto não familiar (62,5%) e ausência de antiderrapante (95,8%). O processo deenvelhecimento provoca inúmeras alterações no organismo humano, podendo levar o indivíduo a sofrer mudanças noseu cotidiano ao longo do tempo, como a necessidade de ajuda para realizar as atividades de vida diária. As quedasneste grupo etário podem ser consideradas como fatores significativos de alerta a fim de evitar seqüelas físicas eemocionais decorrentes desses eventos