Traducción, adaptación cultural y validación de la escala Venous International Assessment al portugués europeo

Background: A significant number of adult patients experience difficult peripheral intravenous ac-cess, leading to multiple puncture attempts and venous network depletion. The Venous International Assessment (VIA) Scale is referenced internationally as a reliable instrument that classifies patients’ peripheral intravenous accesses and determines the risk of related complications. Objectives: To translate, culturally adapt and validate the VIA Scale to European Portuguese. Methodology: Study of the translation, cultural adaptation, and evaluation of the psychometric prop-erties of the VIA Scale in a nonprobability sample with 100 patients in need of peripheral intravenous catheterization. Results: The Portuguese version of the VIA Scale (EARV) revealed moderate inter-rater reliability scores (k = 0.490; p < 0.0005). The criterion and construct validity of the EARV were assessed through predictive, convergent, and correlational analysis, with moderate to large magnitudes, and statistical significance. Conclusion: The EARV is a reliable and valid instrument that can assist Portuguese health professionals in determining and categorizing difficult peripheral intravenous access. Further studies are recommended to test the transversal applicability of the scale.Enquadramento: Um número significativo de pessoas adultas tem um acesso venoso periférico difícil, o que leva a múltiplas tentativas de punção e ao esgotamento da rede venosa. A escala Venous International Assessment (VIA) é considerada a nível internacional como um instrumento fiável que classifica as vias de acesso venoso periférico das pessoas e determina o risco de complicações associadas. Objetivos: Traduzir, adaptar culturalmente e validar a Escala VIA para português europeu. Metodologia: Estudo da tradução, adaptação cultural, e avaliação das propriedades psicométricas da escala VIA em amostra não probabilística de 100 pessoas doentes a precisar de cateterização venosa periférica. Resultados: A versão em português europeu da escala VIA (EARV) revelou valores moderados de fiabilidade inter-observadores (k = 0,490; p < 0,0005). As validades do critério e do constructo da EARV foram avaliadas através de análise preditiva, convergente e correlacional, com magnitudes moderadas a grandes e significância estatística. Conclusão: A EARV é um instrumento fiável e válido que pode ajudar os profissionais de saúde portugueses na determinação e categorização de acessos venosos periféricos difíceis. Contudo, recomenda-se a realização de mais estudos para testar a aplicabilidade transversal desta escala.Marco contextual: Un número significativo de adultos experimenta dificultades al ser sometido a un acceso venoso periférico, lo que provoca múltiples intentos de punción y el deterioro de la red venosa. La escala Venous International Assessment (VIA) está considerada internacionalmente como un instrumento fiable que clasifica los accesos venosos periféricos en las personas y determina el riesgo de complicaciones relacionadas. Objetivos: Traducir, adaptar culturalmente y validar la escala VIA al portugués europeo. Metodología: Estudio de traducción, adaptación cultural y evaluación de las propiedades psicométricas de la escala VIA en una muestra no probabilística con 100 personas que necesitan ser sometidos a un cateterismo venoso periférico. Resultados: La versión portuguesa desarrollada de la escala VIA (EARV) mostró puntuaciones de concordancia entre evaluadores moderadas (k = 0,490; p < 0,0005). La validez de criterio y de constructo de la EARV se evaluó mediante un análisis predictivo, convergente y correlacional, con magnitudes de moderadas a amplias y significación estadística. Conclusión: La EARV es un instrumento fiable y válido que puede ayudar a los profesionales sanitarios portugueses a determinar y categorizar la dificultad de un acceso venoso periférico. Se necesita realizar futuros estudios para comprobar la aplicabilidad transversal de la escala.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New cathepsin V inhibitor from stems of Bowdichia virgilioides

Bioassay-guided fractionation of Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth, Fabaceae, extracts has led to the isolation of cathepsin V inhibitors. The investigation of the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts allowed the characterization of eleven compounds: lupeol, lupenone, β-sitosterol and stigmasterol in mixture, trans p-coumaric acid ester derivative, syringaresinol, bowdenol, 8-methoxycoumestrol, 3,4-hydroxy-7-methoxyisoflavone, 7,3′-dihydroxy-4′-methoxyisoflavone, and 5,4′-dihydroxy-7′-methoxyisoflavone. Structures of compounds were stablished by 1D and 2D NMR, and MS experiments. Among the isolated compounds, trans p-coumaric acid ester derivative and 8-methoxycoumestrol showed significant inhibition on cathepsin V, which is up to now unexplored. Keywords: Cathepsin, Cysteine peptidases, Inhibitors, Cerrado biom

Seasonality Role on the Phenolics from Cultivated Baccharis dracunculifolia

Baccharis dracunculifolia is the source of Brazilian green propolis (BGP). Considering the broad spectrum of biological activities attributed to green proplis, B. dracunculifolia has a great potential for the development of new cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. In this work, the cultivation of 10 different populations of native B. dracunculifolia had been undertaken aiming to determine the role of seasonality on its phenolic compounds. For this purpose, fruits of this plant were collected from populations of 10 different regions, and 100 individuals of each population were cultivated in an experimental area of 1800 m2. With respect to cultivation, the yields of dry plant, essential oil and crude extract were measured monthly resulting in mean values of 399 ± 80 g, 0.6 ± 0.1% and 20 ± 4%, respectively. The HPLC analysis allowed detecting seven phenolic compounds: caffeic acid, ferulic acid, aromadendrin-4′-methyl ether (AME), isosakuranetin, artepillin C, baccharin and 2-dimethyl-6-carboxyethenyl-2H-1-benzopyran acid, which were the major ones throughout the 1-year monthly analysis. Caffeic acid was detected in all cultivated populations with mean of 4.0%. AME displayed the wide variation in relation to other compounds showing means values of 0.65 ± 0.13% at last quarter. Isosakuranetin and artepillin C showed increasing concentrations with values between 0% and 1.4% and 0% and 1.09%, respectively. The obtained results allow suggesting that the best time for harvesting this plant, in order to obtain good qualitative and quantitative results for these phenolic compounds, is between December and April

Cross-cultural adaptation of the City Birth Trauma Scale for the Brazilian context

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder consists of a set of symptoms that occurs in response to one or more traumatic events and can occur in postpartum, from traumatic situations related to the birth or to the baby’s health in the first days of life. It is important tracking the presence of birth trauma, but there is not available instruments in the Brazilian context for this purpose. Objectives: To present the cross-cultural adaptation of City Birth Trauma Scale (BiTS) into Brazilian portuguese. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation involved independent translations, synthesis,back-translation, and submission to the original author’s appreciation. After the scale was subjected to face validity, followed by a pilot study with postpartum mothers. Results: All steps were performed for the cross-cultural adaptation. Regarding face validity, items evaluated concerning different types of equivalence, presented satisfactory agreement values (≥4.20). Most of the expert’s suggestions were followed, being the main ones related to adjustments in prepositions, pronouns and verbal subjects. Pilot study showed that the mothers had been able to understand and respond to the instrument without adjustments. Discussion: BiTS’s Brazilian version proved to be cross-culturally adapted, ensuring the possibility of intercultural data comparison from the semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual perspectives. New studies are being conducted to attest its psychometric adequac

Prevention of hypertension in patients with pre-hypertension: protocol for the PREVER-prevention trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood pressure (BP) within pre-hypertensive levels confers higher cardiovascular risk and is an intermediate stage for full hypertension, which develops in an annual rate of 7 out of 100 individuals with 40 to 50 years of age. Non-drug interventions to prevent hypertension have had low effectiveness. In individuals with previous cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the use of BP-lowering agents reduces the incidence of major cardiovascular events. In the absence of higher baseline risk, the use of BP agents reduces the incidence of hypertension. The PREVER-prevention trial aims to investigate the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a population-based intervention to prevent the incidence of hypertension and the development of target-organ damage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with participants aged 30 to 70 years, with pre-hypertension. The trial arms will be chlorthalidone 12.5 mg plus amiloride 2.5 mg or identical placebo. The primary outcomes will be the incidence of hypertension, adverse events and development or worsening of microalbuminuria and of left ventricular hypertrophy in the EKG. The secondary outcomes will be fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events: myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, evidence of new sub-clinical atherosclerosis, and sudden death. The study will last 18 months. The sample size was calculated on the basis of an incidence of hypertension of 14% in the control group, a size effect of 40%, power of 85% and P alpha of 5%, resulting in 625 participants per group. The project was approved by the Ethics committee of each participating institution.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The early use of blood pressure-lowering drugs, particularly diuretics, which act on the main mechanism of blood pressure rising with age, may prevent cardiovascular events and the incidence of hypertension in individuals with hypertension. If this intervention shows to be effective and safe in a population-based perspective, it could be the basis for an innovative public health program to prevent hypertension in Brazil.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical Trials <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00970931">NCT00970931</a>.</p

Integrated monitoring of mola mola behaviour in space and time

Over the last decade, ocean sunfish movements have been monitored worldwide using various satellite tracking methods. This study reports the near-real time monitoring of finescale (< 10 m) behaviour of sunfish. The study was conducted in southern Portugal in May 2014 and involved satellite tags and underwater and surface robotic vehicles to measure both the movements and the contextual environment of the fish. A total of four individuals were tracked using custom-made GPS satellite tags providing geolocation estimates of fine-scale resolution. These accurate positions further informed sunfish areas of restricted search (ARS), which were directly correlated to steep thermal frontal zones. Simultaneously, and for two different occasions, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) videorecorded the path of the tracked fish and detected buoyant particles in the water column. Importantly, the densities of these particles were also directly correlated to steep thermal gradients. Thus, both sunfish foraging behaviour (ARS) and possibly prey densities, were found to be influenced by analogous environmental conditions. In addition, the dynamic structure of the water transited by the tracked individuals was described by a Lagrangian modelling approach. The model informed the distribution of zooplankton in the region, both horizontally and in the water column, and the resultant simulated densities positively correlated with sunfish ARS behaviour estimator (r(s) = 0.184, p < 0.001). The model also revealed that tracked fish opportunistically displace with respect to subsurface current flow. Thus, we show how physical forcing and current structure provide a rationale for a predator's finescale behaviour observed over a two weeks in May 2014