Association between cognitive impairment and criteria for frailty syndrome among older adults

OBJECTIVE: The association between cognitive impairment and physical frailty has been studied in older adults. The criteria degree of frailty may be keys to associated cognitive impairment. To analyze the association between cognitive impairment and the criteria for frailty. METHODS: We cross-sectionally examined data from 667 older adults (≥60 years of age) from a study entitled 'Variables associated to cognition in elderly caregivers' involving patients in an urban and rural primary healthcare center. We defined cognitive impairment based on different groups of scores on the Mini Mental State Examination, and defined frailty and prefrailty using the criteria by the Cardiovascular Health Study. We performed multinomial regression models to analyze the association between levels of frailty and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Similar proportions of women (54.8%) and men (45.2%) participated in the study (mean age: 71 years old). We found cognitive impairment, prefrailty and frailty in 34, 54, and 24% of the participants, respectively. Concomitant cognitive impairment and frailty was found in 13% of them. The chances of cognitive impairment increased up to 330% (Odds Ratio [OR]: 4.3; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 2.4‒7.7; p<0.001) among frail individuals, and 70% (OR: 1.7; 95%CI 1.0‒2.8; p=0.033) among prefrail individuals compared to robust/non-frail individuals. After controlling for age, education, place of residence and functional dependence, slowness and fatigue criteria were significantly associated with cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: Older adults with frailty have a greater likelihood of concomitant cognitive impairment than prefrail and robust older adults. The prevalence of cognitive impairment and frailty is consistent with data reported in literature. The present findings contribute to the investigation of cognitive frailty

Reading comprehension levels in scholars

BACKGROUND: important reading performance measurements are related to how and to what extent a child understands a written text. AIM: to study the performance of primary school (Ensino Fundamental) students in reading comprehension tasks according to the variables grade and type of school. METHOD: 160 students from the 3rd to the 6th grades were screened and later evaluated based on the retelling and question answering about a given text. RESULTS: students of the 5th and 6th grades of private schools presented a better performance on issues related to implicit information when compared to students of public schools. The overall analysis of the educational level revealed, through the retelling task, a better performance of the 6th grade students in terms of the number of present macro propositions and a low performance of the 5th grade students in terms of the achieved comprehension level, in both types of school. When answering text-derived questions, the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students performed better than the 3rd grade students regarding explicit questions. When considering implicit questions, the 4th grade students performed better than all the other grades, in both types of school. These results gave evidence to the influence of the different texts used in each grade. CONCLUSION: the 5th and 6th grades from private schools were the only grades that performed better when compared to public schools in general, regarding answering implicit knowledge questions. All students achieved some level of reading comprehension.TEMA: importantes medidas de desempenho de leitura estão relacionadas com o quanto e como a criança compreende um texto. OBJETIVO: estudar o desempenho de escolares do Ensino Fundamental em tarefas de compreensão de leitura, segundo as variáveis série e rede de ensino. MÉTODO: 160 escolares de 3ª a 6ª séries do Ensino Fundamental, foram triados e posteriormente avaliados por meio do reconto e respostas a questões sobre o texto. RESULTADOS: os escolares da rede particular apresentaram melhor desempenho nas questões relacionadas a informações implícitas do texto nas 5ªs e 6ªs séries quando comparados aos da rede pública. A análise geral do efeito da escolaridade mostrou, na tarefa de reconto, desempenho melhor das 6ªs séries quanto ao número de macroproposições presentes e desempenho pior das 5ªs séries quanto ao nível de compreensão alcançado, em ambas as redes de ensino. Os escolares de 4ª, 5ª e 6ª séries apresentaram melhor desempenho que os de 3ª nas respostas a questões explícitas. A 4ª série apresentou melhor desempenho nas questões implícitas que todas as outras séries, em ambas as redes. Estes resultados evidenciaram a influência dos diferentes textos utilizados em cada série. CONCLUSÃO: apenas nas 5ªs e 6ªs séries foi verificado melhor desempenho da rede particular em relação à pública, nas respostas a questões de conhecimento implícito. Todos os escolares mostraram ter alcançado algum nível de compreensão de leitura do texto.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Covid-19 and its impact on immunization programs: reflections from Brazil

Due to social distancing guidelines and the displacement of both human and material resources to fight the covid-19 pandemic, individuals seeking healthcare services face certain challenges. Immunization programs have already been a worrisome topic for health authorities due to declines in vaccine uptake rates and are now especially affected by the covid-19 pandemic. Disbelief in science, dissemination of fake news about vaccines, socioeconomic vulnerability and social inequality are some of the challenges faced. This commentary article discusses the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on immunization programs in Brazil. In light of advances (and notability) of Brazil’s national immunization program, established in the 1970s, the programs face challenges, such as the recent drop in vaccine uptake rates. In addition to this health crisis, there is also Brazil’s current political crisis, which will undoubtedly require assistance from researchers, policymakers and society to be fixed

Políticas públicas de educação em contextos em desenvolvimento percebidas na complexidade do glocal

This article wishes to assess public policies of education in Angola, carried out in cooperation procedures for post 2015 development, namely, social partnerships established between the Angolan Government and organizations of the second and third sectors in the area of adult literacy in a professional environment. References are made to some conclusions of a study carried out within a PhD in Educational Sciences, which according to the theory of a Situated Epistemology of Development Cooperation understands that policies are presented at different levels, such as mega site, macro site and meso site. It is concluded that such social partnerships make sense and become more consistent when perceived in the context of dialogic cooperation, where the parties involved present certain provisions that partners tend to present when properly justified in a local network of partnerships.O artigo pretende analisar políticas públicas de ensino em Angola, concretizadas em práticas de cooperação para o desenvolvimento pós-2015, nomeadamente as parcerias sociais estabelecidas entre o Estado angolano e organizações do segundo e terceiro sectores no âmbito da alfabetização de adultos em contexto profissional. São abordadas algumas conclusões de um estudo realizado a propósito de um doutoramento em Ciências de Educação, que, à luz de uma Epistemologia Situada de Cooperação para o Desenvolvimento, entende que as políticas se manifestam a diferentes níveis, tais como: o megassítio, o macrossítio e o mesossítio. Conclui-se que tais parcerias sociais fazem sentido e tornam-se mais consistentes quando percebidas no âmbito de uma cooperação dialógica, onde as partes envolvidas apresentam determinadas disposições quando os parceiros estão devidamente enquadrados numa rede local de parcerias e cujos resultados vão sendo evidenciados através de uma dinâmica circular glocal

Public policies of education in developing contexts perceived in the complexity of the Glocal

O artigo pretende analisar políticas públicas de ensino em Angola, concretizadas em práticas de cooperação para o desenvolvimento pós-2015, nomeadamente as parcerias sociais estabelecidas entre o Estado angolano e organizações do segundo e terceiro sectores no âmbito da alfabetização de adultos em contexto profissional.São abordadas algumas conclusões de um estudo realizado a propósito de um doutoramento em Ciências de Educação, que, à luz de uma Epistemologia Situada de Cooperação para o Desenvolvimento, entende que as políticas se manifestam a diferentes níveis, tais como: o megassítio, o macrossítio e o mesossítio. Conclui-se que tais parcerias sociais fazem sentido e tornam-se mais consistentes quando percebidas no âmbito de uma cooperação dialógica, onde as partes envolvidas apresentam determinadas disposições quando os parceiros estão devidamente enquadrados numa rede local de parcerias e cujos resultados vão sendo evidenciados através de uma dinâmica circular glocal.This article wishes to assess public policies of education in Angola, carried out in cooperation procedures for post 2015 development, namely, social partnerships established between the Angolan Government and organizations of the second and third sectorsin the area of adult literacy in a professional environment.References are made to some conclusions of a study carried out within a PhD in Educational Sciences, which according to the theory of a Situated Epistemology of Development Cooperation understands that policies are presented at different levels, such as mega site, macro site and meso site.It is concluded that such social partnerships make sense and become more consistent when perceived in the context of dialogic cooperation, where the parties involved present certain provisions that partners tend to present when properly justified in a local network of partnerships.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Especialização E A Reestruturação Produtiva Das Atividades Econômicas Entre As Mesorregiões Do Brasil Entre 2000 A 2009

This article has the objective to analyze the productive restructuration and the specialization of mesoregions of the Brazil between 2000 and 2009. We used measures of location and specialization with the variable formal employment, and the results were presented in thematic maps to show the spatial distribution of economic activities in Brazil by mesoregions and thus verify that there were spatial changes over the period analyzed. The results showed that the mesoregions that more restructured their production structures, as well as those who had higher coefficients of especialization, were located in the North, Northeast and Midwest. One activity that has established itself as one of the main specialties in all of these mesoregions in 2009 was the public administration. The sector that showed changes, in other words, the most concentrated in the period 2000 to 2009 was the mining sector. Moreover, it can also be noticed that the population dynamics of the North and Midwest can be directly related to the restructuring of production in these regions.Esse artigo tem como escopo analisar a reestrutura&ccedil;&atilde;o produtiva e as especializa&ccedil;&otilde;es das mesorregi&otilde;es brasileiras no per&iacute;odo de 2000 e 2009. Foram utilizadas medidas de localiza&ccedil;&atilde;o e especializa&ccedil;&atilde;o, a partir da vari&aacute;vel emprego formal, e os resultados foram apresentados em mapas tem&aacute;ticos, para mostrar a distribui&ccedil;&atilde;o espacial das atividades econ&ocirc;micas pelas mesorregi&otilde;es do Brasil e com isso verificar se houveram mudan&ccedil;as espaciais ao longo do per&iacute;odo analisado. Os resultados mostraram que as mesorregi&otilde;es que mais reestruturaram suas estruturas produtivas, assim como aquelas que apresentaram maiores coeficientes de especializa&ccedil;&atilde;o, estavam localizadas na regi&atilde;o Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste. Uma das atividades que se consolidou como uma das principais especializa&ccedil;&otilde;es em todas essas mesorregi&otilde;es no ano de 2009 foi a administra&ccedil;&atilde;o p&uacute;blica. J&aacute; o setor que mais apresentou mudan&ccedil;as, ou seja, o que mais se concentrou no per&iacute;odo de 2000 a 2009 foi o setor da extra&ccedil;&atilde;o mineral. Al&eacute;m disso, pode-se perceber tamb&eacute;m que o dinamismo populacional do Norte e Centro-Oeste pode estar diretamente relacionado com a reestrutura&ccedil;&atilde;o produtiva dessas regi&otilde;es

Discurso sobre la promoción de la igualdad de género en la campaña HeForShe en Brasil y México

The study analyzes the discourse of gender equality promotion in the HeForShe campaign in Brazil and Mexico, as well as its consequences, appropriations, and adaptations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, a bibliographic and content research of the UN-Women’s websites was performed and submitted to Critical Discourse Analysis (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001) through a three-dimensional analysis of the text, discursive practice, and social practice. Results indicate the similarity in the pursuit of men’s co-responsibility in gender equality.Este estudio se centra en el análisis del discurso sobre la promoción de la igualdad de género de la campaña ÉlPorElla en Brasil y México, así como sus consecuencias y adaptaciones en el contexto de la pandemia del covid-19. Se apoya en la investigación bibliográfica y de contenido de los sitios web de ONU Mujeres, utilizando el análisis crítico del discurso de Fairclough mediante la realización del análisis tridimensional del texto, la práctica discursiva y la práctica social. Los resultados indican la similitud en la búsqueda de la corresponsabilidad de los hombres en la igualdad de género.O estudo foca na análise do discurso da promoção da igualdade de gênero a partir da campanha HeForShe no Brasil e no México, seus desdobramentos, apropriações e adequações frente ao contexto da pandemia da covid-19. Tem suporte na pesquisa bibliográfica e conteúdo da ONU Mulheres, acionando a Análise Crítica do Discurso de Fairclough ao realizar uma análise tridimensional do texto e das práticas discursiva e social. Resultados indicam similaridade na busca da corresponsabilidade dos homens na equidade de gêneros

Fatores que influenciam a escolha de comida saudável nos estudantes universitários

Healthy foods should be available to anyone, especially young adults at educational institutions. University students can suffer a lack of preoccupation with their health and consequently also present unhealthy food choices, due to the adaptation of a new environment, study stress, lack of proper time management, and busy class schedules. This study consisted of two cross-sectional observational analyzes, in which students were randomly recruited from the university, and data was obtained through the Computer-aided web interviewing survey method, through a web-based questionnaire. The sample included 584 participants, 297 from 2018 and 287 from 2019. The preference and choice for a healthy snack bar in university facilities seem to be conditioned mainly by the price of meals, as most students mentioned this as the main condition of their choice, both in 2018 and 2019. In this sense, most respondents report that only "sometimes" would they be willing to pay more than usual or travel a longer distance, to dine in a healthier snack bar. We conclude that the factor that most influences the choice of healthy food is the price, but there is a higher demand and consumption trend for healthy food in young college students.Alimentos saudáveis deveriam estar disponíveis para qualquer pessoa, especialmente para jovens adultos nas suas instituições de ensino. Devido à adaptação a um novo ambiente, stress provocado pelo estudo, falta de gestão adequada do tempo e horários ocupados pelas aulas, os estudantes universitários podem sofrer de falta de preocupação com a sua saúde e, consequentemente, também apresentar escolhas alimentares pouco saudáveis. Este estudo consistiu em duas análises observacionais transversais. Os estudantes foram recrutados aleatoriamente na universidade, e os dados foram obtidos através do método de pesquisa Computer-aided web interviewing, através de um questionário enviado pela web. A amostra final incluiu 584 participantes, sendo que 297 são procedentes da análise de 2018 e 287 de 2019. A preferência e escolha por um bar mais saudável nas instalações universitárias, parece ser condicionada, sobretudo, pelo preço das refeições, já que a maioria dos estudantes referiu esta como a principal condicionante da sua escolha, tanto em 2018, como em 2019. Neste sentido, a maioria dos inquiridos refere que só “às vezes” estaria disposto a pagar mais do que o habitual, ou percorrer uma maior distância, para efetuar as suas refeições num bar saudável. Concluímos que o fator que mais influencia a escolha de comida saudável é o preço, contudo parece existir uma maior procura, preocupação e tendência de consumo por comida saudável nos jovens universitários.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Seed priming with sodium nitroprusside attenuates the effects of water deficit on soybean seedlings

Considering that water deficit is one of the main environmental factors responsible for low soybean yield and that nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be a fundamental part of plant defense signaling during stress, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of seed priming with nitric oxide on the induction of water deficit tolerance during the initial development of soybean. Thus, seeds were treated with 0 (water only), 50, 100 or 250 μmol.L-1 sodium nitroprusside for 6 hours. Additionally, untreated seeds were used. After drying, the seeds were placed in containers filled with a commercial substrate mixture and vermiculite and irrigated to 100% and 50% field capacity. Biometric and biochemical evaluations (pigment and proline contents) were performed after 14 days. It was concluded that pretreatment of soybean seeds with 50 to 250 μmol.L-1 SNP attenuated the effects of water deficit on stem growth, leaf area, and shoot dry matter and induced carotenoid biosynthesis. The accumulation of proline in the leaves was pronounced in the treatments with 100 and 250 μmol.L-1 SNP, while 100 μmol.L-1 SNP induced proline accumulation in the roots.Considering that water deficit is one of the main environmental factors responsible for low soybean yield and that nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be a fundamental part of plant defense signaling during stress, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of seed priming with nitric oxide on the induction of water deficit tolerance during the initial development of soybean. Thus, seeds were treated with 0 (water only), 50, 100 or 250 μmol.L-1 sodium nitroprusside for 6 hours. Additionally, untreated seeds were used. After drying, the seeds were placed in containers filled with a commercial substrate mixture and vermiculite and irrigated to 100% and 50% field capacity. Biometric and biochemical evaluations (pigment and proline contents) were performed after 14 days. It was concluded that pretreatment of soybean seeds with 50 to 250 μmol.L-1 SNP attenuated the effects of water deficit on stem growth, leaf area, and shoot dry matter and induced carotenoid biosynthesis. The accumulation of proline in the leaves was pronounced in the treatments with 100 and 250 μmol.L-1 SNP, while 100 μmol.L-1 SNP induced proline accumulation in the roots