Treatment of the dead amongst the Sambaquieiros, Tupinambá and Goitacá that occupied the “Região dos Lagos”, Rio de Janeiro State

This paper intends to establish a comparative dimension amongst different cultural groups which have occupied the “Região dos Lagos”, at the Southeast shore of Brazil and to focus the study on the funerary ritual – in this case understood as a central aspect of social life. We present the colonization process of the region, considering it as a pilot area that keeps important information about the occupation of the east portion of South America. Thus, the study approaches colonization, social interaction and control of the territory related to the Sambaquieiro, Tupi and Macro-Jê groups and intends to link information deriving from archaeology, anthropology, history and the reports of the chroniclers.O artigo tem como objetivo estabelecer uma dimensão comparativa entre diferentes grupos culturais que ocuparam a Região dos Lagos, litoral sudeste do Brasil, focando o estudo do ritual funerário, aqui entendido como um aspecto central da vida social. Apresentamos o processo de colonização da região, considerando-a como uma área piloto que guarda importantes informações sobre a ocupação da porção leste da América do Sul. Dessa forma, o estudo aborda colonização, interação social e controle de território relacionado aos grupos Sambaquieiro, Tupi e Macro-Jê e procura correlacionar informações provenientes da arqueologia, antropologia, história, bem como relatos dos cronistas

Prevalence and risk predictors of onychomycosis in patients on hemodialysis: an observation, prospective, and unicenter study in Brazil

BackgroundOnychomycoses are fungal infections that can be seen in any component of the nail unit, including the matrix, bed, and plate, and are caused by dermatophyte fungi, non-dermatophyte fungi, and yeasts. This disease affects approximately 1 to 8% of the general population and occurs in approximately 19 to 51.9% of the patients on hemodialysis. The high incidence of onychomycosis in patients on hemodialysis is associated, mainly, with immunologic deficits and histological changes caused by uremia.MethodsAdult patients of the São Francisco University Hospital Hemodialysis Center were included. The following characteristics were evaluated: age, sex, body mass index, comorbidity, and household location. All patients were clinically evaluated and those with suspected onychomycosis had subungual debris of the affected nail plate collected for the direct mycological examination and fungal culture. The onychomycosis severity for those patients with a positive result in the fungal culture examination was evaluated using the Onychomycosis Severity Index system.ResultsThe study included 151 patients, and 70 out of the 151 patients (46.4%) showed nail alteration, and among them, 31 out of the 70 patients (44.3%) had the onychomycosis diagnosis confirmed by direct mycological examination. The pathogens observed in the patients were Trichophyton rubrum [8 out of 31 (25.8%)], Trichophyton mentagrophytes [7 out of 31 (22.6%)], Scytalidium spp. [6 out of 31 (19.4%)], Candida spp. [2 out of 31 (6.45%)], Rhodotorula spp. [1 out of 31 (3.2%)], Candida albicans [1/31 (3.2%)], Penicillium marneffei [1 out of 31 (3.22%)], and T. rubrum and Rhodotorula spp. [1 out of 31 (3.2%)]. Three participants presented negative results in the culture examination, and one did not allow the collection of material for the examination. The nail involvement severity score for the majority of them was severe [23 out of 27 (85.2%)], and only 1 out of the 27 (3.7%) and 3 out of the 27 (1.1%) patients presented moderate and mild scores, respectively. The distal subungual onychomycosis occurred in 12 out of 27 (44.4%) patients, a mixed pattern occurred in 14 out of 27 (51.9%) patients, and, white superficial occurred in only 1 out of 27 (3.7%) patients. In the bivariate analysis, a higher risk of onychomycosis was associated with the male sex [23/31 (74.2%) vs. 56/120 (46.7%); OR = 3.286 (95%CI = 1.362 to 7.928)] and obesity [8/31 (25.8%) vs. 12/120 (10.0%); OR = 3.130 (95%CI = 1.150 to 8.521)]. Patients with diabetes mellitus were more susceptible to onychomycosis attacks (p-value = 0.049; 16 out of 31 (51.6%) vs. 40 out of 120 (33.3%); however, OR was 2.133 (95%CI = 0.959 to 4.648). The patients with onychomycosis were older but without a significant difference between the groups (p-value = 0.073; 66 years old vs. 58 years old). The multivariable model using the logistic regression (backward model) confirmed our results and was able to predict (81.5%) the onychomycosis-positive diagnosis (chi-square = 27.73; p-value <0.001). The age [OR = 1.036; 95%CI = 1.004 to 1.069], male sex [OR = 5.746; 95%CI = 2.057 to 16.046], and presence of obesity [OR = 4.800; 95%CI = 1.435 to 16.055] were positive and significant in predicting the onychomycosis-positive diagnosis.ConclusionIn our study, onychomycosis in patients on hemodialysis was associated with a great variety of microorganisms, mainly Trichophyton species. The nail involvement severity score for the majority of patients was severe, and distal subungual onychomycosis and mixed pattern onychomycosis were the most prevalent clinical types. The main risk factors associated with onychomycosis were male sex, older age, and the presence of obesity

Avaliação da frequência alélica e haplotípica do sistema HLA para os loci HLA-A, HLA-B e HLA-DRB1 de receptores renais e doadores intervivo do estado do Pará, Brasil/ Evaluation of the allelic and haplotypic frequency of the HLA system for HLA-A, HLA-B e HLA-DRB1 loci of renal receptors and living donors from the state of Pará, Brazil

Introdução: A descoberta dos antígenos leucocitários humano (HLA) trouxe o reconhecimento de que a compatibilidade do sistema HLA entre doador e receptor é um fator importante em transplantes de órgãos, tecidos e células. No transplante renal, a compatibilidade desse sistema está associada a sobrevida do enxerto em longo prazo e a incompatibilidade está envolvida diretamente na reatividade imunológica do receptor contra células do doador, o que pode levar a processos de rejeição celular e humoral. Objetivo: Esse trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a frequência alélica e haplotípica de doadores e pacientes renais paraenses e possível associação com doenças. Método: As frequências alélicas e haplotípicas do HLA-A, -B e -DRB1 foram avaliadas em 475 doadores e receptores renais registrados na Fundação HEMOPA. Os programas Arlequin v.3.11 e PyPop v.0.7 foram utilizados para calcular as frequências alélicas e haplotípicas, equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg, teste de neutralidade e cálculo de desequilíbrio de ligação. As patologias que apresentaram prevalência maior que cinco dentre os pacientes estudados foram escolhidas para realizar a associação com os alelos HLA. A verificação da frequência dos alelos e haplótipos foi realizada com comparativos entre artigos publicados e utilização de ferramentas de pesquisa em sistemas de informação e sites sobre estudos em populações. Resultados: As doenças de base mais encontradas nos pacientes foram hipertensão arterial sistêmica, doença renal crônica e glomerulonefrite crônica. Os alelos mais comuns encontrados nos indivíduos paraenses foram HLA-A*02, HLA-A*24, HLA-A*31, HLA-B*35, HLA-B*15, HLA-B*51, HLA-DRB1*04, HLA-DRB1*13 e HLA-DRB1*01. Os loci do estudo apresentaram-se em equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg e o maior desequilíbrio de ligação foi entre os lócus B e DRB1. O haplótipo mais frequente nos indivíduos paraenses foi A*02 B*44 DRB1*07. Enquanto nos pacientes e doadores, os haplótipos mais observados foram A*02 B*51 DRB1*11 e A*02 B*44 DRB1*04, respectivamente. Conclusões: Esse é o primeiro estudo sobre a diversidade HLA com doadores e pacientes candidatos a transplante renal na região Norte do país. Nossos resultados de frequência alélica e haplotípica foram semelhantes aos encontrados em outros estudos na população brasileira. Esses dados reforçam o conceito de que os genes HLA são uma ferramenta confiável para investigar a composição étnica de uma população.

New monomers obtained from glycidyl methacrylate, bisphenol A and 4,4 -isopropylidenedicyclohexanol: synthesis, structural characterization and properties of composites for use as dental composite resins

Nowadays, composite resins are the direct restorative materials more important in dental clinical performance, due to their versatility and aesthetic excellence. Bis-GMA (2,2-bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-metacryloxypropoxy)phenil]propane) is the base monomer more frequently used in restorative composite resins. However, this monomer presents some disadvantages, such as high viscosity and two aromatic rings in its structure that can promote allergic reactions to the humans. In this work, the main purpose was to synthesize new monomers from glycidyl methacrylate to use in dental restorative materials. Structural characterization of the monomers was carried out through FTIR and NMR 1H, and eight composites were produced from the new monomers, by addition of silane-treated alumino silicate particles (inorganic filler) and a photocuring system (camphorquinone and ethyl 4-dimethylaminebenzoate). The composites were analyzed by environmental scanning electronic microscopy and the water sorption and solubility, compressive strength and elastic modulus were determined. A commercial composite resin [Z100 (3M)] was used to comparison effect. The new composites presented general characteristics similar to the commercial ones; however, they didn t present the properties expected. This behavior was attributed to the lower degree of monomer reaction and to the granulometry and size distribution of the mineral filler in the polymeric matrixCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorAtualmente, as resinas compostas constituem-se no material restaurador direto mais utilizado nas intervenções da clínica odontológica, dada a sua versatilidade e excelência estética. O monômero mais freqüentemente usado na matriz polimérica dessas resinas é o Bis-GMA (2,2-bis[4(2-hidróxi-3-metacriloiloxipropoxi)fenil]propano). No entanto, esse monômero apresenta algumas desvantagens, tais como elevada viscosidade e a presença de dois anéis aromáticos em sua estrutura que podem causar reações alérgicas ao organismo humano. Dessa forma, o objetivo principal deste trabalho foi sintetizar, a partir do metacrilato de glicidila, novos monômeros para serem utilizados como componentes de possíveis materiais restauradores dentais. A estrutura química dos monômeros obtidos foi caracterizada pelas técnicas espectroscópicas FTIR e RMN 1H, e oito compósitos foram preparados a partir dos novos monômeros e partículas silanizadas de silicato de alumínio (carga inorgânica), utilizando um sistema fotoativador/iniciador composto por canforoquinona e 4-dimetil amina benzoato de etila. Os compósitos foram analisados por microscopia eletrônica de varredura ambiental e avaliados quanto à sorção e solubilidade em água, resistência à compressão e módulo de elasticidade. Para efeito de comparação, utilizou-se a resina composta comercial Z100 (3M). Os novos compósitos preparados apresentaram características gerais semelhantes às resinas comerciais, entretanto, não se comportaram como esperado em relação às propriedades estudadas, o que foi atribuído ao menor grau de reação dos monômeros e à granulometria e distribuição da carga mineral na matriz poliméric

An optical aptasensor for real-time quantification of endotoxin: From ensemble to single-molecule resolution

Endotoxin is a deadly pyrogen, rendering it crucial to monitor with high accuracy and efficiency. However, current endotoxin detection relies on multistep processes that are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and unsustainable. Here, we report an aptamer-based biosensor for the real-time optical detection of endotoxin. The endotoxin sensor exploits the distance-dependent scattering of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coupled to a gold nanofilm. This is enabled by the conformational changes of an endotoxin-specific aptamer upon target binding. The sensor can be used in an ensemble mode and single-particle mode under dark-field illumination. In the ensemble mode, the sensor is coupled with a microspectrometer and exhibits high specificity, reliability (i.e., linear concentration to signal profile in logarithmic scale), and reusability for repeated endotoxin measurements. Individual endotoxins can be detected by monitoring the color of single AuNPs via a color camera, achieving single-molecule resolution. This platform can potentially advance endotoxin detection to safeguard medical, food, and pharmaceutical products

An optical aptasensor for real-time quantification of endotoxin: From ensemble to single-molecule resolution

Endotoxin is a deadly pyrogen, rendering it crucial to monitor with high accuracy and efficiency. However, current endotoxin detection relies on multistep processes that are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and unsustainable. Here, we report an aptamer-based biosensor for the real-time optical detection of endotoxin. The endotoxin sensor exploits the distance-dependent scattering of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coupled to a gold nanofilm. This is enabled by the conformational changes of an endotoxin-specific aptamer upon target binding. The sensor can be used in an ensemble mode and single-particle mode under dark-field illumination. In the ensemble mode, the sensor is coupled with a microspectrometer and exhibits high specificity, reliability (i.e., linear concentration to signal profile in logarithmic scale), and reusability for repeated endotoxin measurements. Individual endotoxins can be detected by monitoring the color of single AuNPs via a color camera, achieving single-molecule resolution. This platform can potentially advance endotoxin detection to safeguard medical, food, and pharmaceutical products.</p

An optical aptasensor for real-time quantification of endotoxin: From ensemble to single-molecule resolution

Endotoxin is a deadly pyrogen, rendering it crucial to monitor with high accuracy and efficiency. However, current endotoxin detection relies on multistep processes that are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and unsustainable. Here, we report an aptamer-based biosensor for the real-time optical detection of endotoxin. The endotoxin sensor exploits the distance-dependent scattering of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coupled to a gold nanofilm. This is enabled by the conformational changes of an endotoxin-specific aptamer upon target binding. The sensor can be used in an ensemble mode and single-particle mode under dark-field illumination. In the ensemble mode, the sensor is coupled with a microspectrometer and exhibits high specificity, reliability (i.e., linear concentration to signal profile in logarithmic scale), and reusability for repeated endotoxin measurements. Individual endotoxins can be detected by monitoring the color of single AuNPs via a color camera, achieving single-molecule resolution. This platform can potentially advance endotoxin detection to safeguard medical, food, and pharmaceutical products.ChemE/Product and Process Engineerin