Development of a user-friendly calculator for a pediatric split-bolus polytrauma computed tomography protocol.

We present here a user-friendly calculator for the setting of a pediatric split-bolus polytrauma computed tomography (CT) protocol with a mixed arterial and venous phase, aiming to both reduce radiation dose and improve workflow while assuring optimal image quality. All the different parameters are calculated based on patient's weight with rapid computation of the injected contrast media and saline volumes, injection's flow rate, injection's timing, and optimal acquisition time. The designed calculator is built in a widely available Google Sheets file, accessible by a quick response (QR) code.

ETDRS grading with CLARUS ultra-widefield images shows agreement with 7-fields colour fundus photography.

Background: To analyse and compare the grading of diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity level using standard 35° ETDRS 7-fields photography and CLARUS™ 500 ultra-widefield imaging system.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of retinal images of patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 160 eyes) was performed for this study. All patients underwent 7-fields colour fundus photography (CFP) at 35° on a standard Topcon TRC-50DX camera, and ultra-widefield (UWF) imaging at 200° on a CLARUS™ 500 (ZEISS, Dublin, CA, USA) by an automatic montage of two 133° images (nasal and temporal).

CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL INVOLVEMENT OF THE RETINA IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.

Purpose: To determine the degree of central microvascular closure using optical coherence tomography angiography in eyes of patients with type 2 diabetes with visible lesions only in the central retina or only in the periphery.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. All 127 eyes underwent ultra-widefield fundus photography 200° examinations with OPTOS California (Optos, Dunfermline, United Kingdom) and Cirrus Angioplex optical coherence tomography angiography 3 × 3 mm acquisitions (ZEISS, Dublin, CA).

Retinal Capillary Nonperfusion in Preclinical Diabetic Retinopathy.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to identify retinal microvascular changes using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with preclinical retinopathy identified by ultra-widefield fundus photography (UWF-FP).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study. All patients underwent UWF-FP 200° examinations with OPTOS California (Optos, Dunfermline, UK) and Cirrus AngioPlex® spectral-domain (SD)-OCTA 3 × 3 mm acquisitions (ZEISS, Dublin, CA, USA).

Statistically sound comparison of standardized and simulation methods for oil spill source identification in real spill scenarios.

The comparison of oil patterns of a spill (Sp) and suspected spill source (SS) samples is based on ratios between correlated GC-MS signals of oil-discriminating compounds, i.e., diagnostic ratios (DR).

Impact of umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal/stem cell secretome and cord blood serum in prostate cancer progression.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common malignancy in men, and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) have been identified in PCa, although contradictory effects in malignant transformation and tumor progression have been described. Since umbilical cord (UC) MSC and cord blood serum (CBS) are rich in numerous growth and anti-inflammatory factors, UC-MSC secretome and CBS are able to modulate tumor cell proliferation and survival as well as immunity and angiogenesis.

The prognostic value of delta-lactate in critically ill children.

Aim: This study aimed to test delta-lactate (ΔL) as a short-term risk stratification method in critically ill children.

Methods: An exploratory study of patients admitted to paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was conducted. ΔL was calculated as the difference between the maximum lactate concentrations on Days 1 and 2.

Glycolytic Inhibitors Potentiated the Activity of Paclitaxel and Their Nanoencapsulation Increased Their Delivery in a Lung Cancer Model.

Antiglycolytic agents inhibit cell metabolism and modify the tumor's microenvironment, affecting chemotherapy resistance mechanisms. In this work, we studied the effect of the glycolytic inhibitors 3-bromopyruvate (3BP), dichloroacetate (DCA) and 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) on cancer cell properties and on the multidrug resistance phenotype, using lung cancer cells as a model. All compounds led to the loss of cell viability, with different effects on the cell metabolism, migration and proliferation, depending on the drug and cell line assayed.

Optimisation of the uncertainty of oil spill identification from replicate comparative analyses: Comparison of standardised and novel identification methods.

Oil spill identifications involve the comparison of oil fingerprints between the oil spill and suspected oil sources, defined by ratios between the abundances of oil-discriminating compounds, Diagnostic Ratios (DR). The normalised Nordtest and EN 15522-2 methodologies use Student's t statistic (S-t) or a maximum relative difference (SC) to compare mean DR from replicate sample analysis. While the S-t method assumes the normality of DR distribution, the SC method is based on controlled DR dispersion.

Enhanced 3T3-L1 Differentiation into Adipocytes by Pioglitazone Pharmacological Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor-Gamma (PPAR-γ).

Despite the primary function of pioglitazone in antidiabetic treatment, this drug is a potent inducer of PPAR-γ, a crucial receptor that is involved in adipocyte differentiation. In this work, we propose an optimized methodology to enhance the differentiation of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts into adipocytes. This process is crucial for adipocyte secretome release, which is fundamental for understanding the molecular mechanisms that are involved in obesity for in vitro studies.

Cannabidiol and Terpene Formulation Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity Tackling a Therapeutic Strategy.

Unlabelled: In late 2019, COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China. Currently, it is an ongoing global health threat stressing the need for therapeutic compounds. Linking the virus life cycle and its interaction with cell receptors and internal cellular machinery is key to developing therapies based on the control of infectivity and inflammation.

Sebaceous Carcinoma of the Vulva: An Unexpected Diagnosis and Literature Review.

Sebaceous carcinoma of the vulva is a rare malignancy of the sebaceous glands, with potentially aggressive behaviour, that is usually found in the peri-ocular area. Nonetheless, there are sebaceous glands in the vulva and this diagnosis is especially rare, with only ten cases described in the literature. We report a case of 78-year-old female patient who presented with vulvar pruritus, previously treated with topical steroid and antifungal treatments, without improvement.

Development and validation of statistically sound criteria for the match of unweathered GC-MS fingerprints in oil spill forensics.

The investigation of an oil spill's origin frequently relies on determining the equivalence of oil component patterns in samples from the contaminated environment and suspected oil source. This comparison benefits if based on the ratio of the abundance of unweathered characteristic components of the oil product, Diagnostic Ratios, DR. Replicate determinations of DR from one sample are used to set limits for the second sample's DR.

Diagnostic Properties of Three SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Tests.

Serological assays emerged as complementary tools to RT-PCR in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 as well as being needed for epidemiological studies. This study aimed to assess the performance of a rapid test (RT) compared to that of serological tests using finger prick blood samples. A total of 183 samples were evaluated, 88 of which were collected from individuals with negative RT-PCR and 95 from positive RT-PCR individuals.

Case Report: Intrapulmonary Arteriovenous Anastomoses in COVID-19-Related Pulmonary Vascular Changes: A New Player in the Arena?

Up to now, COVID-19-related vascular changes were mainly described as thrombo-embolic events. A handful of researchers reported another type of vascular abnormality referred to as "vascular thickening" or "vascular enlargement," without specifying whether the dilated vessels are arteries or veins nor providing a physiopathological hypothesis. Our observations indicate that the vascular dilatation occurs in the venous compartment, and underlying mechanisms might include increased blood flow due to inflammation and the activation of arteriovenous anastomoses.

ADOLESCENT GLUTEN INTAKE: POPULATION-BASED STUDY IN A BRAZILIAN CITY.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of gluten intake according to demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related behavioral variables in adolescents.

Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study with a two-stage cluster sampling, conducted in Campinas, São Paulo, in 2008-2009. Foods containing gluten were identified using a 24-hour Recall.

Cotyledonoid Dissecting Leiomyoma of the Uterus: An Unexpected Diagnosis After Delivery.

Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma, also known as Sternberg tumor, is a rare benign uterine tumor with a gross and radiological appearance that may suggest the possibility of a malignancy. We report a case of a thirty-eight-year-old female patient who presented with menorrhagia and abdominal pain one month after delivery by cesarean section. An ultrasound scan showed a heterogeneous pelvic mass, near the isthmic region, with 25 x 24 x 23 mm without vascularization so the possibility of placenta accreta could not be excluded.

Low frequency of LRV1 in Leishmania braziliensis strains isolated from typical and atypical lesions in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus Leishmaniavirus (Totiviridae) was first described in Leishmania guyanensis and L. braziliensis (LRV1), and more recently from L. major and L.

[Anthropometric indices of children treated in daycare centers and the relationship with socioeconomic, maternal and child factors].

Weight/height and weight/age anthropometric statistics are important, respectively, for identifying incipient changes in weight and alterations in nutritional status at an early stage. The scope of this study was to analyze weight/height- and weight/age-associated factors in preschool children. This is a cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample scrutinizing 299 children enrolled in municipal daycare centers.

[Micronutrient deficiencies in Brazilian children attending daycare centers: a review of the literature].

The scope of the study was to review the scientific publications on the nutritional status of iron, vitamin A and zinc among Brazilian children attending daycare centers, focusing on diagnostic methods, the prevalence of respective deficiencies and associated factors. A review of the literature was conducted in the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases. Observational studies with random representative samples using biochemical indicators to evaluate the nutritional status of iron, vitamin A and zinc of children attending public daycare centers were included.

A Novel Device for Grasping Assessment during Functional Tasks: Preliminary Results.

This paper presents a methodology and first results obtained in a study with a novel device that allows the analysis of grasping quality. Such a device is able to acquire motion information of upper limbs allowing kinetic of manipulation analysis as well. A pilot experiment was carried out with six groups of typically developing children aged between 5 and 10 years, with seven to eight children in each one.

Factors facilitating implementation of school-based sexuality education in Portugal.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to examine in Portuguese schools the facilitating factors at micro- and exosystem levels generally associated with more effective implementation of sexuality education (SE).

Methods: A representative sample of principals/lead teachers from 296 Portuguese schools completed a questionnaire about SE at school that included items related to factors at micro- and exosystem levels. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with the development of an SE project.

Chronic disease in the elderly: spirituality and coping.

This is an exploratory study using a qualitative methodology which aimed to identify and understand the role of spirituality in the management of chronic disease in the elderly. The discourse analysis revealed the following central themes: multidimensional impact of chronic diseases, coping and expectations of the elderly. Regarding coping with chronic diseases, the individual coping, social support and religiosity/spirituality/faith were analyzed.