Neurodevelopment and climate change.

Objective: This article aims to assess the impact of climate change, a reality already present on the neurodevelopment of both neurotypical and atypical children.

Data Sources: A narrative review of the literature was carried out based on articles available in the PubMed database, published in the last five years using the keywords neurodevelopment and climate change, as well as websites of organizations dedicated to childhood such as UNICEF, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Developing Childhood at Harvard University.

Summary Of Findings: Children and adolescents are more directly affected by the effects of climate change due to their developmental stage and greater vulnerability.

Elucidating the Photophysics and Nonlinear Optical Properties of a Novel Azo Prototype for Possible Photonic Applications: A Quantum Chemical Analysis.

The photophysics and nonlinear optical responses of a novel nitrothiazol-methoxyphenol molecule were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods with the polarizable continuum model to take the solvent effect into account. Special attention is paid to the description of the lowest absorption band, characterized as a strong π → π* state in the visible region of the spectrum. The TD-DFT emission spectrum analysis reveals a significant Stokes shift of more than 120 nm for the π → π* state in gas phase condition.

Validation of a New Duplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for DNA Detection in Ocular Swab Samples.

Trachoma is the world-leading infectious cause of preventable blindness and is caused by the bacteria . In developing countries, diagnosis is usually based on clinical evaluation. Serological-based tests are cheaper than molecular-based ones, but the latter are more sensitive and specific.

Performance of the first-trimester Fetal Medicine Foundation competing risks model for preeclampsia prediction: an external validation study in Brazil.

Background: The current version of the Fetal Medicine Foundation competing risks model for preeclampsia prediction has not been previously validated in Brazil.

Objective: This study aimed (1) to validate the Fetal Medicine Foundation combined algorithm for the prediction of preterm preeclampsia in the Brazilian population and (2) to describe the accuracy and calibration of the Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithm when considering the prophylactic use of aspirin by clinical criteria.

Study Design: This was a cohort study, including consecutive singleton pregnancies undergoing preeclampsia screening at 11 to 14 weeks of gestation, examining maternal characteristics, medical history, and biophysical markers between October 2010 and December 2018 in a university hospital in Brazil.

High-fidelity simulation versus case-based discussion for training undergraduate medical students in pediatric emergencies: a quasi-experimental study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of high-fidelity simulation of pediatric emergencies compared to case-based discussion on the development of self-confidence, theoretical knowledge, clinical reasoning, communication, attitude, and leadership in undergraduate medical students.

Methods: 33 medical students were allocated to two teaching methods: high-fidelity simulation (HFS, n = 18) or case-based discussion (CBD, n = 15). Self-confidence and knowledge tests were applied before and after the interventions and the effect of HFS on both outcomes was estimated with mixed-effect models.

New insights into the interaction of emodin with lipid membranes.

Emodin is a natural anthraquinone derivative found in nature, widely known as an herbal medicine. Here, the partition, location, and interaction of emodin with lipid membranes of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) are experimentally investigated with different techniques. Our studies have considered the neutral form of emodin (EMH) and its anionic/deprotonated form (EM), and their interaction with a more and less packed lipid membrane, DMPC at the gel and fluid phases, respectively.

Exclusive breastfeeding and length of hospital stay in premature infants at a Brazilian reference center for kangaroo mother care.

Objective: To evaluate exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and hospital length-of-stay in preterm infants undergoing or not the Kangaroo-Mother Care Method (KMC).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including preterm infants < 1800 g admitted to the neonatal unit of a KMC reference center. The infants were grouped into the KMC group and the non-KMC group.

Shift in hospital opioid use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a time-series analysis of one million prescriptions.

The pronounced change in the profile of hospitalized patients during COVID-19 and the severe respiratory component of this disease, with a great need for mechanical ventilation, led to changes in the consumption pattern of some medicines and supplies. This time-series study analyzed the in-hospital consumption of opioids during the COVID-19 pandemic in 24 Brazilian hospitals compared to the pre-pandemic period. Data included 711,883 adult patients who had opioids prescribed.

Gait analysis of leprosy patients with foot drop using principal component analysis.

Background: Peripheral nerve injury caused by leprosy can lead to foot drop, resulting in an altered gait pattern that has not been previously described using 3D gait analysis.

Methods: Gait kinematics and dynamics were analyzed in 12 patients with unilateral foot drop caused by leprosy and in 15 healthy controls. Biomechanical data from patients' affected and unaffected limbs were compared with controls using inferential statistics and a standard distance, based on principal components analysis (PCA).

The Solute Polarization and Structural Effects on the Nonlinear Optical Response of Based Chromone Molecules.

The solute polarization due to solvent is a an electrostatic quantum effect that impacts diverse molecular properties, including the nonlinear optical response of a material. An iterative procedure that allows updating the solute charge distribution in the presence of the solvent is combined with a sequential Monte Carlo/Quantum Mechanics methodology and Density Functional Theory methods to evaluate the nonlinear optical (NLO) response using the hyper Rayleigh scattering (HRS) of a series of chromones recently identified in Chamaecrista diphylla, an herbaceous plant abundant throughout the Americas and used in folk medicine. From this study, it is determined that from gas to solvent environment, the systems acquire low refractive index (n) and an improvement of the first hyperpolarizability (β ), signaling potential NLO uses.

The Importance of the Density Functional Theory Exchange-Correlation Hartree-Fock Term in Magnetic Resonance: Application to an Aqueous Environment.

Within the framework of Density Functional Theory (DFT), the relevance of the term Hartree-Fock exchange (HFE) for a variety of molecular properties is a critical point. For this reason, we spend efforts to understand these relationships in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters in a water solvent. This work takes advantage of the appropriate aug-cc-pVTZ-J basis set and the Minnesota family of DFT methods, which consider different portions of HFE contributions.

Multicenter validation of PIM3 and PIM2 in Brazilian pediatric intensive care units.

Objective: To validate the PIM3 score in Brazilian PICUs and compare its performance with the PIM2.

Methods: Observational, retrospective, multicenter study, including patients younger than 16 years old admitted consecutively from October 2013 to September 2019. We assessed the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR), the discrimination capability (using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve - AUROC), and the calibration.

Spectroscopic characterization of different protonation/deprotonation states of Barbaloin in aqueous solution.

Barbaloin (10-glucopyranosyl-1,8-dihydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-9(10H)-anthraquinone: aloin A), present in Aloe species, is widely used in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Here we characterize its optical absorption and emission spectra in aqueous solution at different pH values. Through pH titration, using both absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, two pK values for Barbaloin were determined: pK=9.

Clinical features, electroencephalogram, and biomarkers in pediatric sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

To date, no specific diagnostic criteria for sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) have been established. We studied 33 pediatric patients with sepsis prospectively and evaluated the level of consciousness, the presence of delirium, electroencephalographic (EEG) findings, and plasma levels of neuron-specific enolase and S100-calcium-binding protein-B. A presumptive diagnosis of SAE was primarily considered in the presence of a decreased level of consciousness and/or delirium (clinical criteria), but specific EEG abnormalities were also considered (EEG criteria).

CORRELATION BETWEEN QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE CLINICAL RESULTS OF PATIENTS WITH LEPROSY WITH DROP FOOT AFTER TENDON TRANSFER.

Objective: To evaluate the functional results of surgically correcting drop foot in patients with leprosy and compare their SALSA, Social Participation, and AOFAS score.

Methods: Overall, 22 patients were subjected to posterior tibial tendon transfer via the subcutaneous route to the foot dorsum with an average follow-up of 56 months (min 12, max 70). In our sample, 15 of the enrolled patients were men and seven, women, aged between 20 and 73 years old who were operated on from January 2014 to December 2017.

A DFT analysis of electronic, reactivity, and NLO responses of a reactive orange dye: the role of Hartree-Fock exchange corrections.

An experimental and theoretical study based on DFT/TD-DFT approximations is presented to understand the nature of electronic excitations, reactivity, and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of reactive orange 16 dye (RO16), an azo chromophore widely used in textile and pharmacological industries. The results show that the solvent has a considerable influence on the electronic properties of the material. According to experimental results, the absorption spectrum is formed by four intense transitions, which have been identified as [Formula: see text] states using TD-DFT calculations.

External validation of first trimester combined screening for pre-eclampsia in Brazil: An observational study.

Objective: To validate a combined algorithm for early prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) in the Brazilian population.

Study Design: This is an unplanned secondary analysis of a cohort study. Consecutive singleton pregnancies undergoing first-trimester screening for PE involving examination of maternal characteristics, medical history, and biophysical markers were considered eligible.

Perinatal stress and methylation of the gene in newborns: systematic review.

Adverse experiences in the perinatal period have been associated with the methylation of the human glucocorticoid receptor gene () and long-term diseases. We conducted a systematic review on the association between adversities in the perinatal period and DNA methylation in the 1  region of the gene in newborns. We explored the MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, and Lilacs databases without time or language limitations.