Enriching surgical theatre competence through computer-based simulation.

Introduction: Radiographers support the multidisciplinary team by facilitating medical imaging within the operating theatre environment. This project aimed to enhance student readiness for clinical competency in operative theatre imaging by implementing an authentic C-arm simulator for students to use prior to attending clinical placement.

Methods: This study followed a pre-post, quantitative study design.

Long-term Outcomes 18 Years after the Arthroscopic Fixation of a Scapular Articular Fracture: A Case Report.

Reduction and fixation of glenoid cavity fractures using arthroscopy cause little surgical trauma, allowing the complementary diagnosis and treatment of potentially associated injuries (either capsular, ligamentous or tendon lesions) with promising outcomes. The authors report a case of Ideberg type III glenoid fracture with a distal clavicle fracture which underwent percutaneous reduction and bone fixation (with Kirschner wires) using an arthroscopic technique. We describe the procedure and the outcomes after 18 years of follow-up.

Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) Questionnaire.

 To evaluate the validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI).  We assessed 51 patients aged 18 to 40 years who were divided into 3 groups: 17 patients with shoulder instability undergoing conservative treatment, 17 with shoulder instability treated surgically, and 17 without shoulder instability. The patients underwent functional and health assessments using the following scores: WOSI, Rowe, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), and University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Shoulder Scale.

Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation of Glucans from Fermentation-Produced Nutraceutical Bionutri-AR1: Antioxidant and Immunomodulatory Properties.

The consumption of nutraceuticals or food supplements has increased crucially, aiming to address nutrient deficits and enhance immune system function. To develop safe food products with unique nutritional and functional benefits, new production methods of these nutraceuticals such as the fermentative process have been gaining prominence for industrial applications. Bionutri-AR1 is a nutraceutical produced via this bioprocess, featuring a complex composition, that has been used to improve the immune systems of debilitated people.

Densification of sodium and magnesium aluminosilicate glasses at ambient temperature: structural investigations by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics simulations.

Sodium and magnesium aluminosilicate glasses with compositions 20NaO-20AlO-60SiO (NAS) and 20MgO-20AlO-60SiO (MAS) were subjected to a 12 and 25 GPa compression and decompression at room temperature, resulting in density increases from 3.7% to 5.3% (NAS) and from 8.

The Effects of Collagen Peptides as a Dietary Supplement on Muscle Damage Recovery and Fatigue Responses: An Integrative Review.

Background/objectives: The oral administration of hydrolyzed collagen peptides is a scientifically validated intervention for enhancing skeletal muscle health and performance. This integrative review consolidates the evidence supporting the use of low molecular weight collagen peptides (2000-3500 daltons) for their superior bioavailability and absorption. Our objective was to review the effects of collagen peptide or hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on muscle damage, recovery, and construction related to physical exercise.

Moderate physical exercise and ATP modulate the P2X7 receptor and improve cisplatin-induced gastric emptying delay in rats.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy with cisplatin commonly present gastrointestinal effects such as constipation and gastric emptying (GE) delay. Both the purinergic system and physical exercise modulate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the current study, we investigated the role of ATP, physical exercise, and P2X7 receptor blocking on GE delay induced by cisplatin in rats.

Domestic violence patterns in postpartum women who delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To longitudinally assess domestic violence (DV) during the postpartum period, identifying types, patterns and determinants of DV, according to mothers' reports in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Methods: Data from the Iracema-COVID cohort study interviewed at home mothers who gave birth in the first wave of COVID-19, at 18 and 24 months after birth. Patterns of reported DV were classified as follows: no DV, interrupted DV, started DV and persistent DV.

Structural Aspects of Ambient-Temperature Densification of Highly Crack-Resistant Borosilicate and Aluminoborosilicate Glasses: Two Case Studies Examined by Solid-State NMR.

The structural aspects of ambient-temperature densification via pressurization at 25 GPa were studied by solid-state NMR for two case studies: An alkaline earth boroaluminosilicate glass with the composition 6CaO-3SrO-1BaO-10AlO-10BO-70SiO (labeled SAB) and a sodium magnesium borosilicate glass with the composition 10NaO-10MgO-20BO-60SiO (labeled MNBS). For SAB glass, cold pressurization results in significant increases in the average coordination numbers of both boron and aluminum, in line with previous results found in hot-compressed alkali aluminoborosilicate glasses. In addition, Al/B dipolar recoupling experiments reveal a significant decrease in the B/Al dipolar interaction strength upon pressurization, suggesting that the higher-coordinated boron and aluminum species experience weaker magnetic interactions.

Coverage and determinants of childhood vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil: a longitudinal analysis.

Brazil has seen a decrease in vaccination coverage since 2016. This study analyzes the immunization status of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. This is a longitudinal analysis that included vaccination data of 313 children aged 12 and 18 months.

Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Brazil: associated factors and pattern of use by mothers and children up to 18 months of age.

Objective: To analyze the delay or failure to seek primary health care by the mother-child dyads during the COVID-19 pandemic, a practice that has a high potential to increase maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Data from three survey rounds of the Iracema-COVID cohort study, collected 6, 12, and 18 months after birth, showed the patterns of postpartum attendance to primary health care consultation of the mother-child dyad. Crude and adjusted multinomial logistic regressions with robust variance were used to assess factors associated with nonattendance.

Lessons from the Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis of HTLV-1-Infected Individuals: Biomarkers of Inflammation for HAM/TSP Development.

HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to motor impairment due to a chronic inflammatory process in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the HAM/TSP pathogenesis is not completely clear, and biomarkers to define the disease prognosis are still necessary. Thus, we aimed to identify biomarkers for HAM/TSP and potential mechanisms involved in disease development.

Chitotriosidase 1 in the cerebrospinal fluid as a putative biomarker for HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) progression.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is an inflammatory neurodegenerative disease that affects motor, urinary, intestinal, and sensory functions. Typically, HAM/TSP is slowly progressive, but it may vary from limited motor disability after decades (very slow progression) to loss of motor function in a few years from disease onset (rapid). In this study, we aimed to identify prognostic biomarkers for HAM/TSP to support patient management.

Liquidity constraints, cash transfers and the demand for health care in the Covid-19 pandemic.

This paper proposes the hypothesis that liquidity constraints may delay or even prevent sick individuals from seeking medical help. If this is the case, a cash transfer can directly increase the demand for medical care. We evaluated this hypothesis empirically in the context of the implementation of Emergency Aid (EA), a large-scale cash transfer program in Brazil, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The impacts of visual Art Therapy for elderly with Neurocognitive disorder: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Aging is characterized by a reduction in physical, cognitive, and emotional functions, allowing multiple losses in the quality of life of the elderly. As a clinical situation that has a common association with pathological aging, neurocognitive disorder, previously named dementia, has become epidemiologically more relevant over the years. Thus, art therapy has recently emerged as an alternative technique for approaching these individuals, with the aim of improving cognitive, emotional, and quality of life aspects.

Establishing diagnostic reference levels for pediatric fluoroscopic examinations in a tertiary hospital.

Background: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) identify unusually high patient radiation exposures and are required for dose optimisation. DRLs for pediatric fluoroscopic examinations are not widely determined in Australia.

Objective: Our objectives were to establish DRLs for pediatric fluoroscopic examinations in a South Australian tertiary hospital and compare these to previously published data and to explore relationships between patient dose area product (DAP), age and fluoroscopy times.

Identification of vaginal Leptospira in cervical-vaginal mucus of slaughtered pigs in the amazon region.

Swine genital leptospirosis is an infectious disease that leads to economic losses due to abortions, stillbirths, and reproductive failures. Considering the scarcity of studies regarding this condition, the objective of the present study was to identify and analyse leptospires infecting the reproductive tract of female pigs slaughtered in the Amazon region. Cervical-vaginal mucus (CVM) from 150 non-pregnant females were collected and submitted to molecular analysis.

Following the Clues: Usefulness of Biomarkers of Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in the Investigation of HTLV-1-Associated Myelopathy Progression.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a neurodegenerative disease due to axonal damage of the corticospinal secondary to an inflammatory response against infected T-cells. In the present work, we aimed to evaluate biomarkers of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in the definition of HAM/TSP prognosis. Neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated heavy (pNfH) chains, total Tau protein, cellular prion protein (PrPc), inflammatory chemokines, and neopterin were quantified in paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples from HAM/TSP patients (n=21), HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers (AC) (n=13), and HTLV-1 seronegative individuals with non-inflammatory non-degenerative neurological disease (normal-pressure hydrocephalus) (n=9) as a control group.

Polymorphisms in HTLV-1 Tax-responsive elements in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients are associated with reduced proviral load but not with disease progression.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) provirus expression is mainly directed by Tax-responsive elements (TRE) within the long terminal repeats (LTR). Mutations in TRE can reduce provirus expression and since a high proviral load (PVL) is a risk factor for the development of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), we evaluated polymorphisms in the 5' LTR and the association with PVL and disease progression. HTLV-1 LTR and sequences derived from asymptomatic carriers (AC) and HAM/TSP patients followed in a longitudinal study were analysed according to PVL and clinical severity.

Inflammatory Cytokine Patterns Associated with Neurological Diseases in Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can present with distinct neurological manifestations. This study shows that inflammatory neurological diseases were associated with increased levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8 (CXCL8), and CXCL10 in the cerebrospinal fluid. Conversely, encephalopathy was associated with high serum levels of IL-6, CXCL8, and active tumor growth factor β1.

Benznidazole: Hero or villain of cellular immune response in chronic Chagas disease patients?

Although the treatment of chronic Chagas disease (CCD) patients with Benznidazole (Bz) is still controversial, its use may prevent or delay the progression of the disease to the most severe forms. One of the main factors that can influence the effectiveness of the treatment is the possible cooperation between drug effect and the host immune response. Herein, we evaluated the immune response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and submitted to Bz treatment.

Cerebrospinal fluid findings in neurological diseases associated with COVID-19 and insights into mechanisms of disease development.

Objectives: To analyze the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and neurological manifestations to provide evidence for the understanding of mechanisms associated with central nervous system (CNS) involvement in COVID-19.

Methods: Patients (n = 58) were grouped according to their main neurological presentation: headache (n = 14); encephalopathy (n = 24); inflammatory neurological diseases, including meningoencephalitis (n = 4), acute myelitis (n = 3), meningitis (n = 2), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) (n = 2), encephalitis (n = 2), and neuromyelitis optica (n = 1); and Guillain-Barré syndrome (n = 6). Data regarding age, sex, cerebrovascular disease, and intracranial pressure were evaluated in combination with CSF profiles defined by cell counts, total protein and glucose levels, concentration of total Tau and neurofilament light chain (NfL) proteins, oligoclonal band patterns, and detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.