Heavy metals in soils derived from sedimentary rocks of the Gurgueia River watershed, Northeast, Brazil: background values, distribution and ecological risk assessment.

The concentrations of heavy metals (HMs) can be increased by various anthropogenic activities such as mining, fuel combustion, pesticide use, and urban development, which can alter the mechanisms determining their spatial variability in the environment. Determining natural concentrations, monitoring, and assessing potential ecological risks are essential in the management of pollution prevention policies and soil conservation in watersheds. The aim of this study was to determine HMs natural concentrations, establish quality reference values (QRVs), and evaluate pollution indices in a watershed-scale.

Sequential Behavior of Broiler Chickens in Enriched Environments under Varying Thermal Conditions Using the Generalized Sequential Pattern Algorithm: A Proof of Concept.

Behavior analysis is a widely used non-invasive tool in the practical production routine, as the animal acts as a biosensor capable of reflecting its degree of adaptation and discomfort to some environmental challenge. Conventional statistics use occurrence data for behavioral evaluation and well-being estimation, disregarding the temporal sequence of events. The Generalized Sequential Pattern (GSP) algorithm is a data mining method that identifies recurrent sequences that exceed a user-specified support threshold, the potential of which has not yet been investigated for broiler chickens in enriched environments.

Risks of soil chemical degradation from atmospheric gypsum plumes around selected extraction and processing enterprises, Northeast Brazil.

Gypsum plays a prominent role in agriculture, being considered an effective alternative to alleviate subsurface acidity due to its higher solubility and containing sulfur. However, another significant aspect is which pose long-term risks of groundwater contamination due to excessive applications of salts, pesticides, and other chemicals that will be leached, or even soil chemical depletion. So far, no study has focused on understanding the impacts of the atmospheric gypsum plume originating from gibbsite mining and processing on the leaching of soil bases and chemical degradation surrounding these sites.

Predicting Risk of Ammonia Exposure in Broiler Housing: Correlation with Incidence of Health Issues.

The study aimed to forecast ammonia exposure risk in broiler chicken production, correlating it with health injuries using machine learning. Two chicken breeds, fast-growing (Ross) and slow-growing (Hubbard), were compared at different densities. Slow-growing birds had a constant density of 32 kg m, while fast-growing birds had low (16 kg m) and high (32 kg m) densities.

Use of Psychotropic Drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Objective: To describe the profile of dispensation of mental health drugs by analyzing trends in use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic within the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde [SUS]).

Methods: Pharmacoepidemiological study based on the retrospective analysis of records regarding the dispensation of psychotropic medicines in the SUS database in the state of Minas Gerais between 2018 and 2021, considering the periods before (2018-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). A database with the records of dispensation of municipalities was created, and the consistency of releases was verified using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test.

DNA-ICM as an adjuvant method applied on oral cytological specimens.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate cytology diagnosis accuracy using adjuvant methods in clinical routine for oral cancer.

Study Design: This prospective study was conducted on 98 patients with clinically potentially malignant or malignant oral cavity lesions. One oral lesion smear was taken from each patient using a cytobrush before biopsy and stored at PreservCyt Thinprep.

Does functionalised nanoplastics modulate the cellular and physiological responses of aquatic fungi to metals?

Co-contamination of freshwaters by nanoplastics (NPs; ≤ 1 μm) and metals is an emerging concern. Aquatic hyphomycetes play a crucial role as primary decomposers in these ecosystems. However, concurrent impacts of NPs and metals on the cellular and physiological activities of these fungi remain poorly understood.

Body Mass Index but not Physical Activity Level Moderates Lowered Cardiac Baroreflex Sensitivity in People Living with HIV.

Reduced cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) is an autonomic marker associated with a worse cardiovascular prognosis. Whether cBRS is lowered in people living with HIV (PLHIV) is yet unclear, as well as potential moderator effects of body mass index (BMI) or physical activity (PA) level. The present study aims to compare the spontaneous cBRS in PLHIV .

Analysis of the Mutational Landscape of Osteosarcomas Identifies Genes Related to Metastasis and Prognosis and Disrupted Biological Pathways of Immune Response and Bone Development.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most prevalent type of bone tumor, but slow progress has been achieved in disentangling the full set of genomic events involved in its initiation and progression. We assessed by NGS the mutational spectrum of 28 primary OSs from Brazilian patients, and identified 445 potentially deleterious SNVs/indels and 1176 copy number alterations (CNAs). was the most recurrently mutated gene, with an overall rate of ~60%, considering SNVs/indels and CNAs.

Novel Nonablative Radiofrequency Approach for the Treatment of Anal Incontinence: A Phase 1 Clinical Trial.

Objective: We aimed to describe the action, impact on quality of life, and side effects of perianal nonablative radiofrequency (RF) application in the treatment of anal incontinence (AI) in women.

Methods: This was a pilot, randomized clinical trial conducted between January and October 2016. We enrolled women who consecutively attended the Attention Center of the Pelvic Floor (CAAP) with complaints of AI for more than six months.

Cytotoxicity Analysis of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells After Silver Diamine Fluoride Application.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSC). hDPSC were exposed to dilutions of 38 percent SDF ( 10-3, 10-4, and 10-5) and incubated for 24 hours. Cell viability was assessed with colorimetric detection assay at 24 hours.

Treating Nerve Injury after Endodontic Microsurgery Using Laser Photobiomodulation: A Report of 2 Cases.

The purpose of this case report was to inform dentists and dental specialists about a noninvasive, viable treatment option that could aid in the recovery of patients who have experienced iatrogenic nerve injuries. Nerve injury is an inherent risk of many dental procedures and a complication that can negatively impact a patient's quality of life and activities of daily living. Managing neural injuries presents a challenge for clinicians because there are no standard protocols reported in the literature.

Protective Effect of Dietary Polysaccharides from Yellow Passion Fruit Peel on DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex inflammatory disorder characterized by chronic and spontaneously relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD includes two idiopathic disorders: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). In particular, UC causes inflammation and ulceration of the colon and rectum.

Working in health and safety at work: reflections on the construction of an integrated policy.

Interventions in work environments, processes, and situations encompass the prevention of diseases and accidents and workers' health promotion. Historically, these actions were originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor, being extended to the Ministry of Health, and later to the Ministry of Labor. The aim of this study was to understand and give visibility to the work of the actors working in the different sectors and institutions involved in health and safety at work in the municipality of São Paulo and gain an insight into the barriers to intersectorality and the consequences of the lack of intersectoral collaboration for this area.

Thermal damage and excision time of micro and super pulsed diode lasers: A comparative ex vivo analysis.

Objectives: The primary aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate thermal damage and cutting efficiency of micro and super pulsed diode lasers. The secondary aim was to suggest a guideline to perform simple surgical excisions adequate for histopathological evaluation.

Material And Methods: Ten groups of 10 specimens of pig tongues were excised using a blade (G1), a micro pulsed (G2-G9), and a super pulsed diode (G10) lasers.

Chagas Immunochromatographic Rapid Test in the Serological Diagnosis of Infection in Wild and Domestic Canids.

(domestic dog) represents a reliable sentinel for the occurrence of a well-established transmission cycle of among wild mammals in the surroundings and, consequently, where the risk of human infection exists. Serological diagnosis is the chosen method to identify infection in dogs that, in Brazil, rarely present positive parasitological tests. The use of recombinant chimeric parasitic antigens results in a sensitive and specific serological diagnostic test in contrast to the use of crude antigens.

Impacts of low concentrations of nanoplastics on leaf litter decomposition and food quality for detritivores in streams.

In forested streams, leaf litter decomposition is a vital ecosystem process, governed primarily by aquatic hyphomycetes. These fungi are crucial mediators of nutrients and energy to invertebrates and higher trophic levels. Very little information is available on the impact of low concentrations of different sizes of nanoplastic particles (NPPs) on leaf litter decomposition and aquatic hyphomycetes communities.

Atraumatic removal of a zirconia-framework fixed partial denture using an Er,Cr:YSGG laser: a case report.

A 3-unit fixed partial denture spanning the maxillary left central incisor, lateral incisor, and canine was fabricated with a zirconia framework and a pontic veneered with porcelain to replace the maxillary left lateral incisor. The prosthesis was attached to the abutment teeth using lingual wings that sat in preparations approximately 1.5 mm deep axially.

Plastisphere in freshwaters: An emerging concern.

Plastisphere, an ecosystem of microbes thriving on floating plastic debris, has been extensively studied in marine waters since 2013. Currently, very little is known about the freshwater plastisphere. This review seeks to provide a broad insight into the freshwater science of plastisphere in the light of marine plastisphere, including research gaps, suggestions, and rising concerns, which would be of interest to the public, policymakers, and stakeholders.

Organisational and relational factors that influence return to work and job retention: The contribution of activity ergonomics.

Background: Work is a determinant of employee health, and the same conditions that contribute to an illness do not favour return to work; consequently, they hinder job retention, other employees can become ill and new leaves are generated.

Objective: To analyse the nursing technicians work in intensive and semi-intensive care units (ICUs and SICUs) and discuss the influence of organisational and relational factors on return to work and job retention. This study also discusses the contributions of activity ergonomics to these processes.

The Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure, Arterial Function, and Heart Rate Variability in Men Living With HIV.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of acute cycling on blood pressure (BP), arterial function, and heart rate variability (HRV) in men living with HIV (MLHIV) using combined antiretroviral therapy (cART).

Methods: Twelve MLHIV (48.7 ± 9.

Effect of surface preparation and light curing on penetration of silver particles from 38% silver diamine fluoride in dentin of primary teeth: An in vitro evaluation.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of light cure, as well as various dentin surface treatment approaches, on the penetration depth of silver precipitating from 38% silver diamine fluoride into primary dentin tubules.

Methods: The occlusal dentin surfaces of 42 non-carious primary molars were exposed and then sectioned into halves bucco-lingually. The halves from each tooth pair were randomly split in two mega-groups, and each mega-group was divided randomly as follows into six experimental groups: prepared by either carbide bur (G1, G2), ceramic bur (G3, G4), or erbium laser (G5, G6).