Morphological and ultrastructural changes in fungal agents after LASER application.

Background: Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection of difficult treatment due to the fungal survival capacity and reduced number of effective therapies. The present study aimed to isolate fungal agents that cause onychomycosis in immunocompetent patients and evaluate how LASER treatments affect the growth and ultrastructure of isolates.

Methods: In total, 21 patients with positive direct microscopic examination (DME) for onychomycosis had nail samples collected for cultivation and phenotypic identification of microorganisms.

COVID-19 in a Portuguese whole blood donor population.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the stock of blood banks worldwide. This study aims to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in a population of whole blood donors and analyze the possible association between blood group and susceptibility to the disease and the impact of adopting preventive measures against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A peculiar case of onychomycosis caused by Cladosporium halotolerans.

A 49-year-old patient with changes in the nails of the hallux for 10 years was diagnosed with onychomycosis. The identity of the causative agent was confirmed as Cladosporium halotolerans from the Cladosporium sphaerospermum species complex using molecular techniques. MALDI-TOF identified the agent as C.

Post-thaw quality of ram sperm frozen with different concentrations of low-density lipoproteins associated with non-enzymatic antioxidants.

The cryopreservation reduces ram sperm quality, decreasing the pregnancy rate of ewes inseminated with thawed sperm. Hence, we aimed to improve the post-thaw quality of ram sperm replacing egg yolk on Tris-Glucose extender with different concentrations of LDL (2 or 8%), associated with the addition of 10 mM non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid, hydroxytoluene butylate, ascorbyl palmitate, and trehalose). Semen samples were collected from six rams, split into different treatments, and frozen.

Identification of the Radiative Parameters-Albedo and Optical Thickness-Of the Fiber.

The present work aims to characterize the radiative thermal properties albedo and optical thickness of fibers using a FTIR spectrometer. Measurements of normal/directional transmittance and normal and hemispherical reflectance are performed. The numerical determination of the radiative properties is conducted through the computational treatment of the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) using the Discrete Ordinate Method (DOM), together with the inverse method, which is done through Gauss linearization.

A new model for classification of medical CT images using CNN: a COVID-19 case study.

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19 and leaves characteristic impressions on chest Computed Tomography (CT) images in infected patients and this analysis is performed by radiologists through visual reading of lung images, and failures may occur. In this article, we propose a classification model, called Wavelet Convolutional Neural Network (WCNN) that aims to improve the differentiation of images of patients with COVID-19 from images of patients with other lung infections. The WCNN model was based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and wavelet transform.

Hospital characteristics associated with COVID-19 mortality: data from the multicenter cohort Brazilian Registry.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented pressure over health care systems worldwide. Hospital-level data that may influence the prognosis in COVID-19 patients still needs to be better investigated. Therefore, this study analyzed regional socioeconomic, hospital, and intensive care units (ICU) characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to Brazilian institutions.

Discriminating Aging Cognitive Decline Spectrum Using PET and Magnetic Resonance Image Features.

Background: The population aging increased the prevalence of brain diseases, like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Early identification of individuals with higher odds of cognitive decline is essential to maintain quality of life. Imaging evaluation of individuals at risk of cognitive decline includes biomarkers extracted from brain positron emission tomography (PET) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Explainable Machine Learning for COVID-19 Pneumonia Classification With Texture-Based Features Extraction in Chest Radiography.

Both reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and chest X-rays are used for the diagnosis of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). However, COVID-19 pneumonia does not have a defined set of radiological findings. Our work aims to investigate radiomic features and classification models to differentiate chest X-ray images of COVID-19-based pneumonia and other types of lung patterns.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy: Findings from the Brazilian arm of the COV-E study.

Unlabelled: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on people and healthcare services. The disruption to chronic illnesses, such as epilepsy, may relate to several factors ranging from direct infection to secondary effects from healthcare reorganization and social distancing measures.

Objectives: As part of the COVID-19 and Epilepsy (COV-E) global study, we ascertained the effects of COVID-19 on people with epilepsy in Brazil, based on their perspectives and those of their caregivers.

Bench to bedside defining calcific aortic valve disease: osteocardiology.

Introduction: For years, calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) was thought to be due to a degenerative process, but recent scientific discoveries have proven it to be an active process. Understanding the cellular mechanisms for the development of disease and translating the cellular changes critical in the development of calcific phenotypes. The use of multimodality imaging has been the gold standard to define the development of calcification to determine the timing of therapy.

Use of chemometrics to compare NIR and HPLC for the simultaneous determination of drug levels in fixed-dose combination tablets employed in tuberculosis treatment.

The World Health Organization recommends that TB treatment be administered using combination therapy. The methodologies for quantifying simultaneously associated drugs are highly complex, being costly, extremely time consuming and producing chemical residues harmful to the environment. The need to seek alternative techniques that minimize these drawbacks is widely discussed in the pharmaceutical industry.

Vancomycin-associated linear IgA disease mimicking toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Linear IgA dermatosis is a rare subepidermal autoimmune blistering disease characterized by linear deposition of IgA along the basement membrane zone. In the last three decades, many different drugs have been associated with the drug-induced form of the disease, especially vancomycin. We report a case of vancomycin-induced linear IgA disease mimicking toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Thermal Variation During Osteotomy With Different Dental Implant Drills: A Standardized Study in Bovine Ribs.

Introduction: This study evaluated thermal variation (heat generation) by dental drills of similar geometries, made from different materials, during performance of 450 standardized osteotomies in bovine ribs to simulate implant site preparations.

Materials And Methods: Each of the 3 groups-steel with a diamond-like carbon coating (SG), experimentally surface-treated steel (EG), and aluminum-toughened zirconium ceramic (ZG)-included 3 drills, distributed across 6 subgroups. An implant motor provided torque, rotation, and irrigation for 50% of subgroups.

Thermal change in a resin block during motorized and manual implant placement.

Statement Of Problem: Several studies have demonstrated the harmful role of heat generation during implant site drilling in subsequent bone healing. However, heat generation during implant placement should also be carefully considered.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate thermal change in a resin block during motorized and manual implant placement with and without saline irrigation.

TINU syndrome: review of the literature and case report.

Introduction: Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome (TINU Syndrome) is an uncommon clinical entity, and the majority of patients are adolescents and young women. The case reported refers to an elderly patient with ophthalmologic symptoms detected earlier than kidney manifestations, being probably the first case described in Brazil.

Case Report: Female patient, 60 years-old, sought medical attention for complaints of "red eye".

SALTIRE-RAAVE: targeting calcific aortic valve disease LDL-density-radius theory.

SALTIRE and RAAVE were the first two studies to evaluate the use of statin therapy for impeding calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). This review presents the findings of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-density-radius theory as tested using the combined results from the SALTIRE and RAAVE studies. Patients who received statin therapy had a greater degree of LDL cholesterol lowering, seen as the % change in LDL (47 vs 2%, p = 0.

Valvular heart disease and 3-dimensional echocardiography: ready for prime-time?

Significant advances in 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) technology have ushered its use into clinical practice. The recent advent of real-time 3DE using matrix array transthoracic and transesophageal transducers has resulted in improved image spatial resolution, and therefore, enhanced visualization of the patho-morphological features of the cardiac valves. Three-dimensional echocardiography provides unique perspectives of valvular structures by presenting "en face" views of valvular structures, allowing for a better understanding of the topographical aspects of pathology, and a refined definition of the spatial relationships of intracardiac structures.

Natriuretic peptides in aortic stenosis.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most prevalent valvular heart disease in developed countries. Diagnosis, risk stratification and monitoring are usually based on clinical and echocardiographic parameters. Complementary methods are needed to improve management and outcome, particularly in patients with severe asymptomatic AS, whose management remains controversial.