"Lesbian", a Term in Dispute: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review sought to explore the evolving landscape of lesbian identities and communities from 2013 to 2023. It addresses the debate over the relevance of the term "lesbian" in contemporary academia, highlighting contrasting viewpoints on its significance. Through thematic analysis of 12 selected articles, the study elucidates tensions surrounding lesbian identities, including stigmatization, generational divides, and the move toward "queer.

Enhancing Starch Film Properties Using Bacterial Nanocellulose-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions.

This study aimed to address issues related to hydrophilicity, barrier properties, and mechanical performance in starch-based films by incorporating Pickering emulsions stabilized with nano-fibrillated bacterial cellulose (BC). Emulsions were added to the film-forming suspension at varying concentrations (1.0%, 2.

Annual 30-m maps of global grassland class and extent (2000-2022) based on spatiotemporal Machine Learning.

The paper describes the production and evaluation of global grassland extent mapped annually for 2000-2022 at 30 m spatial resolution. The dataset showing the spatiotemporal distribution of cultivated and natural/semi-natural grassland classes was produced by using GLAD Landsat ARD-2 image archive, accompanied by climatic, landform and proximity covariates, spatiotemporal machine learning (per-class Random Forest) and over 2.3 M reference samples (visually interpreted in Very High Resolution imagery).

IMPACT OF SARCOPENIA ON THE PROGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS HOSPITALIZED FOR ACUTE DECOMPENSATION OR ACUTE-ON-CHRONIC LIVER FAILURE.

Background: Cirrhosis is a prevalent disease and ranks among the leading causes of death worldwide. Sarcopenia is believed to be associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with cirrhosis.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of sarcopenia on the prognosis of patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis, with or without acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Pediatric palliative care in Brazil: reflections on end of life based on geographic mapping.

Introduction: In Brazil, a country of continental dimensions, the lack of services in the different regions is a major barrier that prevents patients from accessing Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC). If accessing PPC is already challenging, end-of-life care for these patients may also be difficult. Therefore, this study is based on a recent mapping effort, aimed at reflecting on the end-of-life care for children in Palliative Care in Brazil.

Accompanying Hemoglobin Polymerization in Red Blood Cells in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging.

In recent studies, it has been shown that fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) may reveal intracellular structural details in unstained cytological preparations that are not revealed by standard staining procedures. The aim of our investigation was to examine whether FLIM images could reveal areas suggestive of polymerization in red blood cells (RBCs) of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. We examined label-free blood films using auto-fluorescence FLIM images of 45 SCD patients and compared the results with those of 27 control persons without hematological disease.

Troxerutin associated with Agaricus blazei Murill polysaccharides in films improves full-thickness wound healing.

The present study aimed to associate troxerutin (TRX) with polysaccharides from Agaricus blazei Murill mushroom (PolyAb) in alginate/PVA films and evaluate their effect on wound healing. The physicochemical, mechanical, morphological, and water vapor barrier properties of the films were studied, and their biological potential was analyzed in vivo using the full-thickness wound healing model. The association between TRX and PolyAb present in the polymeric film contributed to increased thermal stability, mechanical resistance, and elasticity when compared to films without TRX, which indicated good miscibility of the excipients.

Results of hepatocellular carcinoma downstaging through hepatic transarterial chemoembolization in liver transplantation.

Introduction And Aim: Liver transplantation plays an important role in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, diagnosis often occurs when the tumor size exceeds Milan criteria. In this context, locoregional treatments are frequently indicated.

Calcium phosphate deposition, tertiary hyperparathyroidism, and the long-term effect on kidney allografts.

Background: Tertiary hyperparathyroidism adversely affects kidney allografts, with calcium phosphate deposition hypothesized to be an underlying cause. We analyzed allograft biopsies to investigate risk factors for calcium phosphate deposition and understand its impact on allograft function.

Methods: We reviewed patients who underwent kidney transplantation from 2017 to 2019.

Donor-derived posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease detection by donor-derived cell-free DNA.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a life-threatening complication of organ transplantation, commonly diagnosed after patients present with nonspecific constitutional symptoms and/or transplant organ dysfunction. In this article, we report a case of a kidney transplant recipient who was found to have highly elevated circulating donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) levels on routine serum surveillance for allograft rejection, initially without organ dysfunction or evidence of allograft rejection on biopsy. Later, for cause imaging revealed retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and an allograft hilar mass, which was biopsied to show PTLD/diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Profile and experiences during the incarceration of transgender women and travestis (TGW) in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: The objective of the present study is to describe the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of a group of transgender women and travestis (TGW) with a history of incarceration and the institutional and social context of this experience in Brazil.

Methods: The analyzed data were derived from the TransOdara Study, a cross-sectional study conducted in five Brazilian capitals from December 2019 to July 2021. Participants were recruited using the Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) technique, in which, after an initial formative and exploratory stage, the first participants were identified; in turn, these participants recruited up to six other transgender women and travestis for the research.

Psychological stress and cardiovascular risk among women in Brazilian communities: a cross-sectional study.

Psychosocial evaluations are rarely conducted with community-dwelling individuals, especially those with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aims to evaluate the perceptual stress and cardiovascular risk among women in a large cross-sectional study performed in Brazilian communities. Subjects aged over 18 years were included out of 500 public basic health units (BHU) in Brazil.

Assessment of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Safety in Patients with Advanced Liver Fibrosis.

Purpose: The well-established relationship between obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a key etiological factor in the development of liver cirrhosis. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for weight loss in patients with moderate-to-severe obesity, also playing a role in controlling MASLD. However, surgical safety in patients with advanced fibrosis remains to be established.

Retrospective analysis of the efficacy and survival associated with cTACE and DEB-TACE in the palliative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: experience of a tertiary care hospital in southern Brazil.

Objective: To compare conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) and drug-eluting bead TACE (DEB-TACE) in terms of efficacy, survival, and adverse effects in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who are not candidates for curative therapy.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent cTACE or DEB-TACE for palliative treatment between January 2009 and December 2021. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma-the role of the underlying liver disease in clinical practice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related mortality. This particular type of cancer has the distinctive characteristic of mostly happening in individuals with an underlying liver disease. This makes the management of patients more challenging, since physicians must take into consideration two different conditions, the chronic liver disease and the tumor.

SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA: FOCUSING IN THE ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS.

Background: Spontaneous regression (SR) is defined as the partial or complete disappearance of a tumor, in the absence of a specific treatment. Evidence of the SR in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare.

Objective: The authors aimed to review all the cases of SR of HCC in two reference centers of Southern Brazil, highlighting the main characteristics.

Public parks in the city of Rio de Janeiro, southeast Brazil, and the risk of parasitosis transmission by freshwater gastropods.

Urban parks are not only important for the wellbeing of the human population, but are also widely considered to be potentially important sites for the conservation of biodiversity. However, they may offer risk parasitic infections, such as schistosomiasis and fascioliasis, which are both transmitted by freshwater snails. The present study investigated the occurrence of freshwater gastropods in urban parks of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, and their possible infection by helminths of medical-veterinary importance.

Infectious etiology and indicators of malabsorption or intestinal injury in childhood diarrhea.

Introduction: The multifactorial etiology of gastroenteritis emphasizes the need for different laboratory methods to identify or exclude infectious agents and evaluate the severity of diarrheal disease.

Objective: To diagnose the infectious etiology in diarrheic children and to evaluate some fecal markers associated with intestinal integrity.

Materials And Methods: The study group comprised 45 children with diarrheal disease, tested for enteropathogens and malabsorption markers, and 76 children whose feces were used for fat evaluation by the traditional and acid steatocrit tests.

Human and Small Animal Detection Using Multiple Millimeter-Wave Radars and Data Fusion: Enabling Safe Applications.

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) radars attain high resolution without compromising privacy while being unaffected by environmental factors such as rain, dust, and fog. This study explores the challenges of using mmWave radars for the simultaneous detection of people and small animals, a critical concern in applications like indoor wireless energy transfer systems. This work proposes innovative methodologies for enhancing detection accuracy and overcoming the inherent difficulties posed by differences in target size and volume.

Emulgel based on fish skin collagen-microalgae-silver increased neovascularization and re-epithelialization of full thickness burn in rats.

Deep skin burn represents a global morbidity and mortality problem, and the limitation of topical treatment agents has motivated research to development new formulations capable of preventing infections and accelerating healing. The aim of this work was to develop and characterize an emulgel based on collagen (COL) and gelatin (GEL) extracted from fish skin associated with Chlorella vulgaris extract (CE) and silver nitrate (AgNO). COL and GEL were characterized by physicochemical and thermal analyses; and CE by electrophoresis and its antioxidant capacity.

Results of transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma as a bridging therapy to liver transplantation.

Objective: To evaluate the degree of tumor necrosis after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), used as a bridging therapy in patients awaiting liver transplantation, and its effect on survival.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving 118 patients submitted to TACE prior to liver transplantation, after which the degree of tumor necrosis in the explant and post-transplant survival were evaluated.

Results: Total necrosis of the neoplastic nodule in the explant was observed in 76 patients (64.