Lymphocyte Levels and Morbidity and Mortality in Cardiovascular Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Introduction: A year ago, in a sample of 113 patients, our research group found that a high number of lymphocytes in the immediate postoperative period was correlated to a poor prognosis in cardiovascular surgeries. This study is an expansion of the initial study in order to confirm this finding.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 338 consecutive patients submitted to cardiovascular surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass performed at Hospital Universitário Ciências Médicas (Belo Horizonte/Brazil) from 2015 to 2017.

Fluid therapy and pulmonary complications in abdominal surgeries: randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is no consensus on the most effective strategy for Postoperative Pulmonary Complication (PPC) reduction. This study hypothesized that a Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy (GDFT) protocol of infusion of predetermined boluses reduces the occurrence of PPC in patients undergoing elective open abdominal surgeries when compared with Standard of Care (SOC) strategy.

Methods: Randomized, prospective, controlled study, conducted from May 2012 to December 2014, with ASA I, II or III patients undergoing open abdominal surgeries, lasting at least 120 min, under general anesthesia, randomized into the SOC and the GDFT group.

Determining Medication Errors in an Adult Intensive Care Unit.

Introduction: Research addressing the costs of Medication errors (MEs) is still scarce despite issues related to patient safety having significant economic and health impacts, making it imperative to analyze the costs and adverse events related to MEs for a better patient, professional, and institutional safety.

Aim: To identify the number of medication errors and verify whether this number was associated with increased hospitalization costs for patients in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Method: This retrospective cross-sectional cohort study evaluated secondary data from patients' electronic medical records to compile variables, create a model, and survey hospitalization costs.

Prevalence of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika Viruses in Blood Donors in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil: 2018-2020.

Arboviruses have been reported over the years as constant threats to blood transfusion recipients, given the high occurrence of asymptomatic cases and the fact that the presence of viremia precedes the onset of symptoms, making it possible that infected blood from donors act as a source of dissemination. This work aims to identify the prevalence of dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in blood donors during epidemic and non-epidemic periods; classify the donor as symptomatic or asymptomatic; and verify the need to include DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV in the nucleic acid test (NAT) platform in northern Brazil. We investigated 36,133 thousand donations in two years of collection in Northern Brazil.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Oral Health Workforce: A Multicenter Study from the Southern Region of Brazil.

The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to describe the surveillance and biosafety measures adopted by dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants who worked in the Southern Region of Brazil and (2) to evaluate access to information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a multicenter and cross-sectional design, using a self-applied and validated online questionnaire. The availability of health-care-related supplies and the adoption of biosafety measures recommended by the Technical Note of the National Health Surveillance Agency No.

Oral hygiene prior to cardiac surgery to prevent infections: Randomized clinical trial.

Context: It is not clear if an oral hygiene protocol to control biofilm applied before cardiac surgery can reduce infection rates.

Objective: We aim to verify the effectiveness of an oral hygiene protocol in reducing postoperative infections when compared to usual practices, in patients admitted to a cardiology unit, prior to cardiac surgery.

Design, Setting And Participants: Randomized, blind, controlled clinical trial, with 107 participants who expected to undergo cardiac surgery, randomized into two groups: Experimental Group (EG) standardized oral hygiene protocol (54) and Control Group (CG), usual practices performed in patients admitted (53).

Methylene Blue to Neonatal Septic Shock treatment in neonate pigs.

Objective: The authors design an animal model of neonatal sepsis to analyze the treatment of neonatal septic shock with Methylene Blue (MB) in a swine model.

Methods: The study design included twenty male newborn pigs divided into four groups: 1) The control group; 2) The sepsis group (induced with lipopolysaccharide); 3) The MB group, and 4) The MB-treated sepsis group. Septic shock was defined as Blood Pressure (BP) dropping 20% below the baseline value.

Usefulness of ventilatory inefficiency in predicting prognosis across the heart failure spectrum.

Aims: The minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO slope) is widely used for prognostication in heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study explored the prognostic value of VE/VCO slope across the spectrum of HF defined by ranges of LVEF.

Methods And Results: In this single-centre retrospective observational study of 1347 patients with HF referred for cardiopulmonary exercise testing, patients with HF were categorized into HF with reduced (HFrEF, LVEF < 40%, n = 598), mid-range (HFmrEF, 40% ≤ LVEF < 50%, n = 164), and preserved (HFpEF, LVEF ≥ 50%, n = 585) LVEF.

Lead-DBS: an additional tool for stereotactic surgery.

Objective: Use Lead-DBS software to analyze stereotactical surgical outcome of an operated population and demonstrate that small target deviations do not compromise the stimulation of desired structures, even with small amperages.

Methods: Image exams of patients submitted to deep brain stimulation for movement disorders treatment were processed in Lead-DBS software. Electrode stereotactic coordinates were subtracted from the planned target and those deviations, compared among different anatomical targets and sides operated firstly and secondly.

Epidemiological and molecular profile of blood donors infected with HTLV-1/2 in the state of Pará, northern Brazil.

Background: The Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a retrovirus of the genus Deltaretrovirus, which belongs to the family Retroviridae. The most important types are HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. It is estimated that between five and 10 million individuals are infected with HTLV-1, worldwide.

spp. from Soybean Cause Disease on Lupin and Can Induce Plant Growth-Promoting Effects.

Protein crop plants such as soybean and lupin are attracting increasing attention because of their potential use as forage, green manure, or for the production of oil and protein for human consumption. Whereas soybean production only recently gained more importance in Germany and within the whole EU in frame of protein strategies, lupin production is already well-established in Germany. The cultivation of lupins is impeded by the hemibiotrophic ascomycete , the causal agent of anthracnose disease.

Clofazimine functionalized polymeric nanoparticles for brain delivery in the tuberculosis treatment.

Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) is the most severe form of the disease especially due to the inability of therapeutics to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Clofazimine (CFZ) stands out for presenting high in vitro activity against multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, however, CFZ physicochemical and pharmacokinetics properties limit drug penetration into the CNS and, consequently, its clinical use. The aim of this work was to develop polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) loaded with CFZ and functionalized with a transferrin receptor (TfR)-binding peptide, aiming brain drug delivery for CNS-TB treatment by the intravenous route.

[Obstacles to public governance and their influence on oral healthcare in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil].

The study aimed to analyze public governance in the regionalized healthcare network in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and its influence on decision-making in the organization of oral healthcare. This was an exploratory analytical study with a qualitative approach, with the methodology based on Grounded Theory. Thirty in-depth interviews were held with managers from the Regional Inter-Managers Commissions and Bipartite Commissions (CIR and CIB, respectively, in Portuguese), under the State Health Department, representatives from the State Health Councils, and administrators of specialized oral healthcare services, in two sample groups, in addition to non-participant observation in CIB meetings.

Sex and FOXP3 gene rs2232365 polymorphism may be associated with the clinical and pathological aspects of chronic viral diseases.

Background: The forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) transcription factor is one of the main markers of immunological suppression in different pathological profiles, and the presence of polymorphic variants may alter the gene expression of this factor. Despite descriptions of an association between the presence of the rs2232365 polymorphism and chronic diseases, the role of the sex variant in this context has not yet been elucidated, as the FOXP3 gene is located on the human sex chromosome X.

Results: To contribute to this topic, 323 women and 373 men were enrolled in the study, of which 101 were diagnosed with chronic viral liver diseases (39 women and 62 men), 67 with HTLV-1 infection (44 women and 23 men), 230 with coronary artery disease (91 women and 139 men) and 298 healthy and uninfected blood donors (149 women and men).

Effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for nipple pain or nipple trauma in lactating women: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this protocol is to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy for the treatment of nipple pain or nipple trauma in women during the breastfeeding period.

Introduction: One approach that has been reported on the management of nipple pain or nipple trauma in lactating women is the use photobiomodulation therapy to heal the injury or to decrease pain intensity. However, studies have achieved different results, due to variations in the treatment protocol, such as the source of light used, the application mode, the irradiation, or the light dose parameters, leading to varying outcomes.

An Comparison of the Forces Released by Closed Nickel-Titanium Springs.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the force-release behavior of closed coil nickel-titanium springs of three different commercial brands available on the market, as well those from different batches, tested over multiple distances, according to the number of deactivations.

Materials And Methods: For this analysis, closed coil nickel-titanium springs of the following numbers and brands: eight, 3 mm GAC® springs; eight, 3 mm springs from TP Orthodontics® and eight, 5 mm springs from MORELLI® were standardized at 200 gf force. Two batches of all three brands were tested and compared.

Lifestyle interventions reduce exercise ventilatory variability in healthy individuals: a randomized intervention study.

Variation of exercise ventilation confers poor prognosis in heart failure. Sedentary men have higher exercise ventilatory variability than athletes. However, the impact of lifestyle intervention on exercise ventilatory variability in sedentary people is unknown and this is the aim of this study.

Patients report more severe daily limitations than recognized by their physicians.

Background: Patient limitations guide selection of heart failure therapies, for which indications often specify New York Heart Association Class.

Objectives: To determine the extent of patient-reported limitations during daily activities and compare to New York Heart Association class assigned by providers during the same visit, and to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) group.

Methods And Results: While waiting for their appointment, 948 patients on return visits to an ambulatory HF clinic completed a written questionnaire assessing specific activity limitations, which were compared to physician-assigned NYHA class during the same visit.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Endophytes Associated with L. and Its Antagonistic Activity Against Grapevine Phytopathogens.

Fungus-caused diseases are among the greatest losses in grapevine culture. Biological control of pathogens by endophytes may be used to decrease fungicide application rates and environmental impacts. Previously, sp.