Publications by authors named "Rodolfo Varraschim Rocha"

Genetic markers of the Y chromosome are powerful tools for investigating paternal ancestry and are widely used in population and forensic genetics. However, in order to obtain statistics with a higher degree of certainty using these markers, it is necessary to obtain haplotypic frequencies from a representative database, as well as knowing the diversity and structure of the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of a sample of 1114 unrelated men from three states in the Northeast of Brazil: Paraíba, Pernambuco and Ceará, through the analysis of 23 Y-STRs and to contribute to the expansion of the Brazilian database on these markers.

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Background: Satisfactory interaction between tutor and student is fundamental to the success of problem-based learning, and social skills (SS) are essential in this context. The factors associated with a better repertoire of teachers' SS are still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to assess tutors' SS and investigate which factors might be related to a better repertoire of SS.

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Background: Procrastination is characterized by the deliberate postponement of assigned educational tasks and is correlated with low academic achievement and depression. Concern about procrastination is particularly high among medical students, as it has a strong association with aspects such as low self-efficacy, lack of organization, low intrinsic motivation, inefficient effort regulation and time management problems. On the other hand, it was found that students' use of study strategies is significantly related to better academic results.

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  • Otitis externa is a condition in dogs where the external ear canal becomes inflamed, usually due to bacterial infections, and this study focuses on testing promethazine's effectiveness against it.
  • * The research evaluated how promethazine affects bacterial growth and biofilm formation over 120 hours, determining its minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC).
  • * Results showed that promethazine significantly reduced biofilm growth and could be a promising treatment for recurring bacterial otitis in dogs, highlighting the benefits of repurposing existing drugs to combat antimicrobial resistance.
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Background: Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is a highly prevalent disease that may be impacted by social inequalities. Few studies in HOA are from underdeveloped regions. We intend to contribute to fill this gap presenting clinical characteristics of our low-income HOA cohort (LIHOA).

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Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous infection caused by dimorphic species embedded in the clinical clade. Fungi have virulence factors, such as biofilm and melanin production, which contribute to their survival and are related to the increase in the number of cases of therapeutic failure, making it necessary to search for new options. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have already been shown to inhibit the growth and melanogenesis of other fungi.

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  • - The study focused on creating protic ionic liquids (PILs), specifically 2-hydroxy ethylammonium formate (2-HEAF) and 2-hydroxy ethylammonium acetate (2-HEAA), to aid in the crystallization of the antibiotic isoniazid, which is crucial for treating tuberculosis.
  • - It was found that these PILs can change the habit and size of isoniazid crystals, making them more soluble in water compared to standard isoniazid, and exhibiting potential therapeutic advantages against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • - The PILs are non-toxic and demonstrated varied stability and degradation rates when combined with isoniazid, suggesting their
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Rationale And Objectives: Although PBL is widely used in several countries, especially in medicine courses, its application in teaching other higher education courses, which involve fundamentals applied to radiology, is still little explored. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in a higher education institution's radiology and biomedicine technologist course, focusing on specific radiology-related disciplines.

Materials And Methods: An interventional study was developed with 78 students.

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Cryptococcal biofilms have been associated with persistent infections and antifungal resistance. Therefore, strategies, such as the association of natural compounds and antifungal drugs, have been applied for the prevention of biofilm growth. Moreover, the pathogenicity model has been used to investigate the capacity to inhibit the pathogenicity of .

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  • Chronic back pain (CBP) significantly affects disability and its prevalence is heightened by social inequalities and impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly limiting access to treatment and outdoor activities.
  • The study analyzed data from 1,487 COVID-19 patients, finding that 40.3% had CBP, with similar rates of emergency care and hospitalization regardless of CBP status.
  • While patients with CBP exhibited higher rates of dyspnea compared to those without, the presence of CBP did not influence the overall clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients in a low-income setting.
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Objective: Despite some knowledge gaps in scientific evidence, MgCl is largely used for pain relief in musculoskeletal diseases. Mg salts were shown to provide analgesia postoperatively in orthopedic surgery and low Mg levels were linked to arthritis development and severity. We determined the anti-inflammatory activity of MgCl in an acute arthritis model.

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Self-efficacy consists of the judgment of one's abilities to perform actions required to achieve a given performance, which has been considered predictive of performance. In academics, it means personal convictions in accomplishing a task to a defined degree of quality. Numerous studies have investigated medical students' self-efficacy in traditional and PBL curricula.

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  • Azole drugs are losing effectiveness against Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) and Recurrent VVC due to antifungal resistance, prompting research into alternative treatments like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
  • The study developed a vaginal cream containing AgNPs and evaluated its antimicrobial activity, finding that AgNPs used in combination with miconazole significantly increased antifungal effectiveness.
  • Characterization of AgNPs indicated that those synthesized with certain amounts of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed a promising size and stability, with the new cream outperforming commercial miconazole in inhibition zones despite having a lower concentration.
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This study evaluated the antibiofilm activity of promethazine, deferiprone, and Manuka honey against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and ex vivo in a wound model on porcine skin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and the effects of the compounds on biofilms were evaluated. Then, counting colony-forming units (CFUs) and confocal microscopy were performed on biofilms cultivated on porcine skin for evaluation of the compounds.

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This study evaluated the effect of fluoxetine (FLU) on planktonic and biofilm growth and the antimicrobial susceptibility of . The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for FLU were determined by broth microdilution. Its effect on growing and mature biofilms and its interaction with antibacterial drugs were evaluated by assessing biofilm metabolic activity, biomass and structure through confocal microscopy.

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The limited therapeutic options for fungal infections and the increased incidence of fungal strains resistant to antifungal drugs, especially Candida spp., require the development of new antifungal drugs and strategies. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), like vorinostat, have been studied in cancer treatment and have antifungal effects, acting alone or synergistically with classical antifungals.

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This study aimed to standardize the use of an ex vivo wound model for the evaluation of compounds with antibiofilm activity. The in vitro susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 to ciprofloxacin and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) was evaluated in planktonic and biofilm growth. The effects of ciprofloxacin and PHMB on biofilms grown on porcine skin explants were evaluated by colony-forming unit (CFU) counting and confocal microscopy.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is estimated as the third most incident cancer and second in mortality worldwide. Moreover, CRC metastasis reduces patients' survival rates. Thus, the study and identification of new compounds with anticancer activity selectively to tumor cells are encouraged in the CRC treatment.

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As technology continues to improve, health care systems have the opportunity to use a variety of innovative tools for decision-making, including artificial intelligence (AI) applications. However, there has been little research on the feasibility and efficacy of integrating AI systems into real-world clinical practice, especially from the perspectives of clinicians who use such tools. In this paper, we review physicians' perceptions of and satisfaction with an AI tool, Watson for Oncology, which is used for the treatment of cancer.

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  • This study examines the outcomes of rotator cuff tear repair in a low-income Brazilian population, focusing on the effects of obesity and smoking.
  • The research involved 47 shoulders of 42 patients, evaluating various factors like fatty infiltration, tendon retraction, and socioeconomic status over a minimum follow-up period of two years.
  • Results showed that while smokers experienced more pain and reduced external rotation compared to non-smokers, the overall outcomes did not significantly differ based on obesity status or severity of the rotator cuff tears.
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  • - The study focused on translating and culturally adapting the Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis (FIHOA) into Brazilian Portuguese to ensure it can be effectively used in Brazil for assessing hand OA in both clinical and research contexts.
  • - The reliability of the translated FIHOA was tested with 68 patients, showing strong test-retest reliability (r = 0.86; ICC = 0.89) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). Participants reported no difficulties understanding the translation.
  • - Significant correlations were found between the FIHOA and other pain and functionality assessments, indicating that this translated version is a valid tool for evaluating the functional capacity of hand OA patients who speak Brazilian Portuguese.
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is considered the most common opportunistic pathogen in humans, capable of forming biofilm, increasing the chances of antibiotic resistance and causes several chronic diseases. Biodiversity is a source of inspiration in the search for new agents against these microorganisms. Hitherto, the efficacy of sp.

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Two new species of the genus Styela are described, with very rare characteristics in this genus: both are shallow-water and tropical, with more than two gonads in each side of the body. Styela panamensis sp. nov.

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