Efficacy of birthing ball exercises to reduce labor pain and cesarean rates: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: This updated systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impact of a birthing ball (BB) exercises on low-risk parturients during labor, offering a more comprehensive understanding through a larger sample size, robust analysis, and focus on relevant endpoints that were underexplored in previous studies due to limited data.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing BB (also named Swiss ball) exercises with no intervention or standard care in parturients undergoing low-risk labor. Risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) were calculated using a random-effects model.

Thermography as a Supporting Tool for the Diagnosis of Patellar Tendon Dysfunctions: A Systematic Review.

 The present study aimed to analyze the use of thermal images as a tool to aid in the diagnosis of dysfunctions in the patellar tendon.  A systematic review of the literature was carried out, following the PRISMA protocol with a search in international databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Pubmed. Descriptors in English were used with the following combination ("thermal imaging" OR thermography OR "Infrared image" OR "Skin Temperature" OR "thermal image" OR "Infrared imaging") AND ("patellar tendon").

Validation of an HPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of pesticide residues in Rice and assessment of the washing effect.

Unlabelled: A method was validated to determine 121 pesticide residues (carbamates, organophosphates, organochlorines, and pyrethroids) in rice samples, following the guidance document SANTE/11312/2021v2. QuEChERS method was selected for pesticide extraction, and the extract was analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. The methodology demonstrated precision and accuracy, with recovery rates ranging from 70 % to 119 %.

Death, flies and environments: Towards a qualitative assessment of insect (Diptera) colonization of human cadavers retrieved from sites of death in Brazil.

Empirical data on decomposition ecology have long established blowflies (Calliphoridae) and flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) (Diptera) as the most frequent colonizers of carrion, especially at early stages of decomposition. However, the scarcity of studies based on human cadavers has hindered inferences about colonization of homicide victims in real case scenarios. We describe here a survey of insects associated with cadavers retrieved from the site of death in Northeastern Brazil, with emphasis on the association between species diversity and the surrounding environment.