Diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection among household contacts in inland Bahia, Brazil: a cross-sectional follow-up study.

Background: The diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are crucial for tuberculosis (TB) control. Household contacts (HHC) of patients with pulmonary TB are at a high risk of LTBI due to their close proximity to source cases.

Objective: To describe the diagnosis and treatment of LTBI among HHC.

Communication skills in pediatrics: perception of medical students.

Background: Effective communication with patients and their families is a fundamental skill for medical students to cultivate during their undergraduate training. However, communicating with pediatric patients presents unique challenges. This study investigated the perceptions, attitudes, and confidence levels of undergraduate medical students regarding communication skills in pediatrics.

CPAP delivered via a helmet interface in lightly sedated patients with moderate to severe ARDS: predictors of success outside the ICU.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the outcomes and explore predictors of intubation and mortality in patients with ARDS due to COVID-19 treated with CPAP delivered via a helmet interface and light sedation.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving patients with COVID-19-related ARDS who received CPAP using a helmet developed in Brazil (ELMO™), associated with a light sedation protocol in a pulmonology ward. Demographic, clinical, imaging, and laboratory data, as well as the duration and response to the ELMO-CPAP sessions, were analyzed.

[More Doctors Program: characterizing the quality of primary care by the type of medical provision].

This study characterized the quality of primary care based on the responses of professionals and users, focusing on the type of physician - whether or not they were included in the More Doctors Program (PMM, acronym in Portuguese). A cross-sectional study was conducted applying the Quality and Strengthening of Primary Care Questionnaire to 149 physicians and 795 users in basic health units in Pernambuco State, Brazil, from February to November 2018. The present study used the concept of PMM provision which foresees the allocation of medical professionals to an areas of social vulnerability.

Effects of E-Learning Materials on Caregivers' Knowledge about the 3Ds of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Background: E-learning has emerged as a crucial technique that educators embrace and apply. Two effective e-learning materials are video-based learning (VBL) and e-book-based remote learning (EBRL). While several studies have proven their effectiveness, none have compared these e-learning materials, especially regarding caregivers' knowledge of delirium, dementia, and depression (3Ds).

Hyperresponsiveness of Corticoid-Resistant Th17/Tc-17 Cells to TLR-2 and TLR-4 Ligands is a Feature of Multiple Sclerosis Patients at Higher Risk of Therapy Failure.

Purpose: The presence of T cells expressing TLR-2 and TLR-4 has been associated with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) pathogenesis. Here, we evaluated whether the effectiveness of DMT in controlling clinical activity of the disease would be associated with modulation of proportion of TLRs T cells.

Patients And Methods: Whole peripheral blood mononuclear cells, purified CD4 and CD8 T cells from RRMS patients were cultured with different stimuli.

α-Synuclein plastic antibody applied to monitor monomeric structures and discriminate aggregated forms in human CSF.

Aggregation of alpha-synuclein (aSyn) occurs in presynaptic neurons and constitutes a key factor for the progression of Parkinson's disease, emphasising the urgency of early detection to support effective treatment. Unfortunately, a reliable, sensitive and cost-effective diagnostic tool has so far been lacking. Thus, this work presents a novel biosensor for detecting aSyn using plastic antibodies coupled to electrochemical detection.

Development and validation of a questionnaire (QSPC-Q) for assessment of quality and strengthening of primary care in Brazil.

The performance evaluation of services through instruments is relevant, as it can support thoughts, actions and political approaches to meet a social need. The objective of the article was to develop and validate the Quality and Strengthening of Primary Care Questionnaire (QSPC-Q) for professionals and users based on Starfield attributes and Donabedian pillars. A mixed sequential study was performed to develop the QSPC-Q.

Does Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Impact Outcome after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting? A Population-Based Retrospective Study in Germany.

The interaction between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is discussed controversial. In this population-based retrospective analysis including non-emergency CABG in Germany between 2015 and 2021, the aim was to compare in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (HLOS), and perioperative ventilation time (VT) in patients affected by COPD and not affected by COPD. In addition, we compared outcomes after off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) and on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) surgery and outcomes after CABG with a minimally invasive technique with and without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in COPD patients.

Best practice in dementia health care: Key clinical practice pointers from a national conference and innovative opportunities for pharmacy practice.

Objective: Sub-optimal care of people living with dementia has serious consequences for older populations. The 2021 Australian Royal Commission noted that a large proportion of older adults in aged care live with dementia, yet there are limitations in the knowledge and understanding of staff who care for them. In the pursuit of educating pharmacists, physicians, allied health care professionals, researchers, academics, people living with dementia and their carers, and the public, who are facing the challenges of dementia management, the 'Best Practice in Dementia Health Care' conference was held on November 10, 2022 at Western Health (Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne, Australia).

Knowledge, behavior and practices of the population during the pandemic against the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Alagoas, Brazil.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international state of emergency in order to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19. To ensure that there is adherence to preventive measures by the population aimed at controlling the pandemic in Alagoas, it is expected that knowledge, behavior and practices play an important role in preventing and controlling the disease. In this sense, it becomes relevant to understand the knowledge of the population about the disease.

An ultrasensitive paper-based SERS sensor for detection of nucleolin using silver-nanostars, plastic antibodies and natural antibodies.

A state-of-the-art, ultrasensitive, paper-based SERS sensor has been developed using silver nanostars (AgNSs) in combination with synthetic and natural antibodies. A key component of this innovative sensor is the plastic antibody, which was synthesized using molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology. This ground-breaking combination of paper substrates/MIPs with AgNSs, which is similar to a sandwich immunoassay, is used for the first time with the aim of SERS detection and specifically targets nucleolin (NCL), a cancer biomarker.

Nicotinamide riboside Induced Energy Stress and Metabolic Reprogramming in BEAS-2B Cells.

Nicotinamide riboside (NR), a NAD precursor, has received attention due to several health benefits it has induced in experimental models. Studies in cultured cells, animals, and humans consistently show increased NAD availability after NR supplementation, which is considered the only mode of NR action that leads to health benefits. In the present study, we show that a persistently low NR concentration (1 μM) in the growth medium of BEAS-2B human cells, grown in a monolayer, induces energy stress, which precedes a cellular NAD increase after 192 h.

Association between exposure to plasma mixture of essential and toxic elements and the lipid profile in institutionalized older adults.

Background: Older adults have a progressive deficiency in the ability to detoxify chemical elements and are susceptible to dyslipidemia and changes in glycemic control. The objective was to evaluate the association of the mixture of essential and toxic elements in the plasma of institutionalized older adults and test the associations with lipid profile variables and glycemic control.

Methods: Data were obtained from 149 Brazilian older adults aged ≥60 living in nursing homes (NH) in Natal, Brazil.

Efficacy of addition of the anti-inflammatory, IV glutathione to standard ketamine IV therapy in major depressive disorder.

Ketamine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, is used for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Recent studies have shown that there are increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and those with higher levels of oxidative stress markers have a decreased or null response to conventional antidepressants. Glutathione (GSH) as an antioxidant adjuvant to ketamine has not been well studied.

An Innovative Approach for Tailoring Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Biosensors-Application to Cancer Antigen 15-3.

This work presents a novel approach for tailoring molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with a preliminary stage of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), for a more precise definition of the imprinted cavity. A well-defined copolymer of acrylamide and ,'-methylenebisacrylamide (PAAm-co-PMBAm) was synthesized by ATRP and applied to gold electrodes with the template, followed by a crosslinking reaction. The template was removed from the polymer matrix by enzymatic/chemical action.

Spontaneous immunological activities in the target tissue of vitiligo-prone Smyth and vitiligo-susceptible Brown lines of chicken.

Introduction: Vitiligo is an acquired de-pigmentation disorder characterized by the post-natal loss of epidermal melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) resulting in the appearance of white patches in the skin. The Smyth chicken is the only model for vitiligo that shares all the characteristics of the human condition including: spontaneous post-natal loss of epidermal melanocytes, interactions between genetic, environmental and immunological factors, and associations with other autoimmune diseases. In addition, an avian model for vitiligo has the added benefit of an easily accessible target tissue (a growing feather) that allows for the repeated sampling of an individual and thus the continuous monitoring of local immune responses over time.

Portable and Autonomous PEDOT-Modified Flexible Paper-Based Methanol Fuel Cell Sensing Platform Applied to L1CAM Recombinant Protein Detection.

This work describes first a 5-stack direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-modified paper (PEDOT/PB-DMFC), which acts as an energy source and biosensor, coupled to an electrochromic cell (EC). It is autonomous and monitors the biosensor response by color change, as appropriate for point-of-care (POC) applications. In detail, DMFC strips were developed from square Whatman paper, and the EC was made on baking paper treated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

Wave amplitude gain within wedge waveguides through scattering by simple obstacles.

Wave confinement, e.g., in waveguides, gives rise to a huge number of distinct phenomena.

Chaotic escape of impurities and sticky orbits in toroidal plasmas.

We investigate chaotic impurity transport in toroidal fusion plasmas (tokamaks) from the point of view of passive advection of charged particles due to E×B drift motion. We use realistic tokamak profiles for electric and magnetic fields as well as toroidal rotation effects, and consider also the effects of electrostatic fluctuations due to drift instabilities on particle motion. A time-dependent one degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian system is obtained and numerically investigated through a symplectic map in a Poincaré surface of section.

Does acute exposure to thimerosal, an organic mercury compound, affect the mitochondrial function of an infant model?

Background: Thimerosal (TM) is a toxic, organometallic mercury compound (which releases ethyl-mercury-containing compounds in aqueous solutions) used as a preservative in vaccines. Mitochondria are organelle which are highly vulnerable to many chemical compounds, including mercury (Hg) and its derivatives.

Method: Wistar rats (at 21 days of age) were used to model a child's TM exposure following childhood vaccination, divided in two groups: TM exposed (20 μg/kg/day) and unexposed controls (saline solution), both for 24 h.