Construction of an instrument to evaluate the quality of hospital care provided in burns units in Brazil: A Delphi study.

Background: Providing excellent care to patients with acute burns can result in lower mortality and disability in the long-term. There are no specific instruments to evaluate the quality of care provided at this stage of treatment. This study aims to create an instrument to evaluate the quality of hospital care provided to patients with acute burns in Brazil.

Intercostal Nerve Cryoablation as an Effective Pain Management Strategy in the Nuss Procedure: Reducing Opioid Use and Hospital Stay.

Introduction:  Erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks, thoracic epidural, and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) have all been used for perioperative pain management in the Nuss procedure without a consensus on what modality produces the best outcomes. Intercostal nerve cryoablation (INC) is a relatively new modality that involves freezing the nerves to prevent pain during recovery. Our hypothesis is that using INC for the Nuss procedure will decrease opioid use, pain scores, and length of stay (LOS) but will increase cost compared with ESP block, thoracic epidural, and PCA.

Insights into the genetic landscape of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas in a Brazilian cohort.

Objective: Germline and somatic drivers are identified in 30% and 40% of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs), respectively. In this study, we investigated the genetic landscape of PPGLs in a Brazilian cohort.

Methods: We studied 182 index patients with PPGLs (116 females and 66 males), comprising 118 pheochromocytoma and 70 paraganglioma cases.

Compositional Design of New Environmentally Friendly Geopolymer Mortar Based on Kaolin and Granite Residues.

The use of industrial residues in civil construction is an exciting alternative to mitigate environmental impacts and promote the circular economy. This work developed new compositions of geopolymer mortars activated by NaOH from fine kaolin residue (RCF), coarse kaolin residue (RCG) and granite (RG). All residues were benefited and characterized by chemical analysis (X-ray fluorescence), mineralogical phases (X-ray diffraction) and granulometry (laser granulometry).

Prospection on the black mulberry (Morus nigra L.): A technological and scientific analysis.

Morus nigra L., commonly known as black mulberry, is a significant plant species in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. It is also considered an Unconventional Food Plant with potential applications in nutrition.

Prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders among nursing workers and associated factors.

Objective: to identify the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders among nursing workers in the context of COVID-19 and its associated factors.

Method: cross-sectional web survey carried out between October 2021 and January 2022, with 1.073 nursing professionals.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Accelerating Vaccine Development: Challenges and Opportunities in Pandemic Preparedness.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been studied and applied to medicines and vaccine development. However, there is still a need to understand the processes used and improve them. With this letter, we draw attention to AI use as a tool in vaccine production, supporting scientists and enabling optimization in this process.

Cassava, corn, wheat, and sweet potato native starches: A promising biopolymer in the production of capsules by electrospraying.

Native starches have a high potential for producing capsules by electrospraying despite still being little explored as biopolymeric material. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the electrospraying capacity of native starches from different sources (cassava, corn, wheat, and sweet potato). The concentration of starch in the polymer solutions was varied from 3 % to 10 % (w/v) to investigate the impact of both starch source and concentration on the electrospraying process.

The Challenge of Misleading Information: Does the Interaction between Zinc and Vitamin D Influence the Immune Response against SARS-CoV-2 in the Elderly Population?

Immunization is a challenge for the elderly population and can leave this group more vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. Due to this situation, while vaccines were in the development phase, hypotheses were raised about the role of vitamins and minerals in immunization. In Brazil, there was a controversy regarding the well-known COVID-19 Kit, a standardized prescription for positive cases that contained zinc, and vitamin D, and anti-parasitic drugs.

Implementation of bedside medication preparation in intensive care: post-improvement cycle.

Objective: To assess the implementation of the bedside medication preparation process in an Intensive Care Unit, following a quality improvement cycle.

Method: A quasi-experimental study with non-paired samples, pre- and post-implementation, conducted in an Intensive Care Unit of a public hospital in southern Brazil, from September 2022 to April 2023, following the guidelines of the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence 2.0.

α1 S1928 Phosphorylation of Ca1.2 Channel Controls Vascular Reactivity and Blood Pressure.

Background: Increased vascular Ca1.2 channel function causes enhanced arterial tone during hypertension. This is mediated by elevations in angiotensin II/protein kinase C signaling.

Cellulose, cellulose nanofibers, and cellulose acetate from Butia fruits (Butia odorata): Chemical, morphological, structural, and thermal properties.

Cellulose possesses numerous advantageous properties and is a precursor to compounds and derivatives. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize cellulose from Butia fruits and simultaneously produce cellulose nanofibers and cellulose acetate from the isolated cellulose. Cellulose extraction was performed using a combination of alkaline and bleaching treatments, while the production of cellulose nanofibers and cellulose acetate was achieved through acid hydrolysis and acetylation, respectively.

Concurrent Validity and Reliability of a Free Smartphone Application for Evaluation of Jump Height.

: Jump test assessment is commonly used for physical tests, with different type of devices used for its evaluation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a freely accessible mobile application (VertVision, version 2.0.

Association between papillary thyroid cancer and primary aldosteronism in individuals with hypertension.

Background: Aldosterone excess chronically induces oxidative stress and cell proliferation. Previously, a single study investigated primary aldosteronism (PA) in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), albeit without a matched control group.

Methods: We conducted a propensity score matched case-control study to investigate the association between PA and PTC in individuals with arterial hypertension (HT).