Effects of photobiomodulation therapy (660-nm laser) on median nerve function in Wistar rats.

This study investigates the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) with a 660-nm laser on nerve regeneration and muscle morphometry following median nerve axonotmesis in rats. Sixteen Wistar rats were divided into a control group and laser-treated group, with the latter receiving 10 applications of PBM (660 nm; 20 mW; 10 J/cm; 0.4 J; and 20 s) over 2 weeks.

The effects of different doses of single- and dual-wavelength whole-body photobiomodulation on metabolic parameters in obese mice.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) shows beneficial effects on obesity-related alterations. It is not known if dual- is more beneficial than single-wavelength, nor the dose-response effect of such treatments. The effects of different doses of single- and dual-wavelength whole-body PBM on metabolic parameters in obese mice were evaluated.

The usefulness of patient-reported outcome measures in decision making in Chagas cardiomyopathy: a scoping review.

Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) presents many biopsychosocial complexities, highlighting the need to have patient self-report questions. This study demonstrates the scope of the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with ChC and highlights the main research gaps. This is a scoping review and the search strategy was performed in the Online Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Accumulated Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Central, Latin American Literature and Caribbean in Health Sciences (LILACS) and Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DITA).

Efficacy and safety of therapeutic strategies for human brucellosis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Human brucellosis is a neglected, re-emerging, and endemic zoonosis in many countries. The debilitating and disabling potential of the disease is a warning about its morbidity, generating socioeconomic impact. This review aims to update the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of therapeutic options for human brucellosis using the network meta-analysis (NMA).

Aquatic exercise for people with asthma: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Aquatic exercises are among the types of exercise most tolerated by people with asthma. Therefore, the objective of this study was to synthesize the evidence on the effects of aquatic exercise on lung function and quality of life in asthmatic patients.

Data Sources: A systematic search encompassing the Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, AMED, SPORTDiscus, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database databases was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of aquatic exercise in comparison to control conditions or land-based exercise on lung function and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with asthma.

Covid-19 Fiocruz Observatory - an analysis of the evolution of the pandemic from February 2020 to April 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the living and working conditions of the entire population of Brazil, having a different and more intense effect on groups considered to be vulnerable. The objective of this article is to present an overview of the evolution of the pandemic in the country according to the bulletins of the Covid-19 Fiocruz Observatory in the period between the declarations of the beginning and end of the Public Health Emergency of National Concern (ESPIN, in Portuguese), February 2020 to April 2022. Several of the indicators adopted in the 69 bulletins published for the analysis of the pandemic were used, such as cases and deaths due to SARIs and COVID-19, age groups, % of occupancy of ICU beds, and vaccination, among others.

Home Based Rehabilitation in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Grade Recommendations.

Objective: The objective of this study is to elucidate the effectiveness of home based rehabilitation (HBR) and compare its results with those obtained in conventional rehabilitation (CR) programs, carried out in clinics and/or outpatient clinics.

Methods: Searches were conducted in five databases of randomized clinical trials. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of the methodological quality of included studies were conducted independently by two reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer.

Health-Related Quality of Life Reported by Patients With Chagas Disease: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence With GRADE Recommendations.

Patients with Chagas disease have reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Hence, we aimed to identify the factors that mostly affected their HRQoL. This was a systematic review of qualitative studies.

How to overcome the stagnation of the first dose vaccine coverage curve against coronavirus disease 2019 in Brazil?

Background: A large percentage of the population has not yet started vaccination, for which the increase in coverage is almost null.

Methods: We used segmented regression analysis to estimate trends in the first dose coverage curve.

Results: There has been a slowdown in the application of the first doses in Brazil since epidemiological week 36 (average percent change [APC] 0.

Involvement of political and socio-economic factors in the spatial and temporal dynamics of COVID-19 outcomes in Brazil: A population-based study.

Background: Brazil has been severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemics that is aggravated by the absence of a scientifically-driven coordinated informative campaign and the interference in public health management, which ultimately affected health measures to avoid SARS-CoV2 spread. The decentralization and resultant conflicts in disease control activities produced different protection behaviours and local government measures. In the present study, we investigated how political partisanship and socio-economic factors determined the outcome of COVID-19 at the local level in Brazil.

Detection of Leptospira in a forest fragmentation area in eastern Amazon: A unique health approach.

The objective of this study was to detect the presence of anti-Leptospira spp. in samples of humans and domestic animals of forest fragmentation areas in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 208 samples from dogs, cats, and humans were collected during two expeditions within the same fragment.

Spatial analysis of the origin-destination flow of admissions for severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by COVID-19 in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro.

This study analyzed the inter-municipality flow of hospital admissions due to severe acute respiratory syndrome by COVID-19 in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. We identified 12,676 inter-municipality hospitalizations for COVID-19 involving the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. In total, 11,288 (89.

Assessment of crab fishermen's exposure to rabies virus in a typical Amazonian community.

Outbreaks of human rabies transmitted by hematophagous bats occurred in 2018 in Pará state, Brazil, eastern Amazon, after 12 years of no record of the disease. Thus, it is necessary to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these attacks to protect the local population. This study aimed to characterize the bat bite populations in the municipality of São João da Ponta, Pará State, Brazil, in 2013-2015.

[Floods and leptospirosis in Brazilian municipalities from 2003 to 2013: use of data mining techniques].

Leptospirosis is related to problems with environmental sanitation, and the incidence tends to increase during flood periods. Considering issues related to climate change, floods can be expected to increase. Floods do not affect populations homogeneously, and communities with worse socioeconomic conditions tend to be impacted more heavily.

Adherence to physical contact restriction measures and the spread of COVID-19 in Brazil.

Objective: To analyze the adherence of the population to physical contact restriction measures and the spread of COVID-19 in Brazil.

Methods: This was a web-based health survey carried out from April 24 to May 24 2020 using a chain sampling procedure. Intensity of adherence to physical contact restriction measures was analyzed according to sociodemographic characteristics, using logistic regression models to investigate associations with 'No/little adherence'.

Geochemical background indicators within a tropical estuarine system influenced by a port-industrial complex.

This study aims to determine the background values for metals in the Suape estuarine system, Brazil, and to identify contamination caused by anthropogenic sources. Two cores were sampled. Sedimentation rates and metal content were analysed.

Determination of background geochemistry of an Amazon estuary: The Cuñaní Estuary - Amapá.

This study aims to determinate the background geochemistry values for 23 chemical elements on the Amapá coastline. To do so, 8 cores were sampled (≤70 cm) along the Cuñaní Estuary. The metal concentrations were measured by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Dengue spatiotemporal dynamics in the Federal District, Brazil: occurrence and permanence of epidemics.

The specific characteristics of the Federal District (DF) favor the introduction, reproduction, dissemination, and permanence of dengue vector and viruses. Here, we aimed to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of dengue epidemics in the Administrative Regions (RAs) of the DF from January 2007 to December 2017. We used Fourier partial series model to obtain a seasonal signature of the time series, which allowed calculating indicators of permanence (number of epidemic years, number of epidemic months per year, the proportion of epidemic months for the period) and time/moment of epidemics (month of epidemic peak).

Plasma levels of soluble TNF receptors are associated with cardiac function in patients with Chagas heart disease.

Background: The soluble receptors tumor necrosis factor-alpha (sTNFRs) can lead to an increase in the expression of tumor necrosis factor, increasing its detrimental to systemic inflammatory activation in Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC). However, the correlation between sTNFRs levels, echocardiographic, and functional levels in patients with ChC remains unknown. This study aimed to verify the correlation between the plasma sTNFRs levels, echocardiographic, and NYHA functional levels in patients with ChC.

Pattern formation mechanisms of self-organizing reaction-diffusion systems.

Embryonic development is a largely self-organizing process, in which the adult body plan arises from a ball of cells with initially nearly equal potency. The reaction-diffusion theory first proposed by Alan Turing states that the initial symmetry in embryos can be broken by the interplay between two diffusible molecules, whose interactions lead to the formation of patterns. The reaction-diffusion theory provides a valuable framework for self-organized pattern formation, but it has been difficult to relate simple two-component models to real biological systems with multiple interacting molecular species.

Epidemiological scenarios for human rabies exposure notified in Colombia during ten years: A challenge to implement surveillance actions with a differential approach on vulnerable populations.

Based on notified cases of human rabies exposure and human deaths by rabies to Colombia public health surveillance system between 2007 and 2016, we conducted a spatiotemporal analysis to identify epidemiological scenarios of high human rabies exposure due to dogs, cats, bats, or farm animals (n = 666,411 cases). The incidence rate of human rabies exposures was analyzed by using geographical information system (spatiotemporal distribution and Cluster and Outlier Analysis (Anselin Local Moran's I)) data for all Colombian cities. The incidence rate of human rabies exposures due to dogs and cats showed an increasing trend, while aggression due bats and farm animals fluctuated throughout the analyzed period.