Hearing Performance and Soft-Tissue Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery and Local Anesthesia in Children with Unilateral Craniofacial Malformation.

 Minimally invasive Ponto surgery (MIPS) enables the installation of percutaneous bone-anchored hearing implants (BAHIs) with a drill guide through a hole punch incision. Despite being well established for adults, there is a lack of studies in the literature regarding its use in pediatric patients.  The aim of the present study was to investigate the hearing performance and soft-tissue outcomes of the use of MIPS under local anesthesia in children with unilateral craniofacial malformation (UCM).

Anatomical Variations of the Nasal Conchae and Nasal Septum and their Relationships with Alterations in the Maxillary Sinus Mucosa: A Study on Cone-beam Computed Tomography Images.

 In the literature, there is divergence about the relationship between anatomical variations of the turbinates and nasal septum (NS) and alterations in the maxillary sinus (MS) mucosa.  To determine, through cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of Brazilian individuals, the prevalence and relationship of anatomical variations of the turbinates and NS with alterations in the mucosa of the MS, as well as to analyze the relationships of these variables with demographic data.  The present cross-sectional study involved the analysis of 120 CBCT scans using the i-CAT Vision software, conducted by 2 calibrated examiners.

Do Child-Turcotte-Pugh and nutritional assessments predict survival in cirrhosis: A longitudinal study.

Background: Cirrhotic patients face heightened energy demands, leading to rapid glycogen depletion, protein degradation, oxidative stress, and inflammation, which drive disease progression and complications. These disruptions cause cellular damage and parenchymal changes, resulting in vascular alterations, portal hypertension, and liver dysfunction, significantly affecting patient prognosis.

Aim: To analyze the association between Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores and different nutritional indicators with survival in a 15-year follow-up cohort.

Experiences and overall impact reported by people living with obesity: results from a multinational study.

Objectives: To explore the impact of obesity on clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life, emotional well-being, and work productivity in people/patients with obesity across six countries by body mass index and the presence of complications.

Methods: Adelphi Real World Obesity Disease Specific Programme™ captured data related to physicians and their consulting people/patients with obesity on a weight management program or anti-obesity medication in Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates from April to December 2022. Physicians reported data for up to eight qualifying people/patients with obesity.

Characterization of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac in Crocidosema sp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from Brazil.

Background: Crocidosema aporema (Walsingham 1914) has historically been the main bud borer species in soybean in Brazil; however, a recent study reported that this species is not C. aporema but an undescribed species. In recent seasons, injury by Crocidosema sp.

The 9-item Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-9) has adequate measurement properties in patients with chronic low back pain.

Objective: To assess the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of the 9-item Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in patients with chronic low back pain.

Design: Questionnaire validation study.

Setting: Study was conducted in an online environment.

Effects of Photobiomodulation on Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of photobiomodulation or low-level laser therapy on burning mouth syndrome compared to placebo, no-laser, clonazepam and alpha-lipoic acid.

Methods: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials was performed. The databases consulted were MEDLINE, CENTRAL, LILACS, EMBASE and clinical trial registries ClincalTrial.

Pairs of rats cooperate more when responding to simultaneous reinforcement than to alternated reinforcement.

The purpose of this experiment was to explore whether simultaneous access to consequences configures a defining functional feature of coordination. We evaluated whether coordination episodes are maintained when reinforcers are alternately presented to two cooperating rats across these episodes, in contrast to the delivery of reinforcers simultaneously for both rats and independently for each rat. Rat pairs responded under either a tandem fixed-interval (FI) 10-s FI 10-s or a tandem variable-interval (VI) 10-s VI 10-s schedules.

Shaping the future rural healthcare landscape: perspectives of young healthcare professionals.

Introduction: Rural communities continue to struggle to access quality healthcare services. Even in countries where the majority of the population live in rural and remote areas, resources are concentrated in big cities, and this is continuing. As a result, countries with the highest proportion of rural residents correlate with the poorest access, which has negative implications for the health and wellbeing of people.

A descriptive analysis of nurses' self-reported mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international study.

Aim: To describe the self-reported mental health of nurses from 35 countries who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: There is little occupationally specific data about nurses' mental health worldwide. Studies have documented the impact on nurses' mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic, but few have baseline referents.

The concentration of malachite green in fish: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and probabilistic risk assessment.

Malachite Green (MG) is an antibiotic with antifungal activity, which is illegal to use in agriculture due to its mutagenic and teratogenic properties. Several scientific papers have been published on MG in fish. Therefore, an attempt was made to determine the meta-analysis concentration of MG in fish based on countries and types of fish subgroups, as well as the health risks of consumers, using the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model.

Seroprevalence of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya in São Sebastião, Brazil (2020-2021): a population-based survey.

Background: Urban arboviruses pose a significant global burden, particularly in tropical regions like Brazil. São Sebastião, a lower-middle-class urban area just 26 km from the Brazilian capital, is an endemic area for dengue. However, asymptomatic cases may obscure the actual extent of the disease.

ULACNet-301, OPTIMO protocol: optimizing HPV vaccination regimen for cancer prevention in children and adolescents living with HIV.

Background: Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with most cervical and anal cancer cases and a large fraction of other anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. The prophylactic HPV vaccines are known to prevent HPV infections and HPV-associated disease, although there is evidence of reduced response to the HPV vaccination among individuals living with HIV. Prior studies among individuals without HIV suggest that a single HPV vaccine dose induces humoral immune responses that, while lower than those induced by two or three doses, still confer protection against HPV infection.

Assessing the role of genotype by environment interaction as determinants of maize grain yield and lodging resistance.

Background: The development of superior summer maize hybrids with high-yield potential and essential agronomic traits, such as resistance to lodging, is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of maize cultivation. However, the task of identifying and breeding genotypes that exhibit exceptional performance and stability across multiple environment conditions, while considering a wide range of traits, is challenging. Given the backdrop of global climate change, understanding which climate variables and soil properties most significantly impact environmental similarity is essential for selecting hybrids with improved adaptability to regions with diverse climatic and soil conditions.

Neurological syndromes associated with COVID-19: a multicenter study in Brazil.

Background: Neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 remain partially described, mainly in low- and middle-income countries where diagnostic tools are limited. To address this, we assembled medical centers in Brazil with the goal of describing neurological syndromes associated with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic.

Methods: From June 1st, 2020 to June 1st, 2021, non-consecutive adult patients with new onset of six neurological syndromes up to 60 days after confirmed COVID-19 were included.

Exploring diazotrophic diversity: unveiling Nif core distribution and evolutionary patterns in nitrogen-fixing organisms.

Background: Diazotrophs carry out biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) using the nitrogenase enzyme complex (NEC), which relies on nitrogenase encoded by nif genes. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and gene duplications have created significant diversity among these genes, making it challenging to identify potential diazotrophs. Previous studies have established a minimal set of Nif proteins, known as the Nif core, which includes NifH, NifD, NifK, NifE, NifN, and NifB.

Comparative Analysis of 4NQO- and Ethanol-Induced Oral Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Male and Female Mice: Association With Peripheral Blood Inflammatory Markers.

Background: Considering that peripheral blood biomarkers are prognostic predictors for several human tumors, this study aimed to comparatively analyze the association of hematological alterations with the incidence of epithelial dysplasia (ED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in male and female mice treated with 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4NQO) and ethanol (EtOH).

Methods: 120 C57Bl/6J mice (60 males and 60 females) were allocated to four groups (n = 15). They were treated firstly either with 5 mg/mL propylene glycol (PPG) or 100 μg/mL 4NQO in the drinking water for 10 weeks, followed by sterilized water (HO) or 8% EtOH (v/v) for 15 weeks, as follows: PPG/HO, PPG/EtOH, 4NQO/HO, and 4NQO/EtOH (CEUA-UFU, #020/21).

Factors Associated with Low/Moderate Perceived Risk for HIV Acquisition Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Eligible to Use Pre-exposure Prophylaxis from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.

Perceived risk for HIV acquisition among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) may not align with their actual sexual HIV exposure. Factors associated with low/moderate perceived risk among GBMSM eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) (based on their high estimated HIV exposure) have been poorly described in Latin America. This is a secondary analysis of a 2018 web-based cross-sectional survey in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.

Physiology and Pathophysiology of Marathon Running: A narrative Review.

Background: Marathon training and running have many beneficial effects on human health and physical fitness; however, they also pose risks. To date, no comprehensive review regarding both the benefits and risks of marathon running on different organ systems has been published.

Main Body: The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of marathon training and racing on different organ systems.

Green synthesis of silica-coated gold nanoparticles employing femtosecond laser, solid targets, and water.

Gold nanoparticles are widely used in biomedical applications due to their unique properties. However, traditional synthesis methods generate contaminants that cause cytotoxicity and compromise the biocompatibility of the nanomaterials. Therefore, green synthesis methods are essential to produce pure and biocompatible nanoparticles, ensuring their effectiveness in biomedical applications.

PETRICCS Guideline Protocol: A Call to Improve Reporting Standards in Cell Culture Research.

Background: Cell culture studies play an important role in addressing fundamental scientific questions. However, inadequate reporting of these studies results in a lack of transparency and reproducibility. Recognizing the need for improvement, several ongoing efforts, such as CRIS guidelines and the ICLAC checklist, are focused on enhancing best practices for in vitro studies.

Short-Term Evolution of MASLD Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Focus on Fibrotic MASH.

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) includes simple steatosis and metabolic dysfuncion-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with fibrosis in MASH serving as a critical prognostic marker. This study investigates the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on fibrotic MASH, assessed using the fibrotic NASH index (FNI) and the non-invasive NASH detection score (NI-NASH-DS), as well as provides further data on the diagnostic accuracy of both scores.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 104 individuals (91.

Morphological and Phylogenetic Analyses of Ceratomyxa tessaloniensis n. sp. In Astyanax mexicanus De Fillipi, 1853 (Characiformes: Characidae) from the Flexal River, Tessalônica Community, Amapá, Amazon, Brazil.

Purpose: This work described a new species of Ceratomyxa, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyzes of myxospores collected from the gallbladder of the fish Astyanax mexicanus.

Methods: Sixty-two specimens were captured, between December 2022 and February 2024, in the Flexal River, in the community of Tessalônica, state of Amapá. The specimens were transported alive to the Laboratory of Morphophysiology and Animal Health, at the State University of Amapá, where the studies were carried out.

Allometric equations for estimating above and belowground biomass of Colophospermum mopane in Mozambique.

Seasonally dry tropical woodlands are vital for climate change mitigation, yet their full potential in carbon storage remains poorly understood. This is largely due to the lack of species-specific allometric models tailored to these ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to develop species-specific biomass allometric equations (BAEs) for accurately estimating both above- and below-ground biomass of Colophospermum mopane (J.

Stem cells prevent long-term deterioration of renal function after renal artery revascularization in a renovascular hypertension model in rats.

Partial stenosis of the renal artery causes renovascular hypertension (RVH) and is accompanied by chronic renal ischemia, resulting in irreversible kidney damage. Revascularization constitutes the most efficient therapy for normalizing blood pressure (BP) and has significant benefits for renal function; however, the tissue damage caused by chronic hypoxia is not fully reversed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have produced discrete results in minimizing RVH and renal tissue and functional improvements since the obstruction persists.