[Air pollution and the impacts on health in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil].

The impact of air pollution on hospitalizations for total respiratory diseases (DRT) among children under five (DRC), as well as for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients over 39 years of age, was examined in the municipalities of Belo Horizonte, Betim and Contagem, of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Generalized additive models using Poisson regression were used to adjust the daily time series of hospitalizations. Single and accumulated lagged pollutants of up to five days were introduced as independent variables and models were adjusted for temperature, humidity, weekdays and holidays.

The Effect of the Intra-gastric Balloon on Gastric Emptying and the DeMeester Score.

Background And Aims: The mechanism of weight loss with the intra-gastric balloon (IGB) is thought to be a decrease in gastric emptying (GE); however the evidence is conflicting. Nausea, abdominal pain, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause intolerance resulting in early removal. This is demoralizing for the patient and costly for the healthcare system.

Flow cytometry "Ogata score" for the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes in a real-life setting. A Latin American experience.

Introduction: Flow cytometry (FC) is a helpful tool for the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Different FC score systems have been developed. The "Ogata score" is a simple diagnostic score that has been validated having a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 92% in low-risk MDS.

Species distribution and antifungal susceptibility of 358 Trichosporon clinical isolates collected in 24 medical centres.

Objectives: To provide species distribution and antifungal susceptibility profiles of 358 Trichosporon clinical isolates collected from 24 tertiary-care hospitals.

Methods: Species identification was performed by sequencing the IGS1 region of rDNA. Antifungal susceptibility testing for amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole followed the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute reference method.

The Contribution of Surface Electromyographic Assessment for Defining the Stage of Peripheral Facial Paralysis: Flaccid or Sequelae Stage.

 Surface electromyographic activity may not be symmetric, even in subjects with no facial paralysis history.  To evaluate the contribution of the index of electromyographic (IEMG) activity in the identification of the two extremes of the facial paralysis course.  Thirty-four subjects with unilateral peripheral facial paralysis were selected.

Airway Clearance With an Optimized Mechanical Insufflation-Exsufflation Maneuver.

Background: Standard mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) therapy is applied with fast insufflation-exsufflation pressures to achieve high peak expiratory flows (PEF) and assist airway clearance. No attention is given to the resultant high peak inspiratory flows (PIF), although it may impair secretion removal. It has been proposed that an expiratory flow bias (ie, PEF higher than PIF) might be the key determinant for mucus clearance instead of the PEF alone.

The effects of recruitment maneuver during noninvasive ventilation after coronary bypass grafting: A randomized trial.

Objective: Pulmonary impairment is a common complication after coronary artery bypass graft procedure and may be prevented or treated by noninvasive ventilation. Recruitment maneuvers include sustained airway pressure with high levels of positive end-expiratory pressure in patients with hypoxemia, favoring homogeneous pulmonary ventilation and oxygenation. This study aimed to evaluate whether noninvasive ventilation with recruitment maneuver could safely improve oxygenation in patients with atelectasis and hypoxemia who underwent a coronary artery bypass grafting procedure.

Complexity of the 5' Untranslated Region of , a Critical Factor for Craniofacial and Neural Development.

Repeats in coding and non-coding regions have increasingly been associated with many human genetic disorders, such as Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome (RCPS). RCPS, mostly characterized by midline cleft mandible, Robin sequence and limb defects, is an autosomal-recessive acrofacial dysostosis mainly reported in Brazilian patients. This disorder is caused by decreased levels of , mostly due to an increased number of repeats at the 5'UTR.

Genetic Variations in Sweet Taste Receptor Gene Are Related to Chocolate Powder and Dietary Fiber Intake in Obese Children and Adolescents.

Childhood obesity is a major public health problem. It has a direct impact on the quality of life of children and adolescents, as well as on their future risk of developing chronic diseases. Dietary patterns rich in fats and sugars and lacking dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals, as well as lack of physical exercise have been associated with the rise of obesity prevalence.

Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome: Expanding its phenotypic and genotypic spectrum.

Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive acrofacial dysostosis that has been mainly described in Brazilian individuals. The cardinal features include Robin sequence, cleft mandible, laryngeal anomalies and limb defects. A biallelic expansion of a complex repeated motif in the 5' untranslated region of EIF4A3 has been shown to cause this syndrome, commonly with 15 or 16 repeats.

Binding of human plasminogen by the lipoprotein LipL46 of Leptospira interrogans.

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira. Bacteria disseminate via the bloodstream and colonize the renal tubules of reservoir hosts. Leptospiral surface-exposed proteins are important targets, because due to their location they can elicit immune response and mediate adhesion and invasion processes.

Distinct Patterns of Hyperpnea During Cheyne-Stokes Respiration: Implication for Cardiac Function in Patients With Heart Failure.

Study Objectives: In heart failure (HF), we observed two patterns of hyperpnea during Cheyne-Stokes respiration with central sleep apnea (CSR-CSA): a positive pattern where end-expiratory lung volume remains at or above functional residual capacity, and a negative pattern where it falls below functional residual capacity. We hypothesized the negative pattern is associated with worse HF.

Methods: Patients with HF underwent polysomnography.

Substernal goiter and laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Objective: This study aims to compare the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux signs between two groups of patients undergoing thyroidectomy for voluminous goiter: substernal goiters and voluminous cervical goiter without thoracic extension.

Subjects And Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed with data retrieved of the charts of the patients submitted to thyroidectomies occurred at a tertiary care center (Head and Neck Surgery Department, University of São Paulo Medical School) between 2010 and 2014. The selected thyroidectomies were allocated in two groups for study: patients with substernal goiters and patients with voluminous cervical goiter without thoracic extension.

Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of two rapid stool antigen tests using an immunochromatographic assay to detect Helicobacter pylori.

Objectives: The stool antigen assay for H. pylori infection diagnosis with monoclonal antibodies is a simple and recommended technique by the Maastricht V/Florence consensus report. Recently, Pylori K-Set K-1219 (Coris Bioconcept Sprl, Belgium) and HP-F23 (Symbiosys, Brazil) have been made commercially available in Brazil.

Design of the effect of adaptive servo-ventilation on survival and cardiovascular hospital admissions in patients with heart failure and sleep apnoea: the ADVENT-HF trial.

Introduction: Both types of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), obstructive and central sleep apnoea (OSA and CSA, respectively), are common in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In such patients, SDB is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but it remains uncertain whether treating SDB by adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) in such patients reduces morbidity and mortality.

Aim: ADVENT-HF is designed to assess the effects of treating SDB with ASV on morbidity and mortality in patients with HFrEF.

Effect of Intensive vs Moderate Alveolar Recruitment Strategies Added to Lung-Protective Ventilation on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Perioperative lung-protective ventilation has been recommended to reduce pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery. The protective role of a small tidal volume (VT) has been established, whereas the added protection afforded by alveolar recruiting strategies remains controversial.

Objective: To determine whether an intensive alveolar recruitment strategy could reduce postoperative pulmonary complications, when added to a protective ventilation with small VT.