School readiness among vulnerable children: a systematic review of studies using a person-centered approach

Abstract Background Research has consistently shown that some children are more vulnerable at the time of school readiness. Better understanding the characteristics of these children is therefore important. Most studies have used a variable-based approach, which may mask the presence of small but important subgroups of children with mixed patterns of readiness strengths and weaknesses. Identifying subgroups with mixed readiness patterns using a person-centered approach matters because their developmental trajectories might differ in important ways from children with broader difficulties across all readiness domains. Objective This systematic review attempts to synthesize existing profiles of school readiness conducted on preschool-aged children and to describe how these various profiles are associated with children's academic achievement and social adjustment during their school years. Specifically, we described how the school readiness profiles vary in number of profiles identified and differences in the specific domains of school readiness. We further describe the school readiness profiles and how they predict later academic and social outcomes. Furthermore, we focus on profile differences between at-risk and non-at-risk preschoolers. Methods Longitudinal studies published between 2005 and 2022 on profiles of school readiness before school entry and at least one subsequent academic and/or social outcomes were extracted from five databases. Eight articles were included in this systematic review out of the 117 screened peer-reviewed articles. Results All the studies incorporated both the cognitive and socioemotional domains of school readiness in their profiles. Fifteen profiles of school readiness at preschool age were identified based on the child level of cognitive and socioemotional skills, with 7 profiles at risk of later academic and social difficulties. Despite variation, children in these at-risk profiles of school readiness shared similar features. Conclusion This literature review provides an exhaustive summary on the number of profiles and domains of school readiness most frequently reported in studies using a person-centered approach. Yielding an in-depth description of at-risk profiles of school readiness can help designing early preventive intervention for these children.

El estudio de los efectos de la modalidad lingüística en el léxico mental / The study of the effects of linguistic modality on the mental lexicon

Resumen El estudio se cuestiona sobre un abordaje fructífero en el estudio de los efectos de la modalidad lingüística (de señas versus oral) en la organización de la memoria semántica. Para responder la pregunta de investigación, un aspecto central es definir criterios y procedimientos capaces de distinguir entre los factores transportados por la modalidad lingüística de los que le son propios. Entre los primeros, se encuentran la edad de exposición a la lengua natural y su distribución funcional, etaria o geográfica. Entre los aspectos propios de la modalidad se incluyen la iconicidad y el grado de concreción/abstracción de las piezas léxicas. Se sugiere centrarse en el uso de dicho gradiente para evocar dominios conceptuales. Si lo concreto/abstracto es un continuo, entonces hay que preguntarse qué forma de organización es predominante en el léxico mental de las poblaciones señantes u oyentes y qué factores modulan el perfil de esa organización.

Abstract The efforts to understand the relationship of the meaning of a lexical piece to the object to which it refers, the relationship between the lexical pieces and the concepts, and the understanding of the meanings shared between two speakers who use the same lexical pieces have all constituted major problems for the semantic memory models. According to contemporary literature, perceptual-motor, linguistic, and social information have different weights in the formation of concepts, whether concrete or abstract, stored in the aforementioned memory. Regardless of the models developed so far, it is interesting to note that semantic knowledge is represented by various ways of relating the concepts and the types of relationships between them. In this context, studies in sign languages and comparative studies between spoken and sign languages are scarce. Thus, little is known about the effect of linguistic modality on the semantic networks. After all, the theory on semantic networks and norms for the production of features has been grounded on theories of language and its processing adjusted to spoken languages. As the incorporation of the sign language and the Deaf population has shown in other psycholinguistic and linguistic topics, the importance of including these languages and populations, and comparatives with spoken languages, might increase the explanatory power of the theory to account for the universal and contextual aspects of language and its processing. In this effort, there is a latent risk: the linguistic modality can be only a vehicle for more well-known or studied cross-modal variables (e. g., age of acquisition, functional distribution of language, size of the available lexicon, etc.). If it is considered that languages are not stored together, but similar processes can occur in them, it is essential to find out what may be a singular feature of each modality (spoken versus sign) that might ground differentiated processes. Considering the high iconicity of the sign languages and the possibility of a high concreteness of the lexical pieces in the sign language as distinctive features -not collapsible into well-known variables such as the aforementioned-, this article suggests a careful approach to avoid the aforementioned risk in the study of the effects of the linguistic modality (sign versus oral) in the organization of semantic memory. Since perceptual-motor and social information are the main sources of iconicity, a balanced instrument is necessary in the evocation of perceptual-motor, social, and linguistic information. Repeated free word association tasks seem like an appropriate paradigm for a suggested approach. The reasons for this are that, by not censoring the types of response, then free association tasks allow capturing all kinds of concepts (concrete or abstract), all kinds of semantic relationships/organization (paradigmatic versus thematic) and all kinds of processes (comparison versus interaction). This type of task therefore makes it possible to collect meanings related to linguistic information and non-linguistic experience because affective and experiential information is accessible by doing the task in different repetitions. The approach and the tool are exemplified by an ongoing comparative study between Deaf signing and hearing populations. The partial findings of this study also serve to focus on the expected effects of the difference in iconicity and the level of concreteness/abstractness of the lexical pieces of each linguistic modality; namely, the differences between an abstract and a concrete conceptualization of the conceptual domains. Taxonomic and introspective labels might appear as indicative of paradigmatic relationships, of a taxonomic organization, and of underlying comparison processes. On the other hand, the situational and entity labels, indicative of syntagmatic relationships, of a thematic organization and of underlying interaction processes, might suggest a predominantly concrete organization.

Analysis on the application of medical force in Shenzhou manned spaceflight missions and enlightenment for medical service support with new regions and new types / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To summarize the practice and experience of medical service support for Shenzhou manned spaceflight mission, and to explore the accurate medical service support strategy with new regions and new types.Methods:A systematic summary was made from the force command, action framework, technical support, and the practice and experience in the application of medical support force for Shenzhou manned flight mission were sorted out.. Furthermore, the key and difficult problems of the new domains with new types of military medical service support were analyzed, and the scheme and significance of establishing the accurate support mode of the new medical service support force were proposed.Results:The Shenzhou emergency rescue mission was an elite combat supported by a large platform. It was an important basis to realize accurate medical service support by the experience of utilizing the medical force of Shenzhou emergency rescue and the strengthening of war-building mode optimization.Conclusions:This paper systematically summarizes the experience and characteristics of medical force application in Shenzhou manned spaceflight missions, and provides new ideas and methods for future diversified and accurate s medical service support with new regions and new types.

ARID1A expression in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and its relationship with tumor recurrence,metastasis and tumor-specific immunomarkers / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the expression level between AT-Rich Interaction Domain 1A(ARID1A) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and the correlation with tumor microenvironment.Methods:The clinicopathological and survival data of 110 ICC patients undergoing radical hepatectomy in Peking University People's Hospital from Jan 2015 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expressions of ARID1A , programmed cell death 1 ligand 1( PD-L1) in tumor tissues , programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1) and cluster of differentiation 8(CD8) in the microenvironment. The relationship between ARID1A expression and PD-L1, PD-1, CD8 protein expression was analyzed.Results:Twenty seven patients did not express ARID1A, absence of ARID1A was associated with high PD-L1, PD-1 and CD8 expression ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed ARID1A expression, preoperative CEA level,preoperative CA19-9 level, lymph node metastasis and tumor number were independent risk factors. Conclusion:Absent expression of ARID1A suggests poor prognosis of ICC patients, high expression of PD-L1,PD-1 and CD8 protein in ICC tumor microenvironment with ARID1A-deficient expression suggests a possible prognosis benefit by using anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1 and other immunotherapy regimens.

Validación de Actividades Profesionales Confiables (APROC) para la Certificación de Ginecología y Obstetricia / Validation of Entustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for Gynecology and Obstetrics Certification

Resumen Como parte del diseño de un instrumento para la evaluación de la certificación ante el Consejo Mexicano de Ginecología y Obstetricia en México se llevó a cabo el proceso de validación del constructo a evaluar. De acuerdo con la bibliografía consultada, la educación médica se basa en competencias, por lo que es coherente practicar una evaluación en el mismo tenor. Se decidió utilizar el concepto de Actividades Profesionales Confiables (APROC) porque son un puente entre la competencia y la actividad observable que puede llevar a cabo el sustentante. Se aplicó una metodología de cuatro fases que se inicia con una revisión bibliográfica con la que se definió una lista de APROC para validarla en el contexto mexicano. La fase dos consistió en aplicar la técnica de grupos focales que representarán las regiones médicas definidas por la FEMECOG, después de recabar y analizar la información de los grupos en la fase tres. La última fase consistió en una validación por parte de 10 expertos en Ginecología y Obstetricia para conseguir un nivel de acuerdo mayor al 80% en cada APROC. Como resultados de este proceso de validación de constructo a evaluar se obtuvo una lista de 15 APROC con alcances (definición de las delimitaciones de las APROC, dónde inician y dónde terminan) con un nivel de aceptación superior al 80%. Además, se corroboró la eficacia de la metodología cualitativa para realizar validaciones en donde las partes interesadas que podrían participar para definir áreas o temas no cuenten con disponibilidad debido a sus actividades laborales.

Abstract As part of the design of an instrument to evaluate the certification of the Mexican Council of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Mexico, the validation process of the construct to be evaluated was carried out. According to the literature consulted, medical education is based on competencies, so it is coherent to carry out an evaluation in the same vein. It was decided to use Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA), as they provide a link between the competence and the observable activity that the supporter can perform. A four-phase methodology was carried out, starting with a bibliographic review that defined a list of EPAs in order to validate them for the Mexican context. The second phase consisted of using the technique of focus groups, representing the medical regions defined by FEMECOG in the country, once the information from the groups had been collected and analysed in the third phase, and the final phase consisted of validation by 10 experts in gynaecology and obstetrics, in order to achieve a level of agreement of more than 80% in each EPA. As a result of this validation process of the construct to be evaluated, a list of 15 EPAs with scopes (definition of the boundaries of the EPAs, where they start and how far they end) was obtained with a level of acceptance greater than 80%, in addition to confirming the effectiveness of the qualitative methodology to carry out validations when the interested parties who could participate in defining areas or topics are not available due to their work activities.

Validación de dominios y competencias por grupos focales y juicio de expertos / Validation of domains and competencies by focus groups and expert judgment

Resumen El Consejo Mexicano de Ginecología y Obstetricia certifica a los especialistas para ejercer su especialidad y brindar una atención de alta calidad a las pacientes. En la actualidad, el Consejo está rediseñando el examen de Certificación en Ginecología y Obstetricia orientado a la evaluación de competencias profesionales a partir de las actividades profesionales confiables que permitan identificar los dominios de la competencia médica en un especialista. La competencia es una variedad de habilidades ejercidas a través de múltiples dominios o aspectos del desempeño profesional; sus descriptores requieren que contengan habilidades relevantes, contexto y la etapa o nivel de evaluación. Por su parte, los dominios son un conjunto de competencias clave. Este informe incluye los resultados de la primera validación en México de dominios y competencias para la evaluación de los ginecoobstetras a partir de una metodología cualitativa que comprende una revisión de la bibliografía, grupos focales, análisis de trabajos colegiados y validación por juicio de expertos. Los resultados se presentan divididos por los ocho dominios en los que se trabajó, se mencionan los comentarios más relevantes a discutir por los cuatro grupos focales. Éstos y la validación por expertos permitió reunir comentarios valiosos, coherentes y funcionales para el sistema de evaluación que quiere llevar a cabo el Consejo. Este ejercicio permitirá el posterior desarrollo de la tabla de especificaciones, reactivos o nuevos instrumentos de evaluación coherentes con un sistema de dominios, competencias y actividades profesionales confiables.

Abstract The Mexican Council of Gynecology and Obstetrics certifies specialists to practice their specialty and provide high-quality healthcare to patients. Currently, the Council is redesigning the Gynecology and Obstetrics Certification exam, oriented to the evaluation of professional competencies based on reliable professional activities that allow the identification of domains of a specialist's medical competencies. Competency can be defined as a variety of skills across multiple domains or aspects of professional performance. Its descriptors require to contain relevant skills, context, and the stage or level of assessment. Domains can be described as a set of competencies that are considered essential. This report includes the results of the first validation done in Mexico. The validation of domains and competencies for the evaluation of physicians in the area of Obstetrics and Gynecology is based on a qualitative methodology that includes a literature review, focus groups, analysis of collegiate works, and validation through expert judgment. The obtained results are divided into eight domains that mention the most relevant observations that were discussed by the four focus groups. The focus groups and the validation through expert judgment made it possible to gather valuable, coherent, and functional feedback for the evaluation system that the Council wants to carry out. This method will allow the subsequent development of the table of specifications, items, or new evaluation instruments congruent with a system of domains, competencies, and reliable professional activities.

Negacionismo endógeno no jogo acadêmico da Educação Física / Endogenous denialism in the academic game of the Physical Education field / El negacionismo endógeno en el juego académico de la Educación Física

Neste ensaio, desenvolvo o conceito de negacionismo endógeno, um tipo específico de negacionismo científico cultivado dentro do campo acadêmico, que busca deslegitimar pesquisas qualitativas das Humanidades. O texto tem três seções. Na primeira, trato das características do negacionismo vulgar a partir de breve retrospectiva histórica, e destaco as táticas de supressão de termos científicos em prol do controle da narrativa política. Na segunda, discuto casos de fraude acadêmica praticadas contra revistas das Ciências Sociais e Humanas como estratégia intencional de desacreditação da área, e analiso a abjeção ao termo "práticas corporais" como um rastro do negacionismo endógeno no léxico da Educação Física. Na terceira, reflito sobre a relevância da formação editorial em programas de pós-graduação no combate a preconceitos entre áreas do conhecimento. Em conclusão, defendo a desconstrução da retórica da ignorância, mola propulsora de negacionismos de toda ordem, como forma de preservação da pluralidade epistêmica na Educação Física.

In this essay, I develop the concept of endogenous denialism, a specific type of scientific denialism cultivated within the academic field, which aims at delegitimizing the validity of qualitative research in the humanities. The text has three sections. In the first section, I deal with the characteristics of vulgar denialism from a brief historical retrospective, and I highlight the tactics of suppressing scientific terms in favor of the control of the political narrative. In the second section, I discuss cases of academic hoaxes played against Social Sciences and Humanities journals as an intentional strategy to discredit the area and analyze the abjection of the term "physical culture" as a trace of endogenous denialism in the lexicon of physical education field. In the third section, I reflect on the relevance of editorial training in graduate programs to confront prejudice between knowledge areas. In conclusion, I defend the deconstruction of the rhetoric of ignorance, the driving force of all kinds of denialism, as a way of preserving epistemic plurality in the physical education field.

En este ensayo, desarrollo el concepto de negacionismo endógeno; un tipo específico de negacionismo científico cultivado dentro del campo académico, que busca deslegitimar la validez de la investigación cualitativa en las humanidades. El texto tiene tres secciones; en la primera, trato las características del negacionismo vulgar a partir de una breve retrospectiva histórica, y destaco las tácticas de supresión de términos científicos en pro del control de la narrativa política. En la segunda, discuto casos de fraude académico contra revistas de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas como una estrategia intencional de desprestigio del área, y analizo la abyección del término "prácticas corporales" como rastro de un negacionismo endógeno en el léxico de la Educación Física. En la tercera, reflexiono sobre la relevancia de la formación editorial en los programas de posgrado para combatir los prejuicios entre áreas de conocimiento. En conclusión, defiendo la deconstrucción de la retórica de la ignorancia, energía propulsora de todo tipo de negacionismo, como forma de preservar la pluralidad epistémica en la Educación Física.

Quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS before and after receiving antiretroviral therapy

Background- HIV/AIDS is a chronic illness. Besides having serious morbidities, opportunistic infections, it also adversely affects quality of life of People Living with HIV/AIDS (QOL- PLHIV). Early and prompt initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) might improve quality of life of PLHIV in various domains like psychological, physical, environment level of independence, social relationship and spirituality/religion/personal beliefs. Material and methods- The study was conducted at a medical institute of North India. Patients attending ART centre of the institute for the treatment of HIV/AIDS were interviewed on WHOQOL-HIV questionnaire. Aim and objectives- To assess and compare quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS at initiation and after 6 months of receiving antiretroviral therapy. Result- QOL-PLHIV was improved in various domains when assessed after six months of receiving ART. For physical domain mean score increased from 12.83 to 13.85, for psychological domain from 12.54 to 14.31, for level of independence from 12.95 to 13.21, for social relationship from 12.46 to 14.15, for environment domain from 11.98 to 13.15 and for spirituality/religion/personal belief mean score increased from 11.41 to 11.96. Respective standard deviation was decreased when compared from before initiation of ART to six months after receiving ART. Conclusion – Quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS was improved significantly after receiving ART.

Editores de Ciências Sociais na Saúde Coletiva: práticas e limites na conformação de um habitus científico / Social Science editors in Public Health: practices and limits in the creation of a scientific habitus / Editores de Ciencias Sociales en Salud Colectiva: prácticas y límites en la conformación de un habitus científico

A editoria científica constitui prática socialmente valorizada, modulando trajetórias acadêmicas. Revistas científicas atuam entre dois campos sociais distintos, o editorial e o científico, tendo como eixo as relações objetivas e intersubjetivas do campo científico. O presente artigo analisa a atuação dos editores de Ciências Sociais do campo da Saúde Coletiva e suas concepções acerca do processo de avaliação de artigos científicos, sua visão e relação com os demais agentes da prática editorial e seu papel na conformação de um habitus científico. A opção metodológica foi a análise temática de 13 entrevistas semiestruturadas com editores(as)-chefes e associados(as) da área de Ciências Sociais de revistas de destaque da Saúde Coletiva. Os editores são agentes que operam com as contradições e pressões derivadas do produtivismo numa relativa autonomia da prática editorial. Gradativamente conformam um habitus editorial cunhado pela prática empírica, formação autodidata e dedicação voluntária. Estabelecem o diálogo entre os autores e a comunidade de pares-concorrentes do campo. Delimitam objetos e temas de interesse da área a partir da legitimidade assentada no agir "desinteressado" que demanda o campo científico. Impõem barreiras aos artigos considerados de baixa qualidade, definida especialmente por lacunas teórico-metodológicas e falta de originalidade. No entanto, seu trabalho didático de inculcar um modo considerado adequado no manejo de teorias e metodologias das Ciências Sociais se encontra circunscrito à recusa dos textos, o que sugere a importância de maior articulação entre editores, fóruns de editores, programas de pós-graduação e demais agentes de formação de pesquisadores do campo.

Scientific publishing is a socially valued practice, modulating academic trajectories. Scientific journals operate between two distinct social fields, the editorial and the scientific, having as axis the objective and intersubjective relationships of the scientific field. This article analyzes the performance of Social Science editors in the field of Public Health, as well as their conceptions about the process of evaluating scientific articles, their perspective and relationship with other agents of editorial practice, and their role in shaping a scientific habitus. The methodological option was the thematic analysis of 13 semi-structured interviews with editors-in-chief and associates of the Social Science area of prominent journals in Public Health. Editors are agents who operate with the contradictions and pressures derived from productivism in a relative autonomy of the editorial practice. They gradually create an editorial habitus coined by empirical practice, self-taught training, and voluntary dedication. They also establish a dialogue between authors and the peer-competitor community in the field. They delimit objects and themes of interest in the area from the legitimacy based on the "disinterested" action demanded by the scientific field. They will impose barriers to articles considered of low quality, defined especially by theoretical-methodological gaps and lack of originality. However, their didactic work of inculcation in a way considered appropriate in the management of theories and methodologies of Social Science is limited to the refusal of texts, which suggests the importance of greater articulation between editors, editors' forums, graduate programs, and other agents of training of researchers in the field.

La editorial científica es una práctica socialmente valorada que modula las trayectorias académicas. Las revistas científicas operan entre dos campos sociales distintos, lo editorial y lo científico, teniendo como eje las relaciones objetivas e intersubjetivas del campo científico. Este artículo analiza el papel de los editores de Ciencias Sociales en el campo de la Salud Colectiva y sus concepciones sobre el proceso de evaluación de artículos científicos, su visión y relación con otros agentes del proceso editorial y su rol en la conformación de un habitus científico. Se realizó un análisis temático con 13 entrevistas semiestructuradas aplicadas a editores en jefe y editores asociados del área Ciencias Sociales de destacadas revistas de la Salud Colectiva. Los editores son agentes que operan con las contradicciones y presiones que resultan del productivismo en una relativa autonomía de la práctica editorial. De manera gradual, forman un habitus editorial, marcado por la práctica empírica, la formación autodidacta y la dedicación voluntaria. Llegan a entablar un diálogo entre los autores y la comunidad de pares competidores en el campo. Delimitan objetos y temas de interés en el campo a partir de la legitimidad basada en la acción "desinteresada" que demanda el campo científico. Además, imponen barreras a los artículos considerados como de baja calidad, debido especialmente a lagunas teórico-metodológicas y la falta de originalidad. Sin embargo, su labor didáctica de proponer un manejo considerado adecuado de las teorías y metodologías de las Ciencias Sociales se restringe al rechazo de los textos, lo que muestra la importancia de una mayor articulación entre editores, foros de editores, programas de posgrado y otros agentes formadores de investigadores del campo.

Caracterização funcional de proteínas hipotéticas de Leptospira interrogans como adesinas e potenciais antígenos vacinais e para diagnóstico / Functional characterization of hypothetical proteins in Leptospira interrogans as adhesins and potential vaccine and diagnostic antigens

Leptospira spp. constitui um grupo de bactérias espiroquetas gram-negativas englobando espécies saprofíticas, intermediárias e patogênicas, sendo as últimas agentes causadores da leptospirose, doença zoonótica de alcance mundial e endêmica em regiões tropicais em desenvolvimento. O crescente número de espécies identificadas de leptospiras destaca ainda mais sua diversidade genética e mecanismos de virulência únicos, muitos deles com função ainda desconhecida. Esforços para o desenvolvimento de novas vacinas com proteção cruzada e efeito duradouro revelaram possíveis candidatos vacinais que necessitam ser adequadamente validados, sendo assim, há ainda uma urgente necessidade de uma vacina universal contra a leptospirose capaz de controlar e reduzir os surtos cada vez mais frequentes da doença. Adesinas são importantes fatores de virulência em diversos patógenos, constituindo antígenos promissores para o desenvolvimento de vacinas contra a leptospirose, assim como para o desenvolvimento de métodos diagnósticos mais rápidos e precisos. Previamente, foram identificadas três proteínas hipotéticas conservadas em L. interrogans pela técnica de phage display, denominadas arbitrariamente como LepA069, LepA962 e LepA388. A expressão do gene codificador da proteína LepA069 apresentou aumento de aproximadamente 70 % em animais infectados por leptospiras virulentas, representando a primeira evidência funcional desta proteína ainda desconhecida. Porções recombinantes da lipoproteína hipotética LepA962 (LepA962_Nt e LepA962_Phg) foram obtidos, sendo demonstrada a forte interação da proteína LepA962_Phg, contendo a sequência identificada por phage display, com laminina, fibronectina plasmática, colágeno I e fibrinogênio de maneira dose-dependente. Adicionalmente, LepA962_Phg apresentou ligação às células VERO e à sua matriz extracelular secretada, e o soro obtido a partir desta proteína recombinante foi capaz de se ligar à superfície de leptospiras virulentas, indicando que LepA962_Phg pode representar um importante domínio de interação entre as leptospiras e seu hospedeiro. Finalmente, a proteína LepA388 pertencente a uma extensa família de proteínas modificadoras de virulência com função desconhecida (DUF_61), presente apenas nas leptospiras patogênicas mais virulentas, apresentou aumento na expressão de seu gene codificador em animais infectados por leptospiras virulentas de acordo com dados na literatura. Além disso, porções recombinantes da região Nterminal desta proteína apresentaram ligação a laminina, colágenos I e IV, vitronectina e fibronectinas plasmática e celular, principalmente considerando a sequência identificada por phage display. Estes dados reforçam as predições de modelos tridimensionais da proteína LepA388 e de outros membros da família DUF_61, as quais identificam domínios semelhantes a toxinas (como abrina e CARDS) responsáveis pela ligação e internalização celulares nos hospedeiros. Dados recentes sugerem um possível papel citotóxico desempenhado pelas proteínas desta família em leptospiras, as quais podem também ser consideradas potenciais candidatas vacinais e para diagnóstico da leptospirose, devido à sua distribuição restrita em espécies e cepas patogênicas de importância para saúde humana.

Leptospira spp. constitutes a group of gram-negative spirochete bacteria comprising saprophytic, intermediate and pathogenic species, the last being causative agents of leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease of worldwide extent and endemic in developing tropical regions. The growing number of identified leptospiral species further highlights their genetic diversity and unique virulence mechanisms, many of them with unknown function. Efforts to develop new vaccines with cross-protection and long-lasting effect have revealed possible vaccine candidates that need to be properly validated. Therefore, there is still an urgent need for a universal vaccine against leptospirosis capable of controlling and reducing the increasing outbreaks of the disease. Adhesins are important virulence factors in several pathogens, constituting promising antigens for the development of vaccines against leptospirosis, as well as for the development of faster and more accurate diagnostic methods. Previously, three conserved hypothetical proteins in L. interrogans were identified by phage display technique, arbitrarily named as LepA069, LepA962 and LepA388. Expression of the LepA069 encoding gene showed an increase of approximately 70 % in animals infected by virulent leptospires, representing the first functional evidence of this still unknown protein. Recombinant portions of the hypothetical lipoprotein LepA962 (LepA962_Nt and LepA962_Phg) were obtained, demonstrating the strong interaction of the LepA962_Phg protein, containing the sequence identified by phage display, with laminin, plasma fibronectin, collagen I and fibrinogen in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, LepA962_Phg showed binding to VERO cells and its secreted extracellular matrix, and the serum obtained from this recombinant protein was able to bind to the surface of virulent leptospires, indicating that LepA962_Phg may represent an important domain of interaction between leptospires and its host. Finally, LepA388 protein belonging to an extensive family of virulence modifying proteins with unknown function (DUF_61), present only in the most virulent pathogenic leptospires, showed an increase in the expression of its encoding gene in animals infected by virulent leptospires according to data in literature. Moreover, recombinant portions of the N-terminal region of this protein showed binding to laminin, collagens I and IV, vitronectin and plasma and cell fibronectins, especially considering the sequence identified by phage display. These data support the predictions of three-dimensional models of the LepA388 protein and other members of the DUF_61 family, which identify toxin-like domains (such as abrin and CARDS) responsible for cellular binding and internalization in hosts. Recent data suggest a possible cytotoxic role played by proteins of this family in leptospires, which can also be considered potential vaccine candidates and antigens for diagnosis, due to their restricted distribution in pathogenic species and strains of importance to human health

Studies on the enzymatic specificity of diguanylate cyclases domains and the production of new second messengers / Estudos na especificidade enzimática de diguanilato ciclases e na produção de novos segundos mensageiros

In the first chapter, studies on substrate recognition and enzymatic activity of GGDEF domains are presented. Many proteins containing GGDEF domains are diguanylate cyclases (DGCs, EC 2.7.7.65), enzymes that catalyze the conversion of 2 GTP molecules into the second messenger c-di-GMP in prokaryotes. This molecule is primarily implicated in the transition between motile and sessile lifestyles, as well several other phenotypes. Redundancy and diversity of GGDEF domain sequences in many bacterial genomes raises the possibility that other enzymatic functions may yet be discovered. To test this hypothesis, i) the effect of point mutations on the structure and enzymatic activity of GGDEF domains is analyzed, ii) the enzymatic specificity of wild-type GGDEF domains from different proteins is also tested, and iii) when non-canonical products are detected, enzymatic models are studied to understand its preferential production. The principal results obtained from these studies are as follows. Seven mutants of the DGC PleD (a GGDEF containing-protein from Caulobacter crescentus) were constructed and the crystallographic structure of two of them was solved, showing that they are unlikely to bind the guanine moiety in its active site. Additionally, five mutants of XAC0610, another DGC from Xanthomonas citr, were constructed and their substrate specificities were evaluated. None of those mutants were able to use ATP as a substrate. Finally, seven different GGDEF domain-containing DGCs from different sources were expressed and purified and their enzymatic specificities were tested with several nucleotide triphosphates. One enzyme, GSU1658 from Geobacter sulfurreducens was particularly promiscuous and shown to produce c-di-GMP, c-di-AMP, c-di-IMP, c-di-2´dGMP, cGAMP, c-GIMP, and c-AIMP. Interestingly, XAC0610 was able to recognize 2´dGTP as substrate. Analysis of enzyme kinetics of XAC0610 in presence of 2´dGTP and/or GTP showed the preferential formation of the hybrid linear product pppGp2´dG. The second chapter present studies on cyanide metabolism in Bacillus with focus on the cyanide dihydratase of Bacillus safensis. Cyanide is widely used in industries due to its high affinity for metals. This same ability confers potent toxicity to this compound. Thus, industries must reduce the cyanide concentration from wastewater before its final disposal. Physical, chemical, and biological methods have been developed to achieve this goal, but knowledge about metabolic pathways and the biology of enzymes involved in cyanide degradation is still scarce. Here, the isolation of a Bacillus safensis strain from mine tailings in Peru is described. Classification of this strain was done through a comparative analysis of 132 core genomes of strains from the Bacillus pumilus group. Sequence analysis determined that a cyanide dihydratase (CynD, EC 3.5.5.1)) encoded in the genome of the isolated strain was likely the enzyme responsible for cyanide degradation. Confirmation of the cyanide degrading activity of CynD from this strain was achieved by cloning, expression and purification of the enzyme and its enzymatic characterization. CynD from this strain was active up to pH 9 and oligomerization patterns analyzed by SEC-MALS and electron microscopy showed that the enzyme forms large helical structures at pH 8 and smaller structures at higher pHs. Finally, we show that CynD expression is strongly induced in the presence of cyanide. The last two years of graduate studies were carried out in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the large amount of publicly available genomic data, we were able to carry out studies on the worldwide dynamics of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 mutants forms. In the first year of the pandemic, genomic classification of 171,461 genomes showed the presence of five major haplotypes based on nine mutations. The worldwide distribution and the temporal evolution of frequency of these haplotypes was carefully analyzed. All the haplotypes were identified in the six regions analyzed (South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania); however, the frequency of each of them was different in each of these regions. As of September 30, 2020, haplotype 3 (or operational taxonomic unit 3, OTU_3) was the most prevalent in four regions (South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania). OTU_5 was the most prevalent in North America and OTU_2 in Europe. Temporal dynamics of the haplotypes showed that OTU_1 became nearly extinct after 8 months of pandemic (November 2020). Other OTUs are still present in different frequencies all around the world, while currently generating new variants. Based on their temporal dynamics, a classification scheme of 115 SARS-CoV-2 mutations identified from 1,058,020 SARS-COV-2 genomes was also performed. Three types of temporal dynamics of mutations were identified: i) High-Frequency mutations are characterized by a rapid increase in frequency upon its appearance, ii) medium and iii) low-frequency mutations maintain mid or low-frequencies for several months and can be region-specific. Finally, we performed a correlation analysis of the effective reproduction number (Rt) of SARS-CoV-2 harboring the high-frequency mutation N501Y with the level of control measures adopted in specific jurisdictions. We show that Rt is negatively correlated with the level of control measures in eight of the nine countries analyzed. This negative correlation was similar when we analyzed the Rt of SARS-CoV-2 not-harboring N501Y. Thus, the control measures likely diminish the Rt of both SARSCoV-2 wild-type and N501Y

O presente trabalho está dividido em três capítulos sobre linhas de pesquisa diferentes desenvolvidas pelo autor durante o período de doutorado No primeiro capítulo, são apresentados estudos relacionados ao reconhecimento estrutural de substratos e análise enzimática de domínios GGDEF com atividade diguanilato ciclase (EC 2.7.7.65). As proteínas contendo domínios GGDEF estão relacionados à produção enzimática do segundo mensageiro c-di-GMP, a partir de duas moléculas de GTP, em procariotos. Esta molécula está principalmente envolvida na transição entre os estilos de vida móveis e sésseis, bem como vários outros fenótipos. Redundância e diversidade de sequências de domínio GGDEF aumentam a possibilidade de que outras funções enzimáticas ainda possam ser descobertas. Para testar esta hipótese, i) o efeito de mutações pontuais na estrutura e atividade enzimática dos domínios GGDEF é analisado, ii) a especificidade enzimática de domínios GGDEF de enzimas diferentes também é testada e iii) quando produtos não canônicos são detectados, modelos enzimáticos são estudados para entender sua produção preferencial. Como resultados mais importantes, sete mutantes do PleD (uma proteína contendo GGDEF) foram construídos e a estrutura cristalográfica de dois delas foi resolvida, mostrando que é improvável que eles liguem à porção guanina em seu sítio ativo. Além disso, cinco mutantes da proteína XAC0610 de Xanthomonas citri foram construídos e sua capacidade de usar ATP ou GTP como substrato foi avaliada. Nenhum desses mutantes foi capaz de usar ATP como substrato. Finalmente, sete outras proteínas contendo GGDEF foram purificadas e sua especificidade enzimática foi avaliada com vários trifosfatos de nucleotídeos. Uma enzima promíscua chamada GSU1658 mostrou produzir c-di-GMP, c-di-AMP, c-di-IMP, c-di-2´dGMP, c-GAMP, cGIMP e c-AIMP. Curiosamente, o XAC0610 foi capaz de reconhecer 2´dGTP como substrato. A análise da cinética enzimática de XAC0610 na presença de 2´dGTP e GTP mostrou a formação preferencial do produto linear híbrido pppGp2´dG. O segundo capítulo aborda estudos sobre o metabolismo do cianeto em Bacillus com foco na cianeto dihidratase de Bacillus safensis. O cianeto é amplamente utilizado nas indústrias devido à sua alta afinidade com os metais. Esta mesma capacidade confere toxicidade potente a este composto. Assim, as indústrias têm que reduzir a concentração de cianeto das águas residuais antes de sua disposição final. Métodos físicos, químicos e biológicos têm sido desenvolvidos para atingir esse objetivo, mas o conhecimento sobre as vias metabólicas e a biologia das enzimas envolvidas na degradação do cianeto ainda é escasso. Aqui, é descrito o isolamento de uma cepa de Bacillus safensis de rejeitos de minas no Peru. A classificação desta cepa foi feita através de uma análise comparativa de 132 core genomes de cepas do grupo de Bacillus pumilus. Em seguida, determinamos que uma cianeto dihidratase (CynD, EC 3.5.5.1) codificada no genoma da cepa isolada era provavelmente a enzima responsável pela degradação do cianeto. A confirmação da atividade degradante de cianeto de CynD desta cepa foi feita por clonagem, expressão e purificação da enzima e realização de caracterização enzimática. O CynD desta cepa é ativo até pH 9 e os padrões de oligomerização analisados por SEC-MALS mostraram que a enzima forma longas estruturas helicoidais em pH 8 e estruturas menores enquanto o pH aumenta. Finalmente, foi demonstrado que a expressão de CynD é fortemente induzida na presença de cianeto. Os últimos dois anos do doutorado foram realizados no contexto da pandemia COVID- 19. Vários laboratórios se dedicaram a gerar conhecimento para ajudar no combate à pandemia. Nesta situação e graças à grande quantidade de dados genômicos disponíveis publicamente, estudos sobre a dinâmica das mutações do SARS-CoV-2 foram realizados. No primeiro ano da pandemia, a classificação genômica de 171.461 genomas mostrou a presença de cinco haplótipos principais com base em nove mutações. A distribuição mundial e a mudança de frequência desses haplótipos foram analisadas cuidadosamente. Todos os haplótipos foram identificados nas seis regiões analisadas (América do Sul, América do Norte, Europa, Ásia, África e Oceania); no entanto, a frequência de cada um deles foi diferente em cada uma dessas regiões. Em 30 de setembro de 2020, o haplótipo 3 (ou unidade taxonômica operacional 3, OTU_3) era o mais prevalente em quatro regiões (América do Sul, Ásia, África e Oceania). OTU_5 foi o mais prevalente na América do Norte e OTU_2 na Europa. A dinâmica temporal dos haplótipos mostrou que OTU_1 parece perto da extinção após 8 meses de pandemia (novembro de 2020). Outros OTUs ainda estão presentes em diferentes frequências em todo o mundo, mesmo atualmente gerando novas variantes. Com base em sua dinâmica temporal, um esquema de classificação de 115 mutações SARS-CoV-2 identificadas a partir de 1.058.020 genomas SARS-COV-2 também foi feito. Três tipos de dinâmica temporal de mutações foram identificados: i) Mutações de alta frequência, ii) mutações de média frequência e iii) mutações de baixa frequência. Finalmente, foi analisada a correlação do número de reprodução efetiva (Rt) do SARS-CoV-2 que contém a mutação de alta frequência N501Y com o nível de medidas de controle, mostrando que seu Rt está negativamente correlacionado com o nível de medidas de controle em oito dos nove países analisados. Esta correlação negativa foi semelhante quando foi analisado o Rt de SARS-CoV-2 sem a mutação N501Y. Assim, as medidas de controle provavelmente diminuirão o Rt de SARS-CoV-2 tipo selvagem e N501Y

Comparison of IgG Antibody Levels in Mice Immunized with SARS-CoV-2 RBD Proteins Produced from Two Expression Systems / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world,posing a severe challenge to public health security and economic development in China and beyond. The pivotal process of SARS-COV-2 invasion is that the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Coronavirus spike protein binds with the angioten-sin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on host cells. Therefore, RBD is closely related to our major anti-epidemic strategies such as rapid pathogen detection and development of vaccines and antiviral drugs. In this study, we aim to compare the anti-RBD IgG by immunizing mice with the recombinant RBDs of novel Coronavirus spike protein, and evaluate the antibody titers and duration elicited by RBD produced from different host cells and used in different doses, which can be used for vaccine evaluation, drug development, and pathogen detection. SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry analysis showed that the molecular weight of bRBD (produced by insect cells) and hRBD (produced by mammalian cells) were slightly different, which are mainly caused by different glycosylation modification. Flow cytometry revealed that the binding rates of bRBD and hRBD to HEK293-ACE2-overexpressing cells were 88. 5% and 92. 7%, respectively, indicating that both antigens have favorable bioactivity. Balb/ c mice are immunized intramuscularly with 10 μg and 20 μg per mouse of RBD proteins, which were mixed with Quick Antibody adjuvant previously, and blood samples collected from the tail at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the primary immunization. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that both RBD immunization with 10 μg or 20 μg could induce a rapid immune response to produce IgG antibodies. The antibody titers reached the peak at 4-6 weeks post first immunization, and persisted over a long time up to 6 months. No significant difference was observed in the induced antibody titers by bRBD and hRBD as well as their different doses. Virus Neutralization Assays showed that specific antibodies induced by RBD-immunized mice could inhibit the infection of ACE2-positive cells by SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. These results suggest that both RBD proteins through commendable adjuvant inoculation can rapidly induce an effective humoral immune response and generate specific neutralizing antibodies. It is expected to be helpful for rapid preparation of antibodies against the future various RBD mutants during the pandemic.

Research status of occupational exposure among healthcare workers at home and abroad in the past decade based on visual analysis / 中国职业医学

@#Abstract: Objective To investigate the research hotspots of occupational exposure in healthcare workers at home and abroad Methods in the past decade and future research trends. Based on the Web of Science platform, independent retrievals were performed by two researcher. The number, core authors, keywords, and other contents of articles were analyzed using CiteSpace Results 5.6.R2. A total of 1 066 references on occupational exposure among healthcare workers from 2010 to 2019 were retrieved. These articles were mainly from the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil, England, and China, with 272, 71, 56, 52 and 52 articles, respectively. One hundred and eight core authors, who mainly came from the United States and Korea, contributed 418 papers (39.2%). Current hotspots included human immune deficiency virus (HIV), workplace violence, hand eczema, fluoroscopy, antineoplastic drugs, nervous system, nitrous oxide, assessment, standard precautions, and personal protective equipment. Topics such as percutaneous injury, tuberculosis, guideline, HIV, and burnout are future research trends. Conclusions There is a need to strengthen international cooperation. It´s encouraged to develop guidelines on occupational - exposure protection and to prevent long term chronic occupational exposure, such as antineoplastic drug exposure.

Visual analysis of research status and hotspots of transitional nursing for adolescents with chronic diseases in foreign countries / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To analyze the foreign research status and hotspots of transitional care for adolescents with chronic diseases.Methods:On December 31, 2021, Web of Science TM was searched for articles concerning transitional care for adolescents with chronic disease published between 2000 and 2021. Knowledge maps were used to analyze the included articles in terms of number, distribution of prolific authors and institutions, journals, research hotspots, frontiers and trends. Results:A total of 692 articles were included, the number of articles was increased from 2000 to 2021, with the largest in 2021 (76 articles). The most prolific country was the United States (358 articles). University of Toronto, University of North Carolina, Children′s Hospital of Philadelphia and Harvard University were the most prolific institution with high centrality (>0.1). Journals such as Pediatrics, J Adolescent Health, and J Pediatr Nurs published the largest number of articles, and Arch Pediat Adol Med had a total citation frequency>100 and high centrality (>0.1). In addition to the subject terms used in the search process of this study, the high-frequency keywords (>50 times) were “health care” “service” “health care transition” “quality of life” “experience” “need” “outcome” “transition readiness” and “adherence”. In keywords cluster analysis, the cluster whose time line extended to the recent two years were “quality of life” “program” “transition clinic” “adolescent health services” and “adherence”. Conclusions:In the field of transitional care for adolescents with chronic disease, studies mainly focus on patient needs, transitional experience, adherence, self-management, quality of life, etc. The research frontiers are transitional health management, disease care, construction and implementation of health care service program for adolescents with chronic disease.

Relationship between CSMD1 gene polymorphism and schizophrenia and cognitive function / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the relevance of the three polymorphic loci in the CUB and SUSHI multiple domains 1(CSMD1) gene with schizophrenia and its cognitive function.Methods:Polymerase chain reaction-restrictive fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect CSMD1 gene polymorphism in 109 schizophrenia patients(case group) and 109 healthy controls(control group), and the cognitive function was evaluated by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). The allele and genotype frequencies between the case group and the control group were statistically analyzed by SPSS 19.0 software.Results:(1)There were significant differences in the distribution of genotype AA, AC, CC (case group: AA, 51(46.79%), AC, 43(39.45%), CC, 15(13.76%); control group: AA, 22(20.18%), AC, 58(53.21%), CC, 29(26.61%), χ2 =18.203, P<0.001) and allele frequencies (case group: A, 145 (66.51%), C, 73 (33.49%); control group: A, 102(46.79%), C, 116(53.21%), χ2=17.269, P<0.001, OR=0.443, 95% CI: 0.301-0.652) at rs10503253 loci between the case group and the control group.(2) Differences in allele frequencies at the rs10503253 loci were associated with the visual space and executive dysfunction in the case group ( χ2=6.470, P=0.011, OR=2.089, 95% CI: 1.179-3.702). (3) Differences in allele frequencies at the rs17405197 loci were associated with language dysfunction in the case group ( χ2=9.468, P=0.002, OR=0.415, 95% CI: 0.235-0.731). (4) Differences in allele frequencies at the rs2740931 loci were associated with language dysfunction in the case group ( χ2=5.094, P=0.024, OR=2.016, 95% CI: 1.091-3.726). Conclusion:CSMD1 gene polymorphism may be a risk factor for the onset of schizophrenia, associated with symptoms of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Mutations in the EGFr region of NOTCH3 gene and CADASIL phenotype / 国际脑血管病杂志

CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) is a hereditary small vessel disease originated from adult onset, which is caused by the mutation of NOTCH3 gene located in the region of chromosome 19p13. Its clinical features include recurrent ischemic stroke, progressive cognitive impairment, migraine and mental disorders. Recent studies have shown that the mutations in the EGFr region of NOTCH3 gene are associated with the course, clinical manifestations and imaging features of CADASIL. This article reviews the research progress of the NOTCH3 gene EGFr region mutation genotype, clinical phenotype of CADASIL and their correlation, hoping to provide ideas for the early diagnosis and pathogenesis of CADASIL.

A Comparison between Objective Structured Practical Examination and Traditional Practical Examination as an Assessment Tool in Biochemistry

Introduction: The competency based medical curriculum implemented in 2019 stresses on assessment systems aligned to the teaching-learning process. Assessment drives the learning process, so assessment tools have to be objective, uniform, valid and reliable. Traditional practical examination is more subjective and prone to examiner bias and is suspect to its validity and reliability. OSPE has been advocated as a tool to be used in CBME as it possesses the requisite criteria of an ideal assessment tool. However OSPE is not widely used in our st country. Methods: In this study the performance of 1 MBBS students in traditional practical examination & OSPE was compared & perception of students towards it evaluated. 150 first MBBS students of 2020-21 batch were included. Assessment by traditional and OSPE was conducted on “Blood sugar Estimation”. OSPE was conducted with 2 observer & 3 response stations. Mean was calculated and analysed for statistical significance using MS Excel. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to the same students and a feedback was obtained about the process of OSPE. Results: There was statistically significant difference between the mean scores of traditional format and OSPE (P <0.001). Analysis of students' feedback showed that more students found OSPE better in terms of scoring, passing and catering to psychomotor domain evaluation. Anumber of students felt that OSPE was more useful and comfortable than the conventional pattern of examination. Most students did not find OSPE intimidating and opined that it should be kept as assessment method in internal and university examination. Interpretation & Conclusion: Our study observed OSPE scores to be better than traditional format. OSPE eliminated examiner bias by integration of cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Therefore we conclude that OSPE though time and labour intensive, should be introduced and adopted as an assessment tool.

Geração de itens e validação de conteúdo de domínios e de itens para o indivíduo com osteoartrite do joelho: um estudo de método misto / Item generation and content validation of domains with item pool for the individual with knee osteoarthritis: a mixed-method study

INTRODUÇÃO: Existem várias escalas para avaliar as percepções subjetivas e os componentes individuais em indivíduos com osteoartrite (OA) de joelho. Até o momento, não há escalas disponíveis conhecidas para medir o equilíbrio combinado entre mobilidade, AVD e QV em OA de joelho com base na Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF). OBJETIVO: Gerar itens e domínios relacionados aos problemas enfrentados pelos indivíduos com OA de joelhos e validar o conteúdo por especialistas. MÉTODOS: Os domínios e itens foram gerados através de pesquisa bibliográfica extensa (ELS) para extrair itens relacionados a equilíbrio, mobilidade, ADL e QV em indivíduos com OA em joelhos baseados na CIF e através de entrevista aprofundada direta (EAD) em 13 pessoas com OA de joelhos e três especialistas. A validação de conteúdo dos domínios e itens gerados foi validada por 10 especialistas por meio da pesquisa Delphi online. O índice mínimo de validação de conteúdo em nível de item (I-CVI) de 0,80 foi considerado para validar os itens identificados e o índice de validação de conteúdo em nível de escala geral (S-CVI) de 0,90 foi fixado para validar os itens gerados para uso no processo de desenvolvimento da escala. RESULTADOS: Os 117 itens gerados por EAD na ELS foram inicialmente agrupados em 18 domínios. A validação de conteúdo pelo método Delphi resultou em uma diminuição para 56 itens agrupados em 14 domínios com SCVI de 0, 93. CONCLUSÃO: O conjunto abrangente de itens de deficiência, limitação de atividade e restrição de participação para indivíduos com OA de joelhos nos domínios propostos foi desenvolvido e o conteúdo validado. Esses itens são recomendados para uso no desenvolvimento de uma nova escala abrangente de índice de osteoartrite do joelho (CKOAI).

INTRODUCTION: There are several scales to evaluate subjective perceptions and individual components in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (IKOA). Till date, no scale is available to measure the combined balance, mobility, ADL and QoL in IKOA based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to generate items and domains related to problems faced by IKOA and to validate the content by experts. METHODS: The domains and items were generated through extensive literature search (ELS) to extract items related to symptoms, balance, mobility, ADL and QoL in IKOA based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and through in-depth direct interview (IDDI) from 13 IKOA and three experts. The content validation of domains and items generated were validated by 10 experts through online Delphi survey. Minimum itemlevel content validation index (I-CVI) of 0.80 was considered to validate the identified items and the overall scale-level content validation index (S-CVI) of 0.90 was fixed to validate the generated items to use in scale development process. RESULTS: 117 items generated by IDDI and ELS were grouped under 18 domains initially. Content validation by Delphi method resulted in reduction with 56 item pool being grouped under the 14 domains with SCVI is 0.93. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive impairment, activity limitation and participation restriction item pool for IKOA under the proposed domains, have been developed and content validated. These items are recommended for their use in development of new comprehensive knee osteoarthritis index scale (CKOAI).

Cecidomyiidae (Diptera, Insecta): richness of species and distribution in Brazil / Cecidomyiidae (Diptera, Insecta): riqueza de espécies e distribuição no Brasil

Abstract: Most Neotropical species of Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) have been described from Brazil, but a list of species with occurrence in the country has never been published. Little is known about their distribution and richness in the Brazilian phytogeographic domains. Additionally, a list of host plant species has never been gathered. The present study aims to fill these knowledge gaps and provides an overview of this family in Brazil. For this, data were obtained mainly from the literature, but also from the Cecidomyiidae collection of Museu Nacional and two herbaria (RB and R). Based on the site "Flora do Brasil 2020", botanical names were updated and plant species origin and distribution were verified. A total of 265 gall midge species have been recorded in Brazil, most from the Atlantic Forest (183), followed by Cerrado (60), and Amazon Forest (29). The other phytogeographic domains shelter from five to ten species. Phytophagous gall midges occur on 128 plant species of 52 families, almost all native, being 43 endemic to Brazil (21 endemic to Atlantic Forest, five to Cerrado, and one to Amazon). Although, the taxonomical knowledge is focused on the Atlantic Forest, each domain has its own fauna composition and these informations can be useful for environmental conservational purposes. About 58% of the Brazilian fauna are known only from the type-locality. In order to fill these gaps, it is necessary and important to collect in uninvestigated areas.

Resumo: A maioria das espécies neotropicais de Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) foi descrita do Brasil, mas uma lista das espécies com ocorrência no país nunca foi publicada. Pouco se sabe sobre sua distribuição e riqueza nos domínios fitogeográficos brasileiros. Adicionalmente, uma lista das espécies de plantas hospedeiras nunca foi elaborada. O presente estudo visa preencher estas lacunas de informação e fornecer um panorama geral desta família no Brasil. Para tal, dados foram obtidos principalmente da literatura, mas também da coleção de Cecidomyiidae do Museu Nacional e de dois herbários (RB e R). Com base no site "Flora do Brasil 2020", os nomes botânicos foram atualizados e a origem e distribuição das espécies vegetais foram verificadas. Um total de 265 espécies de cecidomiídeos é assinalado para o Brasil, a maioria da Mata Atlântica (183), seguida pelo Cerrado (60) e Floresta Amazônica (29). Os outros domínios fitogeográficos abrigam de cinco a dez espécies. Os cecidomiídeos fitófagos estão associados a 128 espécies de plantas de 52 famílias, quase todas nativas, sendo 43 endêmicas do Brasil (21 endêmicas da Mata Atlântica, cinco do Cerrado e uma da Floresta Amazônica). Embora o conhecimento taxonômico se concentre na Mata Atlântica, cada domínio tem sua própria composição faunística e estas informações podem ser úteis para a conservação ambiental. Cerca de 58% da fauna brasileira é conhecida apenas da localidade-tipo. Para preencher estas lacunas, é necessário e importante coletar em áreas não investigadas.

Distribuição dos capitais científicos entre docentes permanentes de Ciências Sociais e Humanas e de Epidemiologia do campo da Saúde Coletiva / Distribution of scientific capital among tenured professors in the Social and Human Sciences and Epidemiology in the Collective Health field / Distribución de los capitales científicos entre docentes permanentes de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas y de Epidemiología en el campo de la Salud Colectiva

Resumo: A Saúde Coletiva tem se organizado a partir de três subcampos disciplinares: Epidemiologia; Política, Planejamento e Gestão e Ciências Sociais e Humanas. A partir do referencial sociológico da teoria dos campos de Bourdieu, analisou-se a distribuição de um conjunto de capitais científicos entre dois desses grupos de agentes científicos. Os dados foram extraídos do currículo Lattes de 191 docentes que fazem parte do corpo permanente dos Programas de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva avaliados como de excelência pela Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), sendo 38 das Ciências Sociais e Humanas e 153 da Epidemiologia, sendo consolidados em um banco de dados em Excel. As dimensões analisadas foram: capital herdado ou adquirido, capital escolar, capital de poder político ou econômico, capital de poder universitário, capital de prestígio científico e capital de notoriedade intelectual. Apresentou-se o perfil da população de estudo com relação aos capitais estudados, assim como uma análise estratificada destes capitais considerando os dois grupos, além de uma análise de correspondência múltipla. Os dois grupos apresentam distribuição semelhante na maioria dos capitais, conformando um grupo de grande prestígio científico. A exceção se dá justamente nos capitais de publicação e citação, considerados centrais para a aferição de maior prestígio e reconhecimento. A predominância numérica da Epidemiologia também pode possibilitar maior ocupação nas instâncias decisórias de aferição de prestígio. Conclui-se que equilíbrio do campo se dá na afirmação da alteridade, permitindo que distintos capitais tenham espaço mais destacado na aferição de prestígio científico.

Abstract: Scientific capital in the Collective Health field has been organized in three subfields: Epidemiology; Policy, Planning, and Management; and Social and Human Sciences. Based on Bourdieu's field theory as the sociological reference, the study analyzed the distribution of a set of scientific capital between two of these groups of scientific agents. The data were extracted from the Lattes database of resumés for 191 tenured faculty members of Graduate Studies Programs in Collective Health assessed as excellent by the Brazilian Graduate Studies Coordinating Board (CAPES), of which 38 were in the Social and Human Sciences and 153 in Epidemiology, all consolidated in an Excel database. The dimensions analyzed were inherited or acquired capital; academic capital; political or economic power capital; university power capital; scientific prestige capital; and intellectual notoriety capital. The results presented a profile of the study population in relation to the various forms of capital, as well as a stratified analysis of these forms of capital considering the two groups and a multiple correspondence analysis. The two groups present similar distribution in most of the forms of capital, shaping a group with major scientific prestige. The exception is precisely in publication and citation, considered central forms of capital for measuring high prestige and recognition. The numerical predominance of Epidemiology may also allow greater occupation of decision-making spheres for measuring prestige. The conclusion is that the field's balance occurs in the affirmation of otherness, allowing distinct forms of capital to have more outstanding space in the measurement of scientific prestige.

Resumen: La Salud Colectiva se ha organizado a partir de tres subáreas disciplinarias: Epidemiología; Política, Planificación y Gestión; y Ciencias Sociales y Humanas. A partir del marco de referencia sociológico de la teoría de los campos de Bourdieu, se analizó la distribución de un conjunto de capitales científicos entre dos de esos grupos de agentes científicos. Los datos se extrajeron del currículo Lattes, compuesto por 191 docentes que forman parte del cuerpo permanente de los Programas de Posgrado en Salud Colectiva, evaluados como de excelencia por la Coordinación de Perfeccionamiento de Personal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), siendo 38 de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas y 153 de Epidemiología , registrando la información en un banco de datos en Excel. Las dimensiones analizadas fueron: capital heredado o adquirido, capital escolar, capital de poder político o económico, capital de poder universitario, capital de prestigio científico y capital de notoriedad intelectual. Se presentó el perfil de la población de estudio, en relación con los capitales estudiados, así como un análisis estratificado de estos capitales, considerando los dos grupos, además de un análisis de correspondencia múltiple. Los dos grupos presentan una distribución semejante en la mayoría de los capitales, constituyendo un grupo de gran prestigio científico. La excepción se produce justamente en los capitales de publicación y citación, considerados centrales para la evaluación de un mayor prestigio y reconocimiento. La predominancia numérica de la Epidemiología también puede posibilitar una mayor ocupación en las instancias decisorias de evaluación de prestigio. Se concluye que el equilibrio de esta área se produce en la afirmación de la alteridad, permitiendo que distintos capitales tengan un espacio más destacado en la evaluación del prestigio científico.