Uso Da Saliva Como Amostra Biologica No Diagnostico Da Covid-19 Por Rt-Pcr

Introducao: O padrao-ouro para o diagnostico de COVID-19 e o teste molecular que permite a deteccao de acidos nucleicos de SARS-CoV-2 em amostras de swab Nasofaringeo (NPS). A deteccao precoce seguida do isolamento dos individuos infectados desempenha um papel crucial para impedir a propagacao da infeccao e o controle da pandemia. No entanto, a coleta de NPS e invasiva e desconfortavel para os pacientes, requer profissionais de saude especializados e pode ser um risco de infeccao cruzada para esses profissionais. Desta forma, avaliar outras fontes de material biologico, tal como a saliva, e fundamental para facilitar o diagnostico de COVID-19. Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o uso da saliva como amostra biologica para a deteccao do RNA do SARS-CoV-2 e sua estabilidade pos coleta. Material e Metodos: Foram coletadas 954 amostras de saliva (5 mL) e de swab nasofaringeo (NPS) de individuos entre dezembro de 2020 e fevereiro de 2021 e analisadas em diferentes tempos (24h, 48h, 72h, 5 dias e 10 dias) apos a coleta. As amostras de saliva foram armazenadas em temperatura de 2degree a 8degreeC e extraidas puras e diluidas em solucao salina na proporcao 1:1. A extracao do RNA foi realizada em extrator automatico de acidos nucleicos (Extracta, Loccus) e o diagnostico molecular do SARS-CoV-2 foi realizado com o kit Gene FinderTM COVID-19 Plus RealAmp (OSang Healthcare). A idade media dos participantes foi de 37 anos (8 a 83 anos de idade) e a maioria dos individuos 738 (77,3%) foram nao-detectaveis e apenas 216 (22,7%) foram detectaveis para SARS-CoV-2. Entre os detectaveis, 96 (44,4%%) eram do sexo masculino e 120 (55,6%) do sexo feminino. A positividade na saliva foi posteriormente comparada com os resultados do NPS bem como a carga viral ou ciclo de limiar de amplificacao (Ct). Resultados e Discussao: A analise dos testes com a saliva e NPS demonstrou concordancia nos resultados de 210 (97%) pacientes detectaveis para COVID, em apenas 2,7 % (6/216) dos casos o SARS-CoV-2 foi detectado somente no NPS. Todos os participantes com resultado positivo para a RT-PCR apresentaram sintomas relacionados a COVID-19, sendo os mais comuns: tosse seca (19%), dor de cabeca (16%), coriza e dor de garganta (11%) e diarreia (8%). As amostras de salivas apresentaram estabilidade ate o decimo dia apos a coleta do material biologico, sem diferenca de deteccao do RNA viral entre a amostra de saliva pura e saliva diluida. Esses resultados demonstram que as amostras de saliva podem ser transportadas e armazenadas em temperatura de 2degree a 8degreeC, e processadas em ate 10 dias apos a coleta. Conclusao: Os resultados mostraram que a saliva e uma alternativa para a deteccao de SARS-CoV-2. E uma amostra biologica confiavel, nao invasiva, de facil coleta e com resultados similares aos obtidos com amostras de NPS. E uma alternativa que facilitaria a coleta em lugares com baixo suprimento de swabs nasofaringeos e regioes distantes de laboratorios especializados, uma vez que pode ser analisada ate 10 dias apos a coleta. Dessa forma, podemos concluir que a saliva pode ser utilizada com seguranca para o diagnostico de COVID-19. Copyright © 2022

Exploring Digital Literacy Skills in Economics and Social Sciences and Humanities Students

Digital literacy is among the mandatory abilities to any higher education level and represents a fundamental ingredient in successful professionalization. Considering the deep penetration of digital technologies in everyday life, digital literacy offers a set of transversal skills that could improve a whole area of activities, from banking operations to civic participation. However, these skills are diverse and vary according to the development of technologies and society. This study fills an important academic gap on digital literacy by placing it in a specific and well-defined context, analyzing different perspectives that involve such learning, such as predictors of digital literacy in different types of students. In addition, research increases its importance as it is being developed during the pandemic, a period characterized by accelerated technological use and sudden changes. This research used a quantitative design based on the answers to a questionnaire conducted from March 2021 to May 2021. From a methodological perspective, we tested several hypotheses using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within the structural equation model (SEM). The results show that communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical digital skills are more present in the case of students enrolled in economics and social sciences, while other digital skills (i.e., creativity and information) are more prevalent in the case of humanities students. Moreover, the results showed that, except for creativity and problem-solving-related digital skills, all of the digital skills were significantly influenced by students’ different levels of education. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stroke cases notification in Brazil

Background and aims: The Coronavirus Disease Pandemic - 2019 (COVID-19) represents, to date, the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century. Stroke, on the other hand, is nationally the main cause of disability, accompanied by a considerable and costly number of hospitalizations. This paper questions the impact of COVID-19 on stroke notifications. Methods: Articles were searched using the descriptors: Ischemic Stroke;Hemorrhagic Stroke;Cerebrovascular events;COVID-19 and Brazil. The research platforms were Pubmed, Scielo, Virtual Health Library and DataSUS. Results: Since the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, in March 2020, there has been a reduction of approximately 20% in the number of stroke cases reported compared to 2019. This reality is consistent with the international scenario of possible underreporting and reduced demand for medical care in mild and intermediate cases. Although, according to medical societies of national specialties, COVID-19 does not change the recommendations for the management of patients with stroke, the result of this context may be a late start of care, loss of the therapeutic window and worsening of stroke outcomes in the country. The attention to safety protocols and the importance of telemedicine for pre-hospital care was also highlighted. Conclusion: Given the decrease in the number of cases of stroke, there is an alert regarding underreporting and delay in care, problems already present in the national scenario that may be potentiated by the pandemic, where the concern with COVID-19 overlaps with other diseases, which may increase the damage (in the short and long term) to public health.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the notification of neurological disease complications in Brazil

Background and aims: Until the 1st week of January / 2021, Brazil is the 3rd country with the highest number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease- 2019 (COVID- 19). Annually, neurological diseases and their complications culminate in approximately 200,000 hospitalisations in the Brazilian public health system. This work intends to investigate the relation between COVID-19 and its effect on the condition of neurological patients. Methods: The research used the descriptors: Coronavirus Infections, Brazil, Nervous System Diseases;in PubMed, Scielo and Virtual Health Library databases. Through DataSUS, epidemiological data was collected about: Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy. Results: It was expected an increase in urgent hospitalisations related to the neurological diseases scanned. According to studies carried out in other countries, the exacerbation of neurological symptoms is possible. Contrariwise, there was a significant reduction in hospitalizations related to these diseases (DataSUS), especially between April and October 2020, when the number of COVID-19 cases increased dramatically in Brazil. The cause of reduction in hospitalisations may come from a scenario of systematic underreporting triggered by the pandemic. Hospitalisation due to coronavirus infection, in the Brazilian context, allows complications of pre-existing neurological diseases, resulting from COVID-19, to not be properly registered and notified in the integrated system. Conclusion: Brazil, due to its integrated health system, is able to provide full data collected from all its territory. Had there not been a noticeable reduction in hospital care due to fear of infection, this would enable further research and understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on pre-existing neurological conditions. (Figure Presented).

Evaluation of Nutritional Risk and Prevalence of Obesity in Patients with Covid-19 in A Reference Hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction ?The Coronavirus has spread to almost every country in the world, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The coronavirus stands out among the other infections especially by it's high contagious power and important effects on the respiratory system. The COVID-19 has differents ways of presentation and these are influenced by the patient's previous nutricional status, correlated with the patient's lifestyle and comorbities. Objective ?this survey seeks to analyze the nutritional status and the prevalence of obesity in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: this is a descriptive, prospective and cross-sectional study type, which 41 patients affected by COVID-19 were interviewed. Patient's weight and height were used to assess the BMI, and nutritional risk assessment was performed using the Nutritional Risk Screening tool (NRS 2002). For the analysis, Absolute (AF) and Relative Frequency (RF), the mean and the standard deviation were calculated. Results ?It was observerd that 78% of the participants had a high nutritional risk, while only 22% had a low nutritional risk. Besides that, 34% showed overweight and 41.4% showed obesity. Conclusion ?the existence of a high prevalence of increased nutritional risk was evidenced, in addition to the high frequency of overweight in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2.