The role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction and as a possible blood biomarker in heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular diseases, being responsible for many hospitalizations annually. HF is considered a public health problem with significant economic and social impact, which makes searches essential for strategies that improve the ability to predict and diagnose HF. In this way, biomarkers can help in risk stratification for a more personalized approach to patients with HF. Preclinical and clinical evidence shows the participation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in the HF process. In this review, we will demonstrate the critical role that MMP-9 plays in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. We will also show its importance as a blood biomarker in acute and chronic HF patients.

Molecular Dialogue During Host Manipulation by the Vascular Wilt Fungus Fusarium oxysporum.

Vascular wilt fungi are a group of hemibiotrophic phytopathogens that infect diverse crop plants. These pathogens have adapted to thrive in the nutrient-deprived niche of the plant xylem. Identification and functional characterization of effectors and their role in the establishment of compatibility across multiple hosts, suppression of plant defense, host reprogramming, and interaction with surrounding microbes have been studied mainly in model vascular wilt pathogens Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae. Comparative analysis of genomes from fungal isolates has accelerated our understanding of genome compartmentalization and its role in effector evolution. Also, advances in recent years have shed light on the cross talk of root-infecting fungi across multiple scales from the cellular to the ecosystem level, covering their interaction with the plant microbiome as well as their interkingdom signaling. This review elaborates on our current understanding of the cross talk between vascular wilt fungi and the host plant, which eventually leads to a specialized lifestyle in the xylem. We particularly focus on recent findings in F. oxysporum, including multihost associations, and how they have contributed to understanding the biology of fungal adaptation to the xylem. In addition, we discuss emerging research areas and highlight open questions and future challenges.

Fluorescent quantum dot-based nanotool for targeted identification and evaluation of the schistosomiasis circulating cathodic antigen in tissue samples.

Schistosomiasis represents a serious public health problem, a disease for which the circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) is a relevant biomarker. Quantum dots (QDs) are advantageous fluorescent nanoparticles that can be used as specific nanoprobes. In this study, a nanotool based on QDs and anti-CCA antibodies was developed, which, in association with fluorescence microscopy, was applied to trace and evaluate the CCA profile in schistosomiasis-infected tissue samples. Kidney and liver tissues from mice at different disease phases were used as models. QDs and the conjugates were characterized by absorption and emission spectroscopies. Microscopy analyses were used to map and assess CCA accumulation in infected tissue slices in respect to non-infected control samples. The fluorescent microplate assay (FMA) and Zeta potential (ζ) analyses indicated an effective conjugation, which was corroborated by the absence of labeling in non-infected tissue slices (which lack CCA) after incubation with the nanoprobe. Infected liver and kidney tissues exhibited notable staining by the QDs-anti-CCA conjugate. The CCA accumulation increased as follows: 30 < 60 = 120 days post-infection, with 30, 60, and 120 days corresponding to the pre-patent, acute, and beginning of chronic disease phases, respectively. Therefore, this innovative approach, combining imaging acquisition with the sensitivity and specificity of the QDs-anti-CCA conjugate, demonstrated efficiency in locating and comparatively evaluating CCA deposition in biological samples, thereby opening new possibilities for schistosomiasis research.

Late relapses in leprosy patients in Brazil: 10-year post-trial of uniform multidrug therapy (U-MDT/CT-BR).

BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a neglected dermato-neurologic, infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae or M. lepromatosis. Leprosy is treatable and curable by multidrug therapy/MDT, consisting of 12 months rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine for multibacillary/MB patients and for 6 months for paucibacillary/PB patients. The relapse rate is considered a crucial treatment outcome. A randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (U-MDT/CT-BR) conducted from 2007‒2012 compared clinical outcomes in MB patients after 12 months regular MDT/R-MDT and 6 months uniform MDT/U-MDT in two highly endemic Brazilian areas. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the 10 years relapse rate of MB patients treated with 6 months U-MDT. METHODS: The statistical analyses treated the data as a case-control study, sampled from the cohort generated for the randomized trial. Analyses estimated univariate odds ratio and applied logistic regression for multivariate analysis, controlling the confounding variables. RESULTS: The overall relapse rate was 4.08 %: 4.95 % (16 out of 323) in the U-MDT group and 3.10 % (9 out of 290) in the regular/R-MDT group. The difference in relapse proportion between U-MDT and R-MDT groups was 1.85 %, not statistically significant (Odds Ratio = 1.63, 95 % CI 0.71 to 3.74). However, misdiagnosis of relapses, may have introduced bias, underestimating the force of the association represented by the odds ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The relapse estimate of 10 years follow-up study of the first randomized, controlled study on U-MDT/CT-BR was similar to the R-MDT group, supporting strong evidence that 6 months U-MDT for MB patients is an acceptable option to be adopted by leprosy endemic countries worldwide. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00669643.

Human diprosopus: Case report of a rare congenital abnormality.

Diprosopus is a congenital anomaly in which partial or complete duplication of craniofacial structures occurs. Because it is rare, the mortality rate is high, and information concerning this anomaly is scarce. This study describes a case of human diprosopus in a 9-year-old male individual, who has severe complications associated with the central nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems. Since birth, he has been monitored in a specialized hospital environment, where he has undergone several surgeries and multidisciplinary treatments. Regarding the craniofacial aspects, he had agenesis of the corpus callosum, floor of the nasal cavity, and floor of the anterior cranial fossa, in addition to the presence of bone dysplasia, ocular hypertelorism and cleft palate with nasal and oral teratoma. Regarding dental characteristics, the patient has duplication of the maxilla, mandible, tongue, and some teeth. After complementary imaging exams, several supernumerary teeth were found, with some being impacted and in complex regions, with an indication for extraction due to the risks of impaction, irruptive deviation, root resorption, and associated cystic or tumoral lesions. Because of the numerous complications, knowledge, and preparation of the entire team is necessary for the correct management of the case.

Microsatellites' mutation modeling through the analysis of the Y-chromosomal transmission: Results of a GHEP-ISFG collaborative study.

The Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG) organized a collaborative study on mutations of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs). New data from 2225 father-son duos and data from 44 previously published reports, corresponding to 25,729 duos, were collected and analyzed. Marker-specific mutation rates were estimated for 33 Y-STRs. Although highly dependent on the analyzed marker, mutations compatible with the gain or loss of a single repeat were 23.2 times more likely than those involving a greater number of repeats. Longer alleles (relatively to the modal one) showed to be nearly twice more mutable than the shorter ones. Within the subset of longer alleles, the loss of repeats showed to be nearly twice more likely than the gain. Conversely, shorter alleles showed a symmetrical trend, with repeat gains being twofold more frequent than reductions. A positive correlation between the paternal age and the mutation rate was observed, strengthening previous findings. The results of a machine learning approach, via logistic regression analyses, allowed the establishment of algebraic formulas for estimating the probability of mutation depending on paternal age and allele length for DYS389I, DYS393 and DYS627. Algebraic formulas could also be established considering only the allele length as predictor for DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II-I, DYS390, DYS391, DYS393, DYS437, DYS439, DYS449, DYS456, DYS458, DYS460, DYS481, DYS518, DYS533, DYS576, DYS626 and DYS627 loci. For the remaining Y-STRs, a lack of statistical significance was observed, probably as a consequence of the small effective size of the subsets available, a common difficulty in the modeling of rare events as is the case of mutations. The amount of data used in the different analyses varied widely, depending on how the data were reported in the publications analyzed. This shows a regrettable waste of produced data, due to inadequate communication of the results, supporting an urgent need of publication guidelines for mutation studies.

Increasing the power and spectral efficiencies of an OFDM-based VLC system through multi-objective optimization.

The nonlinearity induced by light-emitting diodes in visible light communication (VLC) systems presents a challenge to the parametrization of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The goal of the multi-objective optimization problem presented in this study is to maximize the transmitted power (superimposed LED bias-current and signal amplification) for both conventional and constant envelope (CE) OFDM while also maximizing spectral efficiency. The bit error rate (BER) metric is used to evaluate the optimization using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II. Simulation results show that for a BER of 1×10-3, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required decreases with the guard band due to intermodulation distortions. In contrast to SNR values of approximately 13 and 25 dB achieved by traditional OFDM-based systems, the VLC system with CE signals achieves a guard band of 6% of the signal bandwidth with required SNR values of approximately 10.8 and 24 dB for 4-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and 16-QAM modulation orders, respectively.

Prediction of the occurrence of leprosy reactions based on Bayesian networks.

Introduction: Leprosy reactions (LR) are severe episodes of intense activation of the host inflammatory response of uncertain etiology, today the leading cause of permanent nerve damage in leprosy patients. Several genetic and non-genetic risk factors for LR have been described; however, there are limited attempts to combine this information to estimate the risk of a leprosy patient developing LR. Here we present an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system that can assess LR risk using clinical, demographic, and genetic data. Methods: The study includes four datasets from different regions of Brazil, totalizing 1,450 leprosy patients followed prospectively for at least 2 years to assess the occurrence of LR. Data mining using WEKA software was performed following a two-step protocol to select the variables included in the AI system, based on Bayesian Networks, and developed using the NETICA software. Results: Analysis of the complete database resulted in a system able to estimate LR risk with 82.7% accuracy, 79.3% sensitivity, and 86.2% specificity. When using only databases for which host genetic information associated with LR was included, the performance increased to 87.7% accuracy, 85.7% sensitivity, and 89.4% specificity. Conclusion: We produced an easy-to-use, online, free-access system that identifies leprosy patients at risk of developing LR. Risk assessment of LR for individual patients may detect candidates for close monitoring, with a potentially positive impact on the prevention of permanent disabilities, the quality of life of the patients, and upon leprosy control programs.

A fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton for assistance: the ExHand Exoskeleton.

Introduction: The rise of soft robotics has driven the development of devices for assistance in activities of daily living (ADL). Likewise, different types of actuation have been developed for safer human interaction. Recently, textile-based pneumatic actuation has been introduced in hand exoskeletons for features such as biocompatibility, flexibility, and durability. These devices have demonstrated their potential use in assisting ADLs, such as the degrees of freedom assisted, the force exerted, or the inclusion of sensors. However, performing ADLs requires the use of different objects, so exoskeletons must provide the ability to grasp and maintain stable contact with a variety of objects to lead to the successful development of ADLs. Although textile-based exoskeletons have demonstrated significant advancements, the ability of these devices to maintain stable contact with a variety of objects commonly used in ADLs has yet to be fully evaluated. Materials and methods: This paper presents the development and experimental validation in healthy users of a fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton through a grasping performance test using The Anthropomorphic Hand Assessment Protocol (AHAP), which assesses eight types of grasping with 24 objects of different shapes, sizes, textures, weights, and rigidities, and two standardized tests used in the rehabilitation processes of post- stroke patients. Results and discussion: A total of 10 healthy users (45.50 ± 14.93 years old) participated in this study. The results indicate that the device can assist in developing ADLs by evaluating the eight types of grasps of the AHAP. A score of 95.76 ± 2.90% out of 100% was obtained for the Maintaining Score, indicating that the ExHand Exoskeleton can maintain stable contact with various daily living objects. In addition, the results of the user satisfaction questionnaire indicated a positive mean score of 4.27 ± 0.34 on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5.

Performance evaluation of a simplified power-domain NOMA for visible light communications.

The performance of a visible light communication (VLC) system based on power-domain nonorthogonal multiple access (PD-NOMA) is experimentally evaluated in this paper. The simplicity of the adopted nonorthogonal scheme is provided by the fixed power allocation method at the transmitter and the single one-tap equalization executed before the successive interference cancellation at the receiver. The experimental results proved the successful transmission of the PD-NOMA scheme with three users in VLC links of up to 2.5 m, after a proper choice of the optical modulation index. All users achieved error vector magnitude (EVM) performances below forward error correction limits in all evaluated transmission distances. At 2.5 m, the user with the best performance reaches an E V M=2.3%.

Analysis of a photonic integrated circuit for passive optical network for 5G NR.

This work presents the performance analysis of a passive optical network (PON) proposal with photonic integrated circuits (PIC). The PON architecture was simulated on MATLAB, focusing on the main functionalities of the optical line terminal, distribution network, and network unity regarded its effects on the physical layer. We show a simulated PIC, implemented on MATLAB through its analytic transfer function equation, used to implement orthogonal frequency division multiplexing in the optical domain to enhance the current optical networks for the 5G New-Radio (NR) scenario. We analyzed the OOK and optical PAM4 compared with phase modulation formats such as the DPSK and DQPSK. All modulation formats can be directly detected for the case in the study, simplifying the reception. Consequently, this work achieved a maximum symmetric transmission capacity of 1.2 Tbps over 90 km of standard single-mode fiber with 128 carriers, 64 carriers for downstream and 64 for upstream, obtained from an optical frequency comb with 0.3 dB flatness. We concluded that phase modulation formats associated with PIC could increase PON capability and push further our current scenario to the 5G new era.

Epidemiological profile of rosacea in dermatology outpatient clinics in Brazil: an observational report from the Brazilian study group on rosacea.

BACKGROUND: Rosacea prevalence varies worldwide and there is a lack of information in Brazil. OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiological profile of rosacea in subjects who consulted in dermatological outpatient clinics in Brazil. MATERIALS & METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 dermatological outpatient clinics across the country. Patients with rosacea diagnosis were eligible for the study according to the investigator's clinical assessment. Clinical, social and demographic data were collected. The overall and regional rosacea prevalence was calculated, and association with baseline characteristics was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 3,184 subjects were enrolled, and rosacea prevalence was 12.7%. The southern region of Brazil presented a higher prevalence, followed by the southeast. The subjects in the rosacea group were older than those without rosacea (52.5 ±14.9 vs. 47.5 ±17.5; p<0.001). Moreover, the rosacea group was associated with Fitzpatrick's phototypes I and II, Caucasian ethnicity, a family history of rosacea, and facial erythema, however, no association with gender was found. The most prevalent clinical sign and clinical subtype in rosacea patients were erythema and erythematotelangiectatic, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rosacea is highly prevalent in Brazil, mostly in the southern region, associated with phototypes I and II and a family history.

Soft-Sensor System for Grasp Type Recognition in Underactuated Hand Prostheses.

This paper presents the development of an intelligent soft-sensor system to add haptic perception to the underactuated hand prosthesis PrHand. Two sensors based on optical fiber were constructed, one for finger joint angles and the other for fingertips' contact force. Three sensor fabrications were tested for the angle sensor by axially rotating the sensors in four positions. The configuration with the most similar response in the four rotations was chosen. The chosen sensors presented a polynomial response with R2 higher than 92%. The tactile force sensors tracked the force made over the objects. Almost all sensors presented a polynomial response with R2 higher than 94%. The system monitored the prosthesis activity by recognizing grasp types. Six machine learning algorithms were tested: linear regression, k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, decision tree, k-means clustering, and hierarchical clustering. To validate the algorithms, a k-fold test was used with a k = 10, and the accuracy result for k-nearest neighbor was 98.5%, while that for decision tree was 93.3%, enabling the classification of the eight grip types.

Static and Dynamic Multiparameter Assessment of Structural Elements Using Chirped Fiber Bragg Gratings.

This paper presents the development, analysis, and application of chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) for dynamic and static measurements of beams of different materials in the single-cantilever configuration. In this case, the beams were numerically analyzed using the finite-element method (FEM) for the assessment of the natural frequencies and vibration modes of the beam for the dynamic analysis of the structural element. Furthermore, the static numerical analysis was performed using a load at the free end of the beam, where the maximum strain and its distribution along the beam were analyzed, especially in the region at which the FBG was positioned. The experimental evaluation of the proposed CFBG sensor was performed in static conditions for forces from 0 to 50 N (in 10 N steps) applied at the free end of the beam, whereas the dynamic evaluation was performed by means of positioning an unbalanced motor at the end of the beam, which was excited at 16 Hz, 65 Hz, 100 Hz, and 131 Hz. The results showed the feasibility of the proposed device for the simultaneous assessment of the force and strain distribution along the CFBG region using the wavelength shift and the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), respectively. In these cases, the determination coefficients of the spectral features as a function of the force and strain distribution were higher than 0.99 in all analyzed cases, where a potential resolution of 0.25 N was obtained on the force assessment. In the dynamic tests, the frequency spectrum of the sensor responses indicated a frequency peak at the excited frequency in all analyzed cases. Therefore, the proposed sensor device is a suitable option to extend the performance of sensors for structural health assessment, since it is possible to simultaneously measure different parameters in dynamic and static conditions using only one sensor device, which, due to its multiplexing capabilities, can be integrated with additional optical fiber sensors for the complete shape reconstruction with millimeter-range spatial resolution.

Three-Dimensional-Printed Fabrication of POFs Using Different Filaments and Their Characterization for Sensing Applications.

This paper presents the development and sensor applications of 3D-printed polymer optical fibers (POFs) using commercially available filaments. The well-known intensity variation sensor was developed using this fiber for temperature and curvature sensing, where the results indicate a linear response in the curvature analysis, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.97 and sensitivity of 4.407 × 10-4 mW/∘, whereas the temperature response was fitted to an R2 of 0.956 with a sensitivity of 5.718 × 10-3 mW/∘C. Then, the POF was used in the development of a modal interferometer by splicing the POF in-between two single-mode fibers (SMFs), which result in a single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) configuration. The such interferometer was tested for temperature and axial strain responses, where the temperature response presented a linear trend R2 of around 0.98 with a sensitivity of -78.8 pm/∘C. The negative value of the sensitivity is related to the negative thermo-optic coefficient commonly obtained in POFs. Furthermore, the strain response of the SMS interferometer showed a high sensitivity (9.5 pm/µÏµ) with a quadratic behavior in which the R2 of around 0.99 was obtained. Therefore, the proposed approach is a low-cost, environmentally friendly and straightforward method for the production of highly sensitive optical fiber sensors.

Transição do idoso do hospital para o domicílio na perspectiva do cuidador/idoso: revisão de escopo / Transición de adultos mayores del hospital al domicilio bajo la perspectiva del cuidador/adulto mayor: revisión de alcance / Older adult transition from hospital to home from caregivers'/older adults' perspective: a scoping review

Resumo Objetivo Mapear evidências que discutem o cuidado transicional direcionado à pessoa idosa, do contexto hospitalar para o domicílio, na perspectiva do cuidador/idoso. Métodos Revisão de escopo, tendo por base a orientação do Instituto Joanna Briggs (JBI). Foram incluídas na sistematização para busca dos estudos as bases LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL e Embase. Realizou-se a revisão por pares independente, selecionada de acordo com os critérios. Em seguida, foi realizada análise de similitude no software Iramuteq. Resultados A amostra foi composta por 8 estudos, publicados principalmente no ano de 2016, tendo como local predominante os Estados Unidos. É possível observar que houve maior quantitativo de dificuldades e fragilidades, seguido de desafios e, por fim, potencialidades na transição. Conclusão A transição da alta hospitalar do idoso para casa é um processo complexo e longitudinal, que envolve múltiplas fragilidades e dificuldades para o paciente e para seus cuidadores formais e informais, assim como existem potencialidades e desafios a serem explorados. Destaca-se a sobrecarga de trabalho, o esforço e a dedicação exigida, bem como a relação com o envolvimento familiar.

Resumen Objetivo Mapear evidencias que discuten el cuidado transicional orientado al adulto mayor, del contexto hospitalario al domicilio, bajo la perspectiva del cuidador/adulto mayor. Métodos Revisión de alcance, basada en la orientación del Instituto Joanna Briggs (JBI). Se incluyeron las siguientes bases en la sistematización para la búsqueda de los estudios: LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL y Embase. Se realizó la revisión por pares independiente, seleccionada de acuerdo con los criterios. Luego se realizó el análisis de similitud en el software Iramuteq. Resultados La muestra estuvo compuesta por ocho estudios, publicados principalmente en el año 2016, que tenían como lugar predominante los Estados Unidos. Es posible observar que hubo mayor cuantitativo de dificultades y debilidades, después desafíos y, por último, posibilidades en la transición. Conclusión La transición del alta hospitalaria de adultos mayores a su casa es un proceso complejo y longitudinal, que incluye múltiples debilidades y dificultades para el paciente y sus cuidadores formales e informales, así como también existen posibilidades y desafíos que pueden ser estudiados. Se destaca la sobrecarga de trabajo, el esfuerzo y la dedicación exigida, así como la relación con la participación familiar.

Abstract Objective To map evidence that discusses transitional care aimed at older adults, from hospital to home, from caregivers'/older adults' perspective. Methods This is a scoping review, based on guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL and Embase databases were included in the systematization to search for studies. Independent peer review was performed, selected according to criteria. Then, similarity analysis was performed in Iramuteq. Results The sample consisted of 8 studies, published mainly in 2016, predominantly in the United States. It is possible to observe that there was a greater number of difficulties and weaknesses, followed by challenges and, finally, potential in transition. Conclusion Older adult transition from hospital to home is a complex and longitudinal process, which involves multiple weaknesses and difficulties for patients and their formal and informal caregivers, as well as there are potentialities and challenges to be explored. The work overload, the effort and dedication required, as well as the relationship with family involvement.

Intervenções de enfermagem para prevenção de quedas em pessoas idosas hospitalizadas: revisão integrativa / Nursing interventions for fall prevention in hospitalized aged people: an integrative review

RESUMO Objetivo identificar intervenções de enfermagem para prevenção de quedas em pessoas idosas hospitalizadas. Métodos revisão integrativa desenvolvida nas bases de dados Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL e LILACS utilizando a estratégia PICo com descritores controlados e suas combinações mediante os operadores booleanos AND e OR. Incluíram-se estudos abordando as intervenções para prevenção de quedas em pessoas idosas no contexto hospitalar, sem limitação geográfica ou de idioma, a partir de 2004 com a criação da The World Alliance for Patient Safety. Três revisores trabalharam nas citações, com uso do EndNote basic e Rayyan, alcançando amostra final de 20 estudos. Resultados foram identificadas 202 intervenções de enfermagem para prevenção de quedas em pessoas idosas hospitalizadas, categorizadas em seis domínios da Nursing Interventions Classification (Fisiológico: básico; Fisiológico: complexo; Comportamental; Segurança; Família; Sistemas de Saúde). Conclusão identificaram-se intervenções de enfermagem para prevenção de quedas em pessoas idosas hospitalizadas, o que fornece subsídios para construção de protocolos assistenciais e melhorias da assistência. Contribuições para a prática: os resultados permitem que o enfermeiro possa prevenir a ocorrência de quedas, pondo em prática achados científicos consistentes desde o planejamento de ações até a execução e reavaliação dos resultados com a equipe.

ABSTRACT Objective to identify nursing interventions for fall prevention in hospitalized aged people. Methods integrative review developed on the Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL and LILACS databases using the PICo strategy with controlled descriptors and their combinations using the Boolean operators AND and OR. Studies addressing interventions to prevent falls in aged people in the hospital setting were included, without geographical or language limitation, from 2004 with the creation of The World Alliance for Patient Safety. Three reviewers worked on the citations, using EndNote basic and Rayyan, reaching a final sample of 20 studies. Results 202 nursing interventions were identified for fall prevention in hospitalized aged people, categorized into six domains of the Nursing Interventions Classification (Physiological: basic; Physiological: complex; Behavioral; Safety; Family; Health Systems). Conclusion nursing interventions were identified for the prevention of falls in hospitalized aged people, which provides subsidies for the construction of care protocols and improvements in care. Contributions to practice: the results allow nurses to prevent the occurrence of falls, putting into practice consistent scientific findings from the planning of actions to the execution and reassessment of results with the team.

The Sugar Metabolic Model of Aspergillus niger Can Only Be Reliably Transferred to Fungi of Its Phylum.

Fungi play a critical role in the global carbon cycle by degrading plant polysaccharides to small sugars and metabolizing them as carbon and energy sources. We mapped the well-established sugar metabolic network of Aspergillus niger to five taxonomically distant species (Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium subrubescens, Trichoderma reesei, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Dichomitus squalens) using an orthology-based approach. The diversity of sugar metabolism correlates well with the taxonomic distance of the fungi. The pathways are highly conserved between the three studied Eurotiomycetes (A. niger, A. nidulans, P. subrubescens). A higher level of diversity was observed between the T. reesei and A. niger, and even more so for the two Basidiomycetes. These results were confirmed by integrative analysis of transcriptome, proteome and metabolome, as well as growth profiles of the fungi growing on the corresponding sugars. In conclusion, the establishment of sugar pathway models in different fungi revealed the diversity of fungal sugar conversion and provided a valuable resource for the community, which would facilitate rational metabolic engineering of these fungi as microbial cell factories.

Covid-19: perfil epidemiológico dos usuários testados em uma unidade de Atenção Primária à Saúde / COVID-19: epidemiological profile of users tested at a Primary Health Care unit / COVID-19: perfil epidemiológico de los usuarios testeados en una unidad de Atención Primaria de Salud

O segundo semestre de 2019 foi marcado pelo debate mundial acerca de casos de contaminação por um agente etiológico, que, após pesquisas genéticas, foi classificado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) como covid-19. No Brasil, o vírus chegou em fevereiro de 2020. A partir de então, a Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) se tornou fundamental no cenário pandêmico com a oferta de serviços, como testes rápidos, para diagnóstico do vírus. O objetivo deste artigo é descrever o perfil epidemiológico da população usuária de uma unidade de Atenção Primária à Saúde que realizou teste rápido para covid-19. Este é um estudo descritivo, documental, com abordagem quantitativa do tipo perfil epidemiológico. A pesquisa foi feita em Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, entre 10 de junho e 5 de agosto de 2020. Dos usuários testados, observaram-se prevalência do sexo feminino (60%); cor/raça parda (53,8%); faixa etária entre 56 e 60 anos (14%); em relacionamento estável (61,5%); ensino médio completo (45,4%); não praticantes de atividade física (56,9%) e não tabagistas (96,2%). Os resultados permitiram traçar o perfil epidemiológico local e, somados aos demais dados obtidos no curso da pandemia, contribuem para novas medidas de promoção, prevenção e recuperação do processo saúde-doença.

The second semester of 2019 was plunged into a worldwide debate concerning cases of contamination by an etiological agent that, following genetical research, was classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19. In Brazil, the virus was first recorded in February 2020, from then on Primary Health Care (PHC) played a key role during the pandemic by offering services such as the rapid testing for virus detection. Hence, this epidemiological, descriptive, quantitative and documentary study sought to describe the epidemiological profile of PHC users tested for COVID-19 using the rapid test. The research took place in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, between June 10 and August 5, 2020. Most tested users were women (60%), mixed race/brown (53.8%), aged 56 to 60 years (14%), in stable relationships (61.5%), with complete high school (45.4%), sedentary (56.9%), and non-smokers (96.2%). The results allowed us to outline a local epidemiological profile which, when taken with other data obtained throughout the pandemic, has contributed to new measures for promotion, prevention and recovery in the health-disease process.

En el segundo semestre de 2019 estuvo en debate mundial los casos de contaminación por un agente etiológico, que después de investigaciones genéticas la Organización Mundial de la Salud lo clasificó como COVID-19. En Brasil, el virus llegó en febrero de 2020. A partir de ese momento la Atención Primaria de Salud (APS) se convirtió en el elemento fundamental en el escenario de la pandemia con la oferta de servicios, como la realización de exámenes rápidos para diagnóstico del virus. El objetivo de este estudio es describir el perfil epidemiológico de la población usuaria de una unidad de Atención Primaria de Salud que realizaron examen rápido para COVID-19. Este es un estudio descriptivo, documental, con enfoque cuantitativo, del tipo perfil epidemiológico. El estudio se realizó en Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil), entre 10 de junio a 5 de agosto de 2020. En los usuarios testados, se observó el predominio del sexo femenino (60%); color/raza parda (53,8%); franja etaria entre 56 a 60 años (14%); en una relación estable (61,5%); enseñanza secundaria completa (45,4%); no practicantes de actividad física (56,9%) y no fumadores (96,2%). Los resultados permitieron trazar el perfil epidemiológico local que, sumado con los demás datos obtenidos durante la pandemia, contribuyen con nuevas medidas de promoción, prevención y recuperación del proceso salud-enfermedad.