ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: A population-based household survey was performed, from July 27, 2020 to August 8, 2020. The estimates considered clustering, stratification and non-response. Qualitative detection of IgM and IgG antibodies was performed in a fully-automated Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on the Cobas® e601 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics). RESULTS: In total, 3,156 individuals were interviewed. Seroprevalence of total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was 40.4% (95%CI 35.6-45.3). Population adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions was higher at the beginning of the pandemic than in the last month. SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were significantly lower among mask wearers and among those who maintained social and physical distancing in the last month compared to their counterparts. Among the infected, 26.0% were asymptomatic. The infection fatality rate (IFR) was 0.14%, higher for men and older adults. The IFR based on excess deaths was 0.28%. The ratio of estimated infections to reported cases was 22.2. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 estimated in this population-based survey is one of the highest reported. The local herd immunity threshold may have been reached or might be reached soon.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: A population-based household survey was performed, from July 27, 2020 to August 8, 2020. The estimates considered clustering, stratification and non-response. Qualitative detection of IgM and IgG antibodies was performed in a fully-automated Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on the Cobas® e601 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics). RESULTS: In total, 3,156 individuals were interviewed. Seroprevalence of total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was 40.4% (95%CI 35.6-45.3). Population adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions was higher at the beginning of the pandemic than in the last month. SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were significantly lower among mask wearers and among those who maintained social and physical distancing in the last month compared to their counterparts. Among the infected, 26.0% were asymptomatic. The infection fatality rate (IFR) was 0.14%, higher for men and older adults. The IFR based on excess deaths was 0.28%. The ratio of estimated infections to reported cases was 22.2. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 estimated in this population-based survey is one of the highest reported. The local herd immunity threshold may have been reached or might be reached soon.

Abstract Introduction Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive technique that allows the detection of specific cerebral functions in humans based on hemodynamic changes. The contrast changes are about 5%, making visual inspection impossible. Thus, statistic strategies are applied to infer which brain region is engaged in a task. However, the traditional methods like general linear model and cross-correlation utilize voxel-wise calculation, introducing a lot of false-positive data. So, in this work we tested post-processing cluster algorithms to diminish the false-positives. Methods In this study, three clustering algorithms (the hierarchical cluster, k-means and self-organizing maps) were tested and compared for false-positive removal in the post-processing of cross-correlation analyses. Results Our results showed that the hierarchical cluster presented the best performance to remove the false positives in fMRI, being 2.3 times more accurate than k-means, and 1.9 times more accurate than self-organizing maps. Conclusion The hierarchical cluster presented the best performance in false-positive removal because it uses the inconsistency coefficient threshold, while k-means and self-organizing maps utilize a priori cluster number (centroids and neurons number); thus, the hierarchical cluster avoids clustering scattered voxels, as the inconsistency coefficient threshold allows only the voxels to be clustered that are at a minimum distance to some cluster.

RESUMO Racional: Os benefícios para a saúde associados ao consumo moderado de vinho, como etanol e compostos fenólicos, incluem mecanismos diferentes ainda pouco compreensíveis. Objetivo: Avaliar as variações da glicemia, peso e depósito de triglicrideos, colesterol e glicogênio hepático com o uso de vinho tinto. Métodos: Sessenta camundongos ApoE knockout foram divididos em três grupos de 20: Grupo do Vinho (WG), grupo do Etanol (EG) Grupo Água (WAG). Cada grupo recebeu diariamente: WG 50 ml de vinho e 50 ml de água; EG 6 ml de etanol e WAG 94 ml de água. Resultados: O WG teve aumento de peso mais elevado em comparação com os outros grupos. A concentração de triglicerídeos foi maior no WG (57%) e no grupo EG inferior (31,6%) do que no controle (p <0,01). A concentração de colesterol foi inferior no WG (23,6%) e no EG (24,5%, p<0,05). A concentração de glicogênio foi maior no WG (16%); a glicemia capilar foi maior no EG em comparação com os outros grupos, mas não demonstrou diferença estatisticamente significativa. Conclusão: Triglicerídeos ficaram aumentados no WG e o colesterol diminuiu no WAG. Os triglicerídeos podem ter aumentado devido ao alto valor calórico do vinho ou alguma propriedade desconhecida que levou ao aumento significativo da gordura subcutânea e retroperitoneal nos camundongos.

ABSTRACT Background: The health benefits associated with moderate wine consumption, as with ethanol and phenolic compounds, include different mechanisms still little understandable. Aim: Evaluate glycemic and weight variations, and the deposit of triglycerides, cholesterol and liver glycogen with red wine consumption. Methods: 60 ApoE knockout mice were divided into three groups of 20: Wine Group (WG), Ethanol Group (EG) and Water Group (WAG). They received daily: WG 50 ml of wine and 50 ml water; EG 6 ml ethanol and WAG 94 ml of water. All groups were followed for four months. The food intake was monitored daily, in the period from eight to ten hours and held every five days. The measurement of water intake was also made every five days. The weighing of the animals took place every ten days. Results: The WG had higher weight increase as compared to the other groups. The concentration of hepatic triglyceride was higher in WG (57%) and the EG group was lower (31.6%, p<0.01) than the control. The concentration of cholesterol was lower in the WG (23.6%), as well as EG (24.5%, p<0.05). The concentration of glycogen was higher in WG (16%) and fasting blood glucose was higher in EG compared to the other groups but not both demonstrated a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The WG increased triglyceride and WAG decreased cholesterol. The triglyceride may be increased due to the high caloric value of wine or some unknown property that led to significant increase in subcutaneous andretroperitoneal fat in mice.

Resumo Objetivos Avaliar o perfil epidemiológico de crianças e adolescentes portadores de estomas intestinais atendidos no Hospital Universitário Presidente Dutra (HUPD) em São Luís (MA). Métodos Estudo observacional, descritivo, retrospectivo e individuado em que foram coletados dados de 110 crianças e adolescentes com estomas intestinais de eliminação de janeiro de 2006 a fevereiro de 2013. Analisaram-se as variáveis: idade, sexo, procedência dos pacientes, indicação, tipo e caráter temporal dos estomas. Após coleta dos dados, foi feita análise descritiva pelo programa Bioestat 5.0. Resultados Dos 110 pacientes, 78,2% eram do sexo masculino e 21,8% do sexo feminino. A idade média foi de 9,4 anos. 55,5% era procedente do interior do Estado do Maranhão e 44,5% da capital, São Luís. Com relação ao tipo: 88,2% eram colostomias e 11,8% ileostomias, todos os estomas temporários. A causa principal foi o trauma (42,7%), sendo a perfuração abdominal por arma de fogo a mais frequente (71,5% da categoria); seguido pelas anomalias congênitas (38,2%), causas obstrutivas (5,4%) e inflamatórias (4,5%). Conclusão As crianças e adolescentes estudados eram, em sua maioria, do sexo masculino, proveniente do interior do Estado do Maranhão, tendo como principal causa a traumática e a colostomia como o tipo de estoma mais comum.

Abstract Objectives To assess the epidemiological profile of children and adolescents with intestinal stoma, assisted at the Presidente Dutra University Hospital (HUPD), São Luís (MA). Methods Observational, descriptive, retrospective, and individuated study. Data were collected from 110 children and adolescents with elimination intestinal stoma, from January 2006 to February 2013. The following variables were analyzed: age, gender, patient origin, and stomata indication, type, and temporal character. After data collection, descriptive analysis was made by Bioestat 5.0 program. Results Of 110 patients, 78.2% were male and 21.8% female. The average age was 9.4 years old. 55.5% came from the Maranhão state countryside, and 44.5% from the capital, São Luís. Regarding stoma type, colostomies made up 88.2%, and were 11.8% ileostomies, all temporary stoma. The main cause was trauma (42.7%), with firearm abdominal puncture being the most frequent cause (71.5% of the category); followed by congenital anomalies (38.2%), and obstructive (5.4%) and inflammatory (4.5%) causes. Conclusion Studied children and adolescents were mostly male, from Maranhão state countryside. The main cause was trauma, and colostomy was the most common stoma type.

Introduction Diabetes patients can benefit significantly from early diagnosis. Thus, accurate automated screening is becoming increasingly important due to the wide spread of that disease. Previous studies in automated screening have found a maximum accuracy of 92.6%. Methods This work proposes a classification methodology based on efficient coding of the input data, which is carried out by decreasing input data redundancy using well-known ICA algorithms, such as FastICA, JADE and INFOMAX. The classifier used in the task to discriminate diabetics from non-diaibetics is the one class support vector machine. Classification tests were performed using noninvasive and invasive indicators. Results The results suggest that redundancy reduction increases one-class support vector machine performance when discriminating between diabetics and nondiabetics up to an accuracy of 98.47% while using all indicators. By using only noninvasive indicators, an accuracy of 98.28% was obtained. Conclusion The ICA feature extraction improves the performance of the classifier in the data set because it reduces the statistical dependence of the collected data, which increases the ability of the classifier to find accurate class boundaries.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of crude extract of Euphorbia tirucalli in cutaneous wound healing. METHODS: A total of 20 Swiss mice were randomly divided into two groups, aveloz (GA) and control (CG), and each group was further divided into two subgroups based on the deaths scheduled for the 7th and 14th days after surgery. The animals underwent a resection of cutaneous fragment with 1cm in diameter on the dorsum; the GA was applied in each animal on the subsequent days, 0.1 mL (30 mg/mL) hydroalcoholic extract of Euphorbia tirucalli was applied on the wound, while the same volume of 0.9% saline solution was applied to the GC. It was evaluated the lesion diameter and after programmed death, a surgical specimen was resected for histopathology. RESULTS: In the macroscopic analysis, no statistically significant difference was observed (p = 0.120 and p = 0.186, for the 7th and 14th days of death, respectively). The histological evaluation revealed no statistically significant difference in the variables acute inflammation (p = 0.014) and fibrosis (p = 0.018), when compared the group aveloz with the control group on day 14. CONCLUSION: The crude hydroalcoholic extract of Euphorbia tirucalli L. demonstrated better outcomes in the healing process, acute inflammation and fibrosis on the 14 day postoperatively.

Introduction The incidence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is increasing in Latin America, especially in Brazil, where 256,587 cases were confirmed in the last decade. Methods This study used a Bayesian model to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of ACL cases between 2000 and 2009 in 61 counties of State of Maranhão located along the three main road and railway corridors. Results During the study period, 13,818 cases of ACL were recorded. There was a significant decrease in the incidence of ACL in the ten study years. The recorded incidence rate ranged from 7.36 to 241.45 per 100,000 inhabitants. The relative risk increased in 77% of the counties, decreased in 18% and was maintained in only five counties. Conclusions Although there was a decreased incidence of the disease, ACL was present in all of the examined municipalities, thus maintaining the risk of contracting this illness.

RACIONAL: A gastrorrafia isolada ou associada ao uso de adesivos biológicos constituiu ao longo da história da cirurgia a forma usual de promover a cicatrização nas lesões gástricas e o uso de fitoterápicos tem sido cada vez mais empregado. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a cicatrização de ferida provocada no estômago de ratos com uso do extrato hidroalcoólico de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 60 ratos, adultos, machos, distribuídos em dois grupos: grupo aroeira e grupo controle, os quais foram subdivididos em três subgrupos de cinco animais conforme o momento das mortes dos animais (7, 14 e 21 dias). Todos os animais foram submetidos ao mesmo procedimento cirúrgico (lesão e rafia do estômago) diferindo apenas que os animais do grupo aroeira receberam dose diária de 100 mg/kg do extrato hidroalcoólico via gavagem enquanto o grupo controle recebeu solução salina isotônica. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: alterações macroscópicas e microscópicas, teste de resistência à insuflação de ar atmosférico e teste pela força de tração. RESULTADOS: Todos os animais demonstraram boa cicatrização da parede abdominal e das gastrorrafias, sem infecção e deiscência. Ambos os grupos apresentaram aderências à superfície das gastrorrafias com órgãos vizinhos. O teste de resistência por insuflação de ar atmosférico e força de tração mostraram maiores médias de pressão no 7º dia e de força de ruptura nos períodos estudados para o grupo aroeira. A intensidade da inflamação crônica revelou diferença estatisticamente significante nas variáveis proliferação fobrobrástica e colagenização. CONCLUSÃO: O uso do extrato hidroalcoólico de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi acelerou a cicatrização do estômago de ratos.

BACKGROUND: Gastrorraphy, isolated or associated with the use of biological adhesives, was throughout the history of surgery the usual way to promote healing in gastric lesions and the use of herbal medicine has been increasingly more employed. AIM: To evaluate the wound healing in the stomach of rats with the use of the hydroalcoholic extract of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (aroeira). METHODS: Sixty rats, adult males, were divided into two groups: aroeira group and control group. Each one was subdivided into four subgroups of 15 animals (test groups). Each subdivided subgroup was also subdivided into three subgroups of five rats (deaths periods of 7, 14 and 21 days). All animals underwent the same surgical procedure (injury and stomach suture); animals in the aroeira group received daily dose of 100 mg/kg of hydroalcoholic extract via gavage while the control group received isotonic saline solution. Parameters evaluated were: macroscopic and microscopic changes, test for resistance to insufflation of atmospheric air and test for tensile strength. RESULTS: All animals had good healing of the abdominal wall and gastrorraphies without infection and dehiscence. Both groups had adhesions to the gastrorraphies surfaces with neighboring organs. The resistance test by insufflation of atmospheric air and tensile strength showed higher average of pressure on the 7th day and breaking strength in the time periods for the aroeira group. The intensity of chronic inflammation revealed statistically significant differences in the variables fibroblast proliferation and collagen. CONCLUSION: The use of hydroalcoholic extract of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi accelerated the stomach healing in rats.