Hematological problems are associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Respiratory impairment is the higher point studied, although without experimental studies related to the oxygen transport performed by erythrocytes. Therefore, we decided to investigate if erythrocytes from COVID-19 patients have their functionality changed. The case-control study included hospitalized patients with a positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result admitted to University Hospital. Volunteers (negative RT-PCR results) were recruited as a control group. Thus, we assessed different erythrocytes parameters, oxidative stress markers, and biophysical studies using whole blood and isolated hemoglobin. We found a decrease of 51% in oxygen uptake and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Raman spectrometry showed structural changes in the hemoglobin and lipids of the erythrocytes from COVID-19 patients; thus, these results were consolidated with an increase in Young’s modulus in erythrocytes followed by morphology changes. Besides, isolated hemoglobin from COVID-19 patients has a distinct interaction profile using a ligand model compared to the control. COVID-19 leads to structural, functional, and morphological damage to human erythrocytes. Our data showed structural and molecular changes and induction of oxidative stress in erythrocytes by COVID-19, a new perspective on the contribution of erythrocytes to a respiratory commitment in COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Sling as a therapeutic option for male stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has been reviewed in the last two decades, as it is a relatively simpliest surgery compared to artificial urinary sphincter and has the ability to modulate urethral compression. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy, rate of complications, quality of life and the effects on bladder emptying of the Argus T® compressive and ajustable sling in moderate and severe male SUI treatment. Materials and Methods: Men eligible for stress urinary incontinence treatment after radical prostatectomy were recruited and prospectively evaluated, from March 2010 to November 2016. It was selected outpatient men with moderate and severe SUI, after 12 months of radical prostatectomy, who have failed conservative treatment. All patients had a complete clinical and urodynamic pre and post treatment evaluation, by means of clinical history, physical examination, urine culture, 1-hour pad test and ICIq-SF questionnaire. The UDS was performed after 12, 18 and 24 months postoperatively. Results: Thirty-seven men underwent sling surgery, 19 patients (51.4%) with moderate and 18 (48.6%) with severe SUI. The minimum follow-up time was 5 years. Overall, we had a success rate of 56.7% at 60 months follow-up. After surgery, we did not observe significant changes in the urodynamic parameters evaluated during the follow-up. No patient had urodynamic bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) after sling implantation. Readjustment of the Argus T® sling was performed in 16 (41%) of the patients and 51% of the patients reported some adverse event. Conclusion: We demonstrate a long-term efficacy and safety of Sling Argus T® as an alternative to moderate and severe male SUI treatment. Furthermore, in our study bulbar urethra compression does not lead to bladder outlet obstruction.

Resumen La literatura de factores de la eficiencia de proyectos se Manufactura Esbelta y Seis Sigma es extensa, incluye reportes de sus cuestionables resultados y se observa la falta de explicaciones razonables, objetivas ellos. En la búsqueda de los factores de los proyectos ME/SS la literatura no es concluyente. Por ello, el objetivo de este proyecto de investigación es determinar esos factores. Para ese propósito, se realizó una revisión de literatura, determinado una lista de 29 factores en 48 artículos, dicha lista se redujo a 21 por Meta-Análisis. Con los factores se construyó un cuestionario, con 4 constructos y 25 indicadores, mismo que se validó con las pruebas de KMO y Bartlett. El cuestionario se aplicó a una muestra de 225 ingenieros con experiencia en proyectos de ME/SS desarrollados en plantas industriales que operan tecnologías de alto nivel. La especificación del modelo estructural inicia con un Análisis Factorial Exploratorio con rotación oblicua y por el método de Componentes Principales con rotación Promax y se aplicaron varios indicadores para la evaluación empírica. Se determinaron los factores críticos del éxito de proyectos de ME/SS y se comprobó la bondad de los métodos de ecuaciones estructurales. Se presenta y discute el modelo estructural y sus componentes.

Abstract Literature is extensive regarding the increases of efficiency by Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing (SS/LM) projects, including reports of questionable results and the lack of reasonable explanations about those cases. In the search of the factors influencing the success of the projects, the literature is inconclusive. Therefore, the objective of this work is to determine the factors influencing the success of those projects. For which, a literature review was carried out finding that 48 publications gave a list of 29 factors, which is reduced to 21 by a Meta-Analysis study. These factors are used for the development of a questionnaire with 4 constructs and 25 indicators, which is validated with KMO and Bartlett’s tests. To identify the factors used in the industrial practice and their contributions to success, the questionnaire was applied to a sample of 225 engineers with experience in Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing projects working in high tech manufacturing companies. The specification of the structural model starts with an exploratory factorial analysis-oblique rotation and the method of Principal Axes with Promax rotation, afterward for the empirical evaluation several indexes were used. The critical success factors and the usefulness of SEM for these purposes were determined. The structural model and its components are presented in this paper.

Resumo A literatura sobre os fatores de eficiência do projeto Lean Manufacturing e Seis Sigma é extensa, inclui relatórios de seus resultados questionáveis e carece de explicações razoáveis e objetivas para eles. Na busca dos fatores dos projetos ME/SS, a literatura não é conclusiva. Portanto, o objetivo deste projeto de pesquisa é determinar esses fatores. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura, determinando uma lista de 29 fatores em 48 artigos, esta lista foi reduzida para 21 por Meta-Análise. Foi construído um questionário com os fatores, com 4 construtos e 25 indicadores, o qual foi validado com os testes KMO e Bartlett. O questionário foi aplicado a uma amostra de 225 engenheiros com experiência em projetos de ME/SS desenvolvidos em plantas industriais que operam tecnologias de alto nível. A especificação do modelo estrutural inicia-se com uma Análise Exploratória de Fatores com rotação oblíqua e pelo método de Componentes Principais com rotação Promax e vários indicadores foram aplicados para avaliação empírica. Foram determinados os fatores críticos para o sucesso de projetos de ME/SS e verificada a qualidade dos métodos de equações estruturais. O modelo estrutural e seus componentes são apresentados e discutidos.

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of the present study is to evaluate the anatomy of the inferior hypogastric plexus, correlating it with urological pathologies, imaging exams and surgeries of the female pelvis, especially for treatment of endometriosis. Material and Methods We carried out a review about the anatomy of the inferior hypogastric plexus in the female pelvis. We analyzed papers published in the past 20 years in the databases of Pubmed, Embase and Scielo, and we included only papers in English and excluded case reports, editorials, and opinions of specialists. We also studied two human fixed female corpses and microsurgical dissection material with a stereoscopic magnifying glass with 2.5x magnification. Results Classical anatomical studies provide few details of the morphology of the inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP) or the location and nature of the associated nerves. The fusion of pelvic splanchnic nerves, sacral splanchnic nerves, and superior hypogastric plexus together with visceral afferent fibers form the IHP. The surgeon’s precise knowledge of the anatomical relationship between the hypogastric nerve and the uterosacral ligament is essential to reduce the risk of complications and postoperative morbidity of patients surgically treated for deep infiltrative endometriosis involving the uterosacral ligament. Conclusion Accurate knowledge of the innervation of the female pelvis is of fundamental importance for prevention of possible injuries and voiding dysfunctions as well as the evacuation mechanism in the postoperative period. Imaging exams such as nuclear magnetic resonance are interesting tools for more accurate visualization of the distribution of the hypogastric plexus in the female pelvis.

The objective of the present work was to apply self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) to evaluate the protective capacity of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) antioxidants against the biodiesel oxidation reaction. For this, the antioxidant concentration and the biodiesel compliance parameters were used as continuous input variables and the type of antioxidant as a categorical. The SOFM proved to be an adequate tool for the classification of biodiesel samples containing antioxidants. The performance of the 5 most active networks of the model ranged from 89 to 99% for training, testing, and validation with an error below 1.42 × 10-4. Statistical tests applied to validate the model showed no significant difference between predicted and experimental values. The global sensitivity analysis showed that the relative protection factor (RPF) contributed with 34.89%, the antioxidant with 31.49%, the induction period with 10.69%, the water content with 6.00%, and the others all together with 16.93% in the construction of the regression models by MLP.

This work describes a green synthesis, the characterization, and biological evaluation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs suspension was synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Eucalyptus grandis, which presented a characteristic band at 407 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum. The AgNPs presented a spherical shape and size of 9.7 ± 0.3 nm. The nanoparticles were stable over a month, indicating that E. grandis’ extract is suitable for their preparation and stabilization. The X-ray analysis showed that the crystallinity of AgNPs corresponded to the centered face phase of silver. The antibacterial and leishmanicidal activities of AgNPs were evaluated. The AgNPs presented antibacterial activity on the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli at 53.9 µg mL-1. The leishmanicidal activity evaluation against promastigote forms of Leishmania infantum, Leishmania amazonensis, and Leishmania braziliensis showed that the biological response is dependent on the volume of AgNP suspension. It was demonstrated that L. infantum was more sensitive to the nanoparticle’s treatment than L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis. The treatment of L infantum promastigotes with 150 µL of AgNP suspension reduced parasite growth by 67.9%, a result which was similar to the treatment with 1 (66.7%) or 2 µL (70.6%) of amphotericin B used as a positive control.

Abstract Objective: To investigate the effects of different physical exercise programs and polymorphisms of the FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated gene) on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents with overweight and obesity. Methods: A randomized, parallel, double-blind clinical trial consisting of the adolescent overweight from the state public network, in a simple representative random sample, who participated in an aerobic exercise or weight training intervention for 10 weeks. Anthropometry, body composition, biochemical markers, sexual maturation, and rs9939609 polymorphism in the FTO gene were assessed. 347 adolescents had their characterization of nutritional status. 72 individuals with overweight and obesity were invited to participate. 39 remained for the start of the program and were randomly allocated to both types of intervention. In the end, 26 subjects participated in the intervention programs, with 12 and 14 in the aerobic and weight training programs, respectively. Results: Heterozygous and homozygous bearers of risk allele A participating in the aerobic program showed improvements in glycemia (p = 0.002) and total cholesterol (p = 0.023) and a reduction in body fat mass (p = 0.041). The weight training program reduced glycemia in patients with the risk allele A (p = 0.027). Cameron’s stage four sexual maturation participants were 2.1 times more likely to improve their body fat (CI = 1.31–3.39). Conclusion: Aerobic exercises produced exclusively a significant decrease in fat mass and total cholesterol in patients with risk allele A. Distinct physical exercise programs may cause diverse changes in risk variables related to the health of adolescents.

Abstract Acinetobacter spp. are one of the main pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infections and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality globally, mainly because of their high capacity to present and develop resistance to antimicrobials. To identify species of the Acinetobacter and their resistance profiles from samples collected from hospitalized patients, health professionals and hospital environmental sources in the intensive care units of different public reference hospitals in Porto Velho City, Rondônia, Western Brazilian Amazon. Isolates were identified using microbiological and molecular techniques. The antimicrobial susceptibility profile was determined by disk diffusion. A total of 201 Acinetobacter spp. isolates were identified, of which 47.3% originated from hospital structures, 46.8% from patients and 6% from healthcare professionals. A. baumannii and A. nosocomialis were the most prevalent, with frequency of 58.7% and 31.8%, respectively. Regarding the susceptibility profile, it was observed that 56.3% were classified as multidrug-resistant and 76.2% of the samples belonging to A. baumannii were resistant to carbapenems. In contrast, 96.9% were susceptible to polymyxin B and 91.3% to doxycycline. The data presented here can be used to guide and strengthen the control of multidrug-resistant infections caused by Acinetobacter spp., in addition to improving providing information from a traditionally unassisted region of Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Birds, cartilaginous and teleost fish, reptiles, and some amphibians have intrascleral cartilage and/or bone; however, these are rarely reported in therian mammals. This study aimed to investigate and characterize a nonpathological formation of cartilage in the posterior sclera of sheep macroscopically, histologically, and by immunohistochemical exam (IHC). Ninety eyes from 45 domestic sheep were collected, underwent gross examination, fixed in formalin, and embedded in paraffin for the microscopical assessment. Sections with histological shreds of cartilage were selected to perform IHC to confirm the presence of cartilage. Intrascleral cartilage was detected in 60 eyeballs (66.66%) from 37 sheep (82.22%). A slight whitish thickening was grossly seen in the posterior sclera. The histologic exam revealed a few scattered, isolated chondrocytes to larger aggregates of cartilaginous islands in the posterior sclera. Eighteen (30%) of 60 eyeballs revealed marked anti-collagen type II immunolabeling. The development of cartilaginous structures in the eyes is considered rare in mammalian animals. The high occurrence of intrascleral cartilage in the examined sheep eyes suggests that this finding corresponds to an anatomical component of sheep sclera, despite the age, breed, or body condition.

RESUMO: Aves, peixes cartilaginosos e teleósteos e répteis, bem como alguns anfíbios possuem cartilagem e/ou osso intraescleral, contudo, isso é raramente descrito em marsupiais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar e caracterizar a formação não patológica de cartilagem hialina na esclera posterior de ovinos, por exame macroscópico, histológico e imuno-histoquímico. Olhos de 45 ovinos foram coletados, submetidos a exame macroscópico, fixados em formalina a 10% tamponada e incluídos em parafina para o exame histológico. Amostras com evidência de formação cartilaginosa ao exame histológico foram selecionadas para a realização da técnica de imuno-histoquímica para confirmação. Cartilagem intraescleral foi detectada em 60 amostras oculares (66,66%) de 37 ovinos (82,22%), caracterizada na avaliação macroscópica como discretos espessamentos esbranquiçados na esclera posterior. O exame histológico revelou formações que variaram de condrócitos isolados e dispersos a grandes agregados, formando ilhas cartilaginosas na esclera. Dezoito (30%) de 60 bulbos oculares mostraram imunomarcação anti-colágeno tipo II. O desenvolvimento de estruturas cartilaginosas nos bulbos oculares é considerado raro em mamíferos. A identificação de cartilagem intraescleral em 66% dos olhos ovinos avaliados no estudo indica que a formação de cartilagem corresponde a um componente anatômico normal na esclera de ovinos, independente de idade, raça ou condição corporal.

Abstract Austrodiplostomum Szidat & Nani, 1951 is a genus of parasitic digenetic trematodes widely distributed in the Neotropical region. Infects a wide variety of species, families and requests for freshwater fish. We identify samples of Austrodiplostomum sp, based on metacercariae isolates from eyes of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), a fish of high commercial importance in Brazil, and widely consumed by the population of the northern region. The sequences obtained clustered with A. compactum. This is the first report of the occurrence of diplostomids in farmed tambaqui in Amazonia.

The simultaneous diffusion of inorganic components in the olive pulp in wet brine was modeled based on Fick’s generalized 2nd Law and simulated using the finite element method. The main and crossed diffusion coefficients, the film coefficient and the Biot number were determined, with the application of the simplex optimization method, through the minimization of the percentage errors. The errors between the simulated and experimental data were 5.35% for NaCl and 4.77% for KCl and the adjusted main diffusion coefficients were 0.4358 × 10-12 m2 s-1 for NaCl and 0.5408 × 10-12 m2 s-1 for KCl. The system developed to simulate diffusion allows the control and modulation of the salts content that diffuses through the olive pulp.

Abstract In Compost-Bedded Pack Barn (CBP) systems, air velocity is linked with the thermal comfort of housed dairy cattle and bedding quality and, therefore, assessing ventilation efficiency is essential. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate and characterize dependence and spatial distribution of air velocity at the 1.5 m height (vair,M) and at bedding level (vair,B) in an open CBP system with positive pressure ventilation. The study was conducted in 2021, in a facility located in the Zona da Mata region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The facility area was divided into a mesh composed of 55 equidistant points, where vair,M and vair,B data were collected in the morning (09:00 a.m.) and afternoon (03:00 p.m.) periods, during three weeks in Brazilian winter. Geostatistics techniques were used to assess dependence and spatial distribution. In both periods evaluated, there were a strong occurrence of spatial dependence and non-uniform vair,M and vair,B distributions. The vair,M and vair,B values were lower than recommended (1.8 m∙s–1) in more than 65.0% of the area. Adequate ventilation levels were observed only in the first 20.0 m of the facility, from Southeast to Northwest, because of the fan lines present.

The biodiversity of plant resources is a renewable source that can use as a sustainable component in various applications. The use of vegetable waste as a filler element in polymeric composites is part of the solid waste management policy and the sustainable development of agribusiness. In this work, the natural rubber composites were prepared with acai seed in proportions of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 phr (per hundred rubber). The composites were homogenized in an open cylinder mixer and characterized by rheometric, morphological, mechanical, and thermal tests. The addition of the organic fillers significantly reduced the vulcanization process time. Thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy showed that the composites were thermally stable and showed no structure changes after the vulcanization process, respectively. The Lorenz-Parks method's evaluation of matrix/filler interactions showed a strong interaction between NR/Acai. The new biocomposite can replace non-ecological composites economically and sustainably.

Olive samples were subjected to the salting process in brine containing 1196 mol m−3 of NaCl and 402 mol m−3 of KCl. Samples were collected during 60 h and salt concentration values were determined. With the finite element method (FEM) and the minimization of the errors percentage between the simulated and experimental values, the mass transfer coefficients in the film (hm) were obtained, being 1.0072 × 10−8 and 1.2499 × 10−8 for NaCl and KCl, respectively. The salts concentration at the olive/brine interface was simulated by FEM and analyzed via SOFM. A network with 4 × 4 topology and 10000 training epochs was used. It was observed that the influence of the stationary film formed on the surface of the olives during the salting process depends on the position, the salt involved in the diffusion and that the concentration of the salts, at each point, varies according to the immersion time.

In juice and pulp extraction, about 10% of fruit waste is generated, which often ends up in landfills that can cause environmental damage, serve as food for insects and rodents, and cause health problems for humans. In this work, micronized guava waste was used as a filler in vulcanized compounds in natural rubber. Mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, tear resistance, and abrasion resistance were evaluated, as well as thermal properties such as thermogravimetric analysis, in addition to scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, elemental analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. According to the results of the mechanical properties tests, the addition of up to 20 phr of the filler tends to improve the tensile strength of the composites, resulting in an increase in the density of cross-links obtained through the Flory-Rehner method. The thermal behavior analyzed by TGA and FTIR spectra were not affected by the incorporation of fillers.