Despite the fact that the occurrence of emerging contaminants in the environment has become frequent in recent decades, the seasonal dynamics of contaminants in different environmental compartments ...are little studied in protected areas influenced by effluent discharges. In this study, the seasonal and spatial occurrence of 33 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) was investigated in surface waters and sediments from Anil and Bacanga rivers (northeast of Brazil). The studied area is located within a Wetland of International Importance by Ramsar Convention (Amazon Estuary and its Mangroves). Sample preparation was carried out using solid-phase extraction and QuEChERS, for water and sediment samples, respectively and all determinations were performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Eleven PPCPs were detected in water samples and 14 in sediments. In aqueous samples, caffeine was the most occurring compound reaching 13,798 ng L−1. In addition, high levels of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and diclofenac were also observed. In the sediment samples, triclocarban, benzophenone-3, ketoconazole and methylparaben were also detected. The spatial and temporal distribution of the assessed molecules indicates urbanization and anthropic activities as relevant sources of PPCPs in the region. Moreover, the levels of acetaminophen, caffeine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, benzophenone-3, triclosan and triclocarban measured within the Ramsar site pose a high risk to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. These findings indicate potential threats to the allegedly protected biodiversity and, therefore, urgent actions are needed to effectively protect this unique and vulnerable area.
Display omitted
•20 PPCPs were detected in environmental samples obtained in a Ramsar site from Brazil.•WWTPs outfalls are the main source of PPCPs in the studied area.•Seasonal variations were observed, with increase of PPCPs in the dry season.•Distribution coefficients sediment/water were determined.•Risk assessment was carried out and 7 PPCPs present RQ > 1.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background
There is a high incidence of perioperative anxiety in the pediatric population, with adverse side effects, such as emergency delirium and maladaptive postoperative behaviors.
Aims
The ...study's objective was to compare the level of preoperative anxiety in children after standard preparation plus a virtual tour of the operating room vs. standard preparation alone.
Patients/Methods
This was a prospective single‐center, randomized, controlled, blinded trial with parallel assignment, registered as NCT04043663. Eligible subjects were healthy children (ASA I‐II) aged 4–12, scheduled for outpatient surgery. Five visits were conducted during the study, two at the hospital and three over the phone. Variables assessed were child's anxiety through the modified Yale Perioperative Anxiety Scale, demographic data, cooperation with induction through the Induction Compliance Checklist, preoperative parental anxiety through the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and Anxiety Visual Analog Scale, the postoperative delirium degree through the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale, the presence of behavioral changes through the Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire for Ambulatory Surgery, and the overall parental satisfaction.
Results
A total of 125 participants were included; 61 (48.8%) of them were randomized to the Virtual Tour Group (VT+) and 64 (51.2%) to the Non‐virtual Tour Group (VT‐). Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale results in VT+ vs. VT‐ were mean 27.26 vs. 32.57, and median 23.4 (CI 95% 23.4–23.4) vs. 23.4 (CI 95% 23.4–33.4), (p = .0086). In the VT+ group, satisfaction was higher for questions one (p = .0213), three (p = <.0001), and four (p = .0130). Throughout the study, we observed a significant reduction in perioperative anxiety in the VT+ group, facilitating anesthetic induction in perfect (p = .018) and moderate compliance (p = .0428). The other variables did not show statistically significant differences.
Conclusion
Our study confirms previous studies that found virtual tours for perioperative patients may reduce perioperative anxiety and improve satisfaction. We found no impact on longer‐term outcomes.
Full text
Available for:
DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This article proposes the use of photojournalism to understand women’s urban mobility practices in contemporary Mexico City. Throughout the analysis, a variety of issues such as economic violence, ...time poverty and sexual harassment emerge. In general, the article argues that, by analysing the cultural representations that circulate within different media in a specific social and historical context, particular experiences of urban mobilities are made visible, thereby enriching current urban mobility scholarship. Specifically, the article explores how the analysis of material makes visible the various and distinct encounters that women experience when using public transport in Mexico City. The article makes the case that there is already plenty of scholarship within the humanities and cultural studies that could be integrated into existing research on urban mobility practices, enhancing our understanding of how such practices are distinct in particular locations and time periods, and ultimately helping to achieve a more complex and nuanced understanding of them.
Full text
Available for:
NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Antifouling biocides, such as irgarol and diuron, are commonly used in antifouling paints. Recently, studies carried out in a Brazilian region of ecological concern have warned for extremely high ...levels of these biocides. So, this work focused on a 4-year (2015–2018) evaluation considering the occurrence, environmental fate, seasonal variations and ecological risk assessment of irgarol and diuron in water and sediment from São Marcos Bay, Brazil, which is an area of international relevance located in the Amazon region. The results showed the ubiquitous presence of antifouling biocides, as well as their wide distribution along the bay. The concentration range of irgarol was between <0.8 and 89.4 ng L−1 in water and between <0.5 and 9.2 ng g−1dw in sediments, whereas diuron showed a range between <1.4 and 22.0 ng L−1 in water and between <2.0 and 15.0 ng g−1dw in sediments. The distribution of the biocides was mainly related to the intense Bay hydrodynamics. The environmental risk assessment showed that irgarol and diuron posed “high risk” to the aquatic biota of São Marcos Bay, exceeding international Environmental Quality Guidelines. The results represent a robust study on the environmental fate of such biocides and intend to be a useful data source for eventual legislation since regulation concerning antifouling substances is necessary for Brazil.
Display omitted
•Water and sediments from S. Marcos Bay were contaminated by antifouling substances.•Contaminants were mostly found in water samples.•Diuron and irgarol were related to the distinct paint formulations.•Irgarol and diuron levels suggested “high risk” to the aquatic environment.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The antifouling booster biocides are frequently studied for toxic effects on the aquatic ecosystems. The present investigation proposes passive silicone rubber samplers as a collection method for ...biocides, once these methods can concentrate substances in aqueous matrices at very low levels. Through the passive sampler-water partition coefficient (Ksw) and the analyte chemical nature, we can optimize their extraction from the membrane to apply in the sample medium. We used the co-solvent method to determine the Ksw of three third-generation antifouling biocides, chlorothalonil, dichlofluanid, and dichlorooctylisothiazolinone (DCOIT), with log Ksw = 2.24, 4.01, and 2.38, respectively. Improving extraction also led to a recovery range higher than 70%, determinations were carried out by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector. Biocides concentration in seawater samples from Itaqui port (São Marcos Bay, northern Brazil) ranged from 0.058 to 0.72 μg L-1 for chlorothalonil, 0.001 to 0.008 μg L-1 for dichlofluanid, and 0.018 to 0.64 μg L-1 for DCOIT.
Imposex is is a well-documented deleterious effect caused by tributyltin (TBT) in females of hundreds of Caenogastropoda species and it is a well-established way of predicting BTs occurrence in ...marine systems. This study presents the very first information on the presence and distribution of imposex in Stramonita brasiliensis (Claremont and Reid, 2011) in the Brazilian Legal Amazon, within a Ramsar site, during a 6-year appraisal after the TBT global ban in 2008 (2012–2017). Imposex was evidenced in six out of the seven sampling sites, with 39.7% of the total affected females, most of them showing VDSI <1. The temporal appraisal allowed the identification of the introduction of new sources of TBT in some sites, as well as populational recovery in other sampling points. In addition, the dilution effect present in São Marcos Bay was also likely to play an important role in the imposex distribution.
Display omitted
•The first appraisal of imposex in Stramonita brasiliensis from Brazil's Legal Amazon.•Imposex was ubiquitous in most of the sampling sites.•Dilution effect may have influenced imposex distribution.•Levels of imposex represent concerns in the region.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Common photosensitizers used in photodynamic therapy do not penetrate the skin effectively. In addition, the visible blue and red lights used to excite such photosensitizers have shallow penetration ...depths through tissue. To overcome these limitations, we have synthesized ultraviolet- and visible-light-emitting, energy-transfer-based upconversion nanoparticles and coencapsulated them inside PLGA–PEG (methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) nanoparticles with the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX. Nd3+ has been introduced as a sensitizer in the upconversion nanostructure to allow its excitation at 808 nm. The subcytotoxic doses of the hybrid nanoparticles have been evaluated on different cell lines (i.e., fibroblasts, HaCaT, THP-1 monocytic cell line, U251MG (glioblastoma cell line), and mMSCs (murine mesenchymal stem cells). Upon NIR (near infrared)-light excitation, the upconversion nanoparticles emitted UV and VIS light, which consequently activated the generation of reactive-oxygen species (ROS). In addition, after irradiating at 808 nm, the resulting hybrid nanoparticles containing both upconversion nanoparticles and protoporphyrin IX generated 3.4 times more ROS than PLGA–PEG nanoparticles containing just the same dose of protoporphyrin IX. Their photodynamic effect was also assayed on different cell cultures, demonstrating their efficacy in selectively killing treated and irradiated cells. Compared to the topical application of the free photosensitizer, enhanced skin permeation and penetration were observed for the nanoparticulate formulation, using an ex vivo human-skin-permeation experiment. Whereas free protoporphyrin IX remained located at the outer layer of the skin, nanoparticle-encapsulated protoporphyrin IX was able to penetrate through the epidermal layer slightly into the dermis.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Fouling organisms attach and grow on submerged surfaces causing several economic losses. Thus, biocides have been introduced in antifouling paints in order to avoid this phenomenon, but their ...widespread use became a global problem, mainly in ports, leisure and fishing boat harbors, since these substances can be highly toxic to non-target organisms. The occurrence and environmental behavior of antifouling biocides are especially unknown in some peculiar regions, such as Amazon areas. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, levels and the partitioning behavior of the antifouling organic biocides irgarol, diuron and also stable degradation products of dichlofluanid and diuron (DMSA and DCPMU, respectively) in sediments and porewaters from a high boat traffic area located in the Northeast of Brazil, a pre-Amazon region. Our results showed high concentrations of irgarol (<1.0–89.7 μg kg−1) and diuron (<5.0–55.2 μg kg−1) in sediments. In porewater, DCPMU (<0.03–0.67 μg L−1) and DMSA (<0.008–0.263 μg L−1) were the mainly substances detected. High Kd and Koc obtained for both irgarol and diuron showed a partitioning preference in the solid phase. This work represents one of the few registers of contamination by antifouling substances in Amazonian areas, despite their environmental relevance.
Display omitted
•Sediments and porewaters of Brazilian areas were contaminated by antifouling biocides.•The antifouling contamination was mainly associated to small fishing harbors.•Levels in porewaters accounted for a limited fraction of the contamination.•First occurrence of DMSA related to antifouling use at the Brazilian coast.
Sediments and porewaters from Brazilian coast areas are contaminated by antifouling substances.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction. Sexuality and equality education are considered areas of relevant pedagogical research and intervention within current educational contexts in view of the violence and inequalities ...derived from the patriarchal system. Aims. This paper presents the main results of a research study that seeks to analyze the competence in sexuality and equality of university students during teacher training in Spain (Castilla la Mancha University). Method. For this, the study used a quantitative methodology and administered a nine-dimension questionnaire to 371 students. Results. The study revealed the weak acquisition of competence in sexuality and equality and the persistence of stereotyped images of sexualities. Furthermore, these findings show that future teachers have a weak equality-based professional practice due to an educational approach that lacks a gender perspective. Conclusions. The main conclusions highlight the evident formative needs in sexuality and equality and the absence of transforming feminist knowledge. All this can affect the development of quality education in sexuality and equality in students’ future educational practices.
PDF
