•More than 90% (144/159) of inmates aged >60 were infected with SARS-CoV-2.•Only 2 hospitalisations occurred and no COVID-19 related deaths.•Key actions included periodic health monitoring, active ...case finding and early care.
To assess SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and health outcomes among inmates over 60 years during a COVID-19 outbreak in a major penitentiary complex in the Federal District, Brazil.
A mass test campaign was performed on May 13, 2020, using antibody-detection rapid tests for asymptomatic inmates and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing for those who were symptomatic. Those with negative results were retested on June 16. Inmates were interviewed to characterise background health conditions and the presence of symptoms.
A total of 159 inmates were evaluated. In the first mass testing, 79.9% (127/159) of inmates had been infected, of whom 53.5% (68/127) reported symptoms. In the second testing round, 17 new cases were identified, increasing the total to 90.6% (144/159) of inmates with a positive result. Comorbidities were present in 67.3% of inmates; 2 hospitalisations and no COVID-related deaths were recorded.
More than 90% of inmates aged >60 years were infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the outbreak. Periodic health monitoring, active case finding and early care for symptomatic patients contributed to positive post-infection outcomes. Such measures must be considered essential for the surveillance of COVID-19 in environments with limited capacity to promote social distance, such as penitentiary institutions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The addition of xylooligosaccharide (XOS), sodium reduction and flavor enhancers (arginine and yeast extract) on the manufacture of requeijão cremoso processed cheese was investigated. The addition ...of XOS resulted in a denser and compact structure, with increased apparent viscosity, elasticity (G′) and firmness (G*). The addition of XOS and yeast extract improved the rheological and physicochemical properties (decrease in viscosity and particle size and increase in melting rate) and sensory characteristics (improvement in salty and acid taste, greater homogeneity, and lower bitter taste). In addition, a positive effect of arginine was observed in the sensory characteristics of the requeijão cremoso processed cheese, but without improvements in the physicochemical and rheological characteristics. Overall, the XOS addition and sodium reduction proportionated the development of a healthier processed cheese formulation.
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•Addition of xylooligosaccharide and sodium reduction in requeijão cremoso processed cheese.•XOS decreased consistency and increased elasticity and firmness.•XOS and yeast extract improved the rheological and physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics.•Arginine and yeast extract increased salty taste and reduced bitter taste.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Central factors negatively affect the functional capacity of Fontan patients (FP), but “non-cardiac” factors, such as pulmonary function, may contribute to their exercise intolerance. We studied the ...pulmonary function in asymptomatic FP and its correlations with their functional capacity. Pulmonary function and cardiopulmonary exercise tests were performed in a prospective study of 27 FP and 27 healthy controls (HC). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance was used to evaluate the Fontan circulation. The mean age at tests, the mean age at surgery, and the median follow-up time of FP were 20(±6), 8(±3), and 11(8–17) years, respectively. Dominant ventricle ejection fraction was within normal range. The mean of peak VO
2
expressed in absolute values (L/min), the relative values to body weight (mL/kg/min), and their predicted values were lower in FP compared with HC: 1.69 (±0.56) vs 2.81 (±0.77) L/min; 29.9 (±6.1) vs 41.5 (±9.3) mL/kg/min
p
< 0.001 and predicted VO
2
Peak 71% (±14) vs 100% (±20)
p
< 0.001. The absolute and predicted values of the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV
1
), inspiratory capacity (IC), total lung capacity (TLC), diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide of the lung (DLCO), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) were also significantly lower in the Fontan population compared to HC. An increased risk of restrictive ventilatory pattern was found in patients with postural deviations (OD:10.0, IC:1.02–97.5,
p
= 0.042). There was a strong correlation between pulmonary function and absolute peak VO
2
FVC (
r
= 0.86,
p
< 0.001); FEV
1
(
r
= 0.83,
p
< 0.001); IC (
r
= 0.84,
p
< 0.001); TLC (
r
= 0.79,
p
< 0.001); and DLCO (
r
= 0.72,
p
< 0.001). The strength of the inspiratory muscles in absolute and predicted values was also reduced in FP −79(±28) vs −109(±44) cmH
2
O (
p
= 0.004) and 67(±26) vs 89(±36) % (
p
= 0.016). Thus, we concluded that the pulmonary function was impaired in clinically stable Fontan patients and the static and dynamic lung volumes were significantly reduced compared with HC. We also demonstrated a strong correlation between absolute Peak VO
2
with the FVC, FEV
1
, TLC, and DLCO measured by complete pulmonary test.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease of global importance caused by parasites of the genus
Leishmania
, and coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is common in ...countries where both diseases are endemic. In particular, widely used immunological tests for VL diagnosis have impaired sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) in VL/HIV coinfected patients and there is also cross-reactivity with other endemic diseases, e.g., Chagas disease, malaria, and tuberculosis. To develop new antigens to improve the diagnosis of VL and VL/HIV coinfection, we predicted eight specific B-cell epitopes of four
Leishmania infantum
antigens and constructed a recombinant polypeptide chimera antigen called ChimLeish. A serological panel of 195 serum samples was used to compare the diagnostic capabilities of ChimLeish alongside the individual synthetic peptides. ChimLeish reacted with sera from all VL and VL/HIV coinfected patients Se = 100%; Sp = 100%; area under the curve (AUC) = 1.0. Peptides showed lower reactivities (Se = 76.8 to 99.2%; Sp = 67.1 to 95.7%; AUC between 0.87 and 0.98) as did a
L. infantum
antigenic preparation used as an antigen control (Se = 56.8%; Sp = 69.5%: AUC = 0.45). Notably, ChimLeish demonstrated a significant reduction (
p
< 0.05) of anti-ChimLeish antibodies after treatment and cure of a small number of patients. Although only a limited serological panel was tested, preliminary data suggest that ChimLeish should be evaluated in larger sample studies for the diagnosis of VL and VL/HIV coinfection.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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•First study evaluating the application of cold plasma to prebiotic whey beverages.•Xylooligosaccharide and sugars were maintained after cold plasma processing.•Cold plasma decreased ...color intensity and consistency of whey beverages.•Cold plasma treated beverages showed higher concentrations of bioactive compounds.•Cold plasma improved the heat load indicators of whey beverages.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of cold plasma (0, 5, 10, or 15 min) on the techno-functional and sensory properties of whey dairy beverages added with xylooligosaccharide (XOS, 1.5% p/v). Untreated and pasteurized whey beverages were also evaluated. The products were evaluated for physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, XOS stability, rheological properties, and sensory characteristics. Cold plasma and pasteurized products presented lower color intensity (L*=87.4–87.9, a*=-0.24- −0.60, b*=2.41–5.19), reduced consistency (K = 4.31–42.21 mPa.sn and N = 0.57–0.95), and similar apparent viscosity, XOS chemical stability, and sensory characteristics compared with the untreated product. However, the cold plasma-treated beverages presented lower heat load indicators (hydroxymethylfurfural HMF values of 1.91–2.10 µmol/L and whey protein nitrogen index WPNI of 6.09–6.66 µmol/L) and a higher concentration of bioactive compounds (antioxidant activity 5.31–9.30%, and inhibition of ACE 14.17–22.53%, α-amylase 18.52–25.67% and α-glucosidase 22.50–27.50% activities) than the pasteurized product, being the effects more pronounced for the higher exposure times. Overall, cold plasma has important advantages for the processing of whey beverages added with XOS.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The co-infection between visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased in several countries in the world. The current serological tests are not suitable since they ...present low sensitivity to detect the most of VL/HIV cases, and a more precise diagnosis should be performed. In this context, in the present study, an immunoproteomics approach was performed using Leishmania infantum antigenic extracts and VL, HIV and VL/HIV patients sera, besides healthy subjects samples; aiming to identify antigenic markers for these clinical conditions. Results showed that 43 spots were recognized by antibodies in VL and VL/HIV sera, and 26 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. Between them, β-tubulin was expressed, purified and tested in ELISA experiments as a proof of concept for validation of our immunoproteomics findings and results showed high sensitivity and specificity values to detect VL and VL/HIV patients. In conclusion, the identified proteins in the present work could be considered as candidates for future studies aiming to improvement of the diagnosis of VL and VL/HIV co-infection.
Background: There is a paucity of information concerning left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony assessment by real time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography (RT3DE) versus tissue Doppler imaging ...(TDI). Aims: To compare RT3DE and TDI LV dyssynchrony assessment. Methods: A prospective study of 92 individuals (56 men, age 47 ± 10 years), 32 with dilated cardiomyopathy (CMP), and 60 healthy individuals. By RT3DE, we measured the LV% dyssynchrony index (DI) of 6, 12, and 16 segments (SDI). By pulsed‐wave TDI, we measured the QS electromechanical interval in the basal segments of the mitral valve annulus of the septum, the lateral, anterior and inferior walls, and the TDI% DI. Results: In the normal group, the 3D DI was 1.1 ± 0.8%, 1.4 ± 1.3%, 1.8 ± 1.7%, for 6 segments, 12 segments, and SDI, respectively. The correlation coefficient (Pearson's r) for the TDI DI and SDI was r = 0.2381 (P = 0.0470). In CMP group, the 3D DI was 4.6 ± 5.4%, 7.9 ± 7.1%, 11.1 ± 7.1%, for 6 segments, 12 segments, and SDI, respectively. The correlation coefficient for TDI DI and SDI was r = 0.7838 (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: We observed a good correlation between RT3DE and tissue Doppler LV dyssynchrony assessment in patients with advanced heart failure. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
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