We aimed to validate the Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS) among healthcare students in Brazil. The validation process occurred in three phases from August 2022 to July 2023: ...translation and cross-cultural adaptation; content validity assessment involving four experts; and evaluation of psychometric properties among 553 healthcare students from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. We used exploratory factor analysis and convergent validity for structural validation. The average scale content validity index was 0.90, while the evaluation of validity evidence based on the internal structure indicated a robust explanatory model. Parallel analysis indicated that the scale is composed by two dimensions: “Discrimination/Prejudice” and “Stereotype”; the composite reliability values for these dimensions were 0.96 and 0.85, respectively. The Brazilian version of HPASS has shown to be a simple, reliable, and psychometrically valid measure to quantify HIV stigma among healthcare students who speak Brazilian Portuguese.
Resumen
El objetivo de este estudio fue validar la “Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale” (HPASS) entre estudiantes de salud en Brasil. El proceso de validación se llevó a cabo en tres etapas: traducción y adaptación transcultural; evaluación de la validez de contenido; y evaluación de las propiedades psicométricas con estudiantes de salud de la Universidad Federal de Espírito Santo. El índice de validez de contenido promedio de la escala fue de 0.90, mientras que la evaluación de la evidencia de validez basada en la estructura interna indicó un modelo explicativo sólido. El análisis paralelo indicó que la escala está compuesta por dos dimensiones: “Discriminación/Prejuicio” y “Estereotipo”. La versión brasileña de HPASS ha demostrado ser una medida simple, confiable y psicométricamente válida para cuantificar el estigma del VIH entre estudiantes de salud que hablan portugués brasileño.
We aimed to compare subjective (S) vs. objective (O) selective carious tissue removal using hand-excavation versus a self-limiting polymer bur, respectively. A community-based single-blind ...cluster-randomized controlled superiority trial was performed. This is a 1-year-interim analysis. 115 children (age 7-8 years) with ≥1 vital primary molar with a deep dentin lesion (>1/2 dentin depth) were included (60 S/55 O). The cluster was the child, with eligible molars being treated identically (91 S/86 O). Cavities were prepared and carious tissue on pulpo-proximal walls selectively removed using hand instruments (S), or a self-limiting polymer bur (Polybur P1, Komet). Cavities were restored using glass-hybrid material (Equia Forte, GC). Treatment times and children's satisfaction were recorded. Generalized-linear models (GLM) and multi-level Cox-regression analysis were applied. Initial treatment times were not significantly different between protocols (mean; 95%CI S: 433; 404-462 sec; O: 412; 382-441 sec; p = 0.378/GLM). There was no significant difference in patients' satisfaction (p = 0.164). No pulpal exposures occurred. 113 children were re-examined. Failures occurred in 22/84 O-molars (26.2%) and 26/90 S-molars (28.9%). Pulpal complications occurred in 5(6%) O and 2(2.2%) S molars, respectively. Risk of failure was not significantly associated with the removal protocol, age, sex, dental arch or tooth type (p > 0.05/Cox), but was nearly 5-times higher in multi-surface than single-surface restorations (HR: 4.60; 95% CI: 1.70-12.4). Within the limitations of this interim analysis, there was no significant difference in treatment time, satisfaction and risk of failure between O and S.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of diets supplemented with probiotics and different cinnamon levels (powder and essential oil) on immunological parameters of Nile tilapia ...after being subjected to acute stress by hypoxia. Three hundred and thirty juvenile male tilapia fish (66.08 ± 2.79 g) were distributed in 30 tanks of 100 L capacity (11/cage) with a water recirculation system. The animals were fed for 71 days with diets containing extruded cinnamon powder at different levels (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2%), cinnamon essential oil (0.05, 0.1, 0.15; 0.2%) and probiotics (0.4%), all in triplicate. At the end of the experiment, the fish (200.36 ± 19.88 g) of the different groups were subjected to stress by hypoxia. Hypoxia was achieved by capturing the animals with a net, keeping them out of the water for three minutes, and then sampling the blood 30 min after the procedure to determine the levels of cortisol, glucose, haematocrit, lysozyme, bactericidal index, total protein, and its fractions. The animals kept blood homeostasis after hypoxic stress. Diet supplementation with 0.5% cinnamon powder improved the fish immune response, since it resulted in an increase of 0.5% in γ-globulin level. Administration of 0.15% cinnamon essential oil resulted in an increase of α1 and α2-globulins, which may be reflected in increased lipid content of the carcass and the hepatosomatic index. More studies are necessary to better understand the effects of these additives for fish immunity.
•Tilapia juveniles kept blood homeostasis after hypoxic stress.•Cinnamon powder resulted in an increase of γ-globulin.•Cinnamon essential oil resulted in an increase of α1 and α2-globulins.•Cinnamon essential oil may increase lipid deposition in the carcass.
To evaluate, through a systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis, the occurrence of genotoxic effects in the oral epithelium after the exposure of patients to panoramic radiographs.
An SR was ...performed with the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Study design) strategy, aiming to answer the following question: "Can panoramic radiographs induce genotoxic effects on the oral epithelium?" The study was registered in the PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic reviews) platform. A systematic search was performed in the following electronic databases: PubMed (including MedLine), Scopus, Embase, LILACS, Medline EbscoHost, and Google Scholar. Treatment effects were defined as standardized mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were established. The Joanna Briggs Institute questionnaire for observational studies was applied to assess the risk of bias. The GRADE tool was used to assess the quality of evidence of the SR.
A total of 251 potentially relevant studies were selected through the search strategy. After screening titles and abstracts, 11 full-text manuscripts were assessed for eligibility and nine observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. The present study showed an increase in micronuclei after the exposure (SMD = 0.21, 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.28,
= 0.02), with a Tau
index = 0.00, Chi
= 2.35, and
-value = 0.97. Therefore, the articles selected were considered homogeneous and the I² of 0% indicated low heterogeneity.
According to the studies analysed, although the quality of evidence was considered low, panoramic radiographs can cause genotoxic damage in the oral epithelium but with a small effect size.
Summary
The residual biomass of coffee, obtained after the oil extraction from coffee beans, called coffee beans residual press cake, has been attracted interest as a source of compounds with ...antioxidant capacity. This study investigated the effects of ethanolic and methanol‐acetone extracts of green coffee beans (GCB) and its residual press cake (GCC) on the phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. Antioxidant capacity was assayed through five different methods (total phenolic compounds, •DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and β‐carotene bleaching assay), and the phenolic profile of the samples through High Performance Liquid Cromatography. GCB and GCC enclosed chlorogenic (55.16 and 64.96 mg g−1, respectively) and caffeic (25.07 and 44.37 mg g−1, respectively) acids as the major components, and the cake presented higher antioxidant capacity than the actual green bean. Antioxidant capacity was higher for GCC extracted with methanol and acetone. This study on the evaluation of the effects of the type of solvent on the bioactive compounds from GCB and GCC showed that this by‐product can be a source of new value‐added products, such as phenolic antioxidant adjuncts for food or pharmaceutic processing.
The antioxidant capacity of green coffee beans and its press cake was assessed through DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and β‐carotene bleaching assays using different solvents (ethanol and methanol‐acetone), as well as the total phenolic compounds and their profile. Green coffee beans and the cake enclosed chlorogenic and caffeic acids as the major components. The press cake presented higher antioxidant capacity than the actual green bean. The antioxidant activity was higher when the press cake was extracted with the solvents methanol‐acetone.
Two experiments were carried out with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to assess whether protein concentration influences post-ingestive signaling and the ability of fish to modulate protein ...intake from a practical diet. The animals were fed three types of encapsulated diet: control, cellulose-based diet (CD) = 0% protein; diet with 25% crude protein (D25); and diet with 42% crude protein (D42). In the first experiment, 20 fish were divided into two groups, one being fed CD and D25 and the other fed CD and D42. In the second experiment, 15 tilapia were fed D25 and D42. In the first experiment, the two groups of tilapia consumed more capsules containing D25 (62.83%) and D42 (55.54%), and the animals that received D25 noticed the difference between the capsules more quickly (7 days of the experiment) than did those that received D42 (11 days). In the second experiment, there was a preference for capsules containing D25, compared to D42, which was demonstrated after 23 days of the experiment. The animals adjusted both the amount of crude protein ingested daily (31.86%) and the rate of daily feed consumption to biomass (1.36%). Tilapia can select the diet that best meets their nutritional needs, adjusting the protein ingested and feed consumed.
•Tilapia can select diets through post-ingestive signs.•The level of protein in the diet influences the speed of identification of this nutrient through post-ingestion signals.•Tilapia can adjust their protein intake through post-ingestive signals.•Deepening the study of this species with high potential for aquaculture.
This study aimed to identify factors associated with the hardy personality in health professionals working in hospital services that treat critically ill patients. This is an epidemiological, ...cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted with 469 health professionals. We used the Hardiness Scale (HS), coupled with a questionnaire to investigate sociodemographic, occupational, and health conditions. A descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed using the chi-square test and the multiple model through multiple logistic regression, using the Hosmer-Lemeshow and PseudoR2 tests, estimating odds ratios. The classification of total scores in HS showed prevailing moderate hardiness (48.4%). Professionals with a fair or poor fantastic lifestyle (FL) were 74% less likely to show high hardiness than those with very good and excellent FL. Also, professionals who were not on leave, who had high satisfaction with compassion at work, low stress, and low burnout were more likely to show high hardiness. The hardy personality, directly and indirectly, influences the health and well-being of health professionals working in hospital services that treat critically ill patients.
Environmental factors such as light and temperature present cyclic variations during the day. High temperatures occur during the light phase, whereas low temperatures take place at night (i.e. a ...daily thermocycle). Although applying thermocycles to fish larvae improves growth in some species, nothing is known about the impact during the early development of the digestive system. The aim of the present research was to investigate the effect of different temperature regimes, cycling versus constant, on the daily rhythms of digestive factors and growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) larvae. For this purpose, fertilized eggs (stage 1) were divided into two groups: one under a thermocycle (TC) of 31 °C:25 °C day:night and another group at constant temperature of 28 °C (CTE). Photoperiod was set at 12:12 h light/dark cycle. Larvae length was measured on 4, 8 and 13 days post-fertilization (dpf) and samples were collected every 4 h during a 24-h cycle on these days. The expression levels of pepsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, trypsinogen, lipase, maltase, isomaltase, npy and cck were analyzed by qPCR. The results showed that growth was greater when larvae were reared at TC than at CTE. Moreover, on 13 dpf, most analyzed genes (chymotrypsinogen, lipase, maltase, isomaltase, npy and cck) displayed daily rhythms in the TC group but not in CTE, with most acrophases located around mealtime. These rhythms might explain the higher growth rate observed in the TC larvae due to improved synchronization of feed digestion and utilization. These findings could be useful for improving rearing protocols used in tilapia larviculture and enhancing production performance.
•Tilapia larvae reared under thermocycles presented a higher growth than larvae reared at constant temperature.•In the thermocycles, larvae showed a higher number of digestive factors that displayed daily rhythms of expression.•Most digestive factors that were rhythmic correlated with mealtime, among them proteases, lipase and hormones.•The use of thermocycles in tilapia larviculture is recommended.
While some studies have investigated the effects of dietary protein on the activities of protease in Nile tilapia, little information exists about these enzymes and hormones regulating appetite at ...the molecular level. Therefore, we investigated the performance, protease activities and expression of genes related to protein intake and digestion in juvenile tilapia fed with diets containing different levels of crude protein (CP): 25.14, 31.12, 36.60 and 42.05%. The fish were fed to apparent satiation three times a day for 65 days. The animal performance and the retention rates of protein and energy linearly decreased with an increase in dietary CP content. A positive quadratic effect of CP on pepsinogen was observed, although the acid protease activity was not affected. Trypsinogen and trypsin activity in the intestine presented similar patterns, showing a positive quadratic response to dietary protein levels. A linear increase in intestinal chymotrypsinogen expression was observed, but the activity of chymotrypsin showed a positive quadratic response. In addition, the expression of cholecystokinin (cck) and peptide yy (pyy) increased linearly with increasing CP. Dietary protein modulates the activity of alkaline proteases as well as the expression of these protease genes and hormones involved in appetite regulation. These changes can help expand our understanding of feed intake and digestion control, thereby improving feed formulations for this species.
Peanut (
Arachis hypogaea
L.) is an important crop for the family-based systems in the tropics, mainly in Brazil. In the Brazilian drylands, peanuts are cropped in low technological systems, and ...cheap and efficient technologies are needed to improve crop yield and sustainability. Despite this importance, few data are available on selecting efficient peanut rhizobia in experiments under different edaphoclimatic conditions. This work evaluated the agronomic efficiency and the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by two elite
Bradyrhizobium
strains under four different fields in the Brazilian semiarid region. We compared a new efficient strain
Bradyrhizobium
sp. ESA 123 with the reference strain
B. elkanii
SEMIA 6144, currently used in peanut rhizobial inoculants in Brazil. Besides the inoculated treatments, two uninoculated controls were assessed (with and without 80 kg ha
−1
of N-urea). The BNF was estimated by the δ
15
N approach in three out of four field assays. BNF contribution was improved by inoculation of both
Bradyrhizobium
strains, ranging from 42 to 51% in Petrolina and 43 to 60% in Nossa Senhora da Glória. Peanuts’ yields benefited from the inoculation of both strains and N fertilization in all four assays. Nevertheless, the results showed the efficiency of both strains under different edaphoclimatic conditions, indicating the native strain ESA 123 as a potential bacterium for recommendation as inoculants for peanuts in Brazil, mainly in drylands.
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