The first case of COVID-19 in Brazil was registered in the city of São Paulo on February 26, 2020; however, restrictive measures and social distancing were only determined in the city on March 17, ...2020. A partial lockdown aimed to mitigate the advance of the virus by raising the social isolation rates, by limiting the operation of several services and the mobility of the population. Thus, this study aims to analyze the relationship between the social isolation index in the city of São Paulo and the emission levels of the main air pollutants (PM
10
, PM
2.5
, NO
x
, NO, NO
2
, SO
2
and CO), as well as air temperature. We analyzed the data collected from three urban air quality monitoring stations located in the city center of São Paulo from March 16, 2020 to July 20, 2020. The data for 2020 were compared with those of the previous period in 2020 and the same period in the previous 5 years (2015–2019), and also to the city’s official indices of social isolation. The relationships between pollutant concentrations and the social isolation index showed that the decrease in mobility influenced the reduction in air pollution. Pollutants NO
2
, NO
x
, NO and CO had the strongest negative associations (Pearson’s correlation = − 0.582; 0.481; − 0.433 and − 0.367, respectively). Our results showed that the partial lockdown (from March 17, 2020, to July 20, 2020) had a positive impact on air quality, with a reduction in the emission of pollutants NO (31.75%), NO
2
(20.60%), NO
x
(27.21%) and CO (29.95%). The greatest reductions in the emission of pollutants were observed when the social isolation index reached an average of 52.20%. Small negative fluctuations in the social isolation index broke the most significant reductions observed at the beginning of social isolation.
Graphic abstract
This study is a part of a series of two clinical trials. We consider diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), a common chronic and progressive complication of diabetes mellitus that has several impacts on ...individuals' foot health and quality of life. Based on the current trends of self-monitoring and self-care, providing a tool with foot-related exercises and educational care may help patients to avoid or reduce the musculoskeletal complications resulting from DPN, improving autonomous performance in daily living tasks. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effects of an educational booklet for foot care and foot muscle strengthening on DPN symptoms and severity, clinical outcomes, and gait biomechanics in patients with DPN.
The FOotCAre (FOCA) trial II study has been designed as a single-blind, two-parallel-arm randomized controlled trial. It will include 48 patients with DPN who will be randomly allocated to a control (recommended foot care by international consensus with no foot exercises) group or an intervention (foot-related exercises using an educational booklet three times/week at home for 8 weeks) group. Participants from both groups will be assessed at baseline, after 8 weeks, and at 16 weeks for follow-up. The primary outcomes are the DPN symptoms and severity, and the secondary outcomes are foot-ankle kinematics, gait kinetics, plantar pressure distribution during gait, tactile and vibratory sensitivities, foot strength, functional balance, and foot health and functionality.
The booklet is a management tool that allows users to be autonomous in their treatment by choosing how and where to perform the exercises. This allows the patients to perform the exercises regularly as a continuous habit for foot care and health, which is an important element in the management of the diabetic foot. As the booklet focuses on specific foot-ankle exercises, we expect that it will improve the clinical aspects of DPN and produce beneficial biomechanical changes during gait, becoming a powerful self-management tool that can be easily implemented to improve the performance of daily living tasks.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04008745. Registered on 2 July 2019.
This study is part of a series of two clinical trials. Taking into account the various musculoskeletal alterations of the foot and ankle in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and the ...need for self-care to avoid more serious dysfunctions and complications, a self-manageable exercise protocol that focuses on strengthening the foot muscles is presented as a potentially effective preventive method for foot and gait complications. The aim of this trial is to investigate the effect of a customized rehabilitation technology, the Diabetic Foot Guidance System (SOPeD), on DPN status, functional outcomes and gait biomechanics in people with DPN.
Footcare (FOCA) trial I is a randomized, controlled and parallel two-arm trial with blind assessment. A total of 62 patients with DPN will be allocated into either a control group (recommended foot care by international consensus with no foot exercises) or an intervention group (who will perform exercises through SOPeD at home three times a week for 12 weeks). The exercise program will be customized throughout its course by a perceived effort scale reported by the participant after completion of each exercise. The participants will be assessed at three different times (baseline, completion at 12 weeks, and follow-up at 24 weeks) for all outcomes. The primary outcomes will be DPN symptoms and severity classification. The secondary outcomes will be foot-ankle kinematics and kinetic and plantar pressure distribution during gait, tactile and vibration sensitivities, foot health and functionality, foot strength, and functional balance.
As there is no evidence about the efficacy of rehabilitation technology in reducing DPN symptoms and severity or improving biomechanical, clinical, and functional outcomes for people with DPN, this research can contribute substantially to clarifying the therapeutic merits of software interventions. We hope that the use of our application for people with DPN complications will reduce or attenuate the deficits caused by DPN. This rehabilitation technology is freely available, and we intend to introduce it into the public health system in Brazil after demonstrating its effectiveness.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04011267. Registered on 8 July 2019.
To review the available data on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of subjects with bipolar disorder (BD), with a particular focus on fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter (WM) tracts.
The ...PubMed/MEDLINE database was searched for relevant articles, which were included in a systematic review of the literature. FA reductions and WM abnormalities were divided anatomically into three groups: commissural tracts, association tracts, and projection tracts.
Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The corpus callosum was the main impaired commissural tract as demonstrated by FA reductions. Five studies reported FA reductions in the cingulum. Two studies reported decreased FA in the anterior thalamic radiation, and one in the corticospinal tract. Conversely, three studies found increased FA values in WM tracts involved in BD pathophysiology.
Despite considerable heterogeneity, these results indicate a direct link between executive cognitive functioning and abnormal WM microstructural integrity of fronto-limbic tracts in patients with remitted BD, providing further evidence of the neuronal disruption that underlies BD symptomatology.
The aim of this research was to assess, under laboratory conditions, how the accumulation of four heavy metals (HMs) (lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)), prepared as aqueous ...solutions from 1 μM to 1 mM, affected biochemical and physiological parameters of Amaranthus retroflexus seedlings. Seedlings showed considerably high resistance to all investigated HMs and no significant oxidative stress in leaves. After chronic exposure to high doses of any of the HMs, seedlings remained viable, but with slightly slower axial growth. We propose the use of biochemical indices (lipid peroxidation (LPO) intensity; level of total peroxides) as criteria to assess the adaptive potential of amaranth plants to HMs. These indices had very high correlation coefficients (r) with the accumulation of HMs in A. retroflexus roots, stems and leaves: 0.86-0.89 for malone dialdehyde (MDA) content for Ni and Zn, and 0.79-0.94 for total peroxides (for Cu, Pb, and maximum in Ni). At 1 mM of any HM, seedlings accumulated Pb and Ni at levels of HM-hyperaccumulating species. If soil is contaminated (in terms of maximum permissible concentration, MPC) by Pb (8.2 ± 2.2 MPC) or Ni (3.5 ± 1.0 MPC) (equivalent to 1 mM of the HM in solution), A. retroflexus is a strong candidate for the phytoremediation of Pb- and Ni-contaminated soils.
The consumption of vegetables in daily meals can contribute to a healthy life, since the youth. However, there are few studies that aim to identify the students' eating habits regarding potatoes, ...carrots and beets. In this aspect, the objective was to evaluate the frequency and reason for consumption of potatoes, carrots and beets by students in the Agronomy area, in a public university federal. To that end, a questionnaire composed of objective questions regarding the socioeconomic profile, frequency and eating habits was applied to 32 students. It was observed that most of the students presented a food frequency in relation to potatoes, carrots and beets, with the potato being the most consumed daily. On average, these vegetables are consumed 2 to 4 times a week, with female participants being the most frequent consumers. It was also observed that the taste (28.12%) and nutritional value (35.42%) are the main factors that lead agronomy students to consume the tuberosas, and their consumption is discouraged due to economic reasons, such as high price and market for potato (50.00%) and carrot (31.25%), and for sensorial issues such as appearance (beet and carrot - 31.25%) and flavor (beet - 31.25%).
Abstract In plant breeding, the dialelic models univariate have aided the selection of parents for hybridization. Multivariate analyses allow combining and associating the multiple pieces of ...information of the genetic relationships between traits. Therefore, multivariate analyses might refine the discrimination and selection of the parents with greater potential to meet the goals of a plant breeding program. Here, we propose a method of multivariate analysis used for stablishing mega-traits (MTs) in diallel trials. The proposed model is applied in the evaluation of a multi-environment complete diallel trial with 90 F1’s of simple maize hybrids. From a set of 14 traits, we demonstrated how establishing and interpreting MTs with agronomic implication. The diallel analyzes based on mega-traits present an important evolution in statistical procedures since the selection is based on several traits. We believe that the proposed method fills an important gap of plant breeding. In our example, three MTs were established. The first, formed by plant stature-related traits, the second by tassel size-related traits, and the third by grain yield-related traits. Individual and joint diallel analysis using the established MTs allowed identifying the best hybrid combinations for achieving F1’s with lower plant stature, tassel size, and higher grain yield.
The Olive Ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Testudines: Cheloniidae), is 1 of the 5 species of sea turtle found along the coast of Brazil. Little is known regarding infection ...by species of the family Spirorchiidae in the host, as only 1 report exists. This case report describes granulomas in different tissues associated to type 1 and 3 spirorchiid eggs in 5 L. olivacea from the Brazilian coast. The occurrence of the eggs was considered an incidental finding and may have contributed to the debility and death of the hosts. This is the second report of tissue lesions due to spirorchids eggs in this host and the first occurrence in Olive Ridley turtle from the Brazilian coast.
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