Efetividade de Protetores Oculares Usados com Fontes de Luz LED Convencional e Multi- Espectros

A alta irradiância e diferentes espectros de luz emitidos por fontes de luz podem causar danos oculares. Este estudo avaliou a capacidade de 15 filtros de proteção ocular em bloquear a luz azul e violeta de duas fontes de luz: convencional (HP-3M ESPE) e de largo espectro (Valo, Ultradent) utilizando sensor anterior do MARC-Patient Simulator (BlueLight Analytics inc.) A irradiância transmitida através dos filtros protetores foi mensurada em triplicata para cada filtro. Os valores médios da irradiância que passaram pelos filtros foram analisados usando Análise de variância fatorial (ANOVA) e teste de Tukey (a 0.05). O espetro emitido através dos filtros foi obtido. A interação entre os filtros protetores e fontes de luz influenciou significantemente a quantidade de luz transmitida (p<0,001). A quantidade de luz transmitida através dos protetores oculares quando usado o HP-3M ESPE foi significantemente maior quando comparado aos valores para o Valo, independentemente do filtro testado. Para HP-3M ESPE, os óculos de cor vermelha, permitiu significativamente maior passagem de luz, seguido por XL 3000, ORTUS, Google Professional, e pelo filtro Gnatus. O filtro do Valo e os óculos UVEX foram os mais eficientes para bloquear a luz violeta. Alguns filtros foram menos eficazes ao bloquear menores comprimentos de onde (<420 nm). No entanto, mesmo no pior cenário dos resultados deste estudo, os filtros foram capazes de bloquear ao menos 97% da irradiância emitida pelas fontes de luz testadas.Palavras-chave: Filtros Protetores. Aparelhos Fotopolimerizadores. Danos Oculares.

[Prevalence and factors associated with depression among institutionalized elderly individuals: nursing care support]

The objective of this study was to verify depression among institutionalized elderly individuals. The cross-section method and Yesavage's Geriatric Depression Scale were utilized in five geriatric long-term care facilities located in the Federal District to verify symptoms of depression. A total of 299 individuals were studied, 181 of whom did not meet the inclusion criteria. Sixteen individuals declined to participate. Considering the 102 individuals found suitable to participate in the study, 49.0% presented symptoms of depression; 36.3% suffered from mild to moderate depression and 12.7% showed symptoms of severe depression. Associations were found between depression symptoms and increased age, female gender, physical limitations/dependence and dissatisfaction with the institution. A significant association was also found between depression and insomnia, tachycardia, paresthesias, dizziness and excessive sweating. Depression is highly prevalent among institutionalized elderly individuals, more common among women, and correlated with a series of signs and symptoms that may help in making an early diagnosis, thus offering support to providing more effective nursing care.

Food insecurity of HIV/AIDS patients at a unit of outpatient healthcare system in Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Food security remains to be one of the world's biggest problems and is found to be related to HIV/AIDS. The objective was to examine food insecurity in HIV/AIDS patients from Brasilia, Brazil. METHODS: Short version of the Food Security Scale was applied to patients with HIV/AIDS. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients participated (65 HIV+ and 38 with AIDS). Food insecurity was found in 33.8% of HIV+ patients and 36.8% of patients with AIDS. A relation between food insecurity and low educational and social levels was established. CONCLUSIONS: Food security should be an important component in HIV/AIDS treatment programs.

Anticonvulsant and anxiolytic activity of the peptide fraction isolated from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista

BACKGROUND

Arthropod venoms have attracted interest because they represent a source of neuroactive compounds that can be useful tools in neuroscience and pharmacological investigations.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and behavioral effects of the peptide fraction separated from venom of the social wasp.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The low- molecular-weight compounds of the venom were separated by ultrafiltration and the bioassays were performed to test anticonvulsant and anxiolytic effects, as well as alterations in the spontaneous behavior of the animals.

RESULTS

Intracerebroventricular injections of the compounds induced dose-dependent anticonvulsant effects and a potent anxiolytic activity. Regarding behavioral effects, no significant differences were observed in relation to the saline control group.

CONCLUSION

The low-molecular-weight compounds of the venom of Polybia paulista include neuroactive peptides that can be used as pharmacological resources for anticonvulsant and anxiolytic drug research.

Effect of alendronate on endochondral ossification in mandibular condyles of growing rats

The replacement of the calcified cartilage by bone tissue during the endochondral ossification of the mandibular condyle is dependent of the resorbing activity of osteoclats. After partial resorption, calcified cartilage septa are covered by a primary bone matrix secreted by osteoblasts. Osteoadherin (OSAD) is a small proteoglycan present in bone matrix but absent in cartilage during the endochondral ossification. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of alendronate, a drug known to inhibit bone resorption by osteoclasts, on the endochondral ossification of the mandibular condyle of young rats, by evaluating the distribution of osteoclasts and the presence of OSAD in the bone matrix deposited. Wistar newborn rats (n=45) received daily injections of alendronate (n=27) or sterile saline solution as control (n=18) from the day of birth until the ages of 4, 14 and 30 days. At the days mentioned, the mandibular condyles were collected and processed for transmission electron microscopy analysis. Specimens were also submitted to tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) histochemistry and ultrastructural immunodetection of OSAD. Alendronate treatment did not impede the recruitment and fusion of osteoclasts at the ossification zone during condyle growth, but they presented inactivated phenotype. The trabeculae at the ossification area consisted of cartilage matrix covered by a layer of primary bone matrix that was immunopositive to OSAD at all time points studied. Apparently, alendronate impeded the removal of calcified cartilage and maturation of bone trabeculae in the mandibular ramus, while in controls they occurred normally. These findings highlight for giving attention to the potential side-effects of bisphosphonates administered to young patients once it may represent a risk of disturbing maxillofacial development.

Description of color/race in Brazilian biomedical research

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

Over recent years, the terms race and ethnicity have been used to ascertain inequities in public health. However, this use depends on the quality of the data available. This study aimed to investigate the description of color/race in Brazilian scientific journals within the field of biomedicine.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Descriptive study with systematic search for scientific articles in the SciELO Brazil database.

METHODS

A wide-ranging systematic search for original articles involving humans, published in 32 Brazilian biomedical scientific journals in the SciELO Brazil database between January and December 2008, was performed. Articles in which the race/ethnicity of the participants was identified were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 1,180 articles were analyzed. The terms for describing race or ethnicity were often ambiguous and vague. Descriptions of race or ethnicity occurred in 159 articles (13.4%), but only in 42 (26.4%) was there a description of how individuals were identified. In these, race and ethnicity were used almost interchangeably and definition was according to skin color (71.4%), ancestry (19.0%) and self-definition (9.6%). Twenty-two races or ethnicities were cited, and the most common were white (37.3%), black (19.7%), mixed (12.9%), nonwhite (8.1%) and yellow (8.1%).

CONCLUSION

The absence of descriptions of parameters for defining race, as well as the use of vague and ambiguous terms, may hamper and even prevent comparisons between human groups and the use of these data to ascertain inequities in healthcare.

Afro-derived Brazilian populations: male genetic constitution estimated by Y-chromosomes STRs and AluYAP element polymorphisms

The genetic constitution of Afro-derived Brazilian populations is barely studied. To improve that knowledge, we investigated the AluYAP element and five Y-chromosome STRs (DYS19, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, and DYS393) to estimate ethnic male contribution in the constitution of four Brazilian quilombos remnants: Mocambo, Rio das Rãs, Kalunga, and Riacho de Sacutiaba. Results indicated significant differences among communities, corroborating historical information about the Brazilian settlement. We concluded that besides African contribution, there was a great European participation in the constitution of these four populations and that observed haplotype variability could be explained by gene flow to quilombos remnants and mutational events in microsatellites (STRs).

Neurotoxins from invertebrates as anticonvulsants: From basic research to therapeutic application

Invertebrate venoms have attracted considerable interest as a potential source of bioactive substances, especially neurotoxins. These molecules have proved to be extremely useful tools for the understanding of synaptic transmission events, and they have contributed to the design of novel drugs for the treatment of neurological disorders and pain. In this context, as epilepsy involves neuronal substrates, which are sites of action of many neurotoxins; venoms may be particularly useful for antiepileptic drug (AED) research. Epilepsy is a chronic disease whose treatment consists of controlling seizures with antiepileptics that very often induce strong undesirable side effects that may limit treatment. Here, we review the vast, but yet unexplored, world of neurotoxins from invertebrates used as probes in pharmacological screening for novel and less toxic antiepileptics. We briefly review (1) the molecular basis of epilepsy, as well as the sites of action of commonly used anticonvulsants (we bring a comprehensive review of the elements from invertebrate venoms which are mostly studied in neuroscience research and may be useful for drug development); (2) peptides from conus snails; (3) peptides and polyamine toxins from spiders and wasps; and (4) peptides from scorpions.

Genomic ancestry of a sample population from the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Allelic frequencies of eight autosomal short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (TH01, TPOx, CSF1PO, vWA, FES/FPS, F13A1, F13B, and CD4) were determined in 400 individuals born in the State of São Paulo. No significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found in any loci analyzed. The Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) tree constructed based on genetic distances revealed that the present population was grouped with Europeans, and separated from African and Amerindian populations. Estimates of admixture components based on the gene identity method revealed 79% European, 14% African, and 7% Amerindian contributions to this Brazilian population sample.