University Center of Brasília

Objectives To compare the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical status and psychological distress of patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease (IMRD) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection with that of noninfected IMRD controls during a 6-month follow-up period. Methods The ReumaCoV Brazil is a longitudinal study designed to follow IMRD patients for 6 months after COVID-19 (patients) compared with IMRD patients without COVID-19 (controls). Clinical data, disease activity measurements and current treatments regarding IMRD and COVID-19 outcomes were evaluated in all patients. Disease activity was assessed through validated tools at inclusion and at 3 and 6 months post-COVID-19. Fatigue, using FACIT-F (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy) and psychological distress, using DASS 21 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale − 21 Items), used to evaluated psychological distress, were evaluated at 6 months after COVID-19 in both groups. The significance level was set as p < 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval. Results A total of 601 patients were evaluated—321 patients (IMRD COVID-19 + patients) and 280 controls (IMRD COVID-19- patients)—who were predominantly female with similar median ages. Disease activity assessment over a 6-month follow-up showed no significant difference between cases and controls. Although the mean activity scores did not differ significantly, some patients reported worsened disease activity post-COVID-19, particularly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (32.2%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (23.3%). Post-COVID-19 worsening in RA patients correlated with medical global assessment (MGA) and CDAI scores, with a moderate to large effect size. Diabetes mellitus showed a positive association (OR = 7.15), while TNF inhibitors had a protective effect (OR = 0.51). Fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly greater in patients than in controls. Worse disease activity post-COVID-19 correlated with worse FACIT-F and DASS-21 scores in RA patients. No significant associations were found between COVID-19 outcomes and post-COVID-19 disease activity, FACIT-F or DASS-21. Conclusions Post-COVID-19 IMRD patients exhibited significant fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress, which can be mistaken for disease activity, despite having similar disease activity scores. The variability in reports on IMRD flares and the potential triggering of SARS-CoV-2 for autoimmune manifestations underscore the need for detailed clinical assessment and a comprehensive approach to managing them.

Plants of the Crotalaria genus are of great importance, for example: they stand out as green manure. This work aimed to verify the occurrence of insects in C. juncea, C. spectabilis and C. ochroleuca. The experiment was performed out in an urban experimental area at Faculdade ICESP de Brasília, Águas Claras unit, Distrito Federal, Brazil, from March to June 2018. The experiment was installed in a randomized block design with nine experimental units of 1 m2. Three beds were divided into three experimental units for 1 m2, 50 seeds were planting at a spacing of 10 cm between rows and 10 cm between plants. The plants were evaluated weekly, where all insects were collected, counted and stored in glass jars with 70% alcohol. Plants were analyzed for attack and mortality was recorded for 11 weeks. The data were submitted to ANOVA and the Tukey test (α ≤ 0.05) using the R program. As a result, 767 insects from five orders and 10 different families were collected in the three species of Crotalaria used in this study, C. juncea was the species that attracted the most insects (415) and C. spectabilis presented the lowest number (126). Diabrotica speciosa caused great damage to species studied, especially C. juncea, and could become a harmful insect of importance for culture. Additionally, U. ornatrix was found in all three species, but in greater numbers in C. juncea and C. spectabilis.

Introduction Female external genital plastic surgery (vulvoplasty) is among the most performed aesthetic surgeries in Brazil. Vulva self-image can be defined as women's perception of their vulva and is usually related to sexual function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact and interrelationship of female external genital plastic surgery on self-image and sexual function. Method This quantitative longitudinal descriptive study includes a retrospective analysis of 48 medical records from June 2017 to July 2021. The sexual function questionnaire (SFQ-28) and female genital self-image scale (FGSIS) answered by the patients in the preoperative and six postoperative month were analyzed. Result The mean age of the operated patients was 36.25 years (range 18–59). The median FGSIS score was 13 in the preoperative and 27.5 in the six postoperative month, with a significant positive difference in all items. There was a significant positive difference in the following SFQ-28 domains: desire, arousal (cognitive), orgasm, enjoyment, and partner ( p < 0.005) Conclusion In our cohort, female external genital plastic surgery (vulvoplasty) elicited a positive relationship between genital self-image and sexual function, in addition to improving orgasm. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é propor um modelo que contribua para a análise jurídico-institucional de políticas públicas, à luz da abordagem Direito e Políticas Públicas (DPP). Por meio de pesquisas bibliográficas, propõe-se responder ao seguinte problema de pesquisa: a aplicação das técnicas de análise de conteúdo, com suporte nas categorias analíticas propostas por Laurence Bardin (Bardin, 2020), pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de procedimentos generalizáveis de pesquisa que possibilitem a análise jurídica de políticas públicas nos planos macro, meso e microinstitucional do governo (Bucci, 2021)? A hipótese é a de que as técnicas de análise de conteúdo são ferramentas promissoras para a investigação das contribuições do direito para as políticas públicas e para a aferição do grau de institucionalidade jurídica da ação governamental com base nos papéis desempenhados pelo direito no âmbito da ação governamental (Coutinho, 2013). A análise de conteúdo como técnica para a análise jurídico-institucional de políticas públicas, além de original, é um modelo de fácil aplicação prática e bastante útil aos seus propósitos. Conclui-se que o modelo de análise jurídico-institucional proposto tem o potencial de oferecer procedimentos generalizáveis de pesquisa e de contribuir com o aperfeiçoamento das políticas públicas.

Resting tremor (RT) is a Parkinson's disease (PD) symptom with an unclear relationship to the dopaminergic system. We analysed data from 432 subjects from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative, 57 additional PD patients and controls and 86 subjects referred for dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography (DaT-SPECT). Caudate binding ratio (CBR), but not putamen binding ratio, was higher in RT patients. Furthermore, higher baseline CBR was linked to RT development. In the smaller cohorts, a 4-6 Hz oscillation-based metric from inertial sensors correlated with RT amplitude, distinguished controls from patients with reduced DaT binding and correlated with CBR in the latter group. In silico modelling uncovered that higher CBR in RT patients explained correlations between RT and DaT-SPECT found in several datasets, supporting a spurious origin for ipsilateral correlations between CBR and RT. These results suggest that caudate dopaminergic terminals integrity is a feature of RT with potential pathophysiological implications.

International, regional, and national organizations, alongside policymakers, are increasingly acknowledging the crucial connection between climate, peace, and security. However, there remains a notable gap in research methodologies capable of fully grasping the intricate dynamics of this relationship. This paper introduces the Integrated Climate Security Framework (ICSF), a comprehensive mixed-methods approach designed to unravel the complexities of climate-human security-conflict connections across various scales. By integrating traditional and innovative research methods, the ICSF aims to provide cutting-edge, policy-relevant insights to address five main measurement challenges of the climate security nexus: multiple pathways; context specificity; non-linearity; multiple actors and scales, and multiple geographic and time scales. By drawing on diverse epistemological perspectives and engaging directly with local communities, the framework offers a comprehensive evaluation of the complex social-ecological dynamics at play. Using Kenya as a case study—a country where climate and security risks frequently intersect and amplify each other—we demonstrate the comprehensive insights the framework offers to address the complex challenges at the nexus of climate, human security, and conflict.

Purpose To investigate the profile of hospital admissions for sympathectomies performed in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), comparing open and video-assisted techniques. Methods Data on sympathectomies were collected from the SUS Department of Informatics (DATASUS), recorded between 2014 and 2023. The data were tabulated, and descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed. Results There was reduction in the number of admissions for all sympathectomies during the analyzed period. The use of video-assisted surgeries was higher than that of open surgeries for thoracic procedures, but lower for lumbar procedures. The costs of hospital admission for the procedures were similar, although the length of stay and mortality associated with open surgeries were higher, both in thoracic and lumbar sympathectomies. Conclusions The collected data were not individualized, preventing follow-up. Additionally, the study did not account for procedures performed in the private healthcare system. Despite its limitations, this study provides an overview of sympathectomies in Brazil, indicating that, although open sympathectomies are potentially more disadvantageous, they are still widely performed, especially for lumbar procedures. Key words Brazil; Health Care Costs; Hospitalization; Sympathectomy; Video-Assisted Surgery

Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed. Twenty-eight professional athletes from the first division of the Brazilian national championship were monitored during a game-based training session, which consisted of varying durations of ball-in-play blocks. The training session comprised 4 blocks of 1 min, 2 blocks of 2 min, and 1 block of 3 min of ball-in-play, with 1-min intervals between blocks of the same duration and 2-min intervals between blocks of different durations. Results A reduction in EL was reported during longer bouts of ball-in-play. Specifically, a reduction was observed when comparing block 5 to block 1 (p = 0.021) and when comparing block 7 with blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 for distance per min. For accelerations and decelerations, blocks 5, 6, and 7 showed lower values than block 1 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Block 4 showed an increase in rate of perceived exertion (rPE) values compared to blocks 1 (p = 0.010) and 2 (p = 0.004). Increased rPE values were also found in block 5 compared to block 1 (p = 0.001), as well as compared to blocks 2 (p = 0.001) and 3 (p = 0.002). RPE in block 7 was higher than in blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4 (p = 0.001). Conclusions In summary, higher rPE values were reported across blocks, and IL appeared to be more volume-dependent.

Resumo A vigilância alimentar e nutricional é fundamental para a formulação, a implementação, o monitoramento e a avaliação de políticas públicas de alimentação e nutrição. A análise comparativa da evolução das ações de vigilância alimentar e nutricional entre países permite o conhecimento de avanços, desafios e inovações para o planejamento de intervenções. O objetivo foi descrever e comparar as ações de vigilância alimentar e nutricional no Brasil e em Portugal, países com dimensões geográficas e perfis socioeconômicos distintos, mas com sistema de saúde universal em comum. Nós buscamos por documentos que descrevessem as ações de vigilância alimentar e nutricional e por potenciais fontes de dados de maneira manual em websites institucionais dos governos brasileiro e português. O estudo utilizou as recomendações da abordagem READ (59 documentos foram identificados para o Brasil e 29 para Portugal). No Brasil, as ações de vigilância alimentar e nutricional estão inseridas em políticas de saúde e nas condicionalidades dos programas de transferência condicionada de renda. As Pesquisas de Orçamentos Familiares e os inquéritos de saúde são utilizados simultaneamente no Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional (SISVAN). Em Portugal, as ações de vigilância alimentar e nutricional estão inseridas nas políticas de saúde, por meio do Programa Nacional e da Estratégia Integrada para a Promoção da Alimentação Saudável. Entre as fontes de dados identificadas estão a Balança Alimentar Portuguesa, os inquéritos de orçamentos familiares, de saúde e alimentares, além de iniciativas para o monitoramento do estado nutricional de crianças e adolescentes. Em ambos os países, as estratégias precisam ser aprimoradas em relação à regularidade do registro de dados, à harmonização dos indicadores do consumo alimentar e à disseminação das informações.

Academic advising in Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Programs is associated with postgraduate student satisfaction. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between the variables found in the advising process and the levels of doctoral students’ satisfaction resulting from these practices. Postgraduate students from different educational institutions and areas of knowledge ( N = 372) completed remotely/asynchronously the Questionnaire on Good Practices for Academic Advising in Postgraduate Research. Data were analyzed using path analysis and the Kruskall-Wallis test. The results showed an association between some characteristics of the advising process (access to advising and level of demand from the advisor) and postgraduate students’ satisfaction (regarding the project, the advisor, growth opportunities, and relationships), intermediated the number of hours per month allocated to advising. The conclusion is that advising practices require further studies and discussions that can contribute to the quality of the advisor-student relationship, extending into the training of new researchers and professors.

The SDG’s diffusion and localization processes entail a complex interaction between domestic and international realms. Decisions made in transnational arenas are domestically interpreted and translated, shaping or legitimizing domestic frameworks based on the countries’ and localities’ realities, capacities, policies, and priorities. Using a qualitative-interpretive approach, this chapter presents an overview of the adoption of SDGs in Brazil between 2012 and 2022 and proposes a periodization of the governance and implementation at the national level. The research findings reveal the emergence of complex and fragmented social governance. On the one hand, the incorporation of SDGs in Brazil followed cyclical factors, mainly the presidential terms. On the other hand, throughout the analyzed period, structural resistance from political actors, mainly from civil society and subnational governments, persisted, while some resistance emerged within the Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive branches. These actors used the SDGs to keep the sustainable development agenda, prevent setbacks, and hold the government accountable. Finally, a prospective analysis is presented on the third Lula administration.