Explicit discrimination and health: development and psychometric properties of an assessment instrument

OBJECTIVE: To develop an instrument to assess discrimination effects on health outcomes and behaviors, capable of distinguishing harmful differential treatment effects from their interpretation as discriminatory events. METHODS: Successive versions of an instrument were developed based on a systematic review of instruments assessing racial discrimination, focus groups and review by a panel comprising seven experts. The instrument was refined using cognitive interviews and pilot-testing. The final version of the instrument was administered to 424 undergraduate college students in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. Structural dimensionality, two types of reliability and construct validity were analyzed. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis corroborated the hypothesis of the instrument's unidimensionality, and seven experts verified its face and content validity. The internal consistency was 0.8, and test-retest reliability was higher than 0.5 for 14 out of 18 items. The overall score was higher among socially disadvantaged individuals and correlated with adverse health behaviors/conditions, particularly when differential treatments were attributed to discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the validity and reliability of the instrument developed. The proposed instrument enables the investigation of novel aspects of the relationship between discrimination and health.

Intraocular pressure measurement in sheep using an applanation tonometer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and establish the mean values of IOP in healthy adult sheep using an applanation tonometer. Information on age, sex, and breed was obtained for all animals included in this study. Twenty five healthy sheep (Ovis aries), of the same breed (Texel), male or female, with three years of age, received an ophthalmic examination in both eyes, including pupillary reflexes, Schirmer tear test, slit lamp biomicroscopy, and fluorescein staining. For all ophthalmic testing, animals were gently physically restrained, with no pressure in the jugular area and the eyelids were carefully open. IOP was measured by applanation tonometry (Tonopen XL). The same examiner performed the tonometry; measurements were taken three times for each eye, and their average was recorded as the IOP of the animal. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-test and values of P < 0.05 were considered significant. The mean intraocular pressure in the whole group of 50 eyes was of 16.36 +/- 2.19 mm Hg. The mean (SD) IOP in the right eye was of 15.96 +/- 2.02 mm Hg, while the mean (SD) IOP in the left eye was of 16.76 +/- 2.32 mm Hg. Significant differences in IOP were not found between right and left eyes. The applanation tonometer was adequate for measuring the intraocular pressure in sheep. Reference data will assist in diagnosing testing for ophthalmic disease in sheep, as¹ well as promote further studies in this area.

Sensitivity analysis for unmeasured confounders using an electronic spreadsheet

In studies assessing the effects of a given exposure variable and a specific outcome of interest, confusion may arise from the mistaken impression that the exposure variable is producing the outcome of interest, when in fact the observed effect is due to an existing confounder. However, quantitative techniques are rarely used to determine the potential influence of unmeasured confounders. Sensitivity analysis is a statistical technique that allows to quantitatively measuring the impact of an unmeasured confounding variable on the association of interest that is being assessed. The purpose of this study was to make it feasible to apply two sensitivity analysis methods available in the literature, developed by Rosenbaum and Greenland, using an electronic spreadsheet. Thus, it can be easier for researchers to include this quantitative tool in the set of procedures that have been commonly used in the stage of result validation.

Immunoperoxidase technique using an anti-Leishmania (L.) chagasi hyperimmune serum in the diagnosis of culture-confirmed American tegumentary leishmaniasis

The present study reports the production of the rabbit anti-Leishmania (L.) chagasi hyperimmune serum, the standardization of the immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique and the evaluation of its employment in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions diagnosed by Leishmania sp. culture isolation. Thirty fragments of active CL lesions were examined as well as 10 fragments of cutaneous mycosis lesions as control group. IHC proved more sensitive in detecting amastigotes than conventional hematoxylin-eosin (HE) stained slides: the former was positive in 24 (80%) biopsies whereas the latter, in 16 (53%) (p = 0.028). The reaction stained different fungus species causing cutaneous mycosis. Besides, positive reaction was noticed in mononuclear and endothelial cells. Nevertheless, this finding was present in the control group biopsies. It is concluded that IHC showed good sensitivity in detecting amastigotes.

Protein recovery, separation and purification: selection of optimal techniques using an expert system

The paper discusses the utilization of new techniques ot select processes for protein recovery, separation and purification. It describesa rational approach that uses fundamental databases of proteins molecules to simplify the complex problem of choosing high resolution separation methods for multi component mixtures. It examines the role of modern computer techniques to help solving these questions.

Evaluation of professional knowledge and attitudes on dementia patient care: a trans-cultural adaptation of an evaluation instrument

Objective To describe the trans-cultural adaptation of the evaluation instrument entitled Atenció Sanitària de Les Demències: la visió de L' Atenció Primarià from Catalan into versions in Portuguese for doctors and nurses. This study evaluates the knowledge and perspectives of these professionals in their treatment of patients diagnosed with dementia in cases of primary care. Method The adaptation followed internationally accepted rules, which include the following steps: translation, synthesis, back-translation, revision by a committee of specialists, and a test run with 35 practicing doctors and 35 practicing nurses in Brazil's Family Health Strategy (Estratégia Saúde da Família, or ESF in Portuguese). Results The translation, synthesis, and back-translation steps were performed satisfactorily; only small adjustments were required. The committee of specialists verified the face validity in the version translated into Portuguese, and all of the items that received an agreement score lower than 80% during the initial evaluation were revised. In the test run, the difficulties presented by the health care professionals did not reach 15% of the sample, and therefore, no changes were made. Conclusion The Portuguese translation of the instrument can be considered semantically, idiomatically, culturally, and conceptually equivalent to the original Catalan version and is, therefore, appropriate for use in Brazil.

Rearing the southern green stink bug using an artificial dry diet and an artificial plant

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted with an artificial dry diet to rear nymphs, and with an artificial plant as substrate for egg laying by the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.). The artificial diet was composed of: soybean protein (15 g); potato starch (7.5 g); dextrose (7.5 g); sucrose (2.5 g); cellulose (12.5 g); vitamin mixture (niacinamide 1 g, calcium pantothenate 1 g, thiamine 0.25 g, riboflavin 0.5 g, pyridoxine 0.25 g, folic acid 0.25 g, biotin 0.02 mL, vitamin B12 1 g - added to 1,000 mL of distilled water) (5.0 mL); soybean oil (20 mL); wheat germ (17.9 g); and water (30 mL). Nymphs showed normal feeding behavior when fed on the artificial diet. Nymphal development time was longer than or similar to that of nymphs fed on soybean pods. Total nymphal mortality was low (ca. 30%), both for nymphs reared on the artificial diet, and for nymphs fed on soybean pods. At adult emergence, fresh body weights were significantly (P<0.01) less on the artificial diet than on soybean pods. Despite the lower adult survivorship and fecundity on artificial plants than on soybean plants, it was demonstrated for the first time that a model simulating a natural plant, can be used as a substrate for egg mass laying, in conjunction with the artificial diet.

Analysis of translational errors in frame-based and frameless cranial radiosurgery using an anthropomorphic phantom

Abstract Objective: To evaluate three-dimensional translational setup errors and residual errors in image-guided radiosurgery, comparing frameless and frame-based techniques, using an anthropomorphic phantom. Materials and Methods: We initially used specific phantoms for the calibration and quality control of the image-guided system. For the hidden target test, we used an Alderson Radiation Therapy (ART)-210 anthropomorphic head phantom, into which we inserted four 5mm metal balls to simulate target treatment volumes. Computed tomography images were the taken with the head phantom properly positioned for frameless and frame-based radiosurgery. Results: For the frameless technique, the mean error magnitude was 0.22 ± 0.04 mm for setup errors and 0.14 ± 0.02 mm for residual errors, the combined uncertainty being 0.28 mm and 0.16 mm, respectively. For the frame-based technique, the mean error magnitude was 0.73 ± 0.14 mm for setup errors and 0.31 ± 0.04 mm for residual errors, the combined uncertainty being 1.15 mm and 0.63 mm, respectively. Conclusion: The mean values, standard deviations, and combined uncertainties showed no evidence of a significant differences between the two techniques when the head phantom ART-210 was used.

Optimisation of the lipase-catalysed preparation of a nucleoside prodrug model using an experimental design methodology

The preparation of 2', 3'-di-O-hexanoyluridine (2) by a Candida antarctica B lipase-catalysed alcoholysis of 2', 3', 5'-tri-O-hexanoyluridine (1) was optimised using an experimental design. At 25 ºC better experimental conditions allowed an increase in the yield of 2 from 80% to 96%. In addition to the yield improvement, the volume reaction could be diminished in a factor of 5 and the reaction time significantly shortened.

Alternative technique for biodiesel quality control using an optical fiber long-period grating sensor

We report the use of an optical fiber sensor to measure the soybean oil concentration in samples obtained from the mixture of pure biodiesel and commercial soybean oil. The operation of the device is based on the long-period grating sensitivity to the surrounding medium refractive index, which leads to measurable modifications in the grating transmission spectrum. The proposed analysis method results in errors in the oil concentration of 0.4% and 2.6% for pure biodiesel and commercial soybean oil, respectively. Techniques of total glycerol, dynamic viscosity, density, and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were also employed to validate the proposed method.

Simultaneous and accurate determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins in multivitamin tablets by using an RP-HPLC method

In the present study, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) procedure was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven water-soluble vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, cyanocobalamin, ascorbic acid, folic acid, and p-aminobenzoic acid) and four fat-soluble vitamins (retinol acetate, cholecalciferol, α-tocopherol, and phytonadione) in multivitamin tablets. The linearity of the method was excellent (R² > 0.999) over the concentration range of 10 - 500 ng mL-1. The statistical evaluation of the method was carried out by performing the intra- and inter-day precision. The accuracy of the method was tested by measuring the average recovery; values ranged between 87.4% and 98.5% and were acceptable quantitative results that corresponded with the label claims.

Using an aerial system of remote sensing to detect different nutritional status in Brachiaria decumbens

The aim of this study was to use digital images acquired by cameras attached to a helium balloon to detect variation of the nutritional status in Brachiaria decumbens. The treatments consisted of five doses of nitrogen (0, 50, 100, 150 e 200kg ha-1) with six replications each, evaluated in a completely randomized statistical design. A remote sensing system composed of digital cameras and microcomputers was used for image acquisition, and a helium balloon lifted the cameras to the heights of 15, 20, 25 and 30m. A portable chlorophyll meter and analyses of leaf nitrogen content were used to make comparisons with data obtained by the remote sensing system. Data was acquired in two phases, in different climatic conditions. At the end of each phase, dry matter production was measured. Three vegetation indices were used to evaluate the detection of different nutritional status. The three indices were able to detect the effects of N doses. The indices constructed with the Green spectral band showed to be more efficient.

Production of L1 protein from different types of HPV in Pichia pastoris using an integrative vector

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world and is related to the etiology of cervical cancer. The most common high-risk HPV types are 16 and 18; however, the second most prevalent type in the Midwestern region of Brazil is HPV-33. New vaccine strategies against HPV have shown that virus-like particles (VLP) of the major capsid protein (L1) induce efficient production of antibodies, which confer protection against the same viral type. The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is an efficient and inexpensive expression system for the production of high levels of heterologous proteins stably using a wild-type gene in combination with an integrative vector. It was recently demonstrated that P. pastoris can produce the HPV-16 L1 protein by using an episomal vector associated with the optimized L1 gene. However, the use of an episomal vector is not appropriate for protein production on an industrial scale. In the present study, the vectors were integrated into the Pichia genome and the results were positive for L1 gene transcription and protein production, both intracellularly and in the extracellular environment. Despite the great potential for expression by the P. pastoris system, our results suggest a low yield of L1 recombinant protein, which, however, does not make this system unworkable. The achievement of stable clones containing the expression cassettes integrated in the genome may permit optimizations that could enable the establishment of a platform for the production of VLP-based vaccines.