Centro Nacional De Research Articles

Parasitic density and ornithochoric potential of wild birds: preliminary results of a research and extension project carried out in a reforestation area at IFRJ Campus, Pinheiral, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This publication aims to disseminate to the scientific community and society in general, the project of the same title of this publication that is under development by the collaboration of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ) and the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de aneiro (UFRRJ). Briefly, this project aims to quantify and identify parasites of the body surface (ectoparasites) and intestinal parasites (enteroparasites) of wild birds, which should be related to their biological and ecological conditions, and to evaluate the dispersal seed process performed by birds (ornithocoria), the viability and development of these seeds and thus establish the degree of importance of ornithocoria in reforestation at the IFRJ campus of Pinheiral, RJ. The project includes the integration of five doctoral professors, a laboratory technician doctor, as well as a postdoctoral student, four doctoral students, one master student, two undergraduate students and four technical high school students. To date, six expeditions have been made in the reforestation area of the Espaço Ecológico Educativo (EEcoE) of the IFRJ campus in Pinheiral, RJ, where a total of 196 wild birds have been captured, evaluated, ringed and recorded at the Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Aves Silvestres (CEMAVE), of which 29 were recaptured for revaluations. Four articles were published on the themes of parasitology and ornithochory in wild birds. Two practical short courses in the area of study were taught in September 2018 and February 2019 to IFRJ students, but open to the scientific community and society at large. Currently the project is not expected to end, since there are plenty of unpublished and relevant results in both the area of parasitology and ornithochory of wild birds.

Research facilities and highlights at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA)

The Centro Nacional de Aceleradores is a user-oriented accelerator facility in Seville, Spain. Its main facilities are a 3 MV tandem accelerator, an 18 MeV proton Cyclotron, a tandetron used for AMS, a compact accelerator used for radiocarbon measurements, a ^{60}Co irradiator and a PET/CT scanner. The technical specifications and research applications of these facilities are described. A neutron beam line associated to a charged pulsed beam in the tandem allows for time of flight measurements which determine the neutron energy. The use of an adequate stripper gas in the AMS tandetron permits to measure heavy radionuclides with very low detection levels, allowing to perform environmental studies using these radionuclides as tracers. The use of the microbeam in the tandem accelerator allows to apply the ion beam-induced current technique to investigate the spectroscopic properties and radiation hardness of different semiconductor detectors.

High accuracy AC current sources calibration by single junction thermal converters at INM

The National Metrology Institute of Colombia (INM) uses high accuracy calibrators (such as Fluke 5720A/5730A) as AC current reference standards. We describe the implementation at INM of AC-DC current transfer standards by single junction thermal converters (SJTC) to improve the accuracy of AC measurements and give traceability to the International System of Units (SI) within the country. We describe the measurement model, present the uncertainty budget estimation accordingly to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and analyze the effect of temperature and electrostatic on measurements. Expanded uncertainties between 68 μA/A and 2.6 mA/A were obtained for the calibration of high accuracy calibrators and transconductance amplifiers for currents from 5 mA to 20 A (40 Hz to 5 kHz). The obtained measurement results are compatible with calibration results from the National Metrology Institutes like Centro Nacional de Metrología from Mexico (CENAM) and Accredited International Laboratories like Fluke.

Determinación del flujo salivar en niños uruguayos portadores de HIV

La mayoría de niños infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) presentan, dentro de sus primeros signos de enfermedad, manifestaciones orales. Uno de los factores a considerar es la disminución del flujo salival producido por infiltración glandular por el propio virus o como efecto secundario a la toma de medicación antiretroviral. Objetivo: Determinar el flujo salival en niños uruguayos portadores de VIH, que asisten al Centro Nacional de Referencia VIH SIDA del Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, (CHPR) en Montevideo-Uruguay. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo cuantitativo analítico de casos y controles. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes portadores de VIH que asisten al Centro Nacional de Referencia (CHPR) y los pacientes del grupo control eran usuarios del mismo Hospital, con similares condiciones socio-económicas y sanos desde el punto de vista general. Se realizó el recuento de flujo salival. Los niños del grupo de estudio se dividieron a su vez en dos grupos, según su adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral, que era calificada en buena o mala. Se estudiaron también otros parámetros como hipertrofia parotídea y actividad de caries. Resultados: Se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los niños del grupo de estudio y grupo control en relación a flujo salival (p= 0,0002), independiente de la adherencia al tratamiento antiretroviral.

La función de ídolo de Jon Rahm en la repercusión mediática del Open de España de Golf 2018

La celebración del Open de España 2018 supuso la recuperación de un torneo que nació en 1912 y ha vivido 91 ediciones, pero que en 2017 no se celebró por falta de patrocinadores. Este artículo es resultado de una investigación de las tres universidades públicas de Madrid en las que se estudia Periodismo, y consecuencia del interés de estos centros de enseñanza superior por el deporte del golf. Se analiza la importancia de la presencia de un deportista como Jon Rahm, que provocó la asistencia de casi 50.000 personas durante la semana de competición. Un estudio fundamentado en los impactos informativos en medios impresos de consumo y con distribución nacional de este Open de España en los dos últimos años de competición (2016 y 2018), que valora si la participación de un nuevo ídolo deportivo permite que este torneo vuelva al escenario internacional y el golf adopte una nueva mirada social no solo como deporte competitivo sino como herramienta educativa y de ocio.

HiSPANoS facility and the new neutron beam line for TOF measurements at the Spanish National Accelerator Lab (CNA)

HiSPANoS (HiSPAlis Neutron Source) is the first accelerator-based neutron facility in Spain, installed at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), where different experiments have been performed related to nuclear astrophysics, detector characterization, electronic devices irradiation, imaging, etc. An upgrade of the neutron facility has been carried out recently, installing a pulsing system at the 3 MV tandem accelerator at CNA. Such system, composed by a chopper and buncher unit, can provide nanosecond proton and deuteron pulsed beams. A new experimental line dedicated to neutron time-of-flight (n-TOF) technique has been installed at the tandem accelerator. Proton and deuterium pulse width of 1 ns have been measured with a repetition rate in the range of 62.5 kHz to 2 MHz. The commissioning of the n-TOF line has consisted of the measurement of the neutron field generated by 7Li(p,n) reaction with proton energy of 1912 keV.

Tissue expression of antigens of ABH blood groups in species of New World Monkeys (Aotus infulatus, Callithrix jacchus, Sapajus apella and Saimiri sciureus).

ABH antigens are histo-antigens, but were first described on the surface of human erythrocytes. They are found in those cells only in great apes and humans, while in more primitive animals they are found in tissues and body fluids. ABH antigens are mainly distributed in tissues that are in contact with the external environment and may serve as ligands for pathogens in tissues or block their connection. Description of the distribution of these molecules in non-human primate tissues is restricted to a few tissues and species. This paper describes the expression of human A, B and H type antigens in different organs from four species of New World Primates, obtained from the Centro Nacional de Primatas, as well as comparing that expression with what has been described for humans. In this study, although the tissue description of the antigens is similar to the genetic model for humans, some differences in expression between some organs from those species and those of humans were found. The differences occurred mainly in endodermal organs that have secretory functions and are probably under the control of the human-type FUT-2 enzyme. In the mesodermal-origin organs there was a reduction or absence of A and B antigen marking, particularly in the H precursor substance, indicating that those organs are under the control of the human-type FUT-1 enzyme. These findings have demonstrated that there is similar ABH antigen reactivity in tissue distribution between the species, although there are some species-specific cases.

Missing Persons and Unidentified Human Remains: The Perspective from Armed Conflict Victims Exhumed in Granada, Colombia

The prevalence of missing persons in Colombia has been analyzed from different perspectives throughout the years. The most recent official numbers given by the National Center for Historical Memory (Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica [CNMH]) provides an approximate number of 60,630 missing persons from 1970 to 2015. During this time, participants in the armed conflict performed different types of violence to one another, including torturing, disapperances, and multiple incidents of combat between militant groups and the Colombian National Army. Formerly, the agencies tasked with investigating these crimes were focused primarily on the cause and manner of death; identification was not the main purpose, leaving hundreds of unidentified victims buried in different cemeteries around the Colombian territory. The aim of this article is to provide a broad perspective of the dimension of the missing persons in Colombia, highlighting the achievements that have been made so far, presenting an example from the unidentified victims buried and recovered from “La Resurrección” cemetery in Granada (Colombia) and analyzed by a specialized forensic team of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses [INMLyCF]) in the Eastern Region of Colombia.

Factors associated with the severity of pruritus in patients with terminal chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis in Lima, Peru

The objective of the study is to analyze the factors associated with the severity of pruritus in patients with terminal chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. The methodology used is based on a cross-sectional study in patients receiving hemodialysis at the Centro Nacional de Salud Renal. Severe pruritus was defined as a score on the visual analogue scale greater than or equal to 7, and the strength of association with the possible risk factors was assessed by calculating prevalence ratios. Regarding the results, 264 patients were included, 59.9% were male, with a mean time on hemodialysis of 10.26 ± 7.14 years. 75% experienced pruritus, of this group, 1 in 3 presented severe pruritus. Hyperphosphatemia and the use of antihistamines were associated with a higher prevalence of severe pruritus (RP 1.71, 95% CI 1.09-267 and RP 2.39, 95% CI 1.51-3.75, respectively). The positive serology for Hepatitis C Virus was described as a protective factor for presenting severe pruritus (RP 0.55, 95% CI 0.33 - 0.89). In conclusion, severe uremic pruritus is a frequent problem in patients with chronic terminal kidney disease who have hyperphosphatemia and treatment with antihistamines independently of the time they have been on hemodialysis.

SISCOVID: modelos de sistemas complejos para contribuir a disminuir la transmisión de SARS-COV-2 en contextos urbanos de Colombia

The development and implementation of strategies to reduce SARS-CoV2 transmission is a prevailing challenge for Colombia. These strategies ought to be dynamic and specific to each region, seeking to balance health and economic impacts. This task calls for an interdisciplinary approach to ensure a holistic view of the problem. This article presents findings and results obtained from the SISCOVID project, which used simulated systemic models to support decision making and efforts to mitigate the pandemic in Colombia. The project included researchers from Universidad de Los Andes, the Centro Nacional de Consultoría (CNC) and Universidad de Ibagué, in alliance with several international universities and companies. SISCOVID helped decision makers design strategies to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in urban contexts for the cities of Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, and Medellín.

A practical approach to switch from a multiple pill therapeutic strategy to a polypill-based strategy for cardiovascular prevention in patients with hypertension.

: Pharmacological treatment recommended by guidelines for very high-risk patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes lipid-lowering drugs, antihypertensive agents and antiplatelet therapy. Depending on the associated comorbidities, this baseline regimen has to be complemented with other drugs. Therefore, the number of pills to be taken is usually high and adherence to these multiple pill therapeutic regimens and long-term persistence on treatment is low, being the main factor for insufficient control of cardiovascular risk factors. The CNIC (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, España) polypill is the only polypill containing low-dose aspirin approved by the EMA and marketed in Europe, and has demonstrated to improve adherence. For this reason, guidelines recommend its use for secondary prevention of CVD, and also for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and advanced atherosclerotic process at high risk of thrombosis and low risk of bleeding. This article pretends to simplify the steps that clinicians may follow to switch from any baseline regimen to the polypill with the use of several algorithms and tables showing the equivalent effective daily doses of different angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and statins to facilitate switching, as well as the steps to be followed depending of the initial levels of BP and LDL-cholesterol values to achieve BP and lipid control with the association to the polypill of other BP-lowering or lipid-lowering drugs whenever needed.

The Obstacle Course of Reperfusion for ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Obstacle Course of Reperfusion for ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Water management of mombaça grass (panicum maximum) in sandy and loamy soil

The objective of the present study was to assess the influence of irrigation management in the production of Mombaça grass in two distinct types of soil. The experimental material used was the Panicum maximum (Jacq.) cv. Mombaça, developed by Embrapa – Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Gado de Corte (National Beef Cattle Research Center). Research took place in arched greenhouse located in the experimental area of the Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, in Piracicaba-SP - Brasil. Two experiments using different types of soil (sandy and loamy) were conducted using a randomized block design, in a factorial (4x3) arrangement, with four levels of soil water depletion (15%, 30%, 45% and 60%) in three harvests, with four repetitions. The experimental unit consisted of a 21 L pot, with 0.30 m of depth and a surface area of 0.07 m2. As results it was observed that the water use efficiency increased with the addition of water availability in the Nitosol. The grass showed sensitivity to water deficit, with higher production when irrigated with 30% depletion of available water capacity in both soils.

Survival in laparoscopic surgery for colon and rectal cancer

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery of the colon has been performed since the early nineties of the past century. Despite its advantages of less postoperative pain, faster recovery of intestinal and respiratory function among others, its acceptance has not been the same as with other laparoscopic procedures. In oncologic surgery particularly, the main cause of non-acceptance has been the fear of not respecting the oncologic criteria and the reports on port site metastases in the abdominal wall. Objective: To determine patient survival after laparoscopic colorectal resections. Material and methods: A descriptive, retrospective and longitudinal study was carried out at the Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso (CNCMA-NCMIS) between January 2005 and December 2015. The variables studied were age, gender, reason for surgery, surgical technique, mortality, overall survival. Results: When comparing the survival curves according to the location of the tumor, it was found that those who had undergone surgery for a rectal tumor had a significantly lower survival during complete follow-up than patients with tumors in the rest of the sites (p=0,032). Significant differences were also found in the survival curves regarding the stage of the disease; stage IV patients showed the worst survival during the follow-up of this series. Conclusions: Survival in our study, with the limitations given by a retrospective analysis, in patients who had surgery for colorectal cancer with minimally invasive techniques at five and ten years was 70,9% and 66,8% respectively, an appropriate rate and similar to that described in scientific medical literature.

Journal Digest: High-Dose Omega-3; Dabigatran; Youth With OCD; Diazepam’s Activity; Lavender

Journal Digest: High-Dose Omega-3; Dabigatran; Youth With OCD; Diazepam’s Activity; Lavender

Design, fotografia e inclusão social no patrimônio brasileiro

RESUMO Este trabalho busca apresentar novas perspectivas sobre o patrimônio cultural brasileiro, especialmente quanto às décadas de 1970 e 1980, quando a fotografia elabora novos sentidos de forma determinante, contribuindo com a organização institucional de outros discursos. Para tanto, dois aspectos são levados em consideração: primeiramente serão abordadas as mudanças do design, reconhecendo que a atuação de Aloísio Magalhães foi fundamental para que uma nova agenda chegasse do Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Iphan). Segundo, em vista das atividades do Centro Nacional de Referência Cultural (CNRC), reconhece-se a importância da política implementada e o papel evidente da fotografia na formulação de novas agendas e discursos. Por fim, constata-se que este período se revela um momento de mudança ligado a domínios que não dizem respeito diretamente ao patrimônio cultural.

Pneumatic gauge pressure comparison from 700 kPa to 7 000 kPa

This report presents the final results of the supplementary comparison SIM.M.P-S10 for pneumatic gauge pressure from 700 kPa to 7 000 kPa. This comparison was carried out in the period from November 2014 to January 2015, by using a digital pressure manometer with uncertainty 0.010 % of the reading as the transfer standard for the comparison. The reference value for this comparison was given by the Centro Nacional de Metrologia de Mexico (CENAM, Mexico).Main textTo reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Estudio de factores que afectan la integración de los sistemas de gestión en el Centro Nacional de Biopreparados, Cuba


 Objetivo: Diagnosticar de manera integrada la gestión de la calidad, ambiental y de seguridad y salud en el Centro Nacional de Biopreparados para la integración de los sistemas de gestión. Metodología: A partir de la revisión bibliográfica relacionada con las tendencias actuales para la integración de modelos de gestión, el empleo de métodos como la encuesta, la observación, trabajo en equipo, listas de chequeo, matriz DAFO y estadística descriptiva, se diseñó y aplicó un procedimiento que permitió detectar las brechas que incidían en la organización tanto en el contexto interno como externo. Resultados: Como resultado se obtuvo que existía duplicidad en la información documentada, no integración de políticas y objetivos de gestión, identificación y evaluación de los riesgos de cada sistema de forma independiente, auditorías no integradas, consumo de agua y electricidad como aspectos ambientales con impacto negativo, el grado de integración de los requisitos de las normas medianamente cumplido y poca integración de los requisitos de las normas percibida por los trabajadores. Conclusiones: La aplicación del procedimiento permitió detectar las brechas que influían de manera negativa en la gestión y el desempeño de la organización, lo que condujo a identificar la necesidad de diseñar e implementar un modelo integrado de gestión de la calidad, ambiental y de seguridad y salud en el trabajo.
 

Mortality analysis of adult burn patients in Uruguay.

ObjectiveTo determine the independent risk factors associated with mortality in adult burn patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective, observational study performed at the Centro Nacional de Queimados do Uruguai. All patients with skin burns admitted to the unit since its opening on July 1, 1995 through December 31, 2018 were included. The demographic data, burn profiles, length of stay, mechanical ventilation duration and hospital mortality were studied. A multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for mortality. The standardized mortality ratio was calculated by dividing the number of observed deaths by the number of expected deaths (according to the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index).ResultsDuring the study period, 3,132 patients were included. The median total body surface area burned was 10% (3%-22%). The Abbreviated Burn Severity Index was 6 (4 - 7). Invasive mechanical ventilation was required in 60% of the patients for a median duration of 6 (3 - 16) days. The median length of stay in the unit was 17 (7 - 32) days. The global mortality was 19.9%. Crude mortality and standardized mortality ratio decreased from 1995 through 2018. The global standardized mortality ratio was 0.99. A need for mechanical ventilation (OR 8.80; 95%CI 5.68 - 13.62), older age (OR 1.07 per year; 95%CI 1.06 - 1.09), total body surface area burned (OR 1.05 per 1%; 95%CI 1.03 - 1.08) and extension of third-degree burns (OR 1.05 per 1%; 95%CI 1.03 - 1.07) were independent risk factors for mortality.ConclusionThe need for mechanical ventilation, older age and burn extension were independent risk factors for mortality in the burned adult Uruguayan population.

SIM.M.T-S2 supplementary bilateral comparison calibration of a reference torque wrench final report

A Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) key comparison on the calibration of a reference torque wrench was carried out between the Centro Nacional de Metrologia (CENAM, Mexico) and the Instituto Nacional de Metrologia (INM, Colombia), between September 2017 and October 2017. The results of this comparison are reported here, along with descriptions of torque standards used by CENAM and INM, and the uncertainty budget for these standards. This report also describes the protocol for the comparison and presents the data acquired. The results are analyse, determining the degree of equivalence between the torque measurements from CENAM and INM.Main textTo reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).