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ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the suffering and coping strategies of nurses working in Primary Health Care considering the psychodynamics of their work. Methods: Descriptive study with a qualitative approach, carried out with 11 nurses working in Primary Health Care. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, systematized, and interpreted using Bardin’s content analysis method applied to recurrent themes. Results: The suffering factors related to work in Primary Health Care are difficulties with management, the fragile structure of the health support network, and conflicts with the users. Defensive strategies to minimize these difficulties are the support of hierarchical superiors, the empowerment of the community and users, and communication between team members. Final considerations: It is important that there be changes in the organization of this line of work to improve the workers’ health. RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar o sofrimento e os mecanismos de defesa de enfermeiros atuantes na Atenção Primária à Saúde à luz da psicodinâmica do trabalho. Métodos: Estudo descritivo com abordagem qualitativa realizado com 11 enfermeiras atuantes na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Os dados foram coletados mediante entrevista semiestruturada, sistematizados e interpretados utilizando-se a análise de conteúdo de Bardin na modalidade temática. Resultados: Os fatores de sofrimento relacionados ao trabalho na Atenção Primária à Saúde são as dificuldades com a gestão, a estrutura fragilizada da rede de apoio à saúde e os conflitos com os usuários. As estratégias defensivas para minimizar essas dificuldades são o apoio dos superiores hierárquicos, o empoderamento da comunidade ou dos usuários e a comunicação entre os membros de equipe. Considerações finais: É importante que haja mudanças na organização do trabalho para que melhorias sejam alcançadas na saúde dos trabalhadores. RESUMEN Objetivo: Analizar el sufrimiento y mecanismos de defensa de enfermeros actuantes en la Atención Primaria de Salud a la luz de la psicodinámica del trabajo. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo con abordaje cualitativo realizado con 11 enfermeras actuantes en la Atención Primaria de Salud. Datos fueron recolectados mediante entrevista semiestructurada, sistematizados e interpretados utilizándose el análisis de contenido de Bardin en la modalidad temática. Resultados: Factores de sufrimiento relacionados al trabajo en la Atención Primaria de Salud son las dificultades con la gestión, estructura debilitada de la red de apoyo a la salud y conflictos con los usuarios. Las estrategias defensivas para minimizar esas dificultades son el apoyo de los superiores jerárquicos, el empoderamiento de la comunidad o de los usuarios y la comunicación entre los miembros de equipe. Consideraciones finales: Es importante que haya cambios en la organización del trabajo para que mejorías sean alcanzadas en la salud de los trabajadores.

Nitrite and nitrate salts are preservatives that act as antimicrobial (bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity) and antioxidant agents in the processing of meat products and confer sensory properties to meat (by creating and preserving colours and flavours). Nitrite is mainly used as a preservative to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum and the production of its toxins. However, nitrite and nitrate are also associated with the production of N-nitroso compounds, such as carcinogenic N-nitrosamines, which can have adverse health effects. Therefore, the health risks of these preservatives must be weighed against the need to prevent foodborne pathogens, especially spores of C. botulinum, from infecting food. In this review, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using nonthermal technologies as a strategy to partially or totally replace nitrite in meat products, particularly regarding antimicrobial efficacy and N-nitrosamine formation. Methods such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields and cold plasma have been studied for these purposes, but these technologies can alter the sensory properties and stability of foods. Nevertheless, irradiation at lower doses has great potential as a tool for reformulation of cured meat products. It contributes to the reduction of the residual nitrite and consequently to the production of N-nitrosamines while ensuring microbiological safety without significant changes in the product quality.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of extrinsic factors (meat type, price, and nutritional claims) on purchase Intention and the perception of intrinsic factors (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) in buffalo loin in a region of Brazil where the marketing of buffalo meat is not common. Photos of the steaks were treated and labels were designed to simulate the retail purchase process, with the effects of extrinsic factors being evaluated through conjoint analysis. Sensory tests of difference from control, purchase intention, and overall acceptance were performed for intrinsic factors. Regarding the purchase process, a determining factor was the price, with buffalo meat having a better purchase intention when associated with a lower price. The lowest price also proved to be more important than the presence of nutritional information for most respondents, however, nutritional information was necessary for consumers characterized over 50 years old. Good acceptance was perceived after tasting buffalo meat, even with less tenderness and juiciness compared to Nellore, and only a minority respondents were willing to pay more for it. The buffalo meat presents a potential option for the consumer, when offered in association with marketing strategies that emphasize nutritional and/or sensory information, such as tenderness and juiciness.

Nitrite and nitrate salts are preservatives that act as antimicrobial (bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity) and antioxidant agents in the processing of meat products and confer sensory properties to meat (by creating and preserving colours and flavours). Nitrite is mainly used as a preservative to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum and the production of its toxins. However, nitrite and nitrate are also associated with the production of N-nitroso compounds, such as carcinogenic N-nitrosamines, which can have adverse health effects. Therefore, the health risks of these preservatives must be weighed against the need to prevent foodborne pathogens, especially spores of C. botulinum, from infecting food. In this review, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using nonthermal technologies as a strategy to partially or totally replace nitrite in meat products, particularly regarding antimicrobial efficacy and N-nitrosamine formation. Methods such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields and cold plasma have been studied for these purposes, but these technologies can alter the sensory properties and stability of foods. Nevertheless, irradiation at lower doses has great potential as a tool for reformulation of cured meat products. It contributes to the reduction of the residual nitrite and consequently to the production of N-nitrosamines while ensuring microbiological safety without significant changes in the product quality.

Nitriti i nitrati su konzervansi koji djeluju kao antimikrobni (bakteriostatski i baktericidni) i antioksidacijski agensi tijekom prerade mesnih proizvoda, te daju senzorske značajke mesu (daju mu ili održavaju izvornu boju i okus). Nitriti se uglavnom primjenjuju kao konzervans, radi sprečavanja rasta i proizvodnje toksina bakterije Clostridium botulinum. Međutim, nitriti i nitrati su povezani i s proizvodnjom N-nitrozo-spojeva, poput kancerogenih N-nitrozamina, koji mogu imati negativne učinke na zdravlje. Stoga se potreba prevencije kontaminacije hrane patogenim mikroorganizmima, osobito sporama C. botulinum, mora usporediti sa zdravstvenim rizicima korištenja ovih konzervansa. U ovom preglednom radu raspravljamo o prednostima i nedostacima korištenja netermalnih tehnologija kao strategije za djelomičnu ili potpunu zamjenu nitrita u mesnim proizvodima, osobito u pogledu antimikrobne učinkovitosti i formiranja N-nitrozamina. Metode poput obrade pod visokim tlakom, pulsnih električnih polja i hladne plazme proučavane su u te svrhe, no ove tehnologije mogu promijeniti senzorske značajke i stabilnost hrane. Ipak, zračenje pri nižim dozama ima veliki potencijal primjene u reformulaciji suhomesnatih proizvoda, pridonoseći smanjenju preostalih nitrita i prethodno formiranih N-nitrozamina, dok istodobno osigurava mikrobiološku sigurnost bez značajnih promjena u kvaliteti proizvoda.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are crucial for tissue homeostasis and repair, secreting vesicles to the extracellular environment. Isolated exosomes were shown to affect angiogenesis, immunomodulation and tissue regeneration. Numerous efforts have been dedicated to describe the mechanism of action of these extracellular vesicles (EVs) and guarantee their safety, since the final aim is their therapeutic application in the clinic. The major advantage of applying MSC-derived EVs is their low or inexistent immunogenicity, prompting their use as drug delivery or therapeutic agents, as well as wound healing, different cancer types, and inflammatory processes in the neurological and cardiovascular systems. MSC-derived EVs display no vascular obstruction effects or apparent adverse effects. Their nano-size ensures their passage through the blood–brain barrier, demonstrating no cytotoxic or immunogenic effects. Several in vitro tests have been conducted with EVs obtained from different sources to understand their biology, molecular content, signaling pathways, and mechanisms of action. Application of EVs to human therapies has recently become a reality, with clinical trials being conducted to treat Alzheimer’s disease, retina degeneration, and COVID-19 patients. Herein, we describe and compare the different extracellular vesicles isolation methods and therapeutic applications regarding the tissue repair and regeneration process, presenting the latest clinical trial reports.

DNA barcoding has been an effective tool for species identification in several animal groups. Here, we used DNA barcoding to discriminate between 47 morphologically distinct species of Brazilian sand flies. DNA barcodes correctly identified approximately 90% of the sampled taxa (42 morphologically distinct species) using clustering based on neighbor-joining distance, of which four species showed comparatively higher maximum values of divergence (range 4.23-19.04%), indicating cryptic diversity. The DNA barcodes also corroborated the resurrection of two species within the shannoni complex and provided an efficient tool to differentiate between morphologically indistinguishable females of closely related species. Taken together, our results validate the effectiveness of DNA barcoding for species identification and the discovery of cryptic diversity in sand flies from Brazil.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the causative agent of Chikungunya fever, an acute febrile and arthritogenic illness with no effective treatments available. The development of effective therapeutic strategies could be significantly accelerated with detailed knowledge of the molecular components behind CHIKV replication. However, drug discovery is hindered by our incomplete understanding of their main components. The RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (nsP4-CHIKV) is considered the key enzyme of the CHIKV replication complex and a suitable target for antiviral therapy. Herein, the nsP4-CHIKV was extensively characterized through experimental and computational biophysical methods. In the search for new molecules against CHIKV, a compound designated LabMol-309 was identified as a strong ligand of the nsp4-CHIKV and mapped to bind to its active site. The antiviral activity of LabMol-309 was evaluated in cellular-based assays using a CHIKV replicon system and a reporter virus. In conclusion, this study highlights the biophysical features of nsP4-CHIKV and identifies a new compound as a promising antiviral agent against CHIKV infection.

Bacterial resistance is a rising problem all over the world. Many studies have showed that beach sands can contain higher concentration of microorganisms and represent a risk to public health. This paper aims to evaluate the densities and resistance to antimicrobials of Escherichia coli strains, isolated from seawater and samples. The hypothesis is that microorganisms show higher densities in contaminated beach sands and more antimicrobial resistance than the water column. Density, distribution, and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria E. coli were evaluate in seawater and sands from two recreational beaches with different levels of pollution. At the beach with higher degree of pollution (Gonzaguinha), water samples presented the highest densities of E. coli ; however, higher frequency of resistant strains was observe in wet sand (71.9 %). Resistance to a larger number of antimicrobial groups was observe in water (betalactamics, aminoglycosides, macrolides, rifampicins, and tetracyclines) and sand (betagalactamics and aminoglycosids). In water samples, highest frequencies of resistance were obtain against ampicilin (22.5 %), streptomycin (15.0 %), and rifampicin (15.0 %), while in sand, the highest frequencies were observe in relation to ampicilin (36.25 %) and streptomycin (23.52 %). At the less polluted beach, Ilha Porchat, highest densities of E. coli and higher frequency of resistance were obtain in wet and dry sand (53.7 and 53.8 %, respectively) compared to water (50 %). Antimicrobial resistance in strains isolated from water and sand only occurred against betalactamics (ampicilin and amoxicilin plus clavulanic acid). The frequency and variability of bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in marine recreational waters and sands were related to the degree of fecal contamination in this environment. These results show that water and sands from beaches with a high index of fecal contamination of human origin may be potential sources of contamination by pathogens and contribute to the dissemination of bacterial resistance.