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Water pollution due to environmental remediation and poor waste administration in certain areas of the globe signifies a serious problem in acquiring safe and clean drinking water. This problem is especially critical in rural areas, where advanced water purification techniques are deficient, and it remains a daunting task for ecosystem and public health protection. This critical task can be addressed herein by developing scalable poly squaramide-phenyl methacrylamide (PSQ)-functionalized carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) (PSQ-CNPs) with densely populated chelating sites with strong Hg2+-binding capacity. The PSQ-CNPs have shown high efficiency in removing Hg2+ from aqueous solution, providing a Hg2+ capacity of 2840 mg g-1, surpassing all the amine and thiol-based adsorbents reported hitherto. More significantly, the adsorbent reveals the largest distribution coefficient value (Kd) of 9.09 × 1010 mL g-1, which allows it to reduce Hg2+ content from 10 ppm to less than 0.011 ppb, well below the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits for drinking water standards (2 ppb). The adsorption measurements of the adsorbent followed the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second order. The practical applicability of PSQ-CNPs was verified with the real samples (the lake, river, and industrial wastewater) and has been proven to be excellent. The adsorbent could still retain its Hg2+ removal efficacy even after 12 sorption cycles. It is attributed that the remarkable performance of PSQ-CNPs arises from the high-density chelating sites and pores on the surface of CNPs. The present work shows a new benchmark for Hg2+-removal adsorbents and presents a novel practical approach for decontaminating Hg2+ and other heavy metal ions from wastewater.

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INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnea is a frequent entity in childhood that can lead to important consequences for the health and children's quality of live. Polysomnography is the gold-standard exam to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, but it is expensive, complex, and poorly affordable in Brazil. The pediatric sleep questionnaire has shown to be a valuable screening test for obstructive sleep apnea. It is a simple questionnaire with good sensitivity and specificity compared to polysomnography in the countries where it has been validated. OBJECTIVE: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ), into Brazilian Portuguese. METHODS: The translation of the PSQ into Brazilian Portuguese was carried out in accordance with good practices. The validated and adapted questionnaire was applied to parents/caregivers of 60 children (40 of them with obstructive sleep apnea and 20 controls) aged 2-18 years. Retest was applied to 30 children with obstructive sleep apnea. The following tests were performed: internal consistency, test-retest, validation of questionnaire (the latter by ROC curve). RESULTS: Brazilian PSQ has shown high internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha (0.86 for the total test, 0.83 for subscale "snoring", 0.64 for "sleepiness" and 0.65 for "behavior"). Test-retest presented a correlation of 0.89 for subscale "snoring", 0.93 for "sleepiness" and 0.86 for "behavior". Accuracy by ROC curve was 0.99. Nine was considered the optimal value to discriminate patients with obstructive sleep apnea from controls, with a sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 1.0. CONCLUSION: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PSQ into Brazilian Portuguese proved to be successful. In places with difficult access to polysomnography, PSQ can be a useful tool in screening and follow-up of children with obstructive sleep apnea.

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Abstract Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea is a frequent entity in childhood that can lead to important consequences for the health and children's quality of live. Polysomnography is the gold-standard exam to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, but it is expensive, complex, and poorly affordable in Brazil. The pediatric sleep questionnaire has shown to be a valuable screening test for obstructive sleep apnea. It is a simple questionnaire with good sensitivity and specificity compared to polysomnography in the countries where it has been validated. Objective Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ), into Brazilian Portuguese. Methods The translation of the PSQ into Brazilian Portuguese was carried out in accordance with good practices. The validated and adapted questionnaire was applied to parents/caregivers of 60 children (40 of them with obstructive sleep apnea and 20 controls) aged 2-18 years. Retest was applied to 30 children with obstructive sleep apnea. The following tests were performed: internal consistency, test-retest, validation of questionnaire (the latter by ROC curve). Results Brazilian PSQ has shown high internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha (0.86 for the total test, 0.83 for subscale "snoring", 0.64 for "sleepiness" and 0.65 for "behavior"). Test-retest presented a correlation of 0.89 for subscale "snoring", 0.93 for "sleepiness" and 0.86 for "behavior". Accuracy by ROC curve was 0.99. Nine was considered the optimal value to discriminate patients with obstructive sleep apnea from controls, with a sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 1.0. Conclusion The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PSQ into Brazilian Portuguese proved to be successful. In places with difficult access to polysomnography, PSQ can be a useful tool in screening and follow-up of children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Resumo Introdução A apneia obstrutiva do sono é uma doença comum na infância que pode trazer consequências importantes para a saúde e qualidade de vida das crianças. O exame padrão‐ouro para o diagnóstico (polissonografia) é um exame caro, complexo e disponível em poucos centros. O pediatric sleep questionnaire, PSQ, tem demonstrado ser um bom teste de triagem para apneia obstrutiva do sono, por ser um questionário simples e com boa sensibilidade e especificidade quando comparado à polissonografia nos países em que foi validado. Objetivo Tradução e adaptação transcultural do PSQ para o português do Brasil. Método Foi feita a tradução do PSQ para o português do Brasil, de acordo com as boas práticas. O questionário validado e adaptado foi aplicado aos pais/responsáveis de 60 crianças com 2-18 anos, 40 com apneia obstrutiva do sono e 20 controles. O reteste foi feito em 30 crianças com apneia obstrutiva do sono. Foram avaliados: consistência interna, teste‐reteste, validação do conteúdo e acurácia do questionário, pela curva ROC (do inglês receiver operating characteristic curve). Resultados O PSQ‐Brasil apresentou alta consistência interna, pelo coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach (0,86 para o teste total; 0,83 para o subdomínio "ronco"; 0,64 para "sonolência" e 0,65 para "comportamento". O teste‐reteste teve concordância de 0,89 para o subdomínio "ronco"; 0,93 para sonolência" e 0,86 para "comportamento". A acurácia medida pela curva ROC foi de 0,99. O valor de 9,0 foi considerado ideal para diferenciar os pacientes com apneia obstrutiva do sono e controles, com sensibilidade de 0,92 e especificidade de 1,0. Conclusão A tradução e adaptação transcultural do PSQ para o português do Brasil mostrou‐se bem‐sucedida. Em locais com dificuldade de acesso à polissonografia, o PSQ pode ser uma ferramenta útil na suspeição diagnóstica e seguimento das crianças com apneia obstrutiva do sono.

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Introducción. El asma es una de las enfermedades crónicas más frecuentes en niños. Múltiples estudios han sugerido que en la infancia presenta una asociación significativa con los trastornos respiratorios del sueño, con una prevalencia en niños asmáticos de un 24%. El objetivo fue determinar la prevalencia de trastornos respiratorios del sueño (TRS) en pacientes con asma controlados en un hospital pediátrico (6-15 años). Pacientes y Método. Estudio transversal descriptivo. Se aplicaron los cuestionarios de sueño pediátrico validado en español (pediatric sleep questionnaire, PSQ) y el Cuestionario de Control del Asma en Niños (CAN) a los padres de los niños con diagnósticos de asma controlados en Hospital Roberto del Río, vía telefónica y vía email. Resultados: La prevalencia de TRS fue de 34,8%. Un 20% presenta mal control de asma definido como CAN >8. Un 58,1% de los padres reportaron sobrepeso en los pacientes Conclusiones: la prevalencia de TRS en los niños estudiados es alta y obliga a investigar en cada consulta por estos síntomas. Aplicar la encuesta en cada consulta, de forma online podría aportar al conocimiento de estos pacientes y mantener la prevalencia del problema actualizada, para focalizar las intervenciones apropiadas.

Introduction. Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children, multiple studies have suggested that in childhood it presents a significant association with sleep-disordered breathing, with a prevalence in asthmatic children of 24%.The objective was to determine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (RRT) in patients with asthma controlled in a pediatric hospital (6-15 years). Patients and Methods. Descriptive cross-sectional study. The pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ) and the Child Asthma Control Questionnaire (CAN) were applied to the parents of children with controlled asthma diagnoses at Hospital Roberto del Río, by telephone and via e-mail. Results: The prevalence of RRT was 34.8%. 20% have poor asthma control defined as CAN> 8. 58.1% of parents reported overweight in patients Conclusions: the prevalence of RRT in the children studied is high and makes it necessary to investigate these symptoms at each visit. Applying the survey in each consultation, online, could contribute to the knowledge of these patients and keep the prevalence of the problem updated, in order to focalized the interventions.

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The goals of this work were to evaluate the effects produced by a hyperglycidic diet (HD) on Drosophila melanogaster and to verify the protective effect of 7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) on this model. Adult flies were divided into eight groups of 50 flies each: (1) RD, (regular diet) (2) RD + 4-PSQ (25 µM), (3) HD 5%, (4) HD 10%, (5) HD 30% (6) HD 5% + 4-PSQ (25 µM), (7) HD 10% + 4-PSQ (25 µM) and (8) HD 30% + 4-PSQ (25 µM). Flies were exposed to a diet containing sucrose and or 4-PSQ for ten days, according to each group. At the end of treatment survival rate, longevity, hatch rate, food intake, glucose and triglyceride levels, as well as, some markers of oxidative stress, such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, protein thiol (PSH) and non-protein levels (NPSH) and cell viability assays (Resazurin and MTT) were evaluated. It was observed that HD's consumption was associated with lower survival of the flies, lower longevity, and increased levels of glucose, triglycerides, TBARS and increased SOD activities and CAT activities. Treatment with 25 µM 4-PSQ increased the satiety of flies, increased survival, reduced glucose, triglyceride and TBARS levels, increased hatching, and normalized SOD and CAT activities. These results suggest that 25 µM 4-PSQ had a potential antioxidant effect and provided greater satiety by attenuating the effects of high HD consumption on this model.

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AIMS: Telemedicine between health care providers could be useful for improving the access to hepatology consultations, which is challenging in some regions. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of consultations that were resolved through a telemedicine program. Additionally, we evaluated patient satisfaction with this strategy. METHODS: Consecutive telemedicine consultations made by non-hepatologist health care providers from different regions of Argentina to a specialty hepatology team were included. Participants and hepatologists used e-mail, teleconference systems, WhatsApp, or telephone to interact, depending on their preferences. Consultations were considered to be resolved through telemedicine when a diagnosis and an adequate follow-up were achieved without the need to refer the patient to a hepatologist or other specialist. Patient satisfaction with telemedicine was evaluated using the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form and Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 200 telemedicine consultations made by 24 physicians from 10 different provinces of Argentina were evaluated, of which 145 (73%; 95% CI: 66%-79%) were resolved through telemedicine. Practitioners specialities were as follows: family physicians, internists, gastroenterologists, infectious diseases, and obstetrics. The most frequent final diagnoses for those patients whose consultation was resolved through telemedicine were non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, and benign hepatic lesions. A high degree of patient satisfaction with telemedicine was observed in both questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show the effectiveness of telemedicine in hepatology, with high resolution rate of consultations and rapid access to experts' assessment. Additionally, a high degree of patient satisfaction was observed using prevalidated questionnaires.

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Growing evidence demonstrates that Oxaliplatin (OXA) is commonly associated with neurotoxicity that leads to emotional and cognitive impairments. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the OXA and Na+, K+-ATPase interaction and to correlate anxious behavior and cognitive impairment induced by this chemotherapeutic in Swiss mice. Also, considering the pharmacological modulation of Na+, K+-ATPase as a potential target for OXA-induced neurotoxicity, the therapeutic potential of 7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) was evaluated. Mice received OXA (10 mg kg-1) or vehicle by intraperitoneal route (days 0 and 2). Oral administration of 4-PSQ (1 mg kg-1) or vehicle was performed from days 2-14. Behavioral tasks started from day 12 onwards. On day 15, the animals were sacrificed, and the tissues collected. The effects of OXA and 4-PSQ on activity and expression level of Na+, K+-ATPase in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, and the plasmatic corticosterone levels were determined. The findings demonstrated a significant positive correlation between anxious behavior and cognitive impairment induced by OXA. OXA caused an increase on the plasmatic corticosterone levels and reduced activity and expression level of Na+, K+-ATPase. 4-PSQ reduced both anxious behavior and cognitive impairment induced by OXA. 4-PSQ effect seems to be due to the modulation of Na+, K+-ATPase and reduction of corticosterone levels. Our results helped to expand knowledge about the mechanisms involved in the physiopathology of the OXA-induced neurotoxicity and strongly indicated that 4-PSQ may be a good prototype for the treatment of anxious behavior and cognitive impairment induced by OXA exposure.

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Objective: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in school children with poorly-controlled asthma. However, this association has not been assessed in preschoolers with recurrent wheeze, nor in those at risk for asthma. We hypothesized that preschoolers with asthma risk (positive asthma predictive index [API]) have a higher prevalence of SDB and higher inflammatory biomarkers (blood-hsCRP and urinary-LTE4) levels than those with negative API.Method: Children 2 to 5 years of age with recurrent wheezing were classified as positive or negative API. SDB was determined by the pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ) and its subscale (PSQSub6). Demographic characteristics, spirometry, blood hsCRP and urinary LTE4 were assessed.Results: We enrolled 101 preschoolers: 70 completed all measurements, 55.4% were males, mean age 4.07 ± 0.87 years, 45% overweight or obese, 70% had positive API, 87.5% had rhinitis. The prevalence of SDB measured by PSQ was 40.8% and by PSQSub6 was 29.6%. However, the proportion of SDB was similar between positive and negative API groups. The hsCRP (mean ± SD) was higher in the positive than in negative API (3.58 ± 0.58 and 1.32 ± 0.36 mg/L, p = 0.69, respectively); moreover, no differences in urinary LTE4 were found between groups. No correlation of PSQ (+) or PSQSub6 (+) with hsCRP and uLTE4 was found. However, preschoolers with positive API had significantly more post-bronchodilator percentage change in FEF25-75 than negative API (24.14 ± 28.1 vs. 4.13 ± 21.8, respectively, p = 0.01).Conclusions: In preschoolers with recurrent wheezing, we should be investigating for the coexistence of SDB, using early screening methods for detecting those conditions.

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