Abstract:Background: Oxidative stress may lead to overproduction of reactive species and a decrease in antioxidant defenses, resulting in chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The consumption of natural compounds with an antioxidant profile may be a preventive alternative. Therefore, we aimed to obtain evidence regarding the potential antioxidant activity of juices in human plasma. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed, which included randomized controlled trials that compared the use of fruit or vegetable juices vs. placebo or other beverages. An electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and SciELO. The outcome measures extracted were related to antioxidant status, e.g., vitamin C, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels and reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant capacity measured as TEAC. Results: Twenty-eight trials were identified (n = 1089), of which 16 were used for meta-analysis. No significant differences were observed between juices and placebo with regard to TEAC, SOD, and CAT. However, juices were superior to control in enhancing vitamin C and reducing MDA. Conclusions: Natural juices are possible candidates for the management of oxidative stress. The effects of juices should be further investigated by conducting larger and well-defined trials of longer duration.

Introduction:Multiple factors negatively affect the quality of life of patients infected with hepatitis C virus. This study aims to evaluate the effect of pharmacological treatment on the quality of life of these individuals.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study conducted in two Southern Brazilian centers that used two instruments (a generic and a specific one) for measuring the quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C: the Short Form-36 (SF-36); and the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) for liver disease. We included patients from two centers without any treatment (control group), or receiving medication (peginterferon + ribavirin ± telaprevir or boceprevir, i.e., respectively, dual, and triple therapies).Results:One hundred and forty-seven patients were included. Patients under treatment (n = 86) had a lower score in 7 of the 8 SF-36 domains, with statistical significance (p<0.05) only for the emotional function domain. Patients who were not treated (n = 58) had higher scores in 4 of the 6 (p<0.05) CLDQ domains. A comparison of patients, receiving dual or triple therapies for both questionnaires, was only significant in the Vitality domain from CLDQ.Conclusions:Treatment can affect the subjective perception of patients regarding quality of life. Due to the complexity of the disease, each patient must be evaluated in multiple dimensions. Thus, the results may be useful for understanding the patient's perceptions during treatment, and it can also serve as a reference for care instructions.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystemic autoimmune disease driven by genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. Despite the advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the last decades, SLE still leads to significant morbidity and increased mortality. Although a cure for SLE is still unknown, treatment is required to control acute disease exacerbation episodes (flares), decrease the frequency and severity of subsequent lupus flares, address comorbidities, and prevent end-organ damage. While conventional SLE pharmacotherapy may exhibit suboptimal efficacy and substantial toxicity, a growing knowledge of the disease pathogenesis enabled the research on novel therapeutic agents directed at specific disease-related targets. In this paper, we review the recent progress in the clinical investigation of biologic agents targeting B cells, T cells, cytokines, innate immunity, and other immunologic or inflammatory pathways. Although many investigational agents exhibited insufficient efficacy or inadequate safety in clinical trials, one of them, belimumab, fulfilled the efficacy and safety regulatory requirements and was approved for the treatment of SLE in Europe and the USA, which confirms that, despite all difficulties, advances in this field are possible.

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The superiority of DAAs over placebo or standard dual therapy with Peg-IFN + RBV was confirmed, indicating the greater efficacy of DCV. This study is the first network meta-analysis that included RVR as an outcome in the evaluation of these agents via indirect comparison. Further investigation should be carried out addressing safety and tolerability outcomes.

Este estudo buscou desenvolver um software que calcula a chance de o profissional de saúde ter zero, um, dois, três ou quatro ou mais acidentes com riscos biológicos. Para tal foram utilizados dados de 111 questionários de trabalhadores da saúde da atenção primária e pronto atendimento. O programa atingiu 95% de acurácia no conjunto de treinamento (n=88) e 74% no conjunto de teste (n=23). As associações estatisticamente significantes, que contaram também com dados de 1.094 Comunicações de Acidente de Trabalho, foram maior abandono do acompanhamento por médicos após acidente com materiais biológicos na comparação com outros profissionais (p=0.02), técnicos em enfermagem e maior prevalência de acidentes com materiais biológicos que outros profissionais (p<0.001), trabalhadores de pronto atendimento apresentam mais acidentes com materiais biológicos que profissionais da atenção primária (p<0.001) e aumento do abandono após acidente com materiais biológicos no triênio 2016-2018 na comparação com 2007-2009 (p<0.001).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar uma revisão da literatura sobre os fármacos utilizados para o tratamento da hepatite C desde a descoberta do vírus, em 1989. Para atingir esse objetivo, foi realizada uma pesquisa nas bases Medline e SciELO, utilizando o termos “hepatite C”, “tratamento”, “livre de interferon”, “revisão” e “ensaio clínico”. Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão das características gerais da hepatite C juntamente com sua epidemiologia e diagnóstico. Durante muito tempo, a única opção disponível para o tratamento da hepatite C foi o interferon. Esta droga não mostrou boa eficácia e seu uso foi minimizado com o surgimento de novos regimes sem interferon que aumentaram a taxa de sucesso para algo em torno de 95%. Tais medicamentos permitiram o alcance real da cura do vírus, embora estejam disponíveis no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) brasileiro, são tratamentos caros que restringem o acesso a grande parte da população infectada.

Foodborne illness results in high costs to public health and the food chain production worldwide. The majority of the population is unaware of food safety requirements and consequently, domestic kitchens are sources of contamination and spread of disease. Eating habits and the profile of food handlers in these sites guide the planning of surveillance and public education. This study describes the epidemiological and microbiological aspects of household outbreaks of foodborne illness in the State of Parana, using the Notifiable Diseases Information System database. There were 357 outbreaks between 2008 and 2012 in the State of Parana, and households were the main place of occurrence (43.70%), followed by restaurants and bakeries (21.00%), and kindergartens and schools (11.20 %). Household outbreak records derived from the municipalities for regional health coverage, based in Curitiba, Cascavel, Pato Branco, Foz do Iguaçu and Londrina. These indicated an increased number of reported cases between 2011 and 2012. The increase in reporting reflects a greater awareness among professionals because of training. The results highlight the consumption of contaminated food (36.15%), by strains of coagulase positive Staphylococcus (36.23%). They also reflect an intensification and wholeness of public policies on the education of the population regarding hygiene principles in the acquisition, handling, preparation, storage, and consumption of food in the household.