Long COVID in Children: A Call for Paying More Attention

Long COVID in pediatric patients has lately attracted the interest of healthcare professionals and researchers around. Children, although typically less susceptible to severe sickness caused by the virus, can still have enduring symptoms such as weariness, impaired concentration, and respiratory problems long after their first infection. Acknowledging and dealing with these persistent consequences is essential to guaranteeing the general health and welfare of pediatric patients. Healthcare practitioners need to dedicate more focus to the phenomena of Long COVID in children, undertaking additional research to comprehend its frequency, risk factors, and best therapies. By enhancing knowledge and executing customized interventions for those impacted, we can more effectively facilitate the process of recovery and enhance results for this susceptible group

Efficiently searching through large tACS parameter spaces using closed-loop Bayesian optimization

Background: Selecting optimal stimulation parameters from numerous possibilities is a major obstacle for assessing the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation. Objective: We demonstrate that Bayesian optimization can rapidly search through large parameter spaces and identify subject-level stimulation parameters in real-time. Methods: To validate the method, Bayesian optimization was employed using participants’ binary judgements about the intensity of phosphenes elicited through tACS. Results: We demonstrate the efficiency of Bayesian optimization in identifying parameters that maximize phosphene intensity in a short timeframe (5 min for >190 possibilities). Our results replicate frequency-dependent effects across three montages and show phase-dependent effects of phosphene perception. Computational modelling explains that these phase effects result from constructive/ destructive interference of the current reaching the retinas. Simulation analyses demonstrate the method's versatility for complex response functions, even when accounting for noisy observations. Conclusion: Alongside subjective ratings, this method can be used to optimize tACS parameters based on behavioral and neural measures and has the potential to be used for tailoring stimulation protocols to individuals

Resin Tapping from Pinus elliottii var. elliottii clones in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

A extração de resina tem grande importância econômica na indústria florestal para as regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil. Pinus elliotti var. elliotti é a conífera mais amplamente plantada para extração de resina. Isso se deve à sua alta produtividade e adaptabilidade a diferentes condições de solo e clima. Diante deste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a produção de resina de um pomar de sementes clonais não testado de P. elliotti var. elliotti para identificar os clones mais produtivos e manejar o pomar com base em critérios técnicos

A importância do PIBID para a formação docente: reflexões a partir do programa na visão de licenciandos em informática / The importance of the PIBID for the teacher training: reflections from the program in a vision of licenciate degree students in informatics

Este artigo tem por objetivo refletir sobre a importância do Programa Institucional de Bolsas para Iniciação à Docência (PIBID) para a formação docente, a partir da análise das experiências vivenciadas por parte dos licenciandos em informática. Enfatizamos a visibilidade que é conferida aos sujeitos, uma vez que as considerações acerca do tema partem da visão/vivências de licenciandos/bolsistas. O programa é uma iniciativa para o aperfeiçoamento e valorização da formação de professores para a educação básica. Sua principal finalidade é a inserção de alunos da licenciatura no cotidiano de escolas da rede pública de ensino, proporcionando-lhes uma articulação entre a teoria e prática necessária à formação docente. Verificamos que a participação no programa tem proporcionado vivências muito significativas à nossa formação, sobretudo porque nos possibilita, de forma articulada, o desenvolvimento de nosso papel como pesquisadores. A pesquisa apresentada neste artigo é referente à uma investigação de abordagem qualitativa, cujos dados foram coletados a partir dos registros diários, regências e resultados obtidos por meio da participação dos sujeitos envolvidos no programa PIBID. Como apontamentos, destacamos o desafio da articulação da teoria vista em sala de aula com a prática nos diferentes processos formativos. Almejamos que as considerações aqui trabalhadas possam se configurar como considerações fecundas para a reflexão enquanto alunos em formação, destacando a importância da pesquisa/reflexão na formação docente

Noonan syndrome and related disorders: Alterations in growth and puberty

Noonan syndrome is a relatively common multiple malformation syndrome with characteristic facies, short stature and congenital heart disease, most commonly pulmonary stenosis (Noonan, Clin Pediatr, 33:548–555, 1994). Recently, a mutation in the PTPN11 gene (Tartaglia, Mehler, Goldberg, Zampino, Brunner, Kremer et al., Nat Genet, 29:465–468, 2001) was found to be present in about 50% of individuals with Noonan syndrome. The phenotype noted in Noonan syndrome is also found in a number of other syndromes which include LEOPARD (Gorlin, Anderson, Blaw, Am J Dis Child, 17:652–662, 1969), Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome (Reynolds, Neri, Hermann, Blumberg, Coldwell, Miles et al., Am J Med Genet, 28:413–427, 1986) and Costello syndrome (Hennekam, Am J Med Genet, 117C(1):42–48, 2003). All three of these syndromes share similar cardiac defects and all have postnatal short stature. Very recently, HRAS mutations (Aoki, Niihori, Kawame, Kurosawa, Ohashi, Tanaka et al., Nat Genet, 37:1038–1040, 2005) have been found in the Costello syndrome and germline mutations in KRAS and BRAF genes (Rodriguez-Viciana, Tetsu, Tidyman, Estep, Conger, Santa Cruz et al., Nat Genet,2006; Niihori, Aoki, Narumi, Neri, Cave, Verloes et al., Nat Genet, 38:294–296, 2006) in the Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome. Phenotypic overlap between these genetic disorders can now be explained since each is caused by germline mutations that are major components of the RAS-MAPK pathway. This pathway plays an important role in growth factor and cytokine signaling as well as cancer pathogenesis

Alveolar Hemorrhage in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis: Results of an International Randomized Controlled Trial (PEXIVAS)

Rationale: Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening manifestation of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis (AAV). The PEXIVAS (Plasma Exchange and Glucocorticoids in Severe Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody–Associated Vasculitis) (NCT00987389) trial was the largest in AAV and the first to enroll participants with DAH requiring mechanical ventilation. Objectives: Evaluate characteristics, treatment effects, and outcomes for patients with AAV with and without DAH. Methods: PEXIVAS randomized 704 participants to plasma exchange (PLEX) or no-PLEX and reduced or standard-dose glucocorticoids (GC). DAH status was defined at enrollment as no-DAH, nonsevere, or severe (room air oxygen saturation of ⩽ 85% as measured by pulse oximetry, or use of mechanical ventilation). Measurements and Main Results: At enrollment, 191 (27.1%) participants had DAH (61 severe, including 29 ventilated) and were younger, more frequently relapsing, PR3 (proteinase 3)-ANCA positive, and had lower serum creatinine but were more frequently dialyzed than participants without DAH (n = 513; 72.9%). Among those with DAH, 8/95 (8.4%) receiving PLEX died within 1 year versus 15/96 (15.6%) with no-PLEX (hazard ratio, 0.52; confidence interval [CI], 0.21–1.24), whereas 13/96 (13.5%) receiving reduced GC died versus 10/95 (10.5%) with standard GC (hazard ratio, 1.33; CI, 0.57–3.13). When ventilated, ventilator-free days were similar with PLEX versus no-PLEX (medians, 25; interquartile range [IQR], 22–26 vs. 22–27) and fewer with reduced GC (median, 23; IQR, 20–25) versus standard GC (median, 26; IQR, 25–28). Treatment effects on mortality did not vary by presence or severity of DAH. Overall, 23/191 (12.0%) with DAH died within 1 year versus 34/513 (6.6%) without DAH. End-stage kidney disease and serious infections did not differ by DAH status or treatments. Conclusions: Patients with AAV and DAH differ from those without DAH in multiple ways. Further data are required to confirm or refute a benefit of PLEX or GC dosing on mortality.publishedVersio