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Objectives. (1) To assess sleep patterns and parameters of sleep quality among Chilean college students and (2) to evaluate the extent to which stimulant beverage use and other lifestyle characteristics are associated with poor sleep quality. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among college students in Patagonia, Chile. Students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire to provide information about lifestyle and demographic characteristics. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality. In addition, students underwent a physical examination to collect anthropometric measurements. Results. More than half of students (51.8%) exhibited poor sleep quality. Approximately 45% of study participants reported sleeping six hours or less per night and 9.8% used medications for sleep. In multivariate analysis, current smokers had significantly greater daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness and were more likely to use sleep medicines. Students who reported consumption of any stimulant beverage were 1.81 times as likely to have poor sleep quality compared with those who did not consume stimulant beverages (OR:1.81, 95% CI:1.21–2.00). Conclusions. Poor sleep quality is prevalent among Chilean college students, and stimulant beverage consumption was associated with the increased odds of poor sleep quality in this sample.

RESUMOEnteroparasitoses são comuns em indivíduos que se encontram sob condições precárias de moradia e saneamento. Neste trabalho, objetivou-se descrever o perfil epidemiológico das enteroparasitoses em moradores de um assentamento rural, avaliando seus fatores de risco, como resultados do projeto de extensão "Ação Universitária Multidisciplinar para Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Cidadão do Assentamento Cajueiro no Município de Parnaíba/PI". Realizaram-se análises parasitológicas em 49 amostras fecais de indivíduos >13 anos. A prevalência de parasitoses foi de 73%, sendo 58% de monoparasitismo e 83% de protozoários. Nos casos de biparasitismo (33%), os helmintos corresponderam a 57% e as associações protozoários/helmintos a 53%. Houve aumento da prevalência com o aumento

These results suggest that promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and increased prenatal care utilization, as well as investments in female education would have substantial positive effects in further reducing infant mortality rates in the State of Ceará.

Background The reliance on chemical inputs to support high yields is the Achilles’ heel of modern crop production. The soil organic matter management is as old as agriculture itself. Recently, the use of soluble humic substances as plant growth promoters has been brought to attention due to their effects on nutrient uptake and water use efficiency. Humic substances applied directly at low concentrations can trigger different molecular, biochemical, and physiological processes in plants. However, how humic substances exert this plethoric regulatory action remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the transcription level of genes coding cell receptors, phosphatases, synthesis, and function of different plant hormones and transcription factors. Materials and methods After seven days of humic acid treatment, we used RNAseq in maize root seedlings. The level of gene transcription was compared with control plants. Results Plant kinase receptors and different phosphatases were regulated by humic acids. Likewise, genes related to plant hormones (auxin, gibberellin, ethylene, cytokinin, abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, jasmonic and salicylic acids) were transcript in differential levels in maize root seedlings as well as the expression of a hundred of transcription factors modifying the signal transduction pathway via alterations of the subsequent gene response. Conclusion We showed a general mechanism for simultaneously regulating the activity of several hormones where humic acids act as a key regulatory hub in plant responses integrating hormonal signalling and response pathways.