Background: This study aimed to adapt the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS) into Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its measurement properties, given as reliability, validity, and responsiveness in patients with non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). Methods: A total of 108 patients with a mean age of 46.62 years (SD = 9.98) and CLBP participated in this longitudinal study. Participants were oriented on undertaking the prescribed exercises in the first session, and adherence behavior was assessed after 1 week, and finally reassessed after 2 weeks (test-retest reliability). Three weeks after the first assessment, they were invited again to full fill the EARS (responsiveness). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,1) and Cronbach's α were used to assess test-retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively. Spearman's correlation and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to assess construct validity, and the Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze responsiveness. Results: The one-factor EARS-Br (adherence behavior) structure with 6 items showed acceptable fit indexes (comparative fit index and goodness of fit index> 0.90 and root-mean-square error of approximation< 0.08). The EARS-Br scale showed acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.88) and excellent reliability (ICC = 0.91 [95% CI 0.86-0.94]). Mild to moderate correlations were observed between EARS-Br total score vs. disability, pain catastrophizing, depression/anxiety, fear-avoidance and pain intensity. A Minimally Important Change (MIC) of 5.5 in the EARS-Br total score was considered as a meaningful change in the adherence behavior (AUC = 0.82). Moderate accuracy (AUC = 0.89) was obtained for a 17/24 total EARS cutoff score after home exercise was prescribed. The sensitivity and specificity were also acceptable (greater than 80%).

The Doce River basin has suffered the largest environmental accident ever occurred in Brazil with the influx of tailings from Fundão and Santarém, belonging to Samarco mining company, due to the disaster in Mariana. A spill between 50 and 60 million m3 of tailings was estimated by the company. According to Samarco, the wastewater was composed mainly of clay, silt and heavy metals like iron, copper and manganese. Thereby, the objective of the present study was evaluated the genotoxic damage in juvenile of Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy e Gaimard, 1824) exposed to Doce river water before (DRWBA – Doce River water before acident) and after (DRWAA – Doce River water after acident) the influx of tailings from the Germano and Santarém Dam disasters in Mariana, MG, Brazil. For this, 24 individuals of the species G. brasiliensis (obtained on IFES/ALEGRE fish culture) were submitted to a bioassay with three treatments and eight replicates. The treatments were: 1) Control water (water from the urban water supply system, filtered with a 0.45 µm membrane), 2) DRBA and 3) DRAA. After 96 h, these fishes were anesthetized to remove blood for evaluation of genotoxic damage (micronucleus and comet). For the bioassay, a total of 80 L of The Doce River water were collected before the influx of tailings and after the influx and then submitted to metal quantification analysis. Fish exposed to DRWBA and DRWAA treatments showed a significant increase in both the number of erythrocyte micronuclei and the DNA damage index in relation to the control fish; however, they did not present any differences between the two treatments. The results demonstrate that the DRWBA treatment was already genotoxic for the fish, mainly due to dissolved Cu concentrations in the water. The DRWAA treatment probably presented genotoxicity due to the increase in the dissolved fraction and synergistic effects of several metals found in the tailings of the Mariana accident.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an iatrogenic medical event for which there is not yet a successful therapy. Increasing evidence in rodents has suggested that this disease is associated with renal tubular and vascular injury that is triggered directly by oxidative stress. In the present study, we evaluated whether the antioxidant resin from Virola oleifera (RV) could attenuate renal damage in an experimental mouse model of CIN. Adult male Swiss mice were divided into six groups and pre-treated orally with RV (10, 100 and 300 mg/kg), N-acetylcysteine (200 mg/kg) or vehicle for 5 days before the induction of CIN and Control group. Renal function was assessed by measuring plasma creatinine and urea levels. Additionally, renal oxidative stress and apoptosis/cell viability were determined with flow cytometry. Finally, kidney tissues were sectioned for histopathological examination. In this CIN model, pre-treatment with RV improved renal function, lowered the mortality rate, and reduced oxidative stress and apoptosis in both the medulla and cortex renal cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the RV treatment had beneficial effects on kidney histopathology that were superior to the standard treatment with N-acetylcysteine. These data suggest that because of its antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects and its ability to preserve renal function, resin from Virola oleifera may have potential as a new therapeutic approach for preventing CIN.

Context: The resin from the trunk wood of Virola oleifera (Schott) A. C. Smith (Myristicaceae) is used in folk medicine to hasten wound repair and to treat pain and inflammatory conditions, and our previous report indicated the anti-oxidative properties in other oxidative stress model.Objective: To investigate the protective effects of resin from V. oleifera in two experimental models of gastric ulcer oxidative-stress dependent.Materials and methods: Plant material was collected and the resin was subjected to partitioning with organic solvents. The buthanol fraction was subjected to chromatographic and spectrometric methods for isolation and structural elucidation. The resin was quantified for polyphenols and flavonoids by colorimetric methods. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of resin was determined by three different methods. The ulcers were induced acutely in Swiss male mice with ethanol/HCl and indomethacin using single-doses of 10 and 100 mg/kg. The gastroprotection of the experimental groups was comparable to reference control lansoprazole (3 mg/kg).Results: The high content of polyphenols (∼82%) and the presence of epicatechin and eriodictyol were determined. The LD50 was estimated at 2500 mg/kg. At minimum (10 mg/kg) and maximum (100 mg/kg) dosage of resin, both in ethanol/HCl as indomethacin ulcer induction models demonstrate reduction of lesions (minimum: ∼97% and ∼66%; maximum: ∼95% and ∼59%).Discussion: The gastroprotection might be related to tannins, phenolic acids and flavonoids present in the resin by antioxidant properties.Conclusions: The results indicate that this resin has gastroprotective activity probably associated with the presence of phenolic antioxidant substances.

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