Peer reviewed article authored by (Veronese da Costa A, Costa MC, Oliveira SF, Albuquerque FL, Sá Pereira Guimarães FJ, Barbosa TM). Read article or submit your manuscript for publishing.

Peer reviewed article authored by (Santos MA, Barbosa Jr ML, Melo WV, Veronese da Costa A, Costa MC). Read article or submit your manuscript for publishing.

Introduction: The fruit of the cashew tree, known as cashew, is accompanied by the fleshy extension of its stem, referred to as the cashew nut. Rich in phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, carotenoids, polyphenols, as well as vitamins C and E, the cashew nut exhibits antioxidant properties. Objective: This systematic review investigated the effects of cashew nuts on oxidative stress in rats. Methodology: The study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. Searches were conducted in the Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, BVS, MedRxiv, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Experimental studies with rats as the target population, evaluating the effects of cashew nut supplementation on oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymatic activities, and inflammatory markers, were included. Exclusion criteria comprised dissertations, reviews, expert opinions, duplicates, and preprints. Results: Five studies published between 2018 and 2022 were included, all utilizing cashew nut supplementation as the intervention. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in oxidative stress, an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD and catalase, and a decrease in inflammatory markers, including TNF-α and IL-1β. The most effective dose was 100 mg/kg/day, yielding consistent results across studies. Conclusion: Cashew nuts show potential for reducing oxidative stress, mitigating inflammation, and enhancing antioxidant defenses in rats. However, further clinical studies are required to better explore their benefits in humans, a field that remains less studied compared to other types of nuts.

Background: This study aimed to verify the reproduction of an aerobic test to determine nonexpert swimmers' resistance. Methods: The sample consisted of 24 male swimmers (age: 22.79 ± 3.90 years; weight: 74.72 ± 11.44 kg; height: 172.58 ± 4.99 cm; and fat percentage: 15.19% ± 3.21%), who swim for 1 hour three times a week. A new instrument was used in this study (a Progressive Swim Test): the swimmer wore an underwater MP3 player and increased their swimming speed on hearing a beep after every 25 meters. Each swimmer's heart rate was recorded before the test (BHR) and again after the test (AHR). The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the number of laps performed (NLP) were also recorded. The sample size was estimated using G*Power software (v 3.0.10; Franz Faul, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany). The descriptive values were expressed as mean and standard deviation. After confirming the normality of the data using both the Shapiro–Wilk and Levene tests, a paired t-test was performed to compare the data. The Pearson's linear correlation (r) and intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) tests were used to determine relative reproducibility. The standard error of measurement (SEM) and the coefficient of variation (CV) were used to determine absolute reproducibility. The limits of agreement and the bias of the absolute and relative values between days were determined by Bland–Altman plots. All values had a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: There were significant differences in AHR (P = 0.03) and NLP (P = 0.01) between the 2 days of testing. The obtained values were r > 0.50 and ICC > 0.66. The SEM had a variation of ±2% and the CV was 0.90; SEM < 1%; CV < 3%), indicating that the other variables can be used to predict incremental changes in the physiological condition of swimmers. Conclusion: The Progressive Swim Test for nonexpert swimmers produces comparable results for noncompetitive swimmers with a favorable degree of reproducibility, thus presenting possible applications for researching the physiological performance of nonexpert swimmers.

Objective: To analyze the hemodynamic variables and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) between an active videogame (AVG) session and a dance session. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 30 university women between 18 and 30 years of age, physically active and having some kind of experience with dancing. The volunteers participated in the two sessions held on different days, the first with an active dance videogame and the other with a dance instructor, both lasting 50 minutes, with a sequence of songs and moderate intensity. For the evaluation of the two sessions, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and RPE measurements were taken before and every 10 minutes, until the time for each modality (AVG or dance) was completed. The Shapiro–Wilk and Levene test were used for normal data. For the comparison of two sessions, the two-way ANOVA test was used for repeated measures, and were considered to have a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: There were significant differences in HR [F(6, 96) = 2.606, P = 0.02, η²P = 0.140], from 10 to 50 minutes (P < 0.01), and diastolic BP [F(6, 84) = 1.858, P = 0.10, η²P = 0.117], as well as, in the 20th minute (P = 0.02) between Just Dance 2016^® and a dance session. All the variables analyzed showed an effect size as large in the classification of the degree of magnitude. Conclusion: There are similarities between the virtual and real dance sessions regarding hemodynamic variables and RPE. Thus, AVGs, especially Just Dance^®, may be a favorable option for individuals who wish to exercise at home.

A Tuberculose (TB) pulmonar apresentam-se como um desafio para a populações vulneráveis, onde desigualdades sociais, econômicas e estruturais dificultam o enfrentamento eficaz da doença. Com isso, o estudo tem como objetivo analisar a prevalência e evolução temporal dos casos de TB pulmonar nas regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil, entre os anos de 2004 e 2024. Trata-se de um estudo ecológico, realizado na Plataforma DATASUS analisando todos os casos notificados de TB pulmonar nas duas regiões nos últimos 20 anos. No período, foram notificados 89.929 casos de TB pulmonar, incluindo novos episódios e recidivas. A região Norte apresentou em média 1.180,6±290,7 casos anuais, enquanto o Nordeste registrou 3.101,8±259,0 por ano. Entre os novos casos, a média anual foi de 1.073,1±252,9 no Norte e 2.831,6±243,4 no Nordeste; já as recidivas corresponderam a 107,4±41,0 e 270,2±27,7, respectivamente. O perfil epidemiológico mostrou predomínio no sexo masculino (mais de 62% dos casos), em idosos de 60 a 69 anos e em pessoas autodeclaradas pardas (cerca de 70% no Norte e 59% no Nordeste), além de baixa escolaridade como fator marcante. Quanto aos desfechos, 58.262 indivíduos alcançaram a cura, mas ainda houve 5.456 abandonos e 6.083 óbitos associados à doença. Esses números revelam não apenas a persistência da TB pulmonar como desafio, mas também a urgência em fortalecer políticas públicas, com foco em diagnóstico precoce, adesão ao tratamento e redução das desigualdades que sustentam a vulnerabilidade dessas populações.