Rio de Janeiro State University

About: Rio de Janeiro State University is a education organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 16631 authors who have published 30919 publications receiving 465753 citations. The organization is also known as: UERJ & Rio de Janeiro State University.

A review of functional status evaluation instruments in the elderly

Abstract: The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is characterized as a functional and interdisciplinary evaluation. The first step is the assessment of functional status, which lies at the core of the procedure and can be defined by the level at which an individual performs roles and activities of daily living. Such assessment can be carried out by instruments (questionnaires) whose conceptual framework and psychometric properties must be well-defined. The present study systematically reviewed published data on the properties of the functional status measurement instruments and their adaptation and use in Brazil, through a search of the medical literature in reference textbooks and the LILACS and MEDLINE databases. After selection of the instruments, the next step consisted of a systematic scrutiny of validation, replication, and cultural adaptation studies. Thirty instruments were included according to explicit criteria. Only two, the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 and the Health Assessment Questionnaire, were found to have equivalence studies in Brazil. However, some of these were apparently used in this country without any formal adaptation. The cultural adaptation of functional status measurement instruments is incomplete and inconsistent in Brazil.

Performance of reconstruction and identification of τ leptons decaying to hadrons and vτ in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV

Abstract: The algorithm developed by the CMS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify τ leptons produced in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV, via their decays to hadrons and a neutrino, has been significantly improved. The changes include a revised reconstruction of π0 candidates, and improvements in multivariate discriminants to separate τ leptons from jets and electrons. The algorithm is extended to reconstruct τ leptons in highly Lorentz-boosted pair production, and in the high-level trigger. The performance of the algorithm is studied using proton-proton collisions recorded during 2016 at √s=13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb-1. The performance is evaluated in terms of the efficiency for a genuine τ lepton to pass the identification criteria and of the probabilities for jets, electrons, and muons to be misidentified as τ leptons. The results are found to be very close to those expected from Monte Carlo simulation.

Discriminação racial e saúde: uma revisão sistemática de escalas com foco em suas propriedades psicométricas (Racial discrimination and health: a systematic review of scales with a focus on their psychometric properties)

Abstract: A literatura abordando o uso da variavel raca no estudo de causas das iniquidades raciais em saude e caracterizada por uma profunda discussao sobre os problemas envolvidos na interpretacao de associacoes estatisticas como relacoes de causa e efeito. Em contrapartida, um numero menor de estudos tem abordado o uso de escalas de discriminacao racial para estimar os efeitos deste tipo de tratamento injusto sobre a saude, e nenhum deles realizou uma avaliacao abrangente das propriedades psicometricas destes instrumentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi revisar sistematicamente a literatura sobre escalas de discriminacao racial, com vistas a descrever seus processos de desenvolvimento e prover uma sintese de suas propriedades psicometricas. Uma busca eletronica nas bases de dados PubMed, LILACS, PsycInfo, Scielo, Scopus e Web of Science foi realizada sem qualquer restricao, utilizando-se vocabulario livre e controlado. Apos identificar 3.060 referencias, 24 escalas foram incluidas na revisao. Apesar de a discriminacao racial constituir um tema de relevância internacional, 23 (96%) escalas foram desenvolvidas nos Estados Unidos. A maior parte dos estudos (67%, N = 16) foi publicada nos ultimos 12 anos, documentando tentativas iniciais de desenvolvimento de escalas, com uma escassez de investigacoes sobre o refinamento ou a adaptacao trans-cultural destes instrumentos. As propriedades psicometricas relatadas foram boas; dezesseis entre todas as escalas apresentaram confiabilidade acima de 0,7, 19 entre 20 instrumentos confirmaram, pelo menos, 75% das hipoteses relacionadas aos construtos avaliados e a estrutura dimensional foi corroborada por analises fatoriais em 17 de 21 escalas. Entretanto, pesquisadores independentes raramente examinaram estas escalas. O uso de terminologia racial e como isto pode afetar o relato de experiencias de discriminacao racial nao foi extensamente avaliado. A necessidade de considerar outras formas de tratamento discriminatorio como exposicoes danosas a saude igualmente importantes e a ideia de um instrumento universal, adaptavel a diferentes contextos socioculturais, deveriam ser discutidas entre os pesquisadores deste emergente campo de investigacao. ABSTRACT – The literature addressing the use of the race variable to study causes of racial inequities in health is characterized by a dense discussion on the pitfalls in interpreting statistical associations as causal relationships. In contrast, fewer studies have addressed the use of racial discrimination scales to estimate discrimination effects on health, and none of them provided a thorough assessment of the scales’ psychometric properties. Our aim was to systematically review self-reported racial discrimination scales to describe their development processes and to provide a synthesis of their psychometric properties. A computer-based search in PubMed, LILACS, PsycInfo, Scielo, Scopus and Web of Science was conducted without any type of restriction, using search queries containing free and controlled vocabulary. After initially identifying 3,060 references, 24 scales were included in the review. Despite the fact that discrimination stands as topic of international relevance, 23 (96%) scales were developed within the United States. Most studies (67%, N = 16) were published in the last 12 years, documenting initial attempts at scale development, with a dearth of investigations on scale refinements or cross-cultural adaptations. Psychometric properties were acceptable; sixteen of all scales presented reliability scores above 0.7, 19 out of 20 instruments confirmed at least 75% of all previously stated hypotheses regarding the constructs under consideration, and conceptual dimensional structure was supported by means of any type of factor analysis in 17 of 21 scales. However, independent researchers, apart from the original scale developers, have rarely examined such scales. The use of racial terminology and how it may influence self-reported experiences of discrimination has not yet been thoroughly examined. The need to consider other types of unfair treatment as concurrently important health-damaging exposures, and the idea of a universal instrument, which would permit cross-cultural adaptations, should be discussed among researchers in this emerging field of inquiry. Key words: Race Relations; Prejudice; Causality; Questionnaires; Psychometrics

The Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-Term Use Evaluation (VALUE) Trial: Outcomes in Patients Receiving Monotherapy

Abstract: In the main Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-Term Use Evaluation (VALUE) report, we investigated outcomes in 15 245 high-risk hypertensive subjects treated with valsartan- or amlodipine-based regimens In this report, we analyzed outcomes in 7080 patients (464%) who, at the end of the initial drug adjustment period (6 months), remained on monotherapy Baseline characteristics were similar in the valsartan (N=3263) and amlodipine (N=3817) groups Time on monotherapy was 32 years (78% of treatment exposure time) The average in-trial blood pressure was similar in both groups Event rates in the monotherapy group were 16% to 39% lower than in the main VALUE trial In the first analysis, we censored patients when they discontinued monotherapy ("censored"); in the second, we counted events regardless of subsequent therapy (intention-to-treat principle) We also assessed the impact of duration of monotherapy on outcomes No difference was found in primary composite cardiac end points, strokes, myocardial infarctions, and all-cause deaths with both analyses Heart failure in the valsartan group was lower both in the censored and intention-to-treat analyses (hazard ratios: 063, P=0004 and 078, P=0045, respectively) Longer duration of monotherapy amplified between-group differences in heart failure New-onset diabetes was lower in the valsartan group with both analyses (odds ratios: 078, P=0012 and 082, P=0034) Thus, despite lower absolute event rates in monotherapy patients, the relative risks of heart failure and new-onset diabetes favored valsartan Moreover, these findings support the feasibility of comparative prospective trials in lower-risk hypertensive patients

Eating out of home and obesity: a Brazilian nationwide survey

Abstract: OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between out-of-home (OH) eating and overweight and obesity among adults in Brazil. DESIGN Data were based on the 2002-2003 Household Budget Survey (48,470 households) conducted by The Brazilian Census Bureau. Foods and drinks purchased for OH eating during a one-week period were recorded by each participant. We considered OH eating as the purchase of at least one food or drink item for OH consumption during this period. We classified items as: soft drinks, deep-fried snacks, fast foods, sweets and sit-down meals. SETTING Urban areas in Brazil. SUBJECTS 56,178 participants (26,225 men and 29,953 women), aged 25-65 years. RESULTS The weighted prevalence of OH eating was 40.3 %. Overall, OH eating was positively associated with overweight (OR = 1.21; 95 % CI 1.10, 1.33) and obesity (OR = 1.35; 95 % CI 1.16, 1.57) among men, but not among women. Sit-down meals and soft drinks were the most frequently reported food groups. Both were positively associated with overweight (OR = 1.34 for meals; OR = 1.17 for soft drinks, P < 0.05) and obesity (OR = 1.51 for meals; OR = 1.39 for soft drinks, P < 0.05) among men, but negatively associated with overweight and obesity among women. CONCLUSIONS OH eating was associated with overweight and obesity only among men, whereas, among women, eating sit-down meals out of home was protective for obesity, suggesting that women make healthier food choices when they eat out of home.