Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

About: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais is a education organization based out in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 41631 authors who have published 75688 publications receiving 1249905 citations.

Learning from and responding to students' questions: The authoritative and dialogic tension

Abstract: In this study we present an analysis of classroom interactions initiated by students' wonderment questions. Our interest in such events arises from their potential to stimulate active intellectual engagement in classrooms, which can impact upon the subsequent development of the classroom discourse. In investigating this issue we shall address the following research question: How do student questions impact upon the teaching explanatory structure and modify the form of the ongoing classroom discourse, in selected science lessons? From data collected in a Brazilian secondary school we have selected three classroom episodes, with large differences in both the context in which the student's question emerges and in the communicative approach developed in response to it. The analysis, based on the framework proposed by Mortimer and Scott [Mortimer and Scott (2003). Meaning making in secondary science classrooms. Maidenhead: Open University Press], shows that questions made by students are important in providing feedback from students to the teacher, enabling adjustments to the teaching explanatory structure. These adjustments sometimes occur smoothly, at other times with major changes to the features of the classroom discourse, and elsewhere with misunderstanding and disagreement. The data also suggest the need to consider students' intentions and their active participation in the negotiation of both the content and structure of classroom discourse. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:174–193, 2010

An update on the management of Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Abstract: Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, infects nearly 18 million people in Latin America and mainly affects the heart, causing heart failure, arrhythmias, heart block, thromboembolism, stroke and death. In this review, the clinical diagnosis and management of Chagas cardiomyopathy are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the clinical staging of patients and the use of various diagnostic tests that may be useful in individualizing treatment of the two most relevant clinical syndromes, that is, heart failure and arrhythmias. The relevance of specific treatments are discussed, stressing the important role of parasite persistence in disease pathogenesis. We also discuss new therapy modalities that may have a role in the treatment of Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Efficacy and Safety of a COVID-19 Inactivated Vaccine in Healthcare Professionals in Brazil: The PROFISCOV Study

Abstract: Background: Vaccines are urgently needed to tackle the unprecedented morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. Administration of inactivated viruses are the common and mature platform of developing new vaccines. CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine that has undergone preclinical tests and phase I/II clinical trials. Methods: We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial with CoronaVac among healthy healthcare professionals in 16 centres in Brazil. Participants received two doses of vaccine (3 μg in 0.5 mL) vaccine or placebo at day 0 and 14. The primary efficacy endpoint was the number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases confirmed by RT-PCR 14 days after the second dose of the vaccine. Prevention of disease severity was a major secondary efficacy endpoint, and adverse events incidence up to seven days after immunization was the primary safety outcome. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04456595. Findings: Between July 21 and Dec 16, 2020, 12 396 participants were enrolled and received at least one vaccine or placebo dose. There were 9,823 participants who received the two doses and were followed for at least 14 days and had, therefore, reached the final efficacy analysis. There were 253 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the cohort: 85 cases (11.0/100 person-year) among 4,953 participants in the vaccine group, and 168 cases (22·3/100 person-year) among 4,870 participants in the placebo group. The primary efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 was 50·7% (95%CI 36·0-62·0). The secondary efficacy against cases requiring assistance (score ≥3) and moderate and severe cases (score ≥4) were 83·7% (95%CI 58·0-93.7) and 100% (95%CI 56·4-100.0) respectively. All 6 cases of severe COVID-19 occurred in the placebo group. The incidence of adverse reactions, which was mainly pain at the administration site, was higher in the vaccine group (77·1%) than in the placebo group (66·4%). There were 67 serious adverse events reported by 64 participants and all were determined to be unrelated to vaccination, including two fatal cases. In a subset of participants, neutralizing antibody assays showed similar seroconversion and geometric mean titres against B.1.128, P.1, and P.2 variants. Interpretation: A phase 3 clinical trial conducted in healthcare professionals in Brazil demonstrated that the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine has a good safety profile and is efficacious against any symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and highly protective against moderate and severe COVID-19.

Family Health Strategy Coverage in Brazil, according to the National Health Survey, 2013

Abstract: Resumo O objetivo deste artigo e apresentar a cobertura da Estrategia Saude da Familia (ESF) estimada pela Pesquisa Nacional de Saude (PNS), comparando com dados administrativos e coberturas anteriores da Pesquisa Nacional de Amostras de Domicilios (PNAD), alem de descrever frequencias de visitas domiciliares das equipes. Foram comparados dados de inqueritos populacionais em 2008 (PNAD), em 2013 (PNS) e dados administrativos do Departamento de Atencao Basica, sobre a proporcao de pessoas moradoras em domicilios cadastrados em unidade de saude da familia, para Brasil, Grandes Regioes e Unidades da Federacao, alem de indicadores com visitas domiciliares por escolaridade. Observou-se aumento na cobertura da populacao pelo Saude da Familia no Brasil, passando de 50,9%, segundo a PNAD 2008, para 53,4% em 2013, segundo a PNS. O crescimento ocorreu no Brasil, Grandes Regioes, urbano e rural. Os dados da PNS em 2013 foram semelhantes aos administrativos do DAB em 2013, cerca de 56% de domicilios cadastrados. Populacoes com menor escolaridade receberam mais visitas domiciliares mensalmente. A ESF e um importante promotor de equidade em saude e o aumento de sua cobertura e abrangencia e exitoso no pais.