Background Neuropsychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, generating substantial healthcare utilization and costs. Brazil, which hosts the world's largest universal public health system, implemented psychiatric reform to reduce dependence on long-term hospitalization and expand community-based services. The study aimed to assess hospitalization trends in Brazil between 2008 and 2022. Methods We conducted a nationwide, retrospective analysis of administrative data from Brazil's Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS) covering all psychiatric admissions (ICD-10, Chapter V) from 2008 to 2022. Outcomes included admission rates, length of stay, diagnostic distribution, demographic and regional disparities, and total hospitalization costs, adjusted for inflation. Data were standardized using WHO population projections and Markov chain Monte Carlo. Findings Psychiatric hospitalizations declined by more than 50%, from 314,686 admissions (315 per 100,000 people) in 2008 to 151,113 (151 per 100,000) in 2022. The mean length of stay fell from 45.1 to 22.1 days. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders remained the leading cause of admission but decreased substantially (from 151 to 53 per 100,000 people), while mood disorders increased particularly among female adolescents (from 12 to 16 per 100,000 people). Males were hospitalized 70% more compared to females (males: 174; females: 102 per 100,000 people in 2021), mainly for substance- (males: 37; females: 10 per 100,000 people in 2021) and alcohol-related disorders (males: 32; females: 4 per 100,000 people in 2021). Marked regional variation persisted, with slower declines in the North. Total hospitalization costs fell by over 75% between 2010 (R$1,123,798,345) and 2022 (R$290,769,856), reflecting a sustained shift from hospital-based to community-based care. Interpretation Brazil's sustained reduction in psychiatric hospitalizations and costs demonstrates the long-term success of psychiatric reform and the expansion of community-based mental health care. However, regional and demographic inequities underscore the need for targeted investments to ensure equitable access and expand reform achievements amid policy fluctuations. Funding CNPq, INCT, CAPES, FAPEMIG.
Herons are predators at high levels of the trophic webs in aquatic and adjacent terrestrial environments. They often breed sympatrically, forming colonies with multiple species that play key roles in the transport of nutrients and can serve as environmental sentinels. However, studies evaluating foraging habits, resource partitioning, and niche overlap are still scarce. We used complementary stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, and food remains analyses to investigate diet overlap among cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), snowy egret (Egretta thula), and black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) at the Lagoa dos Patos estuary, southern Brazil. These species fed on vertebrates (mainly fish but also anurans and bird chicks) and arthropods (insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) in varying proportions. Similarly, stable isotopes demonstrated assimilated sources from estuarine, limnetic, and terrestrial areas, with food items differing in proportions. The diet of cattle egrets was composed mainly of terrestrial prey, while snowy egrets fed mainly on aquatic prey. Black-crowned night herons had a generalist diet and the highest isotopic niche breadth, which overlapped with other species. Our study demonstrated that small-to-medium-sized herons have trophic plasticity and despite sharing food items in different proportions, they show a distinction in at least one of the niche dimensions (temporal, spatial, or trophic), which allows for the coexistence of sympatric species in multispecies colonies.
Background: TB is still a major public health problem in Pakistan and children are at high risk of latent TB infection (LTBI). A lack of understanding of the burden and risk factors of LTBI in paediatric populations will hinder the effectiveness of TB control strategies. The objective of the study was to find out the prevalence of LTBI among children attending BHBU Kachi Shahani of District Bhakkar, Punjab, Pakistan and to look for risk factors associated with this infection. Methods: The study was conducted by cross sectional approach that is hospital based study in the Basic Health Unit Kachi Shahani, Bhakkar in which 425 children age (1-15 years) were selected. Demographic details such as age, sex, residence and BCG scar were obtained by using a structured questionnaire. Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) was injected intradermally with 0.1 mL of purified protein derivative and induration was measured 48-72 hours after the injection. If any induration was ≥10 mm, this was treated as positive for LTBI. The data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The prevalence was reported with 95% confidence intervals, and the Annual Risk of Infection (ARI) was estimated using the formula ARI = 1 − (1 − P)^(1/a). Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to test for associations with demographic factors in TST-positive children. Results: Of the 425 participants, the majority were aged 6-10 years (41.4%), male (52.5%), and from rural areas (65.4%). In 82.4% of children, BCG scar was observed. The overall TST positivity rate was 16.9% (72/425) and it was continuing to rise with age; the rate was 8.5% in children aged 1-5 years, 15.3% in children aged 6-10 years and 26.7% in children aged 11-15 years. The risk of infection was estimated at 2.2% per year. Multivariable logistic regression showed that children aged 11-15 years had significantly higher odds of being TST positive than did the children aged 1-5 years (aOR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.45-6.70, P=0.003). Children who did not have a BCG scar were also significantly more likely to test positive for TST (aOR 2.41, 95% CI: 1.31-4.44; P=0.005). Sex (aOR 1.18, 95% CI: 0.72-1.92, P=0.507) and place of residence (aOR 1.56, 95% CI: 0.90-2.69, P=0.108) were not significantly associated with TST positivity. Conclusions: The study shows that the overall prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection is high among the children of Bhakkar (16.9%) while the Annual Risk of Infection is estimated to be 2.2%. Being older (11–15 years) was a significant independent risk factor for LTBI, as was the absence of a BCG scar. These indicate the need to urgently strengthen TB control efforts, particularly regarding contact tracing, improving TB preventive therapy for older children and adolescents, and maintaining high BCG vaccination coverage, in this high TB burden context. Ongoing monitoring and targeted interventions are key to curb transmission of TB and LTBI in children in Pakistan.
Małgorzata Góral-Kowalczyk,1 Elżbieta Grządka,2 Jolanta Orzeł,2 Dariusz Góral,3 Tomasz Skrzypek,4 Zbigniew Kobus,5 Iryna Koval,6 Andrzej Marczuk11Department of Agricultural Forestry and Transport Machines, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 2Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland; 3Department of Biological Bases of Food and Feed Technologies, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 4Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 5Department of Technology Fundamentals, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland; 6Department of Physical, Analytical and General Chemistry, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, UkraineCorrespondence: Dariusz Góral, Department of Biological Bases of Food and Feed Technologies, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Gleboka Str. 28, 20-612, Lublin, Poland, Email dariusz.goral@up.lublin.plIntroduction: Nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles are promising magnetic hyperthermia agents, but conventional synthesis relies on toxic reagents. Plant-extract-mediated biogenic synthesis offers an eco-friendly alternative; however, the influence of specific agro-waste phytochemical matrices and precursor chemistry on nanoparticle structure and heating efficiency remains poorly characterized.Methods: Aqueous extracts from pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L) and raspberry leaves/shoots (Rubus idaeus L) were characterized for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Cherry stalk extract showed insufficient reactivity and was excluded. Two precursor systems — nitrate (Fe(NO3)3/Ni(NO3)2) and acetate–sulfate (Ni(CH3COO)2/FeSO4) — were combined with each extract, yielding four nanoparticle batches (M1, M2, G1, G2) after calcination at 500°C for 4 h. Nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, XRF, FTIR, TEM, DLS, and zeta potential. Magnetic heating performance was assessed under AMF (532.4 kHz, 3.1 kA·m− 1); SAR and ILP were calculated with ferrite-mass correction based on XRF data.Results: Pomegranate extract showed the highest phytochemical activity (DPPH: 1283.9 μM TE·g− 1). XRD confirmed the spinel NiFe2O4 structure in all batches, with crystallite sizes of 15.0– 21.8 nm and lattice parameters of 8.35– 8.38 Å. The acetate–sulfate batches (M2, G2) contained substantially higher Fe/Ni fractions (M2: Fe 49.0%, Ni 11.5%) than the nitrate batches (M1, G1: Fe ≤ 2.9%, Ni ≤ 1.7%). DLS indicated hydrodynamic diameters of 200– 400 nm; zeta potential values (− 14.0 to +7.8 mV) indicated limited colloidal stability. Under AMF, M2 and G2 reached maximum temperatures of 46.0°C and 43.4°C (baseline 31°C), with SAR of 15.7 and 15.0 W·g− 1 and ILP of 3.08 and 2.93 nH·m2·kg− 1, respectively. Sample M1 showed negligible heating (SAR 0.93 W·g− 1; ΔT =1.1°C).Discussion: Precursor chemistry critically determines ferrite yield and heating efficiency, with the acetate–sulfate system consistently outperforming the nitrate system. The obtained ILP values are comparable to literature reports for NiFe2O4 under similar AMF conditions. However, the observed aggregation and low zeta potential limit biomedical applicability. As no cytotoxicity or in vitro/in vivo data were obtained, these findings represent proof-of-concept for the thermal conversion potential of biogenically synthesized NiFe2O4, pending biological validation.Keywords: spinel ferrite, specific absorption rate, SAR, intrinsic loss power, ILP, colloidal stability, phytochemical reduction
