Os escritos de Giovanni Angelo Brunelli, astrônomo da Comissão Demarcadora de Limites portuguesa (1753-1761), sobre a Amazônia brasileira

O texto apresenta breve introdução à vida e à obra de Giovanni Angelo Brunelli (1722-1804), astrônomo bolonhês que participou da primeira Comissão Demarcadora de Limites entre as possessões de Portugal e Espanha na América do Sul, de 1753 a 1761, a serviço da Coroa lusitana. Em seguida, são publicados os três trabalhos de Brunelli sobre a Amazônia brasileira, tendo como temas a pororoca (1767), a mandioca (1767) e o rio Amazonas (1791); e dois outros documentos relacionadas à comissão, um ofício no qual Brunelli reclama a coordenação dos trabalhos de cartografia (1752) e um rascunho do diário de viagem do astrônomo até o rio Negro (1754). Todos esses documentos foram traduzidos ao português, pela primeira vez, do latim e do italiano.

Linfoma ileal primário como uma causa de intussuscepção ileocecal recorrente

INTRODUÇÃO: A intussuscepção ocorre quando um segmento proximal do intestino invagina para dentro do lúmen do segmento distal adjacente. Esta patologia é relativamente comum em crianças, sendo geralmente idiopática, diferentemente do que é evidenciado em adolescentes e adultos, os quais apresentam uma causa orgânica comprovada na maioria dos casos. O linfoma intestinal como etiologia desta patologia é extremamente raro. RELATO DE CASO: Um paciente de 16 anos, masculino, referindo dor abdominal em quadrante inferior direito há 36 horas associada a vômitos e fezes com sangue vivo compareceu em nosso serviço. O exame físico se apresentava dentro da normalidade exceto por uma massa palpável no quadrante inferior direito. A ultra-sonografia abdominal revelou intussuscepção ileocecal. A colonoscopia demonstrou uma massa protuberante proveniente do orifício da válvula ileocecal que foi reduzida, tendo o paciente um alívio completo dos sintomas. Três semanas após, o paciente retornou ao nosso hospital com recorrência dos sintomas. Uma laparotomia exploradora foi realizada evidenciando uma massa polipóide no íleo terminal com intussuscepção para dentro do ceco. Uma colectomia direita ampliada foi realizada. Após exame patológico da peça e estadiamento tumoral, um linfoma de Burkitt primário foi diagnosticado. A recuperação pós-operatória não apresentou intercorrências e o paciente foi encaminhado para quimioterapia adjuvante.

Eletrodo de hidrogênio: o que há nos livros didáticos além de E¸ = 0?

The results of an exercise on electrochemistry for General Chemistry students are presented. The difficulty encountered by students in predicting the shift in the potential of the hydrogen electrode under non-standard conditions prompted a search in textbooks on how the subject is developed. Besides several instances of inconsistencies in defining the standard state, such as including the temperature in the definition, a number of incorrect depictions of the hydrogen electrode were discovered. Of the 28 General Chemistry books, 16 Physical Chemistry books and 24 Internet pages, 30, 20 and 46%, respectively, showed devices that would not work in practice.

Recovery and upgrading bovine rumen protein by extrusion: effect of lipid content on protein disulphide cross-linking, solubility and molecular weight

Bovine rumen protein with two levels of residual lipids (1.9 per cent or 3.8 per cent) was subjected to thermoplastic extrusion under different temperatures and moisture contents. Protein solubility in different buffers, disulphide cross-linking and molecular weight distribution were determined on the extrudates. After extrusion, samples with 1.9 per cent residual lipids content had a higher concentration of protein insoluble by undetermined forces, irrespective of feed moisture and processing temperature used. Lipid content of 3.8 per cent in the feed material resulted in more protein participating in the extrudate network through non-covalent interactions (hydrophobic and electrostatic) and disulphide bonds. A small dependency of the extrusion process on moisture and temperature and a marked dependency on lipid content, especially phospholipid, was observed, Electrophoresis under non-reducing conditions showed that protein extrusion with low feed moisture promoted high molecular breakdown inside the barrel, probably due to intense shear force, and further protein aggregation at the die end

The Role of Black Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Control of Hypercholesterolemia in Rats

Cardiovascular disease is a serious public health problem; it is the first cause of death in Brazil and in developed countries. Thus, it is essential to search for alternative sources such as some functional foods to prevent and control the risks of this disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lipidemic parameters in hypercholesterolemic rats fed diets containing black rice variety IAC 600 or unrefined rice. Adult male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus var. albinos) were used, weighing about 200-220 g. The animals were divided into four groups: the first received a control casein diet, the second received hypercholesterolemic diet, and the other two groups, after induction of hypercholesterolemia, received the test diets, the first containing 20% black rice and the second 20% unrefined, for 30 days. It was observed that diet containing black rice reduced the level of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein. For high-density lipoprotein values, the diet that provided an increase in the levels was the black rice. The diet containing black rice was more effective in controlling the lipidemia in rats compared with the whole rice diet.

NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY FOR ESTIMATING SUGARCANE BAGASSE CONTENT IN MEDIUM DENSITY FIBERBOARD

Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down selected lignin-cellulosic material residuals into fibers, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and then forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. Because the raw material in the industrial process is ever-changing, the panel industry requires methods for monitoring the composition of their products. The aim of this study was to estimate the ratio of sugarcane (SC) bagasse to Eucalyptus wood in MDF panels using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regressions were performed. MDF panels having different bagasse contents were easily distinguished from each other by the PCA of their NIR spectra with clearly different patterns of response. The PLS-R models for SC content of these MDF samples presented a strong coefficient of determination (0.96) between the NIR-predicted and Lab-determined values and a low standard error of prediction (similar to 1.5%) in the cross-validations. A key role of resins (adhesives), cellulose, and lignin for such PLS-R calibrations was shown. PLS-DA model correctly classified ninety-four percent of MDF samples by cross-validations and ninety-eight percent of the panels by independent test set. These NIR-based models can be useful to quickly estimate sugarcane bagasse vs. Eucalyptus wood content ratio in unknown MDF samples and to verify the quality of these engineered wood products in an online process.

Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode

Background: Major depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, yet epidemiologic data are not available for many countries, particularly low- to middle-income countries. In this paper, we present data on the prevalence, impairment and demographic correlates of depression from 18 high and low-to middle-income countries in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Methods: Major depressive episodes (MDE) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DMS-IV) were evaluated in face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Data from 18 countries were analyzed in this report (n = 89,037). All countries surveyed representative, population-based samples of adults. Results: The average lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV MDE were 14.6% and 5.5% in the ten high-income and 11.1% and 5.9% in the eight low- to middle-income countries. The average age of onset ascertained retrospectively was 25.7 in the high-income and 24.0 in low- to middle-income countries. Functional impairment was associated with recency of MDE. The female: male ratio was about 2: 1. In high-income countries, younger age was associated with higher 12-month prevalence; by contrast, in several low-to middle-income countries, older age was associated with greater likelihood of MDE. The strongest demographic correlate in high-income countries was being separated from a partner, and in low- to middle-income countries, was being divorced or widowed. Conclusions: MDE is a significant public-health concern across all regions of the world and is strongly linked to social conditions. Future research is needed to investigate the combination of demographic risk factors that are most strongly associated with MDE in the specific countries included in the WMH.

Lack of Antilipoprotein Lipase Antibodies in Takayasu's Arteritis

Background. Antilipoprotein lipase (anti-LPL) antibodies were described in rheumatic diseases. In systemic lupus erythematosus they were highly associated with inflammatory markers and dyslipidemia, and may ultimately contribute to vascular damage. The relevance of this association in Takayasu's arteritis, which is characterized by major inflammatory process affecting vessels, has not been determined. Objectives. To analyze the presence of anti-LPL antibodies in patients with Takayasu's arteritis and its association with inflammatory markers and lipoprotein risk levels. Methods. Thirty sera from patients with Takayasu's arteritis, according to ACR criteria, were consecutively included. IgG anti-LPL was detected by a standard ELISA. Lipoprotein risk levels were evaluated according to NCEP/ATPIII. Inflammatory markers included ESR and CRP values. Results. Takayasu's arteritis patients had a mean age of 34 years old and all were females. Half of the patients presented high ESR and 60% elevated CRP. Lipoprotein NCEP risk levels were observed in approximately half of the patients: 53% for total cholesterol, 43% for triglycerides, 16% for HDL-c and 47% for LDL-c. In spite of the high frequency of dyslipidemia and inflammatory markers in these patients no anti-LPL were detected. Conclusions. The lack of anti-LPL antibodies in Takayasu's disease implies distinct mechanisms underlying dyslipidemia compared to systemic lupus erythematosus. Copyright (C) 2009 Jozelio Freire de Carvalho et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Infliximab Induces Increase in Triglyceride Levels in Psoriatic Arthritis Patients

Objectives. To evaluate lipid profile changes after anti-TNF therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods. Fifteen PsA patients (eight polyarticular, four oligoarticular, two axial, and one mutilating) under infliximab were included. None had dyslipoproteinemia or previous statin use. Total cholesterol (TC) and its fractions, inflammatory markers, and prednisone use were evaluated. Results. The comparisons of lipid levels between baseline and after three months (3M) of anti-TNF therapy showed that there was a significant increase in mean triglycerides (117.8 +/- 49.7 versus 140.1 +/- 64.1 mg/dL, P = 0.028) and VLDL-c (23.6 +/- 10.5 versus 28.4 +/- 13.7 mg/dL, P = 0.019) levels. In contrast, there were no differences in the mean TC (P = 0.28), LDL-c (P = 0.42), and HDL-c (P = 0.26) levels. Analysis of the frequencies of each lipid alteration at baseline and at 3M were alike (P > 0.05). Positive correlations were found between VLDL-c and CRP (r = 0.647, P = 0.009) and between triglycerides and CRP (r = 0.604, P = 0.017) levels at 3M. ESR reduction was observed after 3M (P = 0.04). Mean prednisone dose remained stable at beginning and at 3M (P = 0.37). Conclusion. This study demonstrated that anti-TNF may increase TG and VLDL-c levels in PsA patients after three months.

Cross-National Analysis of the Associations between Traumatic Events and Suicidal Behavior: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Background: Community and clinical data have suggested there is an association between trauma exposure and suicidal behavior (i.e., suicide ideation, plans and attempts). However, few studies have assessed which traumas are uniquely predictive of: the first onset of suicidal behavior, the progression from suicide ideation to plans and attempts, or the persistence of each form of suicidal behavior over time. Moreover, few data are available on such associations in developing countries. The current study addresses each of these issues. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data on trauma exposure and subsequent first onset of suicidal behavior were collected via structured interviews conducted in the households of 102,245 (age 18+) respondents from 21 countries participating in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Bivariate and multivariate survival models tested the relationship between the type and number of traumatic events and subsequent suicidal behavior. A range of traumatic events are associated with suicidal behavior, with sexual and interpersonal violence consistently showing the strongest effects. There is a dose-response relationship between the number of traumatic events and suicide ideation/attempt; however, there is decay in the strength of the association with more events. Although a range of traumatic events are associated with the onset of suicide ideation, fewer events predict which people with suicide ideation progress to suicide plan and attempt, or the persistence of suicidal behavior over time. Associations generally are consistent across high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides more detailed information than previously available on the relationship between traumatic events and suicidal behavior and indicates that this association is fairly consistent across developed and developing countries. These data reinforce the importance of psychological trauma as a major public health problem, and highlight the significance of screening for the presence and accumulation of traumatic exposures as a risk factor for suicide ideation and attempt.

Cross-National Analysis of the Associations among Mental Disorders and Suicidal Behavior: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Mental disorders are among the strongest predictors of suicide; however, little is known about which disorders are uniquely predictive of suicidal behavior, the extent to which disorders predict suicide attempts beyond their association with suicidal thoughts, and whether these associations are similar across developed and developing countries. This study was designed to test each of these questions with a focus on nonfatal suicide attempts. Methods and Findings: Data on the lifetime presence and age-of-onset of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders and nonfatal suicidal behaviors were collected via structured face-to-face interviews with 108,664 respondents from 21 countries participating in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. The results show that each lifetime disorder examined significantly predicts the subsequent first onset of suicide attempt (odds ratios [ORs] = 2.9-8.9). After controlling for comorbidity, these associations decreased substantially (ORs = 1.5-5.6) but remained significant in most cases. Overall, mental disorders were equally predictive in developed and developing countries, with a key difference being that the strongest predictors of suicide attempts in developed countries were mood disorders, whereas in developing countries impulse-control, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorders were most predictive. Disaggregation of the associations between mental disorders and nonfatal suicide attempts showed that these associations are largely due to disorders predicting the onset of suicidal thoughts rather than predicting progression from thoughts to attempts. In the few instances where mental disorders predicted the transition from suicidal thoughts to attempts, the significant disorders are characterized by anxiety and poor impulse-control. The limitations of this study include the use of retrospective self-reports of lifetime occurrence and age-of-onset of mental disorders and suicidal behaviors, as well as the narrow focus on mental disorders as predictors of nonfatal suicidal behaviors, each of which must be addressed in future studies. Conclusions: This study found that a wide range of mental disorders increased the odds of experiencing suicide ideation. However, after controlling for psychiatric comorbidity, only disorders characterized by anxiety and poor impulse-control predict which people with suicide ideation act on such thoughts. These findings provide a more fine-grained understanding of the associations between mental disorders and subsequent suicidal behavior than previously available and indicate that mental disorders predict suicidal behaviors similarly in both developed and developing countries. Future research is needed to delineate the mechanisms through which people come to think about suicide and subsequently progress from ideation to attempts.

Prolactin May Not Play a Role in Primary Antiphospholipid (Hughes') Syndrome

The relationship between prolactin (PRL) and the immune system has been demonstrated in the last two decades and has opened new windows in the field of immunoendocrinology. However, there are scarce reports about PRL in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (pAPS). The objective of this study was to evaluate PRL levels in patients with pAPS compared to healthy controls and to investigate their possible clinical associations. Fifty-five pAPS patients according to Sapporo criteria were age- and sex-matched with 41 healthy subjects. Individuals with secondary causes of hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) were excluded; demographic, biometric, and clinical data, PRL levels, antiphospholipid antibodies, inflammatory markers, and other routine laboratory findings were analyzed. PRL levels were similar between pAPS and healthy controls (8.94 +/- 7.02 versus 8.71 +/- 6.73 ng/mL, P = .876). Nine percent of the pAPS patients and 12.1% of the control subjects presented HPRL (P = .740). Comparison between the pAPS patients with hyper- and normoprolactinemia revealed no significant differences related to anthropometrics, clinical manifestations, medications, smoking, and antiphospholipid antibodies (P > .05). This study showed that HPRL does not seem to play a role in clinical manifestations of the pAPS, differently from other autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Can established cultured papilloma cells harbor bovine papillomavirus?

Papillomaviruses have been reported to be very difficult to grow in cell culture. Also, there are no descriptions of cell cultures from lesions of bovine cutaneous papillomatosis, with identification of different bovine papilloma virus (BPV) DNA sequences. In the present report, we describe primary cell cultures from samples of cutaneous lesions (warts). We investigated the simultaneous presence of different BPV DNA sequences, comparing the original lesion to different passages of the cell cultures and to peripheral blood. BPV 1, 2 and 4 DNA sequences were found in lesion samples, and respective cell cultures and peripheral blood, supporting our previous hypothesis of the possible activity of these sequences in different samples and now also showing how they can be maintained in different passages of cell cultures.

Unraveling effects of disorder on the electronic structure of SiO(2) from first principles

We present a first-principles systematic study of the electronic structure of SiO(2) including the crystalline polymorphs alpha quartz and beta cristobalite, and different types of disorder leading to the amorphous phase. We start from calculations within density functional theory and proceed to more sophisticated quasiparticle calculations according to the GW scheme. Our results show that different origins of disorder have also different impact on atomic and electronic-density fluctuations, which affect the electronic structure and, in particular, the size of the mobility gap in each case.