Contrast sensitivity to radial frequencies modulated by Jn and j n Bessel profiles

We measured human contrast sensitivity to radial frequencies modulated by cylindrical (Jo) and spherical (j o) Bessel profiles. We also measured responses to profiles of j o, j1, j2, j4, j8, and j16. Functions were measured three times by at least three of eight observers using a forced-choice method. The results conform to our expectations that sensitivity would be higher for cylindrical profiles. We also observed that contrast sensitivity is increased with the j n order for n greater than zero, having distinct orderly effects at the low and high frequency ends. For n = 0, 1, 2, and 4 sensitivity tended to occur around 0.8-1.0 cpd while for n = 8 and 16 it seemed to shift gradually to 0.8-3.0 cpd. We interpret these results as being consistent with the possibility that spatial frequency processing by the human visual system can be defined a priori in terms of polar coordinates and discuss its application to study face perception.

Typing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from hospitalized patients: a comparison of susceptibility and biochemical profiles with genotype

Typing techniques are essential for understanding hospital epidemiology, permitting the elucidation of the source of infection and routes of bacterial transmission. Although DNA-based techniques are the "gold standard" for the epidemiological study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, antibiotic profiles and biochemical results are used because they are easy to perform and to interpret and relatively inexpensive. Antibiotypes (susceptibility profiles) and biotypes (biochemical profiles) were compared to genotypes established by DNA restriction enzyme analysis in 81 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa from three hospitals in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The epidemiological relationship among patients was also evaluated. Susceptibility and restriction profiles were discrepant in more than 50% of the cases, and many antibiotypes were observed among isolates from the same genotype. Furthermore, susceptibility profiles did not allow the distinction of isolates from unrelated genotypes. Since a large number of isolates (63%) yielded the same biochemical results, only 10 biotypes were detected, showing that this typing method has a low discriminatory power. On the other hand, DNA restriction enzyme typing allowed us to establish 71 distinct types. Epidemiological data about the relation among P. aeruginosa isolates were not conclusive. The results of the present study indicate that the only method that can establish a clonal relation is DNA restriction enzyme typing, whereas the other methods may cause misleading interpretations and are inadequate to guide proper infection control measures.

Adhesion molecule profiles of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in the leukemic phase

We evaluated the expression of 10 adhesion molecules on peripheral blood tumor cells of 17 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 17 with mantle-cell lymphoma, and 13 with nodal or splenic marginal B-cell lymphoma, all in the leukemic phase and before the beginning of any therapy. The diagnosis of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas was based on cytological, histological, immunophenotypic, and molecular biology methods. The mean fluorescence intensity of the adhesion molecules in tumor cells was measured by flow cytometry of CD19-positive cells and differed amongst the types of lymphomas. Comparison of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle-cell lymphoma showed that the former presented a higher expression of CD11c and CD49c, and a lower expression of CD11b and CD49d adhesion molecules. Comparison of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and marginal B-cell lymphoma showed that the former presented a higher expression of CD49c and a lower expression of CD11a, CD11b, CD18, CD49d, CD29, and CD54. Finally, comparison of mantle-cell lymphoma and marginal B-cell lymphoma showed that marginal B-cell lymphoma had a higher expression of CD11a, CD11c, CD18, CD29, and CD54. Thus, the CD49c/CD49d pair consistently demonstrated a distinct pattern of expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia compared with mantle-cell lymphoma and marginal B-cell lymphoma, which could be helpful for the differential diagnosis. Moreover, the distinct profiles of adhesion molecules in these diseases may be responsible for their different capacities to invade the blood stream.

miRNA expression profiles in chronic lymphocytic and acute lymphocytic leukemia

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small endogenous RNAs that play important regulatory roles by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression. miRNAs act in diverse biological processes including development, cell growth, apoptosis, and hematopoiesis, suggesting their association with cancer. We determined the miRNA expression profile of chronic and acute lymphocytic leukemias (CLL and ALL) using the TaqMan® MicroRNA Assays Human Panel (Applied Biosystems). Pooled leukemia samples were compared to pooled CD19+ samples from healthy individuals (calibrator) by the 2-DDCt method. Total RNA input was normalized based on the Ct values obtained for hsa-miR-30b. The five most highly expressed miRNAs were miR-128b, miR-204, miR-218, miR-331, and miR-181b-1 in ALL, and miR-331, miR-29a, miR-195, miR-34a, and miR-29c in CLL. To our knowledge, this is the first report associating miR-128b, miR-204 and miR-331 to hematological malignancies. The miR-17-92 cluster was also found to be up-regulated in ALL, as previously reported for some types of lymphomas. The differences observed in gene expression levels were validated for miR-331 and miR-128b in ALL and CD19+ samples. These miRNAs were up-regulated in ALL, in agreement with our initial results. A brief target analysis was performed for miR-331. One of its putative targets, SOCS1, promotes STAT activation, which is a known mediator of cell proliferation and survival, suggesting the possibility of an association between miR-331 and these processes. This initial screening provided information on miRNA differentially expressed in normal and malignant B-cells that could suggest the potential roles of these miRNAs in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.

Differential gene expression profiles of hepatocellular carcinomas associated or not with viral infection

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections are the most important factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but tumor prognosis remains poor due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers. In order to identify novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets, the gene expression profile associated with viral and non-viral HCC was assessed in 9 tumor samples by oligo-microarrays. The differentially expressed genes were examined using a z-score and KEGG pathway for the search of ontological biological processes. We selected a non-redundant set of 15 genes with the lowest P value for clustering samples into three groups using the non-supervised algorithm k-means. Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis was then applied in an exhaustive search of trios of genes that could be used to build classifiers for class distinction. Different transcriptional levels of genes were identified in HCC of different etiologies and from different HCC samples. When comparing HBV-HCC vs HCV-HCC, HBV-HCC/HCV-HCC vs non-viral (NV)-HCC, HBC-HCC vs NV-HCC, and HCV-HCC vs NV-HCC of the 58 non-redundant differentially expressed genes, only 6 genes (IKBKβ, CREBBP, WNT10B, PRDX6, ITGAV, and IFNAR1) were found to be associated with hepatic carcinogenesis. By combining trios, classifiers could be generated, which correctly classified 100% of the samples. This expression profiling may provide a useful tool for research into the pathophysiology of HCC. A detailed understanding of how these distinct genes are involved in molecular pathways is of fundamental importance to the development of effective HCC chemoprevention and treatment.

Study of the comprehension of the scientific method by members of a university health research laboratory

In Brazil, scientific research is carried out mainly at universities, where professors coordinate research projects with the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students. However, there is no formal program for the teaching/learning of the scientific method. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comprehension of the scientific method by students of health sciences who participate in scientific projects in an academic research laboratory. An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Edgar Morin complexity as theoretical reference. In a semi-structured interview, students were asked to solve an abstract logical puzzle - TanGram. The collected data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectic analysis method proposed by Minayo and discussed in terms of the theoretical reference of complexity. The students’ concept of the scientific method is limited to participation in projects, stressing the execution of practical procedures as opposed to scientific thinking. The solving of the TanGram puzzle revealed that the students had difficulties in understanding questions and activities focused on subjects and their processes. Objective answers, even when dealing with personal issues, were also reflected on the students’ opinions about the characteristics of a successful researcher. Students’ difficulties concerning these issues may affect their scientific performance and result in poorly designed experiments. This is a preliminary study that should be extended to other centers of scientific research.

Analysis of acylcarnitine profiles in umbilical cord blood and during the early neonatal period by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Acylcarnitine profiling by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) is a potent tool for the diagnosis and screening of fatty acid oxidation and organic acid disorders. Few studies have analyzed free carnitine and acylcarnitines in dried blood spots (DBS) of umbilical cord blood (CB) and the postnatal changes in the concentrations of these analytes. We have investigated these metabolites in healthy exclusively breastfed neonates and examined possible effects of birth weight and gestational age. DBS of CB were collected from 162 adequate for gestational age neonates. Paired DBS of heel-prick blood were collected 4-8 days after birth from 106 of these neonates, the majority exclusively breastfed. Methanol extracts of DBS with deuterium-labeled internal standards were derivatized before analysis by ESI-MS/MS. Most of the analytes were measured using a full-scan method. The levels of the major long-chain acylcarnitines, palmitoylcarnitine, stearoylcarnitine, and oleoylcarnitine, increased by 27, 12, and 109%, respectively, in the first week of life. Free carnitine and acetylcarnitine had a modest increase: 8 and 11%, respectively. Propionylcarnitine presented a different behavior, decreasing 9% during the period. The correlations between birth weight or gestational age and the concentrations of the analytes in DBS were weak (r £ 0.20) or nonsignificant. Adaptation to breast milk as the sole source of nutrients can explain the increase of these metabolites along the early neonatal period. Acylcarnitine profiling in CB should have a role in the early detection of metabolic disorders in high-risk neonates.

Mutations in the HFE gene and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Iron homeostasis dysregulation has been regarded as an important mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. The H63D and C282Y polymorphisms in theHFE gene may be involved in the development of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through the disruption of iron homeostasis. However, studies investigating the relationship between ALS and these two polymorphisms have yielded contradictory outcomes. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the roles of the H63D and C282Y polymorphisms of HFEin ALS susceptibility. PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. Strict selection criteria and exclusion criteria were applied. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations. A fixed- or random-effect model was selected, depending on the results of the heterogeneity test. Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis (six studies with 1692 cases and 8359 controls for C282Y; 14 studies with 5849 cases and 13,710 controls for H63D). For the C282Y polymorphism, significant associations were observed in the allele model (Y vs C: OR=0.76, 95%CI=0.62-0.92, P=0.005) and the dominant model (YY+CYvs CC: OR=0.75, 95%CI=0.61-0.92, P=0.006). No associations were found for any genetic model for the H63D polymorphism. The C282Y polymorphism in HFE could be a potential protective factor for ALS in Caucasians. However, the H63D polymorphism does not appear to be associated with ALS.

Global microRNA profiles and signaling pathways in the development of cardiac hypertrophy

Hypertrophy is a major predictor of progressive heart disease and has an adverse prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that accumulate during the course of cardiac hypertrophy may participate in the process. However, the nature of any interaction between a hypertrophy-specific signaling pathway and aberrant expression of miRNAs remains unclear. In this study, Spague Dawley male rats were treated with transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery to mimic pathological hypertrophy. Hearts were isolated from TAC and sham operated rats (n=5 for each group at 5, 10, 15, and 20 days after surgery) for miRNA microarray assay. The miRNAs dysexpressed during hypertrophy were further analyzed using a combination of bioinformatics algorithms in order to predict possible targets. Increased expression of the target genes identified in diverse signaling pathways was also analyzed. Two sets of miRNAs were identified, showing different expression patterns during hypertrophy. Bioinformatics analysis suggested the miRNAs may regulate multiple hypertrophy-specific signaling pathways by targeting the member genes and the interaction of miRNA and mRNA might form a network that leads to cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, the multifold changes in several miRNAs suggested that upregulation of rno-miR-331*, rno-miR-3596b, rno-miR-3557-5p and downregulation of rno-miR-10a, miR-221, miR-190, miR-451 could be seen as biomarkers of prognosis in clinical therapy of heart failure. This study described, for the first time, a potential mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy involving multiple signaling pathways that control up- and downregulation of miRNAs. It represents a first step in the systematic discovery of miRNA function in cardiovascular hypertrophy.

Ropinirole alters gene expression profiles in SH-SY5Y cells: a whole genome microarray study

Ropinirole (ROP) is a dopamine agonist that has been used as therapy for Parkinson's disease. In the present study, we aimed to detect whether gene expression was modulated by ROP in SH-SY5Y cells. SH-SY5Y cell lines were treated with 10 µM ROP for 2 h, after which total RNA was extracted for whole genome analysis. Gene expression profiling revealed that 113 genes were differentially expressed after ROP treatment compared with control cells. Further pathway analysis revealed modulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway, with prominent upregulation of PIK3C2B. Moreover, batches of regulated genes, including PIK3C2B, were found to be located on chromosome 1. These findings were validated by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Our study, therefore, revealed that ROP altered gene expression in SH-SY5Y cells, and future investigation of PIK3C2B and other loci on chromosome 1 may provide long-term implications for identifying novel target genes of Parkinson's disease.

Chemical and nutritional evaluation of kernels of bocaiuva, Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd.

Protein characterization and results of proximate composition and mineral analyses of fruit kernels of bocaiuva, Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd., are reported. The kernels presented high contents of oil (51.7%), protein (17.6%) and fiber (15.8%). The seeds´ soluble proteins were isolated according to their solubility. The main separated proteins were globulins (53.5%) and glutelins (40.0%). Moreover, the presence of low molecular mass proteases in these two fractions was shown by the SDS-PAGE method. The assays of protease-inhibitory and hemagglutinating activities showed that bocaiuva´s protein fractions were not resistant to trypsin or chymotrypsin activities and that both had low lectin content. The globulin in vitro digestibility assay resembled a casein standard. Neither globulin nor glutelin enzymatic hydrolyses increased significantly (p < 0.05) after heat treatment. Threonine and lysine are the most limiting amino acids, respectively from two major protein fractions of the bocaiuva kernel, globulin (47.1% amino acid score) and glutelin (49.5% amino acid score), in terms of the theoretical profiles for children in the age range of 2 to 5 years recommended by the FAO/WHO. Bocaiuva kernels are found to be rich in calcium, phosphorus and manganese compared to some fruit nuts such as cashew and coconut.

Characterization of the phenolic and antioxidant profiles of selected culinary herbs and spices: caraway, turmeric, dill, marjoram and nutmeg

Culinary herbs and spices have long been considered essentially as flavor enhancers or preservatives, with little attention given to their potential health-promoting properties. Nevertheless, recent research has shown them to be significant dietary sources of bioactive phenolic compounds. Despite noteworthy efforts performed in recent years to improve our knowledge of their chemical composition, a detailed phenolic profile of these plant-based products is still lacking. In the present work, antioxidant activities and phenolic composition of five herbs and spices, namely caraway, turmeric, dill, marjoram and nutmeg, have been studied. The use of liquid chromatography coupled to LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry enabled the identification of up to 42 phenolic compounds. To the best of our knowledge, two of them, apigenin-C-hexoside-C-pentoside and apigenin-C-hexoside-C-hexoside have not been previously reported in turmeric. Qualitative and quantitative differences were observed in polyphenol profiles, with the highest phenolic content found in caraway. Multivariate statistical treatment of the results allowed the detection of distinctive features among the studied herbs and spices.

Fresh meat quality of pigs fed diets with different fatty acid profiles and supplemented with red wine solids

Abstract Three groups of pigs were fed three different diets, namely a diet rich in saturated fatty acids (palm oil-based, PO), a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich diet (corn oil-based, CO), and a PUFA-rich diet (corn oil-based) supplemented with red wine solids (RWS), which was added to the diet (CO+RWS) in order to assess the protective effect on the oxidative status of the pork meat. The addition of corn oil favourably modulates the FAs profile of the backfat, and to a lesser extent of the intramuscular fat of semimembranosus muscle, without causing adverse effects on the meat quality or on its oxidative stability. Moreover, these parameters were not affected by the addition of the RWS in the CO+RWS diet.

As definições teóricas de direitos humanos de Jürgen Habermas: o princípio legal e as correções morais[ign] [title language="en"]The theoretical definitions of human rights of Jürgen Habermas[ign]: [subtitle]legal principle and moral corrections

No entendimento de Habermas, "direito", na expressão "direitos humanos", é um conceito jurídico, donde direitos humanos, para ele, serem direitos jurídicos, normas legais declaradas em atos de fundações do Estado ou anunciadas em convenções do direito internacional e/ou constituições estatais. Ao conceber assim os direitos e tematizar os direitos humanos numa abordagem tríplice (focando-os entre moral, direito e política), ele fornece diferentes definições teóricas dos direitos humanos. O texto apresenta uma exposição sistemática dessas definições e focaliza os diferentes problemas que motivaram Habermas a alterar e ampliar suas concepções de direitos humanos.