Síndrome de poland: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

A síndrome de Poland é uma anomalia congênita caracterizada principalmente por hipoplasia ou aplasia da musculatura torácica unilateral e alterações no membro superior ipsilateral. Este caso refere-se a uma paciente do sexo feminino, sem alterações ao exame físico, mostrando a correlação de achados de imagem (mamografia e ressonância magnética) desta condição rara.

Hamartoma folículo-sebáceo cístico simulando nódulo mamário: relato de caso

O presente artigo tem por objetivo relatar um caso de um paciente do sexo masculino, de 35 anos de idade, apresentando tumoração na mama esquerda. Após estudo pelos métodos de imagens habituais o paciente foi submetido a biópsia, que revelou o resultado de hamartoma folículo-sebáceo cístico. Os autores apresentam breve revisão da literatura científica sobre essa rara lesão na mama masculina e seu diagnóstico diferencial com lesões malignas.

Eletrolite leakage as a technique to diagnose euphorbia heterophylla biotypes resistant to ppo-inhibitors herbicides

The action of herbicides that affect the integrity of cell membranes and cause leakage, like PPO-inhibitors, can be detected by measuring the electric conductivity (EC) of a solution in which the plant tissue target is incubated in the presence of herbicide. The objectives of this work were to confirm PPO resistance in a new Euphorbia heterophylla (EPHHL) biotype, and to compare the electrolyte leakage from R and S to PPO-inhibitors biotypes, using two different methods of incubation in a solution containing herbicides. One experiment was carried in greenhouse and three in laboratory, with a completely randomized design. In the greenhouse experiment, four biotypes of EPHHL were sprayed with seven rates of fomesafen to confirm resistance in suspected biotypes. Leaf disks from R and S EPHHL biotypes in the second and the third experiments and entire leaves in the fourth experiment were incubated in a solution containing PPO-inhibitors to subsequently determine EC of solution. The study confirmed the resistance to PPO-inhibitors in two EPHHL biotypes. There were no significant differences between S and R biotypes in the experiments with the incubation of leaf disks, but incubation of entire leaves of EPHHL S biotype showed higher EC when in a solution with fomesafen, in comparison to the R biotype. The results of this work are an indirect evidence that resistance to PPO-inhibitors is related to lower absorption of herbicide by the shoots and also to some kind of mechanism to cope with oxidative stress.

Resistência ao glyphosate em biótipos de buva (Conyza spp.) das regiões oeste e sudoeste do Paraná

A resistência ao glyphosate em biótipos de Conyza spp. em áreas de lavoura das regiões oeste e sudoeste do Paraná causa grandes dificuldades ao manejo e, consequentemente, problemas econômicos e ambientais. Este experimento objetivou determinar a existência de resistência ao herbicida glyphosate em biótipos de buva (Conyza spp.) suspeitos, coletados em lavouras das regiões oeste e sudoeste do Paraná, comparando-os com biótipos suscetíveis. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 12 x 8 x 3. Os fatores consistiram de 12 biótipos de buva, doses de glyphosate (0, 100, 180, 324, 583, 1.050, 1.888 e 3.345 g ha-1) e épocas de avaliação para a variável controle (7, 14 e 21 dias após a aplicação). Para as variáveis matéria verde e matéria seca, o esquema fatorial utilizado foi o 12 x 8. As variáveis avaliadas foram controle visual, matéria verde, matéria seca, C50, GR50 e fator de resistência. A dose de 3.345 g glyphosate ha-1 foi a que apresentou maior nível de controle dos biótipos, porém o controle dos biótipos suspeitos não foi efetivo, necessitando de doses mais altas. Todos os biótipos de buva suspeitos de resistência ao glyphosate tiveram essa característica confirmada. Entretanto, constatou-se grande amplitude de fatores de resistência, o que caracteriza a variabilidade entre os biótipos resistentes. Essas informações poderão ser utilizadas no planejamento de estratégias de manejo das populações resistentes e na prevenção da ocorrência de novas áreas com buva resistente ao glyphosate.

Effect of training on the ability of dual-task coordination

Within the framework of the working memory model proposed by A. Baddeley and G. Hitch, a dual-task paradigm has been suggested to evaluate the capacity to perform simultaneously two concurrent tasks. This capacity is assumed to reflect the functioning of the central executive component, which appears to be impaired in patients with dysexecutive syndrome. The present study extends the investigation of an index ("mu"), which is supposed to indicate the capacity of coordination of concurrent auditory digit span and tracking tasks, by testing the influence of training on the performance in the dual task. The presentation of the same digit sequence lists or always-different lists did not differently affect the performance. The span length affected the mu values. The improved performance in the tasks under the dual condition closely resembled the improvement in the single-task performance. So, although training improved performance in the single and dual conditions, especially for the tracking component, the mu values remained stable throughout the sessions when the single tasks were performed first. Conversely, training improved the capacity of dual-task coordination throughout the sessions when dual task was performed first, addressing the issue of the contribution of the within-session practice to the mu index.

Effect of practice and span length on the dual-task coordination executive test

The measure "mu", proposed as an index of the ability to coordinate concurrent box-crossing (BC) and digit-span (DS) tasks in the dual task (DT), should reflect the capacity of the executive component of the working memory system. We investigated the effect of practice in BC and of a change in the digit span on mu by adding previous practice trials in BC and diminishing, maintaining or increasing the digit sequence length. The mu behavior was evaluated throughout three trials of the test. Reported strategies in digit tasks were also analyzed. Subjects with diminished span showed the best performance in DT due to a stable performance in DS and BC in the single- and dual-task conditions. These subjects also showed a more stable performance throughout trials. Subjects with diminished span tended to employ effortless strategies, whereas subjects with increased span employed effort-requiring strategies and showed the lowest means of mu. Subjects with initial practice trials showed the best performance in BC and the most differentiated performance between the single- and dual-task conditions in BC. The correlation coefficient between the mu values obtained in the first and second trials was 0.814 for subjects with diminished span and practice trials in BC. It seems that the within-session practice in BC and the performance variability in DS affect the reliability of the index mu. To control these factors we propose the introduction of previous practice trials in BC and a modification of the current method to determine the digit sequence length. This proposal should contribute to the development of a more reliable method to evaluate the executive capacity of coordination in the dual-task paradigm.

Assessing negative priming by attended distractors in a paper-and-pencil task

The paper-and-pencil digit-comparison task for assessing negative priming (NP) was introduced, using a referent-size-selection procedure that was demonstrated to enhance the effect. NP is indicated by slower responses to recently ignored items, and proposed within the clinical-experimental framework as a major cognitive index of active suppression of distracting information, critical to executive functioning. The digit-comparison task requires circling digits of a list with digit-asterisk pairs (a baseline measure for digit-selection), and the larger of two digits in each pair of the unrelated (with different digits in successive digit-pairs) and related lists (in which the smaller digit subsequently became a target). A total of 56 students (18-38 years) participated in two experiments that explored practice effects across lists and demonstrated reliable NP, i.e., slowing to complete the related list relative to the unrelated list, (F(2, 44) = 52.42, P < 0.0001). A 3rd experiment examined age-related effects. In the paper-and-pencil digit-comparison task, NP was reliable for the younger (N = 8, 18-24 years) and middle-aged adults (N = 8, 31-54 years), but absent for the older group (N = 8, 68-77 years). NP was also reduced with aging in a computer-implemented digit-comparison task, and preserved in a task typically used to test location-specific NP, accounting for the dissociation between identity- and spatial-based suppression of distractors (Rao R(3, 12) = 16.02, P < 0.0002). Since the paper-and-pencil digit-comparison task can be administered easily, it can be useful for neuropsychologists seeking practical measures of NP that do not require cumbersome technical equipment.