Modelos linear e não linear em análises genéticas para sobrevivência de crias de ovinos da raça Santa Inês.

Resumo: Registros de sobrevivência do nascimento ao desmame de 3846 crias de ovinos da raça Santa Inês foram analisados por modelos de reprodutor linear e não linear (modelo de limiar), para estimar componentes de variância e herdabilidade. Os modelos usados para sobrevivência, analisada como característica da cria, incluíram os efeitos fixos de sexo, da combinação tipo de nascimento-criação da cria e da idade da ovelha ao parto, efeito da covariável peso da cria ao nascer e efeitos aleatórios de reprodutor, da classe rebanho-ano-estação e do resíduo. Componentes de variância para o modelo linear foram estimados pelo método da máxima verossimilhança restrita (REML) e para o modelo não linear por uma aproximação da máxima verossimilhança marginal (MML), pelo programa CMMAT2. O coeficiente de herdabilidade (h2) estimado pelo modelo de limiar foi de 0,29, e pelo modelo linear, 0,14. A correlação de ordem de Spearman entre as capacidades de transmissão dos reprodutores, com base nos dois modelos foi de 0,96. As estimativas de h2 obtidas indicam a possibilidade de se obter, por seleção, ganho genético para sobrevivência. [Linear and nonlinear models in genetic analyses of lamb survival in the Santa Inês hair sheep breed]. Abstract: Records of 3,846 lambs survival from birth to weaning of Santa Inês hair sheep breed, were analyzed by linear and non linear sire models (threshold model) to estimate variance components and heritability (h2). The models that were used to analyze survival, considered in this study as a lamb trait, included the fixed effects of sex of the lamb, combination of type of birth-rearing of lamb, and age of ewe, birth weight of lamb as covariate, and random effects of sire, herd-year-season and residual. Variance components were obtained using restricted maximum likelihood (REML), in linear model and marginal maximum likelihood in threshold model through CMMAT2 program. Estimate of heritability (h2) obtained by threshold model was 0.29 and by linear model was 0.14. Rank correlation of Spearman, between sire solutions based on the two models was 0.96. The obtained estimates in this study indicate that it is possible to acquire genetic gain to survival by selection.

Nurses knowledge of health effects of dietary fibre

Introduction: Nurses accompany patients throughout their health care to prevent and treat disease, so their knowledge about diet and dietary fibre is key to successful diet therapy, which is an essential part of a patient's non-pharmacological treatment. It is known from the literature that a high proportion of nurses have limited knowledge about diet therapy and about sources of soluble fibre and other foods that can prevent or treat certain diseases. Given the position of nurses as key providers of dietary guidance, and given the health benefits of dietary fibre, we wanted to assess the level of fibre-related knowledge among nurses in Croatia. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data collected between October 2014 and March 2015 using a survey developed by the CI&DETS Polytechnic Institute in Viseu, Portugal. The survey contains questions about demographic characteristics as well as about knowledge of sources of dietary fibre, recommended daily intake and effects of fibre intake on particular diseases. The study included a total of 369 nurses from two health institutions and one nursing school from Croatia older than 18 years. Differences in knowledge were assessed for significance using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. Possible associations among variables were explored using Spearman's rank correlation. For all statistical analyses, the threshold of significance was defined as P<0.05. Results: The level of knowledge among nurses in Croatia about dietary fibre varied from «undecided» to «partial knowledge». The median for level of knowledge ranged from 3 to 4 with low variability ranging from 0.11 to 0.33. Average levels of knowledge in percentages varied from 57.6% to 82.1%. Nurses with higher education levels showed significantly higher knowledge levels about the influence of dietary fiber intake on the risk of certain diseases (p = 0.007), constipation (p = 0.016), bowel cancer (p = 0.005) and breast cancer (p = 0.039). Conclusion: The level of nurses’ knowledge about dietary fiber is suboptimal. This indicates the need to strengthen nurse education in the areas of diet and diet therapy. Increase the level of knowledge of nurses about nutrition can positively influence the quality of care.

Comparación de la medida de actividad física mediante cuestionario Ipaq-L y acelerómetro ‘Mywellness Key’ en trabajadores

Objetivo: comparar la concordancia en las mediciones de actividad física en un grupo de trabajadores mediante el acelerómetro ‘Mywellness key’(Technogym, Gambettola, Italy), y un sistema indirecto, cuestionario ‘IPAQ-L’ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Long Version), y comprobar la relación entre ambas estimaciones. Sujetos: 59 trabajadores (41 mujeres y 18 hombres), con una edad media de 36 ± 7 años y un IMC de 23.96 ± 3.50. Material y métodos: la medición de los niveles de actividad física se realizó mediante el cuestionario IPAQ-L y acelerómetros ‘Mywellness key’ (Technogym, Gambettola, Italy). Todos los sujetos llevaron puesto el acelerómetro durante 7 días consecutivos (2 festivos y 5 laborables). Se empleó el coeficiente de correlaciones bivariadas de Pearson y el CCI (coeficiente de correlación intraclase) (p<.05). Resultados: los valores se correlacionaron positivamente en todo el grupo de manera significativa en los niveles de AF vigorosa (r = 0.93; CCI = 0.757; p<.001) y de AF Moderada (r=0.91; CCI = 0.951; p<.001). Conclusión: se encontró una muy buena correlación en actividades vigorosas y moderadas entre el acelerómetro ‘Mywellness key’ y el cuestionario IPAQ-L.

Prospective comparison of MR enteroclysis with multidetector spiral-CT enteroclysis: interobserver agreement and sensitivity by means of "sign-by-sign" correlation.

Our objective was a prospective comparison of MR enteroclysis (MRE) with multidetector spiral-CT enteroclysis (MSCTE). Fifty patients with various suspected small bowel diseases were investigated by MSCTE and MRE. The MSCTE was performed using slices of 2.5 mm, immediately followed by MRE, obtaining T1- and T2-weighted sequences, including gadolinium-enhanced acquisition with fat saturation. Three radiologists independently evaluated MSCTE and MRE searching for 12 pathological signs. Interobserver agreement was calculated. Sensitivities and specificities resulted from comparison with pathological results ( n=29) and patient's clinical evolution ( n=21). Most pathological signs, such as bowel wall thickening (BWT), bowel wall enhancement (BWE) and lymphadenopathy (ADP), showed better interobserver agreement on MSCTE than on MRE (BWT: 0.65 vs 0.48; BWE: 0.51 vs 0.37; ADP: 0.52 vs 0.15). Sensitivity of MSCTE was higher than that of MRE in detecting BWT (88.9 vs 60%), BWE (78.6 vs 55.5%) and ADP (63.8 vs 14.3%). Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significantly better sensitivity of MSCTE than that of MRE for each observer ( p=0.028, p=0.046, p=0.028, respectively). Taking the given study design into account, MSCTE provides better sensitivity in detecting lesions of the small bowel than MRE, with higher interobserver agreement.

Correlation between vasoconstrictor roles and mRNA expression of alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes in blood vessels of genetically engineered mice.

We examined the contribution of each alpha(1)-adrenoceptor (AR) subtype in noradrenaline (NAd)-evoked contraction in the thoracic aortas and mesenteric arteries of mice. Compared with the concentration-response curves (CRCs) for NAd in the thoracic aortas of wild-type (WT) mice, the CRCs of mutant mice showed a significantly lower sensitivity. The pD(2) value in rank order is as follows: WT mice (8.21) > alpha(1B)-adrenoceptor knockout (alpha(1B)-KO) (7.77) > alpha(1D)-AR knockout (alpha(1D)-KO) (6.44) > alpha(1B)- and alpha(1D)-AR double knockout (alpha(1BD)-KO) (5.15). In the mesenteric artery, CRCs for NAd did not differ significantly between either WT (6.52) and alpha(1B)-KO mice (7.12) or alpha(1D)-KO (6.19) and alpha(1BD)-KO (6.29) mice. However, the CRC maximum responses to NAd in alpha(1D)- and alpha(1BD)-KO mice were significantly lower than those in WT and alpha(1B)-KO mice. Except in the thoracic aortas of alpha(1BD)-KO mice, the competitive antagonist prazosin inhibited the contraction response to NAd with high affinity. However, prazosin produced shallow Schild slopes in the vessels of mice lacking the alpha(1D)-AR gene. In the thoracic aorta, pA(2) values in WT mice for KMD-3213 and BMY7378 were 8.25 and 8.46, respectively, and in alpha(1B)-KO mice they were 8.49 and 9.13, respectively. In the mesenteric artery, pA(2) values in WT mice for KMD-3213 and BMY7378 were 8.34 and 7.47, respectively, and in alpha(1B)-KO mice they were 8.11 and 7.82, respectively. These pharmacological findings were in fairly good agreement with findings from comparison of CRCs, with the exception of the mesenteric arteries of WT and alpha(1B)-KO mice, which showed low affinities to BMY7378. We performed a quantitative analysis of the mRNA expression of each alpha(1)-AR subtype in these vessels in order to examine the correlation between mRNA expression level and the predominance of each alpha(1)-AR subtype in mediating vascular contraction. The rank order of each alpha(1)-AR subtype in terms of its vasoconstrictor role was in fairly good agreement with the level of expression of mRNA of each subtype, that is, alpha(1D)-AR > alpha(1B)-AR > alpha(1A)-AR in the thoracic aorta and alpha(1D)-AR > alpha(1A)-AR > alpha(1B)-AR in the mesenteric artery. No dramatic compensatory change of alpha(1)-AR subtype in mutant mice was observed in pharmacological or quantitative mRNA expression analysis.

Histomorphometrical and molecular evaluation of endosseous dental implants sites in humans: Correlation with clinical and radiographic aspects

Objective: To evaluate the correlations between clinical-radiographical aspects and histomorphometric-molecular parameters of endosseous dental implant sites in humans. Material and methods: The study sample consisted of bone implant sites from the jawbones of 32 volunteers, which were classified according to two different systems: (1) based only on periapical and panoramic images (PP); (2) as proposed by Lekholm & Zarb (L&Z). Bone biopsies were removed using trephine during the first drilling for implant placement. Samples were stained with haematoxylin-eosin (HE), and histomorphometric analysis was performed to obtain the following parameters: trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number, bone volume density (BV/TV), bone specific surface (BS/BV), bone surface density and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp). In addition, immunohistochemistry analysis was performed on bone tissue samples for the proteins, Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANK), RANK ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Osteocalcin (OC). Also, the determination of the relative levels of gene expression was performed using Reverse transcription-real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Results: PP and L&Z classification systems revealed a moderate correlation with BV/TV, BS/BV, Tb.Th and Tb.Sp. L&Z's system identified differences among bone types when BV/TV, BS/BV, Tb.Th and Tb.Sp were compared. A weak correlation between PP/L&Z classifications and the expression of bone metabolism regulators (RANK, RANKL, OPG e OC) was found. The analysis of mRNA expression showed no difference between the bone types evaluated. Conclusions: Our results suggest that PP and L&Z subjective bone-type classification systems are related to histomorphometric aspects. These data may contribute to the validation of these classifications. Bone remodelling regulatory molecules do not seem to influence morphological aspects of the jawbone © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

MR imaging in Crohn's disease: correlation of MR motility measurement with histopathology in the terminal ileum

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to correlate MR-detectable motility alterations of the terminal ileum with biopsy-documented active and chronic changes in Crohn's disease. METHODS: This IRB approved retrospective analysis of 43 patients included magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and terminal ileum biopsies (<2 weeks apart). Motility was measured at the terminal ileum using coronal 2D trueFISP pulse sequences (1.5T MRI,TR 83.8,TE1.89) and dedicated motility assessment software. Motility grading (hypermotility, normal, hypomotility, complete arrest) was agreed by two experienced readers. Motility was compared and correlated with histopathology using two-tailed Kruskal-Wallis test and paired Spearman Rank-Order Correlation tests. KEY RESULTS: Motility abnormalities were present in 27/43 patients: nine hypomotility and 18 complete arrest. Active disease was diagnosed on 15 biopsies: eight moderate and seven severe inflammatory activity. Chronic changes were diagnosed on 17 biopsies: 13 moderate and four severe cases. In four patients with normal motility alterations on histopathology were diagnosed. Histopathology correlated with presence (P = 0.0056 for hypomotility and P = 0.0119 for complete arrest) and grade (P < 0.0001; P = 0.0004) of motility alterations. A significant difference in the motility was observed in patients with active or chronic CD compared with patients without disease (P < 0.001; P = 0.0024). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: MR-detectable motility changes of the terminal ileum correlate with histopathological findings both in active and chronic CD. Motility changes may indicate the presence pathology, but do not allow differentiation of active and chronic disease.

The correlation between tests of visual function and perceived visual ability in central field loss patients

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between tests of visual function and perceived visual ability recorded with a 'quality-of-life' questionnaire for patients with central field loss. Method: 12 females and 7 males (mean age = 53.1 years; Range = 23 - 80 years) with subfoveal neovascular membranes underwent a comprehensive assessment of visual function. Tests included unaided distance vision, high and low contrast distance logMAR visual acuity (VA), Pelli-Robson contrast senstivity (at 1m), near logMAR word VA and text reading speed. All tests were done both monocularly and binocularly. The patients also completed a 28 point questionnaire separated into a 'core' section consisting of general questions about perceived visual function and a 'module' section with specific questions on reading function. Results: Step-wise multiple regression analysis was used to determine which visual function tests were correlated with the patients's perceived visual function and to rank them in order of importance. The visual function test that explains most of the variance in both 'core' score (66%0 and the 'module' score (68%) of the questionnaire is low contrast VA in the better eye (P<0.001 in both cases). Further, the module score also accounts for a significant proportion of the variance (P<0.01) of the distance logMAR VA in both the better and worse eye, and the near logMAR in both the better eye and binocularly. Conclusions: The best predictor of both perceived reading ability and of general perceived visual ability in this study is low contrast logMAR VA. The results highlight that distance VA is not the only relevant measure of visual fucntion in relation to a patients's perceived visual performance and should not be considered a determinant of surgical or management success.

A computational approach to measuring the correlation between expertise and social media influence for celebrities on microblogs

Social media influence analysis, sometimes also called authority detection, aims to rank users based on their influence scores in social media. Existing approaches of social influence analysis usually focus on how to develop effective algorithms to quantize users’ influence scores. They rarely consider a person’s expertise levels which are arguably important to influence measures. In this paper, we propose a computational approach to measuring the correlation between expertise and social media influence, and we take a new perspective to understand social media influence by incorporating expertise into influence analysis. We carefully constructed a large dataset of 13,684 Chinese celebrities from Sina Weibo (literally ”Sina microblogging”). We found that there is a strong correlation between expertise levels and social media influence scores. Our analysis gave a good explanation of the phenomenon of “top across-domain influencers”. In addition, different expertise levels showed influence variation patterns: e.g., (1) high-expertise celebrities have stronger influence on the “audience” in their expertise domains; (2) expertise seems to be more important than relevance and participation for social media influence; (3) the audiences of top expertise celebrities are more likely to forward tweets on topics outside the expertise domains from high-expertise celebrities.

High Diagnostic Accuracy And Reproducibility Of Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology For Diagnosing Salivary Gland Tumors: Cytohistologic Correlation In 182 Cases.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and reproducibility of the cytologic diagnosis of salivary gland tumors (SGTs) using fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). The study aimed to determine diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and to evaluate the extent of interobserver agreement. We retrospectively evaluated SGTs from the files of the Division of Pathology at the Clinics Hospital of São Paulo and Piracicaba Dental School between 2000 and 2006. We performed cytohistologic correlation in 182 SGTs. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 94%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. The interobserver cytologic reproducibility showed significant statistical concordance (P < .0001). FNAC is an effective tool for performing a reliable preoperative diagnosis in SGTs and shows high diagnostic accuracy and consistent interobserver reproducibility. Further FNAC studies analyzing large samples of malignant SGTs and reactive salivary lesions are needed to confirm their accuracy.

Core-valence Correlation Effects On Ir Calculations: The Bf3 And Bcl3 Cases.

The first theoretical results of core-valence correlation effects are presented for the infrared wavenumbers and intensities of the BF3 and BCl3 molecules, using (double- and triple-zeta) Dunning core-valence basis sets at the CCSD(T) level. The results are compared with those calculated in the frozen core approximation with standard Dunning basis sets at the same correlation level and with the experimental values. The general conclusion is that the effect of core-valence correlation is, for infrared wavenumbers and intensities, smaller than the effect of adding augmented diffuse functions to the basis set, e.g., cc-pVTZ to aug-cc-pVTZ. Moreover, the trends observed in the data are mainly related to the augmented functions rather than the core-valence functions added to the basis set. The results obtained here confirm previous studies pointing out the large descrepancy between the theoretical and experimental intensities of the stretching mode for BCl3.

Measuring The Hydrodynamic Radius Of Quantum Dots By Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) is an optical technique that allows the measurement of the diffusion coefficient of molecules in a diluted sample. From the diffusion coefficient it is possible to calculate the hydrodynamic radius of the molecules. For colloidal quantum dots (QDs) the hydrodynamic radius is valuable information to study interactions with other molecules or other QDs. In this chapter we describe the main aspects of the technique and how to use it to calculate the hydrodynamic radius of quantum dots (QDs).

Correlation Between Cephalometric Data And Severity Of Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has a high prevalence among adults. Cephalometric variables can be a valuable method for evaluating patients with this syndrome. To correlate cephalometric data with the apnea-hypopnea sleep index. We performed a retrospective and cross-sectional study that analyzed the cephalometric data of patients followed in the Sleep Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Discipline of Otorhinolaryngology of a university hospital, from June 2007 to May 2012. Ninety-six patients were included, 45 men, and 51 women, with a mean age of 50.3 years. A total of 11 patients had snoring, 20 had mild apnea, 26 had moderate apnea, and 39 had severe apnea. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane was the only variable that showed a statistically significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index. Cephalometric variables are useful tools for the understanding of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane showed a statistically significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index.

Histologic Correlation Of Expression Of Ki-67 In Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Glottis According To The Degree Of Cell Differentiation.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common neoplasm of the larynx and glottis, and its prognosis depends on the size of the lesion, level of local invasion, cervical lymphatic spread, and presence of distant metastases. Ki-67 (MKI67) is a protein present in the core, whose function is related to cell proliferation. To evaluate the expression of marker Ki-67 in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and glottis and its correlation to pathological findings. Experimental study with immunohistochemistry analysis of Ki-67, calculating the percentage of the cell proliferation index in glottic squamous cell carcinomas. Sixteen cases were analyzed, with six well-differentiated and 10 poorly/moderately differentiated tumors. There was a correlation between cell proliferation index and degree of cell differentiation, with higher proliferation in poorly/moderately differentiated tumors. The cell proliferation index, as measured by Ki-67, may be useful in the characterization of histological degree in glottic squamous cell tumors.

Human Herpesvirus-6 And Cytomegalovirus Dna In Liver Donor Biopsies And Their Correlation With Hla Matches And Acute Cellular Rejection.

Herpesvirus reactivation is common after liver transplantation. Analyze the presence of cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA in liver donor biopsies, seeking to better understand issues involving human donor leukocyte antigens (HLA)-A, B and DR, as well as correlations with acute cellular rejection. Fifty-nine liver transplantation patients were investigated for the presence of HCMV and HHV-6 DNA in liver donor biopsies, using the Nested-PCR technique. The clinical donor information and HLA matches were obtained from the São Paulo State Transplant System. The recipients' records regarding acute cellular rejection were studied. Seven (11.8%) biopsies were positive for HCMV DNA and 29 (49%) were positive for HHV-6 DNA. In 14 donors with HLA-DR 15 nine had HHV-6 DNA positive liver biopsy with a tendency for significant association (p=0.09), 22 recipients developed acute cellular rejection and 9/22 were positive for HLA-DR 15 (p=0.03; χ(2)=4.51), which was statistically significant in univariate analysis and showed a tendency after multivariate analysis (p=0.08). HHV-6 DNA was prevalent in liver donors studied as well as HLA-DR 15. These findings suggest that patients with HLA-DR 15 in liver donor biopsies develop more rejection after liver transplantation.