A Brazilian Original Pedagogical Approach To The Teaching Of Neurology.

The two-arm Clinical Decisions/Diagnostic Workshop (CD/DW) approach to undergraduate medical education has been successfully used in Brazil. Present the CD/DW approach to the teaching of stroke, with the results of its pre-experimental application and of a comparative study with the traditional lecture-case discussion approach. Application of two questionnaires (opinion and Knowledge-Attitudes-Perceptions-KAP) to investigate the non-inferiority of the CD/DW approach. The method was well accepted by teachers and students alike, the main drawback being the necessarily long time for its completion by the students, a feature that may better cater for different educational needs. The comparative test showed the CD/DW approach to lead to slightly higher cognitive acquisition as opposed to the traditional method, clearly showing its non-inferiority status. The CD/DW approach seems to be another option for teaching neurology in undergraduate medical education, with the bonus of respecting each learner`s time.

Systemic Granulomatous Diseases Associated With Multiple Palpable Masses That May Involve The Breast: Case Presentation And An Approach To The Differential Diagnosis.

Palpable mass is a common complaint presented to the breast surgeon. It is very uncommon for patients to report breast mass associated with palpable masses in other superficial structures. When these masses are related to systemic granulomatous diseases, the diagnosis and initiation of specific therapy can be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to report a case initially assessed by the breast surgeon and ultimately diagnosed as granulomatous variant of T-cell lymphoma, and discuss the main systemic granulomatous diseases associated with palpable masses involving the breast.

Comparative Metagenomic Analysis Of Coral Microbial Communities Using A Reference-independent Approach.

By comparing the SEED and Pfam functional profiles of metagenomes of two Brazilian coral species with 29 datasets that are publicly available, we were able to identify some functions, such as protein secretion systems, that are overrepresented in the metagenomes of corals and may play a role in the establishment and maintenance of bacteria-coral associations. However, only a small percentage of the reads of these metagenomes could be annotated by these reference databases, which may lead to a strong bias in the comparative studies. For this reason, we have searched for identical sequences (99% of nucleotide identity) among these metagenomes in order to perform a reference-independent comparative analysis, and we were able to identify groups of microbial communities that may be under similar selective pressures. The identification of sequences shared among the metagenomes was found to be even better for the identification of groups of communities with similar niche requirements than the traditional analysis of functional profiles. This approach is not only helpful for the investigation of similarities between microbial communities with high proportion of unknown reads, but also enables an indirect overview of gene exchange between communities.

A Rosetta Stone For Nature's Benefits To People.

After a long incubation period, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is now underway. Underpinning all its activities is the IPBES Conceptual Framework (CF), a simplified model of the interactions between nature and people. Drawing on the legacy of previous large-scale environmental assessments, the CF goes further in explicitly embracing different disciplines and knowledge systems (including indigenous and local knowledge) in the co-construction of assessments of the state of the world's biodiversity and the benefits it provides to humans. The CF can be thought of as a kind of Rosetta Stone that highlights commonalities between diverse value sets and seeks to facilitate crossdisciplinary and crosscultural understanding. We argue that the CF will contribute to the increasing trend towards interdisciplinarity in understanding and managing the environment. Rather than displacing disciplinary science, however, we believe that the CF will provide new contexts of discovery and policy applications for it.

Metal Ions Bound To The Human Milk Immunoglobulin A: Metalloproteomic Approach.

The presence of calcium, iron, and zinc bound to human milk secretory IgA (sIgA) was investigated. The sIgA components were first separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then identified by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI MS MS). The metal ions were detected by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after acid mineralization of the spots. The results showed eight protein spots corresponding to the IgA heavy chain constant region. Another spot was identified as the transmembrane secretory component. Calcium was bound to both the transmembrane component and the heavy chain constant region, while zinc was bound to the heavy chain constant region and iron was not bound with the identified proteins. The association of a metal ion with a protein is important for a number of reasons, and therefore, the findings of the present study may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of action and of additional roles that sIgA and its components play in human milk.

Obstacle Crossing With Dual Tasking Is A Danger For Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease And For Healthy Older People.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of dual tasking on obstacle crossing during walking by individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and by healthy older people. Thirty four elderly individuals (16 healthy subjects and 18 individuals with AD) were recruited to participate in this study. Three AD individuals and one control participant were excluded due to exclusion criteria. The participants were instructed to walk barefoot at their own speed along an 8 m long pathway. Each participant performed five trials for each condition (unobstructed walking, unobstructed walking with dual tasking, and obstacle crossing during walking with dual tasking). The trials were completely randomized for each participant. The mid-pathway stride was measured in the unobstructed walking trials and the stride that occurred during the obstacle avoidance was measured in the trials that involved obstacle crossing. The behavior of the healthy elderly subjects and individuals with AD was similar for obstacle crossing during walking with dual tasking. Both groups used the posture first strategy to prioritize stability and showed decreased attention to executive tasking while walking. Additionally, AD had a strong influence on the modifications that are made by the elderly while walking under different walking conditions.

Didanosine-loaded Chitosan Microspheres Optimized By Surface-response Methodology: A Modified Maximum Likelihood Classification" Approach Formulation For Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors."

Didanosine-loaded chitosan microspheres were developed applying a surface-response methodology and using a modified Maximum Likelihood Classification. The operational conditions were optimized with the aim of maintaining the active form of didanosine (ddI), which is sensitive to acid pH, and to develop a modified and mucoadhesive formulation. The loading of the drug within the chitosan microspheres was carried out by ionotropic gelation technique with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as cross-linking agent and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) to assure the stability of ddI. The optimization conditions were set using a surface-response methodology and applying the Maximum Likelihood Classification, where the initial chitosan concentration, TPP and ddI concentration were set as the independent variables. The maximum ddI-loaded in microspheres (i.e. 1433mg of ddI/g chitosan), was obtained with 2% (w/v) chitosan and 10% TPP. The microspheres depicted an average diameter of 11.42μm and ddI was gradually released during 2h in simulated enteric fluid.

Key Participants Of The Tumor Microenvironment Of The Prostate: An Approach Of The Structural Dynamic Of Cellular Elements And Extracellular Matrix Components During Epithelial-stromal Transition.

Cancer is a multistep process that begins with the transformation of normal epithelial cells and continues with tumor growth, stromal invasion and metastasis. The remodeling of the peritumoral environment is decisive for the onset of tumor invasiveness. This event is dependent on epithelial-stromal interactions, degradation of extracellular matrix components and reorganization of fibrillar components. Our research group has studied in a new proposed rodent model the participation of cellular and molecular components in the prostate microenvironment that contributes to cancer progression. Our group adopted the gerbil Meriones unguiculatus as an alternative experimental model for prostate cancer study. This model has presented significant responses to hormonal treatments and to development of spontaneous and induced neoplasias. The data obtained indicate reorganization of type I collagen fibers and reticular fibers, synthesis of new components such as tenascin and proteoglycans, degradation of basement membrane components and elastic fibers and increased expression of metalloproteinases. Fibroblasts that border the region, apparently participate in the stromal reaction. The roles of each of these events, as well as some signaling molecules, participants of neoplastic progression and factors that promote genetic reprogramming during epithelial-stromal transition are also discussed.

Modeling The Effects Of Temperature And Ph On The Resistance Of Alicyclobacillus Acidoterrestris In Conventional Heat-treated Fruit Beverages Through A Meta-analysis Approach.

In this work, all publicly-accessible published findings on Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris heat resistance in fruit beverages as affected by temperature and pH were compiled. Then, study characteristics (protocols, fruit and variety, °Brix, pH, temperature, heating medium, culture medium, inactivation method, strains, etc.) were extracted from the primary studies, and some of them incorporated to a meta-analysis mixed-effects linear model based on the basic Bigelow equation describing the heat resistance parameters of this bacterium. The model estimated mean D* values (time needed for one log reduction at a temperature of 95 °C and a pH of 3.5) of Alicyclobacillus in beverages of different fruits, two different concentration types, with and without bacteriocins, and with and without clarification. The zT (temperature change needed to cause one log reduction in D-values) estimated by the meta-analysis model were compared to those ('observed' zT values) reported in the primary studies, and in all cases they were within the confidence intervals of the model. The model was capable of predicting the heat resistance parameters of Alicyclobacillus in fruit beverages beyond the types available in the meta-analytical data. It is expected that the compilation of the thermal resistance of Alicyclobacillus in fruit beverages, carried out in this study, will be of utility to food quality managers in the determination or validation of the lethality of their current heat treatment processes.

Surgical treatment of patients with cervical spinal cord injury by anterior approach using bone graft

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Composição florística de uma floresta ripária na Reserva Estadual de Porto Ferreira, SP

The point-centred quarter method (63 points) was applied in Porto Ferreira State Reserve (21º49'S and 47º25'W) in an area (1.08ha) on the right margin of Moji Guaçu river, including two woody individuals per quarter - one with DBH < 10cm and at least 130cm high, the other with DBH > 10cm. The results obtained were compared with those published by other authors for a riparian forest (Mata da Figueira) at Moji Guaçu Ecological Station (about 100 km upstream on the same river). At Porto Ferreira 107 species were found, of which 80 were exclusive, compared with the Mata da Figueira where of the 59 species listed, 31 were exclusive. The two area shared 27 common species, thus accounting for a low Sørensen similarity of 48.6%. The great environmental heterogeneity of the floodplains, as well as the degree of anthropic disturbance, could account for this floristic variation. The greatest numbers of species were shown by Leguminosae (20), Myrtaceae (17), Rutaceae (9), Euphorbiaceae (7), and Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae and Rubiaceae (6 species each). There appears to be little difference at the family level among the periodically flooded and non-flooded forests of the State of São Paulo, but the species show different degreees of preference for habitat. The floristic composition of the two areas presented a mixture of typical species with others of non-flooded forests. The latter would occur on the floodplain probably by a) adaptation of the root system to relatively short flooding periods; b) shorter periods of flooding on the higher points of the microrelief of the floodplain, and c) greater aeration due to running water.

Is size structure a good measure of future trends of plant populations? an empirical approach using five woody species from the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna)

Size distributions in woody plant populations have been used to assess their regeneration status, assuming that size structures with reverse-J shapes represent stable populations. We present an empirical approach of this issue using five woody species from the Cerrado. Considering count data for all plants of these five species over a 12-year period, we analyzed size distribution by: a) plotting frequency distributions and their adjustment to the negative exponential curve and b) calculating the Gini coefficient. To look for a relationship between size structure and future trends, we considered the size structures from the first census year. We analyzed changes in number over time and performed a simple population viability analysis, which gives the mean population growth rate, its variance and the probability of extinction in a given time period. Frequency distributions and the Gini coefficient were not able to predict future trends in population numbers. We recommend that managers should not use measures of size structure as a basis for management decisions without applying more appropriate demographic studies.

O esporte paraolímpico no Brasil : abordagem da sociologia do esporte de Pierre Bourdieu

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Desenvolvimento de equações generalizadas para estimativa da coordenação motora em crianças e adolescentes portadores de deficiencia mental

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Significados do taiko no Instituto Cultural Nipo Brasileiro de Campinas

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física