[beta]-Hydroxy-F128b-Methylbutyrate (HMB) Supplementation and the Promotion of Muscle Growth and Strength

[beta]-Hydroxy [beta]-methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolite of the essential amino acid leucine, is one of the latest dietary supplements promoted to enhance gains in strength and lean body mass associated with resistance training. Unlike anabolic hormones that induce muscle hypertrophy by increasing muscle protein synthesis, HMB is claimed to influence strength and lean body mass by acting as an anticatabolic agent, minimising protein breakdown and damage to cells that may occur with intense exercise. Research on HMB has recently tested this hypothesis, under the assumption that it may be the active compound associated with the anticatabolic effects of leucine and its metabolites. While much of the available literature is preliminary in nature and not without methodological concern, there is support for the claims made regarding HMB supplementation, at least in young, previously untrained individuals. A mechanism by which this may occur is unknown, but research undertaken to date suggests there may be a reduction in skeletal muscle damage, although this has not been assessed directly. The response of resistance trained and older individuals to HMB administration is less clear. While the results of research conducted to date appear encouraging, caution must be taken when interpreting outcomes as most manuscripts are presented in abstract form only, not having to withstand the rigors of peer review. Of the literature reviewed relating to HMB administration during resistance training, only 2 papers are full manuscripts appearing in peer reviewed journals. The remaining 8 papers are published as abstracts only, making it difficult to critically review the research. There is clearly a need for more tightly controlled, longer duration studies to verify if HMB enhances strength and muscular hypertrophy development associated with resistance training across a range of groups, including resistance trained individuals.

Preface - Special issue on environmental toxicology of metals and metalloids

Following the Ninth International Congress of Toxicology (ICT-IX) and its satellite meeting ‘The International Conference on the Environmental Toxicology of Metals and Metalloids’ held in 2001 in Australia, a special issue on Arsenic was published in July 2002 (Toxicology Letters, 133(1), 1–120, 2002). We felt that it was timely to follow up with a special issue covering a wider range of metals and metalloids. Participants from the above conferences were invited to contribute to this special issue on ‘Environmental Toxicology of Metals and Metalloids’. This special issue consists of 11 manuscripts, representing up to date studies on a number of important harmful elements including aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, tin (tributyltin) and zinc. It illustrates the multidisciplinary nature of modern research in environmental toxicology involving chemical, biological and molecular technological approaches. It has been our great pleasure to produce this special issue. We would like to thank the authors for their contributions. We greatly appreciate the guidance and assistance provided by Dr J.P. Kehrer (Managing Editor), Dr Lulu Stader (Senior Publishing Editor) and their colleagues at Elsevier Science.

Listening to the Whispers of Matter Through Arabic Hermeticism: New Studies on the Book of the Treasure of Alexander

The Jabirian Corpus refers to the K. Thahirat Al-`Iskandar, ""The Book of the Treasure of Alexander"" (hereafter BTA), as one of several forgeries suggesting that alchemical secrets were hidden in inscriptions in various places. The book was neglected until 1926, when Julius Ruska discussed it in his work on the Emerald Tablet, placing the BTA within the literature related to the development of Arabic alchemy. His preliminary study became an essential reference and encouraged many scholars to work on the BTA in the following decades. Some years ago, we completed the first translation of the BTA into a Western language. The work was based on the acephalous Escorial manuscript, which we identified as a fourteenth-century copy of the BTA. This manuscript is peculiar, as part of it is encoded. After finishing our translation, we started to establish the text of the BTA. At present, the text is in process of fixation-to be followed by textual criticism-and has been the main focus of a thorough study of ours on medieval hermeticism and alchemy. A sample of the work currently in progress is presented in this paper: an analysis of the variations between different manuscripts along with a study and English translation of its alchemical chapter.

Bladder irrigation with amphotericin B and fungal urinary tract infection-systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: Candiduria is a hospital-associated infection and a daily problem in the intensive care unit. The treatment of asymptomatic candiduria is not well established and the use of amphotericin B bladder irrigation (ABBI) is controversial. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the best place for this therapy in practice. Methods: The databases searched in this study included MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and LILACS (January 1960-June 2007). We included manuscripts with data on the treatment of candiduria using ABBI. The studies were classified as comparative, dose-finding, or non-comparative. Results: From 213 studies, nine articles (377 patients) met our inclusion criteria. ABBI showed a higher clearance of the candiduria 24 hours after the end of therapy than fluconazole (odds ratio (OR) 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-1.00). Fungal culture 5 days after the end of both therapies showed a similar response (OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.81-2.80). The evaluation of ABBI using an intermittent or continuous system of delivery showed an early candiduria clearance (24 hours after therapy) of 80% and 82%, respectively (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.52-1.36). Candiduria clearance at >5 days after the therapy showed a superior response using continuous bladder irrigation with amphotericin B (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.94). The use of continuous ABBI for more than 5 days showed a better result (88% vs. 78%) than ABBI for less than 5 days, but without significance (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34-1.04). Conclusion: Although the strength of the results in the underlying literature is not sufficient to allow the drawing of definitive conclusions, ABBI appears to be as effective as fluconazole, but it does not offer systemic antifungal therapy and should only be used for asymptomatic candiduria. (C) 2008 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Core outcome domains for chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations

Objective. To provide recommendations for the core outcome domains that should be considered by investigators conducting clinical trials of the efficacy and effectiveness of treatments for chronic pain. Development of a core set of outcome domains would facilitate comparison and pooling of data, encourage more complete reporting of outcomes, simplify the preparation and review of research proposals and manuscripts, and allow clinicians to make informed decisions regarding the risks and benefits of treatment. Methods. Under the auspices of the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT), 27 specialists from academia. governmental agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry participated in a consensus meeting and identified core outcome domains that should be considered in clinical trials of treatments for chronic pain. Conclusions. There was a consensus that chronic pain clinical trials should assess outcomes representing six core domains: (1) pain, (2) physical functioning, (3) emotional functioning, (4) participant ratings of improvement and satisfaction with treatment, (5) symptoms and adverse events, (6) participant disposition (e.g. adherence to the treatment regimen and reasons for premature withdrawal from the trial). Although consideration should be given to the assessment of each of these domains, there may be exceptions to the general recommendation to include all of these domains in chronic pain trials. When this occurs, the rationale for not including domains should be provided. It is not the intention of these recommendations that assessment of the core domains should be considered a requirement for approval of product applications by regulatory agencies or that a treatment must demonstrate statistically significant effects for all of the relevant core domains to establish evidence of its efficacy. (C) 2003 International Association for the Study of Pain.

Quality of scientific articles

The paper discusses the difficulties in judging the quality of scientific manuscripts and describes some common pitfalls that should be avoided when preparing a paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Peer review is an imperfect system, with less than optimal reliability and uncertain validity. However, as it is likely that it will remain as the principal process of screening papers for publication, authors should avoid some common mistakes when preparing a report based on empirical findings of human research. Among these are: excessively long abstracts, extensive use of abbreviations, failure to report results of parsimonious data analyses, and misinterpretation of statistical associations identified in observational studies as causal. Another common problem in many manuscripts is their excessive length, which makes them more difficult to be evaluated or read by the intended readers, if published. The evaluation of papers after their publication with a view towards their inclusion in a systematic review is also discussed. The limitations of the impact factor as a criterion to judge the quality of a paper are reviewed.

D. João de Magalhães e Avelar e a Fundação da Real Biblioteca Pública Municipal do Porto (1833)

D. João de Magalhães e Avelar (1754-1833) formou aquela que, ao tempo, era a maior biblioteca privada portuguesa. Com cerca de 36000 volumes, foi elogiada por personalidades nacionais e estrangeiras, por aliar à quantidade de volumes inúmeros e valiosíssimos manuscritos. Formada ao longo dos séculos XVIII e XIX, durante mais de 30 anos, originou, em 1833, o primeiro núcleo da actual Biblioteca Pública Municipal do Porto. Numa época em que possuir livros era sinónimo de prestígio social mas num período em que quase não havia tradição de bibliotecas públicas no nosso país, contrariamente ao que acontecia noutras realidades, a livraria privada de Avelar formou, com outras, a Real Biblioteca Pública da Cidade do Porto. Em 1833, aquando do primeiro aniversário da entrada do exército liberal no Porto, por decreto, criou-se a biblioteca portuense. Estabelecida na casa que servia de Hospício dos Religiosos de Santo António do Val da Piedade, à praça da Cordoaria, tinha como objectivo satisfazer a utilidade pública, estando aberta todos os dias, excepto domingos e feriados. Propriedade da cidade do Porto, ficava sujeita à administração da Câmara que se obrigava à sua guarda, manutenção, conservação, bem como à constante aquisição de espólio. Como veremos, tratou-se de um processo conflituoso mas o Porto obtinha, definitivamente, a sua biblioteca pública.

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of colour in portuguese manuscript illuminations

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Conservação e Restauro, especialidade Teoria, História e Técnicas, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Predictive Biomarkers of Bacillus Calmette-Gu´erin Immunotherapy Response in Bladder Cancer: Where AreWe Now?

The most effective therapeutic option for managing nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), over the last 30 years, consists of intravesical instillations with the attenuated strain Bacillus Calmette-Gu´erin (the BCG vaccine). This has been performed as an adjuvant therapeutic to transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) and mostly directed towards patients with highgrade tumours, T1 tumours, and in situ carcinomas. However, from 20% to 40% of the patients do not respond and frequently present tumour progression. Since BCG effectiveness is unpredictable, it is important to find consistent biomarkers that can aid either in the prediction of the outcome and/or side effects development. Accordingly, we conducted a systematic critical review to identify themost preeminent predictive molecular markers associated with BCG response. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review exclusively focusing on predictive biomarkers for BCG treatment outcome. Using a specific query, 1324 abstracts were gathered, then inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, and finally 87 manuscripts were included. Several molecules, including CD68 and genetic polymorphisms, have been identified as promising surrogate biomarkers. Combinatory analysis of the candidate predictive markers is a crucial step to create a predictive profile of treatment response.

Atypical Case of Mediterranean Spotted Fever

The authors present a case of atypical severe (malignant) Mediterranean spotted fever, with a brief review on the subject. Although not previously described in Brazil, the possibility of imported cases, especially from Portuguese tourists, is real. This case report highlights the severe form of the disease and the possibility of atypical presentation with confounding differential diagnosis. A brief review of classical presentation is also done. The authors believe it is a valid paper and a good contribution to your Journal of Infectious Diseases. The content of the manuscript represents the views of the coauthors, and neither the corresponding author nor the coauthors have submitted duplicate or overlapping manuscripts elsewhere.

HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS 1 (HTLV-1) AND HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS 2 (HTLV-2): GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH TRENDS AND COLLABORATION NETWORKS (1989-2012)

Publications are often used as a measure of research work success. Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type 1 and 2 are human retroviruses, which were discovered in the early 1980s, and it is estimated that 15-20 million people are infected worldwide. This article describes a bibliometric review and a coauthorship network analysis of literature on HTLV indexed in PubMed in a 24-year period. A total of 7,564 documents were retrieved, showing a decrease in the number of documents from 1996 to 2007. HTLV manuscripts were published in 1,074 journals. Japan and USA were the countries with the highest contribution in this field (61%) followed by France (8%). Production ranking changed when the number of publications was normalized by population (Dominican Republic and Japan), by gross domestic product (Guinea-Bissau and Gambia), and by gross national income per capita (Brazil and Japan). The present study has shed light on some of the defining features of scientific collaboration performed by HTLV research community, such as the existence of core researchers responsible for articulating the development of research in the area, facilitating wider collaborative relationships and the integration of new authors in the research groups.

Effectiveness of the Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant for Treatment of Patients with Diabetic Macular Oedema

Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a leading cause of vision loss in the working-age population worldwide. Corticosteroid drugs have been demonstrated to inhibit the expression of both the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene and other anti-inflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandins. Triamcinolone, fluocinolone and dexamethasone are the main steroids that have been studied for the treatment of macular oedema. Over the last few years, several studies have suggested an important role for dexamethasone in the management of DMO. The dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX implant) (Ozurdex®; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA) is a novel approach approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by the EU for the intravitreal treatment of macular oedema after branch or central retinal vein occlusion, and for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye. We reviewed manuscripts that had investigated the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of the DEX implant regarding DMO treatment.

Old cellulose for new multifunctional networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais

Intrusion tolerant routing with data consensus in wireless sensor networks

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

TSKY: a dependable middleware solution for data privacy using public storage clouds

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática