Influência da temperatura na biologia de triatomíneos: IX. Rhodnius nasutus Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae)

Estudou-se a influência da temperatura na biologia de Rhodnius nasutus Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), tendo em vista a sua criação em grande escala, em laboratório, para serem utilizados no xenodiagnóstico e fornecer informações que subsidien as ações de controle. Os experimentos realizaram-se em duas câmaras climatizadas, a 25 ± 0,5ºC e 3º ± 1ºC, com umidade relativa de 70 ± 5% e fotoperíodo de 12 horas. Apresentam-se os dados relativos ao ciclo evolutivo, pré-postura, fecundidade, fertilidade, sobrevivência ao jejum e quantidade de sangue ingerido. A duração média do ciclo evolutivo foi de 145,7 dias a 25ºC e de 114,2 dias, a 30ºC. A quantidade de sangue ingerido para completar o ciclo evolutivo foi de 304,3mg e 350,3 mg, a 25º e 30ºC, respectivamente. A sobrevivência ao jejum absoluto foi significativamente maior a 25º do que a 30ºC, ao nível de 1%.

Mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Europe and other areas of the world: an update.

OBJECTIVE: To update trends in mortality from coronary heart diseases (CHD) and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) over the period 1981-2004 in Europe, the USA, Latin America, Japan and other selected areas of the world. METHODS: Age-standardized mortality rates were derived from the World Health Organization database. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify significant changes in trends. RESULTS: In the European Union (27 countries), CHD mortality in men declined from 139/100,000 in 1985-1989 to 93/100,000 in 2000-2004 (-33%). In women, the fall was from 61/100,000 to 44/100,000 (-27%). In this area, a decline by over 30% was also registered in CVD mortality for both sexes. In the Russian Federation and other countries of the former Soviet Union, CHD rates in 2000-2004 were exceedingly high, around 380/100,000 men and 170/100,000 women in Russia, 430 for men and 240 for women in Ukraine, 420 and 200 in Belarus. For CVD, a similar situation was registered, with mortality rates of 226/100,000 for men and 159/100,000 for women in 2004 in the Russian Federation, and more than 24% increase since the late 1980s for men and 15% for women. CHD and CVD mortality continued to decline in most Latin American countries, Australia and other areas considered, including Asia (even if with marked differences). CONCLUSION: Although mortality from CHD and CVD continues to decline in several areas of the world including most countries of Europe and of the America providing data and Australia, unfavourable trends were still observed in the Russian Federation and other countries of the former Soviet Union, whose recent rates remain exceedingly high.

Measuring the Economic Significance of Structural Exchange Rate Models

This paper examines both the in-sample and out-of-sample performance of three monetary fundamental models of exchange rates and compares their out-of-sample performance to that of a simple Random Walk model. Using a data-set consisting of five currencies at monthly frequency over the period January 1980 to December 2009 and a battery of newly developed performance measures, the paper shows that monetary models do better (in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting) than a simple Random Walk model.

How collaboration could contribute to make Catalan journals visible on the Internet?

Cooperation between libraries is a universal language spoken in different dialects. In 1996 the libraries of the state-funded universities and the National Library of Catalonia (Spain) formed the Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia (CBUC) to act as a channel for cooperation. The organization and activities of CBUC are an example of how this universal language has been adapted to the specific characteristics of the Libraries of Catalonia. Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with 7 million inhabitants with its own language, history and traditions and with a strong feeling of own identity that facilitates the cooperation. Thanks to this (and also to the hard work of the member libraries), since then, CBUC has created a union catalogue, an interlibrary lending program, the Digital Library of Catalonia, a cooperative store, different cooperatives repositories and other cooperation programs. One of these cooperatives repositories is RACO (Catalan Journals in Open Access, www.raco.cat) where can be consulted, in open access, the full-text articles of scientific, cultural and scholar Catalan journals. The main purpose of RACO is to increase the visibility and searches of the journals included and to spread the scientific and academic production published in Catalonia. This purpose makes specific in three aims: encourage the electronic edition of Catalan journals; be the interface that allows the whole search of all the journals and provide the instruments for its preservation. There are currently 244 journals in RACO, that includes more than 85.000 articles (80% in OA) from 50 publishing institutions. Since it got into operation it has had more than 4 millions of queries. These 244 journals offer the full-text of all the published issues. Nevertheless, some journal can have a delay between the introduction of the table of contents and the full-text for the recent issues. From 2005 we have a plan of retrospective digitization that has allowed to digitize more than 350.000 pages of back issues. The RACO repository works with the open source program OJS (Open Journal Systems, http://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/) and uses Dublin Core Metadata and the interoperability protocol created by Open Archives Initiative (OAI) which allows to increase the visibility of the articles published in journals offering oneself together with other international repositories.

Testosterone Restoration by Enclomiphene Citrate in Men with Secondary Hypogonadism: a pharmacodynamic and Pharmacokinetic study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the pharmacodynamic (PD) profile of serum total testosterone levels (TT) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in men with secondary hypogonadism following initial and chronic daily oral doses of enclomiphene citrate in comparison to transdermal testosterone. To determine the effects of daily oral doses of enclomiphene citrate (Androxal®) in comparison to transdermal testosterone on other hormones and markers in men with secondary hypogonadism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a randomized, single blind, two-center phase II study to evaluate three different doses of enclomiphene citrate (6.25mg, 12.5mg and 25 mg Androxal®), versus AndroGel®, a transdermal testosterone, on 24-hour LH and TT in otherwise normal healthy men with secondary hypogonadism. Forty-eight men were enrolled in the trial (ITT Population), but 4 men had T levels >350 ng/dL at baseline. Forty-four men completed the study per protocol (PP population). All subjects enrolled in this trial had serum TT in the low range (<350 ng/dL) and had low to normal LH (<12 IU/L) on at least two occasions. TT and LH levels were assessed each hour for 24 hours to examine the effects at each of three treatment doses of enclomiphene versus a standard dose (5 grams) of transdermal testosterone (AndroGel). In the initial profile TT and LH were determined in a naïve population following a single initial oral or transdermal treatment (Day 1). This was contrasted to that seen after six weeks of continuous daily oral or transdermal treatment (Day 42). The pharmacokinetics of enclomiphene was performed in a select subpopulation. Serum samples were obtained over the course of the study to determine levels of various hormones and lipids. RESULTS: After six weeks of continuous use, the mean ± SD concentration of TT at Day 42 C0hrTT, was 604 ± 160 ng/dL for men taking the highest of dose of enclomiphene citrate (enclomiphene, 25 mg daily) and 500 ± 278 ng in those men treated with transdermal testosterone. These values were higher than Day 1 values but not different from each other (p = 0.23, T-test). All three doses of enclomiphene increased C0hrTT, CavgTT, CmaxTT, CminTT and CrangeTT. Transdermal testosterone also raised TT, albeit with more variability, and with suppressed LH levels. The patterns of TT over 24 hour period following six weeks of dosing could be fit to a non-linear function with morning elevations, mid-day troughs, and rising night-time levels. Enclomiphene and transdermal testosterone increased levels of TT within two weeks, but they had opposite effects on FSH and LH Treatment with enclomiphene did not significantly affect levels of TSH, ACTH, cortisol, lipids, or bone markers. Both transdermal testosterone and enclomiphene citrate decreased IGF-1 levels (p<0.05) but suppression was greater in the enclomiphene citrate groups. CONCLUSIONS: Enclomiphene citrate increased serum LH and TT; however, there was not a temporal association between the peak drug levels and the Cmax levels LH or TT. Enclomiphene citrate consistently increased serum TT into the normal range and increased LH and FSH above the normal range. The effects on LH and TT persisted for at least one week after stopping treatment.

Fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis in healthy subjects during near-continuous oral nutrition and bed rest: a comparison with published data in artificially fed, critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In critically ill patients, fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis increases in proportion to carbohydrate administration during isoenergetic nutrition. In this study, we sought to determine whether this increase may be the consequence of continuous enteral nutrition and bed rest. We, therefore, measured fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis in a group of 12 healthy subjects during near-continuous oral feeding (hourly isoenergetic meals with a liquid formula containing 55% carbohydrate). In eight subjects, near-continuous enteral nutrition and bed rest were applied over a 10 h period. In the other four subjects, it was extended to 34 h. Fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis was measured by infusing(13) C-labeled acetate and monitoring VLDL-(13)C palmitate enrichment with mass isotopomer distribution analysis. Fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis was 3.2% (range 1.5-7.5%) in the eight subjects after 10 h of near continuous nutrition and 1.6% (range 1.3-2.0%) in the four subjects after 34 h of near-continuous nutrition and bed rest. This indicates that continuous nutrition and physical inactivity do not increase hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis previously reported in critically ill patients under similar nutritional conditions (9.3%) (range 5.3-15.8%) was markedly higher than in healthy subjects (P&lt;0.001). These data from healthy subjects indicate that fractional hepatic de novo lipogenesis is increased in critically ill patients.

Disseminated M. avium complex infection in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study: declining incidence, improved prognosis and discontinuation of maintenance therapy.

Introduction of potent antiretroviral combination therapy (ART) has reduced overall morbidity and mortality amongst HIV-infected adults. Some prophylactic regimes against opportunistic infections can be discontinued in patients under successful ART. (1) The influence of the availability of ART on incidence and mortality of disseminated M. avium Complex infection (MAC). (2) The safety of discontinuation of maintenance therapy against MAC in patients on ART. The Swiss HIV-Cohort Study, a prospective multicentre study of HIV-infected adults. Patients with a nadir CD4 count below 50 cells/mm3 were considered at risk for MAC and contributed to total follow-up time for calculating the incidence. Survival analysis was performed by using Kaplan Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. Safety of discontinuation of maintenance therapy was evaluated by review of the medical notes. 398 patients were diagnosed with MAC from 1990 to 1999. 350 had a previous CD4 count below 50 cells/mm3. A total of 3208 patients had a nadir CD4 count of less than 50 cells/mm3 during the study period and contributed to a total follow-up of 6004 person-years. The incidence over the whole study period was 5.8 events per 100 person-years. In the time period of available ART the incidence of MAC was significantly reduced (1.4 versus 8.8 events per 100 person-years, p < 0.001). Being diagnosed after 1995 was the most powerful predictor of better survival (adjusted hazard ratio for death: 0.27; p < 0.001). None of 24 patients discontinuing maintenance therapy while on ART experienced recurrence of MAC during a total follow-up of 56.6 person-years (upper 95% confidence limit 5.3 per 100 person-years). Introducing ART has markedly reduced the risk of MAC for HIV-infected individuals with a history of very low CD4 counts. Survival after diagnosis of MAC has improved after ART became available. In patients responding to ART, discontinuation of maintenance therapy against M. avium may be safe.

Nectomys squamipes (Rodentia: Cricetidae) as an experimental model for schistosomiasis mansoni

Twenty specimens of Nectomys squamipes born in captivity, were infected with 500 cercariae by the transcutaneous route. Coprologic examinations were carried out from the 5th to 23rd week after infection. On the 7th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 23rd weeks the animals were sacrificed and perfused. The oogram was performed in segments of the small intestine (proximal, medial and distal portions) and the large intestine. The average pre-patent period was of 42 days. The average number of eggs varied from 350 on 6th week, to 800 on the 13th. From the 14th week on, the average number of eggs eliminated was lower than 50 per gram of feces. The recovery of worms kept steady on the 7th, 8th, and 12th week (16.85%; 15.45% and 11.95%), decreasing to 7.70% on the 16th week and 8.45% on the 23rd week. The proportion of male/female worms was about the same on the first two weeks, but from the 12th week on, the proportion was: 1,4/1 on the 12th week; 2,5/1 on the 16thweek and 1,8/1 on the 23rd weekThese observations suggest that N. squamipes may used as an experimental model for schistosomiasis mansoni, to wich it develops resistance mechanism, useful for immunity studies.

Protein interaction data curation: the International Molecular Exchange (IMEx) consortium.

The International Molecular Exchange (IMEx) consortium is an international collaboration between major public interaction data providers to share literature-curation efforts and make a nonredundant set of protein interactions available in a single search interface on a common website (http://www.imexconsortium.org/). Common curation rules have been developed, and a central registry is used to manage the selection of articles to enter into the dataset. We discuss the advantages of such a service to the user, our quality-control measures and our data-distribution practices.

Pédiatrie. 4. La calprotectine fécale en pédiatrie: utilisation et interprétation [Pediatrics. Fecal calprotectin in children: use and interpretation].

Fecal calprotectin is a small protein released mainly by neutrophils. It is recognized as a reliable, easy and non-invasive biomarker of gastro-intestinal inflammation. Normal values vary with age, with higher cut-off values during the first year of life (<350 microg/g) than in children (<275 microg/g) or adults (<50 microg/g). Fecal calprotectin can be a useful tool in initial evaluation of recurrent abdominal pain, helping to distinguish between functional gastro-intestinal disorders, where it is normal, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is not a specific marker of IBD but is increased in other situations of gastro-intestinal inflammation. In patients with IBD, fecal calprotectin is used to monitor treatment response.

Soporte geoespacial para modelos de distribución de especies (I): generalización del mapa de vegetación del Montseny apoyada en información de imágenes de satélite

Los mapas de vegetación son a menudo utilizados como proxis de una estratificación de hábitats para generar distribuciones geográficas contínuas de organismos a partir de datos discretos mediante modelos multi-variantes. Sin embargo, los mapas de vegetación suelen ser poco apropiados para ser directamente aplicados a este fin, pues sus categorías no se concibieron con la intención de corresponder a tipos de hábitat. En este artículo presentamos y aplicamos el método de Agrupamiento por Doble Criterio para generalizar un mapa de vegetación extraordinariamente detallado (350 clases) del Parque Natural del Montseny (Cataluña) en categorías que mantienen la coherencia tanto desde el punto de vista estructural (a través de una matriz de disimilaridad espectral calculada mediante una imágen del satélite SPOT-5) como en términos de vegetación (gracias a una matriz de disimilaridad calculada mediante propiedades de vegetación deducidas de la leyenda jerárquica del mapa). El método simplifica de 114 a 18 clases el 67% del área de estudio. Añadiendo otras agregaciones más triviales basadas exclusivamente en criterios de cubierta de suelo, el 73% del área de estudio pasa de 167 a 25 categorías. Como valor añadido, el método identifica el 10% de los polígonos originales como anómalos (a partir de comparar las propiedades espectrales de cada polígono con el resto de los de su clases), lo que implica cambios en la cubierta entre las fechas del soporte utilizado para generar el mapa original y la imagen de satélite, o errores en la producción de éste.

Fluorescence of the bladder washout fluid following cystoscopy: a preliminary study

During fluorescence cystoscopy, it is observed that the acquired images are sometimes blurred by a greenish background originating from the bladder washout fluid. Several fluorophores are involved in this overall liquid fluorescence, and their exact origin and relative contributions remain unknown. In this study, the bladder washout fluid is sampled at different times during fluorescence cystoscopy examinations. In total, 32 samples from 12 patients are analyzed with a spectrofluorimeter (excitation range: 350-445 nm, emission range 380-700 nm). This study shows clearly that the position of the fluorescence peaks (excitation/emission wavelengths: 450/525 nm, 405/625 nm) and shoulder (440/525 nm) is reproducible between different patients. It also suggests that an excitation at wavelengths higher than 400 nm helps to suppress this solution background fluorescence. Additionally, the pH of the solution seems to influence the position of the fluorescence peaks, and this suggests that changing the pH of the examination liquid could help in avoiding the greenish background.

Use of High Doses of Quetiapine in Bipolar Disorder Episodes are not Linked to High Activity of Cytochrome P4503A4 and/or Cytochrome P4502D6.

The use of quetiapine for treatment of bipolar disorders at a higher dosage than the licensed range is not unusual in clinical practice. Quetiapine is predominantly metabolised by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and to a lesser extent by CYP2D6. The large interindividual variability of those isozyme activities could contribute to the variability observed in quetiapine dosage. The aim of the present study is to evaluate if the use of high dosages of quetiapine in some patients, as compared to patients treated with a dosage in the licensed range (up to 800 mg/day), could be explained by a high activity of CYP3A4 and/or of CYP2D6. CYP3A4 activities were determined using the midazolam metabolic ratio in 21 bipolar and schizoaffective bipolar patients genotyped for CYP2D6. 9 patients were treated with a high quetiapine dosage (mean ± SD, median; range: 1467 ± 625, 1200; 1000-3000 mg/day) and 11 with a normal quetiapine dosage (433 ± 274, 350; 100-800 mg/day). One patient in the high dose and one patient in the normal dose groups were genotyped as CYP2D6 ultrarapid metabolizers. CYP3A4 activities were not significantly different between the two groups (midazolam metabolic ratio: 9.4 ± 8.2; 6.2; 1.7-26.8 vs 3.9 ± 2.3; 3.8; 1.5-7.6, in the normal dose group as compared to the high dose group, respectively, NS). The use of high quetiapine dosage for the patients included in the present study cannot be explained by variations in pharmacokinetics parameters such as a high activity of CYP3A4 and/or of CYP2D6.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for localised resectable soft-tissue sarcoma of adults: meta-analysis of individual data

BACKGROUND: Individually, randomised trials have not shown conclusively whether adjuvant chemotherapy benefits adult patients with localised resectable soft-tissue sarcoma.METHODS: A quantitative meta-analysis of updated data from individual patients from all available randomised trials was carried out to assess whether adjuvant chemotherapy improves overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and local and distant recurrence-free intervals (RFI) and whether chemotherapy is differentially effective in patients defined by age, sex, disease status at randomisation, disease site, histology, grade, tumour size, extent of resection, and use of radiotherapy.FINDINGS: 1568 patients from 14 trials of doxorubicin-based adjuvant chemotherapy were included (median follow-up 9.4 years). Hazard ratios of 0.73 (95% CI 0.56-0.94, p = 0.016) for local RFI, 0.70 (0.57-0.85, p = 0.0003) for distant RFI, and 0.75 (0.64-0.87, p = 0.0001) for overall recurrence-free survival, correspond to absolute benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy of 6% (95% CI 1-10), 10% (5-15), and 10% (5-15), respectively, at 10 years. For overall survival the hazard ratio of 0.89 (0.76-1.03) was not significant (p = 0.12), but represents an absolute benefit of 4% (1-9) at 10 years. These results were not affected by prespecified changes in the groups of patients analysed. There was no consistent evidence that the relative effect of adjuvant chemotherapy differed for any subgroup of patients for any endpoint. However, the best evidence of an effect of adjuvant chemotherapy for survival was seen in patients with sarcomas of the extremities.INTERPRETATION: The meta-analysis provides evidence that adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy significantly improves the time to local and distant recurrence and overall recurrence-free survival. There is a trend towards improved overall survival.