Cognitive impairment and dementia in neurocysticercosis A cross-sectional controlled study

Objectives: Neurocysticercosis (NCYST) is the most frequent CNS parasitic disease worldwide, affecting more than 50 million people. However, some of its clinical findings, such as cognitive impairment and dementia, remain poorly characterized, with no controlled studies conducted so far. We investigated the frequency and the clinical profile of cognitive impairment and dementia in a sample of patients with NCYST in comparison with cognitively healthy controls (HC) and patients with cryptogenic epilepsy (CE). Methods: Forty treatment-naive patients with NCYST, aged 39.25 +/- 10.50 years and fulfilling absolute criteria for definitive active NCYST on MRI, were submitted to a comprehensive cognitive and functional evaluation and were compared with 49 HC and 28 patients with CE of similar age, educational level, and seizure frequency. Results: Patients with NCYST displayed significant impairment in executive functions, verbal and nonverbal memory, constructive praxis, and verbal fluency when compared with HC (p < 0.05). Dementia was diagnosed in 12.5% patients with NCYST according to DSM-IV criteria. When compared with patients with CE, patients with NCYST presented altered working and episodic verbal memory, executive functions, naming, verbal fluency, constructive praxis, and visual-spatial orientation. No correlation emerged between cognitive scores and number, localization, or type of NCYST lesions on MRI. Conclusions: Cognitive impairment was ubiquitous in this sample of patients with active neurocysticercosis (NCYST). Antiepileptic drug use and seizure frequency could not account for these features. Dementia was present in a significant proportion of patients. These data broaden our knowledge on the clinical presentations of NCYST and its impact in world public health. Neurology (R) 2010;74:1288-1295

Conus perimedullary arteriovenous fistula in a child: unusual angio-architectural features and pathophysiology

Introduction The perimedullary arteriovenous fistulas are located on the pial surface and are usually supplied by spinal medullary arteries, that is, either by the anterior or posterior spinal arteries, with no intervening nidus between the feeder arteries and the venous drainage. The clinical findings are, more commonly, caused by progressive radiculomedullary ischemic processes secondary to steal vascular mechanism. As the vascular supply to the spinal cord and to the arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) is not shared with one another, the vascular steal phenomenon cannot be implicated in this case`s physiopathology. Most probably, the mass effect caused by the giant venous dilatation was the pathophysiological mechanism involved in this lesion Case report The authors describe the case of a 6-year-old girl with an intradural ventral arteriovenous fistula, with a giant venous dilatation, fed directly by L2 and L3 radiculomedullary arteries at the conus medullaris. There was no arterial supply to the fistula from the anterior or posterior spinal arteries. Selective spinal angiography showed an arteriovenous fistula supplied directly by two radiculomedullary arteries, with a large draining vein caudally. Interposing the arterial and venous vessels was a giant venous aneurysmal dilatation located ventral to the conus medullaris and extending from L3 to T6. The patient was successfully treated by a surgical approach through a laminotomy from L3 to T11. Conclusion The type IV-C spinal arteriovenous malformations or perimedullary AVFs are rare lesions predominately described at the conus medullaris with various types of angio-architecture and controversial treatment.

Role of cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and KC) in the pathogenesis of CPT-11-induced intestinal mucositis in mice: effect of pentoxifylline and thalidomide

Introduction Irinotecan (CPT-11) is an inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase I and is clinically effective against several cancers. A major toxic effect of CPT-11 is delayed diarrhea; however, the exact mechanism by which the drug induces diarrhea has not been established. Purpose Elucidate the mechanisms of induction of delayed diarrhea and determine the effects of the cytokine production inhibitor pentoxifylline (PTX) and thalidomide (TLD) in the experimental model of intestinal mucositis, induced by CPT-11. Materials and methods Intestinal mucositis was induced in male Swiss mice by intraperitoneal administration of CPT-11 (75 mg/kg) daily for 4 days. Animals received subcutaneous PTX (1.7, 5 and 15 mg/kg) or TLD (15, 30, 60 mg/kg) or 0.5 ml of saline daily for 5 and 7 days, starting 1 day before the first CPT-11 injection. The incidence of delayed diarrhea was monitored by scores and the animals were sacrificed on the 5th and 7th experimental day for histological analysis, immunohistochemistry for TNF-alpha and assay of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and KC ELISA. Results CPT-11 caused significant diarrhea, histopathological alterations (inflammatory cell infiltration, loss of crypt architecture and villus shortening) and increased intestinal tissue MPO activity, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and KC level and TNF-alpha immuno-staining. PTX inhibited delayed diarrhea of mice submitted to intestinal mucositis and reduced histopathological damage, intestinal MPO activity, tissue level of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and KC and TNF-alpha immuno-staining. TLD significantly reduced the lesions induced by CPT-11 in intestinal mucosa, decreased MPO activity, TNF-alpha tissue level and TNF-alpha immuno-staining, but did not reduce the severity of diarrhea. Conclusion These results suggest an important role of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and KC in the pathogenesis of intestinal mucositis induced by CPT-11.

Genetic influence on the variance in P3 amplitude and latency

The P3(00) event-related potential (ERP) component is widely used as a measure of cognitive functioning and provides a sensitive electrophysiological index of the attentional and working memory demands of a task. This study investigated what proportion of the variance in the amplitude and latency of the P3, elicited in a delayed response working memory task, could be attributed to genetic factors. In 335 adolescent twin pairs and 48 siblings, the amplitude and latency of the P3 were examined at frontal, central, and parietal sites. Additive genetic factors accounted for 48% to 61% of the variance in P3 amplitude. Approximately one-third of the genetic variation at frontal sites was mediated by a common genetic factor that also influenced the genetic variation at parietal and central sites. Familial resemblance in P3 latency was due to genetic influence that accounted for 44% to 50% of the variance. Genetic covariance in P3 latency across sites was substantial, with a large part of the variance found at parietal, central, and frontal sites attributed to a common genetic factor. The findings provide further evidence that the P3 is a promising phenotype of neural activity of the brain and has the potential to be used in linkage and association analysis in the search for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) influencing cognition.

Reorganization of structural proteins in vascular smooth muscle cells grown in collagen gel and basement membrane matrices (Matrigel): A comparison with their in situ counterparts

When smooth muscle cells are enzyme-dispersed from tissues they lose their original filament architecture and extracellular matrix surrounds. They then reorganize their structural proteins to accommodate a 2-D growth environment when seeded onto culture dishes. The aim of the present study was to determine the expression and reorganization of the structural proteins in rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells seeded into 3-D collagen gel and Matrigel (a basement membrane matrix). It was shown that smooth muscle cells seeded in both gels gradually reorganize their structural proteins into an architecture similar to that of their in vivo counterparts. At the same time, a gradual decrease in levels of smooth muscle-specific contractile proteins (mainly smooth muscle myosin heavy chain-2) and an increase in p-nonmuscle actin occur, independent of both cell growth and extracellular matrix components. Thus, smooth muscle cells in 3-D extracellular matrix culture and in vivo have a similar filament architecture in which the contractile proteins such as actin, myosin, and alpha -actinin are organized into longitudinally arranged myofibrils and the vimentin-containing intermediate filaments form a meshed cytoskeletal network, However, the myofibrils reorganized in vitro contain less smooth muscle-specific and more nonmuscle contractile proteins. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

Evolution of colorectal cancer: Change of pace and change of direction

This review compiles evidence for an alternative to the classical adenoma-carcinoma sequence in the evolution of colorectal cancer. It is suggested that between 30 and 50% of colorectal cancers are not initiated by mutation of the tumor suppressor gene APC, but through the epigenetic silencing of genes implicated in the control of differentiation, cell cycle control and DNA repair proficiency. The precursor polyps are often characterized by a serrated architecture, and include hyperplastic polyps, admixed polyps and serrated adenomas. The alternative pathway is heterogeneous and may culminate in cancers showing low or high level DNA microsatellite instability (MSI-L and MSI-H, respectively), and in cancers that are microsatellite stable (MSS). Cancers showing DNA MSI may be characterized by an accelerated evolution. Cancers in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer show features of both classical (adenoma and APC mutation) and alternative pathways (rapid evolution, MSI-H and lack of chromosomal instability). (C) 2001 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.

Urbanity and the campus

GPN3, by Peddle Thorp + Donovan Hill, is an accomplished building which seeks to have significant urban effects on the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland.

Memória, intertextualidade, literatura e semiótica : a tragédia e o trágico em Sandman

Este trabalho investiga as relações entre a literatura e a história em quadrinhos Sandman, escrita por Neil Gaiman. Para estabelecer o liame entre essas artes, descrevemos os primórdios da indústria dos quadrinhos de super-heróis, o seu desenvolvimento e as raízes dos gêneros literários populares de crime e horror, assim como as críticas que conduziram à censura e à subsequente superação desta – que lentamente tornou possível um novo tipo de discurso na área dos quadrinhos, permitindo um diálogo aberto com o mundo literário. Entendendo que as noções de intertextualidade, intermidialidade e semiose atuam como transmissores da memória da literatura e da cultura, adotamos a semiótica de Charles S. Peirce, para estabelecer o encadeamento semiósico do mito órfico, além de traçar a transformação da tragédia (conceito literário) em trágico (concepção filosófica) e as suas funções na narrativa de Sandman e no percurso de Morpheus, o herói condenado.

A bot spooler architecture to integrate virtual worlds with e-learning management systems for corporate training

Joining efforts of academic and corporate teams, we developed an integration architecture - MULTIS - that enables corporate e-learning managers to use a Learning Management System (LMS) for management of educational activities in virtual worlds. This architecture was then implemented for the Formare LMS. In this paper we present this architecture and concretizations of its implementation for the Second Life Grid/OpenSimulator virtual world platforms. Current systems are focused on activities managed by individual trainers, rather than groups of trainers and large numbers of trainees: they focus on providing the LMS with information about educational activities taking place in a virtual world and/or being able to access within the virtual world some of the information stored in the LMS, and disregard the streamlining of activity setup and data collection in multi-trainer contexts, among other administrative issues. This architecture aims to overcome the limitations of existing systems for organizational management of corporate e-learning activities.

Avaliação de imóveis históricos

O objectivo da presente dissertação é o estudo e desenvolvimento de um modelo de avaliação de imóveis históricos: os edifícios classificados como Monumentos Nacionais - “MN”, os Imóveis de Interesse Público - “IIP”, os imóveis de Interesse Municipal - “IIM”, e todos os imóveis cuja arquitectura e história os façam distinguir pela sua singularidade e marco, enquanto memória a preservar. A investigação realizada, permitiu compreender a forma, como são actualmente avaliados os imóveis históricos. A pesquisa incidiu no património edificado nacional, considerando as respectivas características, que os definem como imóveis a preservar. Foi observado um conjunto de imóveis classificados pelo Estado, e enfatizados os conceitos de arquitectura, história e património, considerados como parte essencial do processo de avaliação. O estado de negligência, em Portugal, a que está votado parte significativa do património edificado, com raras excepções, foi igualmente focado, analisando-se as razões desta situação. Realizou-se a aplicação do Método do Custo de Reprodução a um edifício classificado como Monumento Nacional, e actualmente em estado devoluto, o “Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça”, localizado em Elvas. Os resultados obtidos, foram comparados através da aplicação do Método de Actualização das Rendas Futuras, por seriação de critérios e pela análise dos valores obtidos. Os métodos de avaliação utilizados foram comparados entre si, procurando-se estabelecer um modelo baseado em critérios de avaliação, que revele o impacto histórico e arquitectónico, numa perspectiva social. Foram expostas as premissas nas quais assentam este tipo de avaliações imobiliárias e retiradas conclusões sobre os resultados obtidos.

Malaria transmission model for different levels of acquired immunity and temperature-dependent parameters (vector)

OBJECTIVE: Describe the overall transmission of malaria through a compartmental model, considering the human host and mosquito vector. METHODS: A mathematical model was developed based on the following parameters: human host immunity, assuming the existence of acquired immunity and immunological memory, which boosts the protective response upon reinfection; mosquito vector, taking into account that the average period of development from egg to adult mosquito and the extrinsic incubation period of parasites (transformation of infected but non-infectious mosquitoes into infectious mosquitoes) are dependent on the ambient temperature. RESULTS: The steady state equilibrium values obtained with the model allowed the calculation of the basic reproduction ratio in terms of the model's parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The model allowed the calculation of the basic reproduction ratio, one of the most important epidemiological variables.

Folk culture and political power: practices and representations of moliceiro culture in Portugal, cultural sociology

This article analyses the painted panels of the moliceiro boat, a traditional working boat of the Ria de Aveiro region of Portugal. The article examines how the painted panels have been invented and reinvented over time. The boat and its panels are contextualized both within the changing socio-economic conditions of the Ria de Aveiro region, and the changing socio-political conditions of Portugal throughout the 20th century and until the present day. The article historically analyses the social significance of ‘moliceiro culture’, examining in particular the power relations it expresses and its ambiguous past and present relationships with the political and the economic powers of the Portuguese state. The article unpacks some of the complexity of the relations that have pertained between public and private, local and national, folk culture and ‘art’, and popular and institutional in the Ria de Aveiro region in particular, and Portugal more generally.