Preeclampsia : an accelerator–brake defect disorder

Life's perfect partnership starts with the placenta. If we get this right, we have the best chance of healthy life. In preeclampsia, we have a failing placenta. Preeclampsia kills one pregnant woman every minute and the life expectancy of those who survive is greatly reduced. Preeclampsia is treated roughly the same way it was when Thomas Edison was making the first silent movie. Globally, millions of women risk death to give birth each year and almost 300,000 lose their lives in this process. Over half a million babies around the world die each year as a consequence of preeclampsia. Despite decades of research, we lack pharmacological agents to treat it. Maternal endothelial dysfunction is a central phenomenon responsible for the clinical signs of preeclampsia. In the late nineties, we discovered that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulated nitric oxide release. This led us to suggest that preeclampsia arises due to the loss of VEGF activity, possibly due to a rise in soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1), the natural antagonist of VEGF. Researchers have shown that high sFlt-1 elicits preeclampsia-like signs in pregnant rats and sFlt-1 increases before the clinical signs of preeclampsia in pregnant women. We demonstrated that removing or reducing this culprit protein from preeclamptic placenta restored the angiogenic balance. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1 or Hmox1) that generates carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin (rapidly converted to bilirubin) and iron is cytoprotective. We showed that the Hmox1/CO pathway prevents human placental injury caused by pro-inflammatory cytokines and suppresses sFlt-1 and soluble endoglin release, factors responsible for preeclampsia phenotypes. The other key enzyme we identified is the hydrogen sulfide generating cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE or Cth). These are the only two enzyme systems shown to suppress sFlt-1 and to act as protective pathways against preeclampsia phenotypes in animal models. We also showed that when hydrogen sulfide restores placental vasculature, it also improves lagging fetal growth. These molecules act as the inhibitor systems in pregnancy and when they fail, this triggers preeclampsia. Discovering that statins induce these enzymes led us to an RCT to develop a low-cost therapy (StAmP Trial) to prevent or treat preeclampsia. If you think of pregnancy as a car then preeclampsia is an accelerator–brake defect disorder. Inflammation, oxidative stress and an imbalance in the angiogenic milieu fuel the ‘accelerator’. It is the failure in the braking systems (the endogenous protective pathway) that results in the ‘accelerator’ going out of control until the system crashes, manifesting itself as preeclampsia.

Papel da extensão e do trabalho junto à comunidade na formação médica

SILVA, Thiago Demétrio Nogueira Costa e; CORRÊA, Edison José; MARANHÃO, Técia Maria de Oliveira. O papel da extensão e do trabalho junto à comunidade na formação Médica. Revista Eletrônica Pesquisa Médica, v.1, n.3, p.9-13, jul./set. 2007

Papel da extensão e do trabalho junto à comunidade na formação médica

SILVA, Thiago Demétrio Nogueira Costa e; CORRÊA, Edison José; MARANHÃO, Técia Maria de Oliveira. O papel da extensão e do trabalho junto à comunidade na formação Médica. Revista Eletrônica Pesquisa Médica, v.1, n.3, p.9-13, jul./set. 2007

Facilitadores e barreiras para o desempenho de atividades por idosos que frequentam uma universidade aberta

Este estudo teve como objetivos: analisar fatores decorrentes da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde que atuam como facilitadores ou barreiras para o desempenho de atividades dos idosos que frequentam uma Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade; propor ações de enfermagem/saúde para melhor aproveitamento do desempenho de atividades dos idosos que frequentam uma universidade aberta. Tratou-se de pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo exploratória e descritiva. Na coleta de dados, realizada em janeiro de 2014, utilizou-se a técnica Snowball (Bola de Neve) para inserir os dez participantes do estudo, aos quais foram aplicadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com a utilização de um formulário de pesquisa construído a partir dos domínios da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde: Atividades/Participação e Fatores Contextuais. Os dados foram analisados com base na Análise Textual Discursiva. Foram respeitados os aspectos éticos abordados na resolução 466/2012, obtendo-se o parecer de aprovação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa número 104/2013. Como categorias do estudo foram identificadas: Elementos facilitadores para o desempenho de atividades pelos idosos que frequentam uma Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade; Elementos que servem como barreiras para o desempenho de atividades dos idosos que frequentam uma Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade. Estas categorias possibilitaram a construção de propostas de enfermagem/saúde para melhor aproveitamento do desempenho de atividades de idosos que frequentam uma universidade aberta a terceira idade. Este estudo poderá propiciar um novo olhar ao desempenho das atividades e funcionalidade dos idosos, com a utilização de alguns elementos da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde, além de direcionar o cuidado de enfermagem a outro campo de atuação dos enfermeiros que diz respeito às Universidades Abertas à Terceira Idade.

Diseño del sistema solar para San José de Guausa

Tesis (Ingeniero(a) Eléctrico).--Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ingeniería. Programa de Ingeniería Eléctrica, 2014

PICTOAPRENDE: Design and evaluation of a tool that contributes to the personal autonomy of children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in Ecuador

This paper presents the development and evaluation of PICTOAPRENDE, which is an interactive software designed to improve oral communication. Additionally, it contributes to the development of children and youth who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Ecuador. To fulfill this purpose initially analyzes the intervention area where the general characteristics of people with ASD and their status in Ecuador is described. Statistical techniques used for this evaluation constitutes the basis of this study. A section that presents the development of research-based cognitive and social parameters of the area of intervention is also shown. Finally, the algorithms to obtain the measurements and experimental results along with the analysis of them are presented.

Silagem do bagaço de sorgo sacarino

Brazilian sweet sorghum is used to generate ethanol and the bagasse is burned in industrial boilers or deposited on soil polluting the environment. This study evaluated the performance of sorghum plants and its bagasse silage nutritional value aiming to use it in the ruminant nutrition. Experiments were set up on the UTFPR campus at Dois Vizinhos-PR. The first trial was established on October 2nd, 2012 using the genotypes ADV 2010, Hunnigreen, Sugargraze, Volumax, BR 505, 503, 501 and the second trial at 2013 on November 27th assessing the materials ADV 2010, Sugargraze, Hunnigreen, EX 5110, BR 506, 508, 509 and 511. Experimental was laid out as a randomized block design with three replications. Results were analyzed through ANOVA comparing the averages by Duncan test at 5% error probability. As field variables were evaluated: plant height (Pl hei), green mass production (GM Prod), percentage of leaves, stems and panicles in relation to the plant, stems production without straw (Prod stems with straw), whole stems production (Who stems Prod), stem diameter (Stem diam), juice production (Juice prod) and Brix degree (oBrix). After juice plant extraction, forage bagasse was crushed and packed in silos for 60 days and green matter yield was estimated (GM). In bagasse silage gauged to buffer capacity (BC), dry matter (DM), mineral matter (MM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (TC), non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFCH), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin (LIG ) and digestibility "in vitro" (DIGIV). There was no significant difference (P> 0.05) between genotypes regarding to green matter production and on average, the second crop yield was lower and reflected in the reduction of bagasse production. Bagasse silage DM was of 32.3% and 33.1%; NDF 73% and 65.8%, crude protein 3.8% and 5.9; pH 3.7 and 3.7; TC and 9.8 and 10.7. mg MS-1; the amount of NFCH was 11.1 and 13.5%; DIG of DM 36.9 and 62.4% for the respectively to the bagasse produced from materials grown in the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons. Hybrid genotypes had a better agronomic performance while the varieties were more efficient in bromatological indexes. And despite the high percentage of NDF and the low protein level, it is possible to feed ruminants with this coproduct.

Governança de TI nas universidades federais brasileiras: uma abordagem integrada

This research has as an objective to study the IT Governance in the Brazilian Federal Universities, discusses the relationships between the IT Governance (ITG) mechanisms and the noticed IT management development in those public institutions. The subject Information Technology Governance, is not only vast, but constitutes implications in most different operational and knowledge areas, being relevant to the Public Administration, as a part of Corporative Governance and the public related, evolves high investments, such as financial, structure and material and human resources. The universities are entities from Indirect Administration and essential actors in the knowledge developing and creating and on its managers. Theirs public administrative agents, responds for the managing public resources competence and to provide internal policy that determines how IT will allow a bigger alignment and reaching of institutions business. We highlight the role of universities that manage significant quantity of public resources to achieve its institutional purposes. Looking this way, this theoretical and empirical study has as its goal to design an ITG panorama in the Brazilian universities (67 universities), for the strategic alignment on governance actions and institutional development focusing on the efficiency of the public service offered by those institutions. Facing this research focus delimitation, the methodology process will evolve three investigative activities: (1) documental and bibliographical research, (2) questioning, and exploratory tool, to investigate the IT Governance and Management perception in the IFES, directed to IT executive responsible, as a data collection device and (3) research the availability of ITG information in institutes websites. This project contributes to the studies this subject; it investigates the relations that make the ITG as a business strategy and shows the implementation IT Governance, such as a tool to allow the viability of Corporate Governance. This way, expected to contributes to the Public Administration development, following the principle that to improve it’s needed diagnose, and then, offer better results to the society on this field of working.

Macrodosis de fentanil en la inducción de la anestesia general y sus efectos sobre el recuerdo de la intubación traqueal. Hospital José Carrasco Arteaga. Cuenca 2000

Es un estudio clínico controlado se incluyeron 100 pacientes adultos, ASA I-II de ambos sexos, en dos grupos de 50 pacientes cada uno seleccionados aleatoriamente: grupo A recibió 10 mcg.Kg-1 de fentanil y grupo B) recibió 15 mcg.kg-1 de fentanil. Se aplicó un formulario durante los 12 min de la inducción y a las 6 horas de posanestésico para valorar el recuerdo del procedimiento y de la intubación endotraqueal. No hubieron diferencias entre los grupos en cuanto a edad, sexo, procedencia, instrucción y tipo de cirugía. El procedimiento de inducción fue recordado por menor porcentaje de pacientes de grupo B. La intubación endotraqueal registró el 88 por ciento de olvido en el grupo A. y el 96 por ciento en el B [P mayor 0.05]. El recuerdo de la intubación endotraqueal no fue traumático y hubo un 4 por ciento de euforia transitoria en el grupo B. Las variaciones hemodinámicas en cuanto a pulso, TA y SpO2 medidas en cuatro momentos: basal, 4 min, 8 min y 12 min no fueron estadísticamente signigicativas

Collecting banana diversity in eastern Indonesia

Major diseases, including Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, threaten banana production systems worldwide. New sources of genetic resistance are considered necessary in the fight against such diseases. The triangular region of Indonesia taking in Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands and Lesser Sunda Islands was prioritized by the Global Musa Genetic Resources Network, MusaNet for exploration and collecting. It is just east of the Wallace Line, which is recognized as a transition zone for flora in southeast Asia, and had been little explored. Bioversity International funded a team of scientists from Indonesia and Australia to make collecting missions in the triangle in October 2012 and February 2013. Suckers and seeds of 35 promising new accessions were collected. About 90% of these are either wild species or diploid cultivars of more direct use to breeding programs. These were morphologically characterized during the collecting missions and included a set of photographs recommended by Bioversitys Taxonomic Advisory Group. Cigar leaf samples were also collected and sent as fresh samples to the International Banana Genotyping Centre in the Czech Republic. Ploidy and DNA (SSR) genotyping determinations from these samples have been invaluable in quickly interpreting and better appreciating what has been discovered. The new accessions have been grown on at Solok field collection, West Sumatra and will be made available by Indonesia to the international community, including breeding programs, for evaluation and utilization. Information on wild Eumusa prompts a rethinking of the phytogeography of Musa acuminata. The variation within the Australimusa species M. lolodensis highlights the need for broader study of this Musa section. French Plantain-like edible AAs and prospects for the generation of African plantains in the region were identified. The mission indicated existence of local edible ABs in eastern Indonesia in association with balbisiana hybrids origins in the region. Further explorations in the region should add to Musa diversity knowledge.

Buscando la excelencia educativa: gestión de procesos académicos y administrativos en instituciones públicas de educación mediante BPM

La necesidad de mejorar la eficiencia de las organizaciones ha obligado a adoptar nuevas políticas de gestión. Esta necesidad también ha llegado a las empresas e instituciones públicas, incluyendo a las Universidades. Una de las posibilidades de mejora es la aplicación del enfoque de la gestión por procesos a través del Business Process Management (BPM). Las TIC proporcionan la posibilidad de implementar este enfoque a través de los BPMS, lo que aumenta las ventajas de la nueva gestión ya que ofrece la automatización de los procesos, su rediseño y mejora continúa. El caso de estudio es la aplicación de un BPMS en una institución pública educativa de Ecuador para observar como la gestión se mejora, alcanzándose mayores niveles de calidad y una reducción de los tiempos de proceso.

Uma arquitetura de referência para o processamento distribuído de stream de dados em soluções analíticas de near real-time

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Elétrica, 2015.

Comportamento ao desgaste erosivo de um aço inoxidável utilizado em hélice de moto aquática

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade UnB Gama, Programa de Pós-graduação em Integridade de Materiais da Engenharia, 2015.