Growth of (Perylene)(2) [PD(MNT)(2)] crystals

The conditions for [pd(mnt)(2)]he growth of [pd(mnt)(2)]Perylene) [pd(mnt)(2)] [Pd(mnt) [pd(mnt)(2)]] crystals either by chemical oxidation and electrochemical routes are [pd(mnt)(2)]escribed. The electrocrystallisation is limited by close [pd(mnt)(2)]roximity of [pd(mnt)(2)]he oxidation [pd(mnt)(2)]otentials of [pd(mnt)(2)]he [pd(mnt)(2)]erylene [pd(mnt)(2)]onor and [Pd(mnt) [pd(mnt)(2)]] - anion, and [pd(mnt)(2)]epending on [pd(mnt)(2)]he experimental conditions [pd(mnt)(2)]ifferent [pd(mnt)(2)]orphologies can be obtained. [pd(mnt)(2)]Per) [pd(mnt)(2)] [Pd(mnt) [pd(mnt)(2)]] crystals obtained by elecrocrystallisation were found [pd(mnt)(2)]o be [pd(mnt)(2)]ainly of [pd(mnt)(2)]he β-polymorph with [pd(mnt)(2)]roperties comparable [pd(mnt)(2)]o [pd(mnt)(2)]he Cu, Ni and Pt analogues [pd(mnt)(2)]reviously [pd(mnt)(2)]escribed at variance with [pd(mnt)(2)]hose obtained by chemical oxidation which are [pd(mnt)(2)]ainly of [pd(mnt)(2)]he α-polymorph.

Performance indexes of a dot-enzime-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) and an ezyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgG-ELISA) for field surveys of new world leishmaniasis

Diagnostic performance indexes of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and efficiency were determined for dot-ELISA and IgG-ELISA tests in 340 leishmaniasis sera. Sensitivity of the dot-ELISA was significantly lower than IgG-ELISA's; the two tests had indexes of specificity and positive predictive value of the same magnitude. Seventy-eight sera gave a negative dot-ELISA test result and a positive IgG-ELISA test result. When sera were classified according to different criteria as how to interpret this diversity, the kappa statistic did not corroborate the classification indicating that the two tests display a substantial strength of agreement. The results presented indicate that performance indexes accrued in a survey where variables arc well known may be extrapolated to other population studies if the disease presents itself as highly prevalent (due to a selection bias or not) and may be expected to discriminate a disease status among test positives.

Endemic Pemphigus foliaceus ("Fogo selvagem"): a series from the Northeastern region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, 1973-1998

Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus (EPF) is a bullous autoimmune skin disease whose incidence used to be high in the State of São Paulo (SP), Brazil, during the forties, but has declined thereafter. OBJECTIVES: to report a series of EPF patients from the northeastern region of SP. METHODS: a retrospective study concerning demographic and epidemiological data of patients seen from 1973 to 1998 was conducted at the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, SP. RESULTS: bullous disease was diagnosed in 340 patients, 245 with EPF (72.1%), 9.4 cases per year, 60.4% females, and 70.2% white, 7 to 82 year-old (29.4% in their teens); 46.9% lived in the rural zone. Concerning profession, housewives predominated among women (67.6%) and agricultural workers among men (40.2%). The time of disease was less than 1 year in 62.0% of cases, followed by 1 and 5 years (27%), and more than 5 years for the remaining patients (11%). 36.7% of patients were referred by the Direção Regional de Saúde (DIR) XVIII of Ribeirão Preto, with the largest number of cases being from Ribeirão Preto and Batatais: 33.3% and 23.3%, respectively; 22% from DIR XIII (Franca); 13.5% from DIR VII (Araraquara); 2.9% from DIR IX (Barretos); 4.1% from other DIRs of SP, and 20.8% from other States (16.7% from Minas Gerais). Thirteen (5.3%) patients reported occurrence of the disease in some relative, and 4 (1.6%) in neighbors. CONCLUSIONS: the present data characterize the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo as a remaining endemic focus of EPF.

Perinatal Bacterial Infection: Screenning of Vertical Transmitted Infections

Perinatal bacterial infection may be caused by any microorganism colonizing the vaginal tract. Neonatologists and paediatricians are especially concerned about group B Stretpococcus (GBS). However, Enterobactereacea, mainly E.coli and Proteus, are also responsible for infection. GBS screening may be accomplished in over 90% of pregnant women. In our maternity in 2007-2008, 85% of the mothers had been screened. Screening and prophylaxis were responsible for a decreasing incidence of neonatal infection - from 0.6/1000 to 0.15/1000 live births in Portugal, from 2002 to 2007. However there are some difficulties related to screening. In the second Portuguese study 16/57 NB with early-onset infection (28%) were born to “negative” mothers. Several factors illustrate how difficult is to draw national screening policies: a wide range of carrier’s state rate throughout a country - in Portugal from 12% to 30%. The success of any screening policy may also be affected by additional technical and organizational problems. In countries where home delivery is a tradition or a trend intrapartum GBS prophylaxis requires a very well organized assistance.. Moreover factors usually accepted as protective are not so effective. In the Portuguese study 24/57 infected newborns (42%) were delivery by caesarean section. Another subject deals with the workload in the postnatal ward generated by deficient compliance to the guidelines a problem not confirm by a study of our group. Decreasing the importance of GBS, highlight the importance of E. coli in perinatal infection. From the 16 340 registrations of the National Registry 1676 were newborns with mother-related infection. Applying the same reasoning to E.coli as to GBS and Listeria monocytogenes – that is considering all of them are of maternal origin - 6.7% of these infections were due to E. coli, 4.6% to SGB and 0.5% to Listeria monocytogenes. In conclusion screening and prophylaxis may be not the best way to prevent all GBS neonatal infections but by now it is the only available procedure. The other bacteria continue to demand a high suspicion level and immediate intervention.

Pesquisa de Vibrio cholerae 01 em amostras fecais da população urbana de Manacapuru, AM

O estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de identificar portadores assintomáticos do vibrião colérico em Manacapuru, AM, 1249 amostras fecais foram obtidas por swab retal e submetidas à análise bacteriológica. Vibrio cholerae O1 não foi detectado. Foram isolados e identificados: V. funissii em 12 (0,9%) amostras, V. fluvialis, em 4 (0,3%) e V. hollisae em 1 (0,1%).

Freqüência de precordialgia em mulheres chagásicas e não-chagásicas

O objetivo do estudo foi comparar a freqüência de precordialgia em mulheres chagásicas com grupo de não-chagásicas. Realizou-se estudo retrospectivo, amostral, do tipo corte transversal, com mulheres (n = 647), de idade 340 anos, chagásicas (n = 362) e controles (n = 285). Precordialgia foi definida por queixa de dor retroesternal relacionada ou não a esforço físico. As chagásicas foram classificadas nas formas indeterminada (n = 125), megas (n = 58) e cardíaca (n = 179). A idade (57,0 ± 11,3 vs 57,3 ± 10,4 anos) e porcentagem de brancas (75,8% vs 77,1%) foram similares entre chagásicas e controles, respectivamente. Precordialgia foi mais freqüente (p < 0,01) entre chagásicas (14,6%) que entre controles (5,6%), com maior prevalência na forma cardíaca (risco relativo = 2,41; variação: 1,38-4,23), fenômeno possivelmente relacionado com distúrbios de inervação autonômica cardíaca ou esofágica, ou da inflamação em território da microcirculação coronariana.

Serosurvey of hantavirus infection in humans in the border region between Brazil and Argentina

INTRODUCTION: According to reports by the Ministry of Health, in the far western region of the State of Santa Catarina, there have been no reports of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a zoonotic disease transmitted by feces of infected rodents. A seroepidemiological study of residents of this region, was conducted, with the aim of determining the presence of hantavirus infections. A total of 340 volunteers of both genus, from the towns of Belmonte and Paraíso, were studied. METHODS: The serum of these patients was collected and used to detect IgG antibodies against recombinant N protein of Araraquara hantavirus, by ELISA assay. The positive samples were then titrated and confirmed by immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: This study demonstrated the presence of IgG antibodies against hantavirus N protein in 3.5% of the population. The most frequent occupation was farm worker, 81% had direct and indirect contact with rodents, 91.7% of positive cases were farm workers, indicating that the probable cause of infection occurred during barn cleaning. These antibodies are noteworthy, given that the levels of antibodies were verified in individuals whose contact with hantavirus may have occurred many years ago. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the circulation of hantavirus in the region, a fact that until now, had not reported. All the serum reagents had contact with the pathogen, but did not develop pulmonary and cardiovascular syndrome. It is important to remain alert, because hantavirus is a serious and emerging disease of some relevance.

O inquérito eletrocardiográfico

Entre 1977 e 1981, foi realizado um inquérito eletrocardiográfico nacional tendo por objetivo avaliar a prevalência da cardiomiopatia chagásica no Brasil. Foram feitos 5.347 eletrocardiogramas. Após o pareamento dos indivíduos, segundo a idade e gênero, a distribuição dos eletrocardiogramas dos autóctones, em cada estado, ficou assim constituída: Rio Grande do Sul (1.078), Minas Gerais (760), Bahia (612), Paraná (400), Paraíba (340), Piauí (218), Sergipe (216), Goiás (176), Pernambuco (170), Ceará (136) e Alagoas (134). Os maiores percentuais de alterações eletrocardiográficas entre os indivíduos com soros reagentes foram encontrados nos Estados de Goiás (63,6%), Minas Gerais (57,6%), Ceará (57,3%), Paraná (54,5%), Piauí (53,2%) e Paraíba (52,3%). Entre os controles, nestes estados, a prevalência das alterações eletrocardiográficas foi de 25%, 25,7%, 25%, 12,5%, 22,9% e 26,5% respectivamente. Observou-se diferença estatisticamente significativa em relação à prevalência das alterações eletrocardiográficas, entre os indivíduos soro reagentes e os não reagentes, em todos os estados, exceção feita para o de Alagoas. O cálculo do gradiente mostrou-se maior no Estado do Paraná (42%), seguido por Goiás (38,6%), Ceará (32,3%) Minas Gerais (31,9%), Piauí (30,3%), Paraíba (25,8%), Pernambuco (22,3%), Bahia (18,9%), Sergipe (16,7%), Rio Grande do Sul (9,9%) e Alagoas (7,5%). Em relação à distribuição das alterações eletrocardiográficas encontradas, nos onze estados analisados, verificou-se que as extrassístoles ventriculares, o bloqueio de grau avançado do ramo direito, o bloqueio da divisão ântero-superior do ramo esquerdo, a associação do bloqueio de grau avançado do ramo direito com o bloqueio da divisão ântero-superior do ramo esquerdo e alterações primárias do segmento ST e da onda T, mostraram diferença estatisticamente significativa, entre os indivíduos com sororreagentes e os não reagentes Além disto, estas alterações eletrocardiográficas foram as de maior prevalência no grupo dos indivíduos chagásicos.

Entre Tapas e Beijos: estudo sobre a violência doméstica contra a mulher no Estado da Paraíba (Brasil), após a entrada em vigor da Lei Maria da Penha (Lei nº 11.340/2006)

Dissertação de mestrado em Direitos Humanos

Solving large 0–1 multidimensional knapsack problems by a new simplified binary artificial fish swarm algorithm

The artificial fish swarm algorithm has recently been emerged in continuous global optimization. It uses points of a population in space to identify the position of fish in the school. Many real-world optimization problems are described by 0-1 multidimensional knapsack problems that are NP-hard. In the last decades several exact as well as heuristic methods have been proposed for solving these problems. In this paper, a new simpli ed binary version of the artificial fish swarm algorithm is presented, where a point/ fish is represented by a binary string of 0/1 bits. Trial points are created by using crossover and mutation in the different fi sh behavior that are randomly selected by using two user de ned probability values. In order to make the points feasible the presented algorithm uses a random heuristic drop item procedure followed by an add item procedure aiming to increase the profit throughout the adding of more items in the knapsack. A cyclic reinitialization of 50% of the population, and a simple local search that allows the progress of a small percentage of points towards optimality and after that refines the best point in the population greatly improve the quality of the solutions. The presented method is tested on a set of benchmark instances and a comparison with other methods available in literature is shown. The comparison shows that the proposed method can be an alternative method for solving these problems.

Efeitos do carvedilol (bloqueador b1,b2,a1) na insuficiência cardíaca refratária

OBJETIVO: Os efeitos dos beta-bloqueadores na insuficiência cardíaca (IC) refratária não têm sido adequadamente estudados. Investigamos os efeitos do carvedilol (bloqueador b1,b2,a1) nos sintomas e na função ventricular de portadores de IC refratária. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 21 pacientes, idade média de 56±10 anos, 9 em classe funcional (CF) IV, e 12 em CF III intermitente com IV. A dose inicial de carvedilol foi de 6,25mg e, se tolerada, aumentada progressivamente. A dose média final foi 42±11mg. Os pacientes foram submetidos a avaliações clínicas e eletrocardiográficas seriadas. Realizaram-se, antes e com 196±60 dias de evolução, ecocardiograma e ventriculografia radioisotópica. RESULTADOS: O medicamento foi tolerado em 16 (76%) pacientes. Um paciente está em fase de titulação em CF II. Com 196±60 dias de evolução observaram-se 8 pacientes em CF I e 7 em II; redução da freqüência cardíaca de 96±15 para 67±10bpm (p<0,0001); redução do diâmetro diastólico final de ventrículo esquerdo (VE) de 73±13 para 66±12mm (ecocardiograma) (p<0,009); e aumento da fração de ejeção de VE de 0,21±0,06 para 0,34±0,12 (p<0,0003). CONCLUSÃO: O carvedilol devido aos seus efeitos benéficos na função ventricular, remodelamento e CF é, se tolerado, uma potencial alternativa terapêutica no tratamento medicamentoso da IC refratária. Entretanto, estudos adicionais são necessários para definição do efeito a longo prazo neste específico subgrupo de pacientes.

A critical evaluation of methods for the reconstruction of tissue-specific models

Under the framework of constraint based modeling, genome-scale metabolic models (GSMMs) have been used for several tasks, such as metabolic engineering and phenotype prediction. More recently, their application in health related research has spanned drug discovery, biomarker identification and host-pathogen interactions, targeting diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer, obesity or diabetes. In the last years, the development of novel techniques for genome sequencing and other high-throughput methods, together with advances in Bioinformatics, allowed the reconstruction of GSMMs for human cells. Considering the diversity of cell types and tissues present in the human body, it is imperative to develop tissue-specific metabolic models. Methods to automatically generate these models, based on generic human metabolic models and a plethora of omics data, have been proposed. However, their results have not yet been adequately and critically evaluated and compared. This work presents a survey of the most important tissue or cell type specific metabolic model reconstruction methods, which use literature, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics data, together with a global template model. As a case study, we analyzed the consistency between several omics data sources and reconstructed distinct metabolic models of hepatocytes using different methods and data sources as inputs. The results show that omics data sources have a poor overlapping and, in some cases, are even contradictory. Additionally, the hepatocyte metabolic models generated are in many cases not able to perform metabolic functions known to be present in the liver tissue. We conclude that reliable methods for a priori omics data integration are required to support the reconstruction of complex models of human cells.

Clinical significance of transient left ventricular dilation assessed during myocardial Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical significance of transient ischemic dilation of the left ventricle during myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with stress/rest sestamibi. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed 378 patients who underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with stress/rest sestamibi, 340 of whom had a low probability of having ischemia and 38 had significant transient defects. Transient ischemic dilation was automatically calculated using Autoquant software. Sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative predictive values were established for each value of transient ischemic dilation. RESULTS: The values of transient ischemic dilation for the groups of low probability and significant transient defects were, respectively, 1.01 ± 0.13 and 1.18 ± 0.17. The values of transient ischemic dilation for the group with significant transient defects were significantly greater than those obtained for the group with a low probability (P<0.001). The greatest positive predictive values, around 50%, were obtained for the values of transient ischemic dilation above 1.25. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that transient ischemic dilation assessed using the stress/rest sestamibi protocol may be useful to separate patients with extensive myocardial ischemia from those without ischemia.

Principais características clínicas de pacientes que sobrevivem 24 meses ou mais após uma hospitalização devido a descompensação cardíaca

OBJETIVO: Estudar as principais características clínicas dos pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca sobreviventes há mais de 24 meses após hospitalização para compensação. MÉTODOS: Estudados 126 pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca, em classe funcional III ou IV, com idade média de 51,7 anos, a maioria homens (73%), com fração de ejeção (FE) média de 0,36 e diâmetro diastólico (DD) do VE de 7,13 cm. Avaliaram-se as principais características clínicas e laboratoriais e no seguimento identificaram-se 25 (19.8%) pacientes que sobreviveram mais de 24 meses após a alta hospitalar. Compararam-se os dados dos sobreviventes (G1) aos dos que faleceram (G2) antes de 24 meses. RESULTADOS: No G1 encontraram-se níveis mais elevados do sódio sérico (138,3±3,4 vs 134,5±5,8 mEq/l; p=0,001), da pressão arterial (120,0 vs 96,7 mmHg; p=0,003) e da FE do VE (0,40±0,08 vs 0,34±0,09; p=0,004) e valores menores da uréia (59,8 vs 76,3 mg/dl; p=0,007), do tempo de protrombina (12,9 vs 14,8s; p=0,001), do DDVE (6,78±0,55 vs 7,22±0,91; p=0,003) e do diâmetro do AE (4,77 vs 4,99cm; p=0,0003). Houve mais sobreviventes entre os portadores de cardiomiopatia idiopática e hipertensiva do que entre os chagásicos e doença coronariana. Na análise multivariada permaneceram como variáveis preditoras independentes da mortalidade o DDVE > 7,8 cm (HR 1,95), o Na < 132 mEq/l (HR 2,30) e o tempo de protrombina > 14 seg (HR 1,69). CONCLUSÃO: O estudo permite predizer quais os pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca que poderão apresentar uma boa sobrevida após a alta e os com maior possibilidade de longa sobrevivência após a alta.