Trans-cultural aspects of social anxiety disorder and related conditions: a Brazilian case series and a review of international clinical studies

Cross-cultural studies have much to teach clinicians and researchers alike about psychopathology in general and about social anxiety disorder (SAD) in particular. Unfortunately, little is known about the degree and the mechanisms through which cultural environment may influence clinical manifestations of SAD. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify culture-related clinical patterns in SAD and related disorders. METHODS: We described socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of a sample of 62 adult outpatients with SAD seen at a university clinic for anxiety and depressive disorders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and compared them with those reported in clinical samples from North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania identified through a systematic review in Medline, PsychINFO, and LILACS. RESULTS: Our comparison of trans-cultural features of SAD lends partial support to Heimberg's (1997) contention that the majority of socio-demographic features and symptoms of this disorder are relatively independent of geographic and cultural differences. CONCLUSION: Patients with SAD were almost universally characterized by: 1) a predominance of males in clinical samples; 2) early onset of the disorder; 3) high educational attainment; and 4) great frequency of comorbidities.

Brazilian norms for the International Affective Picture System (IAPS): comparison of the affective ratings for new stimuli between Brazilian and North-American subjects

OBJECTIVE: The study presents the Brazilian norms for 240 new stimuli from International Affective Picture System (IAPS), a database of affective images widely used in research, compared to the North-American normative ratings. METHODS: The participants were 448 Brazilian university students from several courses (269 women and 179 men) with mean age of 24.2 (SD = 7.8), that evaluated the IAPS pictures in the valence, arousal and dominance dimensions by the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) scales. Data were compared across the populations by Pearson linear correlation and Student's t-tests. RESULTS: Correlations were highly significant for all dimensions; however, Brazilians' averages for arousal were higher than North-Americans'. CONCLUSIONS: The results show stability in relation to the first part of the Brazilian standardization and they are also consistent with the North-American standards, despite minor differences relating to interpretation of the arousal dimension, demonstrating that IAPS is a reliable instrument for experimental studies in the Brazilian population.

Forecasting human entrances at a commercial store using facial recognition data

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

O simbólico como estratégia para a alteração comportamental: o caso Águas do Porto

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Publicidade e Relações Públicas)

O livro na revista: como revistas semanais brasileiras e portuguesas abordam livros e literatura

Dissertação de mestrado em Comunicação, Arte e Cultura

Removal of ochratoxin A from contaminated white and red wines using oenological fining agents

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain moulds, being ochratoxin A (OTA) one of the most relevant. Its chemical structure is a dihydro-isocoumarin connected at the 7-carboxy group to a molecule of L--phenylalanine via an amide bond. OTA contamination of wines might be a risk to consumer health, thus requiring treatments to achieve acceptable standards for human consumption [1]. According to the Regulation No. 1881/2006 of the European Commission, the maximum limit for OTA in wine is 2 µg/kg [2]. Therefore, the aim of this work was to know the effect of different fining agents on OTA removal, as well as their impact on white and red wine physicochemical characteristics. To evaluate their efficiency, 11 commercial fining agents (mineral, synthetic, animal and vegetable proteins) were used to get new approaches on OTA removal from white and red wines. Trials were performed in wines artificially supplemented (at a final concentration of 10 µg/L) with OTA. The most effective fining agent in removing OTA (80%) from white wine was a commercial formulation that contains gelatine, bentonite and activated carbon. Removals between 10-30% were obtained with potassium caseinate, yeast cell walls and pea protein. With bentonites, carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone and chitosan no considerable OTA removal was verified. In red wine, removals between 6-19% were obtained with egg albumin, yeast cell walls, pea protein, isinglass, gelatine, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone and chitosan. The most effective fining agents in removing OTA from red wine were an activated carbon (66%) followed again by the commercial formulation (55%), being activated carbon a well-known adsorbent of mycotoxins. These results may provide useful information for winemakers, namely for the selection of the most appropriate oenological product for OTA removal, reducing wine toxicity and simultaneously enhancing food safety and wine quality.

Influence of different activated carbons on Ochratoxin A decrease in wines

The presence of mycotoxins in foodstuff is a matter of concern for food safety. Wines can also be contaminated with these toxicants. Several authors have demonstrated the presence of mycotoxins in wine, especially ochratoxin A (OTA) [1]. As these toxicants can never be completely removed from the food chain, many countries have defined levels in food in order to attend health concerns. The maximum acceptable level of OTA in wines is 2.0 µg/kg according to the Commission regulation No. 1881/2006 [2]. Although, higher levels of OTA have been detected in several wine samples. In order to reduce OTA to safer levels, several oenological products can be used in wine; including activated carbons, as shown in previous experiments. Regarding this, the aim of present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of several activated carbons for reducing the amount of OTA present in white and red wines as well as to evaluate their effect on wines physicochemical characteristics. Wine samples were artificially supplemented with OTA at a final concentration of 10.0 µg/L. The different activated carbons were applied at the concentration recommended by the manufacturer in order to evaluate their efficiency in reducing OTA levels. A mixture composed by gelatine, bentonite and activated carbon reduced 80% of OTA concentration in white wine. The same mixture was however less efficient in red wine, achieving only a reduction of 55%. Thereafter, the effect of activated carbon was evaluated in a red wine, achieving reductions of 66%. Considering these results more assays are being performed with other commercial activated carbons, in order to evaluate their efficiency. These results may provide valuable information for winemakers. Knowing the effect of commercial activated carbons they may choose most appropriate products to remove OTA, thus enhancing wine safety and quality.

New bio-strategies for ochratoxin A detoxification using lactic acid bacteria

The occurrence of mycotoxigenic moulds such as Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium in food and feed has an important impact on public health, by the appearance of acute and chronic mycotoxicoses in humans and animals, which is more severe in the developing countries due to lack of food security, poverty and malnutrition. This mould contamination also constitutes a major economic problem due the lost of crop production. A great variety of filamentous fungi is able to produce highly toxic secondary metabolites known as mycotoxins. Most of the mycotoxins are carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic and immunosuppressive, being ochratoxin A (OTA) one of the most important. OTA is toxic to animals and humans, mainly due to its nephrotoxic properties. Several approaches have been developed for decontamination of mycotoxins in foods, such as, prevention of contamination, biodegradation of mycotoxins-containing food and feed with microorganisms or enzymes and inhibition or absorption of mycotoxin content of consumed food into the digestive tract. Some group of Gram-positive bacteria named lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to release some molecules that can influence the mould growth, improving the shelf life of many fermented products and reducing health risks due to exposure to mycotoxins. Some LAB are capable of mycotoxin detoxification. Recently our group was the first to describe the ability of LAB strains to biodegrade OTA, more specifically, Pediococcus parvulus strains isolated from Douro wines. The pathway of this biodegradation was identified previously in other microorganisms. OTA can be degraded through the hydrolysis of the amide bond that links the L-β-phenylalanine molecule to the ochratoxin alpha (OTα) a non toxic compound. It is known that some peptidases from different origins can mediate the hydrolysis reaction like, carboxypeptidase A an enzyme from the bovine pancreas, a commercial lipase and several commercial proteases. So, we wanted to have a better understanding of this OTA degradation process when LAB are involved and identify which molecules where present in this process. For achieving our aim we used some bioinformatics tools (BLAST, CLUSTALX2, CLC Sequence Viewer 7, Finch TV). We also designed specific primers and realized gene specific PCR. The template DNA used came from LAB strains samples of our previous work, and other DNA LAB strains isolated from elderberry fruit, silage, milk and sausages. Through the employment of bioinformatics tools it was possible to identify several proteins belonging to the carboxypeptidase family that participate in the process of OTA degradation, such as serine type D-Ala-D-Ala carboxypeptidase and membrane carboxypeptidase. In conclusions, this work has identified carboxypeptidase proteins being one of the molecules present in the OTA degradation process when LAB are involved.

O acesso enquanto direito humano: relato da Conferência Federation of International Human Rights Museums

Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia UID/ANT/04038/2013

Engineering a commercial cold-adapted xylanase for improved low pH stability

Dissertação de mestrado em Genética Molecular

China and India’s Maritime Geostrategies:: Implications for International Maritime Security and Scenarios for 2030

Dissertação de Mestrado em Estratégia

Regímenes Internacionales y Derechos Humanos. La incidencia del sistema interamericano de protección en la legislación y jurisprudencia argentinas. International Regimes and Human Rights. The incidence of inter-American system in Argentine law and jurisprudence.

El nuevo escenario internacional produce lo que se ha dado en caracterizar como la globalización del derecho, especialmente en el ámbito de los derechos humanos. En este contexto se analiza la incidencia del Sistema Interamericano de protección de los Derechos Humanos con especial énfasis en el derecho de la información, desde la optica del derecho interno. Nos preguntamos acerca de cómo se presenta la tensión entre la lógica estatal con su rasgo de afirmación en la soberanía y monopolio en la creación de la jurisdicción doméstica, con la doctrina del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos, que consecuentemente conduce hacia una globalización jurídica de estos temas. Esto refleja un debilitamiento en el monopolio de creación y aplicación del derecho por parte de los Estados. A partir de este dato del escenario internacional buscamos determinar la incidencia de los informes de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos y los pronunciamientos de la Corte Interamericana en materia de derecho de la información y su influencia en la jurisprudencia y creación de legislación en nuestro país. The new internacional scenario produces wtah has come to be characterized as the globalization of law, especially in the field of the human rights. In this context we analyze the impact of the Inter-American system of human Rights, whit particular emphasis on media law in domestic law

Applicability of Two International Risk Scores in Cardiac Surgery in a Reference Center in Brazil

Background:The applicability of international risk scores in heart surgery (HS) is not well defined in centers outside of North America and Europe.Objective:To evaluate the capacity of the Parsonnet Bernstein 2000 (BP) and EuroSCORE (ES) in predicting in-hospital mortality (IHM) in patients undergoing HS at a reference hospital in Brazil and to identify risk predictors (RP).Methods:Retrospective cohort study of 1,065 patients, with 60.3% patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 32.7%, valve surgery and 7.0%, CABG combined with valve surgery. Additive and logistic scores models, the area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve (AUC) and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the RP.Results:Overall mortality was 7.8%. The baseline characteristics of the patients were significantly different in relation to BP and ES. AUCs of the logistic and additive BP were 0.72 (95% CI, from 0.66 to 0.78 p = 0.74), and of ES they were 0.73 (95% CI; 0.67 to 0.79 p = 0.80). The calculation of the SMR in BP was 1.59 (95% CI; 1.27 to 1.99) and in ES, 1.43 (95% CI; 1.14 to 1.79). Seven RP of IHM were identified: age, serum creatinine > 2.26 mg/dL, active endocarditis, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure > 60 mmHg, one or more previous HS, CABG combined with valve surgery and diabetes mellitus.Conclusion:Local scores, based on the real situation of local populations, must be developed for better assessment of risk in cardiac surgery.