Effects of the administration of pentoxifylline and prednisolone on the evolution of portal fibrogenesis secondary to biliary obstruction in growing animals: immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of TGF-BETA; and VEGF

OBJECTIVE: During the neonatal and infancy periods, some chronic liver diseases may lead to progressive hepatic fibrosis, which is a condition that can ultimately result in the loss of organ function and severe portal hypertension necessitating hepatic transplantation. In a previous report, pharmacological interventions were demonstrated to modulate hepatic fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation in young rats. The administration of pentoxifylline or prednisolone, or the combination of both, resulted in reduced fibrogenesis in portal spaces. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the expression of transforming growth factor beta and vascular endothelial growth factor after bile duct ligation in young rats and to assess the effect of those same drugs on cytokine expression. METHODS: In this experimental study, 80 young rats (21 or 22 days old) were submitted either to laparotomy and common bile duct ligation or to sham surgery. The animals were allocated into four groups according to surgical procedure, and the following treatments were administered: (1) common bile duct ligation + distilled water, (2) sham surgery + distilled water, (3) common bile duct ligation + pentoxifylline, or (4) common bile duct ligation + prednisolone. After 30 days, a hepatic fragment was collected from each animal for immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies against transforming growth factor beta and vascular endothelial growth factor. Digital morphometric and statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: The administration of pentoxifylline reduced the transforming growth factor beta-marked area and the amount of transforming growth factor beta expressed in liver tissue. This effect was not observed after the administration of prednisolone. There was a significant reduction in vascular endothelial growth factor expression after the administration of either drug compared with the non-treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of pentoxifylline to cholestatic young rats resulted in the diminished expression of transforming growth factor beta and vascular endothelial growth factor in liver tissue. The administration of steroids resulted in the diminished expression of vascular endothelial growth factor only. These pathways may be involved in hepatic fibrogenesis in young rats submitted to bile duct ligation and exposed to pentoxifylline or prednisolone.

A new portal for the analysis of human splicing variants

Understanding alternative splicing is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms behind several biological phenomena, including diseases. The huge amount of expressed sequences available nowadays represents an opportunity and a challenge to catalog and display alternative splicing events (ASEs). Although several groups have faced this challenge with relative success, we still lack a computational tool that uses a simple and straightforward method to retrieve, name and present ASEs. Here we present SPLOOCE, a portal for the analysis of human splicing variants. SPLOOCE uses a method based on regular expressions for retrieval of ASEs. We propose a simple syntax that is able to capture the complexity of ASEs.

Totally implantable venous catheters: insertion via internal jugular vein with pocket implantation in the arm is an alternative for diseased thoracic walls

Purpose: Insertion of totally implantable catheters via deep vessels that drain into the superior vena cava results in a lower incidence of venous thrombosis and infection as compared to catheters inserted into femoral and arm veins. Superior vena cava obstruction and inadequacy of the thoracic wall are conditions that prevent reservoir implantation in the chest wall. In this article, we describe a technical innovation that enables the pocket to be fixed in the arm while still allowing access to be achieved via the internal jugular vein. Method: The procedure reported maintains the use of the internal jugular vein for access even when the patient's chest is not suited for reservoir implantation, which is localized in the arm. Results: The procedure was successful and no complications occurred. The position of the catheter tip did not alter with arm movement. Conclusion: The implantation of a port reservoir in the arm following venous access via the internal jugular vein is both safe and convenient.

Single intravitreal bevacizumab injection effects on contrast sensitivity in macular edema from branch retinal vein occlusion

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography-measured central macular thickness in eyes with macular edema from branch retinal vein occlusion. Methods: Seventeen eyes of 17 patients with macular edema from unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion were treated with a single bevacizumab injection. Patients were submitted to a complete evaluation including best corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography measurements before treatment and one and three months after injection. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography measurements were compared to baseline values. Results: Mean visual acuity measurement improved from 0.77 logMAR at baseline to 0.613 logMAR one month after injection (P=0.0001) but worsened to 0.75 logMAR after three months. Contrast sensitivity test demonstrated significant improvement at spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12 and 18 cycles/degree one month after injection and at the spatial frequency of 12 cycles/degree three months after treatment. Mean +/- standard deviation baseline central macular thickness (552 +/- 150 mu m) reduced significantly one month (322 +/- 127 mu m, P=0.0001) and three months (439 perpendicular to 179 mu m, P=0.01) after treatment. Conclusions: Bevacizumab injection improves visual acuity and contrast sensitivity and reduces central macular thickness one month after treatment. Visual acuity returns to baseline levels at the 3-month follow-up, but some beneficial effect of the treatment is still present at that time, as evidenced by optical coherence tomography-measured central macular thickness and contrast sensitivity measurements.

The influence of tourniquet use and operative time on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in total knee arthroplasty

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between tourniquet and total operative time during total knee arthroplasty and the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis. METHODS: Seventy-eight consecutive patients from our institution underwent cemented total knee arthroplasty for degenerative knee disorders. The pneumatic tourniquet time and total operative time were recorded in minutes. Four categories were established for total tourniquet time: <60, 61 to 90, 91 to 120, and >120 minutes. Three categories were defined for operative time: <120, 121 to 150, and >150 minutes. Between 7 and 12 days after surgery, the patients underwent ascending venography to evaluate the presence of distal or proximal deep vein thrombosis. We evaluated the association between the tourniquet time and total operative time and the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty. RESULTS: In total, 33 cases (42.3%) were positive for deep vein thrombosis; 13 (16.7%) cases involved the proximal type. We found no statistically significant difference in tourniquet time or operative time between patients with or without deep vein thrombosis. We did observe a higher frequency of proximal deep vein thrombosis in patients who underwent surgery lasting longer than 120 minutes. The mean total operative time was also higher in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis. The tourniquet time did not significantly differ in these patients. CONCLUSION: We concluded that surgery lasting longer than 120 minutes increases the risk of proximal deep vein thrombosis.

A quantitative proteomic and transcriptomic comparison of human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord vein

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are adult multipotent cells that have high therapeutic potential due to their immunological properties. They can be isolated from several different tissues with bone marrow (BM) being the most common source. Because the isolation procedure is invasive, other tissues such as human umbilical cord vein (UCV) have been considered. However, their interchangeability remains unclear. In the present study, total protein extracts of BM-hMSCs and UCV-hMSCs were quantitatively compared using gel-LC-MS/MS. Previous SAGE analysis of the same cells was re-annotated to enable comparison and combination of these two data sets. We observed a more than 63% correlation between proteomic and transcriptomic data. In silico analysis of highly expressed genes in cells of both origins suggests that they can be modulated by microRNA, which can change protein abundance. Our results showed that MSCs from both tissues shared high similarity in metabolic and functional processes relevant to their therapeutic potential, especially in the immune system process, response to stimuli, and processes related to the delivery of the hMSCs to a given tissue, such as migration and adhesion. Hence, our results support the idea that the more accessible UCV could be a potentially less invasive source of MSCs.

Portal de Busca Integrada

O SIBiUSP lançou em março de 2012 uma nova ferramenta de busca de conteúdos acadêmicos/científicos, o nome dado foi Portal de Busca Integrada. Esta ferramenta pertence à uma categoria de softwares intitulada de “Web Scale Discovery”, que permitem a integração de diversas e dispersas fontes de dados em uma única interface de busca e entrega de resultados. Dessa forma, apresentam-se aqui os processos de seleção e implantação desta solução.

Effects of the administration of pentoxifylline and prednisolone on the evolution of portal fibrogenesis secondary to biliary obstruction in growing animals: immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of TGF-β and VEGF

OBJECTIVE: During the neonatal and infancy periods, some chronic liver diseases may lead to progressive hepatic fibrosis, which is a condition that can ultimately result in the loss of organ function and severe portal hypertension necessitating hepatic transplantation. In a previous report, pharmacological interventions were demonstrated to modulate hepatic fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation in young rats. The administration of pentoxifylline or prednisolone, or the combination of both, resulted in reduced fibrogenesis in portal spaces. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the expression of transforming growth factor β and vascular endothelial growth factor after bile duct ligation in young rats and to assess the effect of those same drugs on cytokine expression. METHODS: In this experimental study, 80 young rats (21 or 22 days old) were submitted either to laparotomy and common bile duct ligation or to sham surgery. The animals were allocated into four groups according to surgical procedure, and the following treatments were administered: (1) common bile duct ligation + distilled water, (2) sham surgery + distilled water, (3) common bile duct ligation + pentoxifylline, or (4) common bile duct ligation + prednisolone. After 30 days, a hepatic fragment was collected from each animal for immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies against transforming growth factor β and vascular endothelial growth factor. Digital morphometric and statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: The administration of pentoxifylline reduced the transforming growth factor β-marked area and the amount of transforming growth factor β expressed in liver tissue. This effect was not observed after the administration of prednisolone. There was a significant reduction in vascular endothelial growth factor expression after the administration of either drug compared with the non-treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of pentoxifylline to cholestatic young rats resulted in the diminished expression of transforming growth factor β and vascular endothelial growth factor in liver tissue. The administration of steroids resulted in the diminished expression of vascular endothelial growth factor only. These pathways may be involved in hepatic fibrogenesis in young rats submitted to bile duct ligation and exposed to pentoxifylline or prednisolone.

El Open Journal Systems en la Universidade de São Paulo: la experiencia de gestión del Portal de Revistas da USP

El objeto de este poster es presentar la experiencia de manejamiento de un portal de revistas científicas de acceso abierto, en una universidad pública y que integra los editores científicos, profesores y bibliotecarios. Iniciativas de esta naturaleza tienen importancia estratégica para la consolidación y el fortalecimiento del Movimiento de Acceso Abierto en los países en desarrollo, puesto que ofrecen la oportunidad de se vivir plenamente una cultura de acceso abierto en todas las etapas de certificación del conocimiento. La experiencia de la Universidade de São Paulo, se convierte en relevante, ya que promueve la integración de los diversos actores involucrados en la producción de revistas científicas. El Portal de Revistas da USP (http://www.revistas.usp.br), lanzado en 2008, es una iniciativa del Departamento Técnico do Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas de USP que tiene el Programa de Apoio às Publicações Científicas Periódicas da USP. Esta iniciativa, basada en los principios del Movimiento de Acceso Abierto, tiene como objetivo promover la visibilidad y la accesibilidad de las revistas científicas publicadas oficialmente por la USP. Considerase que las revistas cumplen con un doble papel, como objeto y también vehículo de comunicación. Con esto las inversiones para calificación de las revistas incluyen recursos informáticos para garantizar la interoperabilidad entre distintos sistemas de información (bases de datos, catálogos, repositorios etc.), sistemas de gestión editorial en línea (para agilizar la tramitación de los manuscritos y la disminución de la publicación); la formación de los equipos (técnicos y bibliotecarios), atribuición de nomes DOI (digital object identifier), software de verificación de plágio. En 2012 se cambió el software de gestión del Portal para Open Journal Systems - OJS por lo cual se reunió por la primera vez, en um mismo dominio web las revistas científicas editadas en USP. De las más de 100 revistas publicadas en el Portal 29 están en DOAJ, 27 en SciELO Brasil, 20 en Scopus, 11 en JCR entre outros. En el Portal hay revistas con distintos perfiles, unas más institucionales y otras de calidad internacional. Algunas revistas más antíguas y consolidadas se utilizan de distintos sistemas de gestión de los manuscriptos y en el Portal es como un espejo para garantizar la presencia en la Universidad. Con tantas y tan distintas publicaciones el OJS se presenta como una promisora herramienta para la gestión del Portal de Revistas. El OJS surge como un sistema para la gestión individual de revistas científicos y con los avances de las tecnologías y principalmente del uso por la comunidad se conviertió en herramienta de gestión de Portal. Para una mejor gestión del Portal se presenta algunas recomendaciones, basadas en la experiencia, y que podrán mejorar el trabajo de gestión del conjunto de las revistas: en la pantalla de creación de revistas se deberá incluir todos los datos del registro oficial en ISSN, sin posibilidad de edición por los editores-gerentes; en el listado general de revistas se podría incluir una indicación de las revistas que están en línea y las que están aún en configuración; clara identificación de las revistas vigentes y no-vigentes, una vinculación mas clara de las revistas que cambiaran su título y que están vigentes; una tabla para selección de fuentes de indización; edición de contenidos ya publicados solamente por el administrador del sistema; gestión centralizada del DOI y de la preservación digital en LOCKSS y un painel con los datos estadísticos (total de revistas, ediciones, estatísticas Counter, autores etc). Además el fortalecimiento y creación de centros de desarrollo de OJS en las Universidades Latinoamericanas podría impulsionar el uso del sistema en su totalidad por los editores de la región.

Portal de Busca Integrada do SIBiUSP: metodologia de implantação

Relata o estudo, a instalação e implantação de ferramenta de descoberta e entrega do Portal de Busca Integrada, para o Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas da Universidade de São Paulo (SIBiUSP). Esta nova interface denominada Portal de Busca Integrada possibilita uma nova experiência de pesquisa científica ao usuário final pela recuperação de literatura em diferentes fontes de informação.

Portal de revistas da USP

O Portal de Revistas da USP apresenta-se como uma estratégia do Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas, por meio de seu Programa de Apoio às Publicações Científicas Periódicas, para aumentar a visibilidade e acessibilidade das revistas científicas da Universidade de São Paulo. Para fazer parte deste Programa as revistas devem cumprir com critérios de qualidade, definidos por uma Comissão de Credenciamento, formada por professores e bibliotecários, e pautados em padrões internacionais. Atualmente 62 publicações estão credenciadas neste Programa.

Portal de Accesibilidad y Comunicación

[ES]La educación inclusiva surge del convencimiento de que el derecho a la educación es un derecho universal que está en la base de una sociedad más justa. Uno de los ejes de este tipo de educación, entre otros, es la creación de entornos universales adaptados, e implica el acceso en condiciones de igualdad a una educación de calidad. En un campus inclusivo la herramienta on-line: PORTAL DE ACCESIBILIDAD Y COMUNICACIÓN (PAC) es una estrategia para la participación de la comunidad universitaria en donde cualquiera de sus miembros puede valorar la aplicación de las normas vigentes en materia de accesibilidad universal y proponer mejoras. La Universidad está llamada a ser un referente en la asunción de los derechos humanos, promoción del voluntariado y la no discriminación.

Darstellung der Grenze zwischen dem rechten und linken Leberlappen mit 3D-Rekonstruktionen von Spiral-Computertomographien

Zusammenfassung:Hintergrund/Ziel: Die Beschreibung der funktionellen Einteilung der Leber basiert auf dem Schema von Claude de Couinaud. Die Grenze zwischen der rechten und linken Leberhälfte scheint leicht durch die Lage der mittleren Lebervene lokalisierbar. Nach der gängigen Meinung wird diese Grenze nicht durch die Trias aus Pfortader, Arterie und Gallengang überschritten. Es soll untersucht werden, ob die Lage dieser gefäßarmen Zone zwischen den Pfortaderästen benachbarter Segmente von der Lage der Grenzebene durch die mittlere Lebervene abweicht.Methode: Bei 73 Patienten wurden im Rahmen der normalen präoperativen Diagnostik dreiphasige Spiral-CT Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Aus diesen Daten wurden dreidimensionale Rekonstruktionen erzeugt und ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: In der vorliegenden Untersuchung konnte gezeigt werden, dass die mittlere Sektorengrenze unterschiedliche Positionen einnimmt, je nach welchem Gefäßsystem sie bestimmt wird. Die mittlere Sektorengrenze zeigt hierbei einen Unterschied in ihrer Lage von 14,2° im Median. An der ventralen Leberoberfläche liegt die Grenzebene nach der mittleren Lebervene damit rechts lateral der gefäßarmen Zone zwischen den Pfortaderästen.Schlussfolgerung: Der Unterschied der Grenzebenen ist in dreidimensionalen Rekonstruktionen demonstrierbar und findet Anwendung bei der Segmentzuordnung von Läsionen. Diese Rekonstruktionen erleichtern die interdisziplinäre Kommunikation und erlauben eine vereinfachte und möglicherweise präzisere Operationsplanung.