Programa Nacional de Melhoramento do Gir Leiteiro: sumário brasileiro de touros: resultado do teste de progênie 7a prova de pré-seleção de touros - maio 2016.

2016

Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms and Associated Factors in Schoolchildren from Brazilian Amazon Islands

Objectives. To determine the prevalence of asthma symptoms among schoolchildren living on two different Brazilian Amazon islands and to identify the risk factors related to this condition. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 400 schoolchildren (5-8 years old) using written questionnaires produced by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a skin prick test (allergic sensitization), and a stool examination (for helminthic infection). Nonparametric tests were carried out, and the risk factors were identified by logistic regression. Results. the prevalence of active asthma symptoms was markedly higher in children living on Outeiro Island (OI) than those living on Comb Island (CBI) (30.5% and 16.5%, respectively). the logistic regression identified several risk factors of asthma symptoms on CBI: parental history of asthma, night coughing in the past year, and currently have a cat. On OI, the major risk factors were parental history of asthma, personal history of eczema, having two or more older siblings, and night coughing in the past year. the risk factors in common on both the islands were night coughing in the past year and parental history of asthma. Conclusions. the prevalence of asthma symptoms was higher in those with a lifestyle closer to that observed in urban areas (i.e., better sanitation and hygiene), reinforcing the protective effect of a rural environment. Different risk factors were associated with asthma symptoms in schoolchildren living on OI and on CBI. This fact may reflect the environmental individuality and particularities of each island.

Water-based exercise for adults with asthma

BackgroundAsthma is a common condition characterised by airway inflammation and airway narrowing, which can result in intermittent symptoms of wheezing, coughing and chest tightness, possibly limiting activities of daily life. Water-based exercise is believed to offer benefits for people with asthma through pollen-free air, humidity and effects of exercise on physical function.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of water-based exercise for adults with asthma.Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of Trials (CAGR), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), PsycINFO, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS), the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), the System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE) and Google Scholar on 13 May 2014. We handsearched ongoing clinical trial registers and meeting abstracts of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS).Selection criteriaWe included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with asthma comparing a water-based exercise group versus one or more of the following groups: usual care, land-based exercise, non-exercise.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors (AJG, VS) independently extracted data fromthe primary studies using a standard form developed for this purpose, which includes methods, participants, interventions and outcomes. We contacted trial authors to request additional data. Data were input by one review author and were double-checked by a second review author.Main resultsIn this systematic review, we provide a narrative synthesis of available evidence from three small studies including 136 adult participants. the studies were at high risk of bias. No meta-analysis was possible because of methodological and interventional heterogeneity between included studies. the primary outcomes of quality of life and exacerbations leading to use of steroids were not reported by these studies. for exacerbations leading to health centre/hospital visits, uncertainty was wide because a very small number of events was reported (in a single study). Secondary outcomes symptoms, lung function, changes in medication and adverse effects, where available, described for each included study. the overall quality of the studies was very low, and no clear differences were noted between water-based exercise and comparator treatments. Therefore, we remain very uncertain about the effects of water-based exercise for adults with asthma.Authors' conclusionsThe small number of participants in the three included studies, the clinical and methodological heterogeneity observed and the high risk of bias assessed mean that we are unable to assess the place of water-based exercise in asthma. Randomised controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of water-based exercise for adults with asthma. for future research, we suggest greater methodological rigour (participant selection, blinding of outcome assessors, reporting of all outcomes analysed and registering of the study protocol).

Sleep-disordered breathing and orthodontic variables in children-Pilot study

Introduction: Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) is a highly prevalent condition associated with orofacial and dentofacial characteristics.Objective: the aim of this study was to verify the association of dental malocclusion, molar relationship, crossbite, open bite, overjet, overbite, and crowding with SDB in children aged 7-9 years.Materials and methods: Participating schools were selected randomly from within the public elementary school system. in the first phase of the study, the parents of 1216 children aged between 7 and 9 years old completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) questionnaire and the children had to participate in a dental examination. the evaluation of occlusion was divided into sagittal analysis, vertical analysis, and transverse analysis. in the second phase, 60 children were selected randomly to be undergone polysomnography (PSG) at a sleep clinic.Results: Among the children included, 242 (19.9%) children had normal occlusion. of the 60 children, 50 underwent PSG and 40(80%) had SDB. the crossbite and open bite showed association with SDB, p = 0.04 in both.Conclusion: Crossbite and open bite malocclusions were associated with SDB, and may be predictive of SDB in children. Studies with larger numbers of participants are needed to investigate the association of other malocclusions with SDB, and randomized clinical trials are also needed to see whether orthodontic and/or functional jaw orthopedic treatment is an option for treating children with malocclusion and SDB. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comportamento temporal de genótipos de girassol no Cerrado do Distrito Federal em safrinha de 2014 e 2015.

RESUMO:Com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento agronômico de genótipos de girassol no Cerrado do Distrito Federal, foram conduzidos ensaios na safrinha dos anos de 2014 e 2015, na estação experimental da Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições, e foram avaliados 12 genótipos de girassol: HLA 2015, NTC 90, SYN 065, M734, BRS G44, HLA 2014, BRS G45, BRS G43, HLA 2013, HLA 2017, BRS G46, HLA 2016. As características avaliadas foram rendimento de grãos, tamanho do capitulo, peso de mil aquênios, altura de plantas e dias de floração inicial. Diferenças significativas foram encontradas para as características avaliadas. Os genótipos que se destacaram em relação ao rendimento de grãos foram HLA 2014 (3.161 kg ha-1) e a testemunha M743 (3.212 kg ha-1). Além disso, o ensaio do ano 2014 apresentou uma média de rendimento maior (2.829 kg ha-1) e mais precoces (63,10 dias) em relação a 2015. O trabalho permitiu a identificação de materiais promissores para exploração em programas de melhoramento genético. ABSTRACT: Aiming the evaluation on agronomic behavior of sunflower genotypes in the Brazilian savannah, experiments were carried on in the second crop of 2014 and 2015 at Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Cerrados (Embrapa), Planaltina, DF. A complete randomized block design was used with four replications and 12 genotypes of sunflower were analyzed: HLA 2015, NTC 90, SYN 065, M734, BRS G44, HLA 2014, BRS G45, BRS G43, HLA 2013, HLA 2017, BRS G46, HLA 2016.The evaluated characteristics were grain yield, head, weight thousand achenes, plant height, and flowering time. Significant differences were found in all evaluated characteristics. The genotypes that stood out in seed yield were HLA 2014 (3161 kg ha-1) and M743 (3212 kg ha-1). Besides, the 2014 experiment presented a seed yield average higher (2829 kg ha-1), and earlier flowering (63,10 days) when compared to 2015 experiment. This study allowed the identification of promising materials to explore in breeding programs.

Rodent models for resolving extremes of exercise and health

The extremes of exercise capacity and health are considered a complex interplay between genes and the environment. In general, the study of animal models has proven critical for deep mechanistic exploration that provides guidance for focused and hypothesis driven discovery in humans. Hypotheses underlying molecular mechanisms of disease, and gene/tissue function can be tested in rodents in order to generate sufficient evidence to resolve and progress our understanding of human biology. Here we provide examples of three alternative uses of rodent models that have been applied successfully to advance knowledge that bridges our understanding of the connection between exercise capacity and health status. Firstly we review the strong association between exercise capacity and all-cause morbidity and mortality in humans through artificial selection on low and high exercise performance in the rat and the consequent generation of the "energy transfer hypothesis". Secondly we review specific transgenic and knock-out mouse models that replicate the human disease condition and performance. This includes human glycogen storage diseases (McArdle and Pompe) and α-actinin-3 deficiency. Together these rodent models provide an overview of the advancements of molecular knowledge required for clinical translation. Continued study of these models in conjunction with human association studies will be critical to resolving the complex gene-environment interplay linking exercise capacity, health, and disease.

Limits of ventricular function: from athlete's heart to a failing heart

The interest in the study of ventricular function has grown considerably in the last decades. In this review, we analyse the extreme values of ventricular function as obtained with Doppler echocardiography. We mainly focus on the parameters that have been used throughout the history of Doppler echocardiography to assess left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. The ‘athlete's heart’ would be the highest expression of ventricular function whereas its lowest expression is represented by the failing heart, independently from the original aetiology leading to this condition. There are, however, morphological similarities (dilation and hypertrophy) between the athlete's and the failing heart, which emerge as physiological and pathophysiological adaptations, respectively. The introduction of new assessment techniques, specifically speckle tracking, may provide new insight into the properties that determine ventricular filling, specifically left ventricular twisting. The concept of ventricular function must be always considered, although it may not be always possible to distinguish the normal heart of sedentary individuals from that of highly trained hearts based solely on echocardiographic or basic studies.

A review of spectral properties of plants and their potential use for crop/weed discrimination in row-crops

R. Zwiggelaar, 'A review of spectral properties of plants and their potential use for crop/weed discrimination in row-crops', Crop Protection 17 (3), 189-206 (1998)

Xanthine oxidase pathway and muscle damage: Insights from McArdle disease

The intent of this review is to summarize current body of knowledge on the potential implication of the xanthine oxidase pathway (XO) on skeletal muscle damage. The possible involvement of the XO pathway in muscle damage is exemplified by the role of XO inhibitors (e.g., allopurinol) in attenuating muscle damage. Reliance on this pathway (as well as on the purine nucleotide cycle) could be exacerbated in conditions of low muscle glycogen availability. Thus, we also summarize current hypotheses on the etiology of both baseline and exertional muscle damage in McArdle disease, a condition caused by inherited deficiency of myophosphorylase. Because myophosphorylase catalyzes the first step of muscle glycogen breakdown, patients are unable to obtain energy from their muscle glycogen stores. Finally, we provide preliminary data from our laboratory on the potential implication of the XO pathway in the muscle damage that is commonly experienced by these patients.