Evidence for tuning adipocytes ICER levels for obesity care.

Abnormal adipokine production, along with defective uptake and metabolism of glucose within adipocytes, contributes to insulin resistance and altered glucose homeostasis. Recent research has highlighted one of the mechanisms that accounts for impaired production of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and adipocyte glucose uptake in obesity. In adipocytes of human obese subjects and mice fed with a high fat diet, the level of the inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) is diminished. Reduction of ICER elevates the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) activity, which in turn increases the repressor activating transcription factor 3. In fine, the cascade triggers reduction in the ADIPOQ and GLUT4 levels, which ultimately hampers insulin-mediated glucose uptake. The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) interacting-protein 1, also called islet brain 1 (IB1), is a target of CREB/ICER that promotes JNK-mediated insulin resistance in adipocytes. A rise in IB1 and c-Jun levels accompanies the drop of ICER in white adipose tissues of obese mice when compared with mice fed with a chow diet. Other than the expression of ADIPOQ and glucose transport, decline in ICER expression might impact insulin signaling. Impairment of ICER is a critical issue that will need major consideration in future therapeutic purposes.

Fatores de risco para câncer de colo do útero segundo resultados de IVA, citologia e cervicografia

Este estudo objetivou avaliar a associação entre fatores de risco para câncer de colo do útero e lesões cervicais por HPV comparando-se os resultados da inspeção visual com o ácido acético (IVA), a citologia e a cervicografia. Realizou-se pesquisa de prevalência com 157 mulheres de um centro de saúde de Fortaleza, no período de junho a setembro de 2006. Utilizou-se o SPSS para codificar os dados. Realizaram-se inferências por meio de testes estatísticos (χ2= quiquadrado e RV= razão de verossimilhança). IVA, cervicografia e citologia obtiveram 43,3%, 10,19% e 3,2% de resultados alterados, respectivamente. As variáveis com importante associação às lesões cervicais na IVA foram: idade menor de 20 anos (p= 0,0001); um ou mais parceiros nos últimos três meses (p= 0,015); uso de contraceptivos (p= 0,0008); presença de corrimento vaginal (p= 0,0001); e processo inflamatório moderado ou acentuado (p= 0,0001). Na citologia: baixa escolaridade (p= 0,0001) e elevado pH (p= 0,001). Não se encontrou associação significante na cervicografia.

Procédures de la dénontiation faite contre Me Pierre de Bragelongne, trésorier général de l'extraordinaire des guerres, & cavalerie légère, et de l'emprisonnement tortionnaire & mort par poison de Isaac Godeau, dénontiateur

[Factum. Bragelongne, Pierre de (trésorier général de l'extraordinaire des guerres). 1624]

Heterozygote advantage and the maintenance of polymorphism for multilocus traits.

Explaining how polymorphism is maintained in the face of selection remains a puzzle since selection tends to erode genetic variation. Provided an infinitely large unsubdivided population and no frequency-dependance of selective values, heterozygote advantage is the text book explanation for the maintenance of polymorphism when selection acts at a diallelic locus. Here, we investigate whether this remains true when selection acts at multiple diallelic loci. We use five different definitions of heterozygote advantage that largely cover this concept for multiple loci. Using extensive numerical simulations, we found no clear associations between the presence of any of the five definitions of heterozygote advantage and the maintenance of polymorphism at all loci. The strength of the association decreases as the number of loci increases or as recombination decreases. We conclude that heterozygote advantage cannot be a general mechanism for the maintenance of genetic polymorphism at multiple loci. These findings suggest that a correlation between the number of heterozygote loci and fitness is not warranted on theoretical ground.

Acute aortic dissection with carotid and coronary malperfusion: from imaging to pathology.

Postmortem imaging, including postmortem computed tomography angiography, has become an integral tool in forensic investigation in recent years. A relatively new technique, multiphase postmortem computed tomography angiography, allows detailed visualization of the vascular system and makes it possible to evaluate the dynamic perfusion of aortic branches, including the coronary arteries. Here, we report a case of aortic dissection involving the ascending aorta (type A) with coronary and carotid malperfusion. This case illustrates the complementary use of many of the diagnostic tools that are now available in forensic practice, from imaging to conventional autopsy to pathologic techniques such as immunohistochemistry.

Bayesian networks for evaluating forensic DNA profiling evidence: a review and guide to literature

Almost 30 years ago, Bayesian networks (BNs) were developed in the field of artificial intelligence as a framework that should assist researchers and practitioners in applying the theory of probability to inference problems of more substantive size and, thus, to more realistic and practical problems. Since the late 1980s, Bayesian networks have also attracted researchers in forensic science and this tendency has considerably intensified throughout the last decade. This review article provides an overview of the scientific literature that describes research on Bayesian networks as a tool that can be used to study, develop and implement probabilistic procedures for evaluating the probative value of particular items of scientific evidence in forensic science. Primary attention is drawn here to evaluative issues that pertain to forensic DNA profiling evidence because this is one of the main categories of evidence whose assessment has been studied through Bayesian networks. The scope of topics is large and includes almost any aspect that relates to forensic DNA profiling. Typical examples are inference of source (or, 'criminal identification'), relatedness testing, database searching and special trace evidence evaluation (such as mixed DNA stains or stains with low quantities of DNA). The perspective of the review presented here is not exclusively restricted to DNA evidence, but also includes relevant references and discussion on both, the concept of Bayesian networks as well as its general usage in legal sciences as one among several different graphical approaches to evidence evaluation.

An adult thymic stromal-cell suspension model for in vitro positive selection.

Presented here is a cell-suspension model for positive selection using thymocytes from alphabeta-TCR (H-2Db-restricted) transgenic mice specific to the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) on a nonselecting MHC background (H-2d or TAP-1 -/-), cocultured with freshly isolated adult thymus stromal cells of the selecting MHC type. The thymic stromal cells alone induced positive selection of functional CD4- CD8+ cells whose kinetics and efficiency were enhanced by nominal peptide. Fibroblasts expressing the selecting MHC alone did not induce positive selection; however, together with nonselecting stroma and nominal peptide, there was inefficient positive. These results suggest multiple signaling in positive selection with selection events able to occur on multiple-cell types. The ease with which this model can be manipulated should greatly facilitate the resolution of the mechanisms of positive selection in normal and pathological states.

Generalized linear and generalized additive models in studies of species distributions: setting the scene

An important statistical development of the last 30 years has been the advance in regression analysis provided by generalized linear models (GLMs) and generalized additive models (GAMs). Here we introduce a series of papers prepared within the framework of an international workshop entitled: Advances in GLMs/GAMs modeling: from species distribution to environmental management, held in Riederalp, Switzerland, 6-11 August 2001.We first discuss some general uses of statistical models in ecology, as well as provide a short review of several key examples of the use of GLMs and GAMs in ecological modeling efforts. We next present an overview of GLMs and GAMs, and discuss some of their related statistics used for predictor selection, model diagnostics, and evaluation. Included is a discussion of several new approaches applicable to GLMs and GAMs, such as ridge regression, an alternative to stepwise selection of predictors, and methods for the identification of interactions by a combined use of regression trees and several other approaches. We close with an overview of the papers and how we feel they advance our understanding of their application to ecological modeling.

Prevalência de lesões por fricção em pacientes hospitalizados com câncer

Esse estudo objetivou identificar a prevalência de lesões por fricção (LF) em pacientes hospitalizados com câncer e avaliar os fatores demográficos e clínicos associados ao seu desenvolvimento. Estudo epidemiológico, de corte transversal, realizado no Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira. Todos os pacientes adultos, internados entre 10 e 18 de abril de 2010, foram avaliados por meio de entrevista e exame físico. Utilizou-se o teste Qui-Quadrado para comparação das variáveis demográficas e clínicas entre pacientes com e sem LF. Foram avaliados 157 pacientes: cinco apresentaram nove LF, acarretando prevalência de 3,3%. Quanto às variáveis demográficas, houve diferença estatisticamente significativa somente para o número de filhos (p=0,027). Clinicamente, pacientes com LF apresentaram menores escores na escala de Karnofsky (p=0,031) e na Escala de Braden (p=0,026), além de comportamento pouco colaborativo (p=0,042). Esse estudo contribui para um melhor conhecimento acerca das LF em pacientes com câncer.

Rouva Anna-Liisa Vaurola 18/9 1973

Kirje 18.9.1973

Taloudellisen hyvinvoinnin lisääminen säästäväisen elämäntavan avulla

Puhe maalaisliiton valtakunnallisessa kekrijuhlassa Ylihärmässä 1.11.1953