Tamoxifen inhibits transforming growth factor-α gene expression in human breast carcinoma samples treated with triiodothyronine

Objectives: To examine the effects of triiodothyronine (T3), 17β-estradiol (E2), and tamoxifen (TAM) on transforming growth factor (TGF)-α gene expression in primary breast cancer cell cultures and interactions between the different treatments. Methods and results: Patients included in the study (no.=12) had been newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Fresh human breast carcinoma tissue was cut into 0.3-mm slices. These slices were placed in six 35-mm dishes on 2-ml organ culture medium. Dishes received the following treatments: dish 1: ethanol; dish 2: T3; dish 3: T3+TAM; dish 4: TAM; dish 5: E2; dish 6: E2+TAM. TGF-α mRNA content was normalized to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA levels. All tissues included in this study were positive for estrogen receptor (ER) and thyroid hormone receptor expression. Treatment with T3 for 48 h significantly increased TGF-α mRNA levels compared to controls (15-fold), and concomitant treatment with TAM reduced expression to 3.4-fold compared to controls. When only TAM was added to the culture medium, TGF-α mRNA expression increased 5.3-fold, significantly higher than with all other treatment modalities. Conclusion: We demonstrate that TGF-α mRNA expression is more efficiently upregulated by T3 than E2. Concomitant treatment with TAM had a mitigating effect on the T3 effect, while E2 induced TGF-α upregulation. Our findings show some similarities between primary culture and breast cancer cell lines, but also some important differences: a) induction of TGF-α, a mitogenic protein, by TAM; b) a differential effect of TAM that may depend on relative expression of ER α and β; and c) supraphysiological doses of T3 may induce mitogenic signals in breast cancer tissue under conditions of low circulating E2. ©2008, Editrice Kurtis.

Nodule growth and nitrogen fixation of Calopogonium mucunoides L. show low sensitivity to nitrate

It is well established that nitrate is a potent inhibitor of nodulation and nitrogen fixation in legumes. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the relative insensitivity of these processes to nitrate with Calopogonium mucunoides, a tropical South American perennial legume, native to the cerrado (savannah) region. It was found that nodule number was reduced by about half in the presence of high levels of nitrate (15 mM) but nodule growth (total nodule mass per plant) and nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction activity and xylem sap ureide levels) were not affected. Other sources of N (ammonium and urea) were also without effect at these concentrations. At even higher concentrations (30 mM), nitrate did promote significant inhibition (ca. 50%) of acetylene reduction activity, but no significant reduction in xylem sap ureides was found. The extraordinary insensitivity of nodulation and N2 fixation of C. mucunoides to nitrate suggests that this species should be useful in studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of nitrate inhibition of these processes. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Necrotizing sialometaplasia as a cause of a non-ulcerated nodule in the hard palate: A case report

Introduction. Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a benign, self-limiting and rare inflammatory disease which, on clinical and histological examination, mimics malignant neoplasms. Case report. We report the case of a healthy 25-year-old Caucasian woman with a three-week history of a painless lump on her hard palate. Oral examination revealed a nodule consisting of two lobules on the right side that measured 2.5 cm. Her mucosa was normal in color and a fluctuant area was detected in the posterior region upon palpation. Our patient was submitted to incisional biopsy and histopathological examination. The histological diagnosis was necrotizing sialometaplasia. The lesion had healed spontaneously after 30 days, with observed signs of involution of the nodule. Conclusion: Histopathological examination is necessary for the diagnosis of necrotizing sialometaplasia because the clinical features of this condition can mimic other diseases, particularly malignant neoplasms. © 2011 Oliveira Alves et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Granular cell tumor presenting as a tongue nodule: Two case reports

Introduction. Granular cell tumor is an uncommon neoplasm that can occur in any part of the body, including the orofacial region. The tumor is usually benign, but there are reports of cases in which the tumor shows a locally aggressive behavior, malignancy, and distant metastases. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that granular cell tumor arises from the altered metabolism of Schwann cells. The tumor is typically asymptomatic and appears as a nodule that does not exceed 3 cm. Case presentation. In case 1, a 26-year-old Caucasian man was seen at the Oral Medicine out-patient clinic of the São José dos Campos Dental School, Universidade Estadual Paulista, with a 'small blister on the tongue', which he had noted approximately three years ago. The nodule was located on the dorsum of the tongue, measured about 1.5 cm in diameter, and was not tender to palpation. Treatment consisted of an excisional biopsy performed on the basis of the diagnostic hypothesis of granular cell tumor, which was confirmed by microscopic analysis. In case 2, a 31-year-old Caucasian woman attended the out-patient clinic of the São José dos Campos Dental School, Universidade Estadual Paulista, with a five-year history of a 'painful lump on the tongue'. Intra-oral examination revealed the presence of a nodular lesion measuring approximately 0.8 cm in diameter, which was located deep in the submucosa of the right lateral margin of the tongue. Treatment consisted of an excisional biopsy performed on the basis of the differential diagnosis of neurofibroma and granular cell tumor. Microscopic analysis defined the final diagnosis of granular cell tumor. Conclusions: Granular cell tumor is an uncommon tumor that must be carefully diagnosed and treated correctly. © 2012 Sena Costa et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Use of myoelectric signals to command mobile entertainment robot by disabled children: Design and control architecture

Severely disabled children have little chance of environmental and social exploration and discovery. This lack of interaction and independency may lead to an idea that they are unable to do anything by themselves. In an attempt to help children in this situation, educational robotics can offer and aid, once it can provide them a certain degree of independency in the exploration of environment. The system developed in this work allows the child to transmit the commands to a robot through myoelectric and movement sensors. The sensors are placed on the child's body so they can obtain information from the body inclination and muscle contraction, thus allowing commanding, through a wireless communication, the mobile entertainment robot to carry out tasks such as play with objects and draw. In this paper, the details of the robot design and control architecture are presented and discussed. With this system, disabled children get a better cognitive development and social interaction, balancing in a certain way, the negative effects of their disabilities. © 2012 IEEE.

Regulation of visfatin by microbial and biomechanical signals in PDL cells

Objectives: This in vitro study was established to examine whether visfatin thought to be a link between periodontitis and obesity is produced by periodontal ligament (PDL) cells and, if so, whether its synthesis is modulated by microbial and/or biomechanical signals. Materials and methods: PDL cells seeded on BioFlex® plates were exposed to the oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586 and/or subjected to biomechanical strain for up to 3 days. Gene expression of visfatin and toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 was analyzed by RT-PCR, visfatin protein synthesis by ELISA and immunocytochemistry, and NFκB nuclear translocation by immunofluorescence. Results: F. nucleatum upregulated the visfatin expression in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Preincubation with neutralizing antibodies against TLR2 and TLR4 caused a significant inhibition of the F. nucleatum-upregulated visfatin expression at 1 day. F. nucleatum stimulated the NFκB nuclear translocation. Biomechanical loading reduced the stimulatory effects of F. nucleatum on visfatin expression at 1 and 3 days and also abrogated the F. nucleatum-induced NFκB nuclear translocation at 60 min. Biomechanical loading inhibited significantly the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 at 3 days. The regulatory effects of F. nucleatum and/or biomechanical loading on visfatin expression were also observed at protein level. Conclusions: PDL cells produce visfatin, and this production is enhanced by F. nucleatum. Biomechanical loading seems to be protective against the effects of F. nucleatum on visfatin expression. Clinical relevance: Visfatin produced by periodontal tissues could play a major role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and the interactions with obesity and other systemic diseases. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Clinical diagnosis and histological analysis of vocal nodules and polyps

Recent studies emphasize the importance of the clinical-histology correlation in laryngeal pathologies. Objective: To compare the ENT diagnosis with the pathology diagnosis one of 132 surgical specimens, from 119 patients with vocal nodules and polyps. Method: Retrospective study. We investigated the paraffin blocks corresponding to the lesions of the operated patients. We made new histology cross-sections, totaling 396 new slides, divided into three groups: hematoxylin and eosin, Gomori trichrome and PAS. We analyzed the following histological parameters: epithelium, lamina propria, basement membrane, vascular changes. We compared the laryngological and pathological diagnoses, and we did the statistical analysis, checking the predominant histological aspects in each lesion. Results: There was an agreement between the clinical and pathological diagnoses in 123 (93.18%) of 132 lesions analyzed (42.42% nodules and 50.76% polyps). In the histological parameters we found: epithelial changes such as nodules hyperplasia (82.14%) and polyp atrophy (31.34%). Lamina propria: edema in polyps (71.43%), fibrosis in the nodules (57.14%). Basement membrane: thickened nodules (100%), thin/no change in polyps (100%). There was a predominance of vascular changes in the polyps. Conclusion: We found a high correlation between the ENT diagnosis and the pathology report. Histopathologically, the nodules presented with predominantly epithelial changes, lamina propria and basement membrane fibrosis, while the polyps by changes strictly on the lamina propria and vascular aspects.

Automatic microstructural characterization and classification using artificial intelligence techniques on ultrasound signals

Secondary phases such as Laves and carbides are formed during the final solidification stages of nickel based superalloy coatings deposited during the gas tungsten arc welding cold wire process. However, when aged at high temperatures, other phases can precipitate in the microstructure, like the γ″ and δ phases. This work presents a new application and evaluation of artificial intelligent techniques to classify (the background echo and backscattered) ultrasound signals in order to characterize the microstructure of a Ni-based alloy thermally aged at 650 and 950 °C for 10, 100 and 200 h. The background echo and backscattered ultrasound signals were acquired using transducers with frequencies of 4 and 5 MHz. Thus with the use of features extraction techniques, i.e.; detrended fluctuation analysis and the Hurst method, the accuracy and speed in the classification of the secondary phases from ultrasound signals could be studied. The classifiers under study were the recent optimum-path forest (OPF) and the more traditional support vector machines and Bayesian. The experimental results revealed that the OPF classifier was the fastest and most reliable. In addition, the OPF classifier revealed to be a valid and adequate tool for microstructure characterization through ultrasound signals classification due to its speed, sensitivity, accuracy and reliability. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of Wing Pigmentation, UV and Fluorescence as Signals in a Neotropical Damselfly

Pigmentation patterns, ultraviolet reflection and fluorescent emission are often involved in mate recognition and mate quality functions in many animal taxa. We investigated the role of wing ultra-violet reflection, fluorescence emission, and pigmentation on age and sexual signals in the damselfly Mnesarete pudica. In this species, wings are sexually dimorphic in colour and exhibit age dependency: males and females show a smoky black colouration when young, turning red in mature males while it turns brown in females. First, we investigated wing UV patterns through reflectance and emission spectra. Second, behavioural experiments were undertaken to show male and female responses to manipulated wing pigmentation and experimentally reduced UV (UV-). Reflectance spectra of the wings of juvenile and mature males and females were used to show the differences between controls and individuals with manipulated colouration used in the behavioural experiment. UV-reduced, females with wings painted red, and control males and females were tethered and presented to conspecific males and females, and their behavioral responses were recorded. The male red wing pigmentation and females with red wings elicited an aggressive response in territorial males and a sexual response in females. Both males and females showed neutral responses towards individuals with reduced UV. Wing signals of juvenile individuals also provoked neutral responses. These results suggest that UV, together with pigmentation, plays a role during mate recognition in males and females. Other than butterflies and spiders, it seems that fluorescence signals and UV reflectance can also be part of communication in odonates. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Vocal Economy in Vocally Trained and Untrained Female Subjects

Objectives: Vocally trained actresses are expected to have more vocal economy than nonactresses. Therefore, we hypothesize that there will be differences in the electroglottogram-based voice economy parameter quasi-output cost ratio (QOCR) between actresses and nonactresses. This difference should remain across different levels of intensity. Methods: A total of 30 actresses and 30 nonactresses were recruited for this study. Participants from both groups were required to sustain the vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/, in habitual, moderate, and high intensity levels. Acoustic variables such as sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency (F0), and glottal contact quotient (CQ) were obtained. The QOCR was then calculated. Results: There were no significant differences among the groups for QOCR. Positive correlations were observed for QOCR versus SPL and QOCR versus F0 in all intensity levels. Negative correlation was found between QOCR and CQ in all intensity levels. Considering the differences among intensity levels, from habitual to moderate and from moderate to loud, only the CQ did not differ significantly. The QOCR, SPL, and F0 presented significant differences throughout the different intensity levels. Conclusion: The QOCR did not reflect the level of vocal training when comparing trained and nontrained female subjects in the present study. Both groups demonstrated more vocal economy in moderate and high intensity levels owing to more voice output without an increase in glottal adduction. © 2013 The Voice Foundation.

Opção ou desconhecimento?: panorama da prática interpretativa ligada ao repertório vocal existente no Brasil de 1730 a 1850, sob o ponto de vista do registro fonográfico brasileiro realizado entre 1957 e 2005

Pós-graduação em Música - IA

Aula, repouso, aquecimento e desaquecimento vocal em professores de uma escola pública de ensino médio de Salvador - BA

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Variação morfológica, vocal e molecular em Hylopezus macularius (Temminck, 1830) (Aves, Grallariidae)

A dissertação foi elaborada no formato de artigo, intitulado de “Systematic revision of the spotted antpitta Hylopezus macularius, (Grallariidae), with description of a cryptic new species from brazilian Amazonia”, a ser submetido para a revista The AUK, formatado segundo os padrões da revista. Uma revisão sistemática da espécie politípica Hylopezus macularius (Grallariidae), baseada em caracteres morfométricos, de plumagem, vocais e moleculares, é apresentada. As análises morfológicas e vocais foram baseadas, respectivamente, em 45 espécimes e em 104 gravações. As filogenias moleculares basearam-se em 1.371 pares de bases de ADN dos genes mitocondriais 16S, ND2, e cyt b de 26 espécimes, incluindo diversos táxons como grupos externos. Nossos resultados revelaram a existência de um táxon não descrito, endêmico do interflúvio Xingu - Madeira, cripticamente similar morfologicamente ao paraensis, mas distinguível vocal e geneticamente do último e de todos os outros táxons agrupados sob H. macularius. As árvores moleculares obtiveram forte apoio e monofiletismo recíproco entre as quatro linhagens principais de H. macularius, três das quais correspondem aos táxons já nomeados (dilutus, macularius, e paraensis), e um ao táxon anônimo, que é descrito neste trabalho. Nós mostramos que aqueles quatro táxons são mutuamente diagnosticáveis através de uma combinação de características vocais e morfológicas, portanto recomendamos tratá-los como espécies separadas. Datas das árvores moleculares indicaram que as separações entre espécies do complexo ocorreram entre 2.92 e 0.78 milhões de anos, com as separações mais antigas concentradas no noroeste da Amazônia (através do rio Negro) e as mais recentes na parte sudeste da bacia (através do rio Xingu).

Parâmetros vocais acústicos de sujeitos do sexo masculino antes, durante e após o processo de muda vocal

A voz e a habilidade vocal são diferentes em cada indivíduo e em cada fase da vida. Devido aos escassos estudos sobre a qualidade vocal de meninos e adolescentes durante a puberdade, o presente estudo teve como objetivo quantificar os seguintes parâmetros da análise acústica da voz: frequência fundamental, jitter, shimmer, relação harmônico-ruído e intensidade. Para entender como se dá a variação da voz com o desenvolvimento de meninos e adolescentes, esses parâmetros foram correlacionados entre si e também com o grau do desenvolvimento puberal de sujeitos do sexo masculino. Métodos: Foram sujeitos desse estudo 110 indivíduos do sexo masculino, com idade entre 11 e 20 anos, estudantes de três escolas estaduais de Macapá, onde foi feita a coleta dos dados. Os sujeitos foram divididos em 4 grupos, 32 sujeitos com idade entre 11 e 12 anos compuseram o Grupo I, 29 sujeitos com idade entre 13 e 15 anos o Grupo II, o Grupo III foi composto por 30 sujeitos com idade entre 16 e 18 anos, e o Grupo IV por sujeitos com idade entre 19 e 20 anos. Todos os sujeitos foram submetidos à gravação da voz diretamente no computador com auxilio de microfone unidirecional. Solicitou-se emissão sustentada da vogal /é/ e fala encadeada: contagem de 1 a 10 e leitura de um parágrafo pré-estabelecido. Em seguida os sujeitos foram avaliados por um médico clínico geral para caracterização do desenvolvimento puberal de acordo com os estágios descritos por Tanner. A análise vocal foi realizada com o programa acústico Voz Metria®. Resultados: Os sujeitos apresentaram F₀ média durante a vogal sustentada de 223,28 Hz, 249,86 Hz, 122,63 Hz e 127,61 Hz para os Grupos I, II, III e IV respectivamente. A F₀ durante a fala encadeada foi de 217,09 Hz, 246,18 Hz, 117,27 Hz e 123,42 para os Grupos I, II, III e IV respectivamente. Shimmer apresentou valores aumentados nos quatro grupos. Jitter, intensidade e a relação harmônico-ruído mantiveram-se dentro dos padrões de normalidade estabelecidos pelo programa acústico utilizado. Quanto ao desenvolvimento puberal, a maioria dos sujeitos está em G3 (n=38; 34,5%) e G4 (n=42; 38,2%) e P3 (n=34; 31%) e P4 (n=36; 32,7%). O grau de desenvolvimento puberal está correlacionado com aF₀ durante a fala encadeada (p<0,001) e com a F₀ durante a emissão da vogal sustentada (p<0,001) e essa correlação foi estatisticamente significante entre G2 e G5, e G3 e G5. Conclusão: Até os 15 anos os parâmetros vocais acústicos são típicos da voz infantil. Dos 16 aos 20 anos há decréscimo significativo da F₀, porém a voz ainda está em processo de estabilização, com valores aumentados de shimmer. F₀ é o único parâmetro correlacionado com o grau de desenvolvimento puberal. A finalização do processo de muda vocal se apresentou, na população estudada, como um evento tardio em relação ao desenvolvimento puberal.

Variação morfológica, vocal e genética na espécie politípica Lepidocolaptes albolineatus (Aves – Dendrocolaptidae)

Lepidocolaptes albolineatus (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae) é uma espécie biológica politípica, constituída pelos seguintes táxons: L. a. albolineatus, que ocorre na Área de Endemismo (AE) Guiana, L. a. duidae (AE Imeri), L .a. fuscicapillus (AE Rondônia), L. a. madeirae (AE Rondônia) e L. a .layardi (AEs Tapajós, Xingu e Belém). Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: (1) revisar a validade e a diagnosabilidade dos táxons atualmente agrupados em L. albolineatus com base em caracteres morfológicos, vocais e moleculares e (2) reavaliar os limites interespecíficos entre estes táxons. Foram mensurados 150 espécimes depositados em 8 museus do Brasil e EUA. Para a análise molecular, foram seqüenciados um total de 940 pb do gene mitocondrial ND2 para 35 indivíduos de todos os táxons de L. albolineatus. As análises filogenéticas foram realizadas nos programa PAUP 4.0 b 10 e MrBayes 3.1 utilizando-se os métodos de parcimônia (MP), máxima verossimilhança (MV) e inferência Bayesiana. A combinação de dados morfológicos e moleculares revelou a existência de 5 clados fortemente apoiados estatisticamente: clado 1 (agrupando indivíduos da AE Rondônia), clado 2 (agrupando espécimes das AE Belém, Xingu e Tapajós), clado 3 (incluindo espécimes da AE Inambari), clado 4 (incluindo indivíduos da AE Imeri) e clado 5 (agrupando indivíduos da AE Guiana). Todos os clados corresponderam a táxons já nomeados, exceto o clado 3 para o qual nenhum nome válido se encontra disponível, já que o nome fuscicapillus na verdade se aplica ao clado 1 e, portanto, deve ser considerado sinônimo sênior de madeirae. A principal separação genética e morfológica em L. albolineatus acontece entre o táxon nominal e os demais, embora cada um dos 5 clados possa ser considerado uma espécie distinta (com base no Conceito Filético Geral de Espécie) através de uma combinação única de caracteres morfológicos, vocais e moleculares diagnósticos.