Déglutition et états de conscience altérée [Swallowing in disorders of consciousness.]

INTRODUCTION: Interest in studying swallowing disorders in patients with altered consciousness has increased over the past decade. Swallowing deficit is frequently encountered in severe brain-injured patients. STATE OF ART: Results of studies have highlighted different factors such as the delay between the injury and the treatment and the level of consciousness of these patients, as well as the presence or not of tracheotomy, which will determine the feasibility of resuming oral feeding. Nowadays, very few valid and sensitive scales can be used to assess swallowing deficit in patients with disorders of consciousness. The Facial Oral Tract Therapy (FOTT) scale is an inter-professional multidisciplinary approach offering a structured way to evaluate and treat patients with swallowing disorders. In contrast with other scales, patients do not have to follow verbal instructions for the FOTT. PERSPECTIVES: This paper presents a review of existing literature on the assessment and management of swallowing disorders in patients with altered state of consciousness, and a description of the FOTT method. CONCLUSION: The FOTT seems to be an interesting assessment and rehabilitation tool for patients with disorders of consciousness. However, clinical studies are needed to confirm the validity and sensitivity of this technique.

Tendências temporais de índices de vegetação nos campos do Pampa do Brasil e do Uruguai

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a redução do vigor vegetativo da cobertura vegetal do Pampa do Brasil e do Uruguai, por meio da identificação de tendências negativas em séries temporais de imagens. Utilizaram-se séries temporais de imagens de NDVI/EVI do sensor Modis, de 2000 a 2011; imagens de índices de umidade do solo do "climate forecast system reanalysis"; e dados de precipitação pluvial de estações meteorológicas. O estudo quantificou tendências lineares e não lineares nas séries de NDVI e EVI, em áreas de campos. Na tendência monotônica de Mann-Kendall, a 5% de probabilidade, 81,9% da área total estudada foi significativa com o NDVI, e 74,8%, com o EVI; no entanto, o EVI apresentou contraste superior na estimativa dos parâmetros. Os resultados mostraram maior sinal negativo a oeste, com valores médios de R²>0,15, r<-0,3 e τ <-0,15 na tendência dos índices de vegetação, e tendência decrescente para NDVI, EVI e precipitação pluvial, com menores valores médios de umidade do solo. A tendência negativa dos índices de vegetação, relacionada à combinação da ocorrência de deficit hídrico em solos rasos com o sobrepastoreio, indica alterações no padrão de cobertura vegetal do Pampa, com redução do vigor vegetativo.

Produtividade e características biométricas do capim-braquiária em sistema silvipastoril

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade e as características biométricas do capim-braquiária (Urochloa decumbens) sob pastejo, em sistema silvipastoril. Avaliou-se um sistema com árvores nativas de interesse comercial, plantadas em renques, no sentido norte-sul, espaçados por 17 m. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições e parcelas subdivididas, tendo-se avaliado o ciclo de rebrota da forragem nas parcelas, e a distância desta em relação aos renques, nas subparcelas. Sete ciclos de rebrota foram avaliados, em quatro distâncias dos renques: a 2 e a 6 m do renque leste, e a 2 e a 6 m do renque oeste. Quantificou-se a produtividade de matéria seca, o índice de área foliar (IAF), a área foliar específica (AFE) e a altura das plantas. A produtividade de forragem, nos dois primeiros ciclos, e o IAF, no segundo e no terceiro ciclo, diminuiram com níveis de sombra acima de 39 e 40%, respectivamente. Já a altura de plantas aumentou com sombreamentos superiores a 53%, nos quatro primeiros ciclos; o que também ocorreu com a AFE, com sombreamento superior a 66%, nos três primeiros ciclos.

Carbon isotope fractionation for cotton genotype selection

The objective of this work was to evaluate the carbon isotope fractionation as a phenomic facility for cotton selection in contrasting environments and to assess its relationship with yield components. The experiments were carried out in a randomized block design, with four replicates, in the municipalities of Santa Helena de Goiás (SHGO) and Montividiu (MONT), in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The analysis of carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) was performed in 15 breeding lines and three cultivars. Subsequently, the root growth kinetic and root system architecture from the selected genotypes were determined. In both locations, Δ analyses were suitable to discriminate cotton genotypes. There was a positive correlation between Δ and seed-cotton yield in SHGO, where water deficit was more severe. In this site, the negative correlations found between Δ and fiber percentage indicate an integrative effect of gas exchange on Δ and its association with yield components. As for root robustness and growth kinetic, the GO 05 809 genotype performance contributes to sustain the highest values of Δ found in MONT, where edaphoclimatic conditions were more suitable for cotton. The use of Δ analysis as a phenomic facility can help to select cotton genotypes, in order to obtain plants with higher efficiency for gas exchange and water use.

Genetic parameters for drought-tolerance in cassava

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of drought on genetic parameters and breeding values of cassava. The experiments were carried out in a completely randomized block design with three replicates, under field conditions with (WD) or without (FI) water deficit. Yield of storage roots (RoY), shoot (ShY), and starch (StY), as well as the number of roots (NR), and root dry matter content (DMC) were evaluated in 47 cassava accessions. Significant differences were observed among accessions; according to heritability, these differences had mostly a genetic nature. Heritability estimates for genotypic effects () ranged from 0.25±0.12 (NR) to 0.60±0.18 (DMC), and from 0.51±0.17 (NR) to 0.80±0.21 (RoY and StY) for WD and FI, respectively, as a consequence of greater environmental influence on WD. Selective accuracy was lower in WD, and ranged from 0.71 (NR) to 0.89 (RoY, DMC, and StY). However, genetic gains were quite high and ranged from 24.43% (DMC) to 113.41% (StY), in WD, and from 8.5% (DMC) to 75.70% (StY) in FI. These genetic parameters may be useful for defining which selection strategies, breeding methods, and experimental designs are more suitable to obtain cassava genetic gains for tolerance to drought.

Balanço de energia e controle biofísico da evapotranspiração na Caatinga em condições de seca intensa

Resumo:O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a variação sazonal dos componentes do balanço de energia e avaliar o controle biofísico da evapotranspiração, em área de Caatinga preservada, em condições de seca intensa. O experimento foi conduzido em 2012, tendo-se utilizado o sistema "eddy covariance", instalado a 16,9 m acima da superfície do solo. Além disso, foram realizadas medidas de temperatura, umidade, radiação solar, saldo de radiação, fluxo de calor no solo e temperatura do solo. Os dados dos fluxos de calor sensível e latente foram processados com o programa Alteddy e analisados em escalas diária e sazonal. Com os dados do fluxo de calor latente, foram determinados os valores da evapotranspiração, bem como os indicadores da sua sensibilidade às condições ambientais: fator de desacoplamento, e resistências aerodinâmica e da superfície. O saldo de radiação apresentou forte sazonalidade, com comportamento dependente da radiação solar. A partição dos componentes do balanço de energia revelou que a ocorrência de seca intensa maximiza a destinação da energia disponível ao fluxo de calor sensível, e que a evapotranspiração nessa condição é especialmente dependente do deficit de pressão de vapor e da resistência da superfície.

Transpiração e crescimento foliar de crisântemo em função da fração de água transpirável no substrato

Resumo:O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resposta da transpiração e do crescimento foliar de cultivares de crisântemo (Dendranthema grandiflorum) ao conteúdo de água disponível no substrato, representado pela fração de água transpirável no substrato (FATSb). Os experimentos foram realizados em dois períodos, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro cultivares de crisântemo (Cherie White, Bronze Repin, Yoapple Valley e Calabria), em duas condições hídricas (com ou sem deficiência hídrica), com 10 repetições. As plantas foram cultivadas em casa de vegetação, em vasos de 2,8 L preenchidos com substrato. A FATSb, a transpiração e o crescimento foliar foram determinados diariamente durante o período de deficiência hídrica. As FATSb críticas médias, indicativas de que a transpiração e o crescimento foliar começam a ser afetados, foram respectivamente de 0,63 e 0,68 para 'Cherie White', 0,60 e 0,69 para 'Bronze Repin', 0,53 e 0,59 para 'Yoapple Valley', e 0,51 e 0,54 para 'Calabria'. A diminuição da água disponível no substrato provoca a redução do crescimento foliar antes de restringir a transpiração. As cultivares Cherie White e Bronze Repin são mais tolerantes ao deficit hídrico por fechar os estômatos antes e conservar mais a água no substrato do que as cultivares Yoapple Valley e Calabria.

L'espai dels Observatoris en el marc de les polítiques públiques d'infancia adolescencia

L'educació, la salut i la protecció són els drets més coneguts i respectats pels adults, pero hi ha un ciar deficit en re lació amb els drets relac ionats amb I 'exercici de la participació i l' expressió. El coneixement deis drets d'ex pressió i participació de la in fancia es dóna més entre els polítics i educadors socialsqueentreels pares i professors,el que seria un indicador d' una manca greu de polítiques insütucionals i culturals. Les polítiques de família reforcen a: la institució familiar i, per tant, poden incloure els in fants sense donar- los protagonisme. Per contra, les polítiques específicament adreçades a la infancia i adolescencia afavoreixen el procés d' autonomització i responsabilitzacióen el desenvolupament dels infants i joves.

Water, energy and early postnatal growth in preterm infants.

Non-invasive methods, including stable isotope techniques, indirect calorimetry, nutritional balance and skinfold thickness, have given a new insight into early postnatal growth in neonates. Neonates and premature infants in particular, create an unusual opportunity to study the fluid and metabolic adaptation to extrauterine life because their physical environment can be controlled, fluid and energy balance can be measured and the link between metabolism and the energetics of their postnatal growth can be assessed accurately. Thus the postnatal time course of total body water, heat production, energy cost of growth and composition of weight gain have been quantified in a series of "healthy" low-birth-weight premature infants. These results show that total body water is remarkably stable between postnatal days 3-21. Energy expenditure and heat production rates increase postnatally from mean values of 40 kcal/kg/day during the first week to 60 kcal/kg/day in the third week. An apparent energy balance deficit of 180 kcal/kg can be ascribed to premature delivery. The cost of protein metabolism is the highest energy demanding process related to growth. The fact that nitrogen balance becomes positive within 72 h after birth places the newborn in a transitional situation of dissociated balance between energy and protein metabolism during early postnatal growth: skinfold thickness, dry body mass and fat decrease, while there is a gain in protein and increase in supine length. This particular situation ends during the second postnatal week and soon thereafter the rate of weight gain matches statural growth. The goals of the following review are to summarize data on total body water and energy metabolism in premature infants and to discuss how they correlate with physiological aspects of early postnatal growth.

Distribuição do sistema radicular de cafeeiro conilon irrigado e não irrigado

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a distribuição do sistema radicular do cafeeiro conilon (Coffea canephora) irrigado e não irrigado. Utilizaram-se plantas de conilon da variedade clonal Emcapa 8111, genótipo 02, com cinco anos de idade. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em parcela subsubdividida, com cinco repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de: presença e ausência de irrigação (parcelas), 13 distâncias do tronco (dez no sentido da entrelinha e três no sentido da linha de plantio) e seis camadas de solo (0-60 cm) nas subparcelas. As raízes foram coletadas, lavadas, digitalizadas e processadas pelo programa Safira, para quantificar área superficial, comprimento, volume e diâmetro. As plantas de conilon não irrigadas apresentaram maiores área superficial, comprimento e volume de raízes por volume de solo, bem como distribuição de raízes menos discrepante na superfície do solo e em profundidade, em comparação às plantas irrigadas. O sistema de irrigação por gotejamento promove maior distribuição de raízes nas plantas irrigadas, na zona compreendida pelo bulbo úmido da irrigação.

Porta-enxertos promissores, alternativos ao limoeiro 'Cravo', nos Tabuleiros Costeiros de Sergipe

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar porta-enxertos alternativos ao limoeiro 'Cravo' comum, para produção de laranja 'Pêra', nas condições dos Tabuleiros Costeiros de Sergipe. Foram avaliados 43 porta-enxertos quanto a altura, copa, taxa fotossintética, teor de prolina, eficiência produtiva, produção e produtividade por planta. O limoeiro 'Cravo' comum foi considerado como padrão. Os porta-enxertos híbrido TSKC x (LCR x TR) - 059, citrandarim 'Riverside', limoeiro 'Cravo CNPMF - 03' e outros 12 superaram o limoeiro 'Cravo' comum na indução de eficiência produtiva à copa; limoeiro 'Rugoso Vermelho', citrandarim 'Indio' e mais quatro promoveram maior produtividade; TSKC x CTRK - 001 e TSKFL x CTC13 - 012 se destacaram pela magnitude da assimilação de CO2; e TSKC x (LCR x TR) - 040 e TSKC x CTRK - 001 apresentaram maior acúmulo de prolina. São considerados alternativas promissoras os seguintes porta-enxertos: híbrido TSKC x (LCR x TR) - 059; citrandarins 'Indio', 'Riverside' e 'San Diego'; limoeiros 'Rugoso Vermelho' e 'Cravo CNPMF - 03'; e híbridos TSKC x CTRK - 001, TSKFL x CTC13 - 012, TSKC x (LCR x TR) - 040, TSKC x LHA - 006, TSKC x CTQT1434 - 001, TSKC x CTSW - 058 e TSKFL x CTARG - 028.

New evidence of neuroprotection by lactate after transient focal cerebral ischaemia: extended benefit after intracerebroventricular injection and efficacy of intravenous administration.

BACKGROUND: Lactate protects mice against the ischaemic damage resulting from transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) when administered intracerebroventricularly at reperfusion, yielding smaller lesion sizes and a better neurological outcome 48 h after ischaemia. We have now tested whether the beneficial effect of lactate is long-lasting and if lactate can be administered intravenously. METHODS: Male ICR-CD1 mice were subjected to 15-min suture MCAO under xylazine + ketamine anaesthesia. Na L-lactate (2 µl of 100 mmol/l) or vehicle was administered intracerebroventricularly at reperfusion. The neurological deficit was evaluated using a composite deficit score based on the neurological score, the rotarod test and the beam walking test. Mice were sacrificed at 14 days. In a second set of experiments, Na L-lactate (1 µmol/g body weight) was administered intravenously into the tail vein at reperfusion. The neurological deficit and the lesion volume were measured at 48 h. RESULTS: Intracerebroventricularly injected lactate induced sustained neuroprotection shown by smaller neurological deficits at 7 days (median = 0, min = 0, max = 3, n = 7 vs. median = 2, min = 1, max = 4.5, n = 5, p < 0.05) and 14 days after ischaemia (median = 0, min = 0, max = 3, n = 7 vs. median = 3, min = 0.5, max = 3, n = 7, p = 0.05). Reduced tissue damage was demonstrated by attenuated hemispheric atrophy at 14 days (1.3 ± 4.0 mm(3), n = 7 vs. 12.1 ± 3.8 mm(3), n = 5, p < 0.05) in lactate-treated animals. Systemic intravenous lactate administration was also neuroprotective and attenuated the deficit (median = 1, min = 0, max = 2.5, n = 12) compared to vehicle treatment (median = 1.5, min = 1, max = 8, n = 12, p < 0.05) as well as the lesion volume at 48 h (13.7 ± 12.2 mm(3), n = 12 vs. 29.6 ± 25.4 mm(3), n = 12, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of lactate is long-lasting: lactate protects the mouse brain against ischaemic damage when supplied intracerebroventricularly during reperfusion with behavioural and histological benefits persisting 2 weeks after ischaemia. Importantly, lactate also protects after systemic intravenous administration, a more suitable route of administration in a clinical emergency setting. These findings provide further steps to bring this physiological, commonly available and inexpensive neuroprotectant closer to clinical translation for stroke.

Developmental critical period in genetic redox dysregulation: animal and human studies in schizophrenia

Converging evidence favors an abnormal susceptibility to oxidative stress in schizophrenia. Decreased levels of glutathione (GSH), the major cellular antioxidant and redox regulator, was observed in cerebrospinal-fluid and prefrontal cortex of patients. Importantly, abnormal GSH synthesis of genetic origin was observed: Two case-control studies showed an association with a GAG trinucleotide repeat (TNR) polymorphism in the GSH key synthesizing enzyme glutamate-cysteine-ligase (GCL) catalytic subunit (GCLC) gene. The most common TNR genotype 7/7 was more frequent in controls, whereas the rarest TNR genotype 8/8 was three times more frequent in patients. The disease associated genotypes (35% of patients) correlated with decreased GCLC protein, GCL activity and GSH content. Similar GSH system anomalies were observed in early psychosis patients. Such redox dysregulation combined with environmental stressors at specific developmental stages could underlie structural and functional connectivity anomalies. In pharmacological and knock-out (KO) models, GSH deficit induces anomalies analogous to those reported in patients. (a) morphology: spine density and GABA-parvalbumine immunoreactivity (PV-I) were decreased in anterior cingulate cortex. KO mice showed delayed cortical PV-I at PD10. This effect is exacerbated in mice with increased DA from PD5-10. KO mice exhibit cortical impairment in myelin and perineuronal net known to modulate PV connectivity. (b) physiology: In cultured neurons, NMDA response are depressed by D2 activation. In hippocampus, NMDA-dependent synaptic plasticity is impaired and kainate induced g-oscillations are reduced in parallel to PV-I. (c) cognition: low GSH models show increased sensitivity to stress, hyperactivity, abnormal object recognition, olfactory integration and social behavior. In a clinical study, GSH precursor N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) as add on therapy, improves the negative symptoms and decreases the side effects of antipsychotics. In an auditory oddball paradigm, NAC improves the mismatched negativity, an evoked potential related to pre-attention and to NMDA receptors function. In summary, clinical and experimental evidence converge to demonstrate that a genetically induced dysregulation of GSH synthesis combined with environmental insults in early development represent a major risk factor contributing to the development of schizophrenia

The Political Communication of Independent Regulatory Agencies

Since independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) became key actors in European regulatory governance in the 1990s, a significant share of policy-making has been carried out by organizations that are neither democratically elected nor directly accountable to elected politicians. In this context, public communication plays an important role. On the one hand, regulatory agencies might try to use communication to raise their accountability and thereby to mitigate their democratic deficit. On the other hand, communication may be used with the intent to steer the behavior of the regulated industry when more coercive regulatory means are unfeasible or undesirable. However, empirical research focusing directly on how regulators communicate is virtually non-existent. To fill this gap, this paper examines the public communication of IRAs in four countries (the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland) and three sectors (financial services, telecommunications, and broadcasting). The empirical analysis, based on qualitative interviews and a quantitative content analysis, indicates that the organization of the communication function follows a national pattern approach while a policy sector approach is helpful for understanding the use of communication as a soft tool of regulation.

Civil society organisations participating in ISO TC 228 and ISO TC 229: the INTERNORM project and its future

This paper presents the first results of the INTERNORM pilot project funded by the University of Lausanne (2010 - 2014) to support the involvement of civil society organisations (CSO) in two ISO technical committees (TC), the ISO TC 228 on "tourism and related services" and the ISO TC 229 on "nanotechnologies". It analyses how a distinct participatory mechanism can influence the institutional environment of technical diplomacy in which standards are shaped. The project is an attempt to respond to the democratic deficit attested in the field of international standardisation, formally open to civil society participation, but still largely dominated by expert knowledge and market players. Many international standards have direct implications on society as a whole, but CSOs (consumers and environmental associations, trade unions) are largely under-represented in negotiation arenas. The paper draws upon international relations literature on new institutional forms in global governance and studies of participation in science and technology to address three questions: to which extent do CSOs identify participation in standardisation as worth of their mobilisation? How is the pluralisation of knowledge and expertise supporting CSO position during the deliberation? To which extent can CSO access and influence standardisation beyond their consultative role? It argues that there are significant limitations to the rise of civil society participation in such global governance mechanisms. Despite high entry costs into technical diplomacy, participation is not so much a matter of upstream engagement, or of procedure and resources only, than of opportunistic CSOs mobilization, of distinct thematic incentives and concrete outcomes to be expected in standardisation arenas or in the broader use of international standards.