Early Markers of Atherosclerotic Disease in Individuals with Excess Weight and Dyslipidemia

Abstract Background: Excessive weight is a cardiovascular risk factor since it generates a chronic inflammatory process that aggravates the endothelial function. Objective: To evaluate the endothelial function in individuals with excess weight and mild dyslipidemia using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD), and the association of endothelial function with anthropometric and biochemical variables. Methods: Cross-sectional study that included 74 individuals and evaluated anthropometric variables (body mass index [BMI], waist-hip ratio [WHR], waist circumference [AC], and percentage of body fat [PBF]), biochemical (blood glucose, insulinemia, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol) and endothelial function (BAFMD, evaluated by ultrasound). The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS, version 16.0. To study the association between the variables, we used chi-square, Student's t and Mann-Whitney tests, and Pearson's correlation. Logistic regression analyzed the independent influence of the factors. Values of p < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The participants had a mean age of 50.8 years, and 57% were female. BMI, WC, WHR, and PBF showed no significant association with BAFMD. The male gender (p = 0.02) and higher serum levels of fibrinogen (p = 0.02) were significantly and independently associated with a BAFMD below 8%. Conclusions: In individuals with excess weight and mild untreated dyslipidemia, male gender and higher levels of fibrinogen were independently associated with worse BAFMD.

Competição entre megaspórios em milho

The experiments reported were started as early as 1933, when indications were found in class material that the factor for small pollen, spl, causes not only differences in the size of pollen grains and in the growth of pollen tubes, but also a competition between megaspores, as first observed by RENNER (1921) in Oenothera. Dr. P. C. MANGELSDORF, who had kindly furnished the original seeds, was informed and the final publication delayed untill his publication in 1940. A further delay was caused by other circunstances. The main reason for the differences of the results obtained by SINGLETON and MANGELSDORF (1940) and those reported here, seems to be the way the material was analysed. I applied methods of a detailed statistical analysis, while MANGELSDORF and SINGLETON analysed pooled data. 1) The data obtained on pollen tube competition indicate .that there is about 3-4% of crossing-over between the su and sp factors in chromosome IV. The elimination is not always complete, but from 0 to 10% of the sp pollen tubes may function, instead of the 50% expected without elimination. These results are, as a whole, in accordance with SINGLETON and MANGELSDORF's data. 2) Female elimination is weaker and transmission determined as between 16 to 49,5%, instead of 50% without competition, the values being calculated by a special formula. 3) The variability of female elimination is partially genotypical, partially phenotypical. The former was shown by the difference in the behavior of the two progenies tested, while the latter was very evident when comparing the upper and lower halves of ears. For some unknown physiological reason, the elimination is generally stronger in the upper than in the lower half of the ear. 4) The female elimination of the sp gene may be caused theoretically, by either of two processes: a simple lethal effect in the female gametophyte or a competition between megaspores. The former would lead not only to the abortion of the individual megaspores, but of the whole uniovulate ovary. In the case of the latter, the abortive megaspore carrying the gene sp will be substituted in each ovule by one of the Sp megaspores and no abortion of ovaries may be observed. My observations are completely in favor of the second explication: a) The ears were as a whole very well filled except for a few incomplete ears which always appear in artificial pollinations. b) Row arrangement was always very regular. c) The number of kernels on ears with elimination is not smaller than in normal ears, but is incidentally higher : with elimnation, in back-crosses 354 kernels and in selfed ears 390 kernels, without elimination 310 kernels per ear. d) There is no correlation between the intensity of elimination and the number of grains in individual ears; the coefficient; of linear correlation, equal to 0,24, is small and insignificant. e) Our results are in complete disagreement whit those reported by SINGLETON and MANGELSDORF (1940). Since these authors present only pooled date, a complete and detailed analysis which may explain the cause of these divergences is impossible.

Imaging beyond structure : novel noninvasive tools for neuroimaging of stem cell function and differentiation

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Naturwiss., Diss., 2013

In vivo and in vitro studies on the expression and function of TFF peptides in the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Naturwiss., Diss., 2014

Dominance of positivity of the Green's function associated to a perturbed polyharmonic dirichlet boundary value problem by pointwise estimates

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Mathematik, Diss., 2015

The status (quo) of VET in Brazil : an empirical study about its function, meaning and impingements from the perspective of former dual system apprentices

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Humanwiss., Diss., 2015

Astrocyte-specific function of A20 and FasL in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Naturwiss., Diss., 2015

role of NMDA-receptors (NMDARs) and NMDAR antagonists in murine T- and B-lymphocyte function

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Naturwiss., Diss., 2015

Interneuron function in pathological memory processes : relevance for posttraumatic stress disorder

Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Fakultät für Naturwissenschaften, Univ., Dissertation, 2015

effect of the extracellular environment on the composition and function of synapses

Otto-von-Guericke-Universität magdeburg, Fakultät für Naturwissenschaften, Dissertation, 2015

A correlation of the Mayan and European calendars / by J. Eric Thompson, Assistant Curator of Mexican and South American Archaeology ; Berthold Laufer, Curator of Anthropology, editor.

v.17:no.1(1927)

General function of the gall bladder from the evolutionary standpoint, by Frank W. Gorham and Andrew Conway Ivy.

v.22:no.3(1938)

Morphometric variability in populations of Palaemonetes spp. (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon Basin

Morphometric variability among shrimp populations of the genus Palaemonetes Heller, 1869 from seven lakes (Huanayo and Urcococha, in Peru; Amanã, Mamirauá, Camaleão, Cristalino e Iruçanga, in Brasil) in the Amazon Basin, presumably belonging to Palaemonetes carteri Gordon, 1935 and Palaemonetes ivonicus Holthuis, 1950, were studied. The morphometric studies were carried out from the ratios obtained from the morphometric characters. Multivariated analysis (Principal Components Analysis-PCA, Discriminant Function Analysis and Cluster Analysis) were applied over the ratios. Intra- and interpopulation variations of the rostrum teeth, and the number of spines in the male appendix, were analyzed through descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis (Spearman Rank Correlation test). Results indicated a wide plasticity and overlapping in the studied ratios between populations. The Principal Components Analysis was not able to separate different populations, revealing a large intrapopulation plasticity and strong interpopulation similarity in the studied ratios. Although the Discriminant Functions Analysis was not able to fully discriminate populations, they could be allocated in three subgroups: 1) Cristalino and Iruçanga; 2) Huanayo, Urcococha and Camaleão and 3) Mamirauá and Amanã. The first two groups were morphometrically separated from each other, whereas the third one presented a strong overlap with the former two. The Cluster Analysis confirmed the first two subgroups separation, and indicated that the first and third groups were closely related. Rostrum teeth and number of spines in the appendix masculina showed a large intrapopulation variation and a strong overlapping among the studied populations, regardless of the species.

Morphometric and genetic differentiation among populations of Eupemphix nattereri (Amphibia, Anura, Leiuperidae) from central Brazil

To assess genetic structure and phenotypic diversity of Eupemphix nattereri Steindachner, 1863, morphometric and molecular analyses were carried out for nine populations from the State of Goiás. A total of 11 morphometric traits were evaluated and genetic information was estimated using RAPD markers. Genetic and phenotypic distances were determined as a function of geographical origin. Correlation among genetic, morphometric, micro, and macroenviromental were analyzed by the Mantel test. Genetic data indicated high levels of genetic diversity (Φst= 0.3) among the nine populations. Mantel tests did not reveal a significant positive correlation between genetic and geographical distances, indicating that locally geographical populations were not genetically similar, even in distances smaller than 50 km. Discriminant analysis on 11 morphometric measurements showed a high divergence among the nine populations. However, a marginally significant correlation (P=0.08) between genetic and morphometric distances was found. The observed correlation was not causal in terms of the relationship between phenotype and genotype, but indicated common spatial structures. Thus, our results suggest that isolation-by-distance processes may explain population divergence in Eupemphix nattereri.

Morphological and functional study of the marginal sphincter of the sea anemones Phymactis clematis and Aulactinia marplatensis from intertidal of Mar del Plata, Argentina

It was made the characterization of marginal sphincter to the species Phymactis clematis (Drayton in Dana, 1849) and Aulactinia marplatensis (Zamponi, 1977), from intertidal ecosystem through their morphogical and functional study. The species P. clematis has a circumscript sphincter of palmate type. This muscle is constituted by a mesogloeal axis and several mesogloeal subaxes. Axis as well as subaxes give a support to the endoderm which border is smooth. Aulactinia marplatensis has a circunscript sphincter pinnate type. The axis has a truncated cone shape while in P. clematis the shape is cylindrical on its origin and it is bifurcated at the end. Both species experiments were carried out using the isolated muscles. They were stimulated at increasing KCl concentrations ranging from 20 to 200 mM. The results were analysed in the form of dose-response curves expressed in tension in grams force vs concentration. Contractil force increases in a sigmoid form to increasing KCl concentrations. The correlation between morphology and function and the differences shown in both species would be related to their intertidal distribution.