The COMT Val158 Met polymorphism as an associated risk factor for Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment in APOE 4 carriers

Background: The aim of this study is to examine the influence of the catechol-O-methyltranferase (COMT) gene (polymorphism Val158 Met) as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment of amnesic type (MCI), and its synergistic effect with the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE). A total of 223 MCI patients, 345 AD and 253 healthy controls were analyzed. Clinical criteria and neuropsychological tests were used to establish diagnostic groups. The DNA Bank of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) (Spain) determined COMT Val158 Met and APOE genotypes using real time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLPs), respectively. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the risk of AD and MCI. Results: Neither COMT alleles nor genotypes were independent risk factors for AD or MCI. The high activity genotypes (GG and AG) showed a synergistic effect with APOE epsilon 4 allele, increasing the risk of AD (OR = 5.96, 95% CI 2.74-12.94, p < 0.001 and OR = 6.71, 95% CI 3.36-13.41, p < 0.001 respectivily). In AD patients this effect was greater in women. In MCI patients such as synergistic effect was only found between AG and APOE epsilon 4 allele (OR = 3.21 95% CI 1.56-6.63, p = 0.02) and was greater in men (OR = 5.88 95% CI 1.69-20.42, p < 0.01). Conclusion: COMT (Val158 Met) polymorphism is not an independent risk factor for AD or MCI, but shows a synergistic effect with APOE epsilon 4 allele that proves greater in women with AD.

Cinquenta (50) anos da Lei 4.320/1964 : Desafios e perspectivas para a contabilidade pública brasileira

Faz uma retrospectiva da Contabilidade Pública no Brasil, tendo como referência a Lei 4.320, de 1964.

Complex Transition of Double-Diffusive Convection in a Rectangular Enclosure with Height-to-Length Ratio Equal to 4: Part I

This is the first part of direct numerical simulation (DNS) of double-diffusive convection in a slim rectangular enclosure with horizontal temperature and concentration gradients. We consider the case with the thermal Rayleigh number of 10^5, the Pradtle number of 1, the Lewis number of 2, the buoyancy ratio of composition to temperature being in the range of [0,1], and height-to-width aspect ration of 4. A new 7th order upwind compact scheme was developed for approximation of convective terms, and a three-stage third-order Runge-Kutta method was employed for time advancement. Our DNS suggests that with the buoyancy ratio increasing form 0 to 1, the flow of transition is a complex series changing fromthe steady to periodic, chaotic, periodic, quasi-periodic, and finally back to periodic. There are two types of periodic flow, one is simple periodic flow with single fundamental frequency (FF), and another is complex periodic flow with multiple FFs. This process is illustrated by using time-velocity histories, Fourier frequency spectrum analysis and the phase-space rajectories.

Near-diffraction-limited, 35.4 W laser-diode end-pumped Nd:YVO4 slab laser operating at 1342 nm

A diode stack end-pumped Nd:YVO4 slab laser at 1342 nm with near-diffraction-limited beam quality by using a hybrid resonator was presented. At a pump power of 139.5 W, laser power of 35.4 W was obtained with a conversion efficiency of 25.4% of the laser diode to laser output. The beam quality M-2 factors were measured to be 1.2 in the unstable direction and 1.3 in the stable direction at the output power of 29 W. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America

La modulación selectiva de los niveles de glutatión con l-2-oxo-4-tiazolidina carboxilato aumenta la eficacia de la interleucina-2 e incrementa el beneficio terapéutico de la bioquimioterapia del melanoma metastático

268 p. : il.

Aquaculture Asia, Vol.14, No.4, pp.1-52, October - December 2009

Sustainable aquaculture Peter Edwards writes on rural aquaculture Edwards, P. Mussel farming initiatives in North Kerala, India: A case of successful adoption of technology leading to rural livelihood transformation Laxmilatha, P., Thomas, S., Asokan, P.K., Surendranathan, V.G., Sivadasan, M.P., and Ramachandran, N.P. Selective study on the availability in indigenous fish species having ornamental value in some districts of West Bengal Panigrahi, A.K., Dutta, S. and Ghosh, I. Aquaculture livelihoods service centres in Aceh, Indonesia: A novel approach to improving the livelihoods of small scale fish farmers Ravikumar, B. and Yamamoto, K. Research and farming techniques e-Sagu Aqua - an innovative information and communication technology model for transfer of technology for aquaculture Vimala, D. D., Ravisankar, T., Mahalakshmi, P., and Kumaran, M. Freshwater pearl crop: an emerging enterprise in the Indian subcontinent Misra, G., Jena, J. and Kumar, K. Genetics and biodiversity Preliminary risk assessment of Pacific white leg shrimp (P. vannamei) introduced to Thailand for aquaculture Senanan, W., Panutrakul, S., Barnette, P., Chavanich, S., Mantachitr, V., Tangkrock-Olan, N., and Viyakarn, V. Farmer profile Aquatic animal health Asian fish health experts visit Australia Olsen, L. and Ingram, B. (Fisheries Victoria) Black gill disease of cage-cultured ornate rock lobster Panulirus ornatus in central Vietnam caused by Fusarium species Nha, V.V., Hoa, D.T. and Khoa, L.V. Marine Finfish Aquaculture Network Effects of the partial substitution fish oil by soybean oil in the diets on muscle fatty acid composition of juvenile cobia (Rachycentron canadum) Hung, P.D. and Mao, N.D. Growth response of cobia Rachycentron canadum (Pisces: Rachycentridae) under the hypersaline conditions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Yousif, O.M.*, Kumar, K.K. and Abdul-Rahman, A.F.A. NACA Newsletter

Northwest Fish Culture Conference, Eugene, Oregon, December 2-4, 1986 [proceedings of the 37th conference]

(PDF contains 226 pages)