Mal me quer, bem me quer: uma análise dos cuidados dispensados ao idoso asilar

This article aims to portray a survey in order to see whether the established in the Practical Guide Caregiver program (Ministry of Health, established in 2008 to improve the care for the elderly), are also affecting the nursing homes of smaller towns, with reference to a city in São Paulo State, with approximately 100,000 inhabitants located in western Sao Paulo State.

Bem-me-quer, malmequer: uma análise dos cuidados dispensados ao idoso asilar

This article aims to portray a survey in order to see whether the established in the Practical Guide Caregiver program (Ministry of Health, established in 2008 to improve the care for the elderly), are also affecting the nursing homes of smaller towns, with reference to a city in São Paulo State, with approximately 100,000 inhabitants located in western Sao Paulo State.

First report of the characterization of the pathophysiological mechanisms caused by the freshwater catfish Pimelodus maculatus (order: Siluriformes)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

AGRICULTURAL BIRD PROBLEMS IN THE SOUTHEAST

Our chairman has wisely asked that we not spend all of our time here telling each other about our bird problems. In the Southeast, our difficulties with blackbirds are based upon the same bird habits that cause trouble elsewhere: they flock, they roost and they eat, generally taking advantage of the readily available handouts that today's agricul¬tural practices provide. Those of us on the receiving end of these de¬predations of course think that damage in our own particular area must be far the worst, anywhere. Because of the location of our meeting place today, perhaps it is worthwhile to point out that a report prepared by our Bureau's Washington office this year outlined the problem of blackbird damage to corn in the Middle Atlantic States, the Great Lakes Region and in Florida, and then followed with this statement--"An equally serious problem occurs in rice and grain sorghum fields of Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana." The report also men¬tions that the largest winter concentrations of blackbirds are found in the lower Mississippi Valley. Our 1963-64 blackbird-starling survey showed 43 principal roosts totaling approximately 100 million of these birds in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. We have our own birds during the summer plus the "tourist" birds from up here and elsewhere during the winter, and all of these birds must eat, so suffice it to say that we, too, have some bird problems in the Southeast. I'm sure you're more interested in what we're doing about them. To keep this in perspective also, please bear in mind that against the magnitude of these problems, our blackbird control research staff at Gainesville consists of 3 biologists, 1 biochemist and one technician. And unfortunately, none of us happens to be a miracle worker. I think, though, we have made great progress toward solving the bird problems in the Southeast for the man-hours that have been expended in this re¬search. My only suggestion to those who are impatient about not having more answers is that they examine the budget that has been set up for this work. Only then could we intelligently discuss what might be expected as a reasonable rate of research progress. When I think about what we have accomplished in a short span of time, with very small expenditure, I can assure you that I am very proud of our small research crew at Gainesville--and I say this quite sincerely. At the Gainesville station, we work under two general research approaches to the bird damage problem. These projects have been assigned to us. The first is research on management of birds, particularly blackbirds and starlings destructive to crops or in feedlots, and, secondly, the development and the adaptation of those chemical compounds found to be toxic to birds but relatively safe to mammals. These approaches both require laboratory and field work that is further subdivided into several specific research projects. Without describing the details of these now, I want to mention some of our recent results. From the results, I'm sure you will gather the general objectives and some of the procedures used.

Ozone sounding in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo, Brazil: Wet and dry season campaigns of 2006

In the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo (MASP), located in southeastern Brazil, surface ozone concentrations are often well above the national air quality standards. In this experimental study, we attempted to characterize the vertical profile of atmospheric ozone and transport of the ozone plume in the boundary layer, using data from the first ozone soundings ever taken in the MASP. In 2006, we launched fifteen ozonesondes: eight from 15 to 18 May (dry season); and seven from 30 October to 1 November (wet season). Vertical ozone mixing ratios in the troposphere were approximately 40 ppb, reaching maximum values of approximately 60 ppb during the dry-season campaign and approximately 100 ppb during the wet-season campaign. In the first and second campaigns, the mean tropospheric ozone column abundance was 28.2 and 41.3 DU, respectively, which can be attributed to the considerable variation in the annual temperature cycle over the region. To determine the effect that biomass burning has on ozone concentrations over the MASP, we analyzed wind trajectories and satellite-derived fire counts. We cannot state unequivocally that biomass burning contributed to higher ozone concentrations above the boundary layer during the experimental campaigns. In the boundary layer, ozone concentrations increase with altitude, peaking at the base of the inversion layer, suggesting that local emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides play a significant role in the lower troposphere over MASP, influencing ozone formation not only at the surface but also vertically in the atmosphere and in distant regions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of acute magnesium loading on the maximal exercise performance of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

OBJECTIVE: The potential influence of magnesium on exercise performance is a subject of increasing interest. Magnesium has been shown to have bronchodilatatory properties in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute magnesium IV loading on the aerobic exercise performance of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. METHODS: Twenty male chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients (66.2 +/- 8.3 years old, FEV1: 49.3 +/- 19.8%) received an IV infusion of 2 g of either magnesium sulfate or saline on two randomly assigned occasions approximately two days apart. Spirometry was performed both before and 45 minutes after the infusions. A symptom-limited incremental maximal cardiopulmonary test was performed on a cycle ergometer at approximately 100 minutes after the end of the infusion. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00500864 RESULTS: Magnesium infusion was associated with significant reductions in the functional residual capacity (-0.41 l) and residual volume (-0.47 l), the mean arterial blood pressure (-5.6 mmHg) and the cardiac double product (734.8 mmHg.bpm) at rest. Magnesium treatment led to significant increases in the maximal load reached (+8 w) and the respiratory exchange ratio (0.06) at peak exercise. The subgroup of patients who showed increases in the work load equal to or greater than 5 w also exhibited significantly greater improvements in inspiratory capacity (0.29 l). CONCLUSIONS: The acute IV loading of magnesium promotes a reduction in static lung hyperinflation and improves the exercise performance in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Improvements in respiratory mechanics appear to be responsible for the latter finding.

Assessment of field fertility and several in vitro sperm characteristics following the use of different Angus sires in a timed-AI program with suckled Nelore cows

In order to provide information that may help researchers to understand the main cause(s) of differences in bull fertility frequently observed in field trials, this study aimed to investigate conception rates as well as several in vitro sperm characteristics of different sires of unknown fertility utilized in a Timed-AI (TAI) program. Suckled Nelore cows submitted to the same TAI protocol were allocated into eight breeding groups of approximately 120 animals each. Frozen semen doses from three Angus bulls and three different batches from each bull were utilized. Approximately 100 doses from each batch were used in TAI. Sires, batches and AI technicians were equally distributed across breeding groups. Cows were examined for pregnancy diagnosis 40 d after TAI. For in vitro sperm analyses, the same thawing procedure was repeated in the laboratory to mimic field conditions. The following in vitro sperm characteristics were assessed: computerized motility, thermal resistance, plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, morphology, morphometry and chromatin structure. No effect of breeding group, body condition score, AI technician and sire was observed. However, some significant differences among bulls were detected in laboratory analyses. Semen from sire presenting numerically lower (P > 0.05) pregnancy/AI also presented lower (P < 0.05) values in all sperm characteristics analyzed in thermal resistance test at 4 h (Total Motility, Progressive Motility, Average Path Velocity, Straight-Line Velocity, Curvilinear Velocity, Amplitude of Lateral Head Displacement, Beat Cross Frequency, Straightness, Linearity, and Percentage of Rapidly Moving Cells), higher (P < 0.05) Major and Total Defects in sperm morphological test, lower (P < 0.05) Length, Ellipticity and Fourier parameter (Fourier 0) in sperm morphometric analysis as well as higher (P < 0.05) chromatin heterogeneity. It was concluded that, although no bull effect was observed in the field experiment, the sire that presented numerically lower pregnancy/AI also presented lower semen quality according to the laboratory analyses performed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Asignación de profundidad significativa a las observaciones remotas de la temperatura superficial del mar

Se asigna una profundidad efectiva para las medidas de temperatura superficial del mar obtenida mediante AVHRR en aguas del Atlántico Centro-Oriental. Las distribuciones espaciales de temperatura a cierta profundidad pueden definirse por satélite. En la mesoescala (l° mes) y para una precisión absoluta de 1ºK. Se encuentra que el espesor de la capa homogénea varía entre unos 100 m en febrero aproximadamente 20m de septiembre. ABSTRACT: Using a 11 years time series of monthly mean AVHRR sea surface temperatures and a comparable time series of XBT data for Central Eastem Atlantic, a representative depth is assigned to satellite measurements. At mesoscale (1 degree, month resolution) the thickness of fue homogeneous surface layer varíes from approximately 100 m in February to only 20 m in september, for an accuracy of loK in the temperature deterrnination.

Identification of surface protein complexes of Streptococcus pyogenes through protein microarray technology

A systematic characterization of the composition and structure of the bacterial cell-surface proteome and its complexes can provide an invaluable tool for its comprehensive understanding. The knowledge of protein complexes composition and structure could offer new, more effective targets for a more specific and consequently effective immune response against a complex instead of a single protein. Large-scale protein-protein interaction screens are the first step towards the identification of complexes and their attribution to specific pathways. Currently, several methods exist for identifying protein interactions and protein microarrays provide the most appealing alternative to existing techniques for a high throughput screening of protein-protein interactions in vitro under reasonably straightforward conditions. In this study approximately 100 proteins of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) predicted to be secreted or surface exposed by genomic and proteomic approaches were purified in a His-tagged form and used to generate protein microarrays on nitrocellulose-coated slides. To identify protein-protein interactions each purified protein was then labeled with biotin, hybridized to the microarray and interactions were detected with Cy3-labelled streptavidin. Only reciprocal interactions, i. e. binding of the same two interactors irrespective of which of the two partners is in solid-phase or in solution, were taken as bona fide protein-protein interactions. Using this approach, we have identified 20 interactors of one of the potent toxins secreted by GAS and known as superantigens. Several of these interactors belong to the molecular chaperone or protein folding catalyst families and presumably are involved in the secretion and folding of the superantigen. In addition, a very interesting interaction was found between the superantigen and the substrate binding subunit of a well characterized ABC transporter. This finding opens a new perspective on the current understanding of how superantigens are modified by the bacterial cell in order to become major players in causing disease.

Symbolic Dynamics Analysis: a new methodology for foetal heart rate variability analysis

Cardiotocography (CTG) is a widespread foetal diagnostic methods. However, it lacks of objectivity and reproducibility since its dependence on observer's expertise. To overcome these limitations, more objective methods for CTG interpretation have been proposed. In particular, many developed techniques aim to assess the foetal heart rate variability (FHRV). Among them, some methodologies from nonlinear systems theory have been applied to the study of FHRV. All the techniques have proved to be helpful in specific cases. Nevertheless, none of them is more reliable than the others. Therefore, an in-depth study is necessary. The aim of this work is to deepen the FHRV analysis through the Symbolic Dynamics Analysis (SDA), a nonlinear technique already successfully employed for HRV analysis. Thanks to its simplicity of interpretation, it could be a useful tool for clinicians. We performed a literature study involving about 200 references on HRV and FHRV analysis; approximately 100 works were focused on non-linear techniques. Then, in order to compare linear and non-linear methods, we carried out a multiparametric study. 580 antepartum recordings of healthy fetuses were examined. Signals were processed using an updated software for CTG analysis and a new developed software for generating simulated CTG traces. Finally, statistical tests and regression analyses were carried out for estimating relationships among extracted indexes and other clinical information. Results confirm that none of the employed techniques is more reliable than the others. Moreover, in agreement with the literature, each analysis should take into account two relevant parameters, the foetal status and the week of gestation. Regarding the SDA, results show its promising capabilities in FHRV analysis. It allows recognizing foetal status, gestation week and global variability of FHR signals, even better than other methods. Nevertheless, further studies, which should involve even pathological cases, are necessary to establish its reliability.

Unmittelbare, dauerhafte sowie evolutionäre Anpassung an Fremdstoffexpositionen

Eine der Hauptursachen für unerwünschte oder reduzierte Wirkungen von Medikamenten ist die Induktion von Enzymen und Transportern des Medikamentenstoffwechsels. Diese Induktion stellt ursprünglich eine physiologische Reaktion auf die Aufnahme von potentiell schädlichen Fremdstoffen aus der Umwelt dar und sichert so die Gesundheit und Fortpflanzungsfähigkeit von Lebewesen. Beim Menschen sowie anderen Säugetieren werden Fremdstoffe hauptsächlich von den nukleären Rezeptoren PXR und CAR in der Leber und im Dünndarm detektiert. Zu den Medikamenten, welche über PXR und CAR wirken, gehören unter anderem Antikonvulsiva, Statine, antiretrovirale Medikamente, Glucocorticoide sowie Antimykotika. Die durch Fremdstoffe aktivierten Transkriptionsfaktoren PXR und CAR steigern die Menge der Enzyme und Transporter des Fremdstoffmetabolismus. Hierzu zählen vor allem die Cytochrom P450-Enzyme (Cyp-Enzyme) mit breitem Substratspektrum oder der Transporter MDR1, welcher eine Vielzahl von Substraten über Membranen transportiert. Durch die Biotransformation werden die induzierenden, lipophilen Substanzen so modifiziert, dass sie leichter über den Urin oder die Galle ausgeschieden werden können. \r\nDie Dauer der Induktion sollte auf die Zeit der Fremdstoffexposition beschränkt sein, um Störungen des endogenen Stoffwechsels zu vermindern. In dieser Arbeit werden jedoch Hinweise auf dauerhafte und sogar generationsübergreifende Effekte von Medikamenten in Mäusen geliefert. Nachkommen von Müttern, welche bereits vor ihrer Verpaarung einmalig mit TCPOBOP, einem Liganden des murinen CAR, injiziert wurden, hatten eine ungefähr 100-fach gesteigerte Genexpression von Cyp2b10. Auch gab es Expressionsänderungen von Genen, deren Produkte eine Rolle im Lipidstoffwechsel sowie bei Immunkrankheiten spielen. Eine Hochdurchsatz-RNA-Sequenzierung der injizierten Elterngeneration ergab außerdem dauerhafte Expressionsveränderungen anderer Gene des Medikamentenstoffwechsels sowie von Genen mit Verbindung zum Energiemetabolismus. \r\nBerücksichtigt man die enge evolutionäre Verwandtschaft der nukleären Rezeptoren CAR und PXR, sind Langzeitveränderungen auch für PXR möglich und wurden im Verlauf dieser Arbeit ebenfalls untersucht. Eine Hochdurchsatz-Sequenzierung ergab für Mäuse, welche mit dem PXR-Aktivator PCN induziert wurden, dass selbst noch drei Monate nach der Exposition Gene verändert exprimiert waren, welche im Zusammenhang mit Lebernekrosen stehen. Bei Nachkommen von PCN-injizierten Müttern wurden Gene unterschiedlich exprimiert, welche eine Rolle bei der Energiehomöostase sowie im Glukosestoffwechsel spielen. Im Erwachsenenalter sind bei diesen Nachkommen darüber hinaus noch Gene unterschiedlich exprimiert, deren Produkte eine Funktion in der Immunantwort haben. \r\nDa Erwachsene aufgrund ihrer Lebensdauer sowie der absoluten Krankheitshäufigkeit wesentlich öfter Kontakt mit Fremdstoffen haben, war medizinisch von besonderem Interesse, ob anhaltende Genexpressionsänderungen auch bei Erwachsenen zu beobachten sind. So konnte im Rahmen dieser Arbeit gezeigt werden, dass auch einmalig exponierte Adulttiere Gene dauerhaft verändert exprimieren und die Veränderungen im Medikamentenstoffwechsel an die nächste Generation übertrugen. \r\n\r\nBisher sind klinische Studien zur Risikobewertung von Medikamenten (Pharmakovigilanz) nicht generationsübergreifend angelegt. Diese Arbeit gibt Anstöße dafür, dass dies in Zukunft für viel mehr Medikamente notwendig werden könnte. Neben Veränderungen im Medikamentenstoffwechsel ergeben sich Nebenwirkungen von PXR- und CAR-Liganden vor allem aus ihrer Beteiligung an endogenen Stoffwechselwegen. Nach Aktivierung von CAR, welcher viele metabolische Stoffwechselwege steuert, treten beispielsweise Störungen des Energiestoffwechsels auf. Ein tieferes Verständnis der Rezeptoraktivität von CAR samt einer gezielten Modulierung seiner Aktivität würde wichtige Beiträge zum Verständnis der Regulation des Fremdstoffmetabolismus sowie der Entstehung von Nebenwirkungen durch eine Behandlung mit CAR-Liganden leisten. Dauerhafte Veränderungen endogener Stoffwechselwege könnten dann möglicherweise über eine pharmakologische Modulierung der CAR-Aktivität reduziert werden. \r\nZu diesem Zweck wurden im Verlauf dieser Arbeit die CAR-Rezeptoren der Amphibien (Xenopus tropicalis, Xenopus laevis) und Reptilien (Anolis carolinensis) erstmals kloniert, als Proteine exprimiert und charakterisiert. Vergleiche zwischen Tierarten ermöglichen ein besseres Verständnis von humanen Proteinen. Funktionelle Analysen ergaben Ähnlichkeiten des Xenopus laevis-CAR mit dem PXR der Säugetiere: eine niedrige basale Aktivität sowie eine starke Induzierbarkeit durch Liganden. In weiteren funktionellen Analysen wurden die Determinanten der basalen Aktivität des Xenopus laevis-CAR untersucht. Die basale Aktivität war nicht abhängig von der subzellulären Lokalisation, sondern ergab sich aus der Proteinstruktur, welche nur beim CAR der Landvertebraten in einer aktiven Konformation fixiert ist. Ähnlich dem PXR der Säugetiere besitzt CAR der Amphibien eine Aktivierungsdomäne, welche erst durch Ligandenbindung in eine aktive Konformation gebracht wird. Mutationen einzelner Aminosäuren zum jeweils humanen Homolog erhöhten die basale Aktivität des Xenopus laevis-CAR auf die des humanen Rezeptors. Diese Mutanten mit erhöhter basalen Aktivität zeigten eine verstärkte Interaktion mit dem Kofaktor PGC-1a, einem Regulator des Energiestoffwechsels bei Säugetieren. Die hepatischen Zielgene des CAR der Amphibien überlappen zum Teil mit den humanen Zielgenen und spielen ebenfalls eine Rolle im Energiestoffwechsel.

Biocompatibility assessment of the first generation PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device

The PediaFlow pediatric ventricular assist device is a miniature magnetically levitated mixed flow pump under development for circulatory support of newborns and infants (3-15 kg) with a targeted flow range of 0.3-1.5 L/min. The first generation design of the PediaFlow (PF1) was manufactured with a weight of approximately 100 g, priming volume less than 2 mL, length of 51 mm, outer diameter of 28 mm, and with 5-mm blood ports. PF1 was evaluated in an in vitro flow loop for 6 h and implanted in ovines for three chronic experiments of 6, 17, and 10 days. In the in vitro test, normalized index of hemolysis was 0.0087 ± 0.0024 g/100L. Hemodynamic performance and blood biocompatibility of PF1 were characterized in vivo by measurements of plasma free hemoglobin, plasma fibrinogen, total plasma protein, and with novel flow cytometric assays to quantify circulating activated ovine platelets. The mean plasma free hemoglobin values for the three chronic studies were 4.6 ± 2.7, 13.3 ± 7.9, and 8.8 ± 3.3 mg/dL, respectively. Platelet activation was low for portions of several studies but consistently rose along with observed animal and pump complications. The PF1 prototype generated promising results in terms of low hemolysis and platelet activation in the absence of complications. Hemodynamic results validated the magnetic bearing design and provided the platform for design iterations to meet the objective of providing circulatory support for young children with exceptional biocompatibility.

N-(3-Cyanophenyl)-2-phenylacetamide, an effective inhibitor of morbillivirus-induced membrane fusion with low cytotoxicity

Based on the structural similarity of viral fusion proteins within the family Paramyxoviridae, we tested recently described and newly synthesized acetanilide derivatives for their capacity to inhibit measles virus (MV)-, canine distemper virus (CDV)- and Nipah virus (NiV)-induced membrane fusion. We found that N-(3-cyanophenyl)-2-phenylacetamide (compound 1) has a high capacity to inhibit MV- and CDV-induced (IC(50) muM), but not NiV-induced, membrane fusion. This compound is of outstanding interest because it can be easily synthesized and its cytotoxicity is low [50 % cytotoxic concentration (CC(50)) >/= 300 muM], leading to a CC(50)/IC(50) ratio of approximately 100. In addition, primary human peripheral blood lymphocytes and primary dog brain cell cultures (DBC) also tolerate high concentrations of compound 1. Infection of human PBMC with recombinant wild-type MV is inhibited by an IC(50) of approximately 20 muM. The cell-to-cell spread of recombinant wild-type CDV in persistently infected DBC can be nearly completely inhibited by compound 1 at 50 muM, indicating that the virus spread between brain cells is dependent on the activity of the viral fusion protein. Our findings demonstrate that this compound is a most applicable inhibitor of morbillivirus-induced membrane fusion in tissue culture experiments including highly sensitive primary cells.

[Alban Köhler (1874-1947): Inventor of grid therapy]

Grid (or sieve) therapy ("Gitter-" oder "Siebtherapie"), spatially fractionated kilo- and megavolt X-ray therapy, was invented in 1909 by Alban Köhler, a radiologist in Wiesbaden, Germany. He tested it on several patients before 1913 using approximately 60-70kV Hittorf-Crookes tubes. Köhler pushed the X-ray tube's lead-shielded housing against a stiff grid of 1 mm-square iron wires woven 3.0-3.5mm on center, taped tightly to the skin over a thin chamois. Numerous islets unshielded by iron in the pressure-blanched skin were irradiated with up to about 6 erythema doses (ED). The skin was then thoroughly cleansed, disinfected, and bandaged; delayed punctate necrosis healed in several weeks. Although grid therapy was disparaged or ignored until the 1930s, it has been used successfully since then to shrink bulky malignancies. Also, advanced cancers in rats and mice have been mitigated or ablated using Köhler's concept since the early 1990s by unidirectional or stereotactic exposure to an array of nearly parallel microplanar (25-75μm-wide) beams of very intense, moderately hard (median energy approximately 100 keV) synchrotron-generated X rays spaced 0.1-0.4mm on center. Such beams maintain sharp edges at high doses well beneath the skin yet confer little toxicity. They could palliate some otherwise intractable malignancies, perhaps in young children too, with tolerable sequelae. There are plans for such studies in larger animals.

A pilot case-control study of behavioral aspects and risk factors in Swiss climbers

Climbing is a popular sport in Switzerland, with approximately 100 000 active participants. There is an inherent risk of falls, overuse and stress-related trauma, with a reported injury rate of 4.2 injuries per 1000 climbing hours.