Graph analysis of verbal fluency test discriminate between patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal elderly controls

Verbal fluency is the ability to produce a satisfying sequence of spoken words during a given time interval. The core of verbal fluency lies in the capacity to manage the executive aspects of language. The standard scores of the semantic verbal fluency test are broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of the elderly, and different analytical methods are likely to extract even more information from the data generated in this test. Graph theory, a mathematical approach to analyze relations between items, represents a promising tool to understand a variety of neuropsychological states. This study reports a graph analysis of data generated by the semantic verbal fluency test by cognitively healthy elderly (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment – subtypes amnestic(aMCI) and amnestic multiple domain (a+mdMCI) - and patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sequences of words were represented as a speech graph in which every word corresponded to a node and temporal links between words were represented by directed edges. To characterize the structure of the data we calculated 13 speech graph attributes (SGAs). The individuals were compared when divided in three (NC – MCI – AD) and four (NC – aMCI – a+mdMCI – AD) groups. When the three groups were compared, significant differences were found in the standard measure of correct words produced, and three SGA: diameter, average shortest path, and network density. SGA sorted the elderly groups with good specificity and sensitivity. When the four groups were compared, the groups differed significantly in network density, except between the two MCI subtypes and NC and aMCI. The diameter of the network and the average shortest path were significantly different between the NC and AD, and between aMCI and AD. SGA sorted the elderly in their groups with good specificity and sensitivity, performing better than the standard score of the task. These findings provide support for a new methodological frame to assess the strength of semantic memory through the verbal fluency task, with potential to amplify the predictive power of this test. Graph analysis is likely to become clinically relevant in neurology and psychiatry, and may be particularly useful for the differential diagnosis of the elderly.

Respostas hematológicas em tuvira após anestesia com diferentes concentrações de óleo de cravo

The hematological responses in tuvira (Gymnotus aff. inaequilabiatus) after clove oil anesthesia at different concentrations were evaluated in this study. Fish (n = 25) with average length of 26.8 +/- 2.4 cm and weighing 94.4 +/- 23.6 g were separated in five groups composed with five animals each and submitted individually to respective concentrations of clove oil: 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 mg L-1. After anesthetic recuperation, the blood samples collection were performed, as well as complete hemogram. The results were submitted to analysis of variance, Tukey test (P<0.05) and Sperman's correlation analysis. There was an increase (P<0.05) on hematocrit, red blood cells count, thrombocytes count and in the values of neutrophils with increasing of clove oil concentrations. In addition, positive correlation (P<0.05) were observed on total leukocytes, as well as negative linear correlation (P<0.05) for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The clove oil anesthesia on tuvira cause hematological changes with an effect dose-dependent. These changes should be considered mainly in future studies designed to establish the reference values of hematologic variables for this specie.

Sociedade civil no espaço de atuação com juventude: uma cartografia social

This report has as its objective the setting up of a social cartography, mapping and characterizing non-governmental organizations working with adolescents and young people (OSC) in the western districts of the city of Natal. Characteristics such as the profile, themes and principal activities, how the organizations fit into the public sector and their participation in social networks are observed. Thus common differences and similarities which serve as a means of indentification, take as reference the symbolic cartography of Boaventura of Sousa Santos. Since there are relatively few studies relating to civil society of Rio Grande do Norte and in particular, Natal, the starting point was the setting up of a database allowing for a general overview. Hence a panorama of the organizations could be observed: where they are located, when they were formed how they operate and their relationships with other sectors (the state, the market and civil society) in addition to basic facts and location. The principal lines of enquiry were a) the OSC which operate with the public comprising adolescents and young people and b) the OSC operating or having branches in four suburbs on the periphery of the western administrative region of the city (Felipe Camarão, Bom Pastor, Cidade Nova and Guararapes).The present report has identified the impacts of ongoing social transformation caused by the process of globalization ,by the various currently contested political projects which are as follows: the project of neoliberal globalized capitalism(hegemonic)and the project of social emancipation (contra-hegemonic),how these are seen from the local viewpoint and how they influence the profiles and operation of the cartographic organizations. The area of the OSC is a heterogenous one with political, cultural and ideological strains, characterized by its infiltration, its local/global and multicultural dimensions. As civil organizations are fundamental in the processes of transformation within society, and following the idea of social emancipation referred to by Boaventura Santos, the enquiry classified the organizations according to the afore-mentioned characteristics, establishing eight types of associations. These different types and their respective characteristics were analysed from a related perspective using the mechanisms of symbolic cartography: scale, projection and symbolisation. The theoretical references underpinning this research arise from the debate on civil society which becomes redefined as a result of the dispute involving the two afore-mentioned political projects. These demand the theoretical application of the comprehension of heterogeneity in its diversity and complexity together with the idea of social emancipation.The main authors consulted were Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Antonio Gramsci, through the texts translated by Marco Aurelio Nogueira; Carlos Nelson Coutinho and Alberto Rivera ,who supported the construction of the types of associations identified by the local reality.Finally this research enabled an understanding of the current form of social action happening in the Space of the Four Neighbourhoods (Espaço dos 4 Bairros) and how the distinct profiles analysed together with the ares of operation of the organizations define their emancipatory potencials within the following two poles: regulation/adaptation and emancipation/transformation

Sandfly fauna in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Thermal analysis as a screening technique for the characterization of babassu flour and its solid fractions after acid and enzymatic hydrolysis

The babassu (Orbignya phalerata) is a native tree found in northern Brazil. Extracts of the babassu coconut have been widely used in industry. Babassu flour has about 60% starch, thus, besides nourishment it can be used as an alternative biofuel source. However, the properties of this starch lack of study and understanding. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the thermal behavior of raw babassu flour and its solid hydrolyzed fraction. The analyses were carried out using SHIMADZU DSC and TG thermic analyzers. The results demonstrated a reduction in thermal stability of the solid hydrolyzed fraction compared to raw matter. The kinetic parameters were investigated using non-isothermal methods and the parameters obtained for its decomposition process were an E(a) of 166.86 kJ mol(-1) and a frequency factor (beta) of 6.283 x 1014 min(-1); this was determined to be a first order reaction (n = 1). (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of swim training on liver carcinogenesis in male Wistar rats fed a low-fat or high-fat diet

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Polymorphisms in the AR and PSA Genes as Markers of Susceptibility and Aggressiveness in Prostate Cancer

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Prevalence of hysteroscopic findings and histologic diagnoses in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding

Objective: To describe the prevalence of hysteroscopic findings and histologic diagnoses inpatients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).Design: Retrospective series of consecutive patients.Setting: Tertiary care University hospital and private office.Patient(s): Four thousand fifty-four hysteroscopies with biopsy in patients with AUB evaluated between June 1993 and December 2004.Intervention(S): Hysteroscopies were performed using 2.9-mm or 4-mm telescopes with CO2 or saline as the distension media. Biopsies were (lone with a 5-mm grasper or with a Novak's curette.Main Outcome Measure(s): Prevalence of hysteroscopic findings and histologic analysis of biopsies.Result(S): Endometrial polyp was the most frequent hysteroscopic finding, accounting for 1,374 (33.9%) cases. Normal uterine cavity and cervical canal were found in 814 (20.1%) patients. Submucous fibroids were diagnosed in 302 (7.5%) women. Normal endometrium was the most frequent histologic diagnosis, accounting for 1,888 (46.6%) cases. Endometrial polyp was found in 1, 115 (27.5%) patients. Endometrial hyperplasia was diagnosed in 613 (15.1%) and endometrial cancer in 105 (2.6%) women.Conclusion(s): Endometrial polyps are the most frequent hysteroscopic findings in patients with AUB, whereas normal endometrium is the most frequent histologic diagnosis.

Therapeutic Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy After Premolar Extraction in Adolescents: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on wound healing process and pain levels after premolar extraction in adolescents. Background data: The advantage of using LLLT in oral surgeries is the reduction of inflammation and postoperative discomfort; however, the optimal dosing parameters and treatment effects in surgical procedures are inconclusive. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted with 14 patients who were to undergo surgical removal of premolars. Patients were randomly allocated to the LLLT (test) group and placebo (control) group. Patients in the test group received 5.1 J (60 J/cm(2)) of energy density of a gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser (wavelength, 830 nm; output power, 0.1 W) at three different points intraorally, 1 cm from the target tissue immediately and at 48 and 72 h after the surgical procedure. For patients in the placebo group, the laser device was applied to the same points without activating the hand piece. The wound healing process was evaluated by an independent examiner by visual inspection with the support of digital photographs at baseline and 2, 7, and 15 days postoperatively. Patients recorded the degree of pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Compared with the placebo group, the test group showed a lower intensity of pain, but this difference was not statistically significant at any time point. The wound healing process was similar in both groups. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the LLLT parameters used neither increased the wound healing process nor significantly decreased pain intensity after premolar extraction in adolescents.

Conservation puzzle: Endangered hyacinth macaw depends on its nest predator for reproduction

In the Pantanal wetlands of Central Brazil, the endangered hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), the largest psitacid in the world, makes its nest almost exclusively in natural hollows found in the manduvi tree (Sterculia apetala). The recruitment of manduvis greatly depends on the seed dispersal services provided by the toco toucan (Ramphastos toco), responsible for 83.3% of the seed dispersal. The toco toucan, however, is responsible for about 53% of the preyed eggs, resulting in a case of conflicting ecological pressures in which the reproduction of the hyacinth macaw is indirectly dependent on the seed dispersal services of its nest predator. The case illustrates the intricacies of biotic interactions in species-rich environments where species may be tied by indirect, subtle ecological links which conservationists should be aware of. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LEK BEHAVIOR of THE PLOVERCREST (STEPHANOXIS LALANDI, TROCHILIDAE)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lek phenology of the White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus, Aves: Passeriformes: Pipridae) in a subtropical region

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Birds and bats diverge in the qualitative and quantitative components of seed dispersal of a pioneer tree

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Thermoanalytical study of the complexes of 4-dimetilaminocinnamylidenepiruvate with manganese (II), cobalt (II), nickel (II), cupper (II), zinc (II) and lead (II), in the solid state

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)