Usefulness of a rapid immunometric assay for intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurements

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IO-PTH) measurements have been proposed to improve operative success rates in primary, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism (PHP, SHP and THP). Thirty-one patients requiring parathyroidectomy were evaluated retrospectively from June 2000 to January 2002. Sixteen had PHP, 7 SHP and 8 THP. Serum samples were taken at times 0 (before resection), 10, 20 and 30 min after resection of each abnormal parathyroid gland. Samples from 28 patients were frozen at -70ºC for subsequent tests, whereas samples from three patients were tested while surgery was being performed. IO-PTH was measured using the Elecsys immunochemiluminometric assay (Roche, Mannheim, Germany). The time necessary to perform the assay was 9 min. All samples had a second measurement taken by a conventional immunofluorimetric method. We considered as cured patients who presented normocalcemia in PHP and THP, and normal levels of PTH in SHP one month after surgery and who remained in this condition throughout the follow-up of 1 to 20 months. When rapid PTH assay was compared with a routine immunofluorimetric assay, excellent correlation was observed (r = 0.959, P < 0.0001). IO-PTH measurement showed a rapid average decline of 78.8% in PTH 10 min after adenoma resection in PHP and all patients were cured. SHP patients had an average IO-PTH decrease of 89% 30 min after total parathyroidectomy and cure was observed in 85.7%. THP showed an average IO-PTH decrease of 91.9%, and cure was obtained in 87.5% of patients. IO-PTH can be a useful tool that might improve the rate of successful treatment of PHP, SHP and THP.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Disciplina de EndocrinologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Disciplina de NefrologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Disciplina de Cirurgia de Cabeça e PescoçoUNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina de EndocrinologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina de NefrologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina de Cirurgia de Cabeça e PescoçoSciEL

Spontaneous Puberty In Girls With Early Diagnosis Of Turner Syndrome [puberdade Espontânea Em Meninas Com Diagnóstico Precoce De Síndrome De Turner]

Objective: To verify if the frequency of spontaneous pubertal development among girls with Turner syndrome (TS) diagnosed in infancy and childhood is greater than that of patients diagnosed later. Subjects and methods: Thirty three girls aged 13 years diagnosed at the same service. Results: Sixteen of 32 informative patients had signs of spontaneous puberty, a frequency greater than that of patients diagnosed later. In six patients, there was no progression of puberty; menarche occurred in six, and one became pregnant, but the fetus was a stillborn. Spontaneous puberty was absent in all cases with 45,X karyotype. Conclusions: The greater prevalence of spontaneous puberty in girls whose diagnosis was not based on pubertal delay suggests that, among those diagnosed later, there is a bias towards patients with hypogonadism. © ABE&M todos os direitos reservados.569653657Bondy, C.A., Turner syndrome study group. Care of girls and women with Turner syndrome: A guideline of the Turner Syndrome Study Group (2007) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 92 (1), pp. 10-25Reynaud, K., Cortvrindt, R., Verlinde, F., de Schepper, J., Bourgain, C., Smitz, J., Number of ovarian follicles in human fetuses with the 45, X karyotype (2004) Fertil Steril., 81 (4), pp. 1112-1119Conte, F.A., Grumbach, M.M., Kaplan, S.L., A diphasic pattern of gonadotropin secretion in patients with the syndrome of gonadal dysgenesis (1975) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 40 (4), pp. 670-674Ropelato, M.G., Escobar, M.E., Gottlieb, S., Bergada, C., Gonadotropin secretion in prepubertal normal and agonadal children evaluated by ultrasensitive time-resolved immunofluorometric assays (1997) Horm Res., 48 (4), pp. 164-172Chrysis, D., Spiliotis, B.E., Stene, M., Cacciari, E., Davenport, M.L., Gonadotropin secretion in girls with Turner syndrome measured by an ultrasensitive immunochemiluminometric assay (2006) Horm Res., 65 (5), pp. 261-266Turner, H.H., A syndrome of infantilism, congenital webbed neck and cubitus valgus (1938) Endocrinology, 23, pp. 566-574Lippe, B., Westra, S.J., Boechat, M.I., Ovarian function in Turner syndrome: Recognizing the spectrum (1993) Basic and clinical approach to Turner syndrome, pp. 117-122. , In: Hibi I, Takano K, editors, Amsterdam, NL: Elsevier Science PublishersPrice, D.A., Albertsson-Wikland, K., Demography, auxology and response to recombinant human growth hormone treatment in girls with Turner's syndrome in the Kabi Pharmacia International growth study (1993) Acta Paediatr., 82 (s391), pp. 69-74Lippe, B., Turner syndrome (1996) Pediatric Endocrinology, pp. 387-422. , In: Sperling MA, editor, Philadelphia, USA: WB SaundersPasquino, A.M., Passeri, F., Pucarelli, I., Segni, M., Municchi, G., Italian's Study Group for Turner's syndrome. Spontaneous pubertal development in Turner's syndrome (1997) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 82 (6), pp. 1810-1813Hjerrild, B.E., Mortensen, K.H., Gravholt, C.H., Turner syndrome and clinical treatment (2008) Br Med Bull., 86, pp. 77-93Hadnott, T.N., Gould, H.N., Gharib, A.M., Bondy, C.A., Outcomes of spontaneous and assisted pregnancies in Turner syndrome: The U.S. National Institutes of Health experience (2011) Fertil Steril., 95 (7), pp. 2251-2256Carvalho, A.B., Guerra Jr., G., Baptista, M.T.M., Marques-de-Faria, A.P., Lemos-Marini, S.H., Maciel-Guerra, A.T., Turner syndrome: A pediatric diagnosis frequently made by non-pediatricians (2010) J Pediatr (Rio J), 86 (2), pp. 121-125Sutton, E.J., McInerney-Leo, A., Bondy, C.A., Gollust, S.E., King, D., Biesecker, B., Turner syndrome: Four challenges across the lifespan (2005) Am J Med Genet A., 139 A (2), pp. 57-66Hagen, C.P., Main, K.M., Kjaergaard, S., Juul, A., FSH, LH, inhibin B and estradiol levels in Turner syndrome depend on age and karyotype: Longitudinal study of 70 Turner girls with or without spontaneous puberty (2010) Hum Reprod., 25 (12), pp. 3134-3141Fechner, P.Y., Davenport, M.L., Qualy, R.L., Ross, J.L., Gunther, D.F., Eugster, E.A., Differences in follicle-stimulating hormone secretion between 45, X monosomy Turner syndrome and 45, X/46, XX mosaicism are evident at an early age (2006) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 91 (12), pp. 4896-4902Hook, E.B., Exclusion of chromosome mosaicism: Tables of 90 percent, 95 percent and 99 percent confidence limits and comments on use (1977) Am J Hum Genet., 29, pp. 94-97Massa, G., Verlinde, F., de Schepper, J., Thomas, M., Bourguignon, J.P., Craen, M., Trends in age at diagnosis of Turner syndrome (2005) Arch Dis Child, 90 (3), pp. 267-268Hagen, C.P., Aksglaede, L., Sørensen, K., Main, K.M., Boas, M., Cleemann, L., Serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone as a marker of ovarian function in 926 healthy females from birth to adulthood and in 172 Turner syndrome patients (2012) J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 95 (11), pp. 5003-501

Soil organisms in organic and conventional cropping systems.

Apesar do crescente interesse pela agricultura orgânica, são poucas as informações de pesquisa disponíveis sobre o assunto. Assim, num Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico foram comparados os efeitos de sistemas de cultivo orgânico e convencional, para as culturas do tomate (Lycopersicum esculentum) e do milho (Zea mays), sobre a comunidade de organismos do solo e suas atividades. As populações de fungos,bactérias e actinomicetos, determinadas pela contagem de colônias em meio de cultura, foram semelhantes para os dois sistemas de produção. A atividade microbiana, avaliada pela evolução de CO2, manteve-se superior no sistema orgânico, sendo que em determinadas avaliações foi o dobro da evolução verificada no sistema convencional. O número de espécimes de minhoca foi praticamente dez vezes maior no sistema orgânico. Não foi observada diferença na taxa de decomposição de matéria orgânica entre os dois sistemas. De modo geral, o número de indivíduos de microartrópodos foi superior no sistema orgânico do que no sistema convencional, refletindo no maior índice de diversidade de Shannon. As maiores populações de insetos foram as da ordem Collembola, enquanto para os ácaros a maior população foi a da superfamília Oribatuloidea. Indivíduos dos grupos Aranae, Chilopoda, Dyplopoda, Pauropoda, Protura e Symphyla foram ocasionalmente coletados e de forma similar entre os sistemas

Partial sequence and toxic effects of granulitoxin, a neurotoxic peptide from the sea anemone Bunodosoma granulifera

A neurotoxic peptide, granulitoxin (GRX), was isolated from the sea anemone Bunodosoma granulifera. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of GRX is AKTGILDSDGPTVAGNSLSGT and its molecular mass is 4958 Da by electrospray mass spectrometry. This sequence presents a partial degree of homology with other toxins from sea anemones such as Bunodosoma caissarum, Anthopleura fuscoviridis and Anemonia sulcata. However, important differences were found: the first six amino acids of the sequence are different, Arg-14 was replaced by Ala and no cysteine residues were present in the partial sequence, while two cysteine residues were present in the first 21 amino acids of other toxins described above. Purified GRX injected ip (800 µg/kg) into mice produced severe neurotoxic effects such as circular movements, aggressive behavior, dyspnea, tonic-clonic convulsion and death. The 2-h LD50 of GRX was 400 ± 83 µg/kg

Impact of the intensification of beef production in Brazil on greenhouse gas emissions

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of increasing pasture productivity using fertilizers, forage legumes, supplements and concentrates, on the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in five scenarios for beef production with Nellore cattle in the Cerrado region of Brazil. A life cycle analysis (LCA) approach, from birth of calves to mature animals ready for slaughter at the farm gate, was utilized using both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 methodologies of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the results were expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents per kg of carcass produced. The first four scenarios were based solely on cattle production on pasture, ranging from degraded Brachiaria pastures with minimal management, through to a mixed legume/Brachiaria pasture reformed every five years with P and K fertilizers and lime and an improved N fertilized (150 kg N/ha per year) pasture of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum). The most intensive scenario was also based on a fertilized Guinea grass pasture but with a 75 day finishing period in confinement with total mixed ration. To compare scenarios a herd based on 400 cows was utilized. Across the scenarios from 1 to 5 the increase in digestibility promoted a reduction in the forage intake for animal weight gain and a concomitant reduction in methane emissions per herd. For the estimation of nitrous oxide emissions from animal excreta using Tier 2, emission factors from a study in the Cerrado region were utilized which postulated lower emission from dung than from urine and much lower emissions in the long dry season in this region. Fossil carbon dioxide emissions from direct use of fuel and energy were also included in the LCA along with that necessary for the production of fertilizers, supplements and feeds. The greatest impact of intensification of the beef production systems was in the reduction of the area necessary for carcass production from 320 to 45 square meters per kg carcass. Carcass production increased from 43 to 65 Mg per herd across the scenarios from 1 to 5, and total emissions per kg carcass were estimated by Tier 2 methodology to be reduced from 53.7 to 27.9 kg carbon dioxide equivalents. GHG emissions per kg carcass were slightly lower for the mixed grass legume scenario (3), although this was partly due to the lack of data on emissions of nitrous oxide from legume residues. Another large source of uncertainty for the confection of such LCAs was the lack of data for enteric methane emissions from cattle grazing tropical forages

Branching Fractions for D0 -> K+K- and D0 -> pi+pi-, and a Search for CP Violation in D0 Decays

Using the large hadroproduced charm sample collected in experiment E791 at Fermilab, we have measured ratios of branching fractions for the two-body singly-Cabibbo-suppressed charged decays of the D0: (D0 -> KK)/(D0 -> Kpi) = 0.109 +- 0.003 +- 0.003, (D0 -> pipi)/(D0 -> Kpi) = 0.040 +- 0.002 +- 0.003, and (D0 -> KK)/(D0 -> pipi) = 2.75 +- 0.15 +- 0.16. We have looked for differences in the decay rates of D0 and D0bar to the CP eigenstates K+K- and pi+pi-, and have measured the CP asymmetry parameters A_CP(K+K-) = -0.010 +- 0.049 +- 0.012 and A_CP(pi+pi-) = -0.049 +- 0.078 +- 0.030, both consistent with zero.Comment: 10 Postscript pages, including 2 figures. Submitted to Phys. Lett.

Search for CP Violation in Charged D Meson Decays

We report results of a search for CP violation in the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays D+ -> K- K+ pi+, phi pi+, K*(892)0 K+, and pi- pi+ pi+ based on data from the charm hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab. We search for a difference in the D+ and D- decay rates for each of the final states. No evidence for a difference is seen. The decay rate asymmetry parameters A(CP), defined as the difference in the D+ and D- decay rates divided by the sum of the decay rates, are measured to be: A(CP)(K K pi) = -0.014 +/- 0.029, A(CP)(phi pi) = -0.028 +/- 0.036, A(CP)(K*(892) K) = -0.010 +/- 0.050, and A(CP)(pi pi pi) = -0.017 +/- 0.042.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; Elsevier LaTe

Asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons from 500 GeV/c pi- nucleon interactions as a function of xF and pt**2

We present asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons in Fermilab experiment E791 as a function of xF and pt**2. The data used here consist of 74,000 fully-reconstructed charmed mesons produced by a 500 GeV/c pi- beam on C and Pt foils. The measurements are compared to results of models which predict differences between the production of heavy-quark mesons that have a light quark in common with the beam (leading particles) and those that do not (non-leading particles). While the default models do not agree with our data, we can reach agreement with one of them, PYTHIA, by making a limited number of changes to parameters used

Search for Rare and Forbidden Dilepton Decays of the D+, Ds, and D0 Charmed Mesons

We report the results of a search for flavor-changing neutral current, lepton-flavor violating, and lepton-number violating decays of D+, Ds, and D0 mesons (and their antiparticles) into modes containing muons and electrons. Using data from Fermilab charm hadroproduction experiment E791, we examine the pi,l,l and K,l,l decay modes of D+ and Ds and the l+l- decay modes of D0. No evidence for any of these decays is found. Therefore, we present branching-fraction upper limits at 90% confidence level for the 24 decay modes examined. Eight of these modes have no previously reported limits, and fourteen are reported with significant improvements over previously published results.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, elsart.cls, epsf.sty, amsmath.sty Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the form-factor ratios for D+ --> K* l nu

The form factor ratios rv=V(0)/A1(0), r2=A2(0)/A1(0) and r3=A3(0)/A1(0) in the decay D+ --> K* l nu, K* -->K-pi+ have been measured using data from charm hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab. From 3034 (595) signal (background) events in the muon channel, we obtain rv=1.84+-0.11+-0.09, r2=0.75+-0.08+-0.09 and, as a first measurement of r3, we find 0.04+-0.33 +-0.29. The values of the form factor ratios rv and r2 measured for the muon channel are combined with the values of rv and r2 that we have measured in the electron channel. The combined E791 results for the muon and electron channels are rv=1.87+-0.08+-0.07 and r2=0.73+-0.06+-0.08.Comment: 9 pages + 3 figures ; submitted to PL