The Study of Tissue-Specific DNA Methylation as a Method for the Epigenetic Discrimination of Forensic Samples

In forensic sciences, the serological methods used to determine which body fluid was collected from the crime scene are merely presumptive or labor intensive since they rely on protein detection or on microscopic identification of cells. Given that certain forensic cases may need the precise identification of a body fluid to determine criminal contact, such is the example of a suspected sexual assault of a minor; certainty in the body fluid of origin may depict a precise picture of the events. The identification of loci that show differences in methylation according to the tissue of origin can aid forensic analysts in determining the origin of a DNA sample. The process of DNA methylation occurs naturally in the genome of living organisms and consists in the presence of a methyl group on the carbon 5 of a cytosine, which is typically followed by a guanine (CpG). Analyzing patterns of DNA methylation in body fluids collected from a crime scene is preferential to the analysis of proteins or mRNA since the same extracted DNA used for STR typing can be used for DNA methylation analysis. We have validated and identified loci able to discriminate blood, saliva, semen and vaginal epithelia. In the current study, we have also established the minimum amount of DNA able to provide reliable results using methodologies such as pyrosequencing and high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis for the different markers identified. Lastly, we performed an alternative bioinformatic analysis of data collected using an array that studied methylation in over 450,000 individual cytosines on the human genome. We were able to sort the locations that showed potentially higher methylation differences between body fluids and investigated over 100 of them using HRM analysis. The results of that study, allowed the identification of three new loci able to distinguish blood and two new loci able to distinguish saliva and vaginal epithelia, respectively. The use of DNA methylation patterns to aid forensic investigations started with a publication in 2010, therefore each small contribution such as this work may, similarly to what occured in the biochemistry field, result in the discovery of a method able to put the technology in the hands of forensic analysts

Lesões Ósseas Fibrosas Benignas na Criança

Procedeu-se à revisão dos Tumores Ósseos e Lesões Pseudotumorais Benignos diagnosticados na Consulta de Ortopedia do Hospital de Dona Estefânia no período de Janeiro de 1988 e Janeiro de 1995. Seleccionaram-se 130 crianças com esse diagnóstico. Cinquenta e quatro desses (42%) doentes apresentavam Tumores Fibrosos Benignos. Fez-se seguidamente uma revisão clínica, radiológica, histológica e de abordagem terapêutica dos Tumores Fibrosos Benignos encontrados na população estudada

A abordagem da pobreza e da desigualdade social no currículo escolar : percepções que fundamentam os planejamentos e a prática docente das professoras do Ensino Fundamental I de uma escola particular filantrópica do município de Ponta Grossa-PR

Orientadora : Profa Ms. Denize Kaminski FerreiraMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Educação, Curso de Especialização em Educação, Pobreza e Desigualdade SocialInclui referênciasResumo: O artigo está fundamentado na reflexão acerca do currículo escolar enquanto instrumento transformador da realidade e que tem o professor como comunicador e mediador nesse processo. Trabalhar pela educação significa assumir o compromisso de contribuir para a formação integral das crianças, adolescentes e jovens, a partir da compreensão de seu contexto e de suas necessidades. No que diz respeito às situações de pobreza, entende-se que é direito do indivíduo reconhecer-se pobre dentro de um sistema que historicamente produz e reproduz as desigualdades sociais e favorece o círculo vicioso da pobreza. A forma como os profissionais compreendem e avaliam a pobreza e as desigualdades sociais se reflete diretamente na condução das discussões acerca dessa temática no ambiente escolar, uma vez que a atuação dos professores tende a reproduzir as percepções que eles têm, assim compreende-se que é importante conhecer tais perspectivas para que se possa avaliar a prática educativa da escola e consequentemente repensá-la. Por compreender a importância da inserção da pobreza e das desigualdades sociais no currículo escolar, e não somente incluir, mas inclusive fortalecer o processo de construção de concepções fundamentadas na sua desnaturalização, procurou-se analisar junto a professoras da primeira etapa do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola particular filantrópica situada no município de Ponta Grossa - PR, como elas entendem essa relação entre a educação, a pobreza e as desigualdades sociais no currículo escolar e de que forma essa percepção se materializa ou não em sua prática profissional; buscando encontrar resposta para esta questão foi realizada a leitura e a análise dos planejamentos do período que compreende da vigésima até trigésima segunda semana do ano letivo de 2016, concomitante à aplicação de um questionário semiaberto. Evidenciou-se que o currículo da escola não prevê reflexão voltada para a questão da pobreza e desigualdade social, embora haja percepção da importância dessa questão por parte das professoras, as poucas abordagens são realizadas de forma isolada e desvinculada do currículo formal. Entretanto se percebe uma abertura bastante significativa dessas profissionais, o que gera possibilidades de promover discussões qualificadas dentro de um processo de mobilização para repensar o currículo escolar, tendo como facilitador o momento importante que a escola vive de reformulação do seu Projeto Político Pedagógico

Disseminated Well-Differentiated Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Tumors Are Associated with Metabolic Syndrome

The association of well-differentiated gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (WD GEP-NETs) with metabolic syndrome (MetS), abdominal obesity, and fasting glucose abnormalities was recently described. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of MetS or any MetS individual component was also influenced by GEP-NET characteristics at diagnosis. A cohort of patients with WD GEP-NETs (n = 134), classified according to primary tumor location (gastrointestinal or pancreatic), pathological grading (G1 (Ki67 ≤ 2%) and G2 (>3 ≤ 20%) (WHO 2010), disease extension (localized, loco-regional, and metastatic), and presence of hormonal secretion syndrome (functioning/non-functioning), was evaluated for the presence of MetS criteria. After adjustment for age and gender, the odds of having MetS was significantly higher for patients with WD GEP-NET grade G1 (OR 4.35 95%CI 1.30–14.53) and disseminated disease (OR 4.52 95%CI 1.44–14.15). GEP-NET primary tumor location or secretory syndrome did not influence the risk for MetS. None of the tumor characteristics evaluated were associated with body mass index, fasting plasma glucose category, or any of the individual MetS components. Patients with GEP-NET and MetS depicted a higher risk of presenting a lower tumor grade and disseminated disease. The positive association between MetS and GEP-NET characteristics further highlights the potential link between the two conditions.This work did not receive any funding either from public, commercial, or nonprofit agencies

Network orchestration: new role of business incubators?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of incubators in the stages of formationand development of incubated business networks, especially in bottom-up and top-down network models.Design/methodology/approach – The research is defined as qualitative and descriptive, with theapplication of multiple case studies, in which two networks of incubated businesses were investigated, onebeing top-down and the other bottom-up, which emerged within the incubation process of two businessincubators (CIETEC and INCIT). To make the study operational, 11 semi-structured interviews were carriedout and the thematic analysis of content was developed.Findings – The results pointed out that in the top-down network the incubator performs a new assignment,the network orchestration, which corresponds to the actions of formation, coordination and governance of thegroup. In the bottom-up network, it was found that the role of the incubator was to expand the value offersusually practiced.Research limitations/implications – As a limitation of the research, the very limitation of case studiesis pointed out that is they do not allow for generalizations.Practical implications – The research contributes to reflections on the effectiveness of the incubator andsheds light on the complementarity of networks in incubation processes, providing gains for incubators,incubated businesses and society.Originality/value – The originality of this document is the new role of the incubator, which isorchestration, and its categorization. The results allow us to understand the effects of providing networks andrelationships for incubated businesses. In addition, this study broadens the focus of traditional analyses of theincubator–incubated duo to consider the incubator–network–incubated trio

Nutritional value of meat lipid fraction from red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) obtained from wild and farmed specimens

Research Areas; Agriculture, Dairy & Animal ScienceArticle in International JournalABSTRACT - The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a feathered game species of great socioeconomic importance in its native range and also in the UK. The aim of this study was to present a detailed comparison of meat's lipid fraction obtained from wild and farm-raised specimens and simultaneously compare the breast and leg meat portions. Meat from wild specimens had a significant (P < 0.05) lower proportion of saturated fatty acid (less 5.1%) and presented better P/S and n-6/n-3 ratios, and atherogenicity index than farm-raised counterparts. The wild specimens presented significant (P < 0.001) higher contents of total vitamin E (8.8 vs. 2.2 mu g/g of fresh meat), is for that reason less prone to lipid peroxidation than farm-raised specimens. Meat portions differed significantly (P < 0.05) on total lipid and total cholesterol contents and in all partial sums of fatty acids. The breast was leaner (0.86 vs. 1.47 g/100 g of meat), with lower total cholesterol (37.5 vs. 54.7 mg/100 g of meat), lower saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (less 0.27, 0.28, 0.10, and 0.11 g/100 g of fresh meat, correspondingly). Regarding the fatty acid ratios and lipid quality indexes, breast meat presents better n-6/n-3 ratio and atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes.CIISAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese Prevalence of Pediatric Chronic Intestinal Failure

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio