Non-Asthmatic Patients Show Increased Exhaled Nitric Oxide Concentrations

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate whether exhaled nitric oxide may serve as a marker of intraoperative bronchospasm. INTRODUCTION: Intraoperative bronchospasm remains a challenging event during anesthesia. Previous studies in asthmatic patients suggest that exhaled nitric oxide may represent a noninvasive measure of airway inflammation. METHODS: A total of 146,358 anesthesia information forms, which were received during the period from 1999 to 2004, were reviewed. Bronchospasm was registered on 863 forms. From those, three groups were identified: 9 non-asthmatic patients (Bronchospasm group), 12 asthmatics (Asthma group) and 10 subjects with no previous airway disease or symptoms (Control group). All subjects were submitted to exhaled nitric oxide measurements (parts/billion), spirometry and the induced sputum test. The data was compared by ANOVA followed by the Tukey test and Kruskal-Wallis followed by Dunn's test. RESULTS: The normal lung function test results for the Bronchospasm group were different from those of the asthma group (p <0.05). The median percentage of eosinophils in induced sputum was higher for the Asthma [2.46 (0.45-6.83)] compared with either the Bronchospasm [0.55 (0-1.26)] or the Control group [0.0 (0)] (p <0.05); exhaled nitric oxide followed a similar pattern for the Asthma [81.55 (57.6-86.85)], Bronchospasm [46.2 (42.0 -62.6] and Control group [18.7 (16.0-24.7)] (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Non-asthmatic patients with intraoperative bronchospasm detected during anesthesia and endotracheal intubation showed increased expired nitric oxide

A Treatment with a Protease Inhibitor Recombinant from the Cattle Tick (Rhipicephalus Boophilus microplus) Ameliorates Emphysema in Mice

Aims: To determine whether a serine protease inhibitor treatment can prevent or minimize emphysema in mice.Methods: C57BL/6 mice were subjected to porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) nasal instillation to induce emphysema and were treated with a serine protease inhibitor (rBmTI-A) before (Protocol 1) and after (Protocol 2) emphysema development. in both protocols, we evaluated lung function to evaluate the airway resistance (Raw), tissue damping (Gtis) and tissue elastance (Htis). the inflammatory profile was analyzed in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) and through the use of morphometry; we measured the mean linear intercept (Lm) (to verify alveolar enlargement), the volume proportion of collagen and elastic fibers, and the numbers of macrophages and metalloprotease 12 (MMP-12) positive cells in the parenchyma. We showed that at both time points, even after the emphysema was established, the rBmTI-A treatment was sufficient to reverse the loss of elastic recoil measured by Htis, the alveolar enlargement and the increase in the total number of cells in the BALF, with a primary decrease in the number of macrophages. Although, the treatment did not control the increase in macrophages in the lung parenchyma, it was sufficient to decrease the number of positive cells for MMP-12 and reduce the volume of collagen fibers, which was increased in PPE groups. These findings attest to the importance of MMP-12 in PPE-induced emphysema and suggest that this metalloprotease could be an effective therapeutic target.Laboratorios de Investigacao Medica do Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (LIM/HC)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ São Paulo, Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, São Paulo, BrazilUNIFESP EPM, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilUFABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, São Paulo, BrazilUNIFESP EPM, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Oxidized renewable materials for the removal of cobalt(II) and copper(II) from aqueous solution using in batch and fixed-bed column adsorption.

Batch and continuous adsorption of Co2+ and Cu2+ from aqueous solutions by oxidized sugarcane bagasse (SBox) and oxidized cellulose (Cox) were investigated. The oxidation reaction of sugarcane bagasse and cellulose was made with a mixture of H3PO4?NaNO2 to obtain SBox and Cox, with the introduction of high number of carboxylic acid functions, 4.5 and 4.8?mmol/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of Co2+ and Cu2+ on SBox and Cox were modeled using two models (pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order) and the rate-limiting step controlling the adsorption was evaluated by Boyd and intraparticle diffusion models. The Sips and Langmuir models better fitted the isotherms with values of maximum adsorption capacity of 0.68 and 0.37?mmol/g for Co2+ and 1.20 and 0.57?mmol/g for Cu2+ adsorption on Cox and SBox, respectively. The reuse of both spent adsorbents was evaluated. Adsorption of Cu2+ and Co2+ on SBox in continuous was evaluated using a 22 factorial design with spatial time and initial metal concentration as independent variables and and effective use of the bed as responses. The breakthrough curves were very well described by the Bohart?Adams original model and the values for Co2+ and Cu2+ were 0.22 and 0.55?mmol/g. SBox confirmed to be a promising biomaterial for application on a large scale

Systems medicine and integrated care to combat chronic noncommunicable diseases

We propose an innovative, integrated, cost-effective health system to combat major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular, chronic respiratory, metabolic, rheumatologic and neurologic disorders and cancers, which together are the predominant health problem of the 21st century. This proposed holistic strategy involves comprehensive patient-centered integrated care and multi-scale, multi-modal and multi-level systems approaches to tackle NCDs as a common group of diseases. Rather than studying each disease individually, it will take into account their intertwined gene-environment, socio-economic interactions and co-morbidities that lead to individual-specific complex phenotypes. It will implement a road map for predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (P4) medicine based on a robust and extensive knowledge management infrastructure that contains individual patient information. It will be supported by strategic partnerships involving all stakeholders, including general practitioners associated with patient-centered care. This systems medicine strategy, which will take a holistic approach to disease, is designed to allow the results to be used globally, taking into account the needs and specificities of local economies and health systems

Factors associated with self-rated health among migrant workers: results from a population-based cross-sectional study in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Objectives To determine factors associated with SRH among migrant workers in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Methods In 2007, 805 vendors were screened. Approximately half were eligible (n =450), defined as at least 18 years old, a worker/owner in a randomly selected stall, having traveled 2 + hours outside of Almaty within the past year, and being an internal/external migrant. 28 non-migrants were excluded, leaving 422 participants. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between SRH, mental health, and psychosocial problems. Results Approximately 46% reported having poor or fair SRH. Clinical depression (OR 0.859, 95% CI 0.342–2.154), alcohol problems (OR 1.169, 95% CI 0.527–2.593), and legal status (OR 0.995, 95% CI 0.806–1.229) were not significantly associated with SRH, nor was exposure to interpersonal violence among women (OR 1.554, 95% CI 0.703–3.435). After adjusting for key variables, only ethnicity and social support were found to be significantly protective against poor or fair SRH. Conclusions SRH was not a comprehensive health measure for these Central Asian migrant workers. More specific questions are needed to identify mental illness and interpersonal violence

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder