Do insucesso ao sucesso escolar: a acção do professor

O estudo que apresentamos analisa o caso de dois alunos com um passado de insucesso escolar e que inverteram suas trajectórias de vida escolar para o sucesso escolar. Tem como principal objectivo investigar a influência da interacção professor-aluno e as expectativas do professor – efeito Pigmalião na produção do desempenho escolar. No processo de investigação utilizou-se a metodologia qualitativa interpretativa por se tratar de histórias de vida (re)contadas por diversos actores (aluno, pais, professores, etc). A pesquisa desenvolveu-se em duas escolas de 1º Ciclo: uma em Portugal do Ensino Básico e outra no Brasil do Ensino Fundamental, frequentadas por alunos pertencentes às classes sociais desfavorecidas. Os dados da pesquisa foram obtidos através de uma grande diversidade de fontes: entrevistas, documentos oficiais das escolas e dos alunos, fichas de avaliação, textos escritos pelos alunos, relatórios, relatos, conversas informais e notas de trabalho de campo. De um modo geral, verifica-se que os dois casos de estudo apresentam pontos de similitude de opinião dos intervenientes no processo ensino-aprendizagem que, embora em continentes distantes com culturas distintas, não só identificam o “efeito professor” na produção do sucesso escolar como, também, apontam para este ser um factor decisivo na transformação do aluno. Verificou-se que a importância da relação professor-aluno que se estende à família (positivamente) e as expectativas do professor (que se reflectem no aluno e na família) contribuem para o sucesso escolar do aluno.The study we present focuses on the cases of two students who lacked educational achievement and who were able to change their performance and to succeed. Its main goal is to analyse the implications of the teacher-student relationship and of the teacher‟s expectations – the Pygmalion effect towards the student‟s performance at school. A qualitative and interpretative methodology was used for analysing these cases, once we were dealing with life stories told and retold by different actors (student, parents, teachers, etc.). This research was developed in two elementary schools: one in Portugal and the other one in Brazil and which are attended by students who belong to low social settings. The data were obtained through a variety of sources: interviews, official documents from the school and from the students, assessments and texts written by students, reports, statements, informal talks and field study notes. In a general way, these two study cases show points of similarity in what concerns the interveners‟ opinion on the teaching and learning process. Although they live in distant continents with different cultures, they have not only identified “the teacher‟s effect” in their educational achievement at school but they have also mentioned it as a decisive factor for the student‟s transformation, It is clear that the importance of the teacher-student relationship which is seen in the family (in a positive way) and of the teacher‟s expectations (which reflect themselves in the student and in the family) contribute to the student‟s educational achievement

Síndrome de Alport: Alport syndrome

Introdução: Síndrome de Alport (SA) é uma doença hereditária caracterizada por nefropatia hemorrágica familiar, surdez neurossensorial e alterações oculares. Sua patologia está relacionada a mutações nos genes COL4A3, COL4A4, COL4A5 os quais são responsáveis por codificar síntese do colágeno tipo IV, que é essencial para a formação da membrana basal de diversos órgãos. Apresentação do caso: 23 ANOS, sexo masculino, natural do Rio de Janeiro - RJ, procurou atendimento médico com queixa de hipoacusia bilateral, diminuição da acuidade visual e edema progressivo de membros inferiores. Discussão: sua clínica é composta por manifestações renais como hematúria e/ou proteinúria, que com o tempo evoluem para falência renal; manifestações oculares, como lentecone anterior, catarata, “flecks” na retina, nistagmo e miopia; e manifestações auditivas nas quais ocorrem o desenvolvimento de perda auditiva neurossensorial de alta frequência.O diagnóstico da síndrome é suspeitado quando existem familiares com histórico de insuficiência renal, surdez e perda visual. Em 15% dos casos, não há histórico familiar associado, sendo necessária a realização de biópsia renal. Conclusão: quando o prognóstico do paciente é desfavorável, é necessário um adequado suporte clínico em medidas preventivas e terapêuticas, tanto farmacológicas quanto dietéticas, para que se possa retardar as complicações, principalmente a piora da função renal e uma necessidade de diálise ou até mesmo transplante dos rins

Gist ileal: Ileal Gist

Introdução: Os tumores estromais gastrointestinais (GISTs) são os tumores mesenquimatosos mais comuns no trato gastrointestinal, podendo acometer qualquer parte do trato gastrointestinal, embora sejam mais frequentemente diagnosticados no estômago. Apresentação do caso:  Paciente do sexo masculino, 63 anos de idade, com uma massa abdominal localizada em região epigástrica descoberta em exame físico e biopsiada através de endoscopia digestiva alta (EDA) realizada em caráter de urgência. Foi confirmado GIST por imuno-histoquímica (CD117) e feita pesquisa em linfonodos, com resultado negativo para acometimento. Realizada a ressecção total do tumor e margens cirúrgicas livres. Discussão: Os tumores estromais gastrointestinais (GIST) possuíam outras denominações que foram sendo modificadas de acordo com as descobertas a respeito desse grupo neoplásico. Inicialmente, acreditava-se que tinham origem na musculatura lisa e, por isso, foram chamados de leiomiomas, leiomiossarcomas e schwannomas. O nome GIST foi estabelecido apenas ao descobrir a origem nas células intersticiais de Cajal, que possuem a expressão de mutação do proto-oncogene codificador do receptor-kit. Aproximadamente 85% dessas neoplasias resultam de mutações ativas nos receptores da proteína tirosina quinase. Conclusão: Seu tratamento é realizado por remoção cirúrgica. Por serem os tumores mais comuns do trato gastrointestinal, devem ser diagnosticados e tratados para melhor sobrevida dos pacientes

Estratégias de aquisição da casa própria: a trajetória de algumas famílias negras paulistanas nas décadas de 1920 a 1940

In Brazil, there is a cultural belief that property acquisition is the wisest attitude to ensure a safe and stable economy. For generations, the "dream of property ownership" has been cultivated as a horizon to be achieved. Confirming this tendency, since the 1920s, "casa propria" (home ownership) became a notion mobilized in the black press periodicals, circulating as a desirable aspiration and an orientation to the journals public. Between 1924 and 1937, two of the main newspapers of São Paulo black press, O Clarim da Alvorada and A Voz da Raça, carried out a campaign in favor of property ownership, spreading among paulista black families the importance of property acquisition. These campaigns are an important sign for the relevance of buying a property for black families at that time. In this paper, we seek to analyze it as an intergenerational social security strategy, through the presentation of three cases of black families that accomplished this goal between 1920s and 1940s. The black families testimonies reported here indicate precocity, specificities and strategies that represent new challenges for the formulation of property ownership problem, from a racial point of view.No Brasil, há uma crença cultural de que a atitude mais sábia para garantir uma economia doméstica segura e estável é a aquisição da casa própria. Por gerações, o “sonho da casa própria” tem sido cultivado como um horizonte a se atingir. Confirmando essa tendência, desde a década de 1920, a “casa própria” torna-se uma noção mobilizada nos periódicos da imprensa negra, circulando em diversos artigos como uma aspiração desejável e uma orientação ao público dos jornais. Entre 1924 e 1937, dois dos principais jornais da imprensa negra paulista, O Clarim da Alvorada e A Voz da Raça, realizaram uma campanha em favor da casa própria, difundindo entre as famílias negras paulistanas a ideia da importância da aquisição imobiliária. Essas campanhas constituem um indício importante da relevância da aquisição residencial para as famílias negras do período. Neste trabalho, procuramos analisar essa importância como estratégia de seguridade social intergeracional, por meio da apresentação de três casos de famílias negras que realizaram esse objetivo entre as décadas de 1920 e 1940. Os depoimentos das famílias negras aqui reportados indicamprecocidade, especificidades e estratégias que representam novos desafios para a reflexão sobre a formulação do problema da casa própria, a partir do ponto de vista racial

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Anti-Candida and anti-Cryptococcus evaluation of 15 non-alkaloidal compounds from Pterogyne nitens

Objective: To evaluate anti-Candida and anti-Cryptococcus activities of 15 non-alkaloidal compounds from Pterogyne nitens Tulasne (Leguminosae), a South American medicinal plant. Methods: Compounds were submitted to antifungal assays, using microdilution method described by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document, with minor modifications. Five species of Candida and two species of Cryptococcus, including clinical isolates were screened. Antifungal activity was expressed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Amphotericin B and fluconazole were used as standard antifungal drugs. Results: Among tested compounds, six substances presented fungal growth inhibition (MIC < 31.2 μg/mL) [three flavone derivatives (1–3), a glycosylated flavonol derivative (5) and two phenolic acids (10 and 12)]. Sorbifolin (1), exhibited potent antifungal activity, demonstrating MIC value of 3.90 μg/mL against Candida glabrata ATCC 90030, Cryptococcus gattii 118 and fluconazole-resistant clinical isolate of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii. Pedalin (2) and nitensoside B (3), two glycosylated flavone derivatives, were active against Cryptococcus neoformans ATCC 90012 (MIC = 7.80 μg/mL). Conclusions: Flavone derivatives from Pterogyne nitens can serve as prototypes for the design and development of innovative anti-Candida and anti-Cryptococcus hits

In Vitro and In Vivo Effect of Peptides Derived from 14-3-3 Paracoccidioides spp. Protein

Background: Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a chronic disease that causes sequelae and requires prolonged treatment; therefore, new therapeutic approaches are necessary. In view of this, three peptides from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis 14-3-3 protein were selected based on its immunogenicity and therapeutic potential. Methods: The in vitro antifungal activity and cytotoxicity of the 14-3-3 peptides were evaluated. The influence of the peptides in immunological and survival aspects was evaluated in vivo, using Galleria mellonella and the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Results: None of the peptides were toxic to HaCaT (skin keratinocyte), MRC-5 (lung fibroblast), and A549 (pneumocyte) cell lines, and only P1 exhibited antifungal activity against Paracoccidioides spp. The peptides could induce an immune response in G. mellonella. Moreover, the peptides caused a delay in the death of Paracoccidioides spp. infected larvae. Regarding C. elegans, the three peptides were able to increase the expression of the antimicrobial peptides. These peptides had essential effects on different aspects of Paracoccidioides spp. infection showing potential for a therapeutic vaccine. Future studies using mammalian methods are necessary to validate our findings