Hortas urbanas: Uma visão do universitário extensionista / Urban gardens: A view from the university extensionist

A produção de hortaliças na área urbana de grandes centros já é uma realidade presente nesses locais. As hortas são implantadas em terrenos disponíveis em bairros dispersos pela cidade bem como ao redor destas. Esse modelo de produção de alimentos faz com que a população possa ter maior contato com os produtores passando assim a valorizá-los e enxergá-los de forma positiva. Com o objetivo de aproximar o acadêmico dos produtores de hortaliças e permitir a troca de conhecimento entre eles, a disciplina de Olericultura do curso de Agronomia da Universidade Católica Dom Bosco realiza um trabalho prático onde equipes de alunos visitam hortas urbanas e fazem um diagnóstico da propriedade. Os acadêmicos utilizam um questionário produzido por eles e avaliado pelo professor responsável pela disciplina, como guia para essas visitas. O diagnóstico da propriedade envolve aspectos sobre posse da área, existência de assistência técnica, culturas e tratos culturais, mercado consumidor e renda mensal. Durante as visitas são sugeridas modificações no processo produtivo, caso sejam necessárias, bem como a troca de experiências entre as partes. Os acadêmicos puderam vivenciar a realidade de um extensionista que atua na área de produção de hortaliças. Foi observado que as maiores dificuldades dos produtores são a falta de assistência técnica, disponibilidade de mão-de-obra e dificuldades com a administração geral da horta. A proposta do trabalho prático da disciplina de Olericultura foi validada com os relatos dos acadêmicos durante as apresentações dos seminários sobre as visitas onde puderam ter contato com os produtores e vislumbraram sua vida como profissional

Inhibition of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) Activity Provides a Therapeutic Approach for CLTC-ALK-Positive Human Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphomas

ALK positive diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are a distinct lymphoma subtype associated with a poor outcome. Most of them feature a t(2;17) encoding a clathrin (CLTC)-ALK fusion protein. The contribution of deregulated ALK-activity in the pathogenesis and maintenance of these DLBCLs is not yet known. We established and characterized the first CLTC-ALK positive DLBCL cell line (LM1). LM1 formed tumors in NOD-SCID mice. The selective ALK inhibitor NVP-TAE684 inhibited growth of LM1 cells in vitro at nanomolar concentrations. NVP-TAE684 repressed ALK-activated signalling pathways and induced apoptosis of LM1 DLBCL cells. Inhibition of ALK-activity resulted in sustained tumor regression in the xenotransplant tumor model. These data indicate a role of CLTC-ALK in the maintenance of the malignant phenotype thereby providing a rationale therapeutic target for these otherwise refractory tumors

Transcriptome and genome sequencing uncovers functional variation in humans

Summary Genome sequencing projects are discovering millions of genetic variants in humans, and interpretation of their functional effects is essential for understanding the genetic basis of variation in human traits. Here we report sequencing and deep analysis of mRNA and miRNA from lymphoblastoid cell lines of 462 individuals from the 1000 Genomes Project – the first uniformly processed RNA-seq data from multiple human populations with high-quality genome sequences. We discovered extremely widespread genetic variation affecting regulation of the majority of genes, with transcript structure and expression level variation being equally common but genetically largely independent. Our characterization of causal regulatory variation sheds light on cellular mechanisms of regulatory and loss-of-function variation, and allowed us to infer putative causal variants for dozens of disease-associated loci. Altogether, this study provides a deep understanding of the cellular mechanisms of transcriptome variation and of the landscape of functional variants in the human genome

State Policy Responses to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes

Context: COVID-19 has a high case fatality rate in high-risk populations and can cause severe morbidity and high healthcare resource use. Nursing home residents are a high-risk population; they live in congregate settings, often with shared rooms, and require hands-on care. Objectives: To assess state responses to the coronavirus pandemic related to nursing homes in the first half of 2020. Methods: An in-depth examination of 12 states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes through June 2020, using publicly reported information such as government decrees, health department guidance, and news reports. Findings: No state emerged as a model of care. All states faced difficulty with limited availability of testing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). State-level efforts to increase pay and benefits as a strategy to enable infected staff to quickly physically separate from residents were minimal, and other separation strategies depended on the ability to obtain test results rapidly and on state rules regarding accepting discharged COVID-19 patients into nursing homes. Visitor restrictions to reduce risk were ubiquitous, though based on a slim evidence-base. Limitations: The information used was limited to that which was publicly available. Implications: Overall, the results suggest that the states that handle the ongoing pandemic in nursing homes best will be those that find ways to make sure nursing homes have the resources to follow best practices for testing, PPE, separation, and staffing. Evidence is needed on visitor restrictions and transmission, as states and their citizens would benefit from finding safe ways to relax visitor restrictions

The NOGO Receptor NgR2, A Novel αVβ3 Integrin Effector, Induces Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Prostate Cancer

Androgen deprivation therapies aimed to target prostate cancer (PrCa) are only partially successful given the occurrence of neuroendocrine PrCa (NEPrCa), a highly aggressive and highly metastatic form of PrCa, for which there is no effective therapeutic approach. Our group has demonstrated that while absent in prostate adenocarcinoma, the αVβ3 integrin expression is increased during PrCa progression toward NEPrCa. Here, we show a novel pathway activated by αVβ3 that promotes NE differentiation (NED). This novel pathway requires the expression of a GPI-linked surface molecule, NgR2, also known as Nogo-66 receptor homolog 1. We show here that NgR2 is upregulated by αVβ3, to which it associates; we also show that it promotes NED and anchorage-independent growth, as well as a motile phenotype of PrCa cells. Given our observations that high levels of αVβ3 and, as shown here, of NgR2 are detected in human and mouse NEPrCa, our findings appear to be highly relevant to this aggressive and metastatic subtype of PrCa. This study is novel because NgR2 role has only minimally been investigated in cancer and has instead predominantly been analyzed in neurons. These data thus pave new avenues toward a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of integrin-directed signaling during PrCa progression toward a NE phenotype

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

A conserved motif flags acyl carrier proteins for β-branching in polyketide synthesis

Type I PKSs often utilise programmed β-branching, via enzymes of an “HMG-CoA synthase (HCS) cassette”, to incorporate various side chains at the second carbon from the terminal carboxylic acid of growing polyketide backbones. We identified a strong sequence motif in Acyl Carrier Proteins (ACPs) where β-branching is known. Substituting ACPs confirmed a correlation of ACP type with β-branching specificity. While these ACPs often occur in tandem, NMR analysis of tandem β-branching ACPs indicated no ACP-ACP synergistic effects and revealed that the conserved sequence motif forms an internal core rather than an exposed patch. Modelling and mutagenesis identified ACP Helix III as a probable anchor point of the ACP-HCS complex whose position is determined by the core. Mutating the core affects ACP functionality while ACP-HCS interface substitutions modulate system specificity. Our method for predicting β-carbon branching expands the potential for engineering novel polyketides and lays a basis for determining specificity rules

Solve-RD: systematic pan-European data sharing and collaborative analysis to solve rare diseases.

For the first time in Europe hundreds of rare disease (RD) experts team up to actively share and jointly analyse existing patient's data. Solve-RD is a Horizon 2020-supported EU flagship project bringing together >300 clinicians, scientists, and patient representatives of 51 sites from 15 countries. Solve-RD is built upon a core group of four European Reference Networks (ERNs; ERN-ITHACA, ERN-RND, ERN-Euro NMD, ERN-GENTURIS) which annually see more than 270,000 RD patients with respective pathologies. The main ambition is to solve unsolved rare diseases for which a molecular cause is not yet known. This is achieved through an innovative clinical research environment that introduces novel ways to organise expertise and data. Two major approaches are being pursued (i) massive data re-analysis of >19,000 unsolved rare disease patients and (ii) novel combined -omics approaches. The minimum requirement to be eligible for the analysis activities is an inconclusive exome that can be shared with controlled access. The first preliminary data re-analysis has already diagnosed 255 cases form 8393 exomes/genome datasets. This unprecedented degree of collaboration focused on sharing of data and expertise shall identify many new disease genes and enable diagnosis of many so far undiagnosed patients from all over Europe