Utilização do óxido nítrico como terapêutica: implicações para a enfermagem

O óxido nítrico (NO) é um gás que transmite sinais no interior do organismo. Essa transmissão de sinal se dá através de sua síntese e liberação em diferentes tipos celulares. Após ser liberado difunde-se através da membrana da célula vizinha regulando a função da mesma. Esse mecanismo representa um princípio totalmente novo no que se refere a sistemas biológicos de tradução de sinal. Os pesquisadores responsáveis pela descoberta do NO como uma molécula sinalizadora foram agraciados com o Prêmio Nobel de Medicina e Fisiologia de 1998. Esta descoberta vem revolucionando a medicina dando origem a novos tratamentos para problemas antigos. Neste trabalho revisamos a participação do NO em algumas patologias, dentre elas a sepse, hipertensão arterial e hipertensão pulmonar. Serão abordados ainda, aspectos importantes sobre a prestação de cuidados de enfermagem à pacientes submetidos à essas terapias.El óxido nítrico (NO) es un gas que transmite señales dentro del organismo. La transmisión de la señal del gas producido en una célula atraviesa la membrana de la célula vecina y regula su función. Este mecanismo constituye un principio innovador de señalización de sistemas biológicos. Los descubridores del óxido nítrico como molécula señalizadora ganaran el Premio Nobel en 1998. Este gas ha creado una revolución en la medicina, solucionando antiguos problemas. El objetivo de este trabajo es revisar la participación del (NO) en patologías tales como la sépsis, hipertensión e hipertensión pulmonar. Son abordados también, aspectos importantes sobre la prestación de cuidados de enfermería a los pacientes tratados con esta terapia.Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that transmits signals in the organism. Such signal transmission takes place by means of the gas synthesis and release in different cell types. After it is released, the gas penetrates the membrane of a neighboring cell and regulates its function. Such mechanism represents an entirely new signaling principle in biological systems. The discoverers of NO as a signaling molecule were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1998. This discovery has revolutionized medicine and originated new treatments for old problems. In this study, we review the role of NO in some pathologies such as sepsis, arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension and Nitric Oxide is explained in terms of its current merit for treatment and its impact on nursing care

Semen quality, testicular B-mode and Doppler ultrasound, and serum testosterone concentrations in dogs with established infertility

Retrospective examination of breeding records enabled the identification of 10 dogs of normal fertility and 10 dogs with established infertility of at least 12 months of duration. Comparisons of testicular palpation, semen evaluation, testicular ultrasound examination, Doppler ultrasound measurement of testicular artery blood flow, and measurement of serum testosterone concentration were made between the two groups over weekly examinations performed on three occasions. There were no differences in testicular volume (cm3) between the two groups (fertile right testis = 10.77 ± 1.66; fertile left testis = 12.17 ± 2.22); (infertile right testis = 10.25 ± 3.33; infertile left testis = 11.37 ± 3.30), although the infertile dogs all had subjectively softer testes compared with the fertile dogs. Infertile dogs were either azoospermic or when they ejaculated, they had lower sperm concentration, sperm motility, and percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa than fertile dogs. Furthermore, infertile dogs had reduced sperm membrane integrity measured via the hypoosmotic swelling test. Infertile dogs had significantly lower basal serum testosterone concentrations (1.40 ± 0.62 ng/mL) than fertile dogs (1.81 ± 0.87 ng/mL; P < 0.05). There were subjective differences in testicular echogenicity in some of the infertile dogs, and important differences in testicular artery blood flow with lower peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities measured in the distal supratesticular artery, marginal testicular artery, and intratesticular artery of infertile dogs (P < 0.05). Notably, resistance index and pulsatility index did not differ between infertile and fertile dogs. These findings report important differences between infertile and fertile dogs which may be detected within an expanded breeding soundness examination

Sickle cell disease: A distinction of two most frequent genotypes (HbSS and HbSC).

Sickle cell disease (SCD) consists of a group of hemoglobinopathies in which individuals present highly variable clinical manifestations. Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is the most severe form, while SC hemoglobinopathy (HbSC) is thought to be milder. Thus, we investigated the clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters by comparing each SCD genotype. We designed a cross-sectional study including 126 SCA individuals and 55 HbSC individuals in steady-state. Hematological, biochemical and inflammatory characterization was performed as well as investigation of previous history of clinical events. SCA patients exhibited most prominent anemia, hemolysis, leukocytosis and inflammation, whereas HbSC patients had increased lipid determinations. The main cause of hospitalization was pain crises on both genotypes. Vaso-occlusive events and pain crises were associated with hematological, inflammatory and anemia biomarkers on both groups. Cluster analysis reveals hematological, inflammatory, hemolytic, endothelial dysfunction and anemia biomarkers in HbSC disease as well as SCA. The results found herein corroborate with previous studies suggesting that SCA and HbSC, although may be similar from the genetic point of view, exhibit different clinical manifestations and laboratory alterations which are useful to monitor the clinical course of each genotype

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora