The determination of drag in the gliding phase in swimming

The hydrodynamic drag forces produced by the swimmer during the sub aquatic gliding have been analyzed appealing to experimental investigation methods (e.g., Lyttle et al., 2000). However, the obtained results varied, which can translate some of the main inherent difficulties involved in the experimental studies. Thus, through application of a numerical method of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), we intended to study the hydrodynamic drag forces, created during the displacement of the swimmer in different gliding positions, attempting to address some practical concerns to swimmers and coaches

Random amplification of polymorphic DNA reveals clonal relationships among enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from non-human primates and humans

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli ( EPEC) strains are important agents of infantile diarrhea all over the world, gaining even greater importance in developing countries. EPEC have also been isolated from various animal species, but most isolates belong to serotypes that differ from those recovered from humans. However, it has been demonstrated that several isolates from non- human primates belong to the serogroups and/ or serotypes related to those implicated in human disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic differences between thirteen strains isolated from non- human primates and the same number of strains isolated from human infections. Human isolates belonged to the same serogroup/ serotype as the monkey strains and the evaluation was done by analysis of random amplified polymorphic DNA. Dendrogram analysis showed that there was no clustering between human and monkey strains. Human and non- human isolates of the EPEC serotypes O127:H40 and O128:H2 shared 90 and 87% of their bands, respectively, indicating strong genomic similarity between the strains, leading to the speculation that they may have arisen from the same pathogenic clone. To our knowledge, this study is the first one comparing genomic similarity between human and non- human primate strains and the results provide further evidence that monkey EPEC strains correlate with human EPEC, as suggested in a previous investigation

Surtos interespecíficos de dermatomicoses por Microsporum canis e Microsporum gypseum

Dermatomycosis in domestic animals are important zoonosis in view of the fact that they maintain close contact with human beings. Seven ringworm outbreaks are here described, one of M. gypseum involving a cat and a women and the remainder of M. canis involving 20 human beings (adults, young people and children), 5 dogs, 16 cats and a gibbon-monkey (Hylobates lar).As dermatomicoses dos animais domésticos constituem zoonoses importantes, urna vez que estes mantêm estreito contato com a espécie humana, dada a alta infectividade observada nesses processos. Relata-se a ocorrência de sete surtos de dermatomicoses, um por M. gypseum envolvendo um gato e um indivíduo do sexo feminino e os outros por M. canis envolvendo 20 indivíduos da espécie humana (adultos, jovens e crianças de ambos os sexos), 5 cães, 16 gatos e um macaco gibão (Hylobates lar)

Emergence of quasi-metallic state in disordered 2D electron gas due to strong interactions

The interrelation between disorder and interactions in two dimensional electron liquid is studied beyond weak coupling perturbation theory. Strong repulsion significantly reduces the electronic density of states on the Fermi level. This makes the electron liquid more rigid and strongly suppresses elastic scattering off impurities. As a result the weak localization, although ultimately present at zero temperature and infinite sample size, is unobservable at experimentally accessible temperature at high enough densities. Therefore practically there exists a well defined metallic state. We study diffusion of electrons in this state and find that the diffusion pole is significantly modified due to "mixture" with static photons similar to the Anderson - Higgs mechanism in superconductivity. As a result several effects stemming from the long range nature of diffusion like the Aronov - Altshuler logarithmic corrections to conductivity are less pronounced.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.

Education plays a greater role than age in cognitive test performance among participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Background: Brazil has gone through fast demographic, epidemiologic and nutritional transitions and, despite recent improvements in wealth distribution, continues to present a high level of social and economic inequality. The ELSA-Brasil, a cohort study, aimed at investigating cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, offers a great opportunity to assess cognitive decline in this aging population through time-sequential analyses drawn from the same battery of tests over time. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of sex, age and education on cognitive tests performance of the participants at baseline. Methods: Analyses pertain to 14,594 participants with aged 35 to 74 years, who were functionally independent and had no history of stroke or use of neuroleptics, anticonvulsants, cholinesterase inhibitors or antiparkinsonian agents. Mean age was 52.0 ± 9.0 years and 54.2 % of participants were women. Cognitive tests included the word memory tests (retention, recall and recognition), verbal fluency tests (VFT, animals and letter F) and Trail Making Test B. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to determine the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on the distribution of the final score of each test. Results: Women had significant and slightly higher scores than men in all memory tests and VFT, but took more time to perform Trail B. Reduced performance in all tests was seen with an increase age and, more importantly, with decrease level of education. The word list and VFT scores decreased at about one word for every 10 years of age whereas higher-educated participants scored four words more on the word list test, and six or seven more correct words on VFT, when compared to lower-educated participants. Additionally, the oldest and less educated participants showed significant lower response rates in all tests. Conclusions: The higher influence of education than age in this Brazilian population reinforce the need for caution in analyzing and diagnosing cognitive impairments based on traditional cognitive tests and the importance of searching for education-free cognitive tests, especially in low and middle-income countries

Intra-Hepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Treated with GEMOX + Cetuximab Protocol

New studies show a possible benefit of combining Gemcitabine, Oxaliplatin and Cetuximab for the treatment of intrahepatic tumors. However, there is currently no consensus on this in the literature. Hence, this article contributes to the debate by presenting a case of cholangiocarcinoma(biliary tract cancer), treated with a modified Gemcitabine, Oxaliplatin and Cetuximab protocol, which evolved to a considerable regression of the tumor and a complete radiologic response assessed by PET-CT Scan. The case report is of a female adult, who presented with a cholangiocarcinoma extending to hepatic segments V and VIII which met the unresectability criteria. She was submitted to chemotherapy,consisting of a combination of Gemcitabine, Oxaliplatin and Cetuximab for a prolonged period,followed by a maintenance interval of Cetuximabmonotherapy. After the 8th cycle, the patient presented better hepatic biomarker levels; after 12months of treatment, she presented a PET-CT scan showing complete radiologic response; after 15 months of treatment, an MRI scanshowed a reduced and resectable tumor. Our case report suggests use of theGemcitabine + Oxaliplatin(GEMOX) plus Cetuximab protocol as a neoadjuvant settingfor patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma submitted to the GEMOX protocol, presenting a progressing disease. Additionally, our case report confirms the GEMOX plus Cetuximab protocol can be modified according to clinical response so patients can obtain maximum therapeutic gain despite minor or adverse reactions

Metabolic and nutritional triggers associated with increased risk of liver complications in SARS-CoV-2

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and smoking are risk factors for negative outcomes in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which can quickly induce severe respiratory failure in 5% of cases. Coronavirus disease-associated liver injury may occur during progression of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with or without pre-existing liver disease, and damage to the liver parenchyma can be caused by infection of hepatocytes. Cirrhosis patients may be particularly vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 if suffering with cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction. Furthermore, pharmacotherapies including macrolide or quinolone antibiotics and steroids can also induce liver damage. In this review we addressed nutritional status and nutritional interventions in severe SARS-CoV-2 liver patients. As guidelines for SARS-CoV-2 in intensive care (IC) specifically are not yet available, strategies for management of sepsis and SARS are suggested in SARS-CoV-2. Early enteral nutrition (EN) should be started soon after IC admission, preferably employing iso-osmolar polymeric formula with initial protein content at 0.8 g/kg per day progressively increasing up to 1.3 g/kg per day and enriched with fish oil at 0.1 g/kg per day to 0.2 g/kg per day. Monitoring is necessary to identify signs of intolerance, hemodynamic instability and metabolic disorders, and transition to parenteral nutrition should not be delayed when energy and protein targets cannot be met via EN. Nutrients including vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, folic acid, zinc, selenium and ω-3 fatty acids have in isolation or in combination shown beneficial effects upon immune function and inflammation modulation. Cautious and monitored supplementation up to upper limits may be beneficial in management strategies for SARS-CoV-2 liver patients

19-base Pair Deletion Polymorphism Of The Dihydrofolate Reductase (dhfr) Gene: Maternal Risk Of Down Syndrome And Folate Metabolism [polimorfismo De Deleção De 19 Pares De Bases Do Gene Dihidrofolato Redutase (dhfr): Risco Materno Para Síndrome De Down E Metabolismo Do Folato]

Context and objective: Polymorphisms in genes involved in folate metabolism may modulate the maternal risk of Down syndrome (DS). This study evaluated the influence of a 19-base pair (bp) deletion polymorphism in intron-1 of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene on the maternal risk of DS, and investigated the association between this polymorphism and variations in the concentrations of serum folate and plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and plasma methylmalonic acid (MMA). Design and setting: Analytical cross-sectional study carried out at Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (Famerp). Methods: 105 mothers of individuals with free trisomy of chromosome 21, and 184 control mothers were evaluated. Molecular analysis on the polymorphism was performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through differences in the sizes of fragments. Folate was quantified by means of chemiluminescence, and Hcy and MMA by means of liquid chromatography and sequential mass spectrometry. Results: There was no difference between the groups in relation to allele and genotype frequencies (P = 0.44; P = 0.69, respectively). The folate, Hcy and MMA concentrations did not differ significantly between the groups, in relation to genotypes (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The 19-bp deletion polymorphism of DHFR gene was not a maternal risk factor for DS and was not related to variations in the concentrations of serum folate and plasma Hcy and MMA in the study population.1284215218Freeman, S.B., Allen, E.G., Oxford-Wright, C.L., The National Down Syndrome Project: Design and implementation (2007) Public Health Rep, 122 (1), pp. 62-72Ramírez, N.J., Belalcázar, H.M., Yunis, J.J., Parental origin, nondisjunction, and recombination of the extra chromosome 21 in Down syndrome: A study in a sample of the Colombian population (2007) Biomedica, 27 (1), pp. 141-148James, S.J., Pogribna, M., Pogribny, I.P., Abnormal folate metabolism and mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene may be maternal risk factors for Down syndrome (1999) Am J Clin Nutr, 70 (4), pp. 495-501Patterson, D., Folate metabolism and the risk of Down syndrome (2008) Downs Syndr Res Pract, 12 (2), pp. 93-97Biselli, J.M., Goloni-Bertollo, E.M., Zampieri, B.L., Genetic polymorphisms involved in folate metabolism and elevated plasma concentrations of homocysteine: Maternal risk factors for Down syndrome in Brazil (2008) Genet Mol Res, 7 (1), pp. 33-42Meguid, N.A., Dardir, A.A., Khass, M., MTHFR genetic polymorphism as a risk factor in Egyptian mothers with Down syndrome children (2008) Dis Markers, 24 (1), pp. 19-26Coppedè, F., Migheli, F., Bargagna, S., Association of maternal polymorphisms in folate metabolizing genes with chromosome damage and risk of Down syndrome offspring (2009) Neurosci Lett, 449 (1), pp. 15-19Pozzi, E., Vergani, P., Dalprà, L., Maternal polymorphisms for methyltetrahydrofolate reductase and methionine synthetase reductase and risk of children with Down syndrome (2009) Am J Obstet Gynecol, 200 (6), pp. 636e1-636e6Stanislawska-Sachadyn, A., Brown, K.S., Mitchell, L.E., An insertion/deletion polymorphism of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene is associated with serum and red blood cell folate concentrations in women (2008) Hum Genet, 123 (3), pp. 289-295Johnson, W.G., Stenroos, E.S., Spychala, J.R., New 19 bp deletion polymorphism in intron-1 of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR): A risk factor for spina bifida acting in mothers during pregnancy? 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