Acolhimento noturno: expectativas dos profissionais de saúde mental

This study had as objective to identify the expectations of the mental health professional from the Psychosocial Attention Center, the city of São Paulo, as regards the implantation of a 24-hours service (user embracement). This is about a descriptive research that is characterized by the direct interrogation of the individuals about the meaning that a determined subject produces in their lives. Eleven actors participated in this study, from the categories: nurses, doctors, psychologists and social assistants. For the data it were followed the hermeneutic dialectics steps: sorting, grading and final analysis. It was realized the characterization of the population and the classification of the information obtained in positive and negative expectations. The final analysis considers that the implantation of a user embracement: service represents one more resource in the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of people who have severe and persistent mental bewilderment that allows the continuous attention.Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar as expectativas dos profissionais de saúde mental de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial, da cidade de São Paulo, quanto à implantação do serviço 24 horas (acolhimento noturno). Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva que se caracteriza pela interrogação direta dos indivíduos sobre os significados que um determinado assunto produz em suas vidas. Participaram deste estudo 11 atores, das seguintes categorias: enfermeira, médicos, psicólogos e assistentes sociais. Para a análise dos dados foram utilizados os passos da análise hermenêutica dialética: ordenação, classificação e análise final. Realizou-se a caracterização da população e a classificação das informações obtidas em expectativas positivas e negativas. A análise final considera que a implantação de um serviço de acolhimento noturno representa mais um recurso no arsenal terapêutico para o tratamento de pessoas portadoras de transtorno mental grave e persistente, que permite a atenção contínua

Functional Implications of Novel Human Acid Sphingomyelinase Splice Variants

BACKGROUND: Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) hydrolyses sphingomyelin and generates the lipid messenger ceramide, which mediates a variety of stress-related cellular processes. The pathological effects of dysregulated ASM activity are evident in several human diseases and indicate an important functional role for ASM regulation. We investigated alternative splicing as a possible mechanism for regulating cellular ASM activity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified three novel ASM splice variants in human cells, termed ASM-5, -6 and -7, which lack portions of the catalytic- and/or carboxy-terminal domains in comparison to full-length ASM-1. Differential expression patterns in primary blood cells indicated that ASM splicing might be subject to regulatory processes. The newly identified ASM splice variants were catalytically inactive in biochemical in vitro assays, but they decreased the relative cellular ceramide content in overexpression studies and exerted a dominant-negative effect on ASM activity in physiological cell models. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that alternative splicing of ASM is of functional significance for the cellular stress response, possibly representing a mechanism for maintaining constant levels of cellular ASM enzyme activity

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha agonist fenofibrate maintains bone mass, while the PPAR gamma agonist pioglitazone exaggerates bone loss, in ovariectomized rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma is associated with bone loss and increased fracture risk, while PPARalpha activation seems to have positive skeletal effects. To further explore these effects we have examined the effect of the PPARalpha agonists fenofibrate and Wyeth 14643, and the PPARgamma agonist pioglitazone, on bone mineral density (BMD), bone architecture and biomechanical strength in ovariectomized rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty-five female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to five groups. One group was sham-operated and given vehicle (methylcellulose), the other groups were ovariectomized and given vehicle, fenofibrate, Wyeth 14643 and pioglitazone, respectively, daily for four months. Whole body and femoral BMD were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and biomechanical testing of femurs, and micro-computed tomography (microCT) of the femoral shaft and head, were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Whole body and femoral BMD were significantly higher in sham controls and ovariectomized animals given fenofibrate, compared to ovariectomized controls. Ovariectomized rats given Wyeth 14643, maintained whole body BMD at sham levels, while rats on pioglitazone had lower whole body and femoral BMD, impaired bone quality and less mechanical strength compared to sham and ovariectomized controls. In contrast, cortical volume, trabecular bone volume and thickness, and endocortical volume were maintained at sham levels in rats given fenofibrate.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate, and to a lesser extent the PPARaplha agonist Wyeth 14643, maintained BMD and bone architecture at sham levels, while the PPARgamma agonist pioglitazone exaggerated bone loss and negatively affected bone architecture, in ovariectomized rats.</p

User embracement: expectations of the mental health professionals

Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar as expectativas dos profissionais de saúde mental de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial, da cidade de São Paulo, quanto à implantação do serviço 24 horas (acolhimento noturno). Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva que se caracteriza pela interrogação direta dos indivíduos sobre os significados que um determinado assunto produz em suas vidas. Participaram deste estudo 11 atores, das seguintes categorias: enfermeira, médicos, psicólogos e assistentes sociais. Para a análise dos dados foram utilizados os passos da análise hermenêutica dialética: ordenação, classificação e análise final. Realizou-se a caracterização da população e a classificação das informações obtidas em expectativas positivas e negativas. A análise final considera que a implantação de um serviço de acolhimento noturno representa mais um recurso no arsenal terapêutico para o tratamento de pessoas portadoras de transtorno mental grave e persistente, que permite a atenção contínua.This study had as objective to identify the expectations of the mental health professional from the Psychosocial Attention Center, the city of São Paulo, as regards the implantation of a 24-hours service (user embracement). This is about a descriptive research that is characterized by the direct interrogation of the individuals about the meaning that a determined subject produces in their lives. Eleven actors participated in this study, from the categories: nurses, doctors, psychologists and social assistants. For the data it were followed the hermeneutic dialectics steps: sorting, grading and final analysis. It was realized the characterization of the population and the classification of the information obtained in positive and negative expectations. The final analysis considers that the implantation of a user embracement: service represents one more resource in the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of people who have severe and persistent mental bewilderment that allows the continuous attention

Lack of evidence for a pathogenic role of proteasome-directed autoimmunity in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Item does not contain fulltextThe proteasome has been identified as a target of the humoral autoimmune response in different inflammatory disease entities including dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the role of proteasome autoantibodies (ProtAb) remains to be studied. Here, we have isolated human ProtAb by affinity-purification from the IgG fractions obtained from DCM patients, which predominantly detected the outer ring subunits alpha3 of the 20S proteasome. In an attempt to study the cellular effects potentially exerted by these ProtAb, simultaneous calcium and cell contractility measurements were performed in rat cardiomyocytes revealing no short-term effects upon human ProtAb exposure. Immunofluorescence staining and FACS analysis pointed towards a failure of human ProtAb to bind to the intact cell membrane, whereas human ProtAb detected 20S proteasomes in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The lack of the cell surface interaction of human ProtAb was in agreement with the failure of these autoantibodies to interfere with the cellular viability. Further, we investigated whether the removal of ProtAb by immunoadsorption (IA) resulted in functional improvement in DCM patients. IA was performed in 90 DCM patients (left ventricular ejection fraction < or =45%, ProtAb detection at baseline in 30% of these DCM patients). Improvement of LVEF was not associated with the initial detection and removal of ProtAb in DCM patients. ProtAb were reconstituted to baseline levels as soon as after 3 months post-IA/IgG treatment despite the overall improvement of LVEF in this study group. In conclusion, our data argue against a direct impact of ProtAb in the pathogenesis of DCM.1 juli 201