Protein-losing enteropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: case report

Protein-losing enteropathy is rarely seen in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. This clinical condition should be suspected in the presence of persistent hypoalbuminemia despite normal liver function, adequate protein intake, and no significant proteinuria. We report the case of a 48-year-old female with weight loss, cavity effusions (ascites and pleural effusion), and lower extremity edema. The diagnosis of lupus was established based on the presence of lymphopenia, proteinuria, ANA, and positive autoantibodies (anti-Sm, anti-DNA, and anti-Ro). Because hypoalbuminemia persisted even with corticosteroid therapy at the dose of 1 mg/kg, protein-losing enteropathy was diagnosed by use of Tc-99m albumin scintigraphy. After adding azathioprine to the treatment, the symptoms subsided and serum albumin levels improved.A enteropatia perdedora de proteínas raramente pode ser observada em pacientes com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico. Essa situação clínica deve ser suspeitada quando houver hipoalbuminemia persistente, na presença de uma função hepática preservada, ingesta proteica adequada e ausência de proteinúria significativa. Descrevemos o caso de uma paciente de 48 anos com perda ponderal, derrames cavitários (ascite e derrame pleural) e edema de membros inferiores. O diagnóstico de lúpus foi firmado a partir da presença de linfopenia, proteinúria, FAN e autoanticorpos positivos (anti-Sm, anti-DNA e anti-Ro). Houve persistência de hipoalbuminemia mesmo com corticoterapia na dose de 1 mg/kg de peso, sendo diagnosticada enteropatia perdedora de proteínas por meio da cintilografia com albumina 99mTc. A melhora clínica e laboratorial da paciente veio após a associação da azatioprina com corticosteroide.Hospital Geral César Cals de OliveiraUniversidade Federal do Ceará Curso de MedicinaUFCHospital Geral César Cals de Oliveira Departamento de Clínica MédicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Hospital Geral César Cals de Oliveira Serviço de ReumatologiaUniversidade Estadual do CearáUNIFESPSciEL

PANDEMIA E NEGACIONISMO: UMA ANÁLISE CRÍTICA E ESTATÍSTICA DAS MORTES POR COVID-19 NO BRASIL

This article seeks to investigate the correlation between deaths from Covid-19 in Brazil and the result of the second round of the 2018 presidential election, combining statistical calculations with a critical analysis. It starts from the hypothesis that the denialist speeches and practices defended by President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters exerted a negative influence on deaths from Covid-19 in Brazil, especially in the federative units and regions where he obtained the highest percentage of votes in the second round of the last presidential election. Methodologically, was used the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, which made it possible to correlate data on deaths by Covid-19 in Brazil between April 2021 and July 2021 with the results of the second round of the 2018 presidential election, showing a correlation between positive and very high in the federative units and regions where President Jair Bolsonaro obtained the highest percentage of votes. From a theoretical point of view, the concepts of “biopower” and “banality of evil” were chosen as the axis for critical analysis. In the end, it was concluded that the denialist speeches and practices defended by President Jair Bolsonaro and his followers, as well as the decisions taken by the Federal Government, contributed significantly to the trivialization and worsening of deaths by Covid-19 in Brazil, in addition to sponsor the institutionalization of a “biopolitics of involuntary extermination” of the population, thus demonstrating that when political decisions assume denialism as a foundation, especially in relevant cases linked to public health, the consequences are harmful, assuming a negative character lethal.O presente artigo busca investigar a correlação entre as mortes por Covid-19 no Brasil e o resultado do segundo turno da eleição presidencial de 2018, conjugando os cálculos estatísticos com uma análise crítica. Parte-se da hipótese de que os discursos e práticas negacionistas defendidas pelo presidente Jair Bolsonaro e seus apoiadores, exerceram uma influência negativa nas mortes por Covid-19 no Brasil, sobretudo, nas unidades federativas e regiões em que ele obteve o maior percentual de votos no segundo turno da última eleição presidencial. Metodologicamente, utilizou-se o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson, que permitiu correlacionar os dados das mortes por Covid-19 no Brasil entre abril de 2021 a julho de 2021 com os resultados do segundo turno da eleição presidencial de 2018, constatando-se uma correlação entre positiva e muito alta nas unidades federativas e regiões em que o presidente Jair Bolsonaro obteve maiores percentuais de voto. Do ponto de vista teórico, elegeu-se como eixo para análise crítica os conceitos de “biopoder” e de “banalidade do mal”. Ao final, concluiu-se que os discursos e práticas negacionistas defendidas pelo presidente Jair Bolsonaro e seus seguidores, bem como as decisões tomadas pelo Governo Federal, contribuíram de forma significativa para a banalização e agravamento das mortes por Covid-19 no Brasil, além de patrocinar a institucionalização de uma “biopolítica de extermínio involuntário” da população, demonstrando, com isso, que quando decisões políticas assumem o negacionismo por fundamento, principalmente em casos relevantes e ligados a saúde pública, as consequências são nefastas, assumindo, inclusive, um caráter letal

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of cis/trans-N-phenyl-1,4,4a,5,8,8a-hexahydro-3, 1-benzoxazin-2-imines

The growing interest in the chemistry of unsaturated ring-fused 1,3-heterocycles, in this particular case 1,3-oxazines, arise in part from their versatile pharmacological applications. In the present article, the evaluation of the in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant activity of two cyclohexene-fused oxazines is discussed. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by trapping the ABTS and hydroxyl radicals as well as the inhibition of the enzyme acetyl-cholinesterase and hemolysis of erythrocytes by 2,2’-Azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH). The results suggest that both unsaturated 1,3-oxazines are auspicious sources of biologically active compounds with good antioxidant properties. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the interaction between these heterocycles with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, as well as the measurements of redox potential, provided evidence for a mechanism of antioxidant activity that takes place through electron transfer (ET) processes.Fil: Firpo, Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Faillace, Martín Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: de Brito, Maria Dos R. Mendes. Universidade Federal Do Piaui.; BrasilFil: Silva, Ana P. S. Correia Lima E.. Universidade Federal Do Piaui.; BrasilFil: Costa, Jessica Pereira. Universidade Federal Do Piaui.; BrasilFil: Rodríguez, Marcela C.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Argüello, Gustavo Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Szakonyi, Zsolt. Institute Of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Albert Szent-györ; HungríaFil: Fülöp, Ferenc. Institute Of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Albert Szent-györ; HungríaFil: Peláez, Walter José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin

Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Guidelines - 2016 Revision

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects 10% to 40% of the population. It reduces quality of life and school and work performance and is a frequent reason for office visits in general practice. Medical costs are large, but avoidable costs associated with lost work productivity are even larger than those incurred by asthma. New evidence has accumulated since the last revision of the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines in 2010, prompting its update. OBJECTIVE: We sought to provide a targeted update of the ARIA guidelines. METHODS: The ARIA guideline panel identified new clinical questions and selected questions requiring an update. We performed systematic reviews of health effects and the evidence about patients' values and preferences and resource requirements (up to June 2016). We followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence-to-decision frameworks to develop recommendations. RESULTS: The 2016 revision of the ARIA guidelines provides both updated and new recommendations about the pharmacologic treatment of AR. Specifically, it addresses the relative merits of using oral H1-antihistamines, intranasal H1-antihistamines, intranasal corticosteroids, and leukotriene receptor antagonists either alone or in combination. The ARIA guideline panel provides specific recommendations for the choice of treatment and the rationale for the choice and discusses specific considerations that clinicians and patients might want to review to choose the management most appropriate for an individual patient. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate treatment of AR might improve patients' quality of life and school and work productivity. ARIA recommendations support patients, their caregivers, and health care providers in choosing the optimal treatment

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

2 nd Brazilian Consensus on Chagas Disease, 2015

Abstract Chagas disease is a neglected chronic condition with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. It has considerable psychological, social, and economic impacts. The disease represents a significant public health issue in Brazil, with different regional patterns. This document presents the evidence that resulted in the Brazilian Consensus on Chagas Disease. The objective was to review and standardize strategies for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of Chagas disease in the country, based on the available scientific evidence. The consensus is based on the articulation and strategic contribution of renowned Brazilian experts with knowledge and experience on various aspects of the disease. It is the result of a close collaboration between the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine and the Ministry of Health. It is hoped that this document will strengthen the development of integrated actions against Chagas disease in the country, focusing on epidemiology, management, comprehensive care (including families and communities), communication, information, education, and research

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements