Ação e criação na interface das artes e da saúde

This article presents the experience of constituting and establishing the Laboratory of Study and Research in Arts, Body and Occupational Therapy and the Artistic Composition and Occupational Therapy Permanent Program of USP, Brazil. To outline a scenario of teaching and researching activities and those involving the community composing a new field of occupational therapy practices focused on the complex demands of the population assisted in this area and on increasing their socio-cultural participation. This group have been done qualitative research conducted through an action-research methodology to build up local awareness of occupational therapy due to the importance of creative actions and clinical and cultural-artistic references. The actions taken have broadened the access of the population assisted to artistic activities and cultural experiences standing for strategies to build life projects, ways of participating in community life, networking and making subjective exchanges, which have resulted in unexpected production of social value.Este artigo apresenta a experiência de constituição e implantação do Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisa Arte e Corpo em Terapia Ocupacional e do Programa Permanente Composições Artísticas e Terapia Ocupacional na Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil. Propõe-se a traçar um panorama das atividades de ensino, pesquisa e extensão à comunidade que configuram um novo campo de práticas de terapia ocupacional voltadas às complexas demandas da população atendida nesta área e à ampliação de sua participação sociocultural. Tem realizado pesquisas qualitativas através da metodologia da pesquisa-ação para a construção de um conhecimento local em terapia ocupacional orientado pela importância das ações criativas e por referenciais clínicos e artístico-culturais. As ações desenvolvidas ampliaram o acesso da população atendida às atividades artísticas e às experiências culturais, constituindo-se em estratégias de construção de projetos de vida, de formas de participação, de convivência e de trocas subjetivas, configurando modos inusitados de produção de valor social

Metabolite profile of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. and assessment of antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive compounds through efficiency analyses

EtOH extracts from the leaves and twigs of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. shown activity against amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. These extracts were subjected to successive liquid-liquid partitioning to afford bioactive CH2Cl2 fractions. UHPLC-TOF-HRMS/MS and molecular networking were used to obtain an overview of the phytochemical composition of these active fractions. Aiming to isolate the active compounds, both CH2Cl2 fractions were subjected to fractionation using medium pressure chromatography combined with semi-preparative HPLC-UV. Using this approach, twelve compounds (1-12) were isolated and identified by NMR and HRMS analysis. Several isolated compounds displayed activity against the amastigote forms of T. cruzi, especially ethyl protocatechuate (7) with EC50 value of 18.1 μM, similar to positive control benznidazole (18.7 μM). Considering the potential of compound 7, protocatechuic acid and its respective methyl (7a), n-propyl (7b), n-butyl (7c), n-pentyl (7d), and n-hexyl (7e) esters were tested. Regarding antitrypanosomal activity, protocatechuic acid and compound 7a were inactive, while 7b-7e exhibited EC50 values from 20.4 to 11.7 μM, without cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. These results suggest that lipophilicity and molecular complexity play an important role in the activity while efficiency analysis indicates that the natural compound 7 is a promising prototype for further modifications to obtain compounds effective against the intracellular forms of T. cruzi

Enamel Formation Genes Influence Enamel Microhardness Before and After Cariogenic Challenge

There is evidence for a genetic component in caries susceptibility, and studies in humans have suggested that variation in enamel formation genes may contribute to caries. For the present study, we used DNA samples collected from 1,831 individuals from various population data sets. Single nucleotide polymorphism markers were genotyped in selected genes (ameloblastin, amelogenin, enamelin, tuftelin, and tuftelin interacting protein 11) that influence enamel formation. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared between groups with distinct caries experience. Associations with caries experience can be detected but they are not necessarily replicated in all population groups and the most expressive results was for a marker in AMELX (p = 0.0007). To help interpret these results, we evaluated if enamel microhardness changes under simulated cariogenic challenges are associated with genetic variations in these same genes. After creating an artificial caries lesion, associations could be seen between genetic variation in TUFT1 (p = 0.006) and TUIP11 (p = 0.0006) with enamel microhardness. Our results suggest that the influence of genetic variation of enamel formation genes may influence the dynamic interactions between the enamel surface and the oral cavity. © 2012 Shimizu et al

Ações de Terapia Ocupacional no território da cultura: a experiência de cooperação entre o Museu de Arte Contemporânea da USP (MAC USP) e o Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas Arte e Corpo em Terapia Ocupacional

This article's aim is to report a collaborative experience, started in 1996, between the Laboratory of Studies and Research in Art, Body and Occupation Therapy and the Museum of Contemporary Art of USP (MAC USP), by focusing on some actions and their unfolding for the construction of Occupational Therapy practices in the cultural field. For 10 years, joint actions in teaching, researching and extending services to the community were developed. The experience made it possible to follow up groups of elderly people and people in vulnerability, in proposals that articulate doing art, appreciate and contextualize artistic practices in art history. It made possible, also, deepen studies on contemporary art and the comprehension of occupational therapists' role to build up the access of vulnerable populations to the artistic-cultural field.Este trabalho se propõe a relatar a experiência de colaboração entre o Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas Arte e Corpo em Terapia Ocupacional e o Museu de Arte Contemporânea da USP (MAC USP), que teve início em 1996, focalizando algumas ações significativas e seus desdobramentos para a construção de práticas de Terapia Ocupacional no campo cultural. Durante mais de 10 anos foram desenvolvidas ações conjuntas nas esferas do ensino, da pesquisa e da extensão de serviços à comunidade. A experiência possibilitou o acompanhamento de grupos de idosos e pessoas em situação de vulnerabilidade, em propostas que compreendem o fazer artístico, a apreciação e a contextualização de práticas estéticas na história da arte; propiciou, também, o aprofundamento de estudos sobre arte contemporânea e a compreensão do papel do terapeuta ocupacional na construção de acesso para populações vulneráveis ao campo artístico-cultural

Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height

Most common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits, but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P < 0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways.

Analogues of Marine Guanidine Alkaloids Are in Vitro Effective against Trypanosoma cruzi and Selectively Eliminate Leishmania (L.) infantum Intracellular Amastigotes

Synthetic analogues of marine sponge guanidine alkaloids showed in vitro antiparasitic activity against Leishmania (L.) infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi. Guanidines 10 and 11 presented the highest selectivity index when tested against Leishmania. The antiparasitic activity of 10 and 11 was investigated in host cells and in parasites. Both compounds induced depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, upregulation of reactive oxygen species levels, and increased plasma membrane permeability in Leishmania parasites. Immunomodulatory assays suggested an NO-independent effect of guanidines 10 and 11 on macrophages. The same compounds also promoted anti-inflammatory activity in L. (L.) infantum-infected macrophages cocultived with splenocytes, reducing the production of cytokines MCP-1 and IFN-γ. Guanidines 10 and 11 affect the bioenergetic metabolism of Leishmania, with selective elimination of parasites via a host-independent mechanism

Germline DNA copy number variation in familial and early-onset breast cancer

Introduction: Genetic factors predisposing individuals to cancer remain elusive in the majority of patients with a familial or clinical history suggestive of hereditary breast cancer. Germline DNA copy number variation (CNV) has recently been implicated in predisposition to cancers such as neuroblastomas as well as prostate and colorectal cancer. We evaluated the role of germline CNVs in breast cancer susceptibility, in particular those with low population frequencies (rare CNVs), which are more likely to cause disease." Methods: Using whole-genome comparative genomic hybridization on microarrays, we screened a cohort of women fulfilling criteria for hereditary breast cancer who did not carry BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. Results: The median numbers of total and rare CNVs per genome were not different between controls and patients. A total of 26 rare germline CNVs were identified in 68 cancer patients, however, a proportion that was significantly different (P = 0.0311) from the control group (23 rare CNVs in 100 individuals). Several of the genes affected by CNV in patients and controls had already been implicated in cancer. Conclusions: This study is the first to explore the contribution of germline CNVs to BRCA1/2-negative familial and early-onset breast cancer. The data suggest that rare CNVs may contribute to cancer predisposition in this small cohort of patients, and this trend needs to be confirmed in larger population samples.Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomics [FAPESP 2008/57887-9, CNPq 573589/08-9, FAPESP (2009/00898-1)]Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology in Oncogenomic