A importância da avaliação diagnóstica na intervenção personalizada

Este relatório de estágio foi desenvolvido num Lar de idosos, situado na região de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, mais concretamente na capital de distrito – Vila Real. Estagiando num território do interior, tornou-se pertinente falarmos sobre o envelhecimento nesta zona do país salientando as dificuldades existentes no acesso a bens e serviços, bem como de algumas vantagens em envelhecer neste território. Salientamos o facto de estas zonas serem mais isoladas e terem cada vez menos jovens, tornando-se assim locais mais envelhecidos onde se verifica o espírito de boa vizinhança e solidariedade. Para além disto defendemos ainda a importância dos diagnósticos sociais para uma intervenção mais personalizada e centrada nas necessidades, gostos e potencialidades dos idosos, uma vez que os lares atuais, incluindo o lar de idosos em estudo, descuram muitas vezes esta ferramenta de intervenção. Verificamos pois que, muitas vezes, as atividades realizadas não são as mais adequadas para os idosos na medida em que não levam em conta alguns dos aspetos fundamentais para uma boa intervenção e para uma melhoria da qualidade de vida destes. Isto deve-se principalmente ao facto de nem sempre termos em conta que o idoso é um ser biopsicossocial. Desta forma tornou-se fundamental revermos os diagnósticos sociais da instituição em estudo e atualizá-los com o intuito de conhecermos melhor as histórias de vida dos idosos internados para uma melhor intervenção. A burocracia imposta, pelas várias entidades componentes, aos lares é um entrave para exercermos aquilo que a Gerontologia defende (uma intervenção mais personalizada, estando mais próxima dos idosos). Percebemos assim que, muitas vezes, o trabalho de gabinete tira tempo precioso aos técnicos. Este tempo poderia ser aproveitado para fazer mais atividades e para estarem mais presentes na vida dos idosos

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells present clinical potential to recover and regenerate injured tissues in diverse pathologies. The in vitro expansion and characterization of these cells contribute to elucidation of the mechanisms of senescence and strategies involving cell therapies. This study aimed to compare specific characteristics between initial and advanced passages of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow. Both cell types were characterized according to immunophenotype, osteogenic differentiation, genomic instability, migration assay, doubling population time and colony forming ability. Our results demonstrated that both cell types were able to maintain an immunophenotypic profile typical of mesenchymal stem cells during increasing passages. Adipose stem cells at initial passage presented greater migration capacity compared to advanced passage cells, and advanced passage cells proliferated faster than initial passage cells. Bone marrow stem cells at early passages presented higher osteogenic potential than advanced. At advanced passages they presented higher colony forming capacity and genetic damage than those at initial passage. These results suggest that mesenchymal stem cells maintained in culture presented characteristics of senescence that should be monitored prior the use in regenerative medicine and cells derived from bone marrow at initial passage have better potential for therapeutic use in bone tissue engineering

An Update on Grading of Salivary Gland Carcinomas

Histologic grade is a significant predictor of outcome in salivary gland carcinomas. However, the sheer variety of tumor type and the rarity of these tumors pose challenges to devising highly predictive grading schemes. As our knowledge base has evolved, it is clear that carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is not automatically a high grade tumor as is traditionally suggested. These tumors should be further qualified as to type/grade of carcinoma and extent, since intracapsular and minimally invasive carcinomas ex pleomorphic adenoma behave favorably. The two carcinoma types for which grading schemes are common include adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Adenoid cystic carcinomas are graded based solely on pattern with solid components portending a worse prognosis. Occasionally, adenoid cystic carcinomas may undergo transformation to pleomorphic high grade carcinomas. This feature confers a high propensity for lymph node metastasis and should thus be reported to alert the clinical team. Mucoepidermoid carcinomas are graded in a three tier fashion based on a constellation of features including cystic component, border, mitoses, anaplasia, and perineural invasion among others. All grading schemes are somewhat cumbersome, intimidating and occasionally ambiguous, but evidence suggests that using a scheme consistently shows greater reproducibility than using an intuitive approach. The intermediate grade category demonstrates the most variability between grading systems and thus the most controversy in management. In the AFIP system intermediate grade tumors cluster with high grade tumors, while in the Brandwein system, they cluster with low grade tumors

Postcopulatory sexual selection

The female reproductive tract is where competition between the sperm of different males takes place, aided and abetted by the female herself. Intense postcopulatory sexual selection fosters inter-sexual conflict and drives rapid evolutionary change to generate a startling diversity of morphological, behavioural and physiological adaptations. We identify three main issues that should be resolved to advance our understanding of postcopulatory sexual selection. We need to determine the genetic basis of different male fertility traits and female traits that mediate sperm selection; identify the genes or genomic regions that control these traits; and establish the coevolutionary trajectory of sexes