Brazilian gamma detection device for sentinel lymph node biopsy

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of an intra-operative gamma detection Brazilian device (IPEN) on sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) procedures. METHODS: Forty melanoma or breast cancer patients with indication for undergoing SLNB were studied. Lymphoscintigraphy was done 2 to 24 hours prior to surgery. Lymphatic mapping with vital dye and gamma detection were performed intraoperatively. For gamma detection Neoprobe ® 1500 was used followed by IPEN (equipment under test) in the first 20 patients and for the remaining half IPEN was used first to verify its ability to locate the sentinel node (SN). Measurements were taken from the radiopharmaceutical product injection site, from SN (in vivo and ex vivo) and from background. It was recorded if the SN was stained or not and if it was found easily by surgeon. RESULTS: There were 33 (82.5%) breast cancer and 7 (17.5%) melanoma patients. Ages varied from 21 to 68 year-old (median age of 46). Sex distribution was 35 (87.5%) women and 5 (12.5%) men. Sentinel node was found in all but one patient. There was no statistical difference between the reasons ex vivo/ background obtained with the measures of both equipments (p=0, 2583-ns). The SN was easily found by the surgeon with both devices. CONCLUSION: The SLNB was successfully performed using either equipment. It was possible to do SLNB with the Brazilian device developed by IPEN without prejudice for the patient.OBJETIVO: Testar a eficácia de equipamento de detecção gama intra-operatória (DGI) desenvolvido pelo IPEN (Brasil), em procedimentos de biópsia de linfonodo sentinela (BLS) no melanoma e no câncer de mama. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 40 pacientes portadores de melanoma ou câncer de mama com indicação para realização de BLS.Todos pacientes foram submetidos à linfocintilografia e a BLS ocorreu entre 2 a 24 horas após a mesma. Concomitantemente à DGI, realizou-se o mapeamento linfático com corante vital. Foram feitas leituras com o equipamento convencional Neoprobe® 1500 e com o equipamento em teste (IPEN) dos valores de captação do sítio de injeção do radiofármaco, do LS in vivo e ex vivo e da captação de fundo. Foi registrado se o LS estava corado e se o cirurgião teve facilidade para encontrá-lo. Nos primeiros 20 pacientes utilizou-se o equipamento convencional e depois o de teste; nos outros 20, utilizou-se primeiro o equipamento em teste, com objetivo de verificar se o mesmo identificava primariamente o LS. RESULTADOS: Dos quarenta pacientes, 33 eram portadores de tumor de mama e sete de melanoma cutâneo; variação da idade: 21 a 68 anos (mediana= 46 anos); 35 mulheres e 5 homens. Em apenas um paciente o LS não foi encontrado, nem pela DGI nem pelo corante vital. Não houve diferença estatística entre as razões ex vivo/fundo obtidas com os dois equipamentos (p=0, 2583-ns). CONCLUSÃO: É possível realizar o procedimento de BLS com o equipamento brasileiro desenvolvido pelo IPEN, com facilidade e sem prejuízo para o paciente.Hospital Israelita Albert EinsteinIPENUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Faculdade de Medicina Anhembi-MorumbiUNIFESPSciEL

Automated Analysis of Cryptococcal Macrophage Parasitism Using GFP-Tagged Cryptococci

The human fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii cause life-threatening infections of the central nervous system. One of the major characteristics of cryptococcal disease is the ability of the pathogen to parasitise upon phagocytic immune effector cells, a phenomenon that correlates strongly with virulence in rodent models of infection. Despite the importance of phagocyte/Cryptococcus interactions to disease progression, current methods for assaying virulence in the acrophage system are both time consuming and low throughput. Here, we introduce the first stable and fully characterised GFP–expressing derivatives of two widely used cryptococcal strains: C. neoformans serotype A type strain H99 and C. gattii serotype B type strain R265. Both strains show unaltered responses to environmental and host stress conditions and no deficiency in virulence in the macrophage model system. In addition, we report the development of a method to effectively and rapidly investigate macrophage parasitism by flow cytometry, a technique that preserves the accuracy of current approaches but offers a four-fold improvement in speed

El recien nacido con dolor: el papel del equipo de enfermeria

It's a quantitative, descriptive and cross study conducted with the nurse team working in the field of neonatology at the three hospitals, Alfenas-MG. Aimed to describe the forms of pain assessment of the newborn used by nurse team and analyze the practice of nursing as pain management of neonates. Data were collected through a semi-structured formulary, from August to September 2008, of 42 nurses working. The analyze was performed using SPSS software using descriptive statistics and correlation test. It was observed that the respondents recognize that the newborn is capable of feeling pain and evaluated by physiological and behavioral changes and that there isn't pain assessment scales standardized in the institutions. For the management, carry out pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. There is need to train professionals contributing to the assessment and management of pain, promoting of holistic care of the neonate.Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal realizado con profesionales de Enfermería que actúan en el área de Neonatología en los tres hospitales de Alfenas, Minas Gerais. Se objetivó describir las formas de evaluación del dolor del recién nacido utilizados por el personal de enfermería y analizar la práctica de la enfermería como el manejo del dolor del neonato. La recolección de datos fue hecha por medio de un formulario semiestructurado, entre agosto y septiembre de 2008, con 42 profesionales. El análisis fue hecho con el software SPSS, utilizando la estadística descriptiva y la prueba de correlación. Los entrevistados reconocen que el neonato es capaz de sentir dolor y esto se evalúa a través de alteraciones fisiológicas y de comportamiento, no hay utilización de escalas de evaluación del dolor estandarizadas en las instituciones. Para el manejo, realizan intervenciones farmacológicas y no farmacológicas. Hay necesidad de capacitar profesionales contribuyendo para la evaluación y manejo del dolor, para la promoción del cuidado integral al neonato.Estudo quantitativo, descritivo e transversal realizado com profissionais de enfermagem que atuam em neonatologia nos três hospitais de Alfenas-MG. Objetivou descrever as formas de avaliação de dor do recém-nascido utilizadas pela equipe de enfermagem e analisar a prática da enfermagem quanto ao manejo da dor do neonato. A coleta de dados foi feita por meio de formulário semiestruturado, de agosto a setembro de 2008, com 42 profissionais. A análise foi feita pelo software SPSS utilizando estatística descritiva e teste de correlação. Os entrevistados acreditam que o recém-nascido é capaz de sentir dor e a avaliam por meio de alterações fisiológicas e comportamentais, e que não há utilização de escalas de avaliação álgica padronizadas nas instituições. Para o manejo, realizam intervenções farmacológicas e não farmacológicas. Há necessidade de capacitar os profissionais, contribuindo para a avaliação e o manejo da dor, e promovendo o cuidado integral ao neonato.Universidade de São Paulo Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirao Preto Departamento de Enfermagem Materno-infantil e Saude PublicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Enfermagem Pediatrica Escola Paulista de EnfermagemUniversidade Federal de Alfenas Escola de Enfermagem Programa de Pos-graduacao em EnfermagemUniversidade de São Paulo Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirao Preto Departamento de Enfermagem Geral e EspecializadaUniversidade Federal de Alfenas Escola de EnfermagemPrograma de Pos-graduacao em Enfermagem Programa de Pos-graduacao em EnfermagemEscola de Enfermagem Escola de EnfermagemUniversidade de São PauloUNIFESP, Depto. de Enfermagem Pediatrica Escola Paulista de Enfermagem (EPE)SciEL

Time periodicity and dynamical stability in two-boson systems

We calculate the period of recurrence of dynamical systems comprising two interacting bosons. A number of theoretical issues related to this problem are discussed, in particular, the conditions for small periodicity. The knowledge gathered in this way is then used to propose a notion of dynamical stability based on the stability of the period. Dynamical simulations show good agreement with the proposed scheme. We also apply the results to the phenomenon known as coherent population trapping and find stability conditions in this specific case.Comment: 7+ pages, 5 figure

Groupwise Multimodal Image Registration using Joint Total Variation

In medical imaging it is common practice to acquire a wide range of modalities (MRI, CT, PET, etc.), to highlight different structures or pathologies. As patient movement between scans or scanning session is unavoidable, registration is often an essential step before any subsequent image analysis. In this paper, we introduce a cost function based on joint total variation for such multimodal image registration. This cost function has the advantage of enabling principled, groupwise alignment of multiple images, whilst being insensitive to strong intensity non-uniformities. We evaluate our algorithm on rigidly aligning both simulated and real 3D brain scans. This validation shows robustness to strong intensity non-uniformities and low registration errors for CT/PET to MRI alignment. Our implementation is publicly available at https://github.com/brudfors/coregistration-njtv

The Silences Framework: A Method for researching sensitive themes and marginalized health perspectives (English version)

Objective: To describe the experience of applying of The Silences Framework to underpin health research investigating Tuberculosis/HIV/AIDS coinfection . Method: The Silences Framework originally developed following a study exploring the decisions and silences surrounding black Caribbean men living in England, discussing the themes 'sexual health' and 'ethnicity'. Following this study a conceptual a theory for research on sensitive issues and health care of marginalized populations was developed called 'Screaming Silences' which forms the foundation of The Silences Framework. Screaming Silences define research areas and experiences that are poorly studied, little understood or silenced. Results: The Silences Framework supports researchers in revealing "silences" in the subjects they study - as such results may reflect how beliefs, values, and experiences of some groups influence their health. This framework provides the application of four complementary stages: working the silences, hearing silences, voicing silences and working with the silences. The analysis occurs cyclically and can be repeated as long as the silences inherent in a study are not revealed. Conclusion: this article presents The Silences Framework and the application of the notion of "sounds of silence", mapping an antiessentialist theoretical framework for its use in sensitive research in health and nursing areas, being a reference for other researchers in studies involving marginalized populations. KEYWORDS: Inequalities in health. Methods. Nursing. Coinfection. Research. Tuberculosis. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Soil-induced impacts on forest structure drive coarse woody debris stocks across central Amazonia

PublishedJournal Article© 2014, © 2014 Botanical Society of Scotland and Taylor & Francis. Background: Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an essential component in tropical forest ecosystems and its quantity varies widely with forest types. Aims: Relationships among CWD, soil, forest structure and other environmental factors were analysed to understand the drivers of variation in CWD in forests on different soil types across central Amazonia. Methods: To estimate CWD stocks and density of dead wood debris, 75 permanent forest plots of 0.5 ha in size were assessed along a transect that spanned ca. 700 km in undisturbed forests from north of the Rio Negro to south of the Rio Amazonas. Soil physical properties were evaluated by digging 2-m-deep pits and by taking auger samples. Results: Soil physical properties were the best predictors of CWD stocks; 37% of its variation was explained by effective soil depth. CWD stocks had a two-fold variation across a gradient of physical soil constraints (i.e. effective soil depth, anoxia and soil structure). Average biomass per tree was related to physical soil constraints, which, in turn, had a strong relationship with local CWD stocks. Conclusions: Soil physical properties appear to control average biomass per tree (and through this affect forest structure and dynamics), which, in turn, is correlated with CWD production and stocks

Behavioural stress responses predict environmental perception in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Individual variation in the response to environmental challenges depends partly on innate reaction norms, partly on experience-based cognitive/emotional evaluations that individuals make of the situation. The goal of this study was to investigate whether pre-existing differences in behaviour predict the outcome of such assessment of environmental cues, using a conditioned place preference/avoidance (CPP/CPA) paradigm. A comparative vertebrate model (European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax) was used, and ninety juvenile individuals were initially screened for behavioural reactivity using a net restraining test. Thereafter each individual was tested in a choice tank using net chasing as aversive stimulus or exposure to familiar conspecifics as appetitive stimulus in the preferred or non preferred side respectively (called hereafter stimulation side). Locomotor behaviour (i.e. time spent, distance travelled and swimming speed in each tank side) of each individual was recorded and analysed with video software. The results showed that fish which were previously exposed to appetitive stimulus increased significantly the time spent on the stimulation side, while aversive stimulus led to a strong decrease in time spent on the stimulation side. Moreover, this study showed clearly that proactive fish were characterised by a stronger preference for the social stimulus and when placed in a putative aversive environment showed a lower physiological stress responses than reactive fish. In conclusion, this study showed for the first time in sea bass, that the CPP/CPA paradigm can be used to assess the valence (positive vs. negative) that fish attribute to different stimuli and that individual behavioural traits is predictive of how stimuli are perceived and thus of the magnitude of preference or avoidance behaviour.European Commission [265957]; Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) [FRH/BPD/72952/2010]; FCT [SFRH/BD/80029/2011

Lipidomic Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles from the Pathogenic Phase of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Background: Fungal extracellular vesicles are able to cross the cell wall and transport molecules that help in nutrient acquisition, cell defense, and modulation of the host defense machinery.Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we present a detailed lipidomic analysis of extracellular vesicles released by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis at the yeast pathogenic phase. We compared data of two representative isolates, Pb3 and Pb18, which have distinct virulence profiles and phylogenetic background. Vesicle lipids were fractionated into different classes and analyzed by either electrospray ionization- or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We found two species of monohexosylceramide and 33 phospholipid species, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylglycerol. Among the phospholipid-bound fatty acids in extracellular vesicles, C181 predominated in Pb3, whereas C18:2 prevailed in Pb18. the prevalent sterol in Pb3 and Pb18 vesicles was brassicasterol, followed by ergosterol and lanosterol. Inter-isolate differences in sterol composition were observed, and also between extracellular vesicles and whole cells.Conclusions/Significance: the extensive lipidomic analysis of extracellular vesicles from two P. brasiliensis isolates will help to understand the composition of these fungal components/organelles and will hopefully be useful to study their biogenesis and role in host-pathogen interactions.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)National Institutes of Health (NIH)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Texas El Paso, Dept Biol Sci, Border Biomed Res Ctr, El Paso, TX 79968 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 06/05095-6FAPESP: 07/04757-8FAPESP: 07/59768-4CNPq: 301666/2010-5National Institutes of Health (NIH): 5G12RR008124-16A1National Institutes of Health (NIH): 5G12RR008124-16A1S1National Institutes of Health (NIH): G12MD007592Web of Scienc