Clinical and genetic factors predicting response to therapy in patients with Crohn’s disease

Aim - To identify clinical and/or genetic predictors of response to several therapies in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. Methods - We included 242 patients with CD (133 females) aged (mean ± standard deviation) 39 ± 12 years and a disease duration of 12 ± 8 years. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) studied were ABCB1 C3435T and G2677T/A, IL23R G1142A, C2370A, and G9T, CASP9 C93T, Fas G670A and LgC844T, and ATG16L1 A898G. Genotyping was performed with real-time PCR with Taqman probes. Results - Older patients responded better to 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and to azathioprine (OR 1.07, p = 0.003 and OR 1.03, p = 0.01, respectively) while younger ones responded better to biologicals (OR 0.95, p = 0.06). Previous surgery negatively influenced response to 5-ASA compounds (OR 0.25, p = 0.05), but favoured response to azathioprine (OR 2.1, p = 0.04). In respect to genetic predictors, we observed that heterozygotes for ATGL16L1 SNP had a significantly higher chance of responding to corticosteroids (OR 2.51, p = 0.04), while homozygotes for Casp9 C93T SNP had a lower chance of responding both to corticosteroids and to azathioprine (OR 0.23, p = 0.03 and OR 0.08, p = 0.02,). TT carriers of ABCB1 C3435T SNP had a higher chance of responding to azathioprine (OR 2.38, p = 0.01), while carriers of ABCB1 G2677T/A SNP, as well as responding better to azathioprine (OR 1.89, p = 0.07), had a lower chance of responding to biologicals (OR 0.31, p = 0.07), which became significant after adjusting for gender (OR 0.75, p = 0.005). Conclusions - In the present study, we were able to identify a number of clinical and genetic predictors of response to several therapies which may become of potential utility in clinical practice. These are preliminary results that need to be replicated in future pharmacogenomic studies

The who-when-why triangle of complementary and alternative medicine use among Portuguese IBD patients

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicines is increasing among chronic patients, particularly those afflicted with inflammatory bowel diseases. Aim: This study aimed to address the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicines use among Portuguese inflammatory bowel diseases' patients. Methods: Patients were invited to fill an anonymous questionnaire concerning the use of complementary and alternative medicines. Results: Thirty-one per cent of the patients reported having used complementary and alternative medicines in the past, whereas 12% were using them by the time the questionnaire was administered. Fifty-nine per cent of the users did not share this information with their physician, whereas 14% and 8% discontinued their medication and periodical examination, respectively. Steroids prescription (OR = 2.880) and a higher instruction level (OR = 3.669) were predictors of complementary and alternative medicines use in this cohort. Conclusions: Roughly a third of Portuguese IBD patients had used CAM. Steroid treatment and an academic degree are associated with CAM use. Given the potential side effects and interactions, patient information about the benefits and limitations of conventional and complementary treatments should be reinforced. (C) 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.GEDII (Portuguese IBD Study Group)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O efeito do feedback na resolução de problemas de formação de subconjuntos

Four children were submitted to the double stimulationmethod in order to see if their performance show ed the featuresdescribed by Vigotsky (1986). Logic blocks, divided into four subsets witha different "name", were used. Trials began with the presentation of amodel and the subject was asked to chose 11 from the 47 remainingblocks that "he/she supposed to have the same name as the model". Itwere used points as feedback for correct responses and the data wereindividually analysed. Three of the four subjects, after a number of trials atchance level suddenly arrived to the perfect performance. In the trialsbefore solution it was observed preference for a value of one stimulusproperty, followed by a gradual increase in the number of identicalproperties between the chosen blocks and the model. The correctresponses' slope had the all or none feature, caractheristic of humanlearning performance in tasks were the behavioral control necessarilydepends on the subject's own verbalization.RESUMO - Utilizou-se o método da dupla estimulação para verificar se o desempenho de crianças apresenta as características descritas por Vigotsky (1986). Utilizou-se um conjunto de blocos lógicos divididos em quatro subconjuntos correspondentes a quatro "nomes". As tentativas envolviam a apresentação de um bloco-modelo e o sujeito era instruído para escolher 11 dentre os 47 restantes, que achasse que tinham o mesmo nome. Foram utilizados pontos por acerto como feedback e nálise individual dos dados. Em três dos quatro sujeitos, após várias tentativas com acertos ao acaso, o número de acertos subia abruptamente. Antes da resolução ocorriam ocasionalmente: a) predominância de um valor de uma das quatro propriedades; e b) aumento gradual do número de propriedades dos blocos escolhidos idênticos ao modelo. A característica da curva de acertos, em degrau, tem sido considerada como típica da aprendizagem humana, em que a solução da tarefa exige controle do comportamento do sujeito por sua própria verbalização. Palavras-chave: escolha-segundo-o-modelo, formação de subconjuntos, raciocínio verbal, crianças de primeiro grau

Desafios e dificuldades da extensão universitária multicampi: uma experiência na UFVJM

Em universidades multicampi, garantir a acessibilidade dos estudantes a projetos em outros campi é um desafio. Neste trabalho é relatada uma experiência interdisciplinar e multicampi em um projeto de extensão da UFVJM, durante os anos de 2021 e 2022. No total, estiveram envolvidos 45 alunos, de 3 campi e 10 cursos distintos, em atividades conduzidas de forma remota, tais como, a criação de conteúdo textual e material audiovisual, culminando também na realização de um workshop online, trabalhos de conclusão de curso e publicação de artigos científicos. As atividades remotas ampliaram a acessibilidade ao projeto e ofereceram flexibilidade de horários para professores e estudantes, além de permitir a interação entre discentes de diferentes cursos. No entanto, houveram desafios devido à comunicação ineficiente durante o processo de seleção de estudantes, a falta de acesso à internet e recursos computacionais de alta qualidade