A import?ncia da gest?o estrat?gica de pessoas no ?mbito da administra??o p?blica

A Gest?o P?blica transforma-se nas ?ltimas d?cadas, aderindo o modelo gerencial advindo do setor privado, e o setor p?blico adota ferramentas de gest?o de pessoas, visando gerir o desempenho, o clima e a motiva??o de seus servidores. O artigo aborda a import?ncia da Gest?o Estrat?gica de Pessoas para as organiza??es, com um estudo de caso, no IFPB campus Picu?. O intuito ? analisar as pr?ticas de Gest?o de Pessoas adotadas no IFPB campus Picu?. ? um estudo de caso, explorat?rio-descritivo com abordagem qualitativa. Foi coletado os dados com question?rio, aplicado a 25 servidores p?blicos, e uma entrevista semi estruturada com o Diretor Administrativo e com a Coordenadora de Recursos Humanos. O artigo conclui que o setor de RH do campus ? sistema simples, volta sua gest?o de processos, em detrimento da gest?o de pessoas. E sua avalia??o de desempenho ? feita pelo chefe imediato, pelo par e pelo pr?prio servidor avaliado, n?o contendo nenhum plano de capacita??o que estimule a qualifica??o e melhore a efici?ncia do servidor. Como proposta de melhoria, sugere-se a implanta??o de um plano de capacita??o e o desenvolvimento de programas de benef?cios

Evaluation of record linkage of two large administrative databases in a middle income country: stillbirths and notifications of dengue during pregnancy in Brazil

BACKGROUND: Due to the increasing availability of individual-level information across different electronic datasets, record linkage has become an efficient and important research tool. High quality linkage is essential for producing robust results. The objective of this study was to describe the process of preparing and linking national Brazilian datasets, and to compare the accuracy of different linkage methods for assessing the risk of stillbirth due to dengue in pregnancy. METHODS: We linked mothers and stillbirths in two routinely collected datasets from Brazil for 2009–2010: for dengue in pregnancy, notifications of infectious diseases (SINAN); for stillbirths, mortality (SIM). Since there was no unique identifier, we used probabilistic linkage based on maternal name, age and municipality. We compared two probabilistic approaches, each with two thresholds: 1) a bespoke linkage algorithm; 2) a standard linkage software widely used in Brazil (ReclinkIII), and used manual review to identify further links. Sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) were estimated using a subset of gold-standard data created through manual review. We examined the characteristics of false-matches and missed-matches to identify any sources of bias. RESULTS: From records of 678,999 dengue cases and 62,373 stillbirths, the gold-standard linkage identified 191 cases. The bespoke linkage algorithm with a conservative threshold produced 131 links, with sensitivity = 64.4% (68 missed-matches) and PPV = 92.5% (8 false-matches). Manual review of uncertain links identified an additional 37 links, increasing sensitivity to 83.7%. The bespoke algorithm with a relaxed threshold identified 132 true matches (sensitivity = 69.1%), but introduced 61 false-matches (PPV = 68.4%). ReclinkIII produced lower sensitivity and PPV than the bespoke linkage algorithm. Linkage error was not associated with any recorded study variables. CONCLUSION: Despite a lack of unique identifiers for linking mothers and stillbirths, we demonstrate a high standard of linkage of large routine databases from a middle income country. Probabilistic linkage and manual review were essential for accurately identifying cases for a case-control study, but this approach may not be feasible for larger databases or for linkage of more common outcomes

Effects of terlipressin as early treatment for protection of brain in a model of haemorrhagic shock

Introduction: We investigated whether treatment with terlipressin during recovery from hypotension due to haemorrhagic shock (HS) is effective in restoring cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and brain tissue markers of water balance, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Methods: In this randomised controlled study, animals undergoing HS (target mean arterial pressure (MAP) 40 mmHg for 30 minutes) were randomised to receive lactated Ringer’s solution (LR group; n =14; volume equal to three times the volume bled), terlipressin (TERLI group; n =14; 2-mg bolus), no treatment (HAEMO group; n =12) or sham (n =6). CPP, systemic haemodynamics (thermodilution technique) and blood gas analyses were registered at baseline, shock and 5, 30, 60 (T60), 90 and 120 minutes after treatment (T120). After the animals were killed, brain tissue samples were obtained to measure markers of water balance (aquaporin-4 (AQP4)), Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter (NKCC1)), oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD)) and apoptotic damage (Bcl-x and Bax). Results: Despite the HS-induced decrease in cardiac output (CO) and hyperlactataemia, resuscitation with terlipressin recovered MAP and resulted in restoration of CPP and in cerebral protection expressed by normalisation of AQP4, NKCC1, TBARS and MnSOD expression and Bcl-x/Bax ratio at T60 and T120 compared with sham animals. In the LR group, CO and blood lactate levels were recovered, but the CPP and MAP were significantly decreased and TBARS levels and AQP4, NKCC1 and MnSOD expression and Bcl-x/Bax ratio were significantly increased at T60 and T120 compared with the sham group. Conclusions: During recovery from HS-induced hypotension, terlipressin was effective in normalising CPP and cerebral markers of water balance, oxidative damage and apoptosis. The role of this pressor agent on brain perfusion in HS requires further investigation

Implementation of an Affordable Method for MPS Diagnosis from Urine Screening to Enzymatic Confirmation: Results of a Pilot Study in Morocco

Background: Rapid and accurate diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) is still a challenge due to poor access to screening and diagnostic methods and to their extensive clinical heterogeneity. The aim of this work is to perform laboratory biochemical testing for confirming the diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) for the first time in Morocco. Methods: Over a period of twelve months, 88 patients suspected of having Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) were referred to our laboratory. Quantitative and qualitative urine glycosaminoglycan (GAG) analyses were performed, and enzyme activity was assayed on dried blood spots (DBS) using fluorogenic substrates. Enzyme activity was measured as normal, low, or undetectable. Results: Of the 88 patients studied, 26 were confirmed to have MPS; 19 MPS I (Hurler syndrome; OMIM #607014/Hurler-Scheie syndrome; OMIM #607015), 2 MPS II (Hunter syndrome; OMIM #309900), 2 MPS IIIA (Sanfilippo syndrome; OMIM #252900), 1 MPS IIIB (Sanfilippo syndrome; OMIM #252920) and 2 MPS VI (Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome; OMIM #253200). Parental consanguinity was present in 80.76% of cases. Qualitative urinary glycosaminoglycan (uGAGs) assays showed abnormal profiles in 31 cases, and further quantitative urinary GAG evaluation and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) provided important additional information about the likely MPS diagnosis. The final diagnosis was confirmed by specific enzyme activity analysis in the DBS samples. Conclusions: The present study shows that the adoption of combined urinary substrate analysis and enzyme assays using dried blood spots can facilitate such diagnosis, offer an important tool for an appropriate supporting care, and a specific therapy, when available

Contribution of microscopy for understanding the mechanism of action against trypanosomatids

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has proved to be a useful tool to study the ultrastructural alterations and the target organelles of new antitrypanosomatid drugs. Thus, it has been observed that sesquiterpene lactones induce diverse ultrastructural alterations in both T. cruzi and Leishmania spp., such as cytoplasmic vacuolization, appearance of multilamellar structures, condensation of nuclear DNA, and, in some cases, an important accumulation of lipid vacuoles. This accumulation could be related to apoptotic events. Some of the sesquiterpene lactones (e.g., psilostachyin) have also been demonstrated to cause an intense mitochondrial swelling accompanied by a visible kinetoplast deformation as well as the appearance of multivesicular bodies. This mitochondrial swelling could be related to the generation of oxidative stress and associated to alterations in the ergosterol metabolism. The appearance of multilamellar structures and multiple kinetoplasts and flagella induced by the sesquiterpene lactone psilostachyin C indicates that this compound would act at the parasite cell cycle level, in an intermediate stage between kinetoplast segregation and nuclear division. In turn, the diterpene lactone icetexane has proved to induce the external membrane budding on T. cruzi together with an apparent disorganization of the pericellar cytoskeleton. Thus, ultrastructural TEM studies allow elucidating the possible mechanisms and the subsequent identification of molecular targets for the action of natural compounds on trypanosomatids.Fil: Lozano, Esteban Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Spina Zapata, Renata María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Barrera, Patricia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Tonn, Carlos Eugenio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Sosa Escudero, Miguel Angel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentin

Postharvest conservation of strawberry fruits at different storage conditions

O morango ? um produto muito apreciado pelos consumidores devido ?s caracter?sticas organol?pticas. Por?m, os frutos do morangueiro s?o altamente perec?veis depois de colhidos, sendo necess?rio adotar medidas alternativas para prolongar o per?odo de conserva??o dos frutos. O trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a conserva??o p?s-colheita de frutos de cultivares de morangueiro em diferentes condi??es de armazenamento. Os frutos de morangueiro utilizados no experimento foram cultivados na fazenda da empresa Mape Frutas, localizada no munic?pio de Datas-MG. Foram avaliados os frutos de oito cultivares (Festival, Campinas, Toyonoka, Dover, Oso Grande, Camarosa Diamante e Aromas). As condi??es de armazenamento e as an?lises foram realizadas no Laborat?rio de Tecnologia Biomassa do Cerrado da UFVJM. As condi??es de armazenamento foram em c?mara fria (temperatura m?dia 2,34?0,78?C e umidade relativa 89,93?4,14%) e condi??es ambiente (temperatura m?dia 17,43?2,68?C e umidade relativa 74,11?10,44%). As caracter?sticas foram analisadas por 12 dias, com avalia??es a cada 3 dias: apar?ncia, incid?ncia de doen?as, teores de s?lidos sol?veis totais, acidez titul?vel total, vitamina C e firmeza. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial com oito cultivares de morangueiro e cinco tempos de armazenamento, com tr?s repeti??es, avaliados separadamente nas duas condi??es de armazenamento. Em condi??es ambiente os frutos de morangueiro podem ser armazenados por no m?ximo tr?s dias. O armazenamento em c?mara fria proporciona maior conserva??o p?s-colheita de frutos de morangueiro, podendo os frutos ser armazenados at? doze dias. A cv. Festival apresentou melhor conserva??o p?s-colheita nas duas condi??es de armazenamento, enquanto que as cvs. Toyonoka e Campinas apresentaram maior incid?ncia de doen?as e menor firmeza de frutos quando comparadas com as outras cultivares.Strawberry is a product appreciated by consumers due to the organoleptic characteristics. However, strawberry fruits are highly perishable after harvest, so alternative measures to prolong the shelf life of fruits are necessary. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the fruit postharvest conservation of strawberry cultivars under different storage conditions. Strawberry fruits of eight cultivars (Festival, Campinas, Toyonoka, Dover, Oso Grande, Camarosa, Diamante and Aromas) were grown at ?Mape Frutas? farm, in Datas municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Strawberry fruits were stored at cold storage (2.34?0.78?C; 89.93?4.14% RH) and environmental conditions (17.43?2.68?C; 74.11?10.44%). The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial arrangement with eight strawberry cultivars and five storage times, with three replications. Fruits appearance, disease incidence, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, vitamin C and firmness were evaluated every 3 days, until 12 days. At room condition, strawberry fruit could be stored for only three days. Fruits kept in cold chamber kept quality until 12 days. Cv. Festival had the best postharvest shelf life in both storage conditions and cvs. Toyonoka and Campinas showed higher incidence of diseases and less fruit firmness when compared to the other cultivars

TRPA1 is essential for the vascular response to environmental cold exposure

This work was supported by the British Heart Foundation and a Capacity Building Award in Integrative Mammalian Biology. It was also supported by Arthritis Research UK and XK is supported by a British Pharmacological Society AJ Clark studentship

Mechanism of Disruption of the Amt-GlnK Complex by PII-Mediated Sensing of 2-Oxoglutarate

GlnK proteins regulate the active uptake of ammonium by Amt transport proteins by inserting their regulatory T-loops into the transport channels of the Amt trimer and physically blocking substrate passage. They sense the cellular nitrogen status through 2-oxoglutarate, and the energy level of the cell by binding both ATP and ADP with different affinities. The hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus possesses three Amt proteins, each encoded in an operon with a GlnK ortholog. One of these proteins, GlnK2 was recently found to be incapable of binding 2-OG, and in order to understand the implications of this finding we conducted a detailed structural and functional analysis of a second GlnK protein from A. fulgidus, GlnK3. Contrary to Af-GlnK2 this protein was able to bind both ATP/2-OG and ADP to yield inactive and functional states, respectively. Due to the thermostable nature of the protein we could observe the exact positioning of the notoriously flexible T-loops and explain the binding behavior of GlnK proteins to their interaction partner, the Amt proteins. A thermodynamic analysis of these binding events using microcalorimetry evaluated by microstate modeling revealed significant differences in binding cooperativity compared to other characterized PII proteins, underlining the diversity and adaptability of this class of regulatory signaling proteins