Polymorphisms in base excision repair genes and thyroid cancer risk

We wish to thank Luisa Manso Oliveira, Lylliane Luz, Silvia Morgado Amaro and Maria Catarina Soveral for technical support. This study was supported by the Center for Research in Human Molecular Genetics (CIGMH), Projects PTDC/SAU-OSM/105572/2008, PTDC/SAU-ESA/102367/2008 and PTDC/QUI/67522/2006 from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) and Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian (Grant 76438/2006). The grants to M. Pingarilho (SFRH/BD/22612/2005) from FCT are also acknowledgedThyroid cancer (TC) is the most frequent endocrine malignancy, accounting however for only 1-2\% of all human cancers, and tilt: best-established risk factor for TC is radiation exposure, particularly during childhood. Since the BER pathway seems to play an important role in the repair of DNA damage induced by IR and other genotoxicants, we carried out a hospital-based case-control study in order to evaluate the potential modifying role of 6 BER polymorphisms on the individual susceptibility to non-familial TC in 109 TC patients receiving iodine-131, and 217 controls matched for age ( 2 years), gender and ethnicity. Our results do not reveal a significant involvement of XRCCI Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln, OGGI Ser326Cys, APEXI Asp148Glu, MUTYH Gln335His and,PARPI Val762Ala polymorphisms on the individual susceptibility towards TC, mostly in aggreement with the limited available evidence. By histological stratification analyis, we observed that the association between the presence of heterozygozity in the MUTYH Gln335His polymorphism and TC risk almost reached significance for the papillary subtype of TC. This was the first time that the putative association between this polymorphism and TC susceptibility was evaluated. However, since the sample size was modest, the possibility of a type I error should not be excluded and this result should, therefore, be interpreted with caution. More in depth studies involving larger populations should be pursued in order to further clarify the potential usefulness of the MUTYH Gln335His genotype as a predictive biomarker of susceptibility to TC and the role of the remaining BER polymorphisms on TC susceptibility.publishersversionpublishe

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Psychosis. What's the evidence?

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Petrographical and geochemical signatures of the Granja paragneisses (NW Ceará, Brasil)

The Granja Granulitic Complex (GCC) constitutes a NE–SW trending high-grade metamorphic belt occupying the western sector of the Médio Coreaú Domain (NW Ceará, Brasil) (Figs. 1 and 2). According to the published data, the GCC represents a segment of the Paleoproterozoic basement intensely reworked during the Brasiliano Orogeny. Lithologically, the GCC is mainly composed of garnet-sillimanite migmatitic paragneisses, enclosing discontinuous lenses of mafic granulites and enderbites. At outcrop scale, the GCC gneisses are well-foliated fineto medium-grained grey rocks showing a stromatic layering parallel to the main regional fabric (Fig. 3). The occurrence of lenses of leucocratic quartzfeldspathic material interlayered with the host paragneisses indicates that these rocks reached partial melting conditions during the Brasiliano orogenic event (≈ 600 Ma). Petrographically, the gneisses are characterized by the presence of mineral assemblages dominated by garnet, sillimanite and biotite with moderate amounts of quartz, plagioclase, cordierite and K-feldspar (Figs. 4a-b). Twelve whole-rock samples were analyzed for major and trace elements. As shown in Graph 1, all the analyzed samples plot in the sedimentary field. Their REE patterns closely resemble those of PAAS (PostArchean average Australian Shale) confirming the sedimentary origin of the paragneiss protoliths (Graph 2). Geochemical data also suggest that these sediments derived from source areas of felsic to intermediate composition and were deposited in a tectonically active continental margin (Graphs 3 and 4)

Pressure effect in the X-ray intrinsic position resolution in noble gases and mixtures

A study of the gas pressure effect in the position resolution of an interacting X- or gamma-ray photon in a gas medium is performed. The intrinsic position resolution for pure noble gases (Argon and Xenon) and their mixtures with CO2 and CH4 were calculated for several gas pressures (1-10bar) and for photon energies between 5.4 and 60.0 keV, being possible to establish a linear match between the intrinsic position resolution and the inverse of the gas pressure in that energy range. In order to evaluate the quality of the method here described, a comparison between the available experimental data and the calculated one in this work, is done and discussed. In the majority of the cases, a strong agreement is observed

Linear decomposition of approximate multi-controlled single qubit gates

We provide a method for compiling approximate multi-controlled single qubit gates into quantum circuits without ancilla qubits. The total number of elementary gates to decompose an n-qubit multi-controlled gate is proportional to 32n, and the previous best approximate approach without auxiliary qubits requires 32nk elementary operations, where k is a function that depends on the error threshold. The proposed decomposition depends on an optimization technique that minimizes the CNOT gate count for multi-target and multi-controlled CNOT and SU(2) gates. Computational experiments show the reduction in the number of CNOT gates to apply multi-controlled U(2) gates. As multi-controlled single-qubit gates serve as fundamental components of quantum algorithms, the proposed decomposition offers a comprehensive solution that can significantly decrease the count of elementary operations employed in quantum computing applications

Family farmers as agents of resilience in the Western Region of Santa Catarina (Brazil)

This article analyses how the resilience of family farmers has contributed to the development of the western region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Despite having largest agro-industrial complex in Latin America, the region has faced cyclical crisis and challenges in recent decades. In fact, the quality of life of the rural population - the region is the main strongholds of family farming in Brazil - has not improved. Rural exodus, an aging population and the impairment of environmental quality are some of the evidences that point to the limits of the adopted agribusiness model. Family farmers and their organizations have responded to this socioeconomic environment of uncertainty with adaptive strategies based on local resilience, such as pluriactivity, productive diversification, transformation of raw materials in the property and production for own consumption. These strategies have served not only for the social reproduction of the group but also have contributed to a renewed regional dynamismEste artículo analiza cómo la resiliencia de las explotaciones agrarias familiares contribuye al desarrollo de la región occidental del Estado de Santa Catarina en Brasil. A pesar de acoger un complejo agroindustrial con larga tradición en America Latina, la región ha sufrido crisis cíclicas en las recientes décadas. De hecho, la calidad de vida de la población rural no ha mejorado en esta región, que es la más importante del Brasil en agricultura familiar. La emigración rural, el envejecimiento de la población y la no consideración de la calidad ambiental son algunas de las evidencias que fijan los límites del modelo de los "agro-negocios". Los agricultores familiares y sus organizaciones han respondido a esta situación de incertidumbre socioeconómica adoptando estrategias que se basan en la resiliencia local, tales como la pluriactividad, la diversificación productiva, la transformación de materias primas en la explotación y produciendo para el autoconsumo. Estas estrategias han servido, no únicamente para la reproducción social del grupo, sino también para revitalizar el dinamismo en esta región

Qualidade de frutos de bananeira cv. BRS Tropical fertirrigada com diferentes doses de ácidos húmicos.

No Brasil a banana é uma fruta muito apreciada devido suas características sensoriais e por ser fonte de nutrientes. Tais características se diferem entre as variedades com potencial para comercialização

Sustainability indicators in cooperative management of recyclable materials

Following the promulgation of the National Solid Waste Policy in 2010, legal provisions, government programs and sectoral agreements have been implemented, but without the expected efficiency in relation to recycling. It should be noted that Cooperatives of Recyclable Material Pickers (CRMP) should play a leading role in this regard, but they do not have adequate management to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, depending on assistance to maintain the activity. Aiming to elucidate this issue, in this paper was made an institutional diagnosis of the category of waste pickers using the Gramacho region in the city of Duque de Caxias (Rio de Janeiro) as a case study. It was carried out an evaluation of the historical context of the neighbourhood, and it was drawn up a semi-structured questionnaire in 12 of the 18 cooperatives in the region. The data were interpreted through a SWOT matrix and the Venn diagram. A matrix was proposed and elaborated with 15 sustainability indicators specific to the CRMC reality in order to evaluate and monitor the management of cooperatives. After collecting the primary data, it was possible to validate the matrix of indicators with indexes of cultural, economic, political and ecological sustainability of the cooperatives. It was found that the matrix of indicators facilitated the understanding of the data and the comparison between the indicators. This tool can help decision-making, creation of action plans and identification of demands by the cooperative waste pickers themselves, without the presence of an analyst or technician

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Changes in the Benchmark Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Biovar Equi Exoproteome after Passage in a Murine Host

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi is the etiologic agent of ulcerative lymphangitis. To investigate proteins that could be related to the virulence of this pathogen, we combined an experimental passage process using a murine model and high-throughput proteomics with a mass spectrometry, data-independent acquisition (LC-MSE) approach to identify and quantify the proteins released into the supernatants of strain 258_equi. To our knowledge, this approach allowed characterization of the exoproteome of a C. pseudotuberculosis equi strain for the first time. Interestingly, the recovery of this strain from infected mouse spleens induced a change in its virulence potential, and it became more virulent in a second infection challenge. Proteomic screening performed from culture supernatant of the control and recovered conditions revealed 104 proteins that were differentially expressed between the two conditions. In this context, proteomic analysis of the recovered condition detected the induction of proteins involved in bacterial pathogenesis, mainly related to iron uptake. In addition, KEGG enrichment analysis showed that ABC transporters, bacterial secretion systems and protein export pathways were significantly altered in the recovered condition. These findings show that secretion and secreted proteins are key elements in the virulence and adaptation of C. pseudotuberculosis. Collectively, bacterial pathogenesis-related proteins were identified that contribute to the processes of adherence, intracellular growth and evasion of the immune system. Moreover, this study enhances our understanding of the factors that may influence the pathogenesis of C. pseudotuberculosis.Fil: Marques Da Silva, Wanderson. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasil. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Carvalho, Rodrigo D. De Oliveira. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Dorella, Fernanda A.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Folador, Edson L.. Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Centro de Biotecnologia; BrasilFil: Souza, Gustavo H. M. F.. Waters Corporation; BrasilFil: Pimenta, Adriano M. C.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Figueiredo, Henrique C. P.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Le Loir, Yves. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Silva, Artur. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Azevedo, Vasco. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasi