Pravastatin protection from cold stress in myocardium of rats

The aim of this research was to evaluate the possible protective effect of pravastatin on ultrastructural alterations induced by cold stress in the myocardium of rats.Sixteen EPM-Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) were used and distributed into four groups: 1) control; 2) pravastatin; 3) cold stress, and 4) pravastatin + cold stress. A daily oral dose of 10 mg/kg of weight of pravastatin was administered to each rat in groups 2 and 4 for 15 days. the stress induced by cold was obtained by keeping the group 3 and 4 rats in a freezer at -8degreesC for 4 hours. the animals were killed and the heart and fragments of the left ventricles (LV) were removed and processed prior to conducting electron microscopic analysis.The ultrastructural alterations in cardiomyocytes were quantified through the number of mitochondrial cristae pattern (cristalysis). the group subjected only to cold stress showed a significant increase in cristalysis (391.9) when compared with control group (42.0). in the cold stress and pravastatin pretreatment group, a statistically significant (96.9)*, P<0.05 cristalysis reduction was observed when compared with cold stress group. the mitochondrial cristalysis profiles of the control and pravastatin groups were 42.0 and 65.7, respectively.Cold stress induced a significant increase in the rat e of mitochondrial cristalysis. in the group that received pravastatin and was exposed to cold stress, the drug protected the LV cardiomyocytes. This fact was confirmed by a reduction mitoctiondrial cristalysis pattern. (Jpn Heart J 2003; 44: 243-255).Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Setor Cardiol Expt, UNIFESP, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Alfenas, UNIFENAS, Alfenas, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Setor Cardiol Expt, UNIFESP, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Soil apparent electrical conductivity and geographically weighted regression for mapping soil

To resolve the spatial variation in soil properties intensively is expensive, but such knowledge is essential to manage the soil better and to achieve greater economic and environmental benefits. The objective of this study was to determine whether the soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), alone or combined with other variables, is a useful alternative for providing detailed information on the soil in the Extremadura region of Spain. Apparent soil electrical conductivity was measured and geographically weighted regression was used to characterize the spatial variation in soil properties, which in turn can be used for soil management. This study shows that soil cation exchange capacity, calcium content, clay percentage and pH have a relatively strong spatial correlation with ECa in the soil of the study area

Effects of the administration of a catalase inhibitor into the fourth cerebral ventricle on cardiovascular responses in spontaneously hypertensive rats exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between brain oxidative stress and cardiovascular regulation. We evaluated the effects of central catalase inhibition on cardiovascular responses in spontaneously hypertensive rats exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke. METHODS: Male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SH) (16 weeks old) were implanted with a stainless steel guide cannula leading into the fourth cerebral ventricle (4th V). The femoral artery and vein were cannulated for arterial pressure and heart rate measurement and drug infusion, respectively. The rats were exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke for 180 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks (CO: 100-300 ppm). The baroreflex was tested using a pressor dose of phenylephrine (8 μg/kg, bolus) and a depressor dose of sodium nitroprusside (50 μg/kg, bolus). Cardiovascular responses were evaluated before and 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes after injection of a catalase inhibitor (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, 0.001 g/100 μL) into the 4th V. RESULTS: Vehicle administration into the 4th V did not affect the cardiovascular response, whereas administration of the central catalase inhibitor increased the basal HR and attenuated the bradycardic peak (p<0.05) to a greater extent in WKY rats exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke than in WKY rats exposed to fresh air. However, in spontaneously hypertensive rats, the effect of the catalase inhibitor treatment was stronger in the fresh air condition (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of a catalase inhibitor into the 4th V combined with exposure to sidestream cigarette smoke has a stronger effect in WKY rats than in SH rats.Foundation of Support to Research of Sao Paulo State (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo - FAPESP)Universidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaFaculdade de Medicina do ABC Departamento de Morfologia e FisiologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESP, EPM10/17769-7SciEL

Descarregamento de Tráfego de Redes IoT/Edge por Transmissões de Múltiplos Fluxos

The paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT) envisions the development of technology solutions for a number of disruptive applications, e.g.,smart cities, smart energy, smart homes, augmented reality, smart health, etc. With the implementation of IoT infrastructures in support of these applications, the increasing volume of data generated in the access networks has been observed. In this context, the Edge Computing paradigm emerges as an extension of the Cloud Computing paradigm to address the impacts of increased data production on access networks, bringing the operation on these data (storage, processing, analysis and consumption) or part of it closer to where this data is produced, ie, in the access networks. In this master’s thesis, mixed infrastructures, called IoT/Edge, are considered. The object of investigation is the offloading of M2M flows, containing data captured by sensors present in the IoT/Edge infrastructure that must be transported to the server, remotely located in a Cloud Computing infrastructure. Different from existing approaches, the data download proposed in this work enables the IoT/Edge infrastructure to have concurrent transmission capacity over multiple CMT paths. Although CMT transmissions are applied in various scenarios on the Internet, e.g., user applications, data center networks, hybrid access network; little is known about its benefits in IoT/Edge infrastructures. In this context, this thesis presents an investigation of the CMT impacts on the traffic performance of M2M data streams in IoT/Edge infrastructures. For this, a new node is introduced in this infrastructure, called MPP, prototyped to enable CMT capacity over M2M flows on the Internet. Such capability is provided by the support of MPTCP, which is the main general purpose CMT solution currently in existence. In this specific scenario, a new IoT multiple access architecture was implemented, considering an MPP gateway with MPTCP connected to different mobile operator networks to offload M2M data traffic. Experimental results from CoAP traffic emulated in the implemented architecture indicate that the proposed system, with the support of MPTCP, improves the performance of IoT applications. Offloading multipath based M2M data traffic considerably increases throughput, while significantly reducing the latency of CoAP requests as the number of network sensors increases. Specifically, when the MPP node improves its multipath capacity from 1 to 3 access networks, experimental results showed an increase in throughput from 2000 to 6000 CoAP requests per second and a reduction from 275 to 100 ms.O paradigma de Internet das Coisas, ou Internet of Things (IoT), prevê o desenvolvimento de soluções tecnológicas para diversos domínios de aplicações disruptivas, como cidades inteligentes, energia inteligente, casas inteligentes, realidade aumentada, saúde inteligente, entre outros. Com a implantação de infraestruturas de IoT em suporte a essas aplicações, tem se observado o crescente volume de dados gerados nas redes de acesso. Nesse contexto, a Computação de Borda, ou Edge Computing (Edge) surge como uma extensão do paradigma de Computação em Nuvem (Cloud Computing) para tratar os impactos do aumento da produção de dados nas redes de acesso, trazendo a operação sobre esses dados (armazenamento, processamento, análise e consumo) ou parte dele para perto de onde esses dados são produzidos, i.e., nas redes de acesso. Nesta dissertação de mestrado, considera-se as infraestruturas mistas, denominadas IoT/Edge. O objeto de investigação é o descarregamento de fluxos Machine to Machine (M2M), contendo dados capturados por sensores presentes na infraestrutura de IoT/Edge que devem ser transportados para o servidor destinatário, remotamente localizado em uma infraestrutura de Computação em Nuvem. Diferente das abordagens existentes, o descarregamento de dados proposto neste trabalho habilita na infraestrutura de IoT/Edge a capacidade de transmissão concorrente por múltiplos caminhos Concurrent Multipath Transfer (CMT). Embora as transmissões CMT sejam aplicadas em diversos cenários na Internet, e.g., aplicações de usuários, redes de centro de dados, rede de acesso híbrido; pouco se conhece sobre o seus benefícios em infraestruturas de IoT/Edge. Neste contexto, esta dissertação apresenta uma investigação dos impactos CMT sobre o desempenho de tráfego de fluxos de dados M2M em infraestruturas de IoT/Edge. Para tanto, um novo nó é introduzido nessa infraestrutura, denominado MultiPath Proxy (MPP), prototipado para habilitar capacidade CMT sobre os fluxos M2M na Internet. Tal capacidade é provida pelo suporte do Protocolo de Controle de Transmissão de Múltiplos Caminhos, ou MultiPath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP), que é a principal solução de propósito geral CMT existente atualmente. Nesse cenário específico, uma nova arquitetura de acesso múltiplo IoT foi implementada, considerando um gateway MPP com o MPTCP conectado a diferentes redes de operadoras móveis para descarregar o tráfego de dados M2M. Resultados experimentais a partir de tráfego Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) emulado na arquitetura implementada indicam que o sistema proposto, com o suporte do MPTCP, melhoram o desempenho das aplicações IoT. O descarregamento de tráfego de dados M2M baseado em múltiplos caminhos aumenta consideravelmente a vazão, enquanto reduz significativamente a latência das solicitações CoAP conforme o número de sensores de rede aumenta. Especificamente, quando o nó MPP melhora sua capacidade multipath de 1 para 3 redes de acessos, resultados experimentais mostraram um aumento de vazão de 2000 para 6000 requisições CoAP por segundo e uma redução de 275 para 100 ms.Dados abertos - Sucupira - Teses e dissertações (2020

CT and MRI in monitoring response: state-of-the-art and future developments

The present review is aimed at updating the reader with the current role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of tumor response, contextualizing the imaging methods advantages and limitations. CT has been the most frequent and widely adopted diagnostic tool. The main advantages of such method include wide availability, high reproducibility, capability to contemporarily evaluate soft tissues, bone and lung parenchyma, besides being easy to perform. Its main limitation is related to the use of ionizing radiation. MRI has emerged as a feasible alternative to CT, particularly in patients with contraindications to the use of iodinated contrast agents, with advantages related to its high soft tissues contrast. The disadvantages are based on its operational complexity and the many technical variables involved which may influence and compromise the reproducibility and broad implementation of the method. New criteria for evaluation of tumor response have recently been proposed, contemplating lately developed drugs and therapeutic strategies that demand the utilization of functional parameters. In this context, the technological developments incorporated in the CT and MRI imaging techniques, such as perfusion analysis, diffusion studies (DW-RM) and MR spectroscopy (MRS), among others, have provided relevant information regarding the tumor response to targeted therapies, anticipating dimensional alterations and guiding physicians in the course of the treatment. Despite such developments, further efforts are needed to establish reproducible protocols, functional response criteria and time intervals for response evaluation in order to allow a definitive incorporation of these new technologies in the assessment of tumor response.Univ Fed Sao Paulo, DDI, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, DDI, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Immunohistochemical Expression of E-cadherin in Sclerosing Adenosis, Ductal Carcinoma in Situ and Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast

E-cadherin (EC) is an important glycoprotein cell-adhesion molecule that appears to play a significant role in the progression of breast lesions. the objective of this study was to evaluate EC expression in sclerosing adenosis, ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive ductal carcinoma. Samples of breast lesions from 44 women were used in this study, comprising cases of sclerosing adenosis (n = 11), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (n = 10) and invasive ductal carcinoma (n = 23). Immunohistochemical evaluation of EC expression was assessed semiquantitatively and considered negative ( 50% of cells stained). Fisher's exact test was used to compare the distribution of staining intensity in the lesions (P < 0.05). There was a progressive loss of EC expression from benign to malignant lesions. This difference was statistically significant when sclerosing adenosis was compared with DCIS (P < 0.0002), when sclerosing adenosis was compared with invasive ductal carcinoma (P < 0.008) and when DCIS was compared with invasive ductal carcinoma (P < 0.007). the present findings point to a significant association between reduced EC expression and the progression and aggressivity of breast lesions. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:235-238. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Univ Fed Piaui, Dept Gynecol, Mastol Div, Teresina, Piaui, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Gynecol, Mastol Div, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Gynecol, Mastol Div, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc