Coronary Arterial Circulation in the Bantu

Author Institution: Laboratory of Human Anatomy, Department of Normal Morphology, University of Luanda, AngolaHearts from 710 adult Bantus of either sex born in Angola and aged between 25 and 68 years were studied. The authors examined the morphological pattern of the coronary arteries and compared them to hearts from Caucasians. An attempt is made to relate the anatomical structure to the reduced incidence of myocardial infarction in the Bantu population. One possible explanation is that a microcirculatory adaptation to physiological conditions could act as a defense mechanism. It is evident that the intraparietal branches of the coronary artery present a greater internal diameter than those found in Caucasian hearts

Nadir e Siza

Ao longo dos últimos anos, entre diversos textos escritos, tenho vindo a interpelar o método conceptual do arquiteto (que gostava de ter sido escultor) Álvaro Siza, procurando descodificar (como se isso fosse possível) a sua notável capacidade de reinventar memórias, de interpretar geografias, de se deixar contaminar por tantas “culturas-outras”. Esse exercício de alteridade - ser simultaneamente eu e o outro; ser daqui e do mundo, ser local e universal -, de clara afinidade pessoana ou torguiana, leva Siza a criar obras que são suas, originais e irrepetíveis, mas que ressoam, na nossa memória, como espaços familiares; ou, dito de outra forma, como se tivessem pertencido sempre à vida de um lugar, de uma cidade ou de um personagem

The Baghdad Affair. How diplomacy supplanted one of the last major projects by Le Corbusier

[EN] After the Iraqi Republican Revolution of 1958, the resultant government commissioned two parallel projects for two great Stadiums in Baghdad, with similar complementary features: one to the Swiss architect Le Corbusier – who had developed a previous project (1955-1958) for the monarch Faisal II –, continuously designed in his Paris studio until his death in 1965; another to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, entirely funded and supervised by this institution, and designed by two prominent Portuguese architects at the time: F. Keil do Amaral and Carlos M. Ramos. Facing a progressive administrative and financial chaos in the country, the Iraqi authorities opted for the Gulbenkian Foundation’s solution – built between 1962-1965 and inaugurated in 1966, after an intriguing diplomatic process -, postponing Le Corbusier’s proposals yet without breaking their contract with him. This essay presents an explanation for this mysterious “affair” based on a recent research conducted at the Presidency Archive of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, but also at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) where different documents reveal the continuous mismatch between Le Corbusier’s will and the Iraqi authorities procedures.[ES] After the Iraqi Republican Revolution of 1958, the resultant government commissioned two parallel projects for two great Stadiums in Baghdad, with similar complementary features: one to the Swiss architect Le Corbusier – who had developed a previous project (1955-1958) for the monarch Faisal II –, continuously designed in his Paris studio until his death in 1965; another to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, entirely funded and supervised by this institution, and designed by two prominent Portuguese architects at the time: F. Keil do Amaral and Carlos M. Ramos. Facing a progressive administrative and financial chaos in the country, the Iraqi authorities opted for the Gulbenkian Foundation’s solution – built between 1962-1965 and inaugurated in 1966, after an intriguing diplomatic process -, postponing Le Corbusier’s proposals yet without breaking their contract with him. This essay presents an explanation for this mysterious “affair” based on a recent research conducted at the Presidency Archive of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, but also at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) where different documents reveal the continuous mismatch between Le Corbusier’s will and the Iraqi authorities procedures.Grande, N. (2016). The Baghdad Affair. How diplomacy supplanted one of the last major projects by Le Corbusier. En LE CORBUSIER. 50 AÑOS DESPUÉS. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 910-932. https://doi.org/10.4995/LC2015.2015.645OCS91093

Abel Salazar

Abel Salazar foi um minhoto assumido e um universitário de excepção. Por isso, esta homenagem da Universidade do Minho representa, no programa nacional das comemorações do centenário do seu nascimento, a expressão de um reencontro do Mestre com os seus pares e conterrâneos; aqui e agora. Pela iniciativa da Comissão Cultural da Universidade, iremos dialogar com o génio criador do Artista, através da expressão plástica de parte da obra que nos legou

Antero e a Circunstância.

102 Jan.-Dez. 1992, p. 103-115

Structural Artifacts and Advantages of Cytocentrifugation of Cells as Viewed by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Cytocentrifugation of cell suspensions onto glass slides is a widely used procedure in contemporary cytology. We employed here scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate putative morphological changes induced in cells submitted to cytocentrifugation. The fine structure of murine pleural exudate cells (macrophages mainly) processed by spinning was compared with that of similar cells treated without centrifugation (poly-L-lysine attachment of the cells to glass slides at 1 g). Cells of cytocentrifuged preparations showed a significant increase in diameter and smoothening of the cell surface as compared with the morphology of non-centrifuged cells. Cytocentrifugation also induced the formation of thin elongations coming out of the cellular outlines. The centrifugation-induced flattening of the pleural macrophages improved the detection of large intracellular inclusions (containing tungsten particles): these bodies were readily identified by secondary-electron imaging mode of SEM in cytospinned cells whereas their detection in non-centrifuged spherical cells required the use of the backscattered-electron imaging mode of SEM. We conclude that the cytocentrifugation methodology, on one hand, requires caution on the interpretation of the microanatomy of the cells and, on the other hand, the procedure may be an adequate method to improve the identification of large intracellular inclusions by routine (secondary-electron imaging mode) SEM

Arrest in ciliated cell expansion on the bronchial lining of adult rats caused by chronic exposure to industrial noise

Workers chronically exposed to high-intensity/low-frequency noise at textile plants show increased frequency of respiratory infections. This phenomenon prompted the herein investigation on the cytology of the bronchial epithelium of Wistar rats submitted to textile noise. Workplace noise from a cotton-mill room of a textile factory was recorded and reproduced in a sound-insulated animal room. The Wistar rats were submitted to a weekly schedule of noise treatment that was similar to that of the textile workers (8 h/day, 5 days/week). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to compare the fine morphology of the inner surface of the bronchi in noise-exposed and control rats. SEM quantitative cytology revealed that exposure to noise for 5-7 months caused inhibition in the natural expansion of the area occupied by ciliated cells on the bronchial epithelium as adult rats grow older. This difference between noise-exposed and age-matched control rats was statistically significant (P<0.05) and documents that the cytology of the rat bronchial epithelium is mildly altered by noise exposure. The decrease in the area of bronchial cilia may impair the mucociliar clearance of the respiratory airways and, thus, increase vulnerability to respiratory infection

Risk Calculators in Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Early recognition of bipolar disorder improves the prognosis and decreases the burden of the disease. However, there is a significant delay in diagnosis. Multiple risk factors for bipolar disorder have been identified and a population at high-risk for the disorder has been more precisely defined. These advances have allowed the development of risk calculators to predict individual risk of conversion to bipolar disorder. This review aims to identify the risk calculators for bipolar disorder and assess their clinical applicability. Methods: A systematic review of original studies on the development of risk calculators in bipolar disorder was performed. The studies' quality was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form for Cohort Studies and according to recommendations of the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis Initiative. Results: Three studies met the inclusion criteria; one developed a risk calculator of conversion from major depressive episode to bipolar disorder; one of conversion to new-onset bipolar spectrum disorders in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder; and the last one of conversion in youths with bipolar disorder not-otherwise-specified. Conclusions: The calculators reviewed in this article present good discrimination power for bipolar disorder, although future replication and validation of the models is needed

The practice of physicians and nurses in the Brazilian Family Health Programme – evidences of change in the delivery health care model

The article analyzes the practice of physicians and nurses working on the Family Health Programme (Programa de Saúde da Família or PSF, in Portuguese). A questionnaire was used to assess the evidences of assimilation of the new values and care principles proposed by the programme. The results showed that a great number of professionals seem to have incorporated the practice of home visits, health education actions and planning of the teams' work agenda to their routine labour activities