Identificação por "Multiplex PCR" do sorotipo monofásico e atípico Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica sorotipo 1,4,[5],12:i:-, no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil: freqüência e resistência antimicrobiana

Salmonella spp. are the etiologic agents of salmonellosis, a worldwide spread zoonoses causing foodborne outbreaks and clinical diseases. By serological identification, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- accounted for 8.8% of human and 1.6% of nonhuman Salmonella strains isolated in São Paulo State, during 1991-2000. A total of 28.6% of them amplified a fragment corresponding to H:1,2 (flagellar phase two) through PCR analysis and were further assigned as S. Typhimurium. Antimicrobial resistance was detected in 36.3% of the 369 PCR-negative strains tested, including the multiresistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, tetracycline, and streptomycin.Salmonella spp. é o agente etiológico da salmonelose, zoonose mundialmente distribuída e responsável por surtos de doenças transmitidas por alimentos e doenças clínicas. Sorologicamente, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica sorotipo 1,4,[5],12:i:- correspondeu a 8,8% e 1,6% das cepas de Salmonella de origem humana e não-humana, respectivamente, isoladas no Estado de São Paulo, no decênio 1991-2000. Aproximadamente 28,6% destas cepas amplificaram o fragmento correspondente a H:1,2 (fase flagelar dois) em testes de PCR e foram, então, identificadas como S. Typhimurium. Das 369 cepas negativas em PCR, 36,3% apresentou resistência antimicrobiana, incluindo multirresistência a ampicilina, cloranfenicol, sulfonamidas, tetraciclina e estreptomicina

Quantifier-Free Interpolation of a Theory of Arrays

The use of interpolants in model checking is becoming an enabling technology to allow fast and robust verification of hardware and software. The application of encodings based on the theory of arrays, however, is limited by the impossibility of deriving quantifier- free interpolants in general. In this paper, we show that it is possible to obtain quantifier-free interpolants for a Skolemized version of the extensional theory of arrays. We prove this in two ways: (1) non-constructively, by using the model theoretic notion of amalgamation, which is known to be equivalent to admit quantifier-free interpolation for universal theories; and (2) constructively, by designing an interpolating procedure, based on solving equations between array updates. (Interestingly, rewriting techniques are used in the key steps of the solver and its proof of correctness.) To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful attempt of computing quantifier- free interpolants for a variant of the theory of arrays with extensionality

Mental disorders and work integration: a retrospective study in a northern italian town.

OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN A VOCATIONAL INTEGRATION SERVICE OF A NORTHERN ITALIAN TOWN WITH TWO MAJOR AIMS: to assess vocational integration programs undertaken from 1(st) January 2004 to 1(st) January 2007; and to identify job tenure-associated predictors. METHODS: This is a retrospective study; we collected data such as gender, age, duration, type and outcome of the vocational integration program, and number of interventions performed by the vocational integration service. Self-report questionnaires were also used to assess the satisfaction of users, caregivers, practitioners, and of the company contacts involved in the study. RESULTS: The service has enrolled 84 users during the observation period. Out of these users, 64.3% of them still had their jobs after three years. Users, caregivers and company contacts expressed high levels of satisfaction for the support received by the vocational integration service. The company expressed less satisfaction for the collaboration received by the Departments of Mental Health (DMHs) that coached the users. The only variable associated to the outcome was the number of interventions that the users received before their placement on the job. CONCLUSIONS: Despite all the limits of this study, its results show that the chance of taking advantage of a supported job placement service has likely proven itself effective in helping people with mental disorders to obtain and maintain a competitive employment. Our results, however, also point to the necessity of implementing newer strategies meant to develop a greater integration among all services dealing with mentally ill people

Finitely generated free Heyting algebras via Birkhoff duality and coalgebra

Algebras axiomatized entirely by rank 1 axioms are algebras for a functor and thus the free algebras can be obtained by a direct limit process. Dually, the final coalgebras can be obtained by an inverse limit process. In order to explore the limits of this method we look at Heyting algebras which have mixed rank 0-1 axiomatizations. We will see that Heyting algebras are special in that they are almost rank 1 axiomatized and can be handled by a slight variant of the rank 1 coalgebraic methods

Creation of museums as strategy for preservation of the fossil heritage of Araripe sedimentary basin in Pernambuco, NE, Brazil

O Araripe pernambucano tem excelentes exposições de rochas da Formação Santana, Bacia Sedimentar do Araripe (PE, CE e PI), reconhecida internacionalmente pelos fósseis de vertebrados, preservados em concreções, considerados entre os mais importantes do supercontinente Gondwana (110 Ma). Embora a região tenha excelente potencial para coleta e estudos paleontológicos, facilitada pela extração a céu aberto da gipsita (Polo Gesseiro do Araripe), não existem ações de preservação do patrimônio fossilífero. Dado a vocação mineira e o potencial paleontológico, a região torna-se relevante para desenvolvimento de programas, projetos e ações que promovam os recursos naturais para uso educacional, turístico, inclusão social e sustentabilidade. Propõe-se a criação de museus paleontológicos nos municípios do Araripe pernambucano, como estratégia de uso sustentável desses recursos para geração de cultura e renda para a região, ao mesmo tempo em que se preserva para as gerações futuras a “memória paleobiológica da Terra”, retratada nos nossos fósseis.The Araripe Basin portion located in the Pernambuco state of Brazil has excellent Santana Formation outcrops. This internationally known unit has provided some of the most important concretion preserved vertebrate fossils of the Lower Cretaceous (~110 Ma) Gondwana. Although this region has its potential for fossil collecting eased by the gypsum extraction in surface mines (known as the ‘Araripe Plast Pole’), there are currently no fossil Patrimony preservation actions in the area. Given both the mining and paleontological potentials of these localities it is relevant to develop programmes, projects, and measures to promote its natural resources for educational, touristic, social, and sustainable porpuses. Here we propose the creation of paleontological museums in some of the Araripe municipalities within the Pernambuco state. These museums will be strategic for the sustainability of these resources to generate culture and profit for this region. These museums will also preserve the ‘Earth’s paleobiological memory’ by protecting our fossils for future generations.Agradecemos ao Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Brasil/CNPq, pela bolsa de produtividade de pesquisa 303071/2014-1 e o projeto de pesquisa 401748/2010, a Pró-reitora de Extensão- PROEXT-UFPE e a FUNCULTURA, Processo 0756/2014. Sinceros agradecimentos também são devidos a prefeitura do Munícipio de Exu, ao Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral-DNPM e ao Sindicato da Indústria do Gesso de Pernambuco/SINDUGESSO, pelo apoio no desenvolvimento da pesquisa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioreactor With Electrically Deformable Curved Membranes for Mechanical Stimulation of Cell Cultures

Physiologically relevant in vitro models of stretchable biological tissues, such as muscle, lung, cardiac and gastro-intestinal tissues, should mimic the mechanical cues which cells are exposed to in their dynamic microenvironment in vivo. In particular, in order to mimic the mechanical stimulation of tissues in a physiologically relevant manner, cell stretching is often desirable on surfaces with dynamically controllable curvature. Here, we present a device that can deform cell culture membranes without the current need for external pneumatic/fluidic or electrical motors, which typically make the systems bulky and difficult to operate. We describe a modular device that uses elastomeric membranes, which can intrinsically be deformed by electrical means, producing a dynamically tuneable curvature. This approach leads to compact, self-contained, lightweight and versatile bioreactors, not requiring any additional mechanical equipment. This was obtained via a special type of dielectric elastomer actuator. The structure, operation and performance of early prototypes are described, showing preliminary evidence on their ability to induce changes on the spatial arrangement of the cytoskeleton of fibroblasts dynamically stretched for 8 h

Visuospatial exploration and art therapy intervention in patients with Parkinson's disease: an exploratory therapeutic protocol

Abstract Though abnormalities of visuospatial function occur in Parkinson's disease, the impact of such deficits on functional independence and psychological wellbeing has been historically under- recognized, and effective treatments for this impairment are unknown. These symptoms can be encountered at any stage of the disease, affecting many activities of daily living, and negatively influencing mood, self-efficacy, independence, and overall quality of life. Furthermore, visuospatial dysfunction has been recently linked to gait impairment and falls, symptoms that are known to be poor prognostic factors. Here, we aim to present an original modality of neurorehabilitation designed to address visuospatial dysfunction and related symptoms in Parkinson's disease, known as "Art Therapy". Art creation relies on sophisticated neurologic mechanisms including shape recognition, motion perception, sensory-motor integration, abstraction, and eye-hand coordination. Furthermore, art therapy may enable subjects with disability to understand their emotions and express them through artistic creation and creative thinking, thus promoting self-awareness, relaxation, confidence and self-efficacy. The potential impact of this intervention on visuospatial dysfunction will be assessed by means of combined clinical, behavioral, gait kinematic, neuroimaging and eye tracking analyses. Potential favorable outcomes may drive further trials validating this novel paradigm of neurorehabilitation

Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory evaluation of essential oils from leaves and stem barks from Drimys brasiliensis Miers (Winteraceae)

The essential oils from leaves and stem barks from Drimys brasiliensis Miers (Winteraceae) were individually obtained by hydrodistillation and their compounds characterized by use of GC/FID and GC/MS. The main identified derivatives were monoterpenes (leaves 4.31% and stem barks 90.02%) and sesquiterpenes (leaves 52.31% and stem barks 6.35%). Additionally, the sesquiterpene polygodial was isolated from hexane extract from stem barks of D. brasiliensis after chromatographic steps and characterized by spectroscopic means, mainly NMR. Aiming the evaluation of anti-inflammatory potential, the crude essential oils and the sesquiterpene polygodial were subjected to bioassays to evaluate the acute toxicity of these compounds as well as the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities induced by carrageenan and formalin in mices. Ours results showed that essential oil obtained from the stem barks significantly reduced the oedema induced by carrageenan. The anti-inflammatory effect induced by stem barks oil (at 200 mg kg-1) was similar to observed for indomethacin (at 10 mg kg-1) and superior for polygodial (at 200 mg kg-1) in 30 and 60 min after the administration of essential oils. The inflammatory response induced by formalin was effective to the stem barks oil (62.5%) in comparison to polygodial (50.0%).Os óleos essenciais das folhas e das cascas do tronco de Drimys brasiliensis Miers (Winteraceae) foram obtidos individualmente por hidrodestilação e suas composições químicas foram determinadas através de análise por CG/DIC e CG/EM. Os principais constituintes identificados foram monoterpenos (folhas 4,31% e cascas do tronco 90,02%) e sesquiterpenos (folhas 52,31% e cascas do tronco 6,35%). Adicionalmente, o sesquiterpeno poligodial foi isolado do extrato em hexano das cascas do tronco de D. brasiliensis após fracionamento cromatográfico e caracterizado por métodos espectroscópicos. Visando a avaliação do potencial anti-inflamatório, os óleos essenciais brutos e o sesquiterpeno poligodial foram submetidos à bioensaios para avaliação da toxicidade aguda destes compostos bem como das atividades anti-inflamatória e antinociceptiva induzidas por carragenina e formalina em ratos. Nossos resultados mostraram que o óleo essencial bruto obtido das cascas do tronco reduziu significativamente o edema induzido por carragenina. O efeito anti-inflamatório induzido pelo óleo das cascas do tronco (a 200 mg kg-1) foi similar ao observado para indometacina (a 10 mg kg-1) e superior ao poligodial (a 200 mg kg-1) em 30 e em 60 min após administração. A resposta inflamatória induzida pela formalina foi efetiva para o óleo das cascas do tronco (62,5%) em comparação ao poligodial (50,0%).Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da TerraUniversidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra Centro de Ciências e Humanidades Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da SaúdeUniversidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da SaúdeUNIFESP, Depto. de Ciências Exatas e da TerraSciEL