A desinstitucionalização e as alternativas habitacionais ao dispor de indivíduos com perturbações mentais: Um novo modelo habitacional – A habitação apoiada

Desde o início do processo de desinstitucionalização desinstitucionalização que este se tem vindo a deparar com dificuldades. Passando pelos poucos recursos ao dispor dos serviços de saúde mental, à tendência para trabalhar com os elementos que apresentam maiores probabilidades de sucesso, à não articulação entre os serviços hospitalares e os centros comunitários de saúde mental, até à falta de investimentos em alternativas habitacionais de carácter permanente. Estas têm sido algumas das situações a que os consumidores de serviços de saúde mental se têm sujeitado. Actualmente, assistimos à emergência de um paradigma que assenta na crença de que se deverá prestar apoio a estes consumidores numa casa tipicamente normal, com uma vivência na comunidade, em que o apoio é disponibilizado consoante as necessidades de cada indivíduo sem que exista uma limitação temporal à sua prestação. Torna-se assim necessário criar novos papéis para os técnicos, no sentido de que estes ajudem os consumidores a escolher, a obter, e a manter uma habitação. É pois urgente o desenvolvimento de um conjunto diversificado de alternativas habitacionais que se baseiem nos recursos e capacidades das comunidades locais, no sentido de garantir que o processo de desinstitucionalização se conclua com sucesso. Palavras-chave: desinstitucionalização, habitação apoiada, satisfação dos consumidores, doença mental.ABSTRACT: Since its beginning the deinstitutiondeinstitutionalization process has faced some difficulties, such as the mental health services lack of resources, the trend to work with the individual who presents higher probability of success, the lack of articulation between hospital services and community mental health centers, and the lack of investments on accommodations for long periods of time. These are some of the situations that consumers of mental health services have endured. Nowadays we witness the emerging of a paradigm which lies on the idea that these consumers need to be supported at a ordinary house, living in community, where the support is provided according to each person’s needs, and without a time limit. This paradigm also creates a need for the professionals to find new roles so that they will be able to help the consumers to choose, get, and keep a home. To ensure the success of deinstitutionalization it is vital that the establishment of different alternatives of accommodation be based on communities’ resources and capabilities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NCOA3 Loss Disrupts Molecular Signature of Chondrocytes and Promotes Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis Progression

Background/Aims: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. Recently, a novel variant near the nuclear receptor coactivator 3 (NCOA3) has been identified in association with greater risk of developing OA. However, how NCOA3 is regulated in chondrocytes and involved in OA pathogenesis remain elusive. Methods: The expression and DNA methylation of NCOA3 in knee OA cartilage and in vitro dedifferentiated chondrocytes with or without rs6094710 SNP were analyzed by qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing. NCOA3 was depleted by siRNA or shRNA or inhibited by a chemical inhibitor to assess its role in chondrocyte dedifferentiation or OA pathogenesis in posttraumatic OA animal model established by cruciate ligament transection surgery. Results: We found that compared with normal counterparts, samples with rs6094710 SNP failed to upregulate NCOA3. Further evidence associated this phenotype with DNMT1-mediated hypermethylation in gene promoter region. Moreover, we showed that NCOA3 maintained the molecular signature of chondrocytes dedifferentiating in vitro or exposed to IL-1β, nevertheless, NCOA3 appeared dispensable for preventing OA initiation, since NCOA3 loss did not trigger OA in young mice. Instead, NCOA3 loss promoted posttraumatic OA progression, and in parallel, enhanced NF-κB activation. Finally, the promoted posttraumatic OA progression was significantly retarded when administrated with NF-κB pathway inhibitor, suggesting that NCOA3 lose promotes posttraumatic OA at least partially by enhancing NF-κB activation. Conclusion: Thus, our findings indicate a critical role of NCOA3 in chondrocytes, and imply that manipulating NCOA3 might present a potential therapeutic approach to interfere OA progression

The radiosensitizing effect of doranidazole on human colorectal cancer cells exposed to high doses of irradiation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper investigates the effects of a new radiosensitizer, doranidazole, and enhancing irradiation on colorectal cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The radiosensitizing effect of doranidazole was determined using colony formation and propidium iodide (PI) assays to measure cell growth inhibition and the cell killing effect of human colorectal cancer cell lines exposed to high doses of γ-ray irradiation under hypoxic conditions <it>in vitro</it>. Fluorescence staining and cell migration assays were also used to assess the radiosensitizing effect.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cell proliferation evaluated by clonogenic survival curves was significantly inhibited by 5 mmol/L doranidazole, particularly at doses ranging from 10 to 30 Gy of irradiation. The radiosensitizing effect of doranidazole on colorectal cancer cells occurs in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Doranidazole also inhibited the mobility of cell invasion and migration.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Doranidazole can enhance the killing effect and the cell growth inhibition of colorectal cancer after high-dose irradiation in a time and dose-dependent manner.</p

Specific 12β-Hydroxylation of Cinobufagin by Filamentous Fungi

Biotransformation of natural products has great potential for producing new drugs and could provide in vitro models of mammalian metabolism. Microbial transformation of the cytotoxic steroid cinobufagin was investigated. Cinobufagin could be specifically hydroxylated at the 12β-position by the fungus Alternaria alternata. Six products from a scaled-up fermentation were obtained by silica gel column chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography and were identified as 12β-hydroxyl cinobufagin, 12β-hydroxyl desacetylcinobufagin, 3-oxo-12β-hydroxyl cinobufagin, 3-oxo-12β-hydroxyl desacetylcinobufagin, 12-oxo-cinobufagin, and 3-oxo-12α-hydroxyl cinobufagin. The last five products are new compounds. 12β-Hydroxylation of cinobufagin by A. alternata is a fast catalytic reaction and was complete within 8 h of growth with the substrate. This reaction was followed by dehydrogenation of the 3-hydroxyl group and then deacetylation at C-16. Hydroxylation at C-12β also was the first step in the metabolism of cinobufagin by a variety of fungal strains. In vitro cytotoxicity assays suggest that 12β-hydroxyl cinobufagin and 3-oxo-12α-hydroxyl cinobufagin exhibit somewhat decreased but still significant cytotoxic activities. The 12β-hydroxylated bufadienolides produced by microbial transformation are difficult to obtain by chemical synthesis

Effects of Long-term Fertilization on Soil Nitrogen and Phosphorus Activation in Purple Paddy Soil with Different Fertility

【Objective】The study was carried out to reveal the impact of long-term fertilization on the capacities of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) activation, and their correlations with pH and soil organic carbon (SOC) in purple paddy soil with different fertility, with a view to providing references for soil fertilization.【Method】Based on a 36-year different fertilization experiment of purple soil, different fertilization treatments including no fertilization (LF), balanced chemical nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer (MF), and chemical N, P and K fertilizer plus organic fertilizer (HF) were set. Dynamics of soil total and available N and P contents, and nutrient activation rates under different fertility were measured, and relationships between soil pH, SOC and nutrient activation rates were analyzed.【Result】Crop yields under MF and HF were significantly higher than those under LF. The contents of total N and P had no significant changes, available N content efficiently improved, while available P slightly decreased under LF treatment. However, total and available N and P contents significantly increased under MF and HF treatments. There were variation in promotion of N and P content under different fertility paddy soil. For example Under LF, MF, and HF treatments, the annual increase rates of total N contents were 5.5, 14.2, and 17.0 mg/kg, 0.40, 1.05, and 1.32 mg/kg for available N, 0.8, 17.1, and 18.0 mg/kg for total P, and -0.03, 2.05, and 1.85 mg/kg for available P, respectively. Compared with the LF treatment, N activation rates under MF and HF treatments increased from 8.15% to 428.77%. There was no significant linear relationship between N activation rate and pH or SOC. A significant negative correlation was observed between P activation rate and pH, while there was a significant positive linear correlation between P activation rate and SOC. If the annual application amount of N was 240 kg/hm2 and amount of P2O5 was 120 kg/hm2, the purple soil was N-saturated after 13 years and it was P-saturated after 9 years.【Conclusion】In the purple paddy soil regions of Southwest China, balanced fertilization with N, P and K or application of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer could promote soil N and P contents and activation rates

Impacts from Waste Oyster Shell on the Durability and Biological Attachment of Recycled Aggregate Porous Concrete for Artificial Reef

Poor biological attachment of artificial reef (AR) prepared by the recycled aggregate limit the application in the area of marine engineering. In this study, the waste oyster shell (WOS) was used as raw materials to prepare the recycled aggregate porous concrete (RAPC), the compressive strength, split tensile strength, chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, low temperature resistance, and the biological attachment were tested, aiming to improve the biological attachment and decrease carbon dioxide emission. The experiment results demonstrate that the use of WOS can decrease the compressive and split tensile strength, but the effect of designed porous structure on the mechanical strength is higher than that of WOS. To ensure the durability of RAPC, the contents of WOS should not exceed 20%. Additionally, the addition of WOS and designed porous structure are beneficial to biological attachment. However, the porous structure of RAPC only improves biological attachment in the short term, and the reverse phenomenon is true in the long term. As the partial replacement of cement with WOS is 40%, the total carbon dioxide emission decreases by about 52%. In conclusion, the use of WOS in the RAPC is an eco-friendly method in the artificial reef (AR) with improved ecological attachment and reduced carbon dioxide emission