Prenatal testosterone exposure induces insulin resistance, uterine oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory status in rats

Prenatal androgen excess is considered one of the main causes of the development of polycystic ovary syndrome. In this study, we investigated the effect of prenatal hyperandrogenization (PH) on the physiology of the adult uterine tissue using a murine model of fetal programming caused by androgen excess in adult female rats. Pregnant rats were hyperandrogenized with testosterone and female offspring were studied when adult. Our results showed that PH leads to hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Consequently, PH developed insulin resistance and a systemic inflammatory state reflected by increased C-reactive protein. In the uterine tissue, levels of PPAR gamma—an important metabolic sensor in the endometrium—were found to be impaired. Moreover, PH induced a pro-inflammatory and an unbalanced oxidative state in the uterus reflected by increased COX-2, lipid peroxidation, and NF-κB. In summary, our results revealed that PH leads to a compromised metabolic state likely consequence of fetal reprogramming.Fil: Ferreira, Silvana Rocio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Goyeneche, Alicia Alejandra. McGill University; CanadáFil: Heber, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Abruzzese, Giselle Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Ferrer, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Telleria, Carlos Marcelo. McGill University; CanadáFil: Motta, Alicia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; Argentin

Uso de metacaulim em concreto seco: uma abordagem por superfície de resposta

A preocupação com o meio ambiente vem motivando diversas pesquisas sobre o uso de materiais pozolânicos em substituição parcial ao cimento em concretos e argamassas, entretanto poucos são os dados sobre tal uso em concretos destinados à produção de elementos pré-moldados, concreto este que geralmente é denominado concreto seco ou sem abatimento, devido à baixa umidade requerida no processo de moldagem e prensagem. Este trabalho consistiu em um estudo preliminar sobre o uso de metacaulim em concreto seco, sendo analisados cinco traços de concreto com cinco teores de substituição em cinco tempos de cura, objetivando determinar quais os percentuais de substituição mais adequados, ou seja, aqueles que promovessem aumento na resistência à compressão simples e redução na absorção de água por imersão. Devido ao grande número de variáveis envolvidas, foi utilizado o planejamento experimental estatístico Delineamento Composto Central Rotacional (DCCR), sendo os resultados analisados pela Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta (MSR). A análise da superfície de resposta mostrou que, para todos os traços, os melhores resultados dentro dos parâmetros estabelecidos poderão ser encontrados com o uso de metacaulim em percentuais de 10% a 20% de substituição da massa do cimento aos 49 dias de cura

Guidelines from the Brazilian society of surgical oncology regarding indications and technical aspects of neck dissection in papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid cancers

ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of these guidelines is to provide specific recommendations for the surgical treatment of neck metastases in patients with papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid carcinomas. Materials and methods: Recommendations were developed based on research of scientific articles (preferentially meta-analyses) and guidelines issued by international medical specialty societies. The American College of Physicians’ Guideline Grading System was used to determine the levels of evidence and grades of recommendations. The following questions were answered: A) Is elective neck dissection indicated in the treatment of papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid carcinoma? B) When should central, lateral, and modified radical neck dissection be performed? C) Could molecular tests guide the extent of the neck dissection? Results/conclusion: Recommendation 1: Elective central neck dissection is not indicated in patients with cN0 well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma or in those with noninvasive T1 and T2 tumors but may be considered in T3-T4 tumors or in the presence of metastases in the lateral neck compartments. Recommendation 2: Elective central neck dissection is recommended in medullary thyroid carcinoma. Recommendation 3: Selective neck dissection of levels II–V should be indicated to treat neck metastases in papillary thyroid cancer, an approach that decreases the risk of recurrence and mortality. Recommendation 4: Compartmental neck dissection is indicated in the treatment of lymph node recurrence after elective or therapeutic neck dissection; “berry node picking” is not recommended. Recommendation 5: There are currently no recommendations regarding the use of molecular tests in guiding the extent of neck dissection in thyroid cancer

Statistical design for recycling kaolin processing waste in the manufacturing of mullite-based ceramics

Mineral extraction and processing industries have been cited as sources of environmental contamination and pollution. However, waste recycling represents an alternative recovery option, which is interesting from an environmental and economic standpoint. In this work, recycling of kaolin processing waste in the manufacture of mullite-based ceramics was investigated based on the statistical design of mixture experiments methodology. Ten formulations using kaolin processing waste, alumina and ball clay were used in the experiment design. Test specimens were fired and characterized to determine their water absorption and modulus of rupture. Regression models were calculated, relating the properties with the composition. The significance and validity of the models were confirmed through statistical analysis and verification experiments. The regression models were used to analyze the influence of waste content on the properties of the fired bodies. The results indicated that the statistical design of mixture experiments methodology can be successfully used to optimize formulations containing large amount of wastes