What about vaginal extraction of the kidney? results of an online survey

PURPOSE: We aimed to characterize surgeons opinion about the vaginal extraction of the kidney after transperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy. Matherial and Methods: A 9-item questionnaire was published online (Survey Monkey TM) and publicized via email to a multidisciplinary pool of surgeons in Portugal. Data was collected and statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 21.0. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty nine inquiries were sent, 154 surgeons completed the questionnaires (response rate of 43.0%). Fifty five point eight percent of the participants would choose the transvaginal approach for themselves or for a close relative. The most stated arguments were a better cosmesis (29.0%) expectancy of lower post operative pain (26.0%) and lower rate of incisional hernias (23.0%). Defenders of the transabdominal procedure justified with an expectancy of lower complication rate (39%), namely impairment of sexual function and fertility (22%). The female gender and the familiarity with transvaginal surgery were the stronger predictors of the option for this approach (70.6% vs 48.5%; p=0,016 and 85.3% vs 46.6%; p <0.001 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Contrasting with similar surveys published on transvaginal NOTES, the vaginal specimen extraction after conventional laparoscopic nephrectomy was fairly accepted by the inquired surgeons.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diversidade genética entre acessos de Jatropha sp.

Uma das formas de identificação rápida de genótipos para composição de um banco de germoplasma é por meio da técnica de marcadores isoenzimáticos e moleculares. Com o objetivo de avaliar a variabilidade genética de acessos de Jatropha sp. Utilizou-se a técnica de marcadores isoenzimáticos e moleculares tipo RAPD. Foram utilizados 14 acessos de pinhão manso de diferentes origens, coletadas folhas jovens e procedido a extração (Isoenzimas) e purificação do DNA (RAPD). Para as isoenzimas a revelação foi feita para os sistemas enzimáticos álcool desidrogenase (ADH), esterase (EST), glutamato oxaloacetato transaminase (GOT) e peroxidase (PO), e na amplificação do DNA foram utilizados 14 oligonucleotídeos, sendo os produtos de amplificação separados em gel de agarose 0,8%, corados com brometo de etídio (0,5 µg/mL) e visualizados sob luz UV. As estimativas das similaridades genéticas (Sgij) entre cada par de genótipos foram calculadas pelo coeficiente de Jaccard usando o programa NTSYS-pc versão 2.1. Na análise de isoenzimas, os acessos mais similares foram 1 e 3, com 89% e o mais divergente foi o acesso 13 com 71%. No RAPD houve formação de grupos da espécie Jatropha curcas L. E do gênero Jatropha sp. O acesso 109 obteve 90% de divergência com os demais acessos. Os grupamentos formados apresentaram origens diversas, sendo possível um estudo de melhoramento visando características agronômicas desejáveis. Com os marcadores utilizados é possível a caracerização do banco de germoplasm

A HPLC‐DAD method for identifying and estimating the content of fucoxanthin, β‐carotene and chlorophyll a in brown algal extracts

Seaweeds are photosynthetic organisms that have high contents of pigments. The coloration of each alga is defined by the content and combination of pigments synthesized, which varies among species and environmental conditions. The most abundant pigments in algae are chlorophylls and carotenoids, lipophilic molecules that can be used as natural colorants and have high acceptance by consumers. In this work, a simple and short hands-on time HPLC-DAD method for identifying and estimating the pigment content of algal extracts, specifically fucoxanthin, β-carotene and chlorophyll a was carried out. Using this optimized method, a pigment screening was performed on the ethanolic extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from nine brown algal from the Atlantic coastline: Ascophyllum nodosum, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Fucus spiralis, Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria saccharina, Laminaria ochroleuca, Pelvetia canaliculata, Sargassum muticum and Undaria pinnatifida. HPLC results permitted to highlight L. saccharina and U. pinnatifida as promising sources of these three target pigments containing a total amount of 10.5 – 11.5 mg per gram of dry weight. Among them, the most abundant one was fucoxanthin, an added-value compound with a high potential to be commercially exploited by different industries, such as the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors.The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN sup- porting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891), the FPU grant for A. Carreira-Casais (FPU2016/06135); and by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the post-doctoral grant of M. Fraga-Corral (ED481B-2019/096). The research leading to these results was sup- ported by the European Union through the “NextGenerationEU ”pro- gram supporting the “Margarita Salas ”grant awarded to P. Garcia- Perez. Authors are grateful to AlgaMar company ( www.algamar.com ) for the collaboration and algal material provision. This research was funded by the Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology (CYTED —AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003), the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019) that supports the work of C. Lourenço- Lopes. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Bio Based Industries Consor- tium. The project SYSTEMIC Knowledge hub on Nutrition and Food Se- curity, has received funding from national research funding parties in Belgium (FWO), France (INRA), Germany (BLE), Italy (MIPAAF), Latvia (IZM), Norway (RCN), Portugal (FCT), and Spain (AEI) in a joint ac- tion of JPI HDHL, JPI-OCEANS and FACCE-JPI launched in 2019 un- der the ERA-NET ERA-HDHL (n°696295). The authors would like to thank the EU and FCT for funding through the project PTDC/OCE- ETA/30240/2017- SilverBrain - From sea to brain: Green neuropro- tective extracts for nanoencapsulation and functional food production (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030240).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Therapeutic Strategies Based on the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/Angiotensin-(1–7)/Mas Receptor Axis

Angiotensin (Ang)-(1–7) is now recognized as a biologically active component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The discovery of the angiotensin-converting enzyme homologue ACE2 revealed important metabolic pathways involved in the Ang-(1–7) synthesis. This enzyme can form Ang-(1–7) from Ang II or less efficiently through hydrolysis of Ang I to Ang-(1–9) with subsequent Ang-(1–7) formation. Additionally, it is well established that the G protein-coupled receptor Mas is a functional ligand site for Ang-(1–7). The axis formed by ACE2/Ang-(1–7)/Mas represents an endogenous counter regulatory pathway within the RAS whose actions are opposite to the vasoconstrictor/proliferative arm of the RAS constituted by ACE/Ang II/AT1 receptor. In this review we will discuss recent findings concerning the biological role of the ACE2/Ang-(1–7)/Mas arm in the cardiovascular and pulmonary system. Also, we will highlight the initiatives to develop potential therapeutic strategies based on this axis

O PASS-THROUGH DAS VARIAÇÕES DA TAXA DE CÂMBIO PARA OS PREÇOS DE EXPORTAÇÃO DE SOJA

Este trabalho tem como objetivo estimar o coeficiente de pass-through das variações da taxa de câmbio para os preços de exportação da soja no Brasil, no período compreendido entre 1994 a 2004. Para chegar aos resultados utilizou-se econometria de séries de tempo para mensurar os coeficientes de pass-through da taxa de câmbio para os preços de exportação. O resultado revelou um grau de pass-through incompleto, da ordem de -0,34, indicando que a política cambial pode ocasionar impactos positivos sobre o volume das exportações, mas, não deve ser a única política de estímulo.The objective of this work is to assess the pass-through coefficient of the exchange rate variations for the export prices of soybeans in Brazil, in the period comprised between 1994 and 2004. Time series econometrics was used in order to obtain the results to measure the pass-through coefficients of the exchange rate for the export prices. The result demonstrate a non-complete pass-through rate circa - 0,34, showing that exchange policy may cause positive impacts on the exportation amounts, however, it should not be the only motivation policy

The HIF1A Functional Genetic Polymorphism at Locus +1772 Associates with Progression to Metastatic Prostate Cancer and Refractoriness to Hormonal Castration

The hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1a) is a key regulator of tumour cell response to hypoxia, orchestrating mechanisms known to be involved in cancer aggressiveness and metastatic behaviour. In this study we sought to evaluate the association of a functional genetic polymorphism in HIF1A with overall and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) risk and with response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The HIF1A +1772 C>T (rs11549465) polymorphism was genotyped, using DNA isolated from peripheral blood, in 1490 male subjects (754 with prostate cancer and 736 controls cancer-free) through Real-Time PCR. A nested group of cancer patients who were eligible for androgen deprivation therapy was followed up. Univariate and multivariate models were used to analyse the response to hormonal treatment and the risk for developing distant metastasis. Age-adjusted odds ratios were calculated to evaluate prostate cancer risk. Our results showed that patients under ADT carrying the HIF1A +1772 T-allele have increased risk for developing distant metastasis (OR, 2.0; 95%CI, 1.1-3.9) and an independent 6-fold increased risk for resistance to ADT after multivariate analysis (OR, 6.0; 95%CI, 2.2-16.8). This polymorphism was not associated with increased risk for being diagnosed with prostate cancer (OR, 0.9; 95%CI, 0.7-1.2). The HIF1A +1772 genetic polymorphism predicts a more aggressive prostate cancer behaviour, supporting the involvement of HIF1a in prostate cancer biological progression and ADT resistance. Molecular profiles using hypoxia markers may help predict clinically relevant prostate cancer and response to ADT

Study of mass loss and elemental analysis of pine wood pellets in a small-scale reactor

Studying the thermal decomposition of wood pellets is an important subject in order to understand the behavior of wood pellets during the combustion process. In fact, wood pellets have become an important fuel used in boiler combustion. The objective of this study is to investigate the mass loss and elemental analysis of pine wood pellets at various times and temperatures. Commercial pellets with a diameter of 6 mm were used. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory of the Engineering University of Minho. The pellets were burned in a small reactor of 1.36 kW with a maximum temperature range of 1150 °C. The data were observed at different temperatures: 264, 351, 444, 541, 650, and 734 °C, and at time intervals of 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, 600, 900, 1200, and 3600 s. The results of the experiment revealed that the reaction rate increases with the temperature, and the higher the combustion temperature applied, the higher the mass loss of all substances observed. The remaining mass, as fixed carbon and ash or unburned substances, is about 3%. The residence time and temperature influence the species concentration of wood pellets.This work has been supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units, MEtRICs Project Scope: UIDB/04077/2020; Lelis Gonzaga Fraga was supported through a PhD Grant by Fundo de Desenvolvimento Capital Humano of the Government of Timor Leste