Mucocutaneous diseases with manifestations in the head and neck region:24 years of experience in a Dermatology service

This study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features of mucocutaneous diseases with manifestation in the head and neck region. A retrospective analysis of a dermatology reference center database was carried out. Over 24 years. Clinicopathological data were collected from medical records and the data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. A total of 11.538 medical records were analyzed, being 152 cases of mucocutaneous diseases with manifestations in the head and neck region. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus was the most prevalent diagnosis (66.4%). Face (44.1%), females (79.6%), and patients with 45 years mean age were the most common features. In the oral cavity, the most affected region was the buccal mucosa (37.5%). Mucocutaneous diseases with head and neck manifestation were rare in the sample analyzed (1.3%), with cutaneous lupus erythematosus and lichen planus being the most common lesions in this region

Origins of the Xylella fastidiosa Prophage-Like Regions and Their Impact in Genome Differentiation

Xylella fastidiosa is a Gram negative plant pathogen causing many economically important diseases, and analyses of completely sequenced X. fastidiosa genome strains allowed the identification of many prophage-like elements and possibly phage remnants, accounting for up to 15% of the genome composition. To better evaluate the recent evolution of the X. fastidiosa chromosome backbone among distinct pathovars, the number and location of prophage-like regions on two finished genomes (9a5c and Temecula1), and in two candidate molecules (Ann1 and Dixon) were assessed. Based on comparative best bidirectional hit analyses, the majority (51%) of the predicted genes in the X. fastidiosa prophage-like regions are related to structural phage genes belonging to the Siphoviridae family. Electron micrograph reveals the existence of putative viral particles with similar morphology to lambda phages in the bacterial cell in planta. Moreover, analysis of microarray data indicates that 9a5c strain cultivated under stress conditions presents enhanced expression of phage anti-repressor genes, suggesting switches from lysogenic to lytic cycle of phages under stress-induced situations. Furthermore, virulence-associated proteins and toxins are found within these prophage-like elements, thus suggesting an important role in host adaptation. Finally, clustering analyses of phage integrase genes based on multiple alignment patterns reveal they group in five lineages, all possessing a tyrosine recombinase catalytic domain, and phylogenetically close to other integrases found in phages that are genetic mosaics and able to perform generalized and specialized transduction. Integration sites and tRNA association is also evidenced. In summary, we present comparative and experimental evidence supporting the association and contribution of phage activity on the differentiation of Xylella genomes

Reconhecimento de Emoções em Expressões Faciais: Estudo Exploratório Envolvendo Adultos

O presente trabalho relata a realização de um estudo exploratório sobre o reconhecimento de emoções em expressões faciais (REEF) em uma amostra de adultos brasileiros. Participaram do estudo 118 estudantes universitários. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos para a avaliação do reconhecimento de emoções: O DANVA2, um instrumento amplamente utilizado na literatura internacional e um segundo instrumento desenvolvido pelos autores (EREEF). Os participantes completaram ainda escalas para avaliação sintomatologia para depressão e de bem-estar subjetivo e qualidade de interação com os pais. Corroborando estudos anteriores, participantes do sexo feminino apresentaram maior capacidade de reconhecimento de emoções em expressões faciais quando comparados a participantes do sexo masculino. Esses dois grupos não diferiram significativamente em nenhuma das outras medidas estudadas. Não foram identificadas correlações significativas entre as medidas de reconhecimento de emoções e as medidas de sintomatologia para depressão e de bem-estar subjetivo e qualidade de interação com os pais

Efeitos do tipo de instalação no conforto térmico de equinos criados no Sertão Pernambucano

Objetivou-se comparar o conforto térmico proporcionado por três diferentes tipos de instalações para equinos criados no Sertão Pernambucano. Foram utilizados 18 equinos adultos, distribuídos aleatoriamente em três tipos de baias ou cercados. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente ao acaso em esquema de parcelas subsubdivididas, sendo as parcelas compostas por três instalações (baias de alvenaria, cercados sombreados por árvores, cercados cobertos com telhado de fibrocimento). As subparcelas foram constituídas por nove semanas de monitoramento e as subsubparcelas formadas pelos três dias de avaliação em cada semana. As variáveis ambientais utilizadas foram temperatura ambiente, umidade relativa do ar e índice de temperatura e umidade (ITU); e como variáveis fisiológicas as frequências cardíaca e respiratória, temperatura retal e taxa de sudorese dos equinos. Nas três semanas em que se registrou as maiores temperaturas ambiente, em duas delas as temperaturas foram menores nos cercados sombreados por árvores. Já nas quatro semanas em que o ITU variou entre as instalações, os valores calculados para os cercados sombreados por árvores foram inferiores aos obtidos para as baias de alvenaria. Além disso, em seis das nove semanas de monitoramento os valores da frequência cardíaca dos equinos alojados nos cercados foram inferiores aos dos animais mantidos nas baias de alvenaria. Durante as nove semanas de monitoramento os equinos alojados nos cercados sombreados por árvores apresentaram menores temperaturas retais que os animais mantidos nas baias de alvenaria. Concluiu-se que os cercados sombreados por árvores promovem maior conforto térmico e, consequentemente, bem-estar aos equinos criados no sertão pernambucano

Predicting the Proteins of Angomonas deanei, Strigomonas culicis and Their Respective Endosymbionts Reveals New Aspects of the Trypanosomatidae Family

Endosymbiont-bearing trypanosomatids have been considered excellent models for the study of cell evolution because the host protozoan co-evolves with an intracellular bacterium in a mutualistic relationship. Such protozoa inhabit a single invertebrate host during their entire life cycle and exhibit special characteristics that group them in a particular phylogenetic cluster of the Trypanosomatidae family, thus classified as monoxenics. in an effort to better understand such symbiotic association, we used DNA pyrosequencing and a reference-guided assembly to generate reads that predicted 16,960 and 12,162 open reading frames (ORFs) in two symbiont-bearing trypanosomatids, Angomonas deanei (previously named as Crithidia deanei) and Strigomonas culicis (first known as Blastocrithidia culicis), respectively. Identification of each ORF was based primarily on TriTrypDB using tblastn, and each ORF was confirmed by employing getorf from EMBOSS and Newbler 2.6 when necessary. the monoxenic organisms revealed conserved housekeeping functions when compared to other trypanosomatids, especially compared with Leishmania major. However, major differences were found in ORFs corresponding to the cytoskeleton, the kinetoplast, and the paraflagellar structure. the monoxenic organisms also contain a large number of genes for cytosolic calpain-like and surface gp63 metalloproteases and a reduced number of compartmentalized cysteine proteases in comparison to other TriTryp organisms, reflecting adaptations to the presence of the symbiont. the assembled bacterial endosymbiont sequences exhibit a high A+T content with a total of 787 and 769 ORFs for the Angomonas deanei and Strigomonas culicis endosymbionts, respectively, and indicate that these organisms hold a common ancestor related to the Alcaligenaceae family. Importantly, both symbionts contain enzymes that complement essential host cell biosynthetic pathways, such as those for amino acid, lipid and purine/pyrimidine metabolism. These findings increase our understanding of the intricate symbiotic relationship between the bacterium and the trypanosomatid host and provide clues to better understand eukaryotic cell evolution.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)ERC AdG SISYPHEUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biofis Carlos Chagas Filho, Lab Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, BR-21941 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biofis Carlos Chagas Filho, Lab Metab Macromol Firmino Torres de Castro, BR-21941 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLab Bioinformat, Lab Nacl Computacao Cient, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilINRIA Grenoble Rhone Alpes, BAMBOO Team, Villeurbanne, FranceUniv Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Lab Biometrie & Biol Evolut, F-69622 Villeurbanne, FranceUniv Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Ciencias Farmaceut Ribeirao Preto, Dept Ciencias Farmaceut, São Paulo, BrazilLab Nacl Ciencia & Tecnol Bioetano, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Bioquim & Imunol, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Goias, Inst Ciencias Biol, Mol Biol Lab, Goiania, Go, BrazilFundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Inst Carlos Chagas, Lab Biol Mol Tripanossomatideos, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilFundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Inst Carlos Chagas, Lab Genom Func, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Ctr Pluridisciplinar Pesquisas Quim Biol & Agr, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Parasitol, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Santa Catarina, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Ctr Ciencias Biol, Lab Protozool & Bioinformat, Florianopolis, SC, BrazilUniv Fed Vicosa, Dept Bioquim & Biol Mol, Ctr Ciencias Biol & Saude, Vicosa, MG, BrazilInst Butantan, Lab Especial Ciclo Celular, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Dept Biol, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Erica: Prevalences Of Hypertension And Obesity In Brazilian Adolescents

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)To estimate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and obesity and the population attributable fraction of hypertension that is due to obesity in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: Data from participants in the Brazilian Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), which was the first national school-based, cross-section study performed in Brazil were evaluated. The sample was divided into 32 geographical strata and clusters from 32 schools and classes, with regional and national representation. Obesity was classified using the body mass index according to age and sex. Arterial hypertension was defined when the average systolic or diastolic blood pressure was greater than or equal to the 95th percentile of the reference curve. Prevalences and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of arterial hypertension and obesity, both on a national basis and in the macro-regions of Brazil, were estimated by sex and age group, as were the fractions of hypertension attributable to obesity in the population. RESULTS: We evaluated 73,399 students, 55.4% female, with an average age of 14.7 years (SD = 1.6). The prevalence of hypertension was 9.6% (95% CI 9.0-10.3); with the lowest being in the North, 8.4% (95% CI 7.7-9.2) and Northeast regions, 8.4% (95% CI 7.6-9.2), and the highest being in the South, 12.5% (95% CI 11.0-14.2). The prevalence of obesity was 8.4% (95% CI 7.9-8.9), which was lower in the North region and higher in the South region. The prevalences of arterial hypertension and obesity were higher in males. Obese adolescents presented a higher prevalence of hypertension, 28.4% (95% CI 25.5-31.2), than overweight adolescents, 15.4% (95% CI 17.0-13.8), or eutrophic adolescents, 6.3% (95% CI 5.6-7.0). The fraction of hypertension attributable to obesity was 17.8%. CONCLUSIONS: ERICA was the first nationally representative Brazilian study providing prevalence estimates of hypertension in adolescents. Regional and sex differences were observed. The study indicates that the control of obesity would lower the prevalence of hypertension among Brazilian adolescents by 1/5.501Brazilian Department of Science and Technology at the Secretariat of Science and TechnologyStrategic Inputs of the Ministry of Health (Departamento de Ciencia e Tecnologia da Secretaria de Ciencia e Tecnologia e Insumos Estrategicos do Ministerio da Saude - Decit/SCTIE/MS)Health Fund Sector (Fundo Setorial de Saude - CT-health) at the Ministry of science, Technology and Innovation (Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacao - MCTI)FINEP [01090421]CNPq [2010/565037-2]hospital research incentive fund for Clinics in Porto Alegre (fundo de incentivo a Pesquisa do Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre - HCPA) [405,009/FIPE-2012-7]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Erica: Prevalence Of Metabolic Syndrome In Brazilian Adolescents

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: We evaluated 37,504 adolescents who were participants in the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, school-based, national study. The adolescents, aged from 12 to 17 years, lived in cities with populations greater than 100,000 inhabitants. The sample was stratified and clustered into schools and classes. The criteria set out by the International Diabetes Federation were used to define metabolic syndrome. Prevalences of metabolic syndrome were estimated according to sex, age group, school type and nutritional status. RESULTS: Of the 37,504 adolescents who were evaluated: 50.2% were female; 54.3% were aged from 15 to 17 years, and 73.3% were from public schools. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 2.6% (95% CI 2.3-2.9), slightly higher in males and in those aged from 15 to 17 years in most macro-regions. The prevalence was the highest in residents from the South macro-region, in the younger female adolescents and in the older male adolescents. The prevalence was higher in public schools (2.8% [95% CI 2.4-3.2]), when compared with private schools (1.9% [95% CI 1.4-2.4]) and higher in obese adolescents when compared with nonobese ones. The most common combinations of components, referring to 3/4 of combinations, were: enlarged waist circumference (WC), low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) and high blood pressure; followed by enlarged WC, low HDL-c and high triglycerides; and enlarged WC, low HDL-c, high triglycerides and blood pressure. Low HDL was the second most frequent component, but the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome (26.8%) was observed in the presence of high triglycerides. CONCLUSIONS: ERICA is the first Brazilian nation-wide study to present the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and describe the role of its components. Despite the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome being low, the high prevalences of some components and participation of others in the syndrome composition shows the importance of early diagnosis of this changes, even if not grouped within the metabolic syndrome.501Department of Science and Technology of the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Strategic Inputs of the Ministry of Health (Decit/SCTIE/MS)Health Sectorial Fund (Fundo Setorial de Saude - CT-Saude) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI)FINEP [01090421]CNPq [2010/565037-2]Research Incentive Fund of the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre - (Fundo de Incentivo a Pesquisa do Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre - FIPE-HCPA) [405.009/2012-7]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Erratum to: The study of cardiovascular risk in adolescents – ERICA: rationale, design and sample characteristics of a national survey examining cardiovascular risk factor profile in Brazilian adolescents

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