Zooplankton of an urban stretch, Itapecerica river, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The aim of this project was to study the zooplanktonic composition of the Itapecerica river in its 29km urban section across the city of Divinópolis, state of Minas Gerais. Eight sampling points were established within this section, six in lotic and two in lentic waters. Samples were taken monthly from March/2002 to February/2003 totalizing 84 samples. A plankton net with a mesh opening size of 35 μm was utilized for sampling. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity measurements were also taken during sampling. 101 taxa were registered, of which 35 were Protozoa, 52 Rotifera, 10 Cladocera and four Copepoda. The number of taxa was considered high when compared to similar studies. Among the richest group, rotifers, the most expressed genera were Lecane and Brachionus. This study recorded the first appearance of the exotic species Kellicottia bostoniensis (Rousselet 1908) for the sub-basin of Itapecerica river

EL CASO DE LA IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE LA “DECLARACIÓN MINISTERIAL PREVENIR CON EDUCACIÓN” DE LAS ESCUELAS PRIMARIAS PÚBLICAS DE XALAPA, VER.

La sexualidad es un asunto de política pública por ser propia de los seres humanos y un elemento de convivencia social. La importancia de promover políticas a favor de la educación sexual se basa en los riesgos que conlleva cada acto sexual que son: contagiar/contraer una Infección de Transmisión Sexual (ITS) y los embarazos no deseados. En referencia a las ITS, el Banco Mundial (s/f) realizó un estudio en el que se sugiere que anualmente se presentaron más de 340 millones de nuevos casos con ITS curables; mientras que se sugirió una cifra alarmante para enfermedades virales, es decir, no curables (ej. VIH/SIDA) transmitidas sexualmente (WHO, 2006-2015). El Banco Mundial sugiere que la problemática es el reflejo de la falta de políticas de prevención y educación sexual. En cuanto a las enfermedades virales, como lo es el VIH/SIDA, la OMS (2015) calculó que en el año 2013, 35 millones de personas vivían con el VIH; 2.1 millones se habían infectado con el virus ese año, y 1.5 millones habían fallecido como resultado de enfermedades asociadas con el mismo. En cuanto a los riesgos de embarazos no deseados, la OMS (2015) mencionó que 16 millones de adolescentes de edades entre 15 y 19 años de edad tienen un bebé cada año. En otro estudio, los Objetivos del Milenio (en su apartado 5.4 Tasa de alumbramientos entre adolescentes) mencionan que el 95% de los embarazos en adolescentes se producen en países en desarrollo; es decir, países como México. La OMS (2006) agrega que las adolescentes menores de 16 años con un embarazo enfrentan un riesgo de defunción cuatro veces más alto que las mujeres que tienen a sus hijos entre los 20 y 30 años; es decir, las adolescentes embarazadas corren más riesgos de salud que las mujeres en edad adulta. Considerando los altos índices de jóvenes que adquirieron una ITS y de adolescentes embarazadas, en este trabajo se estudian políticas de educación sexual, salud y la implementación de la “Declaración Ministerial Prevenir con Educación” en el sexto grado de las escuelas primarias públicas de la región de Xalapa, Veracruz. La Declaración promueve una educación sexual para disminuir los riesgos principalmente entre los adolescentes. El objetivo de este trabajo, por consiguiente fue identificar los problemas de la implementación y posibles áreas de mejora. Como parte de los resultados, se encontró que no se llevan a cabo las recomendaciones de la Declaración al fomentar una relación entre el sector salud y el educativo, que existe un bajo manejo de temas de sexualidad entre los maestros de sexto grado y que los programas de educación sexual no cumplen con las recomendaciones en educar para la prevención. Además, se identificó que los profesores están conscientes de sus limitaciones en el manejo de temas relacionados con la sexualidad por lo que reconocen la necesidad de talleres de apoyo

Successful staged hip replacement in septic hip osteoarthritis in osteopetrosis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Osteopetrosis is a rare, inherited, bone disorder, characterized by osteosclerosis, obliteration of the medullary cavity and calcified cartilage. The autosomal dominant form is compatible with a normal life span, although fractures often result from minimal trauma, due to the pathologic nature of bone. Osteomyelitis is common in patients with osteopetrosis because of a reduced resistance to infection, attributed to the lack of marrow vascularity and impairment of white cell function. Only one case of osteomyelitis of the proximal third of the femur has been previously reported, treated with several repeated debridements and finally with femoral head resection. Here we present for the first time a case of a staged implant of a cementless total hip prosthesis for the treatment of a septic hip in femoral neck nonunion in osteopetrosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 36-years-old woman, affected by autosomal dominant osteopetrosis was referred to our department because of a septic hip arthritis associated with femoral neck septic non-union, with draining fistulas. The infection occurred early after a plate osteosynthesis for a closed perthrocanteric fracture of the femur and persisted in spite of osteosynthesis removal, surgical debridement and external fixation. In our hospital the patient underwent accurate debridement, femoral head and greater trochanter resection, preparation of the diaphyseal intramedullary canal and implant of an antibiotic-loaded cement spacer. The spacer was exchanged after one month, due to infection recurrence and four months later, a cementless total hip arthroplasty was implanted, with no clinical and laboratory signs of infection recurrence at two years follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In case of hip septic arthritis and proximal femur septic non-union, femoral head resection may not be the only option available and staged total hip arthroplasty can be considered.</p

Current and novel therapeutic opportunities for systemic therapy in biliary cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of rare and aggressive malignancies that arise in the biliary tree within and outside the liver. Beyond surgical resection, which is beneficial for only a small proportion of patients, current strategies for treating patients with BTCs include chemotherapy, as a single agent or combination regimens, in the adjuvant and palliative setting. Increased characterisation of the molecular landscape of these tumours has facilitated the identification of molecular vulnerabilities, such as IDH mutations and FGFR fusions, that can be exploited for the treatment of BTC patients. Beyond targeted therapies, active research avenues explore the development of novel therapeutics that target the crosstalk between cancer and stroma, the cellular pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, the chemoresistance phenotype and the dysregulation of RNA. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of BTC patients, and explore the strategies that can support the implementation of precision oncology in BTCs, including novel molecular targets, liquid biopsies and patient-derived predictive tools

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

PROJETO RECICLANDO: AÇÃO AMBIENTAL DE UMA SALA VERDE UTILIZANDO UM VIVEIRO EDUCADOR

A sala verde é um espaço que proporciona, à população em geral, o acesso a informações e materiais de educação ambiental através de cursos, palestras, oficinas, vivências, e outros. Em Divinópolis – MG, a sala verde Frei Paulino desenvolve um trabalho de educação ambiental que objetiva informar e sensibilizar, a comunidade, alunos e professores do ensino fundamental das escolas municipais, sobre a questão do lixo urbano. As ações educativas foram desenvolvidas utilizando a estrutura do viveiro florestal permitindo um trabalho sistemático de informações a respeito do desmatamento, consumismo desnecessário, manejo correto do lixo urbano, e recolhimento da sucata ferrosa. No período decorrente desta avaliação foram atendidas 148 escolas com a participação de 8.263 alunos/professores, tendo sido retirado do meio ambiente 35.717,9 Kg de sucata ferrosa. Os resultados confirmam que o viveiro educador é, sem dúvida, uma boa estratégia para se fazer educação ambiental. Palavras-chave: Educação ambiental; sala verde; lixo urbano

Distribuição espacial e temporal de <em>Kellicottia bostoniensis</em> (Rousselet, 1908) (Rotifera) em um grande reservatório tropical (reservatório de Furnas), Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil Spatial and temporal distribution of <em>Kellicottia bostoniensis</em> (Rousselet, 1908) (Rotifera) in a big tropical reservoir (Furnas Reservoir), state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

O rotífero <em>Kellicottia bostoniensis</em> é uma espécie planctônica comum na América do Norte, e em anos recentes, ela foi introduzida no Brasil. No sudeste do Brasil ela foi encontrada num pequeno reservatório eutrófico em Belo Horizonte e na bacia do rio Grande, no Reservatório de Furnas (20^º 40’S - 46^º 19’W). O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar a distribuição espacial e temporal desse rotífero ao longo de um gradiente trófico, em 12 pontos (3) no eixo central do reservatório e (9) em um dos seus principais tributários, o eixo do rio Sapucaí. As amostragens foram feitas em agosto e outubro/99 e março e julho/2000, através de arrastos verticais, com rede cilíndro-cônica de 68&micro;m. Os organismos foram contados em câmara de Sedgwick-Rafter. Esse rotífero apareceu em toda a área amostrada, e os maiores valores de densidade foram observados em outubro e março, estação chuvosa, nos pontos meso e eutróficos. A ocorrência de <em>K. bostoniensis</em> nesse reservatório reflete sua alta adaptabilidade em ambientes tropicais.<br>The rotifer <em>Kellicottia bostoniensis</em> is a common planktonic species in North America. This species has been introduced in Brazil recently. It is found in southeastern Brazil in a small eutrophic reservoir in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais state capital) and in the Rio Grande Basin, Furnas reservoir (20^º 40’ S- 46^º 19’W). The aims of this study is to analyze this rotifer spatial and temporal distribution along a trophic gradient in 12 locations (3) in the reservoir central axis and (9) in one of its main tributaries, the Sapucaí River axis. The samplings were taken in August and October, 1999, and in March and July, 2000, through vertical tow, with a 68 &micro;m cylindrical-conical net. The organisms were counted in a Sedgwick-Rafter cell. This rotifer was in the whole sampled area, and the higher densities were observed in October and March, rainy season, in the meso and eutrophic areas. The <em>K. bostoniensis</em> occurrence in this reservoir possibly reflects its high adaptability to tropical environments