Embryonic Organ Transplantation: The New Era of Xenotransplantation

Here, we review the recent advances towards the use of organs from embryonic donors, antecedent investigations, and the latest work from our own laboratory exploring the utility for transplantation of embryonic kidney as an organ replacement therapy. In addition, we have recently reported, for the first time, that it is possible to create a long-term biobank of kidney precursors as an unlimited source of organs for xenotransplantation, facilitating inventory control and the distribution of organs

Baço errante com isquemia e trombose do hilo esplênico – Um caso raro

O baço errante é refere-se a um estado de hipermobilidade do baço, anormalmente localizado na parte inferior do abdômen ou na pelve, responsável por 0,2% das esplenectomias, acometendo crianças abaixo dos 10 anos e mulheres em idade fértil.O diagnóstico é essencialmente radiológico. Os achados da tomografia computadorizada e da ressonância magnética são a ausência do órgão no local anatômico e a presença de massa com atenuação/sinal de partes moles no andar inferior do abdome.O tratamento de escolha para o baço errante, quando assintomático, é a esplenopexia e, em casos de urgência, esplenectomia.Os autores descrevem um caso desta doença cujo diagnóstico foi realizado pela ressonância e o tratamento foi realizado de forma conservadora e com sucesso

Lower limb bilateral pyomyositis in a diabetic patient: case report and literature review

Pyomiositis is a bacterial infection of skeletal muscle tissue occurring mostly in immunocompromised pa­tients, including diabetics. The main agents are Gram-positive cocci. We report a case of a 42 years old, male, diabetic, who presented the emergency room referring pain in thighs and inability to flex his legs. We performed a magnetic resonance which revealed extensive purulent collections in both lower limbs, thus confirming clinical suspicion, and allowing proper antibiotic treatment. In this case, we showed that imaging tests facilitate early diagnosis and treatment through direct location of the lesions, and guides invasive procedures such as biopsy and abscess aspiration when needed

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DOS ESTRESSORES ENVOLVIDOS NA INTERNAÇÃO DE PACIENTES EM UNIDADE CORONARIANA

Objetivo: caracterizar os estressores envolvidos na internação de pacientes em Unidade Coronariana. Método: estudo transversal realizado em um hospital universitário entre setembro e outubro de 2014, com 21 pacientes, utilizando instrumento validado Environmental Stressor Questionnaire (ESQ). Calculou-se média dos escores e os valores obtidos foram ranqueados em ordem decrescente (mais estressante para o menos estressante). Resultados: sentir dor, ter medo de morrer, estar incapacitado para exercer o seu papel na família, não ter controle sobre si mesmo e ser furado por agulhas ocuparam o topo do ranking dos estressores, apresentando maiores médias. Em relação à intensidade do estresse, 70% foram classificados entre “não estressante” e “moderadamente estressante”. Conclusão: a internação na Unidade Coronariana foi considerada experiência não estressante ou moderadamente estressante. Sentir dor, sentir medo de morrer, estar incapacitado para exercer o seu papel na família foram os principais fatores estressantes nesse ambiente.Descritores: Unidades de Terapia Intensiva; Hospitalização; Estresse Psicológico; Cardiologia; Cuidados Críticos

Associations Between the Modified Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Elderly Population

Background: Helping consumers to improve the nutritional quality of their diet is a key public health action to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The modified version of the Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index (FSAm-NPS DI) underpinning the Nutri-Score front-of-pack label has been used in public health strategies to address the deleterious consequences of poor diets. This study aimed to assess the association between the FSAm-NPS DI and some CVD risk factors including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, plasma glucose levels, triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Materials and Methods: Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up using a 143-item validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary indices based on FSAm-NPS applied at an individual level were computed to characterize the diet quality of 5,921 participants aged 55-75 years with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome from the PREDIMED-plus cohort. Associations between the FSAm-NPS DI and CVD risk factors were assessed using linear regression models. Results: Compared to participants with a higher nutritional quality of diet (measured by a lower FSAm-NPS DI at baseline or a decrease in FSAm-NPS DI after 1 year), those participants with a lower nutritional quality of diet (higher FSAm-NPS DI or an increase in score) showed a significant increase in the levels of plasma glucose, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference (beta coefficient [95% confidence interval]; P for trend) (1.67 [0.43, 2.90]; <0.001; 6.27 [2.46, 10.09]; <0.001; 0.56 [0.08, 1.05]; 0.001; 0.51 [0.41, 0.60]; <0.001; 1.19 [0.89, 1.50]; <0.001, respectively). No significant associations in relation to changes in HDL and LDL-cholesterol nor with systolic blood pressure were shown. Conclusion: This prospective cohort study suggests that the consumption of food items with a higher FSAm-NPS DI is associated with increased levels of several major risk factors for CVD including adiposity, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure. However, results must be cautiously interpreted because no significant prospective associations were identified for critical CVD risk factors, such as HDL and LDL-cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure

La gestión de centros de enseñanza obligatoria en Iberoamerica - RedAGE

La presente aportación recoge la visión de los especialistas de once países iberoamericanos sobre aspectos de gestión relevantes en los niveles de la educación obligatoria. Muchas de las aportaciones se pueden calificar de ensayos, otras de investigaciones y algunas de análisis críticos sobre un aspecto considerado significativo. Su realización se vincula al encuentro de especialistas realizado durante los días 8 al 10 de junio de 2009 en el marco de la Red de Apoyo a la Gestión Educativa (Red AGE). Los representantes de las organizaciones miembro presentaron y debatieron durante el mismo documentos sobre la situación actual de la gestión educativa en sus respectivos países, que constituyen la base sobre la que se han realizado las aportaciones definitivas que recoge el presente texto

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Associations Between the Modified Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Elderly Population

BackgroundHelping consumers to improve the nutritional quality of their diet is a key public health action to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The modified version of the Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index (FSAm-NPS DI) underpinning the Nutri-Score front-of-pack label has been used in public health strategies to address the deleterious consequences of poor diets. This study aimed to assess the association between the FSAm-NPS DI and some CVD risk factors including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, plasma glucose levels, triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure.Materials and MethodsDietary intake was assessed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up using a 143-item validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary indices based on FSAm-NPS applied at an individual level were computed to characterize the diet quality of 5,921 participants aged 55–75 years with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome from the PREDIMED-plus cohort. Associations between the FSAm-NPS DI and CVD risk factors were assessed using linear regression models.ResultsCompared to participants with a higher nutritional quality of diet (measured by a lower FSAm-NPS DI at baseline or a decrease in FSAm-NPS DI after 1 year), those participants with a lower nutritional quality of diet (higher FSAm-NPS DI or an increase in score) showed a significant increase in the levels of plasma glucose, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference (β coefficient [95% confidence interval]; P for trend) (1.67 [0.43, 2.90]; &lt;0.001; 6.27 [2.46, 10.09]; &lt;0.001; 0.56 [0.08, 1.05]; 0.001; 0.51 [0.41, 0.60]; &lt;0.001; 1.19 [0.89, 1.50]; &lt;0.001, respectively). No significant associations in relation to changes in HDL and LDL-cholesterol nor with systolic blood pressure were shown.ConclusionThis prospective cohort study suggests that the consumption of food items with a higher FSAm-NPS DI is associated with increased levels of several major risk factors for CVD including adiposity, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure. However, results must be cautiously interpreted because no significant prospective associations were identified for critical CVD risk factors, such as HDL and LDL-cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure