2,402 research outputs found

    CONTROLE DE JURIDICIDADE – UMA ANÁLISE À LUZ DO INTERESSE PÚBLICO

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    The article in question is about to present the study on the public interest and its manifestation with the judicial decisions, how to control and the examination of the legality of rules that can be drawn of judgments. In this study, still propose up the development control mechanism, aiming the public interest and the consequentiality of understanding signed by the courts of our country.O artigo em questĂŁo visa a apresentar estudo relativo ao interesse pĂșblico e sua manifestação junto Ă­ s decisĂ”es judiciais, forma de controle e exame da juridicidade das normas que podem ser extraí­das das decisĂ”es judiciais. Neste estudo, propĂ”em-se ainda a elaboração de mecanismo de controle, tendo como fundamento principal o interesse pĂșblico e a consequencialidade dos entendimentos firmados pelas cortes de justiça de nosso paí­s

    Nutritional Status among Portuguese and Turkish Older Adults Living in the Community: Relationships with Sociodemographic, Health and Anthropometric Characteristics

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    Malnutrition is widespread among older adults, and its determinants may differ between countries. We compared Portuguese and Turkish non-institutionalized older adults regarding nutritional status, sociodemographic, health and anthropometric characteristics and studied the relationships between nutritional status and those characteristics. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 430 Portuguese and 162 Turkish non-institutionalized older adults regarding sociodemographics, health conditions, the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-FF) and anthropometry. Turkish older adults were more likely to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and had lower average BMI but a higher calf circumference. A higher proportion of the Portuguese sample had tooth loss, diabetes, hypertension, oncologic diseases, kidney diseases, osteoarticular problems or eye problems, while less had anemia. A better nutritional status (higher MNA-FF score) was found among the Portuguese, males, people using dentures, those without tooth loss, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, anemia or oncological diseases and was related to younger age, higher BMI and a higher calf circumference. Malnutrition and its risk were higher among older adults from Turkey, despite Portuguese older adults presenting a higher prevalence of chronic diseases. Being female, older age, tooth loss, hypertension, anemia, CVD or oncological disorders and having a lower BMI or CC were associated with higher rates of malnutrition among older adults from Portugal and Turkey

    Donor Lymphocyte Infusion for Relapsed Hematological Malignancies after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Prognostic Relevance of the Initial CD3(+) T Cell Dose.

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    AbstractThe impact of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) initial cell dose on its outcome is known in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia but limited in patients with other hematological malignancies. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the effect of initial DLI CD3+ cell dose on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and overall survival after DLI given for relapse of any hematological malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with high- or reduced-intensity conditioning. The cohort included 225 patients. Initial DLI CD3+ cell dose per kilogram of recipient body weight was ≀1 × 107 (n = 84; group A), >1.0 to <10 × 107 (n = 58; group B), and ≄10 × 107 (n = 66; group C). The initial cell dose was unknown for the remaining 17 patients. Cumulative incidence rates of GVHD at 12 months after DLI were 21%, 45%, and 55% for groups A, B, and C, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that initial DLI CD3+ cell ≄10 × 107 dose per kilogram is associated with an increased risk of GVHD after DLI (P = .03). Moreover, an initial DLI CD3+ cell dose of 10 × 107 or higher did not decrease the risk of relapse and did not improve overall survival. Thus, these results support the use of less than 10 × 107 CD3+ cell per kilogram as the initial cell dose of DLI for treatment of persistent or recurrent hematological malignancy after HCT

    Clinical evidence of efficacy of red yeast rice and berberine in a large controlled study versus diet

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    Efficacy of a new patented proprietary combination of natural nutraceuticals (PN) containing natural hypolipidemic as red yeast, policosanol and berberine was tested in a large study on dyslipidemic patients in clinical practice. A parallel, controlled, randomized, multicenter study was designed. After 2 weeks on a stable dietary regimen, the patients were randomized to PN 1 tablet/day associated with diet (PN + D) or diet alone (D) for 16 weeks. Entry criteria were: Tot-Chol >200 mg/dL or LDL-Chol >150 mg/dL without a clear indication for statins, or plasma triglycerides >150 mg/dL. Lipid pattern and CV parameters were evaluated at baseline and monthly. 1,751 patients were enrolled in 248 Italian units, 933 patients on PN + D and 818 on D. The baseline lipid values were: Tot-Chol 255.4 versus 243.1 mg/dL, LDL-Chol 170.1 versus 162.2 mg/dL, HDL-Chol 50.0 versus 48.8 mg/dL, and TG 190.5 versus 184.4 mg/dL. PN constantly and significantly improved lipid parameters versus D group: at 16 weeks −19.1 versus −9.4% for Tot-Chol (p < 0.001), −23.5 versus −10.8% for LDL-Chol (p < 0.001), +11.6 versus +4.0% for HDL-Chol (p < 0.001), −17.9 versus −11.3% for TG (p < 0.001). In conclusions, PN plus diet allows an effective improvement of blood lipids with a significant reduction of global CV risk, suggesting a role for PN in CHD prevention

    Mathematical Modelling of Optical Coherence Tomography

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    In this chapter a general mathematical model of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is presented on the basis of the electromagnetic theory. OCT produces high resolution images of the inner structure of biological tissues. Images are obtained by measuring the time delay and the intensity of the backscattered light from the sample considering also the coherence properties of light. The scattering problem is considered for a weakly scattering medium located far enough from the detector. The inverse problem is to reconstruct the susceptibility of the medium given the measurements for different positions of the mirror. Different approaches are addressed depending on the different assumptions made about the optical properties of the sample. This procedure is applied to a full field OCT system and an extension to standard (time and frequency domain) OCT is briefly presented.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, book chapte

    Increased RPA1 gene dosage affects genomic stability potentially contributing to 17p13.3 duplication syndrome

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    A novel microduplication syndrome involving various-sized contiguous duplications in 17p13.3 has recently been described, suggesting that increased copy number of genes in 17p13.3, particularly PAFAH1B1, is associated with clinical features including facial dysmorphism, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. We have previously shown that patient-derived cell lines from individuals with haploinsufficiency of RPA1, a gene within 17p13.3, exhibit an impaired ATR-dependent DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we show that cell lines from patients with duplications specifically incorporating RPA1 exhibit a different although characteristic spectrum of DDR defects including abnormal S phase distribution, attenuated DNA double strand break (DSB)-induced RAD51 chromatin retention, elevated genomic instability, and increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Using controlled conditional over-expression of RPA1 in a human model cell system, we also see attenuated DSB-induced RAD51 chromatin retention. Furthermore, we find that transient over-expression of RPA1 can impact on homologous recombination (HR) pathways following DSB formation, favouring engagement in aberrant forms of recombination and repair. Our data identifies unanticipated defects in the DDR associated with duplications in 17p13.3 in humans involving modest RPA1 over-expression

    Fludarabine/2 Gy TBI is Superior to 2 Gy TBI as Conditioning for HLA-Matched Related HCT: A Phase III Randomized Trial.

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    AbstractThe risks and benefits of adding fludarabine to a 2-Gy total body irradiation (TBI) nonmyeloablative regimen are unknown. For this reason, we conducted a prospective randomized trial comparing 2-Gy TBI alone, or in combination with 90 mg/m2 fludarabine (FLU/TBI), before transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells from HLA-matched related donors. Eighty-five patients with hematological malignancies were randomized to be conditioned with TBI alone (n = 44) or FLU/TBI (n = 41). All patients had initial engraftment. Two graft rejections were observed, both in the TBI group. Infection rates, nonrelapse mortality, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were similar between groups. Three-year overall survival was lower in the TBI group (54% versus 65%; hazard ratio [HR], .57; P = .09), with higher incidences of relapse/progression (55% versus 40%; HR, .55; P = .06), relapse-related mortality (37% versus 28%; HR, .53; P = .09), and a lower progression-free survival (36% versus 53%; HR, .56; P = .05). Median donor T cell chimerism levels were significantly lower in the TBI group at days 28 (61% versus 90%; P < .0001) and 84 (68% versus 92%; P < .0001), as was NK cell chimerism on day 28 (75% versus 96%; P = .0005). In conclusion, this randomized trial demonstrates the importance of fludarabine in augmenting the graft-versus-tumor effect by ensuring prompt and durable high-level donor engraftment early after transplantation

    Conjugated bile acids attenuate allergen-induced airway inflammation and hyperresposiveness by inhibiting UPR transducers

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    © 2019 American Society for Clinical Investigation. Conjugated bile acids (CBAs), such as tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), are known to resolve the inflammatory and unfolded protein response (UPR) in inflammatory diseases, such as asthma. Whether CBAs exert their beneficial effects on allergic airway responses via 1 arm or several arms of the UPR, or alternatively through the signaling pathways for conserved bile acid receptor, remains largely unknown. We used a house dust mite-induced (HDM-induced) murine model of asthma to evaluate and compare the effects of 5 CBAs and 1 unconjugated bile acid in attenuating allergen-induced UPR and airway responses. Expression of UPRassociated transcripts was assessed in airway brushings from human patients with asthma and healthy subjects. Here we show that CBAs, such as alanyl ÎČ-muricholic acid (AÎČM) and TUDCA, significantly decreased inflammatory, immune, and cytokine responses; mucus metaplasia; and airway hyperresponsiveness, as compared with other CBAs in a model of allergic airway disease. CBAs predominantly bind to activating transcription factor 6α (ATF6α) compared with the other canonical transducers of the UPR, subsequently decreasing allergen-induced UPR activation and resolving allergic airway disease, without significant activation of the bile acid receptors. TUDCA and AÎČM also attenuated other HDM-induced ER stress markers in the lungs of allergic mice. Quantitative mRNA analysis of airway epithelial brushings from human subjects demonstrated that several ATF6α-related transcripts were significantly upregulated in patients with asthma compared with healthy subjects. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CBA-based therapy potently inhibits the allergen-induced UPR and allergic airway disease in mice via preferential binding of the canonical transducer of the UPR, ATF6α. These results potentially suggest a novel avenue to treat allergic asthma using select CBAs

    miR-132/212 knockout mice reveal roles for these miRNAs in regulating cortical synaptic transmission and plasticity

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    miR-132 and miR-212 are two closely related miRNAs encoded in the same intron of a small non-coding gene, which have been suggested to play roles in both immune and neuronal function. We describe here the generation and initial characterisation of a miR-132/212 double knockout mouse. These mice were viable and fertile with no overt adverse phenotype. Analysis of innate immune responses, including TLR-induced cytokine production and IFNÎČ induction in response to viral infection of primary fibroblasts did not reveal any phenotype in the knockouts. In contrast, the loss of miR-132 and miR-212, while not overtly affecting neuronal morphology, did affect synaptic function. In both hippocampal and neocortical slices miR-132/212 knockout reduced basal synaptic transmission, without affecting paired-pulse facilitation. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by tetanic stimulation was not affected by miR-132/212 deletion, whilst theta burst LTP was enhanced. In contrast, neocortical theta burst-induced LTP was inhibited by loss of miR-132/212. Together these results indicate that miR-132 and/or miR-212 play a significant role in synaptic function, possibly by regulating the number of postsynaptic AMPA receptors under basal conditions and during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity

    Targeting bone metastases starting from the preneoplastic niche: home sweet home

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    The metastatic process is a multistep coordinated event with a high degree of efficiency. Specific subpopulations of cancer stem cells, with tumor-initiating and migratory capacity, can selectively migrate towards sites that are able to promote survival and/or proliferation of metastatic tumor cells through a microenvironment modification. Cross-talk between the bone microenvironment and cancer cells can facilitate bone tropism of cancer cells. Fully understanding this complexity represents a major challenge in anti-cancer research and a mandatory step towards the development of new drugs potentially able not only to reduce the consequences of bone lesions but also to target the metastatic process in visceral sites
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