Ether à go-go potassium channel expression in soft tissue sarcoma patients

BACKGROUND: The expression of the human Eag1 potassium channel (Kv10.1) is normally restricted to the adult brain, but it has been detected in both tumour cell lines and primary tumours. Our purpose was to determine the frequency of expression of Eag1 in soft tissue sarcoma and its potential clinical implications. RESULTS: We used specific monoclonal antibodies to determine the expression levels of Eag1 in soft tissue sarcomas from 210 patients by immunohistochemistry. Eag1 was expressed in 71% of all tumours, with frequencies ranging from 56% (liposarcoma) to 82% (rhabdomyosarcoma). We detected differences in expression levels depending on the histological type, but no association was seen between expression of this protein and sex, age, grade or tumour size. Four cell lines derived from relevant sarcoma histological types (fibrosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma) were tested for Eag1 expression by real-time RT-PCR. We found all four lines to be positive for Eag1. In these cell lines, blockage of Eag1 by RNA interference led to a decrease in proliferation. CONCLUSION: Eag1 is aberrantly expressed in over 70% sarcomas. In sarcoma cell lines, inhibition of Eag1 expression and/or function leads to reduced proliferation. The high frequency of expression of Eag1 in primary tumours and the restriction of normal expression of the channel to the brain, suggests the application of this protein for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes

The use of crumb rubber in asphalt mixtures using the dry process

The modification process of hot mix asphalts in which crumb rubber is initially mixed with the mineral aggregates before the addition of the binder is known as dry process. This process has as main advantages the use of conventional mixing plants and, at least in principle, has no limitation of the incorporated rubber content. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of the incorporated crumb rubber content in the mechanical behavior of dense graded mixes ( grade envelope C of Brazilian specification DNER-ES 313/97). For this purpose, laboratory tests were carried out to determine the main properties to be used in numerical analyses of a structure of flexible pavement executed with that type of asphalt mixture. The mechanical properties of asphalt hot mixes used in the numerical analysis were determined by laboratory tests (stiffness modulus and fatigue life). The studied asphalt hot mixes were produced with a crumb rubber obtained by the milling process at ambient temperature and a straight binder AC 50/70 (classification by penetration). The incorporated rubber content varied from 2% up to 3,6% in relation to the mineral aggregate mixture. For the sake of comparison, a conventional asphalt mixture produced with straight binder AC 50/70 and an asphalt-rubber hot mix produced by wet process were also studied. The results showed that the asphalt hot mixes modified with crumb rubber by dry process presented a significant improvement in terms of mechanical behavior in relation to conventional asphalt hot mixes, especially in terms of increase of fatigue life, as can be observed in the numerical analysis performed.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ).Cepsa.Biosafe.Bezerras Ltda

The effect of Zr and Sn additions on the microstructure of Ti-Nb-Fe gum metals with high elastic admissible strain

An open challenge on structural biomaterials is to obtain low-cost Ti-alloys with high elastic admissible strength (the ratio of yield strength to modulus). To reach this goal, we designed and characterized three quaternary alloys from the Ti-Nb-Fe system with additions of Zr and Sn. The samples were solution-treated and tested under two conditions: water-quenched and aged at 450 °C. Microstructures were analyzed with aid of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Tensile tests performed at room-temperature confirmed a remarkable yield strength of 1271 MPa with an elastic modulus close to 90 GPa among aged Ti-19Nb-2.5Fe-6Sn (wt%) samples. Solution-treated Ti-19Nb-2.5Fe-10Zr samples presented a good combination of yield-strength and elastic modulus (1027 MPa and 69 GPa, respectively), displaying an elastic admissible strength close to 1.5. Although Zr and Sn are equally distributed between matrix and precipitates, the diffusion of Nb and Fe seem to be inhibited by the presence of Sn. As a result, Sn allows higher yield-strengths and more refined secondary α-phase, while Zr has a stronger effect on reducing the elastic modulus. In the end, a materials selection chart is presented to help designers to select materials for orthopedic implants considering the elastic admissible strain and cost as major guidelines16011861195CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPNão tem2014/24449-0; 2016/22714-3; 2016/24693-3Funding: This work was supported by FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Foundation, grants numbers 2014/24449-0, 2016/22714-3 and 2016/24693-3) and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). The authors gratefully acknowledge Prof. Hamish Fraser for the use of experimental facilities at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS), at the Ohio State University, USA, and thank CBMM Co. for the Nb supply. The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study. Data will be made available upon reques

SiO2·p-TSA: a green catalyst for solvent-free tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols and thiols

A solvent-free procedure for tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols and thiols based on a simple grinding of the reagents in the presence of silica gel and catalytic amounts of p-TSA is described

Exercise and spirulina control non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis and lipid profile in diabetic Wistar rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetes mellitus is associated with metabolic dysfunctions, including alterations in circulating lipid levels and fat tissue accumulation, which causes, among other pathologies, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).</p> <p>Aim of the study</p> <p>The objective of this study was to analyse the effects of physical exercise and <it>spirulina </it>intake on the control of NAFLD in diabetic Wistar rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Diabetes was induced in the animals through intravenous administration of alloxan. The rats were divided into four groups: Diabetic Control (DC) - diabetic rats fed with a control diet and no physical exercise; Diabetic <it>Spirulina </it>(DS) - diabetic rats fed with a diet that included <it>spirulina</it>; Diabetic <it>Spirulina </it>and Exercise (DSE) - diabetic rats fed with a diet that included <it>Spirulina </it>and that exercised; and Diabetic Exercise (DE) - diabetic rats fed with a control diet and that exercised.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The groups DS, DSE, and DE presented lower plasma concentrations of LDL cholesterol than DC, as well as lower levels of total liver lipids in groups DS, DSE, and DE in comparison to DC.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Thus, <it>spirulina </it>appears to be effective in reducing total circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol and hepatic lipids, alone or in conjunction with physical exercise in diabetic rats.</p

Marfan syndrome with a complex chromosomal rearrangement including deletion of the FBN1 gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of Marfan syndrome (MFS) cases is caused by mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene (<it>FBN1</it>), mapped to chromosome 15q21.1. Only few reports on deletions including the whole <it>FBN1 </it>gene, detected by molecular cytogenetic techniques, were found in literature.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report here on a female patient with clinical symptoms of the MFS spectrum plus craniostenosis, hypothyroidism and intellectual deficiency who presents a 1.9 Mb deletion, including the <it>FBN1 </it>gene and a complex rearrangement with eight breakpoints involving chromosomes 6, 12 and 15.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This is the first report of MFS with a complex chromosome rearrangement involving a deletion of <it>FBN1 </it>and contiguous genes. In addition to the typical clinical findings of the Marfan syndrome due to <it>FBN1 </it>gene haploinsufficiency, the patient presents features which may be due to the other gene deletions and possibly to the complex chromosome rearrangement.</p

Predicting smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis with classification trees and logistic regression: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPT) accounts for 30% of pulmonary tuberculosis cases reported yearly in Brazil. This study aimed to develop a prediction model for SNPT for outpatients in areas with scarce resources. METHODS: The study enrolled 551 patients with clinical-radiological suspicion of SNPT, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The original data was divided into two equivalent samples for generation and validation of the prediction models. Symptoms, physical signs and chest X-rays were used for constructing logistic regression and classification and regression tree models. From the logistic regression, we generated a clinical and radiological prediction score. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity were used to evaluate the model's performance in both generation and validation samples. RESULTS: It was possible to generate predictive models for SNPT with sensitivity ranging from 64% to 71% and specificity ranging from 58% to 76%. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that those models might be useful as screening tools for estimating the risk of SNPT, optimizing the utilization of more expensive tests, and avoiding costs of unnecessary anti-tuberculosis treatment. Those models might be cost-effective tools in a health care network with hierarchical distribution of scarce resources

Rhodolith Beds Are Major CaCO3 Bio-Factories in the Tropical South West Atlantic

Rhodoliths are nodules of non-geniculate coralline algae that occur in shallow waters (<150 m depth) subjected to episodic disturbance. Rhodolith beds stand with kelp beds, seagrass meadows, and coralline algal reefs as one of the world's four largest macrophyte-dominated benthic communities. Geographic distribution of rhodolith beds is discontinuous, with large concentrations off Japan, Australia and the Gulf of California, as well as in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, eastern Caribbean and Brazil. Although there are major gaps in terms of seabed habitat mapping, the largest rhodolith beds are purported to occur off Brazil, where these communities are recorded across a wide latitudinal range (2°N - 27°S). To quantify their extent, we carried out an inter-reefal seabed habitat survey on the Abrolhos Shelf (16°50′ - 19°45′S) off eastern Brazil, and confirmed the most expansive and contiguous rhodolith bed in the world, covering about 20,900 km2. Distribution, extent, composition and structure of this bed were assessed with side scan sonar, remotely operated vehicles, and SCUBA. The mean rate of CaCO3 production was estimated from in situ growth assays at 1.07 kg m−2 yr−1, with a total production rate of 0.025 Gt yr−1, comparable to those of the world's largest biogenic CaCO3 deposits. These gigantic rhodolith beds, of areal extent equivalent to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, are a critical, yet poorly understood component of the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. Based on the relatively high vulnerability of coralline algae to ocean acidification, these beds are likely to experience a profound restructuring in the coming decades

Prevention of hypertension in patients with pre-hypertension: protocol for the PREVER-prevention trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood pressure (BP) within pre-hypertensive levels confers higher cardiovascular risk and is an intermediate stage for full hypertension, which develops in an annual rate of 7 out of 100 individuals with 40 to 50 years of age. Non-drug interventions to prevent hypertension have had low effectiveness. In individuals with previous cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the use of BP-lowering agents reduces the incidence of major cardiovascular events. In the absence of higher baseline risk, the use of BP agents reduces the incidence of hypertension. The PREVER-prevention trial aims to investigate the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a population-based intervention to prevent the incidence of hypertension and the development of target-organ damage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with participants aged 30 to 70 years, with pre-hypertension. The trial arms will be chlorthalidone 12.5 mg plus amiloride 2.5 mg or identical placebo. The primary outcomes will be the incidence of hypertension, adverse events and development or worsening of microalbuminuria and of left ventricular hypertrophy in the EKG. The secondary outcomes will be fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events: myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, evidence of new sub-clinical atherosclerosis, and sudden death. The study will last 18 months. The sample size was calculated on the basis of an incidence of hypertension of 14% in the control group, a size effect of 40%, power of 85% and P alpha of 5%, resulting in 625 participants per group. The project was approved by the Ethics committee of each participating institution.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The early use of blood pressure-lowering drugs, particularly diuretics, which act on the main mechanism of blood pressure rising with age, may prevent cardiovascular events and the incidence of hypertension in individuals with hypertension. If this intervention shows to be effective and safe in a population-based perspective, it could be the basis for an innovative public health program to prevent hypertension in Brazil.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical Trials <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00970931">NCT00970931</a>.</p