Low-Cost Optical Mapping Systems for Panoramic Imaging of Complex Arrhythmias and Drug-Action in Translational Heart Models

Panoramic optical mapping is the primary method for imaging electrophysiological activity from the entire outer surface of Langendorff-perfused hearts. To date, it is the only method of simultaneously measuring multiple key electrophysiological parameters, such as transmembrane voltage and intracellular free calcium, at high spatial and temporal resolution. Despite the impact it has already had on the fields of cardiac arrhythmias and whole-heart computational modeling, present-day system designs precludes its adoption by the broader cardiovascular research community because of their high costs. Taking advantage of recent technological advances, we developed and validated low-cost optical mapping systems for panoramic imaging using Langendorff-perfused pig hearts, a clinically-relevant model in basic research and bioengineering. By significantly lowering financial thresholds, this powerful cardiac electrophysiology imaging modality may gain wider use in research and, even, teaching laboratories, which we substantiated using the lower-cost Langendorff-perfused rabbit heart model

The PREDICTS database: A global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

© 2014 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015. The collation of biodiversity datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents is necessary to understand historical declines and to project - and hopefully avert - future declines. We describe a newly collated database of more than 1.6 million biodiversity measurements from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world

Validação inicial do índice de necessidade de atenção à saúde bucal para as equipes de saúde bucal na estratégia de saúde da família Initial validation of the index of oral healtcare needs for oral health teams in the family healthcare strategy

Este trabalho objetivou validar o Índice de Necessidade de Atenção à Saúde Bucal (INASB), a partir de um algoritmo pré-definido baseado nas condições sociais das famílias. Utilizaram-se informações obtidas na ficha A do sistema de informação da atenção básica. A validação do índice foi realizada através da validação de face e de construto, e nesta foram coletados dados de experiência de cárie, dor de dente e acesso aos serviços de saúde bucal através de uma amostra aleatória, estratificada e baseada no índice de 412 crianças nas faixas etárias 3-5 e 7-12 anos em Recife-PE. Para análise foi utilizado o nível de significância de 5%. O índice foi considerado adequado na validação de face. Na validação de construto convergente foi associado ao componente cariado do ceo-d (p = 0,03) e CPO-D (p = 0,01); e na divergente foi associado ao acesso ao dentista (p = 0,001) e ao componente obturado do ceo-d (p = 0,05) não sendo associado ao componente obturado do CPO-D. O Índice de Necessidade de Atenção à Saúde Bucal demonstrou possuir uma boa validade inicial podendo ser usado como instrumento de programação para as equipes de saúde bucal da família.<br>This survey set out to validate the Index of Oral Healthcare Needs (IOHN), based on a pre-defined algorithm of the social status of families. The validation process was divided into two phases, namely a face validation and a construct validation. In the latter, data on caries experience, toothache and access to oral health services was collected. To validate the index a random, stratified sample of 412 children aged 3-5 and 7-12 was obtained, based on the IOHCN algorithm, all the children being from the areas of Recife covered by the family healthcare program. The analysis consisted of a descriptive and an analytical phase, adopting a 5% level of significance. The index was considered by an expert committee to have good face validity. The convergent construct validation was associated with a decay component of dmft (p = 0.03) and DMFT (p = 0.01); the divergent construct validation was associated with access to oral care (p = 0.001) and filled component of dmft (p = 0.05), showing no association with the filled component of DMFT. The Index of Oral Healthcare Needs was shown to have good initial validation and canbe used as a useful tool in the planning of dental care at a local level

Modelo etiológico dos comportamentos de risco para os transtornos alimentares em adolescentes brasileiros do sexo feminino

Resumo: O objetivo foi construir um modelo etiológico dos comportamentos de risco para os transtornos alimentares em adolescentes brasileiros do sexo feminino. Participaram 1.358 adolescentes de quatro cidades. Foram avaliados os comportamentos de risco para os transtornos alimentares, insatisfação corporal, pressões midiáticas, autoestima, estado de humor, sintomas depressivos e perfeccionismo por intermédio de escalas psicométricas. Peso, estatura e dobras cutâneas foram aferidos para calcular o índice de massa corporal (IMC) e o percentual de gordura (%G). O modelo de equação estrutural explanou 76% da variância dos comportamento de risco (F(9, 1.351) = 74,50; p = 0,001). Os achados indicaram que a insatisfação corporal mediou a relação entre as pressões midiáticas, autoestima, estado de humor, IMC, %G e os comportamentos de risco (F(9, 1.351) = 59,89; p = 0,001). Vale destacar que embora os sintomas depressivos não tenham se relacionado com a insatisfação corporal, o modelo indicou relação direta com os comportamentos de risco para os transtornos alimentares (F(2, 1.356) = 23,98; p = 0,001). Concluiu-se que somente o perfeccionismo não aderiu ao modelo etiológico dos comportamentos de risco para os transtornos alimentares em adolescentes brasileiras