F0X01 Regulation of Islet Cell Development in the Human Fetal Pancreas.

Recent studies have outlined a major role for the forkhead protein FOXOl in (3- cell differentiation, proliferation, and stress resistance in the adult islet. The objective of this study was to characterize the expression pattern and function of FOXOl during human fetal islet cell development (8 to 21 weeks of fetal age). Using immunostaining, FOXOl co-localized with ductal and endocrine cell markers, in addition to PDX-1 and NGN3 transcription factors throughout development. In vitro, nuclear export of FOXOl occurred in islet-epithelial cell clusters (18 to 21 wks) exposed to high insulin concentrations in a PI3-Kinase/AKT dependent manner. Cells transfected with FOXOl siRNA demonstrated an up-regulation in NGN3 and NKX6-1 mRNA levels and protein cellular distribution in parallel with an increase in the (3-cell population, a down- regulation in the NGN3 inhibitory factor HES1, and no effect on PDX-1. In conclusion, these results outline a role by which FOXOl may contribute to islet cell development

Aromatic L-Aminoacid Decarboxylase Deficiency A Defect of the Neurotransmitter Metabolism with Severe Neurological Impairment

A descarboxilase dos L-aminoácidos aromáticos, um enzima piridoxina dependente, é responsável pela conversão da L-dopa em dopamina e do 5 hidroxitriptofano em serotonina. A deficiência desse enzima, um erro inato do metabolismo dos neurotransmissores, resulta numa doença autossómica recessiva com manifestações neurológicas graves. Os dois casos apresentados de deficiência da descarboxilase dos L-aminoácidos aromáticos, entidade pela primeira vez descrita no nosso país, apresentam características clínicas semelhantes, resultantes da disfunção do metabolismo aminérgico: hipotonia, distonia, atraso no desenvolvimento psicomotor, episódios de movimentos oculógiros, irritabilidade e instabilidade vasomotora. A tomografia computadorizada e a ressonância magnética cerebrais foram normais em ambos os casos. Os exames bioquímicos e o estudo da actividade enzimática permitiram fazer o diagnóstico de deficiência da descarboxilase dos L-aminoácidos aromáticos. O nosso objectivo é chamar a atenção para a necessidade de investigar os defeitos do metabolismo dos neurotransmilissores na presença de Uma doença neurológica crónica sem etiologia conhecida. A importância de colocar este diagnóstico diferencial, o mais precocemente possível, advém das possibilidades de terapêutica, aconselhamento genético adequado e diagnóstico pré-natal, já hoje existentes

Damage and repair classification in reinforced concrete beams using frequency domain data

This research aims at developing a new vibration-based damage classification technique that can efficiently be applied to a real-time large data. Statistical pattern recognition paradigm is relevant to perform a reliable site-location damage diagnosis system. By adopting such paradigm, the finite element and other inverse models with their intensive computations, corrections and inherent inaccuracies can be avoided. In this research, a two-stage combination between principal component analysis and Karhunen-Loéve transformation (also known as canonical correlation analysis) was proposed as a statistical-based damage classification technique. Vibration measurements from frequency domain were tested as possible damage-sensitive features. The performance of the proposed system was tested and verified on real vibration measurements collected from five laboratory-scale reinforced concrete beams modelled with various ranges of defects. The results of the system helped in distinguishing between normal and damaged patterns in structural vibration data. Most importantly, the system further dissected reasonably each main damage group into subgroups according to their severity of damage. Its efficiency was conclusively proved on data from both frequency response functions and response-only functions. The outcomes of this two-stage system showed a realistic detection and classification and outperform results from the principal component analysis-only. The success of this classification model is substantially tenable because the observed clusters come from well-controlled and known state conditions

On the Calibration of a Size-Structured Population Model from Experimental Data

The aim of this work is twofold. First, we survey the techniques developed in (Perthame, Zubelli, 2007) and (Doumic, Perthame, Zubelli, 2008) to reconstruct the division (birth) rate from the cell volume distribution data in certain structured population models. Secondly, we implement such techniques on experimental cell volume distributions available in the literature so as to validate the theoretical and numerical results. As a proof of concept, we use the data reported in the classical work of Kubitschek [3] concerning Escherichia coli in vitro experiments measured by means of a Coulter transducer-multichannel analyzer system (Coulter Electronics, Inc., Hialeah, Fla, USA.) Despite the rather old measurement technology, the reconstructed division rates still display potentially useful biological features

DIO2 (deiodinase, iodothyronine, type II)

Review on DIO2 (deiodinase, iodothyronine, type II), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

The Impact of the Semente Program on the Family-Focused Practice of Mental Health Professionals in Portugal.

Background: Children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) are a high-risk group. There is a strong association between parents' psychiatric disorders and the incidence of psychopathology in their children. These children need to be identified and supported by mental health workers early, and hence, clinical practice in adult mental health services needs to change from a focus on individual patients to a more systemic family focus. "Semente," a mental health promotion program developed by the Psychiatry Service of Fernando Fonseca hospital (Lisbon, Portugal), had been established to identify these children and families and promote their mental health, by decreasing the impact of risk factors and promoting protective factors. The program included preventive COPMI interventions and implementation of activities offered to families with children in the mental health care. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in mental health care after the training in "Child Talks" intervention (two to three psycho-educational meetings with parents and children) and implementation of the "Semente" program. Methods: Participants (N = 51) were all professionals from Psychiatric Service of Fernando Fonseca Hospital who received Child Talks training. The Family-Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire (FFMPQ) was used to measure change in professionals' attitudes, knowledge, confidence, and organizational structure in working with these families. All participants filled in the questionnaire before training and 10 months later. Results: The results showed that, from pre- to post-measurement, the professionals changed clinical practice significantly. The largest changes were visible in the improved provision of support at the workplace for family-focused practice and the clarity and availability of the policies and procedures. Furthermore, the skill and knowledge of the mental health workers showed significant improvement at posttest. Conclusion: The positive results of this study were not unexpected; the training, implementation of routines, and procedures as well as workplace support were aims of the "Semente" program. Interpretation of the results should be taken with caution because of the small sample and the lower reliability of some of scales of the FFMPQ. The results indicate that professionals moved from patient focus to family focus during the implementation of the "Semente" program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How do international student returnees contribute to the development of their home countries? A systematic mapping and thematic synthesis

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This study investigates the significant yet under-examined role of international student returnees in catalysing societal development in their home countries. Through systematic mapping and thematic synthesis of 53 articles selected from an initial pool of 1515, this review delineates the literature’s portrayal of returnees’ impacts across various domains, including firm growth, industrial innovation, higher education, research, social diversity, equity, inclusion, democracy, and civic engagement. While highlighting the skills, knowledge, and resilience students garner abroad—facilitating innovative problem-solving and engagement in their countries—the study concurrently points out the emerging nature and methodological limitations of the extant literature. This review identifies critical gaps in the literature on international student returnees. It notes a lack of global evidence and an overemphasis on certain geographical contexts which questions the generalisability of the findings. Furthermore, there is a narrow focus on economic and political impacts, overlooking crucial areas like poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. Equally important is the absence of comparative studies between returnees and local counterparts. This lack of comparative studies highlights the need to distinguish the unique effects of international versus domestic higher education. This review not only advances academic understanding by systematically mapping the underexplored nexus between international student mobility and societal development but also offers implications for policy. By delineating the transformative potential of returnees and highlighting the importance of conducive environments, it underscores the necessity of informed, strategic interventions to maximise returnees’ societal contributions. In doing so, the study acknowledges existing gaps and methodological limitations within the literature, advocating for a more nuanced and evidence-based approach to leveraging international education for sustainable development.Peer reviewe

On the low-temperature performances of THGEM and THGEM/G-APD multipliers in gaseous and two-phase Xe

The performances of THGEM multipliers in two-phase Xe avalanche mode are presented for the first time. Additional results on THGEM operation in gaseous Xe at cryogenic temperatures are provided. Stable operation of a double-THGEM multiplier was demonstrated in two-phase Xe with gains reaching 600. These are compared to existing data, summarized here for two-phase Ar, Kr and Xe avalanche detectors incorporating GEM and THGEM multipliers. The optical readout of THGEMs with Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiodes (G-APDs) has been investigated in gaseous Xe at cryogenic temperature; avalanche scintillations were recorded in the Near Infrared (NIR) at wavelengths of up to 950 nm. At avalanche charge gain of 350, the double-THGEM/G-APD multiplier yielded 0.07 photoelectrons per initial ionization electron, corresponding to an avalanche scintillation yield of 0.7 NIR photons per avalanche electron over 4pi. The results are compared with those of two-phase Ar avalanche detectors. The advantages, limitations and possible applications are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures. Revised Figs. 10,11 and Table 1. To be published in JINS

DIAGNÓSTICOS DE ENFERMAGEM NAS COMPLICAÇÕES EM SALA DE RECUPERAÇÃO ANESTÉSICA

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:PT-BR; mso-fareast-language:PT-BR;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> This is a descriptive, exploratory study with a qualitative method and non-experimental design, with analysis of absolute and relative frequency of data. It shows how to identify nursing diagnoses according to NANDA Taxonomy II in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). The sample consisted of 30 adult patients undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia, and evaluation of physical conditions according to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA 1). The field of study was the PACU, which has 8 beds in a mixed network hospital in the city of Santos. Data were collected through a structured method, with data on gender, age, medical diagnoses, intervention-surgical anesthetic, surgical time, anesthetic time, vital signs including blood pressure at admission, assessment of the index of Aldrete KrouliK; and complications such as nausea, vomiting and pain. After the analysis of the nursing problems, nursing diagnoses were identified, with the greatest frequency being hypothermia, nausea, and acute pain.  Este es un estudio descriptivo, exploratorio, con método cualitativo y rasgo no empírico, con análisis de frecuencia absoluta y relativa de los datos. Presenta como objetivo identificar los diagnósticos de enfermería según la Taxonomía II de la NANDA, en la Sala de Recuperación Post-Anestésica (SRPA). La muestra estaba constituida por 30 enfermos adultos, sometidos a cirugía selectiva, con anestesia general y evaluación de las condiciones físicas Americam Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA1). El campo de estudio fue la SPRA, la cual cuenta con 8 camas de un hospital de la red mixta de la ciudad de Santos. Los datos fueron colectados a través de un instrumento estructurado, con datos referentes al sexo, edad, diagnóstico médico, intervención anestésico quirúrgica, tiempo quirúrgico, tiempo anestésico, signos vitales, incluyendo verificación de la tensión arterial en la internación, índices de Aldrete Kroulik y complicaciones como náusea, vómito y dolor. Tras el análisis de los problemas de enfermería, fueron identificados los diagnósticos de enfermería, siendo los de mayor frecuencia la hipotermia, náusea y dolor agudo.Este é um estudo descritivo, exploratório, com método quantitativo e delineamento não experimental, com análise de freqüência absoluta e relativa dos dados. Apresenta como objetivo identificar os diagnósticos de enfermagem, segundo a Taxonomia II da NANDA, na Sala de Recuperação Pós-Anestésica (SRPA). A amostra foi constituída de 30 pacientes adultos, submetidos à cirurgia eletiva, com anestesia geral, e avaliação das condições físicas Americam Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA 1). O campo de estudo foi a SRPA, a qual conta com 8 leitos, de um Hospital da rede mista da cidade de Santos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um instrumento estruturado, com dados referentes ao sexo, idade, diagnóstico médico, intervenção anestésico-cirúrgica, tempo cirúrgico, tempo anestésico, sinais vitais incluindo verificação de pressão arterial na internação, avaliação do índice de Aldrete KrouliK; e complicações como náusea, vômito e dor. Após o levantamento dos problemas de enfermagem, foram identificados os diagnósticos de enfermagem, sendo os maior freqüência a hipotermia, náusea e dor aguda. &nbsp

Auricular cartilage repair using cryogel scaffolds loaded with BMP-7-expressing primary chondrocytes

The loss of cartilage tissue due to trauma, tumour surgery or congenital defects, such as microtia and anotia, is one of the major concerns in head and neck surgery. Recently tissue-engineering approaches, including gene delivery, have been proposed for the regeneration of cartilage tissue. In this study, primary chondrocytes were genetically modified with plasmid-encoding bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) via the commercially available non-viral Turbofect vector, with the aim of bringing ex vivo transfected chondrocytes to resynthesize BMP-7 in vitro as they would in vivo. Genetically modified cells were implanted into gelatin–oxidized dextran scaffolds and cartilage tissue formation was investigated in 15 × 15 mm auricular cartilage defects in vivo in 48 New Zealand (NZ) white rabbits for 4 months. The results were evaluated via histology and early gene expression. Early gene expression results indicated a strong effect of exogenous BMP-7 on matrix synthesis and chondrocyte growth. In addition, histological analysis results exhibited significantly better cartilage healing with BMP-7-modified (transfected) cells than in the non-modified (non-transfected) group and as well as the control