Plasmids of Azotobacter Vinelandii

Nineteen laboratory strains of Azotobacter vinelandii and two organisms of the same species isolated from water samples were screened for the presence of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Three laboratory strains and both organisms isolated from water samples contained one plasmid each. The migration distances of the plasmids in agarose gel electrophoresis were different molecular weights. The plasmids were cured by SDS or ethidium bromide treatment of the cultures

Anti-VEGF for the Management of Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important cause of vision loss around the world, being the leading cause in the population between 20 and 60 years old. Among patients with DR, diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most frequent cause of vision impairment and represents a significant public health issue. Macular photocoagulation has been the standard treatment for this condition reducing the risk of moderate visual loss by approximately 50%. the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in DR and DME pathogenesis has been demonstrated in recent studies. This review addresses and summarizes data from the clinical trials that investigated anti-VEGF for the management of DME and evaluates their impact on clinical practice. the literature searches were conducted between August and October 2013 in PubMed and Cochrane Library with no date restrictions and went through the most relevant studies on pegaptanib, ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept for the management of DME. the efficacy and safety of intravitreal anti-VEGF as therapy for DME have recently been proved by various clinical trials providing significantly positive visual and anatomical results. Regarding clinical practice, those outcomes have placed intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF as an option that must be considered for the treatment of DME.Fed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ophthalmol & Visual Sci, Retina Div, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniv So Calif, Keck Sch Med, Dept Ophthalmol, Doheny Eye Inst, Los Angeles, CA USAGoethe Univ Frankfurt, Dept Ophthalmol, D-60590 Frankfurt, GermanyFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ophthalmol & Visual Sci, Retina Div, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Parâmetros De Avaliação Do Equilíbrio Sagital Cervical Na Escoliose Idiopática

There are no values defined as standard in the literature for the parameters of assessment of cervical sagittal balance in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. This study describes the sagittal cervical parameters in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: Study carried out in a tertiary public hospital in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, through the evaluation of panoramic radiographs in lateral view. The Cobb method was used to evaluate cervical lordosis from C2 to C7, distance from the center of gravity (COG) of the skull to C7, measurement of T1 slope, thoracic inlet angle (TIA), neck tilt, and plumb line from C7 to S1 (SVA C7-S1). A statistical analysis was performed, to demonstrate the relationship between the alignment of the thoracic spine in the sagittal plane and the cervical sagittal balance of patients with scoliosis. Results: Thirty-four patients were female (69.4%) and 15 male (30.6%). The mean values for COG-C7 were 0.71 mm (median 0.8 mm/standard deviation [SD]= 0.51 mm). For Cobb C2-C7, the mean was -11.7° (median -10°/SD= 20.4°). The mean slope of T1 was 23.5° (median 25°/SD= 9.5°). The mean cervical version was 58.8° (median 60°/DP= 15.4°). The mean TIA was 81.8° (median 85°/SD= 16.7°). The mean plumb line C7-S1 was -0.28 (-0.3/SD= 1.0). Conclusion: The analysis of the results showed that the mean values for the cervical lordosis are lower than the values described as normal in the literature, suggesting a loss of sagittal cervical balance in these patients.161384

The role of drug use sequencing pattern in further problematic use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other drugs

Background: There has been considerable debate regarding what typically occurs after experimentation with drugs throughout the life of young people who used various drugs. Aims: To evaluate the clinical importance of the most common sequence for the first use of a drug by two models (the “gateway model” and the “alternative model”, which is the most popular sequence for Brazilian university students according to a previous study) regarding the problematic use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illegal drugs, assessed by ASSIST. Method: People who had already experimented with three or more drugs across different stages of the two models were selected from a representative sample of university students from 27 Brazilian capitals (n = 12 711). Findings: There were no differences regarding the problematic use of the most consumed drugs in Brazil (alcohol, tobacco and cannabis) between the models. Multiple drug seekers and violators had more problematic use of illegal drugs other than cannabis than individuals in the model sequence. However, in the case of violators, this was only evident in the alternative model. Conclusions: Multiple drug seekers and violators deserve special attention due to their increased risk of problematic use of other illegal drugs

The role of first use of inhalants within sequencing pattern of first use of drugs among Brazilian university students.

The present study investigated the role of first use of inhalants within a first drug sequencing pattern. In a representative sample of university students from 27 Brazilian capitals (n = 12,711), we analyzed the patterns of transition from/to first use of inhalants to/from the first use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, ecstasy, amphetamines, prescription opioids, and tranquilizers. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze data. Drugs that were not specified as the pair of drugs tested in each model were included as time-varying covariates in all models. In this sample, first use of inhalants was preceded only by the first use of alcohol and tobacco. However, first use of inhalants preceded first use of cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, and tranquilizers. First use of inhalants preceded the first use of prescription opioids, and vice versa. This study highlights the need to intervene early with youths who are at risk of or just beginning to use inhalants, because this class of drugs seems to be the first illegal drug in Brazil to be experimented by respondents in our sample. There is also a call for attention to individuals who have already first used inhalants because of their higher chance to experiment with other drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and prescription drugs. All these findings show an in-transition culture of drug use, which should be tracked through time, because some classical models (i.e., gateway model) might be outdated and might also not fit within different settings