Photoelectrochemical properties of melanin

Melanin is to the animal kingdom like chlorophyll to the vegetal kingdom(1). Melanin collects energy from lower-energy radiation sources, kicks electrons into excited states, initiating a process that would end up producing chemical energy, similar to the way in which photosynthesis supplies energy to plants. However, the precise roles of melanin during this process are unknown. Here we show that the increase in the electron-transfer properties of melanin is independent of the energy of the incident photons. We found in controlled in vivo assays that melanin has the remarkable capability of converting lower-energy radiation towards a more useful form of energy. Furthermore, we found that melanin can break up water molecules and giving up energy suggesting an additional behavior mode for melanin. Our results demonstrate how members of the melanin family are likely to function as transducers, oxidizing water, pushing apart water molecules, as well as recruiting back ions into molecules that are subsequently polarized again. Melanin drives the photon energy of lower-energy radiation sources by quenching electrons and initiating an ionic event independently of their relative energy contention. We anticipate our assay to be a starting point for more sophisticated photoelectrochemical applications. For example, the individual and combined action of multiple photovoltaic applications could be tested, including conducting polymers, for example poly-(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) derivatives or C60 particles. Furthermore, melanin's energy conversion ability is a major target of solar energy conversion development, and an organic-semiconductor way for photoelectrochemical applications will be relevant for such developments.</sup></sup&#x3e

Developmental and functional effects of steroid hormones on the neuroendocrine axis and spinal cord

This review highlights the principal effects of steroid hormones at central and peripheral levels in the neuroendocrine axis. The data discussed highlight the principal role of oestrogens and testosterone in hormonal programming in relation to sexual orientation, reproductive and metabolic programming, and the neuroendocrine mechanism involved in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype. Moreover, consistent with the wide range of processes in which steroid hormones take part, we discuss the protective effects of progesterone on neurodegenerative disease and the signalling mechanism involved in the genesis of oestrogen-induced pituitary prolactinomas.Fil: Zubeldia Brenner, Lautaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Roselli, C. E.. Oregon Health and Science University Portland; Estados UnidosFil: Recabarren, S. E.. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Gonzalez Deniselle, Maria Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Lara, H. E.. Universidad de Chile; Chil

Implementation costs of a multi-component program to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in a network of pediatric clinics

Introduction: HPV vaccination is both a clinically and cost-effective way to prevent HPV-related cancers. Increased focus on preventing HPV infection and HPV-related cancers has motivated development of strategies to increase adolescent vaccination rates. This analysis estimates the average cost associated with implementing programs aimed at increasing HPV vaccination from the perspective of the clinic decision makers. As providers and healthcare organizations consider vaccination initiatives, it is important for them to understand the costs associated with implementing these programs. Methods: Healthcare provider assessment and feedback, reminders, and education; and parent education/reminder strategies were implemented in a large pediatric clinic network between October 2015 and February 2018 to improve HPV vaccination rates. A micro-costing method was used in 2018 to prospectively estimate program implementation costs with the clinic as the unit of analysis. A sensitivity analysis assessed the effects of variability in levels of participation. Results: Assessment and feedback reports and provider education were implemented among 51 clinics at average per clinic cost of $786 and$368 respectively. Electronic vaccination reminders were delivered to providers and parents at a per clinic cost of $824. The parent education implementation cost was$2,126 per clinic. Conclusion: The four complimentary HPV evidence-based strategies were delivered at a total cost of $157,534 or$4,749 per clinic, including staff training and participant recruitment, reaching 155,000 HPV vaccine eligible adolescents

Antioxidant system of ginseng under stress by cadmium

Toxic levels of Cd can cause protein denaturation and oxidative stress, which result in membrane damage, enzimatic activity changes and other metabolic damage. Some plants may show alteration in the activity of their antioxidant enzymes as a heavy metal tolerance mechanism. This study aims at evaluating the role of enzymes of the antioxidant system in adaptive responses of the accumulator P. glomerata species to levels of cadmium (Cd). Plants were cultivated in nutrient solutions containing concentrations of Cd in the form of CdSO4 (0, 45 and 90 µmol L-1), for 20 d. Cd concentrations and yields of root and shoot dry matter were determined at the end of the experiment. Malondialdehyde (MDA) production and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were determined after days 1, 12 and 20. Higher Cd concentrations in tissues of P. glomerata were found to reduce biomass production in both roots and shoots. The lipid peroxidation rates in leaves and roots were smaller at the start of the experiment for all Cd levels. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in leaves on day 1 and in roots on day 20 as Cd levels increased. Cd stress induced an increase in the activity of APX in leaves, whereas in roots ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was reduced at high concentration of Cd. At the end of the experiment, catalase (CAT) activity in leaves was reduced as Cd concentration increased. Nevertheless, the glutathione reductase (GR) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activities increased. In roots, GR activity was reduced on days 1 and 20

Ganhos em Saúde em Doentes com Cataratas

Nos últimos anos, têm sido desenvolvidos instrumentos de medição do estado de saúde e da qualidade de vida obtida pela aplicação de programas de saúde, baseados na Teoria da Utilidade. O objectivo deste estudo é a avaliação dos ganhos obtidos com a aplicação de um programa de redução de listas de espera. Foi utilizada uma amostra de 70 doentes e foram aplicados, antes e 3 a 5 meses após a operação, dois instrumentos genéricos (EuroQol e SF-12) e um específico para cataratas (Catquest). Os resultados obtidos evidenciam uma melhoria significativa no estado de saúde específico da maioria dos doentes submetidos à cirurgia. É possível concluir que as percepções do estado de saúde físico e mental dos doentes, a incapacidade visual, a satisfação com a sua visão, a valorização actual da sua saúde e o tipo de cirurgia efectuada são variáveis explicativas da utilidade dos estados de saúde.

Müller cyst: report of a case in pregnancy

Müller cysts are alterations in the development of sexual cords and remain as malformations associated with them. They can occur in many morphological varieties. In the case of pregnancy, vaginal tumors can complicate labor because they cause obstruc-tion of the canal. During labor, these alterations can complicate the diagnosis and proper management of pregnancy. A 22-year-old female, who came to the hospital at 30.1 weeks of gestation for the first time, due to obstetric pain, vaginal tumor was detected, the patient triggered preterm labor, which did not address medical management based on oral and intravenous uteroinhibitors, so a cesarean is decided, later in the puerperium magnetic resonance was performed finding a defect in the vaginal wall, compatible with probable Müller's cyst. Due to its low frequency but high impact on pregnancy, vaginal tumors are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, due to their embryological origin should be detected and advise on the consequences of them. As a result, some other alterations may coexist, which is why complementary studies are essential. In the pregnancy protocol, the proper location of the cysts guides us to a specific embryological origin, as well as a preventive intervention can be planned in cases like this. If these patients are asymptomatic, surgical intervention is not required, much less during pregnancy unless an obstetric indication for interruption is determined

Adoção de E-learning nas organizações

As pessoas são o recurso mais importante nas Organizações que inevitavelmente têm de ter a capacidade de dar resposta às exigências do mercado, o que implica o desenvolvimento de planos da formação específicos, adequados às necessidades identificadas, bem como à utilização de ferramentas inovadoras que apresentem a flexibilidade requerida para as exigências no âmbito da realidade do mundo empresarial [1]. Segundo o estudo realizado em 2014, “360.º Panorama E-Learning Governação & Práticas de E-Learning em Portugal”, desenvolvido entre a TecMinho – Interface da Universidade do Minho, e a Quaternaire Portugal, o número de Organizações que proporcionam formação aos seus colaboradores através da modalidade de aprendizagem e-learning está em crescimento, no entanto, a resistência em relação ao uso deste regime continua a ser um fator que limita o desenvolvimento de um maior número de programas de e-learning em Portugal. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo é identificar as medidas de combate às desvantagens do e-learning, determinantes para a adoção desta modalidade nas Organizações. A identificação destas medidas, consideradas como as mais relevantes neste estudo, pretende ajudar todos os interessados, na área da formação profissional, na implementação de programas de formação através da modalidade e-learning, no sentido de permitir às Organizações potenciar as suas vantagens e trabalhar de forma a minimizar as suas desvantagens.People are the most important resource in Organizations that inevitably have to be able to respond to the market demands, which implies the development of specific training plans, adapted to identified needs, as well as the use of innovative tools that present the flexibility required for the requests within the framework of the business world [1]. According to the study carried out in 2014, "360º Panorama E-Learning Governance & E-Learning Practices in Portugal", developed between TecMinho - Interface of the University of Minho, and Quaternaire Portugal, the number of Organizations that provide training to its employees through the e-learning training modality is growing, however, resistance to the use of this scheme continues to be a factor that limits the development of a greater number of e-learning programs in Portugal. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify measures to combat the disadvantages of e-learning, determinants for the adoption of e-learning in Organizations. The identification of these measures, considered as the most relevant in this study, aims to help all those interested in the area of vocational training in the implementation of training programs through the e-learning modality, in order to allow Organizations to leverage their advantages and work in a to minimize its disadvantages

Evaluation of a 2-1-1 Telephone Navigation Program to increase Cancer Control Behaviors: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone navigation intervention for increasing use of cancer control services among underserved 2-1-1 callers. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: 2-1-1 call centers in Houston and Weslaco, Texas (located in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border). PARTICIPANTS: 2-1-1 callers in need of Pap test, mammography, colorectal cancer screening, smoking cessation counseling, and/or HPV vaccination for a daughter (n = 1,554). A majority were low-income and described themselves as Black or Hispanic. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a cancer control referral for the needed service(s) with telephone navigation from a trained cancer control navigator (n = 995) or a referral only (n = 559). MEASURES: Uptake of each individual service and any needed service. ANALYSIS: Assessed uptake in both groups using bivariate chi-square analyses and multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic covariates. Both per-protocol and intent-to-treat approaches were used. RESULTS: Both interventions increased cancer control behaviors. Referral with navigation intervention resulted in significantly greater completion of any needed service (OR = 1.38; p = .042), Pap test (OR = 1.56; p = .023), and smoking cessation counseling (OR = 2.66; p = .044), than referral-only condition. Other outcomes showed the same trend although the difference was not statistically significant: mammography (OR = 1.53; p = .106); colorectal cancer screening (OR = 1.80; p = .095); and HPV vaccination of a daughter (OR = 1.61; p = .331). CONCLUSION: Adding cancer control referrals and navigation to an informational service like the 2-1-1 program can increase overall participation in cancer control services

Expression of Interleukin-10 in Intestinal Lymphocytes Detected by an Interleukin-10 Reporter Knockin tiger Mouse

SummaryTo identify interleukin-10 (IL-10)-producing cells in vivo, we generated a knockin mouse where an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) green fluorescence protein (GFP) element was inserted immediately before the polyadenylation site of the IL-10 gene. GFP fluorescence in cells from these mice was found to correlate positively with IL-10 protein expression. With this model, we found that after multiple T cell receptor (TCR) stimulations, strong expression of IL-10 was produced specifically by intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in the small intestine and colonic lamina propria lymphocytes (cLPL). We found that anti-CD3 treatment induces T regulatory cell 1 (Tr1)-like cells in small intestinal IEL (sIEL) and led to the accumulation of naturally occurring regulatory T (nTreg) cells in colonic LPL (cLPL). These findings highlight the intestine as a unique site for induction of IL-10-producing T cells, which play a critical role in the regulation of inflammation in the gut

Lessons Learned From Interdisciplinary Efforts to Combat COVID-19 Misinformation: Development of Agile Integrative Methods From Behavioral Science, Data Science, and Implementation Science

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing awareness about and advances in addressing social media misinformation, the free flow of false COVID-19 information has continued, affecting individuals\u27 preventive behaviors, including masking, testing, and vaccine uptake. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we describe our multidisciplinary efforts with a specific focus on methods to (1) gather community needs, (2) develop interventions, and (3) conduct large-scale agile and rapid community assessments to examine and combat COVID-19 misinformation. METHODS: We used the Intervention Mapping framework to perform community needs assessment and develop theory-informed interventions. To supplement these rapid and responsive efforts through large-scale online social listening, we developed a novel methodological framework, comprising qualitative inquiry, computational methods, and quantitative network models to analyze publicly available social media data sets to model content-specific misinformation dynamics and guide content tailoring efforts. As part of community needs assessment, we conducted 11 semistructured interviews, 4 listening sessions, and 3 focus groups with community scientists. Further, we used our data repository with 416,927 COVID-19 social media posts to gather information diffusion patterns through digital channels. RESULTS: Our results from community needs assessment revealed the complex intertwining of personal, cultural, and social influences of misinformation on individual behaviors and engagement. Our social media interventions resulted in limited community engagement and indicated the need for consumer advocacy and influencer recruitment. The linking of theoretical constructs underlying health behaviors to COVID-19-related social media interactions through semantic and syntactic features using our computational models has revealed frequent interaction typologies in factual and misleading COVID-19 posts and indicated significant differences in network metrics such as degree. The performance of our deep learning classifiers was reasonable, with an F-measure of 0.80 for speech acts and 0.81 for behavior constructs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the strengths of community-based field studies and emphasizes the utility of large-scale social media data sets in enabling rapid intervention tailoring to adapt grassroots community interventions to thwart misinformation seeding and spread among minority communities. Implications for consumer advocacy, data governance, and industry incentives are discussed for the sustainable role of social media solutions in public health