Mutational Analysis of c-KIT and PDGFRA in Canine Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs)

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the canine gastrointestinal tract and are diagnosed by the immunohistochemical expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) KIT. Activating mutations of the proto-oncogenes c-KIT and PDGFRA drive GIST oncogenesis and are used to predict the response to RTK-inhibitors in human oncology. Currently, the frequency and significance of these mutations in canine GIST have not been adequately explored. Therefore, we investigated the mutational status of c-KIT (exons 9, 11 and 13) and PDGFRA (exons 12 and 18) genes by PCR followed by fragment analysis for c-KIT deletions and PCR followed by screening with DHPLC and direct sequencing confirmation for single nucleotide variations in 17 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded canine GISTs confirmed by KIT immunopositivity. c-KIT mutations were detected in 47% of cases, with a mutation detection rate significantly higher (p = 0.0004, Fisher's exact test) and always involving exon 11. A PDGFRA gene mutation (exon 18) was identified in one case. Even if follow-up data were not available for all cases, four cases with documented abdominal metastases displayed c-KIT mutations. These data confirm that c-KIT exon 11 mutations occur frequently in canine GISTs, and identify the presence of a PDGFRA mutation similar to human GISTs. This study also suggests a potential association of c-KIT mutation with more aggressive biological behavior

A poesia na internet : superação da decadência ou uma ilusão perdida?

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Teoria Literária e Literaturas, 2018.Este artigo propõe um olhar crítico sobre a produção de arte no meio digital com enfoque especial na produção poética nas redes sociais. A análise crítica tem como base a perspectiva teórica do materialismo dialético a partir da abordagem do crítico literário György Lukács e traça um paralelo entre a atual conjuntura da produção poética e o cenário literário apresentado na obra Ilusões Perdidas, de Honoré de Balzac. Ressalta-se como a trajetória do personagem Lucien Chardon e seus dilemas se relaciona com o desenvolvimento da carreira dos jovens poetas advindos das redes sociais. O objetivo proposto é observar a duplicidade entre o meio libertador da produção literária no ambiente digital e a instauração de um sistema de submissão poética às demandas mercadológicas.This article propose a critical look at the art production in the digital media focusing on the poetic production in social media. The analysis is based on the perspective of dialetical materialism perpassing Gyorgy Lukacs’s approach and it traces a parallel between the current conjuncture of poetic production and the literary scenario presented in the book Ilusões Perdidas, from Honoré de Balzac. Morevover, the article highlights that Lucien Chardon’s path and his dilemmas are related to the development of young poets carrer, raised by social media. The goal is to observe the duplicity between the emancipated environment of the literary production in digital media and the establishment of a system of submission to the marketing demands

Diagnostic Accuracy of Five Serologic Tests for Strongyloides stercoralis Infection

Background:The diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis) infection is hampered by the suboptimal sensitivity of fecal-based tests. Serological methods are believed to be more sensitive, although assessing their accuracy is difficult because of the lack of sensitivity of a fecal-based reference ("gold") standard.Methods:The sensitivity and specificity of 5 serologic tests for S. stercoralis (in-house IFAT, NIE-ELISA and NIE-LIPS and the commercially available Bordier-ELISA and IVD-ELISA) were assessed on 399 cryopreserved serum samples. Accuracy was measured using fecal results as the primary reference standard, but also using a composite reference standard (based on a combination of tests).Results:According to the latter standard, the most sensitive test was IFAT, with 94.6% sensitivity (91.2-96.9), followed by IVD-ELISA (92.3%, 87.7-96.9). The most specific test was NIE-LIPS, with specificity 99.6% (98.9-100), followed by IVD-ELISA (97.4%, 95.5-99.3). NIE-LIPS did not cross-react with any of the specimens from subjects with other parasitic infections. NIE-LIPS and the two commercial ELISAs approach 100% specificity at a cut off level that maintains ≥70% sensitivity.Conclusions:NIE-LIPS is the most accurate serologic test for the diagnosis of S. stercoralis infection. IFAT and each of the ELISA tests are sufficiently accurate, above a given cut off, for diagnosis, prevalence studies and inclusion in clinical trials.Fil: Bisoffi, Zeno. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Buonfrate, Dora. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Sequi, Marco. Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri; ItaliaFil: Mejia, Rojelio. National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases; Estados UnidosFil: Cimino, Rubén Oscar. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Krolewiecki, Alejandro Javier. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Albonico, Marco. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Gobbo, Maria. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Bonafini, Stefania. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Angheben, Andrea. Sacro Cuore Hospital; ItaliaFil: Requena-Mendez, Ana. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Muñoz, José. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Nutman, Thomas B.. National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases; Estados Unido

Sorting Through Waste Management Literature. A Text Mining Approach to a Literature Review

With sustainability and management of waste as focus of multiple disciplines, there is still a considerable gap in the academic literature in regard to the definition of \u201cwaste management\u201d. The present research addresses the issue of a substantial lack of an acceptable interdisciplinary definition of waste management by means of synthesizing existing literature on the matter and identifying the most recurrent and relevant waste management concepts by applying the method of text mining. The results allow gaining a deeper understanding of (1) the typical concepts of each scientific discipline that studies waste management, (2) cross-disciplinary concept differences and similarities, and (3) the concept networks that can become potential building blocks of the waste management studies definition. Finally, a number of future research directions and propositions are suggested

Laying productivity with constant renewal in water fountains during heatwave

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the water renewal system of drinking fountains in laying hens and its relationship with productivity. For this, 5,000 laying hens of the Dekalb White line were used in each shed, which received food and water ad libitum. The warehouses had a conventional typology, Californian type. For this, a digital water renewal system was installed in three nipple drinking fountains in one of the warehouses (treatment 2 - T2) and the other remained without the water renewal system (treatment 1 - T1). Using Thermo hygrometers, the average air temperature (° C) and the average relative humidity of the air (%) were measured. For the water temperature (° C), a water renewal system (Flushing Control® - Lubing model) was used, which carried out the renewal of the birds\u27 drinking water six times a day. Feed consumption (g / bird / day), water consumption (ml), egg production (%) and mortality (%) were evaluated. During the study period, using data from the weather station, the occurrence or not of heatwaves was defined. A completely randomized design (DIC) was performed in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme (two sheds: conventional system and with water renewal; with and without heatwave) and the data were subjected to analysis of variance (5%). It concludes the efficiency of the use of the water renewal system for zootechnical performance, during the heatwave, but the use of air conditioning systems and measures to reduce the direct radiation in the birds and installation is still necessary. There was a positive influence (p <0.05) in the use of the water renewal system for water temperature (° C), water consumption (ml) and egg production (%). In the presence of a heatwave, the feed and water consumption variables were lower (p <0.05). There was no interaction between the systems and the presence of heatwaves. It is concluded that the use of a water renewal system has benefits in zootechnical indexes, however, it does not interact with the presence of heatwaves

Sustainable development in higher education: an integrated teaching and research experience

The contribution presents a teaching experience in a master’s degree program of ​​the University of Florence in pedagogical area. Through an integrated research-informed teaching (RIT) approach and the use of active methodologies, the course focuses on the topics of Agenda 2030 and sustainability, dealing with educational dimension underlying development’s actions. The importance of student-centred and learning outcomes-oriented pedagogical and didactic approaches are highlighted. These are functional to the development of competences linked to the theme of sustainable development, but also oriented towards the training of education professionals who are considered central figures in the accompaniment and management of ecological and sustainable transition processes. The contribution offers the systematization of this long-term experience in university teaching.   Lo sviluppo sostenibile nell’alta formazione: un’esperienza integrata di didattica e ricerca Il contributo presenta un’esperienza di insegnamento all’interno di un corso di laurea magistrale di area pedagogica dell’Università di Firenze. Attraverso un approccio integrato di research-informed teaching (RIT) e l’utilizzo di metodologie attive, il corso è centrato sui temi dell’Agenda 2030 e della sostenibilità, esplicitando la dimensione educativa sottesa alle azioni di sviluppo. Si evidenzia l’importanza di approcci pedagogici e didattici student centred e learning outcomes oriented funzionali allo sviluppo di competenze legate al tema dello sviluppo sostenibile e volti alla formazione di professionisti dell’educazione e della formazione ritenuti figure centrali nell’accompagnamento e nella gestione di processi di transizione ecologica e sostenibile. Il contributo offre la sistematizzazione di questa esperienza pluriennale di didattica universitaria

Distance education based on learning outcomes: designing a course in higher education

Il lavoro presenta un caso di progettazione didattica di un insegnamento universitario per learning outcome (LO) e la sua attuazione in modalità a distanza dovuta alla situazione sanitaria del 2020. I LO si configurano come risultati di apprendimento coerenti con gli sbocchi professionali prefigurati al momento della scelta universitaria. Il design del corso in modalità a distanza è stato guidato, nella sua progettazione e nella successiva realizzazione, da un approccio centrato su learning outcome, connessi agli obiettivi formativi declinati secondo i cinque descrittori di Dublino. L’articolo presenta inizialmente gli obiettivi del corso e le teorie pedagogiche e didattiche che hanno maggiormente orientato la scelta di metodi e strumenti utilizzati. Sono poi descritte le fasi di progettazione e attuazione del corso con particolare attenzione rivolta agli strumenti di verifica. Future piste di ricerca e di analisi sono discusse nelle conclusioni

Cannabidiol Exerts a Neuroprotective and Glia-Balancing Effect in the Subacute Phase of Stroke

Pharmacological agents limiting secondary tissue loss and improving functional outcomes after stroke are still limited. Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, has been proposed as a neuroprotective agent against experimental cerebral ischemia. The effects of CBD mostly relate to the modulation of neuroinflammation, including glial activation. To investigate the effects of CBD on glial cells after focal ischemia in vivo, we performed time-lapse imaging of microglia and astroglial Ca2+ signaling in the somatosensory cortex in the subacute phase of stroke by in vivo two-photon laser-scanning microscopy using transgenic mice with microglial EGFP expression and astrocyte-specific expression of the genetically encoded Ca2+ sensor GCaMP3. CBD (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) prevented ischemia-induced neurological impairment, reducing the neurological deficit score from 2.0 ± 1.2 to 0.8 ± 0.8, and protected against neurodegeneration, as shown by the reduction (more than 70%) in Fluoro-Jade C staining (18.8 ± 7.5 to 5.3 ± 0.3). CBD reduced ischemia-induced microglial activation assessed by changes in soma area and total branch length, and exerted a balancing effect on astroglial Ca2+ signals. Our findings indicate that the neuroprotective effects of CBD may occur in the subacute phase of ischemia, and reinforce its strong anti-inflammatory property. Nevertheless, its mechanism of action on glial cells still requires further studies