Acute strength exercise and the involvement of small or large muscle mass on plasma brain‐derived neurotrophic factor levels

OBJECTIVE: Blood neurotrophins, such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, are considered to be of great importance in mediating the benefits of physical exercise. In this study, the effect of acute strength exercise and the involvement of small versus large muscle mass on the levels of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor were evaluated in healthy individuals. METHODS: The concentric strengths of knee (large) and elbow (small) flexor and extensor muscles were measured on two separate days. Venous blood samples were obtained from 16 healthy subjects before and after exercise. RESULTS: The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the plasma did not significantly increase after both arm and leg exercise. There was no significant difference in the plasma levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the arms and legs. CONCLUSION: The present results demonstrate that acute strength exercise does not induce significant alterations in the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor plasma concentrations in healthy individuals. Considering that its levels may be affected by various factors, such as exercise, these findings suggest that the type of exercise program may be a decisive factor in altering peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor

SIMULADOR DE UCP COM SUPORTE À MEMÓRIA CACHE E PIPELINE

Um problema comum em disciplinas de arquitetura de computadores é a dinâmica real dos processos que ocorrem internamente em hardware. O funcionamento de uma UCP, por exemplo, é algo complexo e sua compreensão é fundamental para utilização de seus recursos. Este trabalho contribui com o desenvolvimento de um simulador de UCP com suporte à memória cache e pipeline. São apresentados os resultados obtidos com a ferramenta desenvolvida, e que a utilização do simulador pode ser muito útil como apoio em disciplinas de arquitetura de computadores, melhorando o entendimento por parte dos alunos

Environmental education as a tool for disaster risk management

O objetivo é refletir sobre a importância da experimentação na Educação Ambiental como ferramenta para a gestão de riscos de desastres naturais. Para tanto, será relatada uma vivência entre extensionistas e pesquisadores luso-brasileiros, que se tornou possível por meio de uma ação vinculada ao projeto de extensão universitária denominado “Atmosfera – Prevenção e mitigação aos riscos de desastres”. As técnicas de pesquisa utilizadas foram bibliográfica e experimental, estruturadas com base num planejamento rigoroso do material apresentado no curso de Educação Ambiental (EA), ministrado por pesquisadores do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria/Portugal, junto à Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Como forma de consolidar parcerias internacionais, o curso constituiu-se em uma das ações do projeto de extensão, financiado pela FURB. O curso, realizado nos dias 11 e 12 de maio de 2017, com duração de 16 horas, contou com 22 participantes que representavam diferentes instituições, entre as quais a Defesa Civil e Fundação do Meio Ambiente de Blumenau, bolsistas do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência (PIBID) da FURB, além de professores da rede pública municipal de ensino de Blumenau, formadores que atuam na Educação Ambiental. Os resultados indicam a importância de parcerias entre distintas áreas do conhecimento, a necessidade de contextualizar ações de EA com a problemática local e, acima de tudo, utilizar a experimentação como ferramenta procedimental para compreensão da problemática estudada.El objetivo es reflexionar sobre la importancia de la experimentación en la Educación Ambiental como herramienta para la gestión de riesgos de desastres naturales. Para ello, será relatada una vivencia entre extensionistas e investigadores luso-brasileños, que se hizo posible por medio de una acción vinculada al proyecto de extensión universitaria denominado "Atmósfera - Prevención y mitigación a los riesgos de desastres". Las técnicas de investigación utilizadas fueron bibliográfica y experimental, estructurado en base a la planificación rigurosa del material presentado en el curso de educación ambiental (EA), impartido por investigadores del Instituto Politécnico de Leiria / Portugal, con la Universidad Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Como forma de consolidar alianzas internacionales, el curso se constituyó en una de las acciones del proyecto de extensión, financiado por la FURB. El curso, realizado en los días 11 y 12 de mayo de 2017, con una duración de 16 horas, contó con 22 participantes que representaban diferentes instituciones, entre ellas, a la Defensa Civil y Fundación del Medio Ambiente de Blumenau, becarios del Programa Institucional de Becas Iniciación a la Docencia (PIBID) de la FURB, además de profesores de la red pública municipal de enseñanza de Blumenau, formadores que actúan en la Educación Ambiental. Los resultados indican la importancia de asociaciones entre distintas áreas del conocimiento, la necesidad de contextualizar acciones de EA con la problemática local y sobre todo, utilizar la experimentación como herramienta procedimental para la comprensión de la problemática estudiada.The objective is to reflect on the importance of experimentation in Environmental Education as a tool for the management of risks of natural disasters. To do so, it will be reported an experience between extensionists and Portuguese-Brazilian researchers, which became possible through an action linked to the university extension project called "Atmosphere - Prevention and mitigation of disaster risks." The research techniques used were bibliographical and experimental, structured based on the rigorous planning of the material presented in the Environmental Education (EA) course, taught by researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria / Portugal, together with the Regional University of Blumenau (FURB). As a way of consolidating international partnerships, the course was one of the actions of the extension project, financed by FURB. The course, held on May 11 and 12, 2017, lasted 16 hours, counting on 22 participants representing different institutions, among them, Civil Defense and Blumenau Environmental Foundation, scholarship holders of the Institutional Scholarship Program Initiation to Teaching (PIBID) of the FURB, in addition to teachers of the municipal public education network of Blumenau, trainers who work in Environmental Education. The results indicate the importance of partnerships between different areas of knowledge, the need to contextualize EA actions with local problems and, above all, to use experimentation as a procedural tool to understand the problem studied

Environmental education as a tool for disaster risk management

O objetivo é refletir sobre a importância da experimentação na Educação Ambiental como ferramenta para a gestão de riscos de desastres naturais. Para tanto, será relatada uma vivência entre extensionistas e pesquisadores luso-brasileiros, que se tornou possível por meio de uma ação vinculada ao projeto de extensão universitária denominado “Atmosfera – Prevenção e mitigação aos riscos de desastres”. As técnicas de pesquisa utilizadas foram bibliográfica e experimental, estruturadas com base num planejamento rigoroso do material apresentado no curso de Educação Ambiental (EA), ministrado por pesquisadores do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria/Portugal, junto à Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Como forma de consolidar parcerias internacionais, o curso constituiu-se em uma das ações do projeto de extensão, financiado pela FURB. O curso, realizado nos dias 11 e 12 de maio de 2017, com duração de 16 horas, contou com 22 participantes que representavam diferentes instituições, entre as quais a Defesa Civil e Fundação do Meio Ambiente de Blumenau, bolsistas do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência (PIBID) da FURB, além de professores da rede pública municipal de ensino de Blumenau, formadores que atuam na Educação Ambiental. Os resultados indicam a importância de parcerias entre distintas áreas do conhecimento, a necessidade de contextualizar ações de EA com a problemática local e, acima de tudo, utilizar a experimentação como ferramenta procedimental para compreensão da problemática estudada.El objetivo es reflexionar sobre la importancia de la experimentación en la Educación Ambiental como herramienta para la gestión de riesgos de desastres naturales. Para ello, será relatada una vivencia entre extensionistas e investigadores luso-brasileños, que se hizo posible por medio de una acción vinculada al proyecto de extensión universitaria denominado "Atmósfera - Prevención y mitigación a los riesgos de desastres". Las técnicas de investigación utilizadas fueron bibliográfica y experimental, estructurado en base a la planificación rigurosa del material presentado en el curso de educación ambiental (EA), impartido por investigadores del Instituto Politécnico de Leiria / Portugal, con la Universidad Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Como forma de consolidar alianzas internacionales, el curso se constituyó en una de las acciones del proyecto de extensión, financiado por la FURB. El curso, realizado en los días 11 y 12 de mayo de 2017, con una duración de 16 horas, contó con 22 participantes que representaban diferentes instituciones, entre ellas, a la Defensa Civil y Fundación del Medio Ambiente de Blumenau, becarios del Programa Institucional de Becas Iniciación a la Docencia (PIBID) de la FURB, además de profesores de la red pública municipal de enseñanza de Blumenau, formadores que actúan en la Educación Ambiental. Los resultados indican la importancia de asociaciones entre distintas áreas del conocimiento, la necesidad de contextualizar acciones de EA con la problemática local y sobre todo, utilizar la experimentación como herramienta procedimental para la comprensión de la problemática estudiada.The objective is to reflect on the importance of experimentation in Environmental Education as a tool for the management of risks of natural disasters. To do so, it will be reported an experience between extensionists and Portuguese-Brazilian researchers, which became possible through an action linked to the university extension project called "Atmosphere - Prevention and mitigation of disaster risks." The research techniques used were bibliographical and experimental, structured based on the rigorous planning of the material presented in the Environmental Education (EA) course, taught by researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria / Portugal, together with the Regional University of Blumenau (FURB). As a way of consolidating international partnerships, the course was one of the actions of the extension project, financed by FURB. The course, held on May 11 and 12, 2017, lasted 16 hours, counting on 22 participants representing different institutions, among them, Civil Defense and Blumenau Environmental Foundation, scholarship holders of the Institutional Scholarship Program Initiation to Teaching (PIBID) of the FURB, in addition to teachers of the municipal public education network of Blumenau, trainers who work in Environmental Education. The results indicate the importance of partnerships between different areas of knowledge, the need to contextualize EA actions with local problems and, above all, to use experimentation as a procedural tool to understand the problem studied

Left ventricular mass and cardiothoracic index in patients with chronic renal disease on hemodialysis

Introduction:Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic renal disease (CRD) on hemodialysis (HD). Objective:To show the usefulness of chest radiography in the diagnosis of LVH in CRD patients on HD. Methods:Cross-sectional study including 100 patients (58 men and 42 women), mean age 46.2 ± 14.0 years, with CRD of all causes, for at least six months on HD. Were obtained echocardiogram and chest x-rays of patients, always up to one hour after the end of HD sessions. Results:LVH was detected in 83 patients (83%), of whom 56 (67.4%) had the concentric pattern and 27 (32.6%) with eccentric pattern of LVH. Cardiomegaly - defined by cardiothoracic index (CTI) > 0.5 - was present in 61 patients (61%). The following were the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, respectively, for the variable ICT: 66.2%, 70.5% and 68.0%. The Pearson correlation between ICT and index of left ventricular mass (LVMI) was 0.552 (p 0,5 - esteve presente em 61 pacientes (61%). Foram os seguintes os valores de sensibilidade, especificidade e acurácia, respectivamente, para a variável ICT: 66,2%, 70,5% e 68,0%. A correlação de Pearson entre ICT e índice de massa do ventrículo esquerdo (IMVE) foi de 0,552 (p < 0,05) e razão de verossimilhança positivo de 2,2. Conclusão:A radiografia de tórax é um exame seguro e útil como ferramenta diagnóstica de HVE em pacientes com DRC em HD.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de AlagoasUniversidade de São PauloUniversidade Federal de AlagoasUniversidade Federal de SergipeUNIFESPSciEL

Neuroprotective effects of resistance physical exercise on the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

IntroductionPhysical exercise has beneficial effects by providing neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory responses to AD. Most studies, however, have been conducted with aerobic exercises, and few have investigated the effects of other modalities that also show positive effects on AD, such as resistance exercise (RE). In addition to its benefits in developing muscle strength, balance and muscular endurance favoring improvements in the quality of life of the elderly, RE reduces amyloid load and local inflammation, promotes memory and cognitive improvements, and protects the cortex and hippocampus from the degeneration that occurs in AD. Similar to AD patients, double-transgenic APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mice exhibit Αβ plaques in the cortex and hippocampus, hyperlocomotion, memory deficits, and exacerbated inflammatory response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 4 weeks of RE intermittent training on the prevention and recovery from these AD-related neuropathological conditions in APP/PS1 mice.MethodsFor this purpose, 6-7-month-old male APP/PS1 transgenic mice and their littermates, negative for the mutations (CTRL), were distributed into three groups: CTRL, APP/PS1, APP/PS1+RE. RE training lasted four weeks and, at the end of the program, the animals were tested in the open field test for locomotor activity and in the object recognition test for recognition memory evaluation. The brains were collected for immunohistochemical analysis of Aβ plaques and microglia, and blood was collected for plasma corticosterone by ELISA assay.ResultsAPP/PS1 transgenic sedentary mice showed increased hippocampal Aβ plaques and higher plasma corticosterone levels, as well as hyperlocomotion and reduced central crossings in the open field test, compared to APP/PS1 exercised and control animals. The intermittent program of RE was able to recover the behavioral, corticosterone and Aβ alterations to the CTRL levels. In addition, the RE protocol increased the number of microglial cells in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. Despite these alterations, no memory impairment was observed in APP/PS1 mice in the novel object recognition test.DiscussionAltogether, the present results suggest that RE plays a role in alleviating AD symptoms, and highlight the beneficial effects of RE training as a complementary treatment for AD

ARIA digital anamorphosis : Digital transformation of health and care in airway diseases from research to practice

Digital anamorphosis is used to define a distorted image of health and care that may be viewed correctly using digital tools and strategies. MASK digital anamorphosis represents the process used by MASK to develop the digital transformation of health and care in rhinitis. It strengthens the ARIA change management strategy in the prevention and management of airway disease. The MASK strategy is based on validated digital tools. Using the MASK digital tool and the CARAT online enhanced clinical framework, solutions for practical steps of digital enhancement of care are proposed.Peer reviewe

A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.Keywords: Social–ecological systems, Tropical forests, Land use, Interdisciplinary research, Sustainability, Trade-off