Automatic online motor control is intact in Parkinson’s disease with and without perceptual awareness

In the double-step paradigm, healthy human participants automatically correct reaching movements when targets are displaced. Motor deficits are prominent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. In the lone investigation of online motor correction in PD using the double-step task, a recent study found that PD patients performed unconscious adjustments appropriately but seemed impaired for consciously-perceived modifications. Conscious perception of target movement was achieved by linking displacement to movement onset. PD-related bradykinesia disproportionately prolonged preparatory phases for movements to original target locations for patients, potentially accounting for deficits. Eliminating this confound in a double-step task, we evaluated the effect of conscious awareness of trajectory change on online motor corrections in PD. On and off dopaminergic therapy, PD patients (n = 14) and healthy controls (n = 14) reached to peripheral visual targets that remained stationary or unexpectedly moved during an initial saccade. Saccade latencies in PD are comparable to controls’. Hence, target displacements occurred at equal times across groups. Target jump size affected conscious awareness, confirmed in an independent target displacement judgment task. Small jumps were subliminal, but large target displacements were consciously perceived. Contrary to the previous result, PD patients performed online motor corrections normally and automatically, irrespective of conscious perception. Patients evidenced equivalent movement durations for jump and stay trials, and trajectories for patients and controls were identical, irrespective of conscious perception. Dopaminergic therapy had no effect on performance. In summary, online motor control is intact in PD, unaffected by conscious perceptual awareness. The basal ganglia are not implicated in online corrective responses

Dorsal striatum does not mediate feedback-based, stimulus-response learning: An event-related fMRI study in patients with Parkinson\u27s disease tested on and off dopaminergic therapy

© 2018 Learning associations between stimuli and responses is essential to everyday life. Dorsal striatum (DS) has long been implicated in stimulus-response learning, though recent results challenge this contention. We have proposed that discrepant findings arise because stimulus-response learning methodology generally confounds learning and response selection processes. In 19 patients with Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) and 18 age-matched controls, we found that dopaminergic therapy decreased the efficiency of stimulus-response learning, with corresponding attenuation of ventral striatum (VS) activation. In contrast, exogenous dopamine improved response selection accuracy related to enhanced DS BOLD signal. Contrasts between PD patients and controls fully support these within-subject patterns. These double dissociations in terms of behaviour and neural activity related to VS and DS in PD and in response to dopaminergic therapy, strongly refute the view that DS mediates stimulus-response learning through feedback. Our findings integrate with a growing literature favouring a role for DS in decision making rather than learning, and unite two literature that have been evolving independently

Accreditation under the International Standard ISO 15189: Experience of a Genetics Laboratory in DNA Sequencing

Introduction: Health care is to some extent influenced by the results of laboratory tests. In order to provide the best care for the patient, laboratories must seek to achieve high levels of quality and competence. International Standard ISO 15189 specifies these requirements and may be used by laboratories to perform accredited genetic tests of materials derived from the human body. Here we describe the procedures to establish Accreditation of DNA sequencing in our laboratory and the first Accreditation of its kind in Portugal. Methods: Our laboratory started to prepare to comply with ISO 15189 Accreditation requirements for DNA sequencing in 2010. Documents describing administrative and technical procedures of the sequencing workflow including sample registries, laboratory protocols, operation and maintenance of equipments, as well as preparation and use of reagents were produced. Regular examination of laboratory equipments by an external entity was implemented to confirm compliance with working requirements. Requisites for personnel training and demonstration of competence were also implemented. The laboratory participated regularly in the DNA sequencing scheme organized by the European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN). Results: The laboratory obtained formal recognition by Instituto Português de Acreditação (IPAC) in May 2014. A maximum genotyping score for DNA sequencing has been obtained in the external quality assessment scheme since 2010. Sequencing quality measured in terms of the quality read overlap metrics is currently of approximately 96% according to the EMQN scheme. The laboratory processes and analyzes an average of 28.750 samples per year. Discussion: Accreditation of a genetic test under ISO 15189 is a highly demanding and laborious task for a genetic laboratory. However, it is an important step in order to guarantee the highest quality and reproducibility of genetic test results

Circulating inflammatory mediators and organ dysfunction after cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a prospective observational study

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has improved in past decades, but inflammatory activation in this setting is still unpredictable and is associated with several postoperative complications. Perioperative levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and other inflammatory mediators could be implicated in adverse outcomes in cardiac surgery. METHODS: Serum levels of MIF, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, soluble CD40 ligand, IL-6 and IL-10 from 93 patients subjected to CPB were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared with specific and global postoperative organ dysfunctions through multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA). RESULTS: Most of the cytokines measured had a peak of production between 3 and 6 hours after CPB, but maximum levels of MIF occurred earlier, at the cessation of CPB. Among specific organ dysfunctions, the most frequent was hematological, occurring in 82% of the patients. Circulatory impairment was observed in 73.1% of the patients, and 51% of these needed inotropics or vasopressors within the first 24 hours after surgery. The third most frequent dysfunction was pulmonary, occurring in 48.4% of the patients. Preoperative levels of MIF showed a relevant direct correlation with the intensity of global organ dysfunction measured by SOFA (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.001) and MODS (ρ = 0.50, p < 0.001) on the third day after surgery. MCP-1 production was associated with postoperative thrombocytopenia, and MIF was related to the use of a high dose of vasopressors in patients with cardiovascular impairment and also to lower values of the ratio of partial arterial oxygen tension (PaO(2)) to fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO(2)) registered in the first 24 hours after CPB. CONCLUSION: Despite the multifactorial nature of specific or multiple organ dysfunctions, MIF should be explored as a predicting factor of organ dysfunction, or even as a potential therapeutic target in decreasing postoperative complications

Biodiesel synthesis: influence of alkaline catalysts in methanol-oil dispersion

CAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO A PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOBiodiesel synthesis from soybean oil using methanol and alkaline catalysts occurs in the following two consecutive steps: dispersion of methanol in the oil and methanolysis. The effect of the alkaline catalysts NaOCH3, KOCH3, NaOH, and KOH in the dispersi302342349CAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO A PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPERJ - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO A PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIROCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOsem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçãoThe authors would like to thank CAPES, FAPERJ, and CNPq (Brazilian agencies) for their financial suppor

Antiferromagnetism and Superconductivity in CeRhIn5_5

We discuss recent results on the heavy fermion superconductor CeRhIn$_5$ which presents ideal conditions to study the strong coupling between the suppression of antiferromagnetic order and the appearance of unconventional superconductivity. The appearance of superconductivity as function of pressure is strongly connected to the suppression of the magnetic order. Under magnetic field, the re-entrance of magnetic order inside the superconducting state shows that antiferromagnetism nucleates in the vortex cores. The suppression of antiferromagnetism in CeRhIn$_5$ by Sn doping is compared to that under hydrostatic pressure.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proc. Int. Conf. Heavy Electrons (ICHE2010) J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 80 (2011

Nationwide multicenter study on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Brazilian population

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in type 2 diabetic (DM2) outpatients from different regions of Brazil. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 2,519 randomly selected patients, from 11 hospitals, 2 endocrine and one general public care clinics from 10 cities. Overweight was defined as body-mass index (BMI) > 25 and obesity as BMI > 30 kg/m². Glycemic control (GC) was evaluated by GC index (GCI= patient's HbA1 or HbA1c/upper limit of normal for the method x 100). RESULTS: 39% of the population studied was male, the mean age was 58.8 ± 11.6 y, the duration from clinical diagnosis of DM2 was 9.0 ± 7.3y, and BMI was 28.3 ± 5.2 kg/m². No measurements of BMI were recorded from 265 patients (10.5%). Patients from the Northeast presented lower BMI as compared with those from the Midwest, Southeast and South areas, respectively (26.4 ± 4.7 vs. 27.9 ± 4.8 vs. 29.2 ± 5.1 vs. 29.4 ± 5.4 kg/m²; p 25 e obesidade um IMC > 30 kg/m². O controle glicêmico (CG) foi avaliado pelo índice de CG [ICG= HbA1 e ou HbA1c do paciente/limite superior de normalidade do método x 100]. RESULTADOS: Os pacientes tinham idade de 58,8 ± 11,6 anos, tempo de diagnóstico clínico de DM de 9,0 ± 7,3 anos, IMC de 28,3 ± 5,2 kg/m², e 39% eram do sexo masculino. Do total da amostra, 265 pacientes (10,5%) não apresentavam avaliação do IMC. Os pacientes da região Nordeste apresentaram menor IMC em comparação com os das regiões Centro-Oeste, Sudeste e Sul, respectivamente (26,4 ± 4,7 vs. 27,9 ± 4,8 vs. 29,2 ± 5,1 vs. 29,4 ± 5,4 kg/m²; p< 0,001). Houve maior prevalência de obesidade na região Sudeste e Sul em comparação à região Nordeste (p< 0,001) e nos pacientes do sexo feminino, respectivamente (69 vs. 31%; p< 0,001). Os pacientes com peso normal apresentaram menor ICG. Aqueles em tratamento com associação de duas ou mais drogas orais e associação de insulina + droga oral apresentaram maior IMC do que aqueles em tratamento com dieta, hipoglicemiante oral e insulina; p< 0,001. O IMC não diferiu entre os pacientes assistidos ou não por especialistas. CONCLUSÕES: Da população estudada, 75% não estava na faixa de peso ideal, sendo que um terço tinha obesidade. Nossos dados indicam que o sobrepeso e a obesidade já atingem um percentual de pacientes com DM2 no Brasil semelhante ao relatado em estudos europeus, mas ainda menor do que o observado nos EUA. A prevalência de obesidade nos pacientes diabéticos foi três vezes maior do que a observada na população brasileira em geral de acordo com os dados do IBGE.UERJUSPUNIFESP-EPMUNICAMPUNIFEUniversidade Federal do MaranhãoCEDEBVA Serviço de Endocrinologia e DiabetesHospital Agamenon Magalhães Serviços de EndocrinologiaSanta Casa Serviços de EndocrinologiaIAPSEB Serviços de EndocrinologiaHospital Geral Serviços de EndocrinologiaPAM Jaguaribe Serviços de EndocrinologiaSanta Casa Serviço de DiabetesSecretaria Municipal de SaúdeUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Ultrasound-Assisted Preparation of Brazil Nut Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Arabic Gum

&nbsp;The objective of this work is to evaluate the stability of Brazil nut oil emulsions with gum Arabic using ultrasound-assisted homogenization. The emulsions were prepared in a completely randomized design varying the time (2 and 4 min) and the ultrasound power (30 and 40%). The physicochemical properties of the emulsions (pH, conductivity, turbidity, zeta potential, surface tension, rheology and optical microscopy) were evaluated after the homogenization process and 4 hours later. The results showed that more energetic homogenization processes (longer duration and higher ultrasound power) favored the physicochemical properties, keeping the emulsions more stable. Thus, Brazil nut oil emulsions prepared with ultrasound-assisted showed good physic-chemical characteristics that can guarantee good emulsion stability during spray drying, guaranteeing efficiency and protection of the physical and chemical properties of the Brazil nut oil