Genética da neurofibromatose tipo 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), also known as von Recklinghausen´s disease, is the most common form of Neurofibromatosis and account for 90% of all cases. The presence of multiple neurofibromas is one of the main clinical manifestations of NF1. Other clinical characteristics include: café au lait spots, inguinal and axillary ephelides and Lisch nodules. NF1 is an autosomal dominant disorder with a complete penetrance and extreme clinical variability, even in intrafamilial cases. The gene complexity and the diversity of mutations in NF1 gene make the genotype-phenotype correlations very difficult. Although many different mutations have been described, information about genotype-phenotype correlations are still limited. Until now, the only well established genotype-phenotype correlation, reported in many studies, is the association of large deletions (~1.5 mb), involving NF1 gene and contiguous DNA, leading to a more severe phenotype. The aim of this study is to review the literature about the current knowledge of genetic alterations in NF1.A Neurofibromatose tipo 1 (NF1), também conhecida como Doença de von Recklinghausen, é a forma mais freqüente da Neurofibroatose, correspondendo a 90% de todos os casos. A presença de múltiplos neurofibromas constitui uma das principais manifestações clínicas da NF1. Outras características clínicas freqüentemente observadas na NF1 são: manchas café-com-leite, efélides inguinais e axilares e nódulos de Lisch. A NF1 é uma doença autossômica dominante, completamente penetrante e com marcante variabilidade, mesmo nos casos intrafamiliares. A complexidade e a diversidade das mutações do gene NF1 fazem as correlações genótipo-fenótipo muito difíceis. Embora várias mutações diferentes já tenham sido relatadas, ainda são limitadas as informações sobre a correlação genótipo-fenótipo nos pacientes com NF1. Até o momento, a única correlação genótipo-fenótipo que está bem estabelecida e já foi relatada em vários estudos é a associação de grandes deleções (~1,5 mb), envolvendo o gene NF1 e o DNA circunvizinho, que levam a um fenótipo mais grave. O objetivo deste trabalho é fazer uma revisão da literatura sobre o conhecimento atual das alterações genéticas na NF1

Endometrial osseous metaplasia: clinical presentation and follow-up

PURPOSE: to describe the clinical signs and symptoms of patients with bone metaplasia and to assess the risk factors for changes in these symptoms after removal of the bone fragment. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted on 16 patients with a diagnosis of bone fragments in the uterine cavity during the period comprising July 2006 to January 2009. The inclusion criterion was the detection of a bone fragment removed from the uterine cavity. The presence of bone tissue in the endometrial cavity was histologically confirmed in all patients. The data of all patients were obtained before and after removal by means of a questionnaire for the evaluation of the effect of removal on the symptoms and for the search of possible factors related to the onset of the disease. RESULTS: half the patients (8/16) had hemorrhagic symptoms and one third (6/16) were infertile. Removal of the fragments was quite effective in improving the complaints, with the disappearance of symptoms in all cases of hemorrhage and of pelvic pain. CONCLUSION: removal of bone fragments can restore the fertility of selected patients whose infertility is caused by bone metaplasia and is quite effective in leading to improvement in patients with pelvic pain and menorrhage.OBJETIVO: apresentar o quadro clínico das pacientes com metaplasia óssea e avaliar os fatores de risco, as mudanças dos sinais e sintomas após a retirada do fragmento ósseo. MÉTODOS: foi realizado um estudo transversal com 16 pacientes diagnosticadas com fragmentos ósseos na cavidade uterina no período de julho de 2006 a janeiro de 2009. O critério de inclusão foi o achado de fragmento ósseo retirado da cavidade uterina. Todas as pacientes tiveram confirmação histológica de presença de tecido ósseo na cavidade endometrial. Obtivemos os dados de todas as pacientes antes e depois da retirada por meio de um questionário para avaliar o efeito da retirada sobre a sintomatologia das pacientes, além da pesquisa de possíveis fatores relacionados ao aparecimento da doença. RESULTADOS: metade das pacientes (8/16) tinha sintomas hemorrágicos e um terço (6/16) apresentava infertilidade. A retirada dos fragmentos foi efetiva na melhora das queixas, havendo desaparecimento dos sintomas em todos os casos de menorragia e dor pélvica. CONCLUSÃO: A retirada do fragmento ósseo pode restaurar a fertilidade em pacientes selecionadas e que tenham como causa a metaplasia óssea, além de ser bastante efetiva em proporcionar melhora nos casos que cursam com dor pélvica e menorragia.Ministério da SaúdeUniversidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Departamento de GinecologiaUniversidade Federal Fluminense Departamento de GinecologiaMinistério da Saúde Hospital dos Servidores do Estado do Rio de JaneiroUNIFESPSciEL

Unilateral spatial neglect in the acute phase of ischemic stroke can predict long-term disability and functional capacity

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the degree of unilateral spatial neglect during the acute phase of stroke and long-term functional independence. METHODS: This was a prospective study of right ischemic stroke patients in which the independent variable was the degree of spatial neglect and the outcome that was measured was functional independence. The potential confounding factors included sex, age, stroke severity, topography of the lesion, risk factors, glycemia and the treatment received. Unilateral spatial neglect was measured using the line cancellation test, the star cancellation test and the line bisection test within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Functional independence was measured using the modified Rankin and Barthel scales at 90 days after discharge. The relationship between unilateral spatial neglect and functional independence was analyzed using multiple logistic regression that was corrected for confounding factors. RESULTS: We studied 60 patients with a median age of 68 (34-89) years, 52% of whom were male and 74% of whom were Caucasian. The risk for moderate to severe disability increased with increasing star cancellation test scores (OR=1.14 [1.03-1.26], p=0.01) corrected for the stroke severity, which was a confounding factor that had a statistically positive association with disability (OR=1.63 [1.13-2.65], p=0.01). The best chance of functional independence decreased with increasing star cancellation test scores (OR=0.86 [0.78-0.96], p=0.006) corrected for the stroke severity, which was a confounding factor that had a statistically negative association with independence (OR=0.66 [0.48-0.92], p=0.017). CONCLUSION: The severity of unilateral spatial neglect in acute stroke worsens the degree of long-term disability and functional independence

Parâmetros genéticos e seleção genotípica em arroz de terras altas / Genetic parameters and genotype selection in upland rice

Para a sustentabilidade do arroz de terras altas e expansão da área de cultivo, é necessário a obtenção e utilização de cultivares mais produtivas e de grãos com alta qualidade. Para tanto, é necessário a avaliação dos genótipos com alto potencial, considerando os parâmetros genéticos e a interação genótipos x ambientes para identificar aqueles mais adaptados. Dentro dos programas de melhoramento a obtenção das estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos e fenotípicos, ganhos genéticos e do progresso ao longo dos anos são essenciais a fim que se possa avaliar a eficiência do programa na condução e seleção das populações.  Diante do exposto, objetivou-se estimar os parâmetros genotípicos e fenotípicos a fim de verificar a eficiência de seleção de genótipos, visando a obtenção de cultivares superiores no programa de melhoramento de arroz de terras altas da UFLA. Os experimentos do Ensaio de Rendimento de Família (ERF) foram conduzidos no município de Lavras – MG, na Universidade Federal de Lavras, durante as safras 2015/2016, 2016/2017 e 2017/2018.  O delineamento foi de blocos casualizados com duas repetições e parcelas constituídas por duas linhas de 3,0 m. Foram avaliadas as seguintes características produtividade de grãos (kg.ha-1) e número de dias decorridos do plantio ao florescimento. Verificou-se a eficiência na seleção de progênies dos Ensaios de Rendimento de Famílias do programa de melhoramento genético de arroz de terras altas com ganhos ao longo das safras de 187,6 kg.ha-1, para produtividade de grãos e redução no número de dias para o florescimento

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost