Patofisiologia do Pênfigo Foliáceo em cães: revisão de literatura

O pênfigo foliáceo, também  conhecido como doença do fogo selvagem, é uma das dermatoses  autoimunes  mais comuns, apesar de que se comparada a outras doenças, é uma das mais raras. Os animais comumente afetados são os cães e gato s, mas há relatos de casos em equinos e caprinos. Ela provoca calor, rubor e edema manifestando-se principalmente na epiderme por bolhas, pústulas, vesículas e esfoliação, causando prurido, ardência, calor e desconforto no animal.  Altas doses de glicocorticoides são usadas inicialmente e doses mais baixas são utilizadas como terapia de manutenção quando a doença está sob controle.    Medicamentos imunossupressores  mais potentes,  como a ciclofosfamida ou azatioprina,  são usados concomitantemente  em casos que não respondem os corticoides.  Animais que respondem mal ao tratamento inicial, ou exigem doses elevadas de fármacos para controlar as lesões, têm um pior prognóstico.  O objetivo esperado neste trabalho é atualizar os conceitos referentes aos principais aspectos do pênfigo foliáceo, sua importância entre as dermatopatias autoimunes,  e a  determinação precoce do diagnóstico diferencial, direcionando o caso para um prognóstico satisfatório e posterior sucesso no tratamento escolhido

Shear enhancement in RC beams with stirrups simultaneously loaded within 2d and at 3d from supports

Shear enhancement occurs in reinforced concrete (RC) beams when loads are applied within around 2d of supports where d is the beam effective depth. This paper examines shear enhancement in RC beams, with stirrups, which are loaded both within 2d of supports and at 3d from supports where shear enhancement is minimal. Simultaneously loading beams both inside and outside 2d of supports commonly occurs in practice but has not previously been systematically studied. A total of eight beams were tested in two groups of four having different reinforcement arrangements. The tests suggest that the shear resistance depends on the angle of the failure plane which is related to the loading arrangement. A strut and tie model (STM) is developed for analysing beams simultaneously loaded within and outside 2d of supports. The accuracy of the STM predictions is shown to be improved by relating strut strength to the strain in the flexural reinforcement. The proposed STM and nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) with 3D solid elements are used to investigate parametrically the influence of loading arrangement on shear resistance. The strength predictions of the STM are shown to compare well with those of NLFEA. Comparisons are also made with shear strengths calculated using fib Model Code 2010 (MC2010) and the draft new generation of Eurocode 2 (prEN1992-1:21). The differing philosophies of these two methods are discussed

Perception of gender roles among medical undergraduates in a State University in Colombo district

Objective: ‘Gender’ refers to socially constructed roles and behaviours, that a given society considers appropriate for men and women and continues to be a concept poorly understood in many settings.  To describe the perceptions of gender roles among medical undergraduates in a state university in Colombo district Methods:  This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among 390 medical undergraduates using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Only 47% of undergraduates of both sexes, felt that males and females are treated the same way, 68% agreed that females should have equal education opportunities and 89% accepted females to hold high positions in society. However, 48% felt that courts give lenient sentences to women and 95% that girls need more protection than boys. When answers are disaggregated by sex, more male students than females felt a woman should always obey her husband (65%vs40%,p<0.001), women are responsible for family care (78%vs62%,p<0.05), man is the decision maker in the family (62%vs29%,p<0.001). Moreover, more males than females felt that a woman should tolerate partner violence to keep family together (48%vs27%p<0.01), she should not refuse sex with her husband (59%vs34%,p< 0.001) and accept male sexual promiscuity before marriage (53%vs29%,p<0.05). While being educated in a mixed school was a significant factor identified, being in a current relationship did not affect the attitudes. Conclusions: medical undergraduates despite their training and awareness continue to harbor unfavorable gender attitudes such as patriarchy, subordination of women, and greater acceptability of gender based violence. It is necessary to address wider societal gender perceptions in capacity development of medical undergraduates.

Exsolution trends and co-segregation aspects of self-grown catalyst nanoparticles in perovskites

In perovskites, exsolution of transition metals has been proposed as a smart catalyst design for energy applications. Although there exist transition metals with superior catalytic activity, they are limited by their ability to exsolve under a reducing environment. When a doping element is present in the perovskite, it is often observed that the surface segregation of the doping element is changed by oxygen vacancies. However, the mechanism of co-segregation of doping element with oxygen vacancies is still an open question. Here we report trends in the exsolution of transition metal (Mn, Co, Ni and Fe) on the PrBaMn2O5+?? layered perovskite oxide related to the co-segregation energy. Transmission electron microscopic observations show that easily reducible cations (Mn, Co and Ni) are exsolved from the perovskite depending on the transition metal-perovskite reducibility. In addition, using density functional calculations we reveal that co-segregation of B-site dopant and oxygen vacancies plays a central role in the exsolution

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Ciclosporin to Prednisolone in the Treatment of Erythema Nodosum Leprosum: Two Randomised, Double Blind, Controlled Pilot Studies in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (ENL) is a serious complication of leprosy. It is normally treated with high dose steroids, but its recurrent nature leads to prolonged steroid usage and associated side effects. There is little evidence on the efficacy of alternative treatments for ENL, especially for patients who have become steroid resistant or have steroid side effects. These two pilot studies compare the efficacy and side effect profile of ciclosporin plus prednisolone against prednisolone alone in the treatment of patients with either new ENL or chronic and recurrent ENL. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirteen patients with new ENL and twenty patients with chronic ENL were recruited into two double-blinded randomised controlled trials. Patients were randomised to receive ciclosporin and prednisolone or prednisolone treatment only. Patients with acute ENL had a delay of 16 weeks in the occurrence of ENL flare-up episode, with less severe flare-ups and decreased requirements for additional prednisolone. Patients with chronic ENL on ciclosporin had the first episode of ENL flare-up 4 weeks earlier than those on prednisolone, as well as more severe ENL flare-ups requiring 2.5 times more additional prednisolone. Adverse events attributable to prednisolone were more common that those attributable to ciclosporin. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first clinical trial on ENL management set in the African context, and also the first trial in leprosy to use patients' assessment of outcomes. Patients on ciclosporin showed promising results in the management of acute ENL in this small pilot study. But ciclosporin, did not appear to have a significant steroid-sparing effects in patients with chronic ENL, which may have been due to the prolonged use of steroids in these patients in combination with a too rapid decrease of steroids in patients given ciclosporin. Further research is needed to determine whether the promising results of ciclosporin in acute ENL can be reproduced on a larger scale

Forest landscape ecology and global change: an introduction

Forest landscape ecology examines broad-scale patterns and processes and their interactions in forested systems and informs the management of these ecosystems. Beyond being among the richest and the most complex terrestrial systems, forest landscapes serve society by providing an array of products and services and, if managed properly, can do so sustainably. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the field of forest landscape ecology, including major historical and present topics of research, approaches, scales, and applications, particularly those concerning edges, fragmentation, connectivity, disturbance, and biodiversity. In addition, we discuss causes of change in forest landscapes, particularly land-use and management changes, and the expected structural and functional consequences that may result from these drivers. This chapter is intended to set the context and provide an overview for the remainder of the book and poses a broad set of questions related to forest landscape ecology and global change that need answers