Toxicidade de oxicloreto de cobre e mancozeb para Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta).

Os fungicidas a base de cobre e manganês são utilizados nas áreas de várzea próximas a Manaus - Amazonas, para controle de doenças em plantas cultivadas. Esses agrotóxicos, mesmo quando usados adequadamente, podem vir a se acumular no ambiente e tornar-se um risco para a atividade biológica do solo, a qual é fundamental para a exploração agrícola sustentável a longo prazo. Diante disto, para o manejo da qualidade do solo, é necessário o conhecimento do risco ecotoxicológico desses fungicidas. Para tanto, a toxicidade dos fungicidas mancozeb e oxicloreto de cobre para Eisenia fetida, espécie de minhoca utilizada como organismo indicador, foi investigada. Fungicides based on copper and manganese are used in floodplain areas near Manaus, Amazonas, to control diseases in cultivated plants. Such pesticides, even when properly used, may accumulate in the environment and become a risk for soil biological activity which is crucial for long-term agriculture sustainability. For soil quality management, knowledge about the ecotoxicological risk of these fungicides is necessary. Therefore, the toxicity of the fungicides mancozeb and copper oxychloride was evaluated for Eisenia fetida, an earthworm species used as indicator organism.Título em inglês: Toxicity of copper oxychloride and mancozeb to Eisenia fetida (Oigochaeta)

Aorttaläppäahtauman katetrihoito oli turvallista myös keskussairaaloissa

Lähtökohdat : Vuoden 2018 alussa voimaan tullut keskittämisasetus kielsi vaikean aorttaläppäahtauman hoitamisen TAVI-toimenpiteellä (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) sairaaloissa, joissa ei ole avosydänkirurgiaa. Ennen asetuksen voimaantuloa TAVI- oimenpiteet ehdittiin aloittaa neljässä keskussairaalassa. Menetelmät : Vuosina 2015–2018 TAVI-toimenpide tehtiin keskussairaalassa 174 potilaalle yhdellä itsestään laajentuvalla läppätyypillä. Yhtä lukuun ottamatta kaikki toimenpiteet suoritettiin paikallispuudutuksessa nivusvaltimon kautta sydänangiosalissa. Tulokset : Potilaiden keski-ikä oli 83 vuotta. Potilaat olivat hyvin oireisia; 80 %:lla oli vähintään NYHA (New York Heart Association) -luokan 3 oireisto. Hengenahdistusoireisto parani seurannassa 84 %:lla potilaista. 97 %:lla ei todettu merkittää läppäproteesin vierusvuotoa. Kirurgiaa vaatineita verisuonikomplikaatioita sattui kolmelle (1,7 %) potilaalle. Kaksi potilasta kuoli toimenpiteeseen (1,1 %). Viisi (2,9 %) potilasta kuoli 30 vuorokauden aikana ja yhdeksän (5,2 %) 12 kuukauteen mennessä. Päätelmät : Keskussairaaloissa ilman avosydänkirurgista valmiutta tehdyt TAVI-toimenpiteet olivat turvallisia. Tutkimuksen perusteella TAVI-toimenpiteiden keskittämisellä viiteen yliopistosairaalaan ei saavuteta hyötyä potilasturvallisuuden kannaltaPeer reviewe

Aorttaläppäahtauman katetrihoito oli turvallista myös keskussairaaloissa

Vertaisarvioitu.Lähtökohdat : Vuoden 2018 alussa voimaan tullut keskittämisasetus kielsi vaikean aorttaläppäahtauman hoitamisen TAVI-toimenpiteellä (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) sairaaloissa, joissa ei ole avosydänkirurgiaa. Ennen asetuksen voimaantuloa TAVI- oimenpiteet ehdittiin aloittaa neljässä keskussairaalassa. Menetelmät : Vuosina 2015–2018 TAVI-toimenpide tehtiin keskussairaalassa 174 potilaalle yhdellä itsestään laajentuvalla läppätyypillä. Yhtä lukuun ottamatta kaikki toimenpiteet suoritettiin paikallispuudutuksessa nivusvaltimon kautta sydänangiosalissa. Tulokset : Potilaiden keski-ikä oli 83 vuotta. Potilaat olivat hyvin oireisia; 80 %:lla oli vähintään NYHA (New York Heart Association) -luokan 3 oireisto. Hengenahdistusoireisto parani seurannassa 84 %:lla potilaista. 97 %:lla ei todettu merkittää läppäproteesin vierusvuotoa. Kirurgiaa vaatineita verisuonikomplikaatioita sattui kolmelle (1,7 %) potilaalle. Kaksi potilasta kuoli toimenpiteeseen (1,1 %). Viisi (2,9 %) potilasta kuoli 30 vuorokauden aikana ja yhdeksän (5,2 %) 12 kuukauteen mennessä. Päätelmät : Keskussairaaloissa ilman avosydänkirurgista valmiutta tehdyt TAVI-toimenpiteet olivat turvallisia. Tutkimuksen perusteella TAVI-toimenpiteiden keskittämisellä viiteen yliopistosairaalaan ei saavuteta hyötyä potilasturvallisuuden kannaltaPeer reviewe

Prospecting environmental mycobacteria: combined molecular approaches reveal unprecedented diversity

Background: Environmental mycobacteria (EM) include species commonly found in various terrestrial and aquatic environments, encompassing animal and human pathogens in addition to saprophytes. Approximately 150 EM species can be separated into fast and slow growers based on sequence and copy number differences of their 16S rRNA genes. Cultivation methods are not appropriate for diversity studies; few studies have investigated EM diversity in soil despite their importance as potential reservoirs of pathogens and their hypothesized role in masking or blocking M. bovis BCG vaccine. Methods: We report here the development, optimization and validation of molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and prevalence of fast and slow growing EM in representative soils from semi tropical and temperate areas. New primer sets were designed also to target uniquely slow growing mycobacteria and used with PCR-DGGE, tag-encoded Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. Results: PCR-DGGE and pyrosequencing provided a consensus of EM diversity; for example, a high abundance of pyrosequencing reads and DGGE bands corresponded to M. moriokaense, M. colombiense and M. riyadhense. As expected pyrosequencing provided more comprehensive information; additional prevalent species included M. chlorophenolicum, M. neglectum, M. gordonae, M. aemonae. Prevalence of the total Mycobacterium genus in the soil samples ranged from 2.3×107 to 2.7×108 gene targets g−1; slow growers prevalence from 2.9×105 to 1.2×107 cells g−1. Conclusions: This combined molecular approach enabled an unprecedented qualitative and quantitative assessment of EM across soil samples. Good concordance was found between methods and the bioinformatics analysis was validated by random resampling. Sequences from most pathogenic groups associated with slow growth were identified in extenso in all soils tested with a specific assay, allowing to unmask them from the Mycobacterium whole genus, in which, as minority members, they would have remained undetected

Método bait-lamina para a avaliação da atividade alimentar de invertebrados edáficos eficiência, limitações e adaptações para seu uso.

O presente documento descreve como utilizar o método bait-lamina na mensuração da atividade alimentar de invertebrados decompositores do solo. Tal método tem sido cada vez mais utilizado em diversas partes do mundo por ser simples e por se tratar de um indicador funcional da qualidade do solo relacionado à atividade biológica. Inicialmente a equipe adquiriu uma quantidade pequena de lâminas e testou o método de forma preliminar em pequenas áreas. Parte dos resultados são relatados neste documento. O aprendizado com a utilização do método, as dificuldades e as vantagens são relatadas. Uma parte do presente documento teve origem em algumas dificuldades que surgiram durante o seu uso em laboratório e campo e as dúvidas frequentes de usuários principiantes e potenciais ao longo de 3 anos de uso das bait- -laminas. São poucos os indicadores disponíveis sobre o funcionamento do solo para os invertebrados, parte importante da biota do solo e que devem ser conservados para que não haja perda da biodiversidade. Portanto, esperamos que este documento e essa ferramenta sejam úteis para aqueles que queiram complementar seus estudos de monitoramento da qualidade do solo e de sistemas

Evaluation of an Electricity-free, Culture-based Approach for Detecting Typhoidal Salmonella Bacteremia during Enteric Fever in a High Burden, Resource-limited Setting

Background: In many rural areas at risk for enteric fever, there are few data on Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi (S. Typhi) and Paratyphi (S. Paratyphi) incidence, due to limited laboratory capacity for microbiologic culture. Here, we describe an approach that permits recovery of the causative agents of enteric fever in such settings. This approach involves the use of an electricity-free incubator based upon use of phase-change materials. We compared this against conventional blood culture for detection of typhoidal Salmonella. Methodology/Principal Findings: Three hundred and four patients with undifferentiated fever attending the outpatient and emergency departments of a public hospital in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal were recruited. Conventional blood culture was compared against an electricity-free culture approach. Blood from 66 (21.7%) patients tested positive for a Gram-negative bacterium by at least one of the two methods. Sixty-five (21.4%) patients tested blood culture positive for S. Typhi (30; 9.9%) or S. Paratyphi A (35; 11.5%). From the 65 individuals with culture-confirmed enteric fever, 55 (84.6%) were identified by the conventional blood culture and 60 (92.3%) were identified by the experimental method. Median time-to-positivity was 2 days for both procedures. The experimental approach was falsely positive due to probable skin contaminants in 2 of 239 individuals (0.8%). The percentages of positive and negative agreement for diagnosis of enteric fever were 90.9% (95% CI: 80.0%–97.0%) and 96.0% (92.7%–98.1%), respectively. After initial incubation, Salmonella isolates could be readily recovered from blood culture bottles maintained at room temperature for six months. Conclusions/Significance: A simple culture approach based upon a phase-change incubator can be used to isolate agents of enteric fever. This approach could be used as a surveillance tool to assess incidence and drug resistance of the etiologic agents of enteric fever in settings without reliable local access to electricity or local diagnostic microbiology laboratories.Boston Children's Hospital (Frederick H. Lovejoy Fund)Harvard Global Health InstituteNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) (Grant AI100023)National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) (Grant AI077883

Safety and efficacy of VB-111, an anticancer gene therapy, in patients with recurrent glioblastoma: results of a phase I/II study.

BackgroundVB-111 is a non-replicating adenovirus carrying a Fas-chimera transgene, leading to targeted apoptosis of tumor vascular endothelium and induction of a tumor-specific immune response. This phase I/II study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of VB-111 with and without bevacizumab in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM).MethodsPatients with rGBM (n = 72) received VB-111 in 4 treatment groups: subtherapeutic (VB-111 dose escalation), limited exposure (LE; VB-111 monotherapy until progression), primed combination (VB-111 monotherapy continued upon progression with combination of bevacizumab), and unprimed combination (upfront combination of VB-111 and bevacizumab). The primary endpoint was median overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints were safety, overall response rate, and progression-free survival (PFS).ResultsVB-111 was well tolerated. The most common adverse event was transient mild-moderate fever. Median OS time was significantly longer in the primed combination group compared with both LE (414 vs 223 days; hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; P = 0.043) and unprimed combination (414 vs 141.5 days; HR, 0.24; P = 0.0056). Patients in the combination phase of the primed combination group had a median PFS time of 90 days compared with 60 in the LE group (HR, 0.36; P = 0.032), and 63 in the unprimed combination group (P = 0.72). Radiographic responders to VB-111 exhibited characteristic, expansive areas of necrosis in the areas of initial enhancing disease.ConclusionsPatients with rGBM who were primed with VB-111 monotherapy that continued after progression with the addition of bevacizumab showed significant survival and PFS advantage, as well as specific imaging characteristics related to VB-111 mechanism of action. These results warrant further assessment in a randomized controlled study

Behaviour and Climate Change: Consumer Perceptions of Responsibility

This paper explores the under-researched notion of consumer responsibility, a potentially significant influence on consumer behaviour that marketers and policymakers may be able to harness as they attempt to respond to environmental challenges such as climate change. The paper uses data derived from a commercially motivated survey (n = 1513) to explore domestic consumption behaviours most closely associated with the issue of disruptive climate change. A measure of 'General Environmental Responsiveness' (GER) is used to test: (1) the effects of consumers both taking responsibility for their actions and placing responsibility on others for the consequences of their consumption behaviour; and (2) whether sociodemographic variables can aid the targeting of consumers by the level and type of responsibility and pro-environmental behavioural intentions expressed. The study's findings demonstrate clear, if not strong, relationships between consumer conceptions of responsibilities for causing and tackling climate change and environment-related consumer behaviour. The study's implications both challenge accepted wisdom about environment-related consumer behaviour and suggest avenues for future research

Meals in western eating and drinking

Meals are a way of organizing eating into events that have a particular structure and form, and they play an indisputable and even self-evident role within the rhythms and routines of everyday life. In late modern societies, concern about the fate of meals has arisen in both public and academic discourse. It has been suggested that eating is characterized today by individualization, destructuration, and informalization and that communal meals are increasingly being replaced by snacks and solitary eating. This chapter focuses on meals in today’s affluent societies and reflects on why meals are considered important, how meals are defined, and what material elements and social dimensions they contain. It looks at how societal and cultural changes and ecological concerns may influence the organization and future of meals, and it suggests that the content of meals will change in response to the need to diminish the ecological burden of food production and consumption. In particular, plant-based options will at least partly need to replace meat and other animal-based foods. However, there is no reason to expect that the meal as a social institution will break down. Despite the fact that not all meals are characterized by conviviality and companionship, they continue to serve as a significant arena of human sociability and togetherness. Sharing food is, after all, an essential part of being human.Non peer reviewe

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in children after successful repair of aortic coarctation

The purpose of the study was an assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in children after the successful repair of aortic coarctation (CoA). The prospective study concerned 32 pediatric patients after the CoA surgery. Tissue Doppler imaging parameters including strain and strain rate and the conventional echocardiographic indexes were analyzed in patients and healthy controls. Analysis of mitral annulus velocities, E–E′ ratio, strain, and strain rate of left ventricular mid-cavity segments and conventional indexes of mitral inflow showed the worsening of left ventricular diastolic mechanics in the study group compared to healthy controls. The E/E′ ratio was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (8.30 ± 3.24 vs. 6.95 ± 1.36; p < 0.05). The early diastolic strain rate to late diastolic strain rate ratio as well as early to late diastolic strain ratio of the left ventricular mid-cavity segments were significantly lower in the study group compared to healthy controls (1.81 ± 0.63 vs. 3.74 ± 1.53; p < 0.001 and 1.20 ± 0.49 vs. 3.41 ± 1.26; p < 0.001). No differences of the pulmonary venous flow parameters between those two groups were observed. The left ventricular diastolic mechanics in hypertensive patients after CoA repair did not differ from normotensive subjects. Hypertensive and normotensive children after surgical repair of CoA are found to have worsening of the left ventricular diastolic mechanics suggesting the impairment of the active myocardial relaxation