A Look at the Sky of the Wichi

We present a brief bibliographic report highlighting the significance of the readings of the sky by the different Wichi groups inhabiting the Chaco region. A number of celestial objects and related myths are described. Furthermore, we provide a series of examples concerning the relationship between some celestial objects and the various beings populating the Wichi cosmos, on the one hand, and Wichi social organisation and their culture on the other. In addition, we stress the need to continue investigating, especially doing ethnographic fieldwork to update and challenge the existing research.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas (FCAG

Educ(ação) : uma análise das concepções de educação de professores universitários não-licenciados do IFCH da UFRGS

Esta pesquisa investiga as concepções de educação de professores universitários não licenciados a partir das suas práticas docentes. Para tanto, estabeleceu-se como estudo de caso as percepções de docentes lotados em departamentos do Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram realizadas oito entrevistas semiestruturadas – presenciais e por meio de videoconferência – com docentes dessa instituição em março de 2023. A partir dos dados produzidos durante o trabalho de campo, analisa-se suas percepções a respeito de sua trajetória de formação, sua identidade docente, das formas de avaliação e metodologia de ensino e de suas práticas docentes. Entre as principais conclusões, destaca-se que: i) em relação à formação docente, a maioria dos interlocutores não tinha a intenção de se tornar professores, ii) em relação à prática docente, com base nas categorias determinadas pelo arcabouço teórico, há professores que têm práticas ancoradas em todas as perspectivas pedagógicas descritas, todas fundamentadas pela práxis e iii) em relação a identidade docente, a maioria dos professores entende a profissão de professor como uma atividade que praticam. Classificam-se os principais desafios enfrentados por docentes em: a) "desafios em relação ao docente”; b) "desafios em relação aos discentes"; c) "desafios em relação à instituição". As principais estratégias desenvolvidas são: a) troca entre colegas, b) dinamização da aula e c) investimento em cursos de aperfeiçoamento.This research investigates a conception of education of university professors that didn’t get a teaching degree based on their teaching practices. To do so, it established as a case study the perceptions of professors working in departments of the Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Eight interviews were carried out - in person and via videoconference - with professors at that institution during march 2023. Based on the data produced during the fieldwork, it is made the analysis of their perceptions regarding their training trajectory, their teaching identity, their forms of evaluation, their teaching methodology and their teaching practices. Among the main conclusions, it is highlighted that: i) in relation to teacher training, most interlocutors did not intend to become teachers, ii) in relation to teaching practice, based on the categories determined by the theoretical framework, there are teachers that have practices anchored in all the pedagogical perspectives described, all based on praxis and iii) in relation to the teaching identity, most teachers understand the teaching profession as an activity they practice. The main challenges faced by professors are classified in: a) "challenges in relation to the professor"; b) "challenges in relation to students"; c) "challenges in relation to the institution". The main strategies developed are: a) exchange between colleagues, b) dynamization of the classes and c) investment in improvement courses

A Look at the Sky of the Wichi

We present a brief bibliographic report highlighting the significance of the readings of the sky by the different Wichi groups inhabiting the Chaco region. A number of celestial objects and related myths are described. Furthermore, we provide a series of examples concerning the relationship between some celestial objects and the various beings populating the Wichi cosmos, on the one hand, and Wichi social organisation and their culture on the other. In addition, we stress the need to continue investigating, especially doing ethnographic fieldwork to update and challenge the existing research.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas (FCAG

The zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Oulastrea crispata (Lamarck, 1816), an overlooked newcomer in the Mediterranean Sea?

The zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Oulastrea crispata, a widely distributed species across central Indo-Pacific nearshore marine habitats, has been first reported from the Mediterranean Sea (Corsica) in 2014. Here we report on two new sites for this species in the NW Mediterranean Sea and provide a general description of external morphological characters of the colonies and a detailed account of the cnidom to help future identifications. Living specimens may appear virtually identical to small colonies (~5 cm) of the Mediterranean zooxanthellate scleractinian Cladocora caespitosa. While this species shows long, ramified, independent corallites, with cylindrical calices, O. crispata has enlarged, cup-like calices, which can be joined by the coenosteum. It also shows clear differences among several groups of nematocysts, principally the presence in the filaments of large penicilli (p-mastigophore) of one type, which are absent in C. caespitosa. Identifications based on underwater observations or even the analysis of photographs may easily lead to misleading identifications. We hypothesize that O. crispata may have gone unnoticed because of misidentifications as C. caespitosa. More detailed research is needed to get reliable maps of the actual distribution of this apparently non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea

Genotype analysis of the human endostatin variant p.D104N in benign and malignant adrenocortical tumors

OBJECTIVE: Endostatin is a potent endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis. It is derived from the proteolytic cleavage of collagen XVIII, which is encoded by the COL18A1 gene. A polymorphic COL18A1 allele encoding the functional polymorphism p.D104N impairs the activity of endostatin, resulting in a decreased ability to inhibit angiogenesis. This polymorphism has been previously analyzed in many types of cancer and has been considered a phenotype modulator in some benign and malignant tumors. However, these data are controversial, and different results have been reported for the same tumor types, such as prostate and breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to genotype the p.D104N variant in a cohort of pediatric and adult patients with adrenocortical tumors and to determine its possible association with the biological behavior of adrenocortical tumors. METHODS: DNA samples were obtained from 38 pediatric and 56 adult patients (0.6-75 yrs) with adrenocortical tumors. The DNA samples were obtained from peripheral blood, frozen tissue or paraffin-embedded tumor blocks when blood samples or fresh frozen tissue samples were unavailable. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to genotype the patients and 150 controls. The potential associations of the p.D104N polymorphism with clinical and histopathological features and oncologic outcome (age of onset, tumor size, malignant tumor behavior, and clinical syndrome) were analyzed. RESULTS: Both the patient group and the control group were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of the p.D104N polymorphism in the patient group were 81.9% (DD), 15.9% (DN) and 2.2% (NN). In the controls, these frequencies were 80.6%, 17.3% and 2.0%, respectively. We did not observe any association of this variant with clinical or histopathological features or oncologic outcome in our cohort of pediatric and adult patients with adrenocortical tumors

Sistema Penitenciário Brasileiro - origem, atualidade e exemplos funcionais

Este artigo objetiva analisar a origem do sistema penitenciário brasileiro, de forma a identificar seus aspectos negativos e as experiências de sucesso existentes em nosso país. Para isso, foram feitos estudos e pesquisas em doutrinas (a fim de identificar a origem do sistema penitenciário, bem como sua evolução), artigos de revistas e notícias contemporâneas na internet sobre o assunto. O método utilizado foi em grande parte analítico, e como resultado, verificou-se que o sistema penitenciário tem deixado a desejar no que tange à reinserção dos ex-detentos na sociedade após cumprirem sua pena e que o período em que os mesmos a cumprem, é, em sua maioria, regado de desrespeito ao princípio da dignidade da pessoa humana, já que é nítida a falta de acesso dos mesmos às necessidades básicas, tais como higiene e tratament

Current morbimortality and one-year survival after pneumonectomy for infectious diseases

Objective: Identify the one-year survival rate and major complications in patients submitted to pneumonectomy for infectious disease. Methods: Retrospective data from all cases of infectious disease pneumonectomy over the past 10 years were collected from two reference centers. The authors analyzed: patient demographics, etiology, laterality, bronchial stump treatment, presence of previous pulmonary resection, postoperative complications in the first 30 days, the treatment used in pleural complications, and one-year survival rate. Results: 56 procedures were performed. The average age was 44 years, with female predominance (55%). 29 cases were operated on the left side (51%) and the most frequent etiology was post-tuberculosis (51.8%). The overall incidence of complications was 28.6% and the most common was empyema (19.2%). Among empyema cases, 36.3% required pleurostomy, 27.3% required pleuroscopy and 36.3% underwent thoracoplasty for treatment. Bronchial stump fistula was observed in 10.7% of cases. From all cases, 16.1% were completion pneumonectomies and 62.5% of these had some complication, a significantly higher incidence than patients without previous surgery (p = 0.0187). 30-day in-hospital mortality was (7.1%) with 52 cases (92.9%) and 1-year survival. The causes of death were massive postoperative bleeding (1 case) and sepsis (3 cases). Conclusions: Pneumonectomy for benign disease is a high-risk procedure performed for a variety of indications. While morbidity is often significant, once the perioperative risk has passed, the one-year survival rate can be very satisfying in selected patients with benign disease

Womenʼs perspectives on the quality of maternal and newborn care in childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia: Results from the IMAgiNE EURO study on 40 WHO standards-based quality measures

Objective To investigate women's perspectives on the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, comparing the years 2020 and 2021, among women who went into labor or had a prelabor cesarean. Methods Women giving birth in healthcare facilities in Latvia from March 1, 2020, to October 28, 2021, answered an online questionnaire including 40 WHO standards-based quality measures. Descriptive and multivariate quantile regression analyses were performed to compare QMNC in 2020 and 2021. Results 2079 women were included in the analysis: 1860 women who went into labor (group 1) and 219 with prelabor cesarean (group 2). Among group 1, 66.4% (n = 99/149) of women received fundal pressure in an instrumental vaginal birth, 43.5% (n = 810) lacked involvement in choices, 17.4% (n = 317) reported suffering abuse, 32.7% (n = 609) reported inadequate breastfeeding support while 5.2% (n = 96) lack of early breastfeeding. A significant reduction in QMNC due to the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by 29.5% (n = 219) and 25.0% (n = 270) of respondents in 2020 and 2021, respectively (P = 0.045). Multivariate analyses highlighted a significantly lower QMNC index for 2020 compared with 2021 (P < 0.001). Conclusion This first study investigating QMNC in Latvia showed significant gaps in QMNC perceived by respondents, with slightly better results in 2021. Appropriate healthcare strategies to improve health care for women and newborns in Latvia are required.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Intake of Proton-Pump Inhibitors and Gastric Cancer within the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project

Background: A potential association between proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and gastric cancer remains undefined. Thus, we aimed to evaluate such association within the Stomach cancer Methods: Data from five case-control studies of the StoP Project were included (1,889 cases and 6,517 controls). We assessed the impact of different exposure definitions, specifically any reported use of PPIs and exposure definitions based on the duration of PPI intake. Additionally, we modeled the dose-response relationship between the cumulative duration of PPI intake and gastric cancer. Results: Significant associations between PPI intake and gastric cancer, both overall and in the stratified analyses, were limited to exposure definitions based on short durations of intake. The overall odds ratio (OR) for any reported PPI intake was 1.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76-4.14]. In the dose-response analysis, the ORs of gastric cancer were found to be higher for short durations of PPI intake (6 months: OR 3.26; 95% CI: 2.40-4.42; one year: OR 2.14; 95% CI: 1.69-2.70; 2 years: OR 1.50; 95% CI: 1.22-1.85; 3 years: OR 1.27; 95% CI: 1.03-1.56), with the association becoming not significant for durations longer than 3 years. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the observed association between PPIs and gastric cancer might be mainly due to reverse causality. Impact: The results of this study suggest that PPIs area safe thera-peutic choice regarding their effect on the occurrence of gastric cancer. See related commentary by Richman and Leiman, p. 112

Dissecting EPPIN protease inhibitor domains in sperm motility and fertilizing ability: Repercussions for male contraceptive development

EPPIN (epididymal protease inhibitor) is a mammalian conserved sperm-binding protein displaying an N-terminal WFDC (whey-acidic protein four-disulfide core) and a C-terminal Kunitz protease inhibitor domains. EPPIN plays a key role in regulating sperm motility after ejaculation via interaction with the seminal plasma protein SEMG1 (semenogelin-1). EPPIN ligands targeting the SEMG1 binding site in the Kunitz domain are under development as male contraceptive drugs. Nevertheless, the relative contributions of EPPIN WFDC and Kunitz domains to sperm function remain obscure. Here, we evaluated the effects of antibodies targeting specific epitopes in EPPIN's WFDC (Q20E antibody, Gln20-Glu39 epitope) and Kunitz (S21C and F21C antibodies, Ser103-Cys123 and Phe90-C110 epitopes, respectively) domains on mouse sperm motility and fertilizing ability. Computer-assisted sperm analysis showed that sperm co-incubation with S21C antibody (but not F21C antibody) lowered progressive and hyperactivated motilities and impaired kinematic parameters describing progressive (straight-line velocity; VSL, average path velocity; VAP and straightness; STR) and vigorous sperm movements (curvilinear velocity; VCL, amplitude of lateral head movement; ALH, and linearity; LIN) compared with control. Conversely, Q20E antibody-induced milder inhibition of progressive motility and kinematic parameters (VAP, VCL and ALH). Sperm co-incubation with S21C or Q20E antibodies affected in vitro fertilization as revealed by reduced cleavage rates, albeit without changes in capacitation-induced tyrosine phosphorylation. In conclusion, we show that targeting specific epitopes in EPPIN Kunitz and WFDC domains inhibits sperm motility and capacitation-associated events, which decrease their fertilizing ability; nevertheless, similar observations in vivo remain to be demonstrated. Simultaneously targeting residues in S21C and Q20E epitopes is a promising approach for the rational design of EPPIN-based ligands with spermostatic activity.Fil: Silva, Alan A. S.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Raimundo, Tamiris R. F.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Mariani, Noemia A. P.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Kushima, Hélio. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Avellar, Maria Christina W.. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Buffone, Mariano Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Paula Lopes, Fabíola F.. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Moura, Marcelo T.. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Silva, Erick J. R.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasi