85 research outputs found
Patients with autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia have more risk of falls, important balance impairment, and decreased ability to function
Influence of soil water content and atmospheric conditions on leaf water potential in cv. "Touriga Nacional" deep-rooted vineyards
Abstract In this study, the influence of soil and atmosphere
conditions on noon and basal leaf water potential of
vines ‘‘Touriga Nacional’’ in the Da˜o region submitted to
different irrigation treatments is analysed. Both indicators
showed to be dependent on environmental conditions at the
time of measurement. Leaf water potential at noon of fully
watered plants was linearly related with atmospheric conditions,
with values registered when vapour pressure deficit
(VPD) was higher than approximately 3 kPa being no
different from the values registered in stressed plants.
Therefore, this indicator cannot be reliably used to distinguish
different plant water stress levels when atmospheric
conditions induce high evaporative demands. The basal
leaf water potential (wb) was also influenced by VPD at the
time of measurement for all soil water conditions. In well
irrigated plants, it was even possible to establish a baseline
that can therefore be used to identify nonwater stressed
conditions (wb (MPa) = -0.062–0.0972 VPD (kPa),
r2 = 0.78). A good correlation was found between soil
humidity and wb. However, more than the average value of
the whole thickness of soil monitored, the wb values were dependent on the distribution of soil humidity, with the
plants responding to the presence of wet layers
Improved Survival, Vascular Differentiation and Wound Healing Potential of Stem Cells Co-Cultured with Endothelial Cells
In this study, we developed a methodology to improve the survival, vascular differentiation and regenerative potential of umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived hematopoietic stem cells (CD34+ cells), by co-culturing the stem cells in a 3D fibrin gel with CD34+-derived endothelial cells (ECs). ECs differentiated from CD34+ cells appear to have superior angiogenic properties to fully differentiated ECs, such as human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our results indicate that the pro-survival effect of CD34+-derived ECs on CD34+ cells is mediated, at least in part, by bioactive factors released from ECs. This effect likely involves the secretion of novel cytokines, including interleukin-17 (IL-17) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), and the activation of the ERK 1/2 pathway in CD34+ cells. We also show that the endothelial differentiation of CD34+ cells in co-culture with CD34+-derived ECs is mediated by a combination of soluble and insoluble factors. The regenerative potential of this co-culture system was demonstrated in a chronic wound diabetic animal model. The co-transplantation of CD34+ cells with CD34+-derived ECs improved the wound healing relatively to controls, by decreasing the inflammatory reaction and increasing the neovascularization of the wound
Trauma and envenoming caused by stingrays and other fish in a fishing community in Pontal do Paranapanema, state of São Paulo, Brazil: epidemiology, clinical aspects, and therapeutic and preventive measures
Determination of the energetic value of corn, soybean meal and micronized full fat soybean for newly hatched chicks
Social-Ecological Changes in a Quilombola Community in the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil
The ongoing pursuit of neuroprotective therapies in Parkinson disease
Many agents developed for neuroprotective treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) have shown great promise in the laboratory, but none have translated to positive results in patients with PD. Potential neuroprotective drugs, such as ubiquinone, creatine and PYM50028, have failed to show any clinical benefits in recent high-profile clinical trials. This 'failure to translate' is likely to be related primarily to our incomplete understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying PD, and excessive reliance on data from toxin-based animal models to judge which agents should be selected for clinical trials. Restricted resources inevitably mean that difficult compromises must be made in terms of trial design, and reliable estimation of efficacy is further hampered by the absence of validated biomarkers of disease progression. Drug development in PD dementia has been mostly unsuccessful; however, emerging biochemical, genetic and pathological evidence suggests a link between tau and amyloid-β deposition and cognitive decline in PD, potentially opening up new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. This Review discusses the most important 'druggable' disease mechanisms in PD, as well as the most-promising drugs that are being evaluated for their potential efficiency in treatment of motor and cognitive impairments in PD
Genetic variability in G2 and F2 region between biological clones of human respiratory syncytial virus with or without host immune selection pressure
Organização, disponibilização e possibilidades de análise de dados sobre desastres de origem climática e seus impactos sobre a saúde no Brasil
Epidemiological aspects of hepatitis C virus infection among renal transplant recipients in Central Brazil
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