Consideraciones en el diagnóstico de psoriasis oral: presentación de un caso clínico

Este artículo comenta las dificultades de hacer un diagnóstico definitivo de psoriasis oral basado en la evidencia clínica e histológica. Se presenta un joven varón negro con múltiples lesiones que muestran erosiones, fisuras y escaras amarillentas en el borde bermellón de ambos labios. También tenía áreas eritematosas-erosivas en la encía, una lengua fisurada que mostraba áreas grisáceas en su superficie ventral, lesiones blanquecinas y lesiones longitudinales en el paladar duro junto lesiones entrelazadas en el paladar blando. Las biopsias del labio inferior , la encía y el paladar blando mostraron hiperqueratosis, espongiosis, acantosis, y elongación de las crestas epiteliales. Además, se observaron micro-abscesos intraepiteliales de Munro. Estos resultados son coincidentes con psoriasis oral. No tenía las lesiones cutáneas típicas ni una historia familiar de psoriasis.This paper discusses the difficulties in making a definitive diagnosis of oral psoriasis based upon clinical and histological evidence only. A young black male presented with multiple lesions showing erosions, fissures, and yellowish scales on the vermilion borders of both lips. He also had erythematous-erosive areas on the gingivae, a fissured tongue showing greyish areas on its ventral surface, whitish lesions and longitudinal sulci in the hard palate with lacelike lesions on the soft palate. Biopsies from the lower lip, gingiva and soft palate showed hyperkeratosis, spongiosis, acanthosis, and elongation of rete ridges. In addition, collections intraepithelial micro-abscesses of Munro were observed. These findings are consistent with oral psoriasis. Typical cutaneous lesions and a family history of psoriasis were absent

Improved isolation of murine hepatocytes for in vitro malaria liver stage studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Primary hepatocyte cultures are a valuable tool for the understanding of cellular and molecular phenomena occurring during malaria liver stage. This paper describes an improved perfusion/dissociation procedure to isolate hepatocytes from mouse liver that is suitable for malaria studies and allows reproducible preparation of primary hepatocytes with consistent cell yields and controlled purity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This protocol is a detailed description of a technique to isolate and culture mouse hepatocytes and represents an improvement over previous descriptions of hepatocyte isolation for malaria studies, regarding three technical aspects: (1) dissociation reagents choice; (2) cell separation gradient and (3) cell purity control. Cell dissociation was optimized for a specific collagenase digestion media. The cell dissociation step was improved by using a three-layer discontinuous gradient. A cell purity check was introduced to monitor the expression of CD95 on hepatocytes using flow cytometry methods.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The procedure described allows reproducible recovery of one to three million hepatocytes per preparation with cell purity of about 90% as determined by FACS analysis. Completion of the protocol is usually achieved in about four hours per preparation and pooling is suggested for multiple preparations of larger number of cells.</p

Tendências modernas na apresentação numérica concisa de dados de observação: (reminiscências de um curso de estatística para biólogos ministrado na Cadeira do Prof. Paulo Sawaya)

Para resumir os dados de uma série de observações costuma-se apresentá-los de duas maneiras equivalente: 1. n----m----s.d.;2. n----m----s.e.mou1'. n----m +ou- s.d.;2'. n-----m +ou- s.e.monde:m representa a média, s.d. o desvio padrão e s.e.m. o erro padrão da média.em ambos os casos, o número n de observações deverá ser indicado a fim de obter os valores t de Student nas tabelas de estatística, necessário para o cálculo do intervalo de confiança média. Nos trabalhos mais recentes, há uma preferência em favor do erro padrão, que substitui o antigo erro provável da média

Variabilidade mesoclimática da temperatura do ar no norte e noroeste do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

A temperatura do ar afeta uma série de processos nas plantas, como a fotossíntese, respiração de manutenção, a transpiração e a duração das fases fenológicas das culturas. Nesse sentido, este estudo analisou a variabilidade climática da temperatura média do ar sazonal nas mesorregiões Norte e Noroeste do estado do Rio de Janeiro, onde a produção de frutas possui destaque econômico. Foram utilizados dados trimestrais de temperatura de três estações meteorológicas. O método da Análise de Regressão, por meio do coeficiente angular, foi utilizado para indicar alterações climáticas da temperatura do ar sazonal. Os resultados mostraram que, desde a década de 1960, houve uma tendência predominante de aumento da temperatura do ar sazonal de aproximadamente 0,2 °C por década, no Norte e Noroeste do estado do Rio de Janeiro

Variabilidade climática da precipitação em regiões de diferentes altitudes no Estado do Rio De Janeiro.

A precipitação é um dos mais importantes elementos climáticos, pois interfere no dia-a-dia das pessoas e nos diversos setores da economia de um país. Na quantidade e no período adequado, a precipitação pode trazer benefícios para inúmeras áreas, mas em situações adversas pode causar grandes prejuízos. Nesse sentido, este estudo analisou a variabilidade climática da precipitação em regiões de diferentes altitudes no estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foram utilizados dados diários de cinco estações pluviométricas, no período de 1968 a 2011, localizadas próximas entre si, mas em altitudes relativamente distintas. O método da Análise de Regressão foi utilizado para testar a tendência climática do total de chuva e do número de eventos extremos diários de novembro a fevereiro, por serem os meses com as maiores médias climáticas da estação chuvosa da região. Os coeficientes angulares de regressão mostram que nas últimas décadas não houve tendência significativa nos totais de chuva e nas ocorrências de eventos extremos nas estações representativas da ?região alta?. Entretanto, nas estações de menor altitude, os totais de chuva durante o período chuvoso apresentam uma tendência estatisticamente significativa de aumento. Assim, quanto menor a altitude, maior foi o aumento da chuva na região, sendo de 48 mm/década na estação localizada em Barra Alegre até 105 mm/década na Fazenda Oratório, localizada a apenas 50 metros de altitude

The usefulness of ecotoxicological tools to improve the assessment of water bodies in a climate change reality

This study aimed to analyse the added value of using ecotoxicological tools to complement and improve the assessment of natural water bodies status, in situations of climate change, with a higher frequency of extreme events as floods or droughts. Four water bodies of streams in the Guadiana Basin (Álamos, Amieira, Lucefécit, Zebro) were studied in 2017 and 2018 and classified based on the Water Framework Directive (WFD) parameters: Biological Quality Element - Phytobenthos (diatoms), General chemical and physicochemical elements, Specific pollutants, and Priority Substances. Complementarily, bioassays (including lethal and sublethal parameters) were carried out with organisms of different trophic levels: (i) the bacteria Aliivibrio fischeri; (ii) the microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata; (iii) the crustaceans Daphnia magna, Thamnocephalus platyurus and Heterocypris incongruens. A classification system with 5 scores was developed, permitting to classify water bodies from non-toxic (EC50 > 100 %; growth and feeding rate > 80 %; blue) to highly toxic (EC50 < 10 %; growth and feeding rate < 10 %; red). The comparison between the classification based on the WFD parameters and on ecotoxicological endpoints showed similar results for 71 % of the samples, and significant positive Pearson correlations were detected between the diatom-based Specific Polluosensitivity Index (SPI) and EC50V.fisheri, the algae growth rate and Shannon diversity index. These results indicate that when the biological quality elements cannot be used (namely under drought or flooding conditions) the application of ecotoxicological bioassays may be a good alternative. Further, when ecotoxicological parameters were included, an increase of worse classifications (Bad and Poor) was observed, revealing an improvement in the sensitivity of the classification, mainly in presence of specific and priority substances. So, the ecotoxicological analysis appears to provide useful information regarding the potential presence of both known and unknown contaminants at concentrations that cause biological effects (even within the WFD limits), in agreement with several authors that have already suggested its use in biomonitoring

Cistocelo Escrotal por Ecografia e Tomografia Computorizada

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Importance of marine prey to growth of estuarine tern chicks: evidence from an energetic balance model

We assessed the effects of quality and quantity of prey species on the growth of Little Tern Sterna albifrons chicks raised in salinas (salt-pans), Algarve, Portugal. An energetic balance model was developed, which estimated the total amount of energy ingested by all chicks in a nest and the energy expenditure by the chicks when either growing alone or in groups of two and three per nest. Energy intake per chick depended on the energy available per nest and a competition value for food between chicks. Energy expenditure was defined by the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which depends on chick\u2019s weight, plus a multiple of BMR, obtained by calibration and accounting for unspecified energetic losses. Prey species ingested by Little Tern chicks were mainly the fishes sand- smelt Atherina spp., Sardine Sardina pilchardus, Garfish Belone belone and mummichog Fundulus spp., but also two types of shrimp (Paleo- monetes spp. and Paleomon spp.). Although prey species more abundant in salinas (shrimps and Fundulus spp.) were delivered at a higher rate, and Fundulus spp. had the greatest calorific content, chick growth was more sensitive to alterations in the ingestion of typically marine fish species, such as Sardina pilchardus and Belone belone. Model predictions were in agreement with data obtained in the field, as adults breeding in salinas foraged regularly at sea. Practical considerations from the pre- sent results are: (1) birds breeding in salinas rely on a sufficient amount of typically marine prey to ensure the growth of their chicks; (2) in some years foraging conditions in the salinas can be favourable, appar- ently because high food abundance (plus proximity to nests) may com- pensate for relatively poor quality of food types encounteredFCT Project POCTI/BSE/37385/200

The approximate entropy of the electromyographic signals of tremor correlates with the osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The main problem of tremor is the damage caused to the quality of the life of patients, especially those at more advanced ages. There is not a consensus yet about the origins of this disorder, but it can be examined in the correlations between the biological signs of aging and the tremor characteristics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This work sought correlations between the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and features extracted from electromyographic (EMG) activity resulting from physiological tremor in healthy patients (N = 44) at different ages (24-87 years). The osmotic fragility was spectrophotometrically evaluated by the dependence of hemolysis, provided by the absorbance in 540 nm (<it>A</it>_<it>54</it><it>o)</it>, on the concentration of NaCl. The data were adjusted to curves of sigmoidal regression and characterized by the half transition point (<it>H</it>_<it>50</it>), amplitude of lysis transition (<it>dx</it>) and values of <it>A</it>_{<it>540 </it>}in the curve regions that characterize the presence of lysed (<it>A</it>_<it>1</it>) and preserved erythrocytes (<it>A</it>_<it>2</it>). The approximate entropy was estimated from EMG signals detected from the extensor carpi ulnaris muscle during the movement of the hand of subjects holding up a laser pen towards an Archimedes spiral, fixed in a whiteboard. The evaluations were carried out with the laser pen at rest, at the center of the spiral, and in movement from the center to the outside and from outside to the center. The correlations among the parameters of osmotic fragility, tremor and age were tested.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Negative correlations with age were found for <it>A</it>_{<it>1 </it>}and <it>dx</it>. With the hand at rest, a positive correlation with <it>H</it>_{<it>50 </it>}was found for the approximate entropy. Negative correlations with <it>H</it>_{<it>50 </it>}were found for the entropy with the hand in movement, as from the center to the outside or from the outside to the center of the spiral.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In healthy individuals, the increase in the erythrocyte osmotic fragility was associated with a decrease in the approximate entropy for rest tremor and with an increase of the entropy for movement tremor. This suggests that the neuromuscular degeneration associated with tremor entails also the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of structural homeostasis of the erythrocyte membrane.</p