Preferential patterns of myocardial iron deposit by multislice multiecho T2* CMR in thalassemia major patients

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Quality of water sources used as drinking water in a Brazilian peri-urban area

The objective of this paper was to assess bacteriological quality of drinking water in a peri-urban area located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 89 water samples were collected from community plastic tanks and 177 water samples from wells were collected bimonthly, from September 2007 to November 2008, for evaluating bacteriological parameters including: Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and heterotrophic plate count (HPC). Clostridium perfringens was investigated in a subsample (40 samples from community plastic tank and 40 from wells). E. coli was present in 5 (5.6%) samples from community plastic tanks (2.0 - 5.1x10(4) MPN/100mL) and in 70 (39.5%) well samples (2.0 - 8.6x10(4) MPN/100mL). Thus, these samples were not in accordance with the Brazilian Regulation. Enterococcus was detected in 20 (22.5%) samples of the community plastic tanks (1 to 79 NC/100mL) and in 142 (80.2%) well samples (1 to &gt;200 NC/100mL). C. perfringens was detected in 5 (12.5%) community plastic tanks samples and in 35 (87.5%) wells samples (2.2 to &gt;16 MPN/100mL). HPC were above 500 CFU/mL in 5 (5.6%) waters from community plastic tanks. In wells samples, the HPC ranged from <1 to 1.6x10(4) CFU/mL. The residual chlorine did not attend the standard established in the drinking water legislation (0.2 mg/L), except in 20 (22.5%) samples. These results confirm the vulnerability of the water supply systems in this peri-urban area what is clearly a public health concern.CNP

T2* Heterogeneity detected by CMR could be Related to Myocardial Iron Distribution in Thalassemia Patients

A large percentage of thalassemia major (TM) patients shows a significant heterogeneity of segmental distribution of T2* values in myocardium, measured by multislice multiecho T2* cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). This finding is in agreement with previous histological studies that have detected heterogeneous iron deposition in hemochromatotic hearts. However, it is not yet clear if that represented true heterogeneous iron density or if it could have been generated by geometric and susceptibility artefacts

Role of DNA repair machinery and p53 in the testicular germ cell cancer: a review

Notwithstanding the peculiar sensitivity to cisplatin-based treatment, resulting in a very high percentage of cures even in advanced stages of the disease, still we do not know the biological mechanisms that make Testicular Germ Cell Tumor (TGCT) "unique" in the oncology scene. p53 and MDM2 seem to play a pivotal role, according to several in vitro observations, but no correlation has been found between their mutational or expression status in tissue samples and patients clinical outcome. Furthermore, other players seem to be on stage: DNA Damage Repair Machinery (DDR) , especially Homologous Recombination (HR) proteins, above all Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM), cooperates with p53 in response to DNA damage, activating apoptotic cascade and contributing to cell "fate". Homologous Recombination deficiency has been assumed to be a Germ Cell Tumor characteristic underlying platinum-sensitivity, whereby Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), an enzyme involved in HR DNA repair, is an intriguing target: PARP inhibitors have already entered in clinical practice of other malignancies and trials are recruiting TGCT patients in order to validate their role in this disease. This paper aims to summarize evidence, trying to outline an overview of DDR implications not only in TGCT curability, but also in resistance to chemotherapy

Detection of Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts/oocysts in watersheds and drinking water sources in Brazil urban areas

The protozoan parasites Giardia and Cryptosporidium have been described as important waterbone disease pathogens, and are associated with severe gastrointestinal illnesses. The objective of this paper was to investigate the presence of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in sample from wtershed catchments and treated water sources. A total of 25 water samples were collected and examined according to the EPA - Method 1623, 2005, consisting of 12 from drinking water and 13 from raw water. Positive samples from raw water for Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were 46.1 and 7.6%, respectively. In finished water, positive samples were 41.7 per centfor Giardia cysts and 25 per cent for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Concentrations of Giardia cysts found in raw water samples ranged from "not detected" to 0.1oocysts/L, whereas concentrations of Cryptosporidium oocystsranged from "not detected" to 0.1 oocysts/L. In finished water, Giardia concentrations ranged from "not detected" to 0.06 cysts/L, and Cryptosporidium oocysts were not high in the samples analyzed. Nevertheless, the results of this study highlight the need to monitor these organisms in both raw and drinking water.CNPq e FAPES

Non-compact myocardium assessment by cardiac magnetic resonance: dependence on image analysis method.

none8To compare image analysis methods for the assessment of left ventricle non-compaction from cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. CMR images were analyzed in 20 patients and 10 normal subjects. A reference model of the MR signal was introduced and validated based on image data. Non-compact (NC) myocardium size and distribution were assessed by tracing a single, continuous contour delimiting trabeculated region (Jacquier) or by one-by-one selection of trabeculae (Grothoff). The global non-compact/compact (NC/C) ratio, the NC mass, and the segmental NC/C ratio were assessed. Results were compared with the reference model. A significant difference between Grothoff and Jacquier approaches in the estimation of NC/C ratio (32.08 ± 6.63 vs. 19.81 ± 5.72, p < 0.0001) and NC mass (26.59 ± 8.36 vs. 14.15 ± 5.73 g/m2, p < 0.0001) was found. The Grothoff approach better matches the expected signal distribution. Inter-observer reproducibility of both Grothoff and Jacquier methods was adequate (9.71 and 8.22%, respectively) with no significant difference between observers. Jacquier and Grothoff approaches are not interchangeable so that specific diagnostic thresholds should be used for different image analysis methods. Grothoff method seems to better capture the true extension of trabeculated tissue.mixedPositano V; Meloni A; Macaione F; Santarelli MF; Pistoia L; Barison A; Novo S; Pepe APositano, V; Meloni, A; Macaione, F; Santarelli, Mf; Pistoia, L; Barison, A; Novo, S; Pepe,

N-terminal fragment of proBNP is a marker of high cardiac output cardiomyopathy evaluated by CMR in thalassemia syndromes.

none11noneMeloni A; Pepe A; L Zyw; Positano V; Dell’Amico M C; Prontera C; Passino C; Fabrizio F; Romeo MA; Emdin M; Lombardi MMeloni, A; Pepe, A; L, Zyw; Positano, V; Dell’Amico, M C; Prontera, C; Passino, C; Fabrizio, F; Romeo, Ma; Emdin, M; Lombardi,