109 research outputs found

    Células C em tireóides de ratos pinealectomisados

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    PURPOSE: To study quantitatively C cells in the thyroids of non-isogenic rats to determine the possible effects of pinealectomy on the number of these cells, and consequently on the synthesis and secretion of calcitonin. METHODS: Twenty male rats of an outbred strain (200-300 g) were used in the present study. One group of 10 animals was pinealectomized 50 days prior to sacrifice. Thyroid tissue was stained for calcitonin (Dako Corporation) at a 1:1500 dilution. The number of C cells observed was expressed as number of cells/cm². Data were analyzed statistically by Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The number of C cells in pinealectomized and normal animals ranged from 489 to 2084 per cm² and 227 to 1584 per cm², respectively, a difference that was statistically significant (POBJETIVO: Estudar quantitativamente células C de tireóides em ratos não isogênicos para determinar os possíveis efeitos da pinealectomia no número destas células e conseqüentemente na síntese e secreção de calcitonina. MÉTODO: Vinte ratos machos com peso de 200 a 300g foram utilizados no presente estudo. Um grupo de 10 animais foi pinealectomizado 50 dias antes do sacrifício. Os cortes de tireóide foram corados com calcitonina (DAKO Corporation) a diluição de 1:1500. O número de células C observado é expresso como número de células/cm². Os dados foram analisados pela análise de variância (ANOVA) e teste Mann-Whitney. RESULTADOS: O número de células C em animais pinealectomizados e normais variou de 489 a 2084 células/cm² e 227 a 1584 células/cm², respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: Estes resultados mostraram diferenças consistentes (

    A General Latent Class Model for Performance Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests in the Absence of a Gold Standard: An Application to Chagas Disease

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    We propose a new general Bayesian latent class model for evaluation of the performance of multiple diagnostic tests in situations in which no gold standard test exists based on a computationally intensive approach. The modeling represents an interesting and suitable alternative to models with complex structures that involve the general case of several conditionally independent diagnostic tests, covariates, and strata with different disease prevalences. The technique of stratifying the population according to different disease prevalence rates does not add further marked complexity to the modeling, but it makes the model more flexible and interpretable. To illustrate the general model proposed, we evaluate the performance of six diagnostic screening tests for Chagas disease considering some epidemiological variables. Serology at the time of donation (negative, positive, inconclusive) was considered as a factor of stratification in the model. The general model with stratification of the population performed better in comparison with its concurrents without stratification. The group formed by the testing laboratory Biomanguinhos FIOCRUZ-kit (c-ELISA and rec-ELISA) is the best option in the confirmation process by presenting false-negative rate of 0.0002% from the serial scheme. We are 100% sure that the donor is healthy when these two tests have negative results and he is chagasic when they have positive results

    Performance of six diagnostic tests to screen for Chagas disease in blood banks and prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among donors with inconclusive serology screening based on the analysis of epidemiological variables

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    OBJECTIVE: The frequent occurrence of inconclusive serology in blood banks and the absence of a gold standard test for Chagas'disease led us to examine the efficacy of the blood culture test and five commercial tests (ELISA, IIF, HAI, c-ELISA, rec-ELISA) used in screening blood donors for Chagas disease, as well as to investigate the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among donors with inconclusive serology screening in respect to some epidemiological variables. METHODS: To obtain estimates of interest we considered a Bayesian latent class model with inclusion of covariates from the logit link. RESULTS: A better performance was observed with some categories of epidemiological variables. In addition, all pairs of tests (excluding the blood culture test) presented as good alternatives for both screening (sensitivity > 99.96% in parallel testing) and for confirmation (specificity > 99.93% in serial testing) of Chagas disease. The prevalence of 13.30% observed in the stratum of donors with inconclusive serology, means that probably most of these are non-reactive serology. In addition, depending on the level of specific epidemiological variables, the absence of infection can be predicted with a probability of 100% in this group from the pairs of tests using parallel testing. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological variables can lead to improved test results and thus assist in the clarification of inconclusive serology screening results. Moreover, all combinations of pairs using the five commercial tests are good alternatives to confirm results

    Omega-3 fatty acids: possible neuroprotective mechanisms in the model of global ischemia in rats

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    Background. Omega-3 (omega 3) administration was shown to protect against hypoxic-ischemic injury. The objectives were to study the neuroprotective effects of omega 3, in a model of global ischemia. Methods. Male Wistar rats were subjected to carotid occlusion (30 min), followed by reperfusion. The groups were SO, untreated ischemic and ischemic treated rats with omega 3 (5 and 10 mg/kg, 7 days). The SO and untreated ischemic animals were orally treated with 1% cremophor and, 1 h after the last administration, they were behaviorally tested and euthanized for neurochemical (DA, DOPAC, and NE determinations), histological (Fluoro jade staining), and immunohistochemical (TNF-alpha, COX-2 and iNOS) evaluations. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and Newman-Keuls as the post hoc test. Results. Ischemia increased the locomotor activity and rearing behavior that were partly reversed by omega 3. Ischemia decreased striatal DA and DOPAC contents and increased NE contents, effects reversed by omega 3. This drug protected hippocampal neuron degeneration, as observed by Fluoro-Jade staining, and the increased immunostainings for TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS were partly or totally blocked by omega 3. Conclusion. This study showed a neuroprotective effect of omega 3, in great part due to its anti-inflammatory properties, stimulating translational studies focusing on its use in clinic for stroke managing.Faculty of Medicine, Estácio of Juazeiro do Norte (FMJ), Rua Tenente Raimundo Rocha 515, 63040-360 Juazeiro do Norte, CE, BrazilFederal University of Ceará (UFC), Rua Coronel Nunes de Melo 1127, 60430-270 Fortaleza, CE, BrazilFederal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo 669, 04039-032 São Paulo, SP, BrazilFederal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Pedro de Toledo 669, 04039-032 São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

    Processo de enfermagem em idoso com amputação transtarsica: Relato de caso / Nursing process in the elderly with transtarsic amputation: Case report

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    Idosos com diabetes estão mais propensos a desenvolver lesões nas extremidades, esta caracteriza-se como uma importante causa de amputações não traumáticas de membros inferiores. Objetivo: Relatar o caso de um paciente com DM tipo 2 com infecção no pé diabético com posterior amputação. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória descritiva do tipo estudo de caso. A coleta de dados ocorreu em um hospital público de referência, na Paraíba, no período de novembro de 2020 a março de 2021. Foi realizado através da aplicação do processo de enfermagem em um paciente diabético durante a internação submetido a amputação. Foi aplicado um instrumento de avaliação para obter o histórico de enfermagem e realizado o exame físico, para posteriormente realizar o diagnóstico de enfermagem e implementação do plano de cuidados. Os princípios preconizados pela Resolução 466/12 do Conselho Nacional de Saúde foram preservados. É indispensável promover a capacitação sistemática à equipe de enfermagem para que possam identificar precocemente agravos, atuar na prevenção, tratamento e cuidados apropriados minimizando agravamento das lesões e diminuindo a morbimortalidade relacionada às complicações da diabetes

    Evaluation of postural balance in postmenopausal women and its relationship with bone mineral density- a cross sectional study

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    Background: Low bone mineral density (BMD) and falls are common problems encountered in the postmenopausal women. The purpose was to evaluate the association between postural balance and BMD in postmenopausal women and its relation to risk for falls.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 225 women in amenorrhea > 12 months and age >= 45 years were included and divided, according to BMD, in T-score values > -2.0 SD (n = 140) and <= -2 SD (n = 85). Those with neurological or musculoskeletal disorders, history of vestibulopathies, uncorrected visual deficit or drug use that could affect balance were excluded. History of falls (last 24 months), clinical and anthropometric characteristics were evaluated. Postural balance was assessed by stabilometry (force platform). For statistical analysis were used Wilcoxon's Test, Chi-Square Test and logistic regression method for fall risk (Odds Ratio-OR).Results: Patients with BMD > -2.0 SD were younger, with shorter time since menopause, and showed higher BMI as compared to those with low BMD (<= -2 SD) (p < 0.05). It was observed that 57.8% of the participants reported fall episodes without significant difference distribution between the groups (p = 0.055). No differences were found from the comparison between the groups (p > 0.05) for stabilometric parameters. Risk for falls increased with age (OR 1.07; CI 95% 1.01-1.13), current smoking (OR 2.19; CI 95% 1.22-3.21) and corrected visual deficit (OR 9.06; CI 95% 1.14-4.09). In contrast, hormone therapy (HT) use was significantly associated with reduced risk for falls (OR 0.48; CI 95% 0.26-0.88).Conclusions: In postmenopausal women, BMD did not show association with postural balance or risk for falls. Age, smoking and corrected visual deficit were clinical indicators of risk for falls whereas HT use showed to be a protective factor

    Popular strategies for identification and treatment of insanity in the first half of the twentieth century: an analysis of medical charts from the Uberaba Spiritist Asylum

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    Pela análise de prontuários médicos de instituição para tratamento de alienados, dirigida por uma associação de seguidores do espiritismo de orientação kardecista, identificam-se as diferentes percepções e estratégias de tratamento e administração social da loucura desenvolvidas por setores da população brasileira na primeira metade do século XX, numa região interiorana do país. Enfatiza-se o aspecto multidimensional da experiência da loucura, tomando-a como acontecimento sociocultural capaz de produzir diferentes análises e interpretações por grupos heterogêneos de atores sociais, que irão interpretá-la a partir de seus sistemas próprios de significação e entendimento._________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Through analysis of the medical charts from an institution for treatment of the insane run by an association of Kardecist spiritists, it is possible to identify the various perceptions and strategies for treatment and social control of insanity developed by different sectors of the Brazilian population in the first half of the twentieth century in the Brazilian countryside. The multidimensional aspect of the experience of insanity is stressed, as it is a sociocultural event capable of different analyses and interpretations by heterogeneous groups of social actors, who interpret it based on their own systems of meaning and understanding

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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