As redes sociais no “mundo dos jovens” de 2º e 3º ciclos do ensino básico

A escola debate-se hoje com um problema central: tem como objetivo formar cidadãos literatos, ativos e responsáveis mas enfrenta a concorrência dos meios de comunicação, que são uma escola paralela a que os alunos dedicam mais tempo do que à escola e à família. A concorrência é feita por todos os media, sem exceção, quer se trate dos tradicionais ou dos digitais. A questão já não está só no tempo que os alunos dedicam aos media, mas também nos efeitos que a utilização desses media, sobretudo dos novos, têm ao nível da aprendizagem. Com o desenvolvimento da Web 2.0, o paradigma comunicacional mediático alterou-se. Hoje, a comunicação é feita de muitos para muitos, pelo que já não importa apenas preparar os futuros cidadãos para serem consumidores críticos de mensagens media, mas também produtores reflexivos. O nosso trabalho, em curso, visa compreender de que forma os jovens de 2º e 3º Ciclos do ensino básico, utilizam as redes sociais, percecionam os seus desempenhos e se relacionam com os seus pares e com outros grupos.School is facing today a central problem: it aims to educate literary citizens, active and responsible but, it competes with media, a parallel school to which students devote more time than to the traditional one and to their family. The competition is held by all media with no exception (traditional and the so-called new or digital). The question is no longer on the time students devote to the media, but also in the effects that its use, specially the new ones, have at the learning level. With the development of the Web 2.0, the paradigm of media communication has changed. Today, the communication is made from many to many, so it is no longer important just to train the future citizens to be critical consumers of media messages, but also reflexive producers. Our work in progress aims to understand how the youngsters of 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education use the social networks, perceive their performance in the social networks and relate to their peers and other groups in the social networks

Inflammation in ischemic stroke subtypes.

Determining the cause of stroke does influence choices for management. categorization of subtypes of ischemic stroke has had considerable study, but definitions are hard to formulate and their application for diagnosis in an individual patient is often problematic. Cerebral ischemia initiates a complex cascade of events at genomic, molecular, and cellular levels, and inflammation is important in this cascade. In 1993 for For the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST), Adams et al] conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, blinded study of the low-molecular-weight heparinoid given to patients within 24 hours after stroke and developed a system for diagnosis of subtype of ischemic stroke that uses components of existing diagnostic schemes. The type of acute ischemic stroke was classified according to the TOAST classification: 1) Large Artery AtheroSclerosis (LAAS); 2) CardioEmbolic Infarct (CEI); 3) LACunar infarct (LAC); 4) stroke of Other Determined Etiology (ODE); 5) stroke of UnDetermined Etiology (UDE) (see Fig. (1)). On the basis of pathophysiologic differences of each stroke subtype it's possible to hypothesize a different pattern of immuno-inflammatory activation in relation of ischemic stroke subtype. A nonspecific systemic inflammatory response occurs after both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, either as part of the process of brain damage or in response to complications such as deep venous thrombosis. Several studies have reported that higher levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with worse outcome after ischemic stroke. Our group reported that patients with cardioembolic subtype showed significantly higher median plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β whereas the lacunar subtype showed significantly lower median plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. Our findings underlined the significant association was noted between the severity of neurological deficit at admission, the diagnostic subtype and some inflammatory variable

Neurological complications of Anderson-Fabry disease

Characteristic clinical manifestations of AFD such as acroparesthesias, angiokeratoma, corneal opacity, hypo/ and anhidrosis, gastrointestinal symptoms, renal and cardiac dysfunctions can occur in male and female patients, although heterozygous females with AFD usually seems to be less severely affected. The most prominent CNS manifestations consist of cerebrovascular events such as transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) and (recurrent) strokes . For the most part, CNS complications in AFD have been attributed to cerebral vasculopathy, including anatomical abnormalities. The natural history of Fabry patients includes transitory cerebral ischaemia and strokes, even in very young persons of both genders. The mechanism is partly due to vascular endothelial accumulation of Gb-3. White matter lesions (WML) on MRI occur. Both males and females can be safely treated with enzyme replacement; and thus screening for Fabry disease of young stroke populations should be considered. There are, however, no hard data of treatment effect on mortality and morbidity. Stroke in Anderson-Fabry disease study of 721 patients with cryptogenic stroke, aged 18-55 years, showed a high prevalence of Fabry disease in this group: 5% (21/432) of men and 3% (7/289) of women. Combining results for both sexes showed that 4% of young patients with stroke of previously unknown cause had Fabry disease, corresponding to about 1-2% of the general population of young stroke patients. Cerebral micro- and macro-vasculopathy have been described in Fabry disease. Neuronal globotriaosylceramide accumulation in selective cortical and brain stem areas including the hippocampus has been reported by autopsy studies in FD, but clinical surrogates as well as the clinical relevance of these findings have not been investigated so far. Another Neurologic hallmarks of Fabry disease (FD) include small fiber neuropathy as well as cerebral micro- and macroangiopathy with premature stroke. Cranial MRI shows progressive white matter lesions (WML) at an early age, increased signal intensity in the pulvinar, and tortuosity and dilatation of the larger vessels. Conventional MRI shows a progressive load of white matter lesions (WMLs) due to cerebral vasculopathy in the course of FD. Another study has been conducted to quantify brain structural changes in clinically affected male and female patients with FD. The peripheral neuropathy in Fabry disease manifests as neuropathic pain, reduced cold and warm sensation and possibly gastrointestinal disturbances. Patients with Fabry disease begin having pain towards the end of the first decade of life or during puberty. Children as young as 6 years of age have complained of pain often associated with febrile illnesses with reduced heat and exercise tolerance. The patients describe the pain as burning that is often associated with deep ache or paresthesiae. Some patients also have joint pain. A high proportion of patients with Fabry disease is at increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as depression and neuropsychological deficits. Due to both somatic and psychological impairment, health-related quality of life (QoL) is considerably reduced in patients with Fabry disease. Targeted screening for Fabry disease among young individuals with stroke seems to disclose unrecognized cases and may therefore very well be recommended as routine in the future. Furthermore, ischemic stroke is related to inflammation and arterial stiffness [and no study had addressed this relationship in patients with AF disease and cerebrovascular disease, so this topic could represent a possible future research line

Comparison of indirect arterial blood pressure values measured in five anatomical sites in awake dogs

En el presente estudio se buscó determinar si existe una variación significativa en perros despiertos entre la presión arterial entre los cuatro miembros, incluyendo la cola. Las presiones arteriales diastólica, sistólica y media fueron tomadas, utilizando el equipo SunTech Medical®, mediante la técnica de oscilometría, en cada uno de los miembros y la cola de 17 caninos pacientes de una clínica de pequeños animales en Bogotá, Colombia. No se encontró diferencias significativas entre los valores de la presión arterial diastólica, sistólica y media entre cada uno de los miembros y la cola.This study aimed to determine possible significant variations in awake dogs in blood pressure between the four limbs, including the tail. The diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial pressures were taken using the SunTech Medical® equipment, using the oscillometry technique, in each of the limbs and the tail of 17 canine patients in a pet clinic in Bogotá, Colombia. No significant differences were found between the diastolic, systolic, and mean blood pressure values between each of the limbs and the tail

Odour Detection Methods: Olfactometry and Chemical Sensors

The complexity of the odours issue arises from the sensory nature of smell. From the evolutionary point of view olfaction is one of the oldest senses, allowing for seeking food, recognizing danger or communication: human olfaction is a protective sense as it allows the detection of potential illnesses or infections by taking into account the odour pleasantness/unpleasantness. Odours are mixtures of light and small molecules that, coming in contact with various human sensory systems, also at very low concentrations in the inhaled air, are able to stimulate an anatomical response: the experienced perception is the odour. Odour assessment is a key point in some industrial production processes (i.e., food, beverages, etc.) and it is acquiring steady importance in unusual technological fields (i.e., indoor air quality); this issue mainly concerns the environmental impact of various industrial activities (i.e., tanneries, refineries, slaughterhouses, distilleries, civil and industrial wastewater treatment plants, landfills and composting plants) as sources of olfactory nuisances, the top air pollution complaint. Although the human olfactory system is still regarded as the most important and effective “analytical instrument” for odour evaluation, the demand for more objective analytical methods, along with the discovery of materials with chemo-electronic properties, has boosted the development of sensor-based machine olfaction potentially imitating the biological system. This review examines the state of the art of both human and instrumental sensing currently used for the detection of odours. The olfactometric techniques employing a panel of trained experts are discussed and the strong and weak points of odour assessment through human detection are highlighted. The main features and the working principles of modern electronic noses (E-Noses) are then described, focusing on their better performances for environmental analysis. Odour emission monitoring carried out through both the techniques is finally reviewed in order to show the complementary responses of human and instrumental sensing

Gestural praxis in young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities

[EN] Background: Praxis functioning in the population with intellectual disabilities (ID) has been poorly studied. The goal of this research was to look for a starting point to study the praxic functioning in young adults with mild to moderate ID. Method: Thirty young adults with ID and 30 young adults without ID, between the ages of 18 and 35 years, participated in this study. All participants completed tests that assessed gestural praxis. Results: It was possible to observe similar praxis behaviour in the group with ID in almost all domains studied, albeit showing statistical values lower than those of the group without ID. Discussions: Despite the high number of errors committed, the sample of participants with ID was able to reach the goal of praxic tasks performed; such errors may be associated with a deficit in the development of various brain functions and not only with praxis functioning, mainly related to a lower yield in terms of planning, monitoring and correcting intentional movement

Formoterol Exerts Anti-Cancer Effects Modulating Oxidative Stress and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Processes in Cigarette Smoke Extract Exposed Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Lung cancer frequently affects patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Cigarette smoke (CS) fosters cancer progression by increasing oxidative stress and by modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes in cancer cells. Formoterol (FO), a long-acting β2-agonist widely used for the treatment of COPD, exerts antioxidant activities. This study explored in a lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) whether FO counteracted the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) relative to oxidative stress, inflammation, EMT processes, and cell migration and proliferation. A549 was stimulated with CSE and FO, ROS were evaluated by flow-cytometry and by nanostructured electrochemical sensor, EMT markers were evaluated by flow-cytometry and Real-Time PCR, IL-8 was evaluated by ELISA, cell migration was assessed by scratch and phalloidin test, and cell proliferation was assessed by clonogenic assay. CSE significantly increased the production of ROS, IL-8 release, cell migration and proliferation, and SNAIL1 expression but significantly decreased E-cadherin expression. FO reverted all these phenomena in CSE-stimulated A549 cells. The present study provides intriguing evidence that FO may exert anti-cancer effects by reverting oxidative stress, inflammation, and EMT markers induced by CS. These findings must be validated in future clinical studies to support FO as a valuable add-on treatment for lung cancer management

Occurrence of mislabelling in prepared fishery products in Southern Italy

Fish authentication is a major concern not only for the prevention of commercial fraud, but also for the assessment of safety risks deriving from the undeclared introduction of potentially dangerous toxic or allergenic substances or environmentally damaging fish where endangered species are involved. Moreover, food authentication might affect the diet of certain groups of consumers, such as followers of religious practices. Considering the authentication of fish products is one of the key issues in food safety, quality and sustainability, the aim of this work was to investigate the prevalence of mislabelling in sole (Solea solea), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and hake (Merluccius merluccius) fillets from markets and supermarkets located in Apulia (Southern Italy) using DNA barcoding. The results of the molecular investigations reveal that 42/98 (42.8%) fillet samples were not correctly labelled. In particular, 12/27 (44.4%) fillets of sole (Solea solea) were identified as belonging to Solea senegalensis. In addition, 13/28 (46.4%) plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) samples were identified as Pangasius hypophtalmus. All Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) samples were correctly labelled. Post-sequencing data analysis revealed that 17/30 (56.6%) hake fillets (Merluccius merluccius) were not correctly labelled, of which 8/30 samples identified as Merluccius hubbsi, 5/30 samples as Merluccius products and 4/30 as Merluccius capensis. The study reveals a high occurrence of species mislabelling in the prepared fish fillet products, further evidence of the need for increased traceability and assessment of the authenticity of food products