Neural markers of a greater female responsiveness to social stimuli

Abstract Background There is fMRI evidence that women are neurally predisposed to process infant laughter and crying. Other findings show that women might be more empathic and sensitive than men to emotional facial expressions. However, no gender difference in the brain responses to persons and unanimated scenes has hitherto been demonstrated. Results Twenty-four men and women viewed 220 images portraying persons or landscapes and ERPs were recorded from 128 sites. In women, but not in men, the N2 component (210–270) was much larger to persons than to scenes. swLORETA showed significant bilateral activation of FG (BA19/37) in both genders when viewing persons as opposed to scenes. Only women showed a source of activity in the STG and in the right MOG (extra-striate body area, EBA), and only men in the left parahippocampal area (PPA). Conclusion A significant gender difference was found in activation of the left and right STG (BA22) and the cingulate cortex for the subtractive condition women minus men, thus indicating that women might have a greater preference or interest for social stimuli (faces and persons).</p

Dissociating object familiarity from linguistic properties in mirror word reading

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is known that the orthographic properties of linguistic stimuli are processed within the left occipitotemporal cortex at about 150–200 ms. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to words in standard or mirror orientation to investigate the role of visual word form in reading. Word inversion was performed to determine whether rotated words lose their linguistic properties.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>About 1300 Italian words and legal pseudo-words were presented to 18 right-handed Italian students engaged in a letter detection task. EEG was recorded from 128 scalp sites.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ERPs showed an early effect of word orientation at ~150 ms, with larger N1 amplitudes to rotated than to standard words. Low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) revealed an increase in N1 to rotated words primarily in the right occipital lobe (BA 18), which may indicate an effect of stimulus familiarity. N1 was greater to target than to non-target letters at left lateral occipital sites, thus reflecting the first stage of orthographic processing. LORETA revealed a strong focus of activation for this effect in the left fusiform gyrus (BA 37), which is consistent with the so-called visual word form area (VWFA). Standard words (compared to pseudowords) elicited an enhancement of left occipito/temporal negativity at about 250–350 ms, followed by a larger anterior P3, a reduced frontal N400 and a huge late positivity. Lexical effects for rotated strings were delayed by about 100 ms at occipito/temporal sites, and were totally absent at later processing stages. This suggests the presence of implicit reading processes, which were pre-attentive and of perceptual nature for mirror strings.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The contrast between inverted and standard words did not lead to the identification of a purely linguistic brain region. This finding suggests some caveats in the interpretation of the inversion effect in subtractive paradigms.</p

Contribuições da educação em saúde para uma enfermagem atualizada na mudança de linha de cuidado

This report clarifies the contributions of educational resources and methodologies, referring to the secondary and higher level nursing team in the context of an immediate pandemic transition in a medium-sized hospital of a multinational located in São Paulo during the COVID-19 pandemic, from October 2021 to January 2022, focusing on about 40 nursing employees involved in the change from maternal and child care to surgical adult care. Whose particularity would be the fundamental role of continuing and permanent education in providing quality and risk-free care to patients based on good health practices. Which makes us reflect on how much Information and Communication Technologies have a great impact on corporate learning, as well as reinforcing the competence of a strengthened, dynamic, creative institution, equipped with multidisciplinary knowledge in the required context, and making a difference in the summation of timely results. Concluding that a well-structured training program, aligned with the leadership and other structural areas of the hospital, in addition to working on behavioral and psychological issues, show the power in transforming care in the face of contexts and historical-cultural process.Este relato esclarece as contribuições de recursos e metodologias educacionais, referente à equipe de enfermagem de nível médio e superior no contexto de transição de maneira pandêmica imediatista em um hospital de médio porte de uma multinacional situado em São Paulo durante a pandemia da COVID-19, no período de outubro de 2021 a janeiro de 2022, com foco em cerca de 40 colaboradores da enfermagem inseridos na mudança da linha de cuidado materno infantil para adulto cirúrgico. Cuja particularidade seria o papel fundamental da educação continuada e permanente em prestar uma assistência com qualidade e livre de riscos aos pacientes fundamentados nas boas práticas da saúde. O que nos faz refletir o quanto as Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação possuem grande impacto no aprendizado corporativo, bem como o reforço da competência de uma instituição fortalecida, dinâmica, criativa e munida de saberes multidisciplinar no contexto exigido, e do fazer a diferença no somatório de resultados oportunos. Concluindo que um programa de capacitação bem estruturado, alinhado as lideranças e a demais áreas estruturais do hospital, além de serem trabalhadas as questões comportamentais e psicológicas, evidenciam a potência na transformação do cuidar diante os contextos e processo histórico-cultural

Surgical complications following sentinel lymph node biopsy guided by γ‐probe and methylene blue in 113 tumour‐bearing dogs

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an accepted veterinary surgical procedure given the impact of early detection of nodal metastases on staging of several canine malignancies. This study aims at reporting the incidence and risk factors for surgical complications of SLNB in tumour-bearing dogs. A total of 113 client-owned dogs that underwent tumour excision and SLNB guided by γ-probing and blue dye were retrospectively enrolled. Recorded variables included: signalment, location and number of extirpated lymphocenters and nodes, time for SLNB, histopathological status of excised nodes. Incidence of SLNB complications was calculated. They were classified as minor and major based on severity and required treatment, and as short-term (0–30 days) and long-term (31–90 days). Univariate analysis with generalized linear model with binomial error estimated the association between variables and incidence of SLNB complications. Significance was set at 5%. Median overall time for SLNB was 25 min. Surgeons excised one node in 38% of dogs and multiple nodes in 62% of cases, belonging to one (62%) or multiple (38%) lymphocenters. Metastases were detected in 45% of nodes. No intraoperative complications occurred. The overall incidence of postoperative complications of SLNB was 21,24%, the majority of which (91.67%) were minor. Only increasing dogs' weight was associated with an increased incidence of SLNB complications (p = .00976). Sentinel lymphadenectomy was associated with a relatively low incidence of complications, most of which were self-limiting. The low morbidity and previously reported impact on staging of SLNB justify its implementation to collect data for prognostic studies

Desenvolvimento de um Visualizador 3D, Interativo e Colaborativo Destinado à Exploração Científica de Objetos Virtuais

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar o projeto e aplicação de um software destinado à visualização científica e colaborativa de modelos 3D. Para a validação da ferramenta, realizou-se um estudo de caso aplicado a disciplina de entomologia no qual uma biblioteca de insetos 3D foi utilizada durante os estudos. Os resultados obtidos com este estudo demonstram que o uso da ferramenta proposta tornou o aprendizado mais atrativo e dinâmico, além de possibilitar que professor e estudantes criassem de forma compartilhada o próprio material de estudo

Characterization of skin surface and dermal microbiota in dogs with mast cell tumor

The skin microbiota interacts with the host immune response to maintain the homeostasis. Changes in the skin microbiota are linked to the onset and the progression of several diseases, including tumors. We characterized the skin surface and dermal microbiota of 11 dogs affected by spontaneous mast cell tumor (MCT), using skin contralateral sites as intra-animal healthy controls. The microbial profile differed between healthy and tumor skin surfaces and dermis, demonstrating that the change in microbiota composition is related to the presence of MCT. The number of observed taxa between MCT and healthy skin surfaces was detected, showing a decrease in number and heterogeneity of taxa over the skin surface of MCT, at both inter- and intra-individual level. Preliminary data on bacterial population of MCT dermis, obtained only on three dogs, demonstrated an intra-individual reduction of taxa number when compared to the skin surface. Taxonomy reveals an increase of Firmicutes phylum and Corynebacteriaceae family in MCT skin surface when compared to the healthy contralateral. In conclusion, we demonstrate that microbial population of skin surface and dermis is related to mast cell tumor. Our study provides the basis for future investigations aiming to better define the interaction between mast cell tumors, microbiota and host immune response

Effect of mild hypercapnia on outcome and histological injury in a porcine post cardiac arrest model

Aim of the study: To evaluate in an established porcine post cardiac arrest model the effect of a mild hypercapnic ventilatory strategy on outcome. Methods: The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded in 14 pigs and ventricular fibrillation induced and left untreated for 12 min. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 5 min prior to defibrillation. After resuscitation, pigs were assigned to either normocapnic (end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) target: 35-40 mmHg) or hypercapnic ventilation (EtCO2 45-50 mmHg). Hemodynamics was invasively measured and EtCO2 was monitored with an infrared capnometer. Blood gas analysis, serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and high sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) were assessed. Survival and functional recovery were evaluated up to 96 h. Results: Twelve pigs were successfully resuscitated and eight survived up to 96 h, with animals in the hypercapnic group showing trend towards a longer survival. EtCO2 and arterial partial pressure of CO2 were higher in the hypercapnic group compared to the normocapnic one (p <0.01), during the 4-hour intervention. Hypercapnia was associated with higher mean arterial pressure compared to normocapnia (p <0.05). No significant differences were observed in hs-cTnT and in NSE between groups, although the values tended to be lower in the hypercapnic one. Neuronal degeneration was lesser in the frontal cortex of hypercapnic animals compared to the normocapnic ones (p <0.05). Neurological recovery was equivalent in the two groups. Conclusion: Mild hypercapnia after resuscitation was associated with better arterial pressure and lesser neuronal degeneration in this model. Nevertheless, no corresponding improvements in neurological recovery were observed.Peer reviewe

Cyclin D1 silencing suppresses tumorigenicity, impairs DNA double strand break repair and thus radiosensitizes androgen-independent prostate cancer cells to DNA damage

Patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) have higher biochemical failure rates following radiation therapy (RT). Cyclin D1 deregulated expression in PCa is associated with a more aggressive disease: however its role in radioresistance has not been determined. Cyclin D1 levels in the androgen-independent PC3 and 22Rv1 PCa cells were stably inhibited by infecting with cyclin D1-shRNA. Tumorigenicity and radiosensitivity were investigated using in vitro and in vivo experimental assays. Cyclin D1 silencing interfered with PCa oncogenic phenotype by inducing growth arrest in the G1 phase of cell cycle and reducing soft agar colony formation, migration, invasion in vitro and tumor formation and neo-angiogenesis in vivo. Depletion of cyclin D1 significantly radiosensitizes PCa cells by increasing the RT-induced DNA damages by affecting the NHEJ and HR pathways responsible of the DNA double-strand break repair. Following treatment of cells with RT the abundance of a biomarker of DNA damage, γ-H2AX, was dramatically increased in sh-cyclin D1 treated cells compared to shRNA control. Concordant with these observations DNA-PKcs-activation and RAD51-accumulation, part of the DNA double-strand break repair machinery, were reduced in shRNA-cyclin D1 treated cells compared to shRNA control. We further demonstrate the physical interaction between CCND1 with activated-ATM, -DNA-PKcs and RAD51 is enhanced by RT. Finally, siRNA-mediated silencing experiments indicated DNA-PKcs and RAD51 are downstream targets of CCND1-mediated PCa cells radioresistance. In summary, these observations suggest that CCND1 is a key mediator of PCa radioresistance and could represent a potential target for radioresistant hormone-resistant PCa

Environmental distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii around the Mediterranean basin

In order to elucidate the distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii in the Mediterranean basin, an extensive environmental survey was carried out during 2012-15. A total of 302 sites located in 12 countries were sampled, 6436 samples from 3765 trees were collected, and 5% of trees were found to be colonized by cryptococcal yeasts. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from 177 trees and C. gattii from 13. Cryptococcus neoformans colonized 27% of Ceratonia, 10% of Olea, Platanus and Prunus trees and a lower percentage of other tree genera. The 13 C. gattii isolates were collected from five Eucalyptus, four Ceratonia, two Pinus, and two Olea trees. C. neoformans was distributed all around the Mediterranean basin, whereas C. gattii was isolated in Greece, Southern Italy, and Spain, in agreement with previous findings from both clinical and environmental sources. Among C. neoformans isolates VNI was the prevalent molecular type but VNII, VNIV and VNIII hybrid strains were also isolated. With the exception of a single VGIV isolate, all C. gattii isolates were VGI. The results confirmed the presence of both Cryptococcus species in the Mediterranean environment, and showed that both carob and olive trees represent animportant niche for these yeasts

IMPORTÂNCIA DA ANAMNESE PARA FISIOTERAPIA: REVISÃO BIBLIOGRÁFICA THE IMPORTANCE OF ANAMNESIS FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY: BIBLIOGRAPHIC REVIEW

Objetivo: Objetivou-se, com o presente artigo, explorar  a importância da anamnese para o tratamento fisioterapêutico. Fontes de dados: Trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica, realizada em livros e artigos científicos buscados por meio dos motores de busca, Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs, Medline e Scholar Google,  no período compreendido entre setembro de 2015 e março de 2016. Utilizando os descritores: anamnese, fisioterapia, exame físico, avaliação, de forma individualizada e combinada., nos idiomas português e inglês. O critério de inclusão adotado foi que os artigos contivessem os termos buscados, sendo excluídos os que não possuíam informações relevantes para a pesquisa. Síntese de dados: Foi possível observar que a anamnese, associada ao exame físico, é uma ferramenta fundamental para que o fisioterapeuta realize o diagnóstico cinético funcional e construa objetivos a serem alcançados no tratamento. Evidências apontam que a anamnese constitui a parte mais importante de uma consulta, entretanto, muitos profissionais estão reduzindo o tempo dedicado a ela resultando em uma perda da qualidade do trabalho fisioterapeutico.  Há na literatura uma escassez sobre a temática abordada, principalmente envolvendo a fisioterapia. Conclusões: Pôde-se, então observar com esta pesquisa a grande necessidade de materiais relacionados à anamnese na fisioterapia,  assim como sua importância para o tratamento, as consequências de sua má aplicação e a necessidade de valorização deste item tão importante para os profissionais