Baja frecuencia de geohelmintos en cuatro comunidades rurales del municipio heres, estado Bolivar, Venezuela | low ferquency of geohelminthes in four rural communities from heres Municipalitiy, Bolivar state, Venezuela

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la frecuencia de geohelmintos en habitantes de cuatro comunidades rurales del municipio Heres, estado Bolívar, durante el período febrero-julio de 2008. Se realizó el análisis de una muestra de heces a 238 individuos de ambos géneros; las cuales fueron sometidas a los métodos coproparasitológicos de examen directo y métodos de concentración de Kato, formol-éter y sedimentación espontánea, así como el método de coloración de Kinyoun y cultivo en placa de agar. Se obtuvo una frecuencia total de parasitosis intestinales de 76,47% (182/238). No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre el género (p > 0,05) y la edad (χ2 = 1,91; g.l. = 1; p > 0,05) de los parasitados. Los geohelmintos diagnosticados fueron Ascaris lumbricoides (5,04%; n = 12), Trichuris trichiura (4,20%; n = 10), ancilostomidios (0,84%; n = 2) y Strongyloides stercoralis (0,84%; n = 2). Los principales protistas encontrados fueron Blastocystis spp. (57,14%; n = 136) y Giardia intestinalis (25,21%; n = 60). Contrario a lo esperado se encontró una baja frecuencia de geohelmintos en las cuatro comunidades rurales estudiadas, del municipio Heres, estado Bolívar. Palabras clave: Geohelmintos, frecuencia, comunidades rurales. ABSTACT The object of this study was to determine the frequency of soil-transmitted helminthes in the inhabitants of four rural communities in Heres, Bolivar State, during the period February to July 2008. Stool samples from 238 individuals of both genders were submitted to parasitological methods of direct examination and Kato, formalin-ether spontaneous sedimentation concentration methods, as well as the Kinyoun staining and culture in agar plate. The frequency of intestinal parasites was 76.47% (182/238). There was no statistically significant difference between gender (p> 0.05) and age (χ2 = 1.91, d.f. = 1, p> 0.05) of the people infected. The diagnosed soil-transmitted helminths were Ascaris lumbricoides (5,04%, n = 12), Trichuris trichiura (4.20%, n = 10), hookworm (0.84%, n = 2) and Strongyloides stercoralis (0.84%; (n = 2). The main protists found were Blastocystis spp. (57.14% n = 136) and Giardia intestinalis (25.21% n = 60). Contrary to expectations we found a low frequency of geohelminthes in the four rural communities studied from the municipality Heres, Bolívar State. Key words: Soil-transmitted helminthes, frequency, rural communities

Sustainable approach of high-pressure agave bagasse pretreatment for ethanol production

ABSTRACT: Agave bagasse is one of the most abundant lignocellulosic residues readily available for valorization. The agave bagasse was pretreated by applying high-pressure CO2–H2O mixture at temperatures ranging from 150 to 190 °C for a residence time varying from 10 to 50 min. Subsequently, solid phase obtained from pretreatment was subject to enzymatic hydrolysis at high solid loadings. Under optimal conditions, the process integrating pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis yielded 75.8 mol% of the polysaccharides present in the biomass converted into oligo- or monosaccharides, providing 110.5 g/L of reducing sugars. The monosaccharides present in the obtained hydrolysate were successfully fermented into ethanol, demonstrating the feasibility of performing its biological conversion to commercial biofuels or biochemicals. Thereby, the present study has demonstrated the proof of concept of use of more sustainable high-pressure CO2–H2O pretreatment in the context of lignocellulosic residual biomass valorization based on the biochemical sugar platform.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cardiac-specific suppression of NF-kappa B signaling prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy via inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system

Activation of NF-kappa B signaling in the heart may be protective or deleterious depending on the pathological context. in diabetes, the role of NF-kappa B in cardiac dysfunction has been investigated using pharmacological approaches that have a limitation of being nonspecific. Furthermore, the specific cellular pathways by which NF-kappa B modulates heart function in diabetes have not been identified. To address these questions, we used a transgenic mouse line expressing mutated I kappa B-alpha in the heart (3M mice), which prevented activation of canonical NF-kappa B signaling. Diabetes was developed by streptozotocin injections in wild-type (WT) and 3M mice. Diabetic WT mice developed systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunction by the 12th week, as measured by echocardiography. in contrast, cardiac function was preserved in 3M mice up to 24 wk of diabetes. Diabetes induced an elevation in cardiac oxidative stress in diabetic WT mice but not 3M mice compared with nondiabetic control mice. in diabetic WT mice, an increase in the phospholamban/sarco(endo) plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2 ratio and decrease in ryanodine receptor expression were observed, whereas diabetic 3M mice showed an opposite effect on these parameters of Ca2+ handling. Significantly, renin-angiotensin system activity was suppressed in diabetic 3M mice compared with an increase in WT animals. in conclusion, these results demonstrate that inhibition of NF-kappa B signaling in the heart prevents diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction through preserved Ca2+ handling and inhibition of the cardiac renin-angiotensin system.National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTexas A&M Hlth Sci Ctr, Div Mol Cardiol, Dept Med, Coll Med, Temple, TX USABaylor Scott & White Hlth, Temple, TX USACent Texas Vet Hlth Care Syst, Temple, TX USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilLoyola Univ Chicago, Maywood, IL USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: 5-R01-HL-090817Web of Scienc

Environmental drivers of distribution and reef development of the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa

Cladocora caespitosa is the only Mediterranean scleractinian similar to tropical reef-building corals. While this species is part of the recent fossil history of the Mediterranean Sea, it is currently considered endangered due to its decline during the last decades. Environmental factors affecting the distribution and persistence of extensive bank reefs of this endemic species across its whole geographic range are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the environmental response of C. caespitosa and its main types of assemblages using ecological niche modeling and ordination analysis. We also predicted other suitable areas for the occurrence of the species and assessed the conservation effectiveness of Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) for this coral. We found that phosphate concentration and wave height were factors affecting both the occurrence of this versatile species and the distribution of its extensive bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea. A set of factors (diffuse attenuation coefficient, calcite and nitrate concentrations, mean wave height, sea surface temperature, and shape of the coast) likely act as environmental barriers preventing the species from expansion to the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea. Uncertainties in our large-scale statistical results and departures from previous physiological and ecological studies are also discussed under an integrative perspective. This study reveals that Mediterranean MPAs encompass eight of the ten banks and 16 of the 21 beds of C. caespitosa. Preservation of water clarity by avoiding phosphate discharges may improve the protection of this emblematic species.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [CTM2014-57949-R]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Design for production of a children’s house in light wood frame

Para edificações estruturadas em madeira são necessários projetos bem detalhados, com etapas e especialidades relacionadas e dependentes entre si. Seu projeto para produção deve ocorrer simultaneamente ao projeto arquitetônico. O projeto para produção de edificações do tipo wood frame pode contribuir para uma disseminação de qualidade. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar o caso de um projeto para produção desenvolvido para uma casinha para crianças constituída com o sistema wood frame. As principais etapas do método aplicado foram: (1) dividir a edificação em painéis de piso, parede e cobertura; (2) detalhar os componentes constituintes de cada painel; (3) locar os painéis na sua posição para a montagem final. Os resultados apresentam desenhos e tabelas desenvolvidos para a manufatura dos elementos pré-fabricados e sua montagem final no canteiro. Neste caso, observou-se que a padronização e a identificação dos componentes facilitaram na execução, evitando retrabalhos e agilizando o processo.For wooden structures, the design must comprehend many details, including execution stages and related interdependent specialties. The design for production must occur simultaneously with the architectural design. The design for production of wood frame buildings may contribute to a quality dissemination. This article aims to present a case of a design for production developed for a children's house constituted with the wood frame system. The main steps of the method applied were: (1) divide the building into floor, wall and roof panels; (2) detail the components of each panel; (3) place the panels in their position for final assembly. The results present drawings and tables developed for the manufacture of prefabricated elements and their final assembly at the construction site. In this case, it was observed that the standardization and identification of the components facilitated the execution, avoiding rework and streamlining the process

Design for production of a children’s house in light wood frame

Para edificações estruturadas em madeira são necessários projetos bem detalhados, com etapas e especialidades relacionadas e dependentes entre si. Seu projeto para produção deve ocorrer simultaneamente ao projeto arquitetônico. O projeto para produção de edificações do tipo wood frame pode contribuir para uma disseminação de qualidade. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar o caso de um projeto para produção desenvolvido para uma casinha para crianças constituída com o sistema wood frame. As principais etapas do método aplicado foram: (1) dividir a edificação em painéis de piso, parede e cobertura; (2) detalhar os componentes constituintes de cada painel; (3) locar os painéis na sua posição para a montagem final. Os resultados apresentam desenhos e tabelas desenvolvidos para a manufatura dos elementos pré-fabricados e sua montagem final no canteiro. Neste caso, observou-se que a padronização e a identificação dos componentes facilitaram na execução, evitando retrabalhos e agilizando o processo.For wooden structures, the design must comprehend many details, including execution stages and related interdependent specialties. The design for production must occur simultaneously with the architectural design. The design for production of wood frame buildings may contribute to a quality dissemination. This article aims to present a case of a design for production developed for a children's house constituted with the wood frame system. The main steps of the method applied were: (1) divide the building into floor, wall and roof panels; (2) detail the components of each panel; (3) place the panels in their position for final assembly. The results present drawings and tables developed for the manufacture of prefabricated elements and their final assembly at the construction site. In this case, it was observed that the standardization and identification of the components facilitated the execution, avoiding rework and streamlining the process

Applying Small Molecule Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-3 (STAT3) Protein Inhibitors as Pancreatic Cancer Therapeutics

Constitutively activated STAT3 protein has been found to be a key regulator of pancreatic cancer and a target for molecular therapeutic intervention. In this study, PG-S3-001, a small molecule derived from the SH-4-54 class of STAT3 inhibitors, was found to inhibit patient-derived pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo in the low micromolar range. PG-S3-001 binds the STAT3 protein potently, Kd = 324 nmol/L by surface plasmon resonance, and showed no effect in a kinome screen (>100 cancer-relevant kinases). In vitro studies demonstrated potent cell killing as well as inhibition of STAT3 activation in pancreatic cancer cells. To better model the tumor and its microenvironment, we utilized three-dimensional (3D) cultures of patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells in the absence and presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). In this coculture model, inhibition of tumor growth is maintained following STAT3 inhibition in the presence of CAFs. Confocal microscopy was used to verify tumor cell death following treatment of 3D cocultures with PG-S3-001. The 3D model was predictive of in vivo efficacy as significant tumor growth inhibition was observed upon administration of PG-S3-001. These studies showed that the inhibition of STAT3 was able to impact the survival of tumor cells in a relevant 3D model, as well as in a xenograft model using patient-derived cells

How do we estimate survival? External validation of a tool for survival estimation in patients with metastatic bone disease-decision analysis and comparison of three international patient populations

How do we estimate survival? External validation of a tool for survival estimation in patients with metastatic bone disease-decision analysis and comparison of three international patient population