Unraveling the Potential Usefulness in Clinical Practice Using Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis

Project No. 007491 Project No. 029114 LA/P/0140/2020 Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000019-C4The human Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of the Prostate (STEAP) family com-prises STEAP1-4. Several studies have pointed out STEAP proteins as putative biomarkers, as well as therapeutic targets in several types of human cancers, particularly in prostate cancer. However, the relationships and significance of the expression pattern of STEAP1-4 in cancer cases are barely known. Herein, the Oncomine database and cBioPortal platform were selected to predict the differential expression levels of STEAP members and clinical prognosis. The most common expression pattern observed was the combination of the over-and underexpression of distinct STEAP genes, but cervical and gastric cancer and lymphoma showed overexpression of all STEAP genes. It was also found that STEAP genes’ expression levels were already deregulated in benign lesions. Regarding the prognostic value, it was found that STEAP1 (prostate), STEAP2 (brain and central nervous system), STEAP3 (kidney, leukemia and testicular) and STEAP4 (bladder, cervical, gastric) overexpression correlate with lower patient survival rate. However, in prostate cancer, overexpression of the STEAP4 gene was correlated with a higher survival rate. Overall, this study first showed that the expression levels of STEAP genes are highly variable in human cancers, which may be related to different patients’ outcomes.publishersversionpublishe

Two estrogen receptors expressed in the teleost fish, Sparus aurata: cDNA cloning, characterization and tissue distribution

Estrogen is an essential hormone for many reproductive and non-reproductive functions. The function of estrogen in the reproductive cycle of seabream (Sparus aurata), a protandrous hermaphrodite teleost fish, is complex but it is understood to be involved in sex inversion, a process that occurs in some individuals during the second reproductive season. Estrogen action is mediated by two estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes designated alpha and beta. As a step to understanding the mechanisms of estrogen action during natural and induced sex reversal in seabream, we have isolated two cDNAs encoding distinct forms of ER homologous to mammalian ER alpha and ER beta. The seabream ER alpha clone (sbER alpha 1), which was truncated in the A/B domain, corresponded to a variant differing in five amino acids from another recently cloned sbER alpha. The ER beta clone (sbER beta) encoded a protein 559 amino acids long and showed only 40% identity to sbER alpha. Northern blot analysis of liver and ovary mRNA indicated the presence of several transcripts of the two receptor subtypes. PCR analysis showed that the two receptors differed in their expression pattern. sbER alpha had a more restricted distribution, occurring mainly in testis, liver and heart, and sbER beta was present in most tissues, being more abundant ill ovary, testis, liver, intestine and kidney. The presence in seabream of two ERs with several ER transcripts and their pattern of distribution are consistent with the widespread effects of estrogen in different tissues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Androgens and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol interplay in modulating prostate cancer cell fate and metabolism

Background: Androgens, the known drivers of prostate cancer (PCa), have been indicated as important metabolic regulators with a relevant role in stimulating lipid metabolism. Also, the relationship between obesity and the aggressiveness of PCa has been established. However, it is unknown if the androgenic hormonal environment may alter the response of PCa cells to lipid availability. Purpose: The present study evaluated the effect of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in regulating lipid metabolism, and the interplay between this hormone and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol in modulating PCa cells fate.Methods: Non-neoplastic and neoplastic PCa cells were treated with 10 nM DHT, and the expression of fatty acids transporter, fatty acid synthase (FASN), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) evaluated. PCa cells were also exposed to LDL (100 mu g/ml) in the presence or absence of DHT.Results: Treatment with DHT upregulated the expression of FASN and CPT1A in androgen-sensitive PCa cells. In contrast, LDL supplementation suppressed FASN expression regardless of the presence of DHT, whereas aug-menting CPT1A levels. Our results also showed that LDL-cholesterol increased PCa cells viability, proliferation, and migration dependently on the presence of DHT. Moreover, LDL and DHT synergistically enhanced the accumulation of lipid droplets in PCa cells.Conclusions: The obtained results show that androgens deregulate lipid metabolism and enhance the effects of LDL increasing PCa cells viability, proliferation and migration. The present findings support clinical data linking obesity with PCa and first implicate androgens in this relationship. Also, they sustain the application of phar-macological approaches targeting cholesterol availability and androgens signaling simultaneously.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nurses’ attitudes facing the family involvment in caring for people with mental disorder

Objective: To characterize the attitudes of Primary Health Care nurses, regarding the involvement of the family in the care for people with Mental Disorder. Methods: Correlational study with 257 nurses from the city of São Paulo. The scale “Importance of Families in Nursing Care- Nurses’ Attitudes” was used. For the analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: The scale scores were high, with a mean value of 82.1 (SD=8.4) favorable to the fami-lies’ involvement, and are related to being a nurse in the Family Health Strategy (p<0.001), having received education/training in family nursing (p<0.005), the workload of 40 hours/week (p<0.005), working in the West, East and Center Regions (p<0.005). Conclusion: Most nurses have positive attitudes towards the involvement of families, a relevant indicator for their inclusion in the health-mental care process.Objetivo: Caracterizar as atitudes dos enfermeiros, de Atenção Primária à Saúde, quanto ao envolvimento da família nos cuidados às pessoas com Transtorno Mental. Métodos: Estudo correlacional, com 257 enfermeiros do município de São Paulo. Utilizou-se a escala “Importância das Famílias nos Cuidados de Enfermagem-Atitudes dos Enfermeiros”. A análise foi realizada com recurso de estatística descritiva e inferencial. Resultados: Os escores da escala foram elevados, com valor médio de 82,1 (DP=8,4) favoráveis ao envolvimento das famílias, e estão relacionadas a ser enfermeiro da Estratégia de Saúde da Família (p<0,001), ter recebido conteúdos sobre enfermagem de família na formação/capacitação (p<0,005), carga-horária de trabalho de 40 hs/sem (p<0,005), atuar nas Regiões Oeste, Leste e Centro (p<0,005). Conclusão: Os enfermeiros detêm, na sua maioria, atitudes positivas para com o envolvimento das famílias, indicador relevante para a integração destas no processo de cuidado em saúde-doença mental.Objetivo: caracterizar las actitudes de los enfermeros en Atención Primaria de Salud con respecto a la participación de la familia en la atención a las personas con Trastorno Mental. Métodos: estudio correlacional con 257 enfermeros de la ciudad de São Paulo. Se utilizó la escala “Importancia de la familia en los cuidados de enfermería: actitudes de las enfermeras”. El análisis se realizó mediante estadística descriptiva e inferencial. Resultados: los puntajes de la escala fueron altos, con un valor promedio de 82.1 (DE=8.4) favorables a la participación de las familias, y están relacionados con ser un enfermero en la Estrategia de Salud Familiar (p<0.001), haber recibido contenido sobre enfermería familiar en la educación/formación (p<0.005), carga de trabajo de 40 horas/semana (p<0.005) y trabajar en las regiones Oeste, Este y Centro (p<0.005). Conclusión: la mayoría de los enfermeros tienen actitudes positivas hacia la participación de las familias, un indicador relevante para su integración en el proceso de atención de salud-enfermedad mental.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Molecular Beacon Assay Development for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Detection

The fast spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a global pandemic, calling for fast and accurate assays to allow infection diagnosis and prevention of transmission. We aimed to develop a molecular beacon (MB)-based detection assay for SARS-CoV-2, designed to detect the ORF1ab and S genes, proposing a two-stage COVID-19 testing strategy. The novelty of this work lies in the design and optimization of two MBs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, namely, concentration, fluorescence plateaus of hybridization, reaction temperature and real-time results. We also identify putative G-quadruplex (G4) regions in the genome of SARS-CoV-2. A total of 458 nasopharyngeal and throat swab samples (426 positive and 32 negative) were tested with the MB assay and the fluorescence levels compared with the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained from a commercial RT-PCR test in terms of test duration, sensitivity, and specificity. Our results show that the samples with higher fluorescence levels correspond to those with low Ct values, suggesting a correlation between viral load and increased MB fluorescence. The proposed assay represents a fast (total duration of 2 h 20 min including amplification and fluorescence reading stages) and simple way of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples from the upper respiratory tract.This work was supported by project No. 149 “Track and Trace COVID-19” funded in first edition “RESEARCH 4 COVID-19” by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) in collaboration with Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (AICIB)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Variabilidade genética de raças de ovelhas deslanadas do Brasil

ABSTRACT: The objectives of this work were to investigate the genetic structure of the Brazilian hair sheep breeds and to determine the origin of the Santa Inês breed. Molecular similarity was determined using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA - Polymerase Chain Reaction markers in 238 individuals from five naturalized sheep breeds: Santa Inês (48 animals), Rabo Largo (48), Somali (48), Morada Nova (48) and Bergamasca (46), collected in Goiás, Sergipe, Bahia, and Ceará States as well as in the Federal District. Fifty-four loci were selected from 19 primers, after a pilot test using 140 primers. Qualitative analyses indicate diagnostic markers for all breeds. All breeds were significantly different from each other. Interbreed differences were explained by 14.92% of the total variation. Santa Inês clustered with Bergamasca (97% bootstrap) and with Rabo Largo, composing the third member of the group (81% bootstrap) while Morada Nova and Somali breeds clustered separately. Each breed should be considered as a separate management and conservation unit, and special care should be taken with Rabo Largo, Morada Nova and Somali breeds, represented by small herds in Brazil. ___________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOOs objetivos deste trabalho foram identificar a origem racial de ovinos Santa Inês e avaliar a unicidade das populações das principais raças naturalizadas brasileiras de ovinos deslanado. Foi realizado um estudo dos padrões de semelhança molecular a partir de marcadores RAPD-PCR, utilizando-se 238 indivíduos dos Estados de Goiás, Sergipe, Bahia, e Ceará assim como do Distrito Federal, distribuídos entre as raças Santa Inês (48 animais), Bergamácia (46), Rabo Largo (48), Morada Nova (48) e Somali (48). Após triagem com 140 primers, foram selecionados 54 locos a partir de 19 primers e todas as raças apresentaram marcadores específicos. Análises qualitativas mostraram a presença de marcadores diagnóstico-específicos para todas as raças. As diferenças inter-raciais foram significativas e responsáveis por 14,92% da variação total observada. Na análise de agrupamento, a raça Santa Inês ficou próxima à Bergamácia (com 97% de valor bootstrap). A raça Rabo Largo apresentou maior similaridade com este grupo (com 81% bootstrap) do que as raças Morada Nova e Somali. Cada raça deve ser considerada como unidade de conservação e manejo, especialmente as raças Rabo Largo, Morada Nova e Somali, as quais apresentam as menores populações no País

Dificuldade de aprendizagem no processo de alfabetização na unidade integrada Maria Mata

As dificuldades de aprendizagem fazem parte do processo escolar, abran - gendo com o passar do tempo, um número cada vez mais elevado de educandos. A função da escola é proporcionar aos alunos as estratégias necessárias para que eles aprendam cada vez mais e possibilitem aos mesmos atuar criticamente em seu meio social. O objetivo geral deste é propor práticas pedagógicas que ajudem as crianças em suas dificuldades. Esse trabalho é uma análise da escola frente às dificuldades encon - tradas pela criança no processo de alfabetização. O interesse em discutir esse tema ocorre de vários motivos, todos apontados para necessidade de iniciativas que visam à construção de novas metodologias que evitem que uma dificuldade de aprendizagem resulte no fracasso educacional. Para a metodologia de trabalho utilizou-se a aborda - gem qualitativa enfocando a pesquisa bibliográfica (livros, artigos), como referencial teórico a concepção de vários educadores sobre o tema bem como a realização de uma entrevista voltada aos professores. Os resultados permitirão a possibilidade de identifi - cação das dificuldades de aprendizagem na escola e como tratá-las logo no início.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enfermeiros de atenção primária à saúde: atitudes frente à pessoa com transtorno mental

RESUMOObjetivo: Identificar as atitudes dos enfermeiros que atuam na Atenção Primária à Saúde frente à pessoa com transtorno mental e asvariáveis relacionados aos cuidados de saúde prestados.Metodologia: Estudo descritivo, correlacional, com 250 enfermeiros de 69 Unidades Básica de Saúde do município de São Paulo.A coleta de dados ocorreu entre abril e agosto de 2019 por meio da escala “Opiniões acerca da Doença Mental”. Os dados foramanalisados por meio do teste de KrusKal-Wallis, com nível de confiança de 95% e significância estatística de p<0,05.Resultados: A média global da escala foi 197, que demonstra atitudes negativas especialmente nas dimensões de Autoritarismo(44,6), Restrição Social (42,0), e positiva na dimensão Benevolência (51,7).Conclusão: Os enfermeiros apresentam, tendencialmente, perfil atitudinal estigmatizante. É necessária intervenção formativa epermanente para que seja possível reduzir o estigma e melhorar o cuidado de base comunitária preconizado nas diretrizes da Redede Atenção Psicossocial.Palavras-chave: Assistência à saúde mental. Saúde mental. Atitude do pessoal de saúde. Enfermagem primária