COMPARAÇÃO DAS AÇÕES PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DA CADEIA PRODUTIVA DA CASTANHA-DO-BRASIL EM DOIS ESTADOS DA AMAZÔNIA BRASILEIRA

Os estados do Acre e do Amapá apresentam algumas semelhanças referentes às políticas de desenvolvimento local a partir da valorização das cadeias produtivas de produtos florestais não-madeireiros, sendo que a da castanha-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa) concentrou inicialmente grande parte das ações nos dois estados. Com base nesses contextos similares, o objetivo do artigo é realizar uma análise das estratégias de desenvolvimento local relacionadas à cadeia produtiva da castanha-do-Brasil no Acre e no Amapá, a fim de identificar os aspectos favoráveis e desfavoráveis ao desenvolvimento desta cadeia nos dois estados. Apresentamos inicialmente as principais diferenças e similaridades da cadeia nos dois estados, seguido de uma proposta de quadro teórico que possibilitou o entendimento dos principais obstáculos e aspectos favoráveis ao desenvolvimento da cadeia nos dois casos estudados. Os elementos teóricos utilizados na análise dessas estratégias relacionam-se aos aspectos organizacionais internos e externos às cooperativas extrativistas, que foram criadas tendo como um dos objetivos principais a promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável das comunidades extrativistas locais. Abordaremos os conceitos de autogestão e empoderamento para analisar os aspectos internos das cooperativas, e as estruturas de cadeia produtiva, cadeia de suprimento (supply chain) e arranjo produtivo local para analisar os aspectos externos às cooperativas. A metodologia utilizada para a avaliação nos dois estados consistiu em um estudo exploratório sobre a cadeia produtiva da castanha-do-Brasil em cada estado, que permitiu uma revisão de literatura mais pertinente sobre os conceitos organizacionais ligados ao contexto dos projetos de desenvolvimento analisados e um estudo de casos múltiplos em seis cooperativas, sendo três localizadas no Acre e três no Amapá. Os resultados das avaliações, que fazem parte de uma pesquisa mais abrangente, sinalizam que o estado do Acre apresenta uma maior orientação e integração dos atores locais para o desenvolvimento da cadeia produtiva - e até mesmo de um arranjo produtivo local - da castanha-do-Brasil. Entretanto, mesmo neste estado, alguns obstáculos ainda devem ser superados, principalmente aqueles relacionados aos aspectos organizacionais internos às cooperativas extrativistas locais. -----------------------------------------------The Brazilian states of Acre and Amapá have some similarities with regard to the policies of local development to promote the non timber forest production chain. Initially it was the Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) production chain that concentrated the major part of the initiatives in these two states. Based in these similar contexts, the objective of this paper is to analyze the strategies of local development related to the production chain of the Brazil nuts in Acre and in Amapá, in order to identify its favorable and unfavorable aspects to the development of this chain in the two states. First we present the main differences and similarities of the chain in the two states, following by a proposal of theoretical instrumental that made it possible to understand the main obstacles and favorable aspects to the development of the chain in the two states. The theoretical elements used in the analysis of those strategies are related to internal and external organizational aspects of the nut collectors cooperatives, that were created with as one of their main objectives the promotion of the sustainable development of the nuts collectors communities. We will use the self-management and empowerment concepts to analyze the internal aspects of the cooperatives, and for the external aspects of the cooperatives we will use the concepts of production chain, supply chain and local industrial clusters. The method used for the survey in the two states consisted in an exploratory study of the brazil nut´s production chain in each state, and (that allowed) a revision of relevant literature on organizational concepts related to the context of the development projects and a multiple case study of three cooperatives located in Acre and three in Amapá. The results of these evaluations, which are part of a wider research project, show that in Acre the local actors have a larger orientation and integration on the development of the production chain - and even on a local industrial cluster. However, even in this state, some obstacles should still are to be overcome, mainly those related to internal organizational aspects of the local cooperatives.desenvolvimento local, aspectos organizacionais, cadeia produtiva, cooperativas extrativistas, castanha-do-Brasil, local development, managerial aspects, production chain, extractive cooperatives, Brazil nut, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Challenges and practical recommendations for successfully recruiting inactive, statin-free older adults to clinical trials

Objectives: To outline the challenges and provide practical recommendations for recruiting inactive, statin-free older adults to facilitate feasible study designs. Data was obtained from a double-blind randomised-controlled clinical trial investigating the effects of acipimox versus placebo on muscle function and metabolism in older (65-75 years), inactive, statin-free males. The initial recruitment target was 20 volunteers within 12 months (November 2016-November 2017). Results: Recruitment occurred via the Exeter 10,000 database containing 236 'eligible' males, a Facebook campaign reaching > 8000 ≥ 65 years old males, 400 directly-addressed letters to ≥ 66 year old males, > 1500 flyers distributed within the community, > 40 emails to local community groups, 4 recruitment talks, 2 magazine adverts and 1 radio advert. Widespread recruitment efforts reaching > 120,000 people led to the recruitment of 20 volunteers (18 completed the clinical trial) within a 25-month timeframe, highlighting the challenge of the timely recruitment of inactive, statin-free older adults for clinical trials. We recommend recruitment for future clinical trials should take a multi-pronged approach from the outset, prioritising the use of volunteer databases, Facebook campaigns and delivering recruitment talks.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.This work was supported by a grant from Dunhill Medical Trust (R492/0516) and the NIHR Exeter CRF. CS Deane is a funded Medical Research Council Skills Development Fellow (MR/T026014/1). The funders had no role in study design, data analysis or outcome of the study.published version, accepted versio

Association between urinary biomarkers of total sugars intake and measures of obesity in a cross-sectional study

Obesity is an important modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases. While there is increasing focus on the role of dietary sugars, there remains a paucity of data establishing the association between sugar intake and obesity in the general public. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of estimated sugar intake with odds for obesity in a representative sample of English adults. We used data from 434 participants of the 2005 Health Survey of England. Biomarkers for total sugar intake were measured in 24 h urine samples and used to estimate intake. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between biomarker-based estimated intake and measures of obesity (body mass intake (BMI), waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) and obesity risk, respectively. Estimated sugar intake was significantly associated with BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio; these associations remained significant after adjustment for estimated protein intake as a marker of non-sugar energy intake. Estimated sugar intake was also associated with increased odds for obesity based on BMI (OR 1.02; 95%CI 1.00-1.04 per 10g), waist-circumference (1.03; 1.01-1.05) and waist-to-hip ratio (1.04; 1.02-1.06); all OR estimates remained significant after adjusting for estimated protein intake. Our results strongly support positive associations between total sugar intake, measures of obesity and likelihood of being obese. It is the first time that such an association has been shown in a nationally-representative sample of the general population using a validated biomarker. This biomarker could be used to monitor the efficacy of public health interventions to reduce sugar intake

Mechanism of Neuronal versus Endothelial Cell Uptake of Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid β Protein

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by significant neurodegeneration in the cortex and hippocampus; intraneuronal tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein; and accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) proteins 40 and 42 in the brain parenchyma as well as in the cerebral vasculature. The current understanding that AD is initiated by the neuronal accumulation of Aβ proteins due to their inefficient clearance at the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), places the neurovascular unit at the epicenter of AD pathophysiology. The objective of this study is to investigate cellular mechanisms mediating the internalization of Aβ proteins in the principle constituents of the neurovascular unit, neurons and BBB endothelial cells. Laser confocal micrographs of wild type (WT) mouse brain slices treated with fluorescein labeled Aβ40 (F-Aβ40) demonstrated selective accumulation of the protein in a subpopulation of cortical and hippocampal neurons via nonsaturable, energy independent, and nonendocytotic pathways. This groundbreaking finding, which challenges the conventional belief that Aβ proteins are internalized by neurons via receptor mediated endocytosis, was verified in differentiated PC12 cells and rat primary hippocampal (RPH) neurons through laser confocal microscopy and flow cytometry studies. Microscopy studies have demonstrated that a significant proportion of F-Aβ40 or F-Aβ42 internalized by differentiated PC12 cells or RPH neurons is located outside of the endosomal or lysosomal compartments, which may accumulate without degradation. In contrast, BBME cells exhibit energy dependent uptake of F-Aβ40, and accumulate the protein in acidic cell organelle, indicative of endocytotic uptake. Such a phenomenal difference in the internalization of Aβ40 between neurons and BBB endothelial cells may provide essential clues to understanding how various cells can differentially regulate Aβ proteins and help explain the vulnerability of cortical and hippocampal neurons to Aβ toxicity

The role of resveratrol on skeletal muscle cell differentiation and myotube hypertrophy during glucose restriction

Glucose restriction (GR) impairs muscle cell differentiation and evokes myotube atrophy. Resveratrol treatment in skeletal muscle cells improves inflammatory-induced reductions in skeletal muscle cell differentiation. We therefore hypothesised that resveratrol treatment would improve muscle cell differentiation and myotube hypertrophy in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts and mature myotubes during GR. Glucose restriction at 0.6 g/L (3.3 mM) blocked differentiation and myotube hypertrophy versus high-glucose (4.5 g/L or 25 mM) differentiation media (DM) conditions universally used for myoblast culture. Resveratrol (10 μM) treatment increased SIRT1 phosphorylation in DM conditions, yet did not improve differentiation when administered to differentiating myoblasts in GR conditions. Resveratrol did evoke increases in hypertrophy of mature myotubes under DM conditions with corresponding elevated Igf-I and Myhc7 gene expression, coding for the ‘slow’ type I MYHC protein isoform. Inhibition of SIRT1 via EX-527 administration (100 nM) also reduced myotube diameter and area in DM conditions and resulted in lower gene expression of Myhc 1, 2 and 4 coding for ‘intermediate’ and ‘faster’ IIx, IIa and IIb protein isoforms, respectively. Resveratrol treatment did not appear to modulate phosphorylation of energy-sensing protein AMPK or protein translation initiator P70S6K. Importantly, in mature myotubes, resveratrol treatment was able to ameliorate reduced myotube growth in GR conditions over an acute 24-h period, but not over 48–72 h. Overall, resveratrol evoked myotube hypertrophy in DM conditions while favouring ‘slower’ Myhc gene expression and acutely ameliorated impaired myotube growth observed during glucose restriction

Timing is everything: the regulation of type III secretion

Type Three Secretion Systems (T3SSs) are essential virulence determinants of many Gram-negative bacteria. The T3SS is an injection device that can transfer bacterial virulence proteins directly into host cells. The apparatus is made up of a basal body that spans both bacterial membranes and an extracellular needle that possesses a channel that is thought to act as a conduit for protein secretion. Contact with a host-cell membrane triggers the insertion of a pore into the target membrane, and effectors are translocated through this pore into the host cell. To assemble a functional T3SS, specific substrates must be targeted to the apparatus in the correct order. Recently, there have been many developments in our structural and functional understanding of the proteins involved in the regulation of secretion. Here we review the current understanding of protein components of the system thought to be involved in switching between different stages of secretion

Study protocol: a randomized controlled trial of a computer-based depression and substance abuse intervention for people attending residential substance abuse treatment

Background: A large proportion of people attending residential alcohol and other substance abuse treatment have a co-occurring mental illness. Empirical evidence suggests that it is important to treat both the substance abuse problem and co-occurring mental illness concurrently and in an integrated fashion. However, the majority of residential alcohol and other substance abuse services do not address mental illness in a systematic way. It is likely that computer delivered interventions could improve the ability of substance abuse services to address co-occurring mental illness. This protocol describes a study in which we will assess the effectiveness of adding a computer delivered depression and substance abuse intervention for people who are attending residential alcohol and other substance abuse treatment. Methods/Design. Participants will be recruited from residential rehabilitation programs operated by the Australian Salvation Army. All participants who satisfy the diagnostic criteria for an alcohol or other substance dependence disorder will be asked to participate in the study. After completion of a baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to either a computer delivered substance abuse and depression intervention (treatment condition) or to a computer-delivered typing tutorial (active control condition). All participants will continue to complete The Salvation Army residential program, a predominantly 12-step based treatment facility. Randomisation will be stratified by gender (Male, Female), length of time the participant has been in the program at the commencement of the study (4 weeks or less, 4 weeks or more), and use of anti-depressant medication (currently prescribed medication, not prescribed medication). Participants in both conditions will complete computer sessions twice per week, over a five-week period. Research staff blind to treatment allocation will complete the assessments at baseline, and then 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post intervention. Participants will also complete weekly self-report measures during the treatment period. Discussion. This study will provide comprehensive data on the effect of introducing a computer delivered, cognitive behavioral therapy based co-morbidity treatment program within a residential substance abuse setting. If shown to be effective, this intervention can be disseminated within other residential substance abuse programs. Trial registration. Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12611000618954