Therapy of Osteoporosis in Men with Teriparatide

Osteoanabolic therapy is an attractive therapeutic option for men with osteoporosis because it directly stimulates bone formation, an action not shared by any antiresorptive drug. Teriparatide (recombinant human PTH(1-34)) and PTH(1-84) are available in many countries but PTH(1-84) is not available in the United States. Only teriparatide is approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in men. It is also indicated in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Teriparatide is associated with major gains in bone density at the lumbar spine and, to a lesser extent, in the hip regions. Vertebral and nonvertebral fractures are reduced in postmenopausal women treated with teriparatide. Fracture reduction data in men are less secure because the number of study subjects is small and the studies have not been powered to document this endpoint. Nevertheless, observational data in men suggest a reduction in vertebral fractures with teriparatide. Attempts to show further beneficial effects of teriparatide in combination with antiresorptive agents have not been demonstrated yet to be superior to monotherapy with teriparatide alone. The duration of therapy with teriparatide is limited to 2 years. Thereafter, it is necessary to treat with an antiresorptive drug to maintain, and perhaps increase, densitometric gains. Teriparatide is well tolerated with a good safety profile

GLOBALIZAÇÃO E REESTRUTURAÇÃO TERRITORIAL NO ESTADO DA BAHIA

O mundo de nossos dias é caracterizado, de um lado, pela globalização, ou seja, pela integração, e, por outro lado, pela fragmentação, isto é, pelo esforço de valorização de suas partes. Estas idéias são aplicadas à realidade do Estado da Bahia enquanto uma unidade espacial, tentando detectar o seu comportamento econômico-espacial diante da nova dinâmica externa. Assim, o trabalho mostra as mudanças nas relações econômicas da Bahia onde se constata um grande esforço para uma maior inserção no contexto nacional e nos mercados globais. Isto tem trazido mudanças na estruturação espacial do Estado através, de um lado, da ampliação da centralização econômica da Região Metropolitana de Salvador, em grande parte, graças ao papel do turismo e lazer. Mas, por outro lado, há importantes exemplos de dinamização de outras regiões, como no Extremo Sul (complexo floresta-indústria de papel e celulose e turismo), Litoral Sul (turismo e alta tecnologia na região de Ilhéus-Itabuna), Oeste (agro-indústria de grãos) e Baixo Médio São Francisco (agro-indústria com base em projetos de irrigação). As perspectivas econômico-espaciais são apresentadas em forma de um cartograma

Development of Tract-Specific White Matter Pathways During Early Reading Development in At-Risk Children and Typical Controls

Developmental dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic basis. Previous studies observed white matter alterations in the left posterior brain regions in adults and school-age children with dyslexia. However, no study yet has examined the development of tract-specific white matter pathways from the pre-reading to the fluent reading stage in children at familial risk for dyslexia (FHD+) versus controls (FHD−). This study examined whitematter integrity at pre-reading, beginning, and fluent reading stages cross-sectionally (n = 78) and longitudinally (n = 45) using an automated fiber-tract quantification method. Our findings depict white matter alterations and atypical lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus at the pre-reading stage in FHD+ versus FHD− children. Moreover, we demonstrate faster white matter development in subsequent good versus poor readers and a positive association between white matter maturation and reading development using a longitudinal design. Additionally, the combination of white matter maturation, familial risk, and psychometric measures best predicted later reading abilities. Furthermore, within FHD+ children, subsequent good readers exhibited faster white matter development in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with subsequent poor readers, suggesting a compensatory mechanism. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of white matter pathway maturation in the development of typical and atypical reading skills

Glauber dynamics in a single-chain magnet: From theory to real systems

The Glauber dynamics is studied in a single-chain magnet. As predicted, a single relaxation mode of the magnetization is found. Above 2.7 K, the thermally activated relaxation time is mainly governed by the effect of magnetic correlations and the energy barrier experienced by each magnetic unit. This result is in perfect agreement with independent thermodynamical measurements. Below 2.7 K, a crossover towards a relaxation regime is observed that is interpreted as the manifestation of finite-size effects. The temperature dependences of the relaxation time and of the magnetic susceptibility reveal the importance of the boundary conditions.Comment: Submitted to PRL 10 May 2003. Submitted to PRB 12 December 2003; published 15 April 200

INVESTIMENTOS PÚBLICOS E PRIVADOS NAS CIDADES MÉDIAS BRASILEIRAS E REPERCUSSÕES NA MOBILIDADE ESPACIAL DA POPULAÇÃO: O EXEMPLO DE VITÓRIA DA CONQUISTA/BAHIA- 1970 A 2015

This paper presents an analysis of the dynamics of the regional population and migration in medium-sized cities, based on the Vitória da Conquista example, as a result of public policies implemented in these cities and of the growth of private investments, due to the expansion of consumer market. The analysis in Vitória da Conquista was empirical and based on literature. In Vitoria da Conquista interviews were made with people born in other municipalities. Interviews were also made with city residents and residents of other municipalities in large hospitals, higher education institutions, state and federal agencies in neighborhoods served by housing programs. The defined sample was 220 migrants of the region. The presence of population of regional origin in the medium-sized cities has intensified, as well as the arrival of migrants from other regions, mainly in search of higher education. In medium-sized cities located in areas with high social and economic inequalities, as in Vitória da Conquista, the search for hospital care, education and attendance in government offices with centralized activities, has been recurrent. This extends the presence of the region´s population in the city and promotes dynamism that attracts migrants from other regions in search of work and private entrepreneurs of national and international capital, with repercussions on intra-urban space.Esse trabalho traz uma análise sobre a dinâmica da população regional e migrante nas cidades médias, com base no exemplo de Vitória da Conquista, como resultado de políticas públicas implementadas no processo de constituição dessas cidades e do crescimento dos investimentos privados, em função da ampliação do mercado consumidor. A investigação em Vitória da Conquista, foi empírico-bibliográfica. Foram aplicadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas em Vitória da Conquista, com pessoas nascidas em outros municípios, residentes na cidade e residentes de outros municípios, em hospitais de grande porte, instituições de ensino superior, órgãos públicos estaduais e federais e em bairros atendidos pelos programas habitacionais. A amostra definida foi de 220 migrantes da região. A presença da população de origem regional nas cidades médias tem se intensificado, assim como a chegada de migrantes de outras regiões, principalmente em busca de ensino superior. Nas cidades médias localizadas em regiões com grandes desigualdades sociais e econômicas, como em Vitória da Conquista-BA, a busca por atendimento médico-hospitalar e atendimento em órgãos públicos com atividades centralizadas, tem sido recorrente, o que amplia a presença da população da região de influência na cidade, promovendo o dinamismo que atrai migrantes de fora da região em busca de trabalho e empreendedores privados de capital nacional e internacional, com repercussões no espaço intra-urbano

Longitudinal development of 5m sprint performance in young female tennis players

Sprint performance over short distances is a central component in young tennis players' development. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal development of sprint performance in young female tennis players, and to investigate differences between performance levels. Also potentially explanatory variables were investigated. Female tennis players aged 10-15 (N= 167) participated in a, mixed-longitudinal study (n= 48 elite;n= 119 sub-elite). Players were measured annually on the 5 m sprint as well as for possible explaining variables for 5 m sprint performance development (age, height, body mass, maturity status, lower limb explosive strength). Multilevel analysis was used to obtain a developmental model. Moreover, it was possible to predict sprint performance (5 m) based on chronological age, body size given by height, and lower limb strength performance (p . 05). Sprint performance is an important characteristic of young female tennis players and seemed to depend on growth and maturation in parallel to physical fitness

Hierarchical porous Fe/Ni-based bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for rechargeable zinc-air batteries

Developing sustainable and efficient bifunctional catalysts for oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) reactions is challenging for energy conversion and storage. This work proposes a hierarchical carbon matrix decorated with nitrogen atoms (NC) as a support for obtaining high-performance electrocatalysts based on iron and nickel (Fe/Ni@N-C). The effect of different Fe:Ni ratios and the pyrolysis conditions on the catalyst performance were investigated by combining electrochemical tests, N-2-adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Once optimized the pyrolysis conditions and the Fe:Ni ratio, the Fe/Ni@N-C catalyst showed high bifunctional OER/ORR activity in a three-electrode cell in an alkaline environment (KOH 1 M), with an overall Delta E for the ORR-OER reaction of 0.75 V. Fe/Ni@N-C was assembled in a rechargeable zinc-air battery, resulting in an excellent electrochemical performance in terms of power density (148.5 mWcm(-2)) and durability, outperforming the benchmark Pt/C-RuO2

What is the impact of interventions that prevent fetal mortality on the increase of preterm live births in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil?

BACKGROUND: There is a global growing trend of preterm births and a decline trend of fetal deaths. Is there an impact of the decline of fetal mortality on the increase of preterm live births in State of Sao Paulo, Brazil? METHODS: The time trends were evaluated by gestational age through exponential regression analysis. Data analyzed included the fetal mortality ratio, proportion of preterm live births, fertility rate of women 35 years and over, prenatal care, mother's education, multiple births and cesarean section deliveries. A survival analysis was carried out for 2000 and 2010. RESULTS: Preterm births showed the highest annual increase (3.2%) in the less than 28 weeks of gestation group and fetal mortality ratio decreased (7.4%) in the same gestational age group. There was an increase of cesarean section births and it was higher in the < 28 weeks group (6.1%). There was a decreased annual trend of mothers with inadequate prenatal care (6.1%) and low education (8.8%) and an increased trend in multiple births and fertility rates of women of 35 years and over. The variables were highly correlated to which other over time. In 2000, 8.2% of all pregnancies resulted in preterm births (0.9% in fetal deaths and 7.3% in live births). In 2010, the preterm birth increased to 9.4% (0.8% were preterm fetal deaths and 8.6% preterm live births). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that 45.2% could be the maximum contribution of successful interventions to prevent a fetal death on the increase in preterm live births. This increasing trend is also related to changes of the women reproductive profile with the change of the women reproductive profile and access to prenatal care

Cross-amplification and characterization of microsatellite loci for the Neotropical orchid genus Epidendrum

In this study we tested the cross-amplification of 33 microsatellite loci previously developed for two closely related Neotropical orchid genera (Epidendrum and Laelia). A set of ten loci were polymorphic across five examined species (20 individuals each) with 2 to 15 alleles per locus. The mean expected and observed heterozygosity (average across species) ranged from 0.34 to 0.82 and from 0.27 to 0.85, respectively. In addition we tested all loci in 35 species representative of the genus Epidendrum. Of these, 26 loci showed successful amplification. Cross-application of these loci represent a potential source of co-dominant markers for evolutionary, ecological and conservation studies in this important orchid genus