Association of radio polar cap brightening with bright patches and coronal holes

Radio-bright regions near the solar poles are frequently observed in Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) maps at 17 GHz, and often in association with coronal holes. However, the origin of these polar brightening has not been established yet. We propose that small magnetic loops are the source of these bright patches, and present modeling results that reproduce the main observational characteristics of the polar brightening within coronal holes at 17 GHz. The simulations were carried out by calculating the radio emission of the small loops, with several temperature and density profiles, within a 2D coronal hole atmospheric model. If located at high latitudes, the size of the simulated bright patches are much smaller than the beam size and they present the instrument beam size when observed. The larger bright patches can be generated by a great number of small magnetic loops unresolved by the NoRH beam. Loop models that reproduce bright patches contain denser and hotter plasma near the upper chromosphere and lower corona. On the other hand, loops with increased plasma density and temperature only in the corona do not contribute to the emission at 17 GHz. This could explain the absence of a one-to-one association between the 17 GHz bright patches and those observed in extreme ultraviolet. Moreover, the emission arising from small magnetic loops located close to the limb may merge with the usual limb brightening profile, increasing its brightness temperature and width.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Fabry disease: clinical and genotypic aspects of three cases in first degree relatives

Fabry disease is an X-linked, lysosomal storage disease caused by the inherited deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A. The diagnosis is usually late, with renal, cardiovascular and/or cerebral complications that reduce life expectancy. Angiokeratomas are asymptomatic lesions present as the initial manifestation and usually less appreciated. Their detection is important for early diagnosis and institution of treatment with enzyme replacement therapy, which prevents late complications reducing morbidity and mortality. We report a case of a male teenager with acroparestesias and angiokeratomas. Family medical research discovered that his mother and brother had similar signs and symptoms and that the three patients had the same mutation in the gene encoding the enzyme, confirming the diagnosis.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Dermatology DepartmentUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Dermatology and Pathology departmentsUNIFESP, EPM, Dermatology DepartmentUNIFESP, EPM, Dermatology and Pathology departmentsSciEL

Dysplastic nevus associated with seborrheic keratosis

Seborrheic keratosis is a common skin lesion which may coincidentally be associated melanocytic nevi. The authors describe a case of dysplastic nevus associated with seborrheic keratosis and discuss the clinical, dermoscopic, and histological findings of this association. They also discuss the association between seborrheic keratosis and other benign and malignant tumours.Federal University of São Paulo Department of DermatologyFederal University of São Paulo Department of PathologyFederal University of São Paulo Departments of Dermatology and PathologyFederal University of São Paulo Departments of DermatologyUNIFESP, Department of DermatologyUNIFESP, Department of PathologyUNIFESP, Departments of Dermatology and PathologyUNIFESP, Departments of DermatologySciEL

Human cachexia induces changes in mitochondria, autophagy and apoptosis in the skeletal muscle

Cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by the continuous loss of skeletal muscle mass due to imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation, which is related with poor prognosis and compromised quality of life. Dysfunctional mitochondria are associated with lower muscle strength and muscle atrophy in cancer patients, yet poorly described in human cachexia. We herein investigated mitochondrial morphology, autophagy and apoptosis in the skeletal muscle of patients with gastrointestinal cancer-associated cachexia (CC), as compared with a weight-stable cancer group (WSC). CC showed prominent weight loss and increased circulating levels of serum C-reactive protein, lower body mass index and decreased circulating hemoglobin, when compared to WSC. Electron microscopy analysis revealed an increase in intermyofibrillar mitochondrial area in CC, as compared to WSC. Relative gene expression of Fission 1, a protein related to mitochondrial fission, was increased in CC, as compared to WSC. LC3 II, autophagy-related (ATG) 5 and 7 essential proteins for autophagosome formation, presented higher content in the cachectic group. Protein levels of phosphorylated p53 (Ser46), activated caspase 8 (Asp384) and 9 (Asp315) were also increased in the skeletal muscle of CC. Overall, our results demonstrate that human cancer-associated cachexia leads to exacerbated muscle-stress response that may culminate in muscle loss, which is in part due to disruption of mitochondrial morphology, dysfunctional autophagy and increased apoptosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing quantitative morphological alterations in skeletal muscle mitochondria in cachectic patients

Acne arising on a facial Becker nevus following the lines of Blaschko

Univ Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Dermatol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Dermatol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Produtividade de beterraba submetida a frações de lixiviações com efluente salino da piscicultura.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade da beterraba submetida a diferentes frações de lixiviação com efluente salino da piscicultura. O experimento foi conduzido no Campo Experimental Caatinga, pertencente a Embrapa Semiárido. Foi adotado o delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso, com quatro blocos, onde foi avaliado o cultivo da beterraba, cv. Scarlet Super, submetida a quatro frações de lixiviação: 0, 5, 10 e 15% com uso de efluente salino proveniente da piscicultura. Foram avaliadas a produtividade total e comercial da cultura. Pode-se verificar que o nível das frações de lixiviação aplicada apresenta efeito direto no desenvolvimento da beterraba, proporcionando um aumento significativo na produtividade da cultura