Late-onset of eruptive syringomas: a diagnostic challenge

Syringoma is a benign, adnexal tumor of the eccrine sweat gland ducts. Eruptive syringomas are a rare variant, occurring before or during puberty in most cases. A 57-year-old man was observed in our department, with a 10-year history of multiple brownish papules (1-4mm in diameter), localized on the neck, shoulders, trunk and axillae. The clinical diagnosis was cutaneous mastocytosis. Histopathological examination from a papule in the trunk was compatible with the diagnosis of syringoma. The patient was treated with isotretinoin, without any improvement. The clinical diagnosis of eruptive syringoma is difficult and histological examination is crucial for its diagnosis. Long-term morbidity is not associated with syringomas; they are treated for cosmetic reasons with unsatisfactory results

Crescimento e produção da bananeira cultivar princesa sob regulação do déficit de irrigação em lisimetros de percolação.

A bananeira, cultivar Princesa tem apresentado tolerância a déficit hidrico no solo em avaliações, sendo de boa aceitação no mercado. A constante instabilidade do regime pluviométrico em todas as regiões do Brasil indica a necessidade de uso mais eficiente de água na agricultura. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o crescimento e a produtividade da bananeira cultivar Princesa, sob manejo de água pela regulação do déficit de irrigação. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado com sete tratamentos e três repetições. O ciclo da bananeira foi dividido nas seguintes fases: fase I, do primeiro ao quinto mês, fase II do quinto ao sétimo mês, e a fase III, do sétimo ao décimo segundo mês. Os tratamentos consistiram nas reduções de 40% e 70% da ETc em cada fase do primeiro ciclo. Os valores médios de redução da produtividade foram maiores para a redução de água na fase de floração, seguido da fase de crescimento de frutos e pela fase de crescimento vegetativo. Na fase vegetativa a redução de 40% da lamina aplicada não influenciou a produtividade, a redução de 70% ocasionou uma redução na produtividade de 28%. Nas demais fases a redução na produtividade variou de 38 a 44%

Analysis of sources of risk and uncertainties in the electricity system

Electricity power planning is a serious national task that encompasses not only forecasts but more importantly the evolution in short, medium and long term of each element that composes the assumptions, the constraints and/or the parameters of the planning model. Deterministic models can bring simplicity to the electricity power planning but do not consider the uncertainties and sources of risk of the electricity system. On the other hand, stochastic models tend to include the behaviour of one or more uncertain parameters that are critical to obtain a robust solution, being however more detailed and lengthy than deterministic models. The aim of this work was to identify the major sources of risk and uncertainties facing electricity system, representing valuable input for the electricity planner task. From this study it can be observed that several different behaviours for each uncertain parameter can be found along a time horizon. Thus, it is concluded that reeling on average lowers can represent a reductionist approach and in order to obtain more reliable scenarios for future electricity system, the statistical characteristics of each parameter should be considered in the electricity power planning.This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Union Framework Programme, under project NETEP- European Brazilian Network on Energy Planning (PIRSES-GA-2013-612263)

Sanidade de sementes crioulas de milho armazenadas por agricultores familiares na Paraíba.

ref. 13672. Edição dos Resumos do VIII Congresso Brasileiro de Agroecologia, Porto Alegre, nov. 2013

Ventricular BNP gene expression in acute cardiac overload

INTRODUCTION:B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) plasma levels have important diagnostic and prognostic implications in heart failure (HF). Recently, aside from its natriuretic effect, antiproliferative and antifibrotic actions of BNP on the cardiovascular system have been described. Under physiological conditions the atria are the main source of this peptide, while its ventricular expression is still controversial. The aim of this work was to evaluate, in an animal model, the ventricular expression of BNP in normal hearts, at baseline and under acute cardiac overload.METHODS:Anesthetized open chest male Wistar rats (n=18) were instrumented with a micromanometer in the right ventricular cavity for pressure assessment. Randomization for three different protocols was then performed: (i) pressure overload for a period of 6 hours (SPr; n = 6), by pulmonary trunk banding, in order to double basal right ventricular systolic pressure; (ii) volume overload with a six-hour perfusion of Dextran 40 (SVol; n = 6), to raise end-diastolic right ventricular pressure fourfold; (iii) sham operated rats (n = 6). Transmural samples from the right ventricular free wall were then obtained for quantification of BNP mRNA by RT and quantitative real-time PCR. The results are expressed as mean+/-SEM (number molecules of mRNA BNP)/(ng total mRNA); p < 0.05.RESULTS:A basal expression of BNP was identified in the sham group (3.6x10(7) +/- 1.7x10(7)). BNP mRNA levels were elevated in both the SPr and SVol groups (+123.1 +/- 46.3% SPr and +171.6 +/- 87.7% SVol).CONCLUSIONS:Acute cardiac pressure and volume overload are associated with increased ventricular BNP gene expression. Our results suggest that BNP may be involved in early ventricular remodeling