A strategy to identify housekeeping genes suitable for analysis in breast cancer diseases

Standard curve and serial dilutions for nHKGs and tHKGs. The x axis represents the dilution series (1:800, 1:400, 1:200 and 1:100) and the y axis represents the mean of CT for each gene. The correlation coefficient r is given for each gene inside parentheses. (PDF 53 kb

Mycobiota and mycotoxins present in finished fish feeds from farms in the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

The aim of the present study was to determine species of the fungal genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium and fumonisin B1 (FB1), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination from feed intended for fish farms. A total of 60 samples were sampled from tilapia farms in the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The quantitative enumeration of fungi as colony-forming units per gram of feed (CFU/g) was performed using the surface spread method in different culture media. The results were expressed as fungal isolation frequency and relative density. Fungal total counts ranged from <1 × 102 to 4.7 × 104 CFU/g. Fusarium counts were not observed. Among toxigenic genera, Aspergillus (68%) was the most prevalent, followed by Penicillium species (60%). Aspergillus niger aggregate (36%), Aspergillus flavus (35%), and Penicillium citrinum (71%) were the most prevalent species. A high percentage of samples (98%) were contaminated with FB1 levels, while 55% and 3.3% were contaminated with AFB1 and OTA, respectively. The simultaneous occurrence of these mycotoxins emphasizes the need for further research in the area to better assess the risk to the health of fish farms and their implications for the health of consumers of this meat.Fil: Barbosa, Tatiana S.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; BrasilFil: Pereyra, Carina Maricel. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Soleiro, Carla A.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; Brasil. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Científico y Tecnológico; BrasilFil: Dias, Erica O.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Aguida A.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; Brasil. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Científico y Tecnológico; BrasilFil: Keller, Kelly M.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; Brasil. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Científico y Tecnológico; BrasilFil: Silva, Pedro P. O.. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Cavaglieri, Lilia Reneé. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rosa, Carlos Alberto da Rocha. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro ; Brasil. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Científico y Tecnológico; Brasi

Effects of applying a multivariate training program on physical fitness and tactical performance in a team sport taught during physical education classes

Introduction: A multivariate training program could be a pedagogical choice to improve physical and tactical performance in a team sport taught during physical education classes at different levels of education. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the effects of applying a multivariate training program on physical fitness and tactical performance during the teaching of a basketball didactic unit in basic and secondary education. Methods: Seventy-five students from a Portuguese school, with an average age of 15.02 ± 1.31 years, included forty-two students from basic school and thirty-three students from secondary school. The FITescola® test battery was used to assess physical fitness (i.e., sit-ups, push-ups, horizontal impulse, shuttle test, 40 m sprint, agility 4 × 10 m). The Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) was used to assess students’ tactical performance for each player’s game performance during a 20-minute 3 vs. 3 match. The GPAI variables were decision making index (DMI), skill execution index (SEI), support actions index (SI), and adaptability index (AI). During a basketball didactic unit teaching, the students were randomly divided into two groups, a control group that will not carry out the training program and an experimental group that will carry out a strength training program, high intensity explosive exercises and activities based on small-sided games (SSG) for 6 weeks. The two groups were evaluated in two moments: before the application of the training program and after the application of the training program regarding changes in physical fitness and tactical performance. The independent samples t-test (samples from two groups) and paired sample Test (for the same group) were applied for pre and post-assessment comparisons. Results: All indexes present significant differences between basic and secondary students in the pre- and post-assessment tests with small effects (t = −6.54 to −4.82, Δ = −27.57 to −0.16, p<0.05–p< 0.001, d = 0.78–1.05). Discussion: The results allow to conclude that in a school environment, a wellstructured multivariate training program can effectively improve students’ tactical skills, increasing their physical conditioning levels.The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work is supported by national funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the project UID04045/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pyrazole or tris(pyrazolyl)ethanol oxo-vanadium(IV) complexes as homogeneous or supported catalysts for oxidation of cyclohexane under mild conditions

The oxovanadium(IV) complexes [VO(acac)(2)(Hpz)].HC(pz)(3) 1.HC(pz)(3) (acac= acetylacetonate, Hpz = pyrazole, pz = pyrazoly1) and [VOCl2{HOCH2C(pz)(3)}] 2 were obtained from reaction of [VO(acac)(2)] with hydrotris(1-pyrazolyl)methane or of VCl(3)with 2,2,2-tris(1-pyrazolyl)ethanol. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, Far-IR and EPR spectroscopies, FAB or ESI mass-spectrometry and, for 1, by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. 1 and 2 exhibit catalytic activity for the oxidation of cyclohexane to the cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone mixture in homogeneous system (TONS up to 1100) under mild conditions (NCMe, 24h, room temperature) using benzoyl peroxide (BPO), tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (mCPBA), hydrogen peroxide or the urea-hydrogen peroxide adduct (UHP) as oxidants. 1 and 2 were also immobilized on a polydimethylsiloxane membrane (1-PDMS or 2-PDMS) and the systems acted as supported catalysts for the cyclohexane oxidation using the above oxidants (TONs up to 620). The best results were obtained with mCPBA or BP0 as oxidant. The effects of various parameters, such as the amount of catalyst, nitric acid, reaction time, type of oxidant and oxidant-to-catalyst molar ratio, were investigated, for both homogeneous and supported systems. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

O impacto de primeiro ano de tratamento com dornase alfa nos parâmetros clínicos de pacientes com fibrose cística: estudo multicêntrico brasileiro

OBJECTIVE:To describe the clinical impact of the first year treatment with dornase alfa, according to age groups, in a cohort of Brazilian Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients.METHODS:The data on 152 eligible patients, from 16 CF reference centers, that answered the medical questionnaires and performed laboratory tests at baseline (T0), and at six (T2) and 12 (T4) months after dornase alfa initiation, were analyzed. Three age groups were assessed: six to 11, 12 to 13, and >14 years. Pulmonary tests, airway microbiology, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, emergency and routine treatments were evaluated. Student's t-test, chi-square test and analysis of variance were used when appropriated.RESULTS:Routine treatments were based on respiratory physical therapy, regular exercises, pancreatic enzymes, vitamins, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics. In the six months prior the study (T0 phase), hospitalizations for pulmonary exacerbations occurred in 38.0, 10.0 and 61.4% in the three age groups, respectively. After one year of intervention, there was a significant reduction in the number of emergency room visits in the six to 11 years group. There were no significant changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (VEF1), in forced vital capacity (FVC), in oxygen saturation (SpO2), and in Tiffenau index for all age groups. A significant improvement in Shwachman-Kulczychi score was observed in the older group. In the last six months of therapy, chronic or intermittent colonization by P. aeruginosa was detected in 75.0, 71.4 and 62.5% of the studied groups, respectively, while S. aureus colonization was identified in 68.6, 66.6 and 41.9% of the cases.CONCLUSIONS:The treatment with dornase alfa promoted the maintenance of pulmonary function parameters and was associated with a significant reduction of emergency room visits due to pulmonary exacerbations in the six to 11 years age group, with better clinical scores in the >14 age group, one year after the intervention.OBJETIVO:Relatar el impacto clínico del primer año de tratamiento con dornasa alfa conforme a la franja de edad, en una cohorte de pacientes brasileños con fibrosis quística (FC).MÉTODOS:El presente estudio analizó datos de 152 pacientes elegibles, de 16 centros de referencia para FC, los que contestaron a los cuestionarios clínicos y realizaron pruebas laboratoriales, al inicio del tratamiento con la dornasa alfa (T0) y después de 6 (T2) y 12 (T4) meses de la intervención. Se analizaron 3 grupos etarios: 6-11, 12-13 e >14 años de edad. Se evaluaron las pruebas pulmonares, la microbiología de vías aéreas, las atenciones de emergencia, hospitalizaciones y tratamientos emergenciales y de rutina. Las estadísticas descriptivas, pruebas t y chi-cuadrado y ANOVA fueron usadas cuando pertinentes.RESULTADOS:El tratamiento regular se basó en la fisioterapia respiratoria, ejercicios regulares, encimas pancreáticas, vitaminas, broncodilatadores, corticosteroides y antibióticos. En los 6 meses anteriores al estudio (fase T0), las hospitalizaciones por exacerbación pulmonar ocurrieron en 38, 10 y 61,4%, respectivamente, para las tres franjas de edad analizadas. En el grupo 6-11 años, hubo reducción significativa de atenciones de emergencia después de 1 año de tratamiento. No hubo modificaciones significativas de volumen espiratorio forzado en el 1er segundo (VEF1), capacidad vital forzada (CVF), saturación de oxígeno (SpO)2 e índice de Tiffeneau, en todos grupos. El escore de Schwachman-Kulczychi mejoró significativamente en el grupo de más edad. Los últimos 6 meses de tratamiento, la colonización crónica o intermitente por P. aeruginosa fue detectada en el 75, 71,4 y 62,5%, respectivamente, mientras que por S. aureus ocurrió en 68,6, 66,6 y 41,9% de los casos en cada grupo de edad.CONCLUSIONES:La intervención con dornasa alfa resultó en mantenimiento de los parámetros pulmonares y fue asociada a la reducción significativa de visitas a la emergencia por exacerbación pulmonar en el grupo de 6 a 11 años de edad, con mejora del escore clínico en el grupo >14 años de edad, al final de un año de estudio.OBJETIVO:Relatar o impacto clínico do primeiro ano de tratamento com dornase alfa de acordo com a faixa etária, numa coorte de pacientes brasileiros com fibrose cística (FC).MÉTODOS:O presente estudo analisou dados de 152 pacientes elegíveis, de 16 centros de referência para FC, os quais responderam aos questionários clínicos e realizaram testes laboratoriais, ao início do tratamento com dornase alfa (T0) e após seis (T2) e 12 (T4) meses da intervenção. Analisaram-se três grupos etários: seis a 11, 12 a 13 e >14 anos de idade. Avaliaram-se os testes pulmonares, a microbiologia de vias aéreas, os atendimentos de emergência, as hospitalizações e os tratamentos emergenciais e rotineiros. O teste t de Student, o qui-quadrado e a análise de variância foram usados quando pertinentes.RESULTADOS:O tratamento baseou-se em fisioterapia respiratória, exercícios regulares, enzimas pancreáticas, vitaminas, broncodilatadores, corticosteroides e antibióticos. Nos seis meses anteriores ao estudo (fase T0), as hospitalizações por exacerbação pulmonar ocorreram em 38,0, 10,0 e 61,4%, respectivamente para as três faixas etárias analisadas. No grupo de seis a 11 anos, houve redução significativa de atendimentos de emergência após um ano de tratamento. Não houve modificações significativas de volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo (VEF1), capacidade vital forçada (CVF), saturação de oxigênio (SpO)2 e índice de Tiffeneau em todos os grupos. O escore de Shwachman-Kulczychi melhorou significativamente no grupo de mais idade. Nos últimos seis meses de tratamento, a colonização crônica ou intermitente por P.aeruginosa foi detectada em 75,0, 71,4 e 62,5%, respectivamente, enquanto a colonização por S.aureus ocorreu em 68,6, 66,6 e 41,9% dos casos em cada grupo etário.CONCLUSÕES:A intervenção com dornase alfa resultou em manutenção dos parâmetros pulmonares e associou-se à redução significativa de visitas à emergência por exacerbação pulmonar no grupo de seis a 11 anos de idade, com melhora do escore clínico no grupo >14 anos de idade ao final de um ano de estudo.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM)Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Faculdade de MedicinaSecretaria da Saúde da Bahia Hospital Especializado Octávio MangabeiraUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Hospital das ClínicasHospital de Base do Distrito FederalUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Comparison of vaginal microbiota fingerprints from healthy and bacterial vaginosis-positive portuguese women

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is a common disease in women of reproductive age and is characterized by the substitution of Lactobacillus species,which are predominant in the normal vaginal microbiota,by rapidly proliferating anaerobic bacteria, particularly Gardnerellavaginalis. The aim of this study was to study microbial communities’ structure in the vaginal microbiota of healthy and BV-positive Portuguese women. To this end, DNA obtained from vaginal samples of 22 BV-negative and 19 BV-positive women was analyzed using a PCR-DGGE approach.Total bacterial communities were amplified using general 16S rRNA gene primers. Group-specific primers were also used targeting Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera and G.vaginalis. DGGE profiles were compared using the BioNumericsTM software package (Applied Maths, Belgium). Similarity between DGGE profiles was determined by calculating similarity indices of the densitometric curves of the compared profiles, using the Dice product-moment correlation. Different DGGE profiles could be obtained for BV-positive and BV-negative samples and this was verified for all primers sets utilized, suggesting that alteration of microbial community structure of BV-positive and -negative samples could be detected by PCR-DGGE. DGGE profiles obtained from samples of BV-positive women were more diverse that the ones from healthy women (as determined by a higher number of DGGE bands). The analysis of the standard electrophoretic bands for bacteria reveals an intrinsic diversity even within the two groups studied: similarities in bacterial DGGE profiles vary between 14- 78% and 47-100% in BV-positive and BV-negative samples, respectively. Among the 19 BV-positive women studied 18 were colonized with G. vaginalis. G.vaginalis was not detected in any of the healthy women samples. The analysis of Lactobacillus communities revealed a higher diversity in BV-negative women than in BV-positive ones, which confirms the association of Lactobacillus in healthy vaginal microbial communities. A more thoroughly comparison between BV-negative and BV-positive, including the retrieval of sequencing data from these samples, is necessary for getting more insight on BV influence on vaginal microbiota

Algoritmos de segmentação de imagem e sua aplicação em imagens do sistema cardiovascular

Em grande parte dos países desenvolvidos, doenças cardiovasculares, como ataques cardíacos ou acidentes vasculares cerebrais, representam a maior causa de morte. O comportamento do sistema cardiovascular e as causas dos seus problemas têm vindo a ser alvo de diversos estudos. Para tal, é essencial o desenvolvimento de técnicas robustas e eficientes de processamento e análise de imagem que facilitem a compreensão, diagnóstico e tratamento do sistema cardiovascular.Graças às novas técnicas de imagiologia, tais como Tomografia Computorizada (CT), Angiografia, Ressonância Magnética (MR) e Ultrassons (Doppler), tem vindo a ser possível a modelação geométrica 3D das estruturas do sistema cardiovascular, como vasos e coração. Contudo, devido à complexidade das imagens envolvidas, tal modelação ainda requer frequentemente a utilização de procedimentos e ajustes manuais de maneira a conseguir-se modelos realistas.Técnicas de processamento de imagem permitem melhorar e realçar a informação contida nas imagens originais. Por seu lado, técnicas de análise de imagem, como de segmentação de imagem, têm um papel crucial na extracção de informação de alto-nível a partir das imagens pré-processadas. No que diz respeito à segmentação de imagem, uma das principais tarefas para a compreensão, análise e interpretação de imagens, o seu principal objectivo é a divisão da imagem original em regiões (ou classes) homogéneas relativamente a uma ou mais características.O principal objectivo deste artigo é a apresentação e discussão de métodos de segmentação adequados para a análise de imagens do sistema cardiovascular, nomeadamente de imagens de Doppler

Integrated process production and extraction of the fibrinolytic protease from Bacillus sp. UFPEDA 485

Fibrinolytic proteases are enzymes that degrade fibrin; these enzymes are a promising alternative for thrombolytic therapy, and microorganisms produce them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the optimum conditions for the integrated production and purification of fibrinolytic protease from Bacillus sp. UFPEDA 485. Extractive fermentation was carried out in a culture medium containing soybean flour and by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Na2SO4 according to a 23 experimental design. In all assays, the enzyme preferentially partitioned to the bottom phase (K < 1), with an optimum activity of 835 U ml−1 in the bottom phase (salt-rich phase). The best conditions for extractive fermentation were obtained with 18 % PEG 8000 and 13 % Na2SO4. Characterization showed that it is a metalloprotease, as a strong inhibition—residual activity of 3.13 %—occurred in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. It was also observed that enzymatic activity was stimulated in the presence of ions: CaCl2 (440 %), MgCl2 (440 %), FeSO4 (268 %), and KCl (268 %). The obtained results indicate that the use of a low-cost substrate and the integration of fermentation with an aqueous two-phase system extraction may be an interesting alternative for the production of fibrinolytic protease.The authors thank CAPES (National Council for the Improvement of Higher Education) for the scholarship and CNPq (National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development) and RENORBIO for the financial support

Percepción pública de la trata de personas. Lecciones para la acción estatal y ciudadana en la prevención de la trata de personas en Santander

La trata de personas es una grave vulneración a los derechos humanos, cuya compleja tipificación puede dificultar la acción del Estado y la respuesta ciudadana. Las campañas informativas y de sensibilización son acciones preventivas que procuran salvar en parte esta dificultad. Para su adecuado diseño y evaluación se requiere conocer lo que las personas del común saben sobre el delito. A través de una encuesta en línea, se realizó un diagnóstico de las ideas que existen sobre la trata de personas en el departamento de Santander, Colombia. Los resultados indican que, en general, las personas tienen un buen nivel de conocimiento sobre la trata de personas, particularmente sobre las finalidades y víctimas más comunes. Persisten, sin embargo, algunos errores habituales, además de una aproximación al delito centrado en su denuncia, así como un desconocimiento sobre las rutas de asistencia a las víctimas. A partir de los principales hallazgos, se proponen recomendaciones para futuras acciones contra la trata de personas en dicho departamento