VALUE OF PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN IN PREDICTING THE EXISTENCE OF BONE METASTASIS IN SCINTIGRAPHY

ABSTRACT Objective: Evaluate the ability of serum concentration of prostate specific antigen (PSA) between 2 cutting points to predict the existence of bone metastasis confirmed by bone scintigraphy in man with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fourteen consecutive patients with prostate cancer were evaluated during the present study in the period from 1998 to 2001. From all patients, PSA serum concentrations and bone scintigraphy were obtained. For the study, 2 cutting points of PSA (10 and 20 ng/mL) were adopted to predict the existence of bone metastasis. Results: From the 214 patients, 35 (16.3%) presented positive scintigraphic examinations for the presence of bone metastasis. No patient presented bone metastasis in scintigraphy if having PSA < 10 ng/mL, and in only 1 patient (0.46%) with bone metastasis PSA concentration was < 20 ng/mL. Therefore, when the cutting point adopted for PSA serum concentration was 10 ng/mL, a negative predictive value for bone metastasis was 100% with sensitivity rates of 100%. Nevertheless, the positive predictive value and the specificity of the method were, respectively, 24.5% and 39.7%. When the cutting point of PSA serum concentration was 20 ng/mL, an increment was observed in rates of positive predictive value and specificity (41.5% and 73.2%), respectively, without substantial changes in negative predictive value (99.2%) and sensitivity (97.1%) of the method. Conclusions: Data of present study allow for the conclusion that PSA serum concentration over 20 ng/mL was a more accurate cutting point than PSA serum concentration over 10 ng/mL to predict the presence of bone metastasis in scintigraphy

A Simple Double-Spin Closed Method for Preparing Platelet-Rich Plasma

Objective: To describe and analyze a new protocol for the extraction of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for use in clinical practice and compare this technique with methods that have been previously described in the medical literature. Methods: Sixteen blood samples from healthy volunteers were collected. PRP was prepared using our new double-spin technique, consisting of successive centrifugation of blood samples with two different spins, without opening the container. Descriptive analysis of cell counts in baseline and PRP samples was undertaken. Comparison between cell and platelet count in baseline and PRP samples, as well as the statistical analysis, were done. Results: The mean platelet concentration ratio was 3.47 (SD: 0.85; 95% CI: 3.01-3.92; range: 2.48-5.71). The baseline whole blood platelet count correlated positively to the PRP platelet count (rP = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.09- 0.88; P = 0.023). The PRP was enriched for lymphocytes and monocytes but presented significantly lower counts of neutrophils and eosinophils in comparison to baseline. Conclusion: Results show a safe and easily reproducible method to obtain PRP for use in clinical daily practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Oceanic eddy‑induced modifications to air–sea heat and CO2 fluxes in the Brazil‑Malvinas Confluence

Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies caused by a warm core eddy (WCE) in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWA) rendered a crucial influence on modifying the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). During the first cruise to support the Antarctic Modeling and Observation System (ATMOS) project, a WCE that was shed from the Brazil Current was sampled. Apart from traditional meteorological measurements, we used the Eddy Covariance method to directly measure the ocean–atmosphere sensible heat, latent heat, momentum, and carbon dioxide ( CO2) fluxes. The mechanisms of pressure adjustment and vertical mixing that can make the MABL unstable were both identified. The WCE also acted to increase the surface winds and heat fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere. Oceanic regions at middle and high latitudes are expected to absorb atmospheric CO2, and are thereby considered as sinks, due to their cold waters. Instead, the presence of this WCE in midlatitudes, surrounded by predominantly cold waters, caused the ocean to locally act as a CO2 source. The contribution to the atmosphere was estimated as 0.3 ± 0.04 mmol m− 2 day− 1, averaged over the sampling period. The CO2 transfer velocity coefficient (K) was determined using a quadratic fit and showed an adequate representation of ocean–atmosphere fluxes. The ocean–atmosphere CO2, momentum, and heat fluxes were each closely correlated with the SST. The increase of SST inside the WCE clearly resulted in larger magnitudes of all of the ocean–atmosphere fluxes studied here. This study adds to our understanding of how oceanic mesoscale structures, such as this WCE, affect the overlying atmosphere

Early Holocene ritual complexity in South America: the archaeological record of Lapa do Santo (east-central Brazil)

Early Archaic human skeletal remains found in a burial context in Lapa do Santo in eastcentral Brazil provide a rare glimpse into the lives of hunter-gatherer communities in South America, including their rituals for dealing with the dead. These included the reduction of the body by means of mutilation, defleshing, tooth removal, exposure to fire and possibly cannibalism, followed by the secondary burial of the remains according to strict rules. In a later period, pits were filled with disarticulated bones of a single individual without signs of body manipulation, demonstrating that the region was inhabited by dynamic groups in constant transformation over a period of centuries