Increased Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Liver Cirrhosis in Vinyl Chloride Workers: Synergistic Effect of Occupational Exposure with Alcohol Intake

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis (LC) are not well-established vinyl chloride monomer (VCM)–induced diseases. Our aim was to appraise the role of VCM, alcohol intake, and viral hepatitis infection, and their interactions, in the etiology of HCC and LC. Thirteen cases of HCC and 40 cases of LC were separately compared with 139 referents without chronic liver diseases or cancer in a case–referent study nested in a cohort of 1,658 VCM workers. The odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by common methods and by fitting models of logistic regression. We used Rothman’s synergy index (S) to evaluate interactions. By holding the confounding factors constant at logistic regression analysis, each extra increase of 1,000 ppm × years of VCM cumulative exposure was found to increase the risk of HCC by 71% (OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.28–2.44) and the risk of LC by 37% (OR = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.13–1.69). The joint effect of VCM exposure above 2,500 ppm × years and alcohol intake above 60 g/day resulted in ORs of 409 (95% CI, 19.6–8,553) for HCC and 752 (95% CI, 55.3–10,248) for LC; both S indexes suggested a synergistic effect. The joint effect of VCM exposure above 2,500 ppm × years and viral hepatitis infection was 210 (95% CI, 7.13–6,203) for HCC and 80.5 (95% CI, 3.67–1,763) for LC; both S indexes suggested an additive effect. In conclusion, according to our findings, VCM exposure appears to be an independent risk factor for HCC and LC interacting synergistically with alcohol consumption and additively with viral hepatitis infection

Brain hypermetabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a FDG PET study in ALS of spinal and bulbar onset

Specific biological markers for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have not yet been established. Functional studies have shown abnormalities in the anatomo-functional connectivity of the limbic-striatal "social" brain. This study aimed to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) at rest. Thirteen patients with ASD of normal intelligence and ten IQ-, sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent PET/CT using [1- 11 C]butanol, a perfusion tracer. As compared to HC, ASD showed significant CBF increases in the right parahippocampal, posterior cingulate, primary visual and temporal cortex, putamen, caudatus, substantia nigra and cerebellum. No statistically significant correlation between CBF and IQ was found. The limbic, posterior associative and cerebellar cortices showed increased blood flow in ASD, confirming previous findings about the neurobiology of ASD

The metabolic signature of C9ORF72-related ALS: FDG PET comparison with nonmutated patients

Purpose Recently, a GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene, located on chromosome 9p21 has been demonstrated to be the commonest cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to account for 5 to 10 % of apparently sporadic ALS. Relatively little is known about the brain metabolism profile of patients carrying the expansion. Our aim was to identify the [18F]FDG PET profile in ALS patients with the C9ORF72 expansion (C9ORF72-ALS). Methods Fifteen C9ORF72-ALS patients were compared with 12 patients with ALS and comorbid frontotemporal dementia (FTD) without the C9ORF72 expansion (ALSFTD) and 30 cognitively normal patients with ALS without mutations of ALS-related genes (sALS). The three groups were then cross-matched to 40 neurologically normal controls. All patients underwent FDG PET within 4 months of diagnosis. Results The C9ORF72-ALS patients compared with the sALS patients showed significant hypometabolism in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, insula, caudate and thalamus, the left frontal and superior temporal cortex, and hypermetabolism in the midbrain, bilateral occipital cortex, globus pallidus and left inferior temporal cortex. The ALS FTD patients compared with the sALS patients showed more limited hypometabolic areas, including the orbitofrontal, prefrontal, anterior cingulate and insular cortex, and hypermetabolic areas, including the bilateral occipital cortex, the left precentral and postcentral cortex and superior temporal gyrus. The C9ORF72-ALS patients compared with the ALS-FTD patients showed hypometabolism in the left temporal cortex. Conclusion ALS patients with the C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion had a more widespread central nervous system involvement than ALS patients without genetic mutations, with or without comorbid FTD, consistent with their more severe clinical picture

Características agronômicas do milho sob arranjos espaciais e densidades de plantas em região de Cerrado

A redução no espaçamento entrelinhas e a adoção de maiores densidades de plantas têm sido utilizadas por muitos pesquisadores, tendo em vista que os novos genótipos introduzidos no mercado são mais produtivos, com arquitetura de plantas de porte mais baixo e folhas eretas, com melhor aproveitamento de luz, água e nutrientes, proporcionando um possível aumento de produtividade da cultura. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira – UNESP, na fazenda de ensino e pesquisa (FEPE), localizado no município de Selvíria – MS, em Latossolo Vermelho Distrófico, textura argilosa. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições, em esquema fatorial (5x2x2), sendo cinco populações (40.000; 55.000; 70.000; 85.000 e 100.000 plantas ha-1), com dois espaçamentos entrelinhas (0,45 e 0,90 metros) e dois sistemas de cultivo (plantio direto e convencional). O hibrido simples de milho utilizado foi o Monsanto DBK 390, com arquitetura moderna e folhas semieretas. Não houve efeito significativo para as características agronômicas avaliadas em relação ao espaçamento de 0,45 e 0,90 m entre linha. Houve ajuste linear da população de plantas para os componentes de acamamento e quebramento de grãos, altura de plantas, inserção de espiga, diâmetro de colmos, diâmetro de espiga, diâmetro de sabugo, comprimento de grãos. O aumento da densidade de plantas apresentou ajuste linear para a produtividade de grãos onde na população de 100 mil plantas ha-1 foi de 10.410 kg ha-1

Brain hypermetabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A FDG PET study in ALS of spinal and bulbar onset.

Abstract Purpose To identify the neurobiological traits of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to elucidate functional differences between ALS of spinal and bulbar onset. We hypothesized that glucose metabolism distribution might vary between groups. Methods The study groups comprised 32 patients with ALS of either bulbar (n=13) or spinal (n=19) onset and 22 subjects as controls. They were investigated by [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (FDG PET), comparing the patient groups with each other and with the controls by statistical parametric mapping. Results Highly significant relative increases in glucose metabolism distribution were found in the group comprising all 32 ALS patients as compared with the controls in the bilateral amygdalae, midbrain, pons and cerebellum. Relative hypermetabolism was also found in patients with spinal onset as compared with the controls in the right midbrain. In patients with bulbar onset compared with the controls and with patients with spinal onset, large relatively hypometabolic areas were found in the bilateral frontal cortex, right insula, anterior cingulate, precuneus and inferior parietal lobe. Patients with spinal onset had significantly higher scores in a neuropsychological test assessing verbal fluency compared with patients with bulbar onset. Conclusion This large FDG PET investigation provided unprecedented evidence of relatively increased metabolism in the amygdalae, midbrain and pons in ALS patients as compared with control subjects, possibly due to local activation of astrocytes and microglia. Highly significant relative decreases in metabolism were found in large frontal and parietal regions in the bulbar onset patients as compared with the spinal onset patients and the controls, suggesting a differential metabolic and neuropsychological state between the two conditions

Synthesis of new allyl palladium complexes bearing purine-based NHC ligands with antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity on human ovarian cancer cell lines

A series of new palladium allyl complexes bearing purine-based carbenes derived from caffeine, theophylline and theobromine have been prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis and in two cases by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The cytotoxic and proapoptotic activities of compounds have been determined in vitro on human ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV-3 cell lines. These experiments have shown that the palladium-allyl fragment induces a general cytotoxicity, but the choice of the supporting ligands is of paramount importance for achieving the best results. In particular complexes 4c, 4d and 5d exhibit a higher antiproliferative effect (IC50: 0.09, 0.81 and 0.85 μM respectively) than cisplatin (IC50: 1.5 μM) on A2780 cells, and 4d (IC50: 1.7 μM vs. 5.94 μM) on SKOV-3 cell line. Moreover in many cases it has been proved that the cytotoxicity of our complexes is associated with the induction of apoptosis.A series of new palladium allyl complexes bearing purine-based carbenes derived from caffeine, theophylline and theobromine have been prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis and in two cases by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The cytotoxic and proapoptotic activities of compounds have been determined in vitro on human ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV-3 cell lines. These experiments have shown that the palladium-allyl fragment induces a general cytotoxicity, but the choice of the supporting ligands is of paramount importance for achieving the best results. In particular complexes 4c, 4d and 5d exhibit a higher antiproliferative effect (IC50: 0.09, 0.81 and 0.85 μM respectively) than cisplatin (IC50: 1.5 μM) on A2780 cells, and 4d (IC50: 1.7 μM vs. 5.94 μM) on SKOV-3 cell line. Moreover in many cases it has been proved that the cytotoxicity of our complexes is associated with the induction of apoptosis

Épocas de aplicação e doses do etil-trinexapac em arroz de terras altas

O acamamento de alguns cultivares de arroz no momento da colheita acarreta perdas significativas na produtividade, além disso, os manejos de água e nitrogênio inadequados em condições de alta tecnologia agravam mais o problema. O uso de reguladores vegetais é uma das alternativas para reduzir o acamamento, entretanto, as informações sobre o assunto são escassas. O trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar o uso de doses de etil-trinexapac (0, 75, 150, 225, 300 e 375 g ha-1) e épocas de aplicação (entre o perfilhamento ativo e a diferenciação floral e na diferenciação floral) no desenvolvimento e produtividade da cultura do arroz de terras altas. O experimento foi desenvolvido no município de Selvíria - MS, durante o ano agrícola de 2007/08. Com base nos resultados pode-se concluir que a dose de 150 g ha-1 de etil-trinexapac, aplicada na diferenciação floral do arroz, cultivar BRS Primavera, reduz a altura de plantas até o tamanho ideal para evitar o problema de acamamento, beneficiando a operação de colheita; o aumento das doses do regulador de crescimento etil-trinexapac reduz o número de grãos totais, granados e chochos por panícula, quando aplicado no perfilhamento e na diferenciação floral e a aplicação do regulador de crescimento na diferenciação floral não interfere na produtividade de grãos e anula o problema de acamamento de plantas. <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="