Evaluation of an educational programme for socially deprived asthma patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an asthma education programme in moderate and severe asthma patients in a longitudinal, prospective and randomized study with a control group. Fifty-three asthmatic patients were studied, 26 of whom were assigned to the educational group and 27 to the control group.The educational group attended the programme regularly for a period of 6 months. the programme included information about asthma, instruction on the appropriate use of medication and training in the metered dose inhaler (MDI) technique, and information about the identification and control of asthma attacks and the recognition of early signs of exacerbation. the control group was submitted to the routine tare provided at the Asthma Clinic, with no formal instruction regarding asthma control. the groups were identical with regard to severity parameters, skills, lung function and quality of Life at the beginning of the trial.At the end of the study, the education group showed significant differences when compared with the control group education/control (mean values) with respect to: visits to the asthma emergency room over the previous 6 months, 0.7/2 (p=0.03); nocturnal symptoms, 0.3/0.7 (p=0.04); score of symptoms, 1.3/2 (p=0.04). Improvements were also observed in skills and quality of life, knowledge of how to deal with attacks and how to control the environmental triggering factors, 73/35 (<0.05); correct use of the MDI, 8/4 (0.001); understanding of the difference between relief and antiinflammatory medication, 86/20 (<0.05); and in the global limitation quality of life score, 28/50 (0.02).It is concluded that the educational programme led to a significant improvement in asthma morbidity and that the implantation of educational programmes is possible for special populations when these programmes are adapted to the socioeconomic profile of the patients, with a significant gain in terms of the reduction of symptoms and improved pulmonary function and quality of life of asthmatics.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Lund Div, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Lund Div, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Estudo experimental da ação dos anti-inflamatórios não hormonais inibidores seletivos da ciclooxigenase 2 (COX-2) e anti-inflamatórios tradicionais na regeneração óssea

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in the process of bone regeneration in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four Wistar strain rats were subjected to osteotomy of the right femur and randomly divided into 3 groups according to the drug to be given (diclofenac, rofecoxib, or placebo). Each group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the time to euthanasia after the surgery. The animals of Subgroup 1 were submitted to euthanasia 2 weeks after surgery, and those of Subgroup 2, underwent euthanasia 4 weeks after surgery. Radiographic examinations and bone callus histomorphometry were analyzed. RESULTS: No intergroup statistical difference was found in the bone callus area or in bone formation area 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. Intra-group analysis concerning the bone neoformation area inside the callus showed a significant difference within the diclofenac group, which presented less tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Fracture consolidation in Wistar rats occurs within less than 2 weeks, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs does not significantly influence this process.OBJETIVO: Comparar os efeitos do uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides tradicionais (AINES) e AINES que são inibidores seletivos da ciclooxigenase-2 (COX-2), no processo de regeneração óssea em ratos. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Quarenta e quatro ratos da linhagem Wistar submetidos a osteotomia do femur direito e divididos em três grupos, conforme o medicamento que receberam (diclofenaco, rofecoxib e placebo). Cada grupo foi dividido em dois subgrupos, conforme o tempo até o sacrifício, após a cirurgia. Os animais do subgrupo 1 foram sacrificados duas semanas após a cirurgia e os do subgrupo 2, quatro semanas após a cirurgia. Foram analisados exames radiográficos e a histomorfometria do calo ósseo. RESULTADOS: Não foram encontradas diferenças estatísticas na área do calo ósseo 2 e 4 semanas após a cirurgia. No que se refere à área de neoformação óssea dentro do calo, observou-se diferença estatisticamente significante apenas dentro do grupo do diclofenaco, que apresentou menos tecido. CONCLUSÕES: A consolidação da fratura em ratos Wistar ocorre dentro de 2 semanas e o uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides não influi de forma significante neste processo

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: what the neurologist should know

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a wellknown cause of disability among older people. A significant amount of these patients is asymptomatic. Once the symptoms start the worsening may follow a progressive manner. We should suspect of spondylotic myelopathy in any individual over 55 years presenting progressive changes in gait or losing fine motor control of the upper limbs. Despite its frequent prevalence, this condition is still neglected and many times confused with other supratentorial lesions regarding diagnostic. Here we address some of most important aspects of this disease, calling attention to pathophysiology, the natural history. presentation, differential diagnosis, clinical assessment and treatment.Natl Inst Traumatol & Orthoped, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Severino Sombra, Div Neurol, Grad Program Neurol Neurosci, Tavares Macedo St 95-902, BR-24220215 Vassouras, RJ, BrazilUniv Severino Sombra, Masters Program Urgencia & Emergencia Med, Vassouras, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Estado Rio de Janeiro, Sch Med, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilNeurology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP , São Paulo, SP. BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Div Neurosurg, Niteroi, RJ, BrazilNeurology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP , São Paulo, SP. BrazilWeb of Scienc

Biocontrol potential of Trichoderma and Bacillus species on Fusarium oxysporum f. sp vasinfectum.

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum, is one of the major diseases of cotton. Preventive methods to manage this disease should be adopted what includes the seed treatment with biocontrol agents as a good alternative. This work aimed to evaluate the efficiency of biological products based on Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus subtilis in the control of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) applied in seeds and seedlings of cotton. The experiment was carried out at the Laboratório de Fitopatologia of the Centro de Ciências Agrárias, of the Universidade Federal de Paraíba (CCA-UFPB), located in the city of Areia, Paraíba - Brazil. The disease transmission of the seeds to the seedlings was evaluated. After the transmission test, cotton seeds of the variety Mocó (Gossypium hirsutum var. Marie-gallante (Watt) Hutch.), BRS 286 and Topázio cultivar (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were submitted to the treatments T1 - Control, T2 - Trichodel® (0,5 mL); T3-Trichodel® (1.0 mL); T4-Trichodel® (1.5 mL); T5-Trichodel® (2.0 mL); T6- Bactel® (2.0 mL); T7-Bactel® (2.5 mL); T8-Bactel® (3.0 mL); T9-Bactel® (3.5 mL) diluted in 100 mL SDW; T10 - Fungicide Captana (240 g / 100 kg of seeds) and inoculated with Fov. The pathogen incidence of the seeds was evaluated seven days after the inoculation (DAI). To evaluate the biological control of Fov in the seedlings, the treated seeds were submitted to the following inoculation methods: 1 - inoculation of the substrate with a pathogen conidia suspension; 2 - immersion of the seeds in the conidia suspension and 3 - direct contact of the seeds with the pathogen mycelium. Twenty-one DAI the disease severity and percentage of seedlings with vascular darkening were evaluated. It was observed a transmission rate of 64.0 to 89.0% of the seeds to the seedlings. Trichodel® reduced the incidence and severity of Fov in the cotton seedlings and was the most efficient product

Edge wetting of an Ising three-dimensional system

The effect of edge on wetting and layering transitions of a three-dimensional spin-1/2 Ising model is investigated, in the presence of longitudinal and surface magnetic fields, using mean field (MF) theory and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. For T=0, the ground state phase diagram shows that there exist only three allowed transitions, namely: surface and bulk transition, surface transition and bulk transition. However, there exist a surface intra-layering temperature $T_{L}^{s}$, above which the surface and the intra-layering surface transitions occur. While the bulk layering and intra-layering transitions appear above an other finite temperature $T_{L}^{b} (\ge T_{L}^{s})$. These surface and bulk intra-layering transitions are not seen in the perfect surfaces case. Numerical values of $T_{L}^{s}$ and $T_{L}^{b}$, computed by Monte Carlo method are found to be smaller than those obtained using mean field theory. However, the results predicted by the two methods become similar, and are exactly those given by the ground state phase diagram, for very low temperatures. On the other hand, the behavior of the local magnetizations as a function of the external magnetic field, shows that the transitions are of the first order type. $T_{L}^{s}$ and $T_{L}^{b}$ decrease when increasing the system size and/or the surface magnetic field. In particular, $T_{L}^{b}$ reaches the wetting temperature $T_{w}$ for sufficiently large system sizes.Comment: 11 Pages latex, 12 Figures P

Janus kinase mutations in mice lacking PU.1 and Spi-B drive B cell leukemia through reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage

Precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is caused by genetic lesions in developing B cells that function as drivers for the accumulation of additional mutations in an evolutionary selection process. We investigated secondary drivers of leukemogenesis in a mouse model of B-ALL driven by PU.1/Spi-B deletion (Mb1-CreΔPB). Whole-exome-sequencing analysis revealed recurrent mutations in Jak3 (encoding Janus kinase 3), Jak1, and Ikzf3 (encoding Aiolos). Mutations with a high variant-allele frequency (VAF) were dominated by C¡T transition mutations that were compatible with activation-induced cytidine deaminase, whereas the majority of mutations, with a low VAF, were dominated by C¡A transversions associated with 8-oxoguanine DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor ruxolitinib delayed leukemia onset, reduced ROS and ROS-induced gene expression signatures, and altered ROS-induced mutational signatures. These results reveal that JAK mutations can alter the course of leukemia clonal evolution through ROS-induced DNA damage

Augmented reality-assisted ultrasound breast biopsy

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world and the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related death. Treatment is effective in the early stages. Thus, a need to screen considerable portions of the population is crucial. When the screening procedure uncovers a suspect lesion, a biopsy is performed to assess its potential for malignancy. This procedure is usually performed using real-time Ultrasound (US) imaging. This work proposes a visualization system for US breast biopsy. It consists of an application running on AR glasses that interact with a computer application. The AR glasses track the position of QR codes mounted on an US probe and a biopsy needle. US images are shown in the user’s field of view with enhanced lesion visualization and needle trajectory. To validate the system, latency of the transmission of US images was evaluated. Usability assessment compared our proposed prototype with a traditional approach with different users. It showed that needle alignment was more precise, with 92.67 ± 2.32° in our prototype versus 89.99 ± 37.49° in a traditional system. The users also reached the lesion more accurately. Overall, the proposed solution presents promising results, and the use of AR glasses as a tracking and visualization device exhibited good performance.This work was funded by the projects “NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000045” and “NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000059", supported by Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). It was also funded by national funds, through the FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) and FCT/MCTES in the scope of the project UIDB/05549/2020, UIDP/05549/2020 and LASI-LA/P/0104/2020. The authors also acknowledge FCT, Portugal and the European Social Found, European Union, for funding support through the “Programa Operacional Capital Humano” (POCH) in the scope of the PhD grants SFRH/BD/136721/2018 (Oliveira B.) and SFRH/BD/136670 (Torres H. R.)

Comparison of High-Volume and High-Intensity Upper Body Resistance Training on Acute Neuromuscular Performance and Ratings of Perceived Exertion

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(1): 723-733, 2020. The assessment of neuromuscular fatigue is important for minimizing the risks of nonfunctional overreaching, and monitoring training loads has rapidly grown in recent years. The objective of the study was to compare the acute upper body performance and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) responses to high-volume (HV) and high-intensity (HI) resistance-training loads. Sixteen young resistance-trained men (4 repetition maximum [RM] bench press = 105.8 ± 15.9 kg) were divided into two groups of eight subjects each that performed a HI (3 sets of 4RM with 180 s of rest), and a HV (4 sets of 12RM with 90 s of rest) training sessions. Session RPE was obtained 30 min Post. The medicine-ball throw (MBT) performance was measured at pre, and 10 min post. Training volume load (movements × load), and intensity (volume load ÷ movements) were calculated. Volume load was significantly higher for HV (10890 ± 1241 kg) than HI (2718 ± 413 kg) protocol (p \u3c 0.001). Intensity was significantly higher for HI (100.7 ± 15.3 kg) than HV (75.6 ± 8.6 kg) protocol (p = 0.002). MBT performance was significantly reduced from pre- to post- HV (p \u3c 0.001; Δ = −11%), but not in HI (p = 0.15; Δ = −5%). RPE was significantly higher Post-HI (9.9 ± 0.4) than Post HV (8.9 ± 0.8) (p = 0.01). We conclude that higher volume loads induce greater upper body neuromuscular fatigue in young resistance-trained men. Session RPE may reflect training intensity, but not the performance impairments