Fahrenheit 451 ou “a new café”? Velhas e novas questões sobre participação política

A e-participação promove, ou não, a participação política dos cidadãos? Dar uma resposta a esta questão implica identificar contextos de mudança e/ou de reprodução social e, no caso de existir mudança, identificar que direção toma. Quando se trata da e-participação é necessário destacar se há elementos de continuidade em relação à participação política offline e se novos aspetos associados a esta participação desafiam as sociedades democráticas. Rompendo com o otimismo e o pessimismo no campo da e-participação, neste artigo, o nosso objetivo é apresentar uma reflexão sobre questões cruciais que têm consequências na participação política digital: as desigualdades sociais na participação política; a vigilância e a ameaça que se coloca a escolhas políticas livres; o modo como a participação política (informada) dos cidadãos e a esfera pública podem ser desafiadas através do uso de algoritmos, do aumento de notícias falsas e da propaganda e manipulação políticas sem escrutínio público.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalence and predictors of coronary artery disease in patients with a calcium score of zero

The absence of coronary calcification is associated with an excellent prognosis. However, a calcium score of zero does not exclude the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) or the possibility of future cardiovascular events. Our aim was to study the prevalence and predictors of coronary artery disease in patients with a calcium score of zero. Prospective registry consisted of 3,012 consecutive patients that underwent cardiac CT (dual source CT). Stable patients referred for evaluation of possible CAD that had a calcium score of zero (n = 864) were selected for this analysis. The variables that were statistically significant were included in a multivariable logistic regression model. From 864 patients with a calcium score of zero, 107 (12.4 %) had coronary plaques on the contrast CT (10.8 %, n = 93 with nonobstructive CAD and 1.6 %, n = 14 with obstructive CAD). By logistic regression analysis, the independent predictors of CAD in this population were age >55 years [odds ratio (OR) 1.63 (1.05-2.52)], hypertension [OR 1.64 (1.05-2.56)] and dyslipidemia [OR 1.54 (1.00-2.36)]. In the presence of these 3 variables, the probability of having coronary plaques was 21 %. The absence of coronary artery calcification does not exclude the presence of coron

Coronary computed tomography angiography-adapted Leaman score as a tool to noninvasively quantify total coronary atherosclerotic burden

To describe a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-adapted Leaman score (CT-LeSc) as a tool to quantify total coronary atherosclerotic burden with information regarding localization, type of plaque and degree of stenosis and to identify clinical predictors of a high coronary atherosclerotic burden as assessed by the CT-LeSc. Single center prospective registry including a total of 772 consecutive patients undergoing CCTA (Dual-source CT) from April 2011 to March 2012. For the purpose of this study, 581 stable patients referred for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) without previous myocardial infarction or revascularization procedures were included. Pre-test CAD probability was determined using both the Diamond-Forrester extended CAD consortium method (DF-CAD consortium model) and the Morise score. Cardiovascular risk was assessed with the HeartScore. The cut-off for the 3rd tercile (CT-LeSc ≥8.3) was used to define a population with a high coronary atherosclerotic burden. The median CT-LeSc in this population (n = 581, 8,136 coronary segments evaluated; mean age 57.6 ± 11.1; 55.8 % males; 14.6 % with diabetes) was 2.2 (IQR 0-6.8). In patients with CAD (n = 341), the median CT-LeSc was 5.8 (IQR 3.2-9.6). Among patients with nonobstructive CAD, most were classified in the lowest terciles (T1, 43.0 %; T2, 36.1 %), but 20.9 % were in the highest tercile (T3). The majority of the patients with obstructive CAD were classified in T3 (78.2 %), but 21.8 % had a CT-LeSc in lower terciles (T1 or T2). The independent predictors of a high CT-LeSc were: Male sex (OR 1.73; 95 % CI 1.04-2.90) diabetes (OR 2.91; 95 % CI 1.61-5.23), hypertension (OR 2.54; 95 % CI 1.40-4.63), Morise score ≥16 (OR 1.97; 95 % CI 1.06-3.67) and HeartScore ≥5 (OR 2.42; 95 % CI 1.41-4.14). We described a cardiac CT adapted Leaman score as a tool to quantify total (obstructive and nonobstructive) coronary atherosclerotic burden, reflecting the comprehensive information about localization, degree of stenosis and type of plaque provided by CCTA. Male sex, hypertension, diabetes, a HeartScore ≥5 % and a Morise score ≥16 were associated with a high coronary atherosclerotic burden, as assessed by the CT-LeSc. About one fifth of the patients with nonobstructive CAD had a CT-LeSc in the highest tercile, and this could potentially lead to a reclass

Proceedings - CBiOS Science Sessions - 2012

CBiOS Science Sessions Proceedings - 2012 - Study of the potential applicability of the by-products of the Prunus cerasus in promoting health and skin care; Contribution to a biologic and legal framework of the M. sylvestris in skin repair; Nanotechnology and drug delivery systems; Bacterial cellulose membranes applied in topical and transdermal delivery; New treatment strategies with plant extract teas for Alzheimer´s disease

Potential Downstream Target Genes of Aberrant ETS Transcription Factors Are Differentially Affected in Ewing’s Sarcoma and Prostate Carcinoma

<div><p><em>FLI1</em> and <em>ERG</em>, the major ETS transcription factors involved in rearrangements in the Ewing’s sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) and in prostate carcinomas (PCa), respectively, belong to the same subfamily, having 98% sequence identity in the DNA binding domain. We therefore decided to investigate whether the aberrant transcription factors in both malignancies have some common downstream targets. We crossed a publicly available list of all putative EWSR1-FLI1 target genes in ESFT with our microarray expression data on 24 PCa and 6 non-malignant prostate tissues (NPT) and choose four genes among the top-most differentially expressed between PCa with (PCa <em>ERG+</em>) and without (PCa ETS-) ETS fusion genes (<em>HIST1H4L</em>, <em>KCNN2, ECRG4</em> and <em>LDOC1</em>), as well as four well-validated direct targets of the EWSR1-FLI1 chimeric protein in ESFT (<em>NR0B1</em>, <em>CAV1</em>, <em>IGFBP3</em> and <em>TGFBR2</em>). Using quantitative expression analysis in 16 ESFT and seven alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS), we were able to validate the four genes previously described as direct targets of the EWSR1-FLI1 oncoprotein, showing overexpression of <em>CAV1</em> and <em>NR0B1</em> and underexpression of <em>IGFBP3</em> and <em>TGFBR2</em> in ESFT as compared to ARMS. Although none of these four genes showed significant expression differences between PCa <em>ERG</em>+ and PCa ETS-, <em>CAV1, IGFBP3</em> and <em>TGFBR2</em> were less expressed in PCa in an independent series of 56 PCa and 15 NPT, as also observed for <em>ECRG4</em> and <em>LDOC1</em>, suggesting a role in prostate carcinogenesis in general. On the other hand, we demonstrate for the first time that both <em>HIST1H4L</em> and <em>KCNN2</em> are significantly overexpressed in PCa <em>ERG+</em> and that ERG binds to the promoter of these genes. Conversely, <em>KCNN2</em> was found underexpressed in ESFT relative to ARMS, suggesting that the EWSR1-ETS oncoprotein may have the opposite effect of ERG rearrangements in PCa. We conclude that aberrant ETS transcription factors modulate target genes differently in ESFT and PCa.</p> </div

Box-plot distribution of <i>CAV1</i> and <i>IGFBP3</i> expression in PCa sample subgroups.

<p><b>A)</b><i>CAV1</i> expression; <b>B)</b><i>IGFBP3</i> expression. A <i>p</i> value is shown whenever the differences in each two group comparison reach significance (<i>p</i><0.05).</p

Box-plot representation of the qRT-PCR data for the four genes described as EWSR1-FLI1 targets and associated with PCa samples harboring <i>ERG</i> rearrangements (<i>HIST1H4L</i>, <i>KCNN2</i>, <i>ECRG4</i> and <i>LDOC1</i>).

<p><b>A)</b> ESFT <i>versus</i> ARMS samples; <b>B)</b> PCa samples <i>versus</i> NPT samples. A <i>p</i> value is shown whenever the differences in each two group comparison reach significance (<i>p</i><0.05).</p

Analyses of <i>HIST1H4L</i> and <i>KCNN2</i> expression and their regulation by ERG in PCa samples harboring <i>ERG</i> rearrangements.

<p><b>A)</b> and <b>B)</b> Box-plot distribution of <i>HIST1H4L</i> and <i>KCNN2</i> expression in PCa sample subgroups, respectively. A <i>p</i> value is shown whenever the differences in each two group comparison reach significance (<i>p</i><0.05). <b>C)</b> and <b>D)</b> qPCR of ERG-immunoprecipitated chromatin from VCaP cells showing ERG binding to three regions of the <i>HIST1H4L</i> promoter and to two regions of the <i>KCNN2</i> promoter, respectively.</p

Box-plot representation of the qRT-PCR data for the four genes described as EWSR1-FLI1 targets (<i>CAV1</i>, <i>NR0B1</i>, <i>IGFBP3</i> and <i>TGFBR2</i>).

<p><b>A)</b> ESFT <i>versus</i> ARMS samples; <b>B)</b> PCa <i>versus</i> NPT samples. A <i>p</i> value is shown whenever the differences in each two group comparison reach significance (<i>p</i><0.05).</p