Period3: um gene relacionado com a sincronização de ritmos circadianos pela luz

Period3 (Per3) is a clock gene that participates in the temporal mechanism in mammals. Papers have been published showing some conflicting results related with the function of this gene, which has not been completely established. In humans, Per3 gene contains a length polymorphism which is associated with homeostatic and circadian parameters of sleep. Some studies speculate on the function of this gene and its polymorphism in the sensitivity of light and recently, rather interesting data have been presented in the literature. These studies can help to improve the treatment of rhythms disorders and help to attenuate symptoms related with jet lag and shift workO gene Period 3 (Per3) faz parte do mecanismo de temporização dos mamíferos. Os trabalhos publicados na literatura até hoje mostram alguns resultados conflitantes em relação à função deste gene, que ainda não está totalmente esclarecida. Em humanos, o gene Per3 possui um polimorfismo de repetição provavelmente associado com mecanismos homeostáticos e circadianos do sono. Alguns estudos especulam sobre o papel deste gene e de seu polimorfismo em relação a sensibilidade à luz e já foram publicados resultados bem interessantes. Estes estudos podem trazer grandes impactos terapêuticos, ajudando no tratamento de distúrbios dos ritmos biológicos, na redução de sintomas relacionados a jet lag e a trabalhos em turn

Ice crystals structuring in water solutions containing different solutes

Existe uma grande demanda de conhecimentos na área de criopreservação de frutos tropicais com vistas a reduzir os danos celulares provocados por cristais de gelo durante o congelamento. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a capacidade de estruturação de cristais de gelo. Soluções aquosas contendo arabinose, glicose, piridoxina, creatina, metionina, lisina e arginina, foram submetidas a congelamento lento em ar estático e as amostras resultantes examinadas por microscopia ótica sob luz polarizada. Os açúcares arabinose e glicose provocaram nos cristais de gelo estruturações que variaram de uma configuração hexagonal a uma arbórea, dentre outras. Vitaminas hidrossolúveis e compostos hidrofílicos ou hidrofóbicos favoreceram a formação de arranjamentos circulares filamentosos.There is a great demand for information about the cryopreservation of tropical fruits to reduce cell damage caused by ice crystals during freezing. The objective of this work was to study the structuring capacity of ice cristals. Water solutions having arabinose, glucose, pyridoxine, creatine, methionine, lysine and arginine were submitted to a slow freezing process and the resulting samples were examined under an optical microscope under polarized light. Sugars (arabinose and glucose) caused a range of structures, from hexagonal to tree-like configurations, among others. Water soluble vitamins and hydrophilic or hydrophobic compounds favored the formation of needles arranged in a circular-type manner

Prolazna apneja u ovaca: alternativna metoda za uzastopno uzimanje uzoraka mokraće.

Urine samples are necessary in order to carry out many veterinary diagnostic and research protocols. In ovine, these samples are usually obtained through catheterization, but a transitory apnoea could be an easy way to obtain urine samples. This is achieved by preventing air from entering through the nostrils and mouth in sheep, for a short period of time, always less than 1 minute. The results of this transitory apnoea demonstrated that urine characteristics (pH, density and proteinuria) were not different from samples obtained by bladder catheterization. There were no differences in the blood parameters studied (cortisol, glycaemia, total proteins, haematocrit and total and differential leucocyte counts) either, when compared with the control group of catheterized animals, or with the measured values before or after sampling. In conclusion this system could be considered an easy and effective method to obtain urine samples, without causing stress to the sheep and avoiding the alterations to the blood and urinary parameters measured.Prikupljanje uzoraka mokraće nužno je radi provođenja mnogih veterinarskih dijagnostičkih postupaka i znanstvenih istraživanja. Ti se uzorci u ovaca obično uzimaju kateterizacijom. No, prolazna apneja može biti jednostavan način uzimanja uzoraka mokraće u ovaca. To se može postići zatvaranjem nosnica i gubice u kratkom vremenu, uvijek manje od jedne minute. Rezultati pretrage mokraće prikupljene nakon prolazne apneje pokazali su da značajke mokraće (pH, gustoća i proteinurija) nisu bile različite od onih dobivenih pretragom uzoraka uzetih kateterizacijom mokraćnog mjehura. Nije bilo razlike u pretraženim krvnim pokazateljima (kortizolu, glikemiji, ukupnim proteinima, hematokritu, ukupnim leukocitima i diferencijalnoj krvnoj slici) u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom kateteriziranih životinja, a ni u usporedbi s izmjerenim vrijednostima prije i nakon uzimanja uzoraka. Može se zaključiti da je opisani način uzimanja uzoraka jednostavan i učinkovit bez izazivanja stresa u ovaca i ne dovodi do promjena u pokazateljima krvi i mokraće

Centesimal Age and Relative Age Effect in Elite Futsal Players

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(6): 329-341, 2020. To investigate centesimal age (CA) and relative age effect (RAE) in elite male futsal players their date of birth and court-position were accessed through the official FIFA website. The absolute and relative frequency distributions of player births were quantified by quartiles and semesters. The two-way ANOVA and the Chi-Square analysis were applied to check for possible differences. The results showed a mean CA of 27.76 ± 4.11 years with no differences for both playing positions and competitions. In addition, no significant differences were found between quartiles or between semesters. The results suggest that elite male futsal athletes reach optimal competitive performance close to 27 years. Neither playing position nor geographical location may affect RAE, which seems to not affect the competitive performance (ranking) of elite male futsal players. These findings may help practitioners to understand the RAE phenomenon in futsal. In conclusion, being born in the early months of the year appears not to be important to successful performances in futsal. Overall, futsal athletes take about two decades to achieve their best performance. Coaches and researchers should consider the implementation of long-term training strategies (»20 years) to progressively and effectively develop young futsal players

Health and economic outcomes of the detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae-produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) in a hospital with high prevalence of this infection

Introduction: Klebsiella pneumoniae is of high prevalence in hospital infections, mainly in bloodstream infections (BSI), and some produce extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). for hospitals with a high prevalence of strains producing this enzyme, there is no reference material to show whether the use of the E-test method for their detection, which can be quite expensive, is actually required.Objective: To evaluate the cost-benefit of the disk diffusion and E-test methods for the detection of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains in hospitals where a high prevalence of this resistance mechanism in BSI is found.Methods: One hundred and eight patients with K. pneumoniae BSI were evaluated retrospectively. ESBL-producing strains were identified by the disk diffusion method and by the E-test method. We estimated the costs of both diagnostic methods based on antimicrobial therapy adequacy.Results: Fifty-two percent of K. pneumoniae infections were due to ESBL-producing strains. the disk diffusion method yielded a positive predictive value (PPV) of 94.7% (95% Cl: 88.9-100%) and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 96.1% (CI 95%: 90.8-101.4%) in relation to the E-test. We evaluated cost-effectiveness, i.e., we analyzed the cost of both E-test and disk diffusion methods with carbapenem and cephalosporins, and found that the use of the disk diffusion method accounts for approximately US$3300.Conclusions: in hospitals with a high prevalence of ESBL-producing strains, the disk diffusion method can be used to detect ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae without compromising the clinical progression of patients with BSI. the E-test showed higher accuracy but this method was more expensive than the disk diffusion method. However, the use of the E-test method was demonstrated to be more cost-effective, as we evaluated cost based on antimicrobial therapy adequacy. (C) 2005 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Disciplina Doencas Infecc & Parasitarias, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Disciplina Doencas Infecc & Parasitarias, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc