Acalásia tem alta prevalência e maior demanda no ambulatório de doenças do esôfago e dismotilidade digestivas (AMBESO do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA)

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Is Achalasia in Chagas Disease different from Idiopathic Achalasia? : experience of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Objetivo: O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar as diferenças entre a acalasia chagásica e a idiopática em pacientes do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, através da análise de achados epidemiológicos, clínicos, radiológicos e manométricos. Métodos: Foram estudados pacientes encaminhados ao Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, entre novembro de 1996 e dezembro de 2001, com suspeita de acalasia, posteriormente, confirmada por manometria esofágica. Além das características manométricas e radiológicas, os pacientes foram avaliados quanto a idade, sexo, sintomas e tempo de evolução. Resultados: Entre 51 pacientes, nove (18%) tiveram sorologia positiva para doença de Chagas e 42 (82%) sorologia negativa. Indivíduos com sorologia negativa foram considerados portadores de acalasia idiopática. Pacientes com acalasia chagásica tinham média de idade de 62 ± 15 anos e os com idiopática 43 ± 18 anos (P < 0,02). O período de evolução dos sintomas em pacientes com acalasia chagásica foi de 74 ± 47 meses e nos idiopáticos 49 ± 35 meses (P < 0,05). Disfagia, regurgitação, dor torácica e emagrecimento, valores do esfíncter esofágico inferior (pressão basal, pressão e duração de relaxamento pós-deglutição e comprimento total) e do corpo esofágico (amplitude e duração das ondas pós-deglutição) foram similares em ambos os grupos Conclusões: As únicas diferenças estatisticamente significativas encontradas entre os dois grupos foram a média de idade e o período de evolução dos sintomas, maiores nos pacientes chagásicos. Esses dados permitem especular sobre uma maior tolerância aos sintomas nos pacientes com idade mais avançada. Unitermos: Acalasia chagásica; acalasia idiopática; doença de Chagas. Objetive: The objective of this study is to evaluate the differences between achalasia in Chagas’ disease and idiopathic achalasia in patients admitted to the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, by analyzing epidemiologic, clinic, radiologic and manometric findings. Methods: Patients referred to the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre between November 1996 and December 2001 with suspicion of achalasia, later confirmed by esophageal manometry, were included in the study. In addition to manometric and radiologic findings, patients were assessed for age, sex, symptoms and symptomatic period Results: Among 51 patients, nine (18%) presented positive serology for Chagas’ disease and 42 (82%) presented negative serology. The latter were considered carriers of idiopathic achalasia. The mean age of patients with achalasia in Chagas’ disease was 62 ± 15 years, while the mean age in the idiopathic group was 43 ± 18 years (P < 0.02). The symptomatic period for patients with achalasia in Chagas’ disease was 74 ± 47 months, and in the idiopathic group, 49 ± 35 months (P < 0.05). Dysphagia, regurgitation, thoracic pain and weight loss, values at the lower esophageal sphincter (basal pressure, post-deglutitive relaxation pressure/duration and total length) and at the esophageal body (amplitude and duration of the post-deglutitive waves) were similar in both groups. Conclusions: The only statistically significant differences found between the two groups were age and length of the symptomatic period, significantly greater in patients with achalasia in Chagas’ disease. These data suggest a greater resistance to the symptoms in older patients

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Indução da maturação sexual em ratas wistar pelo xenoestrogênio bisfenol A

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Indução da maturação sexual em ratas wistar pelo xenoestrogênio bisfenol A

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