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Orientadores: Alba Regina Monteiro Souza Brito, Regina Celia Spadari-Bratfisch Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia Resumo: Neste trabalho foram investigadas as respostas da camada muscular interna do dueto deferente humano a agonistas colinérgicos e adrenérgicos na ausência e na presença de antagonistas. Os duetos foram obtidos de homens saudáveis com idade entre 25 e 45 anos, em cirurgia de vasectomia, e imediatamente colocados em solução de Krebs-Henseleit, onde foram mantidos sob refrigeração, até o momento da realização do experimento. Os experimentos ocorreram no máximo 48 horas após a cirurgia. Os duetos foram preparados de três maneiras distintas: tiras em espiral, anéis ou cortes transversais alternados, para definição da preparação mais sensível, a qual seria utilizada nos experimentos subseqüentes. Foi definido anteriormente que seria mais sensível aquela preparação que mostrasse maior resposta máxima e maior valor pD2 para a noradrenalina. Após a definição da técnica, os duetos foram submetidos à ação de agonistas colinérgicos. Não foram obtidas respostas contráteis a estes agonistas. Em seguida foram realizadas curvas dose-efeito a agonistas adrenérgicos, com os quais foram obtidas respostas que permitiram o estudo da população de adreno-receptores, assim como estudos dos sistemas de metabolização de catecolaminas nesta região do tecido. Para o estudo das populações específicas de receptores, foram utilizados agonistas e antagonistas seletivos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que: preparação mais sensível e, portanto, a ser utilizada no estudo da contração da camada muscular circular interna do dueto deferente humano, é a preparação em espiral; a preparação em estudo é insensível a agonistas colinérgicos, sugerindo ausência ou população restrita de receptores na região estudada; a contração da camada circular é fundamentalmente adrenérgica, verificando-se principalmente a presença de receptores do tipo a1; os sistemas de metabolização de catecolaminas são ativos, atuando de maneIra conjunta (recaptação neuronal ecaptação extraneuronal); estudos funcionais permitiram ainda sugerir que parte da resposta pode estar associada a receptores do sub-tipo a1a, os quais utilizam o cálcio extracelular como segundo mensageiro Abstract: The objective of this work was to investigate the response of the circular smooth muscle layer of the human vas deferens to cholinergic and adrenergic agonists in the absence and in the presence of antagonists. The vas deferens were obtained from 25 to 45 years old men in vasectomy surgeries. Tissues were kept in Krebs-Henseleit solution, under refrigeration, for no longer than 48 hours. Vas deferens were prepared in three different ways: spiral strips, rings or alternate transversal cuts, in order to determine the most sensitive preparation for the subsequent experiments. The tissues were exposed to cholinergic agonists but no contractile responses were observed. Tissue exposure to adrenergic agonists resulted in correspondent dose-effect curves, obtained in the absence or in the presence of selective antagonists. The results indicated that: the most sensitive preparation was the spiral strip; the contraction of the circular smooth inner layer is mostly adrenergic with major presence of the a1 adrenoceptor; functional studies suggested that a significant part of the response can be associated to a1a adrenoceptors Mestrado Fisiologia e Biofísica Mestre em Ciências Biológicas

Submission to D4D Challenge (December 2014).ABSTRACTStaple prices are the main indicator of food access and a key determinant of the revenues of those living in agricultural zones. Differentials in prices between producing (low prices) and consuming (high prices) areas harm both groups and indicate the presence of market failures. In this study we model the millet prices formation process in Senegal in a spatially explicit model that accounts for both high transportation costs and information asymmetries. The model integrates a unique and diversified set of data in a framework that is coherent with the economic theory. The high ability of the model in reproducing the price differentials between 41 markets (R² > 80%) opens a new avenue for the research on market integration which (i) integrates production data derived from remote sensing, (ii) simulatesthe demand and supply at the local level and (iii) the arbitrage process between imperfectly integrated markets.

Background Few histologic studies describe the histopathologic aspects of scleromyxedema. Objective We sought to describe the histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of scleromyxedema in a large series of patients. Methods We studied all the cases with scleromyxedema diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 at participating centers. Sections with hematoxylin-eosin and special stains were examined. Immunohistochemistry for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, and factor XIIIa was performed in 10 cases. Results A total of 44 skin biopsy specimens from 34 patients were reviewed. Two different histopathologic patterns were observed: the classic microscopic triad (dermal mucin deposition, fibroblast proliferation, fibrosis) was identified in 34 specimens, whereas an interstitial granuloma annulare–like pattern was found in 10 specimens. A superficial perivascular infiltrate with T lymphocytes was found in all specimens whereas an interstitial proliferation of CD68 + epithelioid cells was identified in the 10 specimens with an interstitial granuloma annulare–like pattern. Elastic fibers were largely lost, explaining the redundant folds of the disease. Limitations This was a retrospective study. Conclusions Scleromyxedema shows 2 histopathologic patterns, including the classic type with the microscopic triad of mucin, fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis, and an interstitial granuloma annulare–like pattern. Recognition of these histologic presentations expands the spectrum of scleromyxedema and highlights the difficulty in diagnosing this disabling condition in the absence of a clinicopathological correlation.