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Intensive cropland expansion for an increasing population has driven soil degradation worldwide. Modeling how agroecosystems respond to variations in soil attributes, relief and crop management dynamics can guide soil conservation. This research presents a new approach to evaluate soil loss by water erosion in cropland using the RUSLE model and Synthetic Soil Image (spectroscopy technique), which uses time series remotely sensed environmental, agricultural and anthropic variables, in the southeast region of São Paulo State, Brazil. The availability of the open-access satellite images of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Landsat satellite images provided ten years of rainfall data and 35 years of exposed soil surface. The bare soil surface and agricultural land use were extracted, and the multi-temporal rainfall erosivity was assessed. We predict soil maps’ attributes (texture and organic matter) through innovative soil spectroscopy techniques to assess the soil erodibility and soil loss tolerance. The erosivity, erodibility, and topography obtained by the Earth observations were adopted to estimate soil erosion in four scenarios of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) residue coverage (0%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) in five years of the sugarcane cycle: the first year of sugarcane harvest and four subsequent harvesting years from 2013 to 2017. Soil loss tolerance means 4.3 Mg ha−1 exceeds the minimum rate in 40% of the region, resulting in a total soil loss of ~6 million Mg yr−1 under total coverage management (7 Mg ha−1). Our findings suggest that sugarcane straw production has not been sufficient to protect the soil loss against water erosion. Thus, straw removal is unfeasible unless alternative conservation practices are adopted, such as minimum soil tillage, contour lines, terracing and other techniques that favor increases in organic matter content and soil flocculating cations. This research also identifies a spatiotemporal erosion-prone area that requests an immediately sustainable land development guide to restore and rehabilitate the vulnerable ecosystem service. The high-resolution spatially distribution method provided can identify soil degradation-prone areas and the cropland expansion frequency. This information may guide farms and the policymakers for a better request of conservation practices according to site-specific management variation.

Background Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited heart muscle disease characterized by fibro-fatty replacement of predominantly right, left or biventricular myocardium. The clinical course of ACM is characterized by high risk of abrupt arrhythmic ventricular events, potentially leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD), and by progressive impairment of biventricular systolic function, which may lead to heart failure (HF)-related death, with an estimated overall yearly mortality ranging from 0.08% to 3.6% among studies. Aim This study sought to assess the long-term follow-up of a cohort of ACM patients from the Piedmont region of Italy, specifically evaluating the cumulative incidence of SCD, HF-related death and heart transplantat. Methods Patients who received a definite ACM diagnosis according to the latest available International Task Force Criteria (ITFC) at three different institutions in Piedmont (“Cardinal Massaia” Hospital of Asti, “Azienda Ospedaliera Ordine Mauriziano” of Turin and “Città della Salute e della Scienza” Hospital of Turin) between 1982 and March 2022 were prospectively enrolled. Clinical, electrocardiographic and imaging data were collected at baseline and during follow-up. The occurrence of two coprimary composite endpoints was evaluated, namely the arrhythmic composite endpoint of SCD or aborted SCD and the HF-related composite endpoint, including heart transplant for end-stage HF or cardiac death due to pump failure. Independent predictors of the coprimary composite endpoints were also assessed by means of multivariable analysis. Results The overall population included 97 patients; mean age at diagnosis was 38.2 ± 14.3 years; 66 (68%) patients were male. Median follow-up was 12.9 years (interquartile range 0-38 years). The composite arrhythmic outcome occurred in 10 (10.3%) patients and the composite HF outcome occurred in 13 (13.5%) patients. Overall, 19 (19.6%) patients died: seven (37%) patients died from SCD, four (21%) patients died of end-stage HF and eight (42%) patients died from non-cardiac causes. The cumulative incidence of cardiac death was 1.65% per year. Aborted SCD occurred in 3 (3%) patients, sustained ventricular tachycardias in 51 (52%), HF in 17 (18%) and atrial fibrillation in 21 (22%); forty-seven (48%) underwent an implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation (ICD) and 8 (8%) patients underwent heart transplant. Mean interval between ACM diagnosis and heart transplant was 130.4 ± 75.3 months. At univariable analysis, the presence at baseline of terminal activation duration (TAD) ≥ 55 ms on surface electrocardiogram (p value 0.037), right atrium dilatation at transthoracic echocardiography (p value 0.021) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (p value 0.031) and palpitations as main clinical presentation (p value 0.017) were associated with the occurrence of the arrhythmic endpoint. At multivariable analysis, baseline TAD ≥ 55 msec was the only predictor of the composite arrhythmic endpoint (odds ratio 12.5, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 121.26, p value 0.029). At univariable analysis, the presence of epsilon waves (p value 0.017), TAD ≥ 55 ms (p value 0.020) and T wave inversion in leads V1-V3 (p value 0.022) on surface electrocardiogram, HF (p value 0.018) or atrial arrhythmias (p value < 0.001) at presentation and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III to IV at diagnosis (p value 0.002) were significantly associated with the composite HF-related endpoint. At multivariable analysis, the presence of atrial arrhythmias at presentation was the only predictor of the HF-related composite endpoint (odds ratio 10.8, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 90.32, p value 0.028). Conclusions In this multicenter cohort of 97 ACM patients, the cumulative incidence of cardiac death was 1.65% per year at long-term follow-up. Arrhythmic death accounted for the majority of cardiac fatal events (64%), confirming the peculiar predisposition to SCD of ACM patients. Evolution towards end-stage HF and cardiac death due to pump failure were common.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a histological subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, largely characterized by anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positivity, resulting from the chromosomal translocation t(2;5). We report a pediatric case of ALK-positive ALCL with primary concomitant involvement of bone and central nervous system (CNS); thereafter, a literature review about pediatric primary bone and primary CNS ALCL was conducted. According to the analyzed data, our case is unique because it is characterized by the contemporary involvement of the spine and CNS. During and after chemotherapy, our patient was monitored by detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) through the analysis of fusion transcript nucleophosmin-ALK. MRD assessment, not only in bone marrow but also in peripheral blood, seems to be a very powerful tool for predicting the prognosis of pediatric ALCL patients, as already described in the literature. Moreover, as shown in our case, it could be used during the follow-up for early recognition of relapse.

The contribution of the herbaceous stratum to tropical plant diversity is considerable, however this component remains undersampled. We investigated floristic, structural, ecological and conservation issues concerning the herbaceous component of a seasonal deciduous forest associated with granitic rock outcrops in the Cristalino Region, a key area for biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian Amazon. We installed a permanent plot of 1 ha, allocating 10 transect-lines of 20 m each. We identified the sampled individuals, measured height and projection, and verified cover and frequency per species, genera and family. We recorded 86 species, 62 genera and 25 families, with Orchidaceae being the family with the highest species richness. Among the 26 new species added to Cristalino Flora, we included Philodendron deflexum Poepp. ex Schott and Griffinia nocturna Ravenna, the latter ‘Critically Endangered’. Furthermore, the occurrence of G. nocturna in an Amazonian forest matrix is a novelty in this study. The estimate of species diversity according to Shannon-Wiener (H’) was 2.43 nats.ind.-1 (equivalent to 11.37 ± 0.90 IC95% equally common species), and according to Simpson (1/D), 6.82 (± 0.648 IC95%). The rarefaction and extrapolation curves for the diversity estimates tended to stabilize. Although the vegetation on rock outcrops usually presents a high number of endemic species, this pattern was not found in our study area, which can be explained by its continuous occurrence in the forest matrix. The understory of our study area consists in a mixture of floras, being composed mainly of species from the Amazon and/or Cerrado biomes. In view of the current anthropic pressure faced by the southern Amazon, we reinforce the importance of carrying out inventories of its herbaceous communities, since the risk of species loss is even more alarming when considering present undersampling of this component. Resumo A contribuição do estrato herbáceo para a diversidade de plantas tropicais é considerável, mas esse componente permanece subamostrado. Investigamos questões florísticas, estruturais, ecológicas e de conservação relacionadas ao componente herbáceo de uma floresta estacional decidual associada a afloramentos rochosos graníticos na região do Cristalino, que é uma área chave para a conservação da biodiversidade na Amazônia brasileira. Instalamos um plot permanente de 1 ha, alocando 10 linhas de 20 m cada. Identificamos os indivíduos amostrados, medimos altura e projeção e verificamos cobertura e frequência por espécie, gênero e família. Registramos 86 espécies, 62 gêneros e 25 famílias, sendo Orchidaceae a família com maior riqueza de espécies. Entre as 26 novas espécies adicionadas à Flora do Cristalino, incluímos Philodendron deflexum Poepp ex Schott e Griffinia nocturna Ravenna, esta última ‘Criticamente Ameaçada’. Além disso, a ocorrência de G. nocturna em uma matriz florestal amazônica é uma novidade neste estudo. A estimativa da diversidade de espécies de acordo com Shannon-Wiener (H ‘) foi 2,43 nats / ind.-1 (equivalente a 11,37 ± 0,90 IC95% espécies igualmente comuns), e de acordo com Simpson (1/D), 6,82 (± 0,648 IC95%). As curvas de rarefação e extrapolação para as estimativas de diversidade tenderam à estabilização. Embora a vegetação associada a afloramentos rochosos em geral apresente um elevado número de espécies endêmicas, esse padrão não foi encontrado para a nossa área de estudo, o que pode ser explicado pela sua ocorrência contínua à matriz florestal. O sub-bosque da nossa área de estudo apresenta mistura de floras, sendo composto principalmente por espécies dos biomas Amazônia e/ou Cerrado. Diante das pressões antrópicas existentes no sul da Amazônia, reforçamos a importância da realização de inventários das comunidades herbáceas desse bioma, já que o risco de perda de espécies é ainda mais alarmante quando consideramos a subamostragem desse componente.

Introduction Sars-CoV-2 is a single-strained RNA virus belonging to Coronaviridae’s family. In pediatric age, the majority of patients is asymptomatic; however, several neurological manifestations associated with Sars-CoV-2 infection have been detected in a percentage of cases ranging from 17.3 to 36.4%. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) has been recently included among the potential complications of Sars-Cov2 infection. The available data regarding pediatric patient show only one case. Case report We present a case regarding a 6-year-old patient suffering from Fisher-Evans syndrome who was given sirolimus and thalidomide therapy. After 10 days since the first positive nasopharyngeal swab for Sars-CoV-2, in which he had no symptoms, he presented an episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizure with spontaneous resolution. The patient underwent MRI which showed the typical picture of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. His clinical course was favorable, with a good response to cortisone therapy and a progressive improvement of the neuroradiological and electroencephalographic picture. Conclusions According to our knowledge, this is the second case of an acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a pediatric patient, characterized by monosymptomatic onset, in which the immunosuppressive therapy practiced for the Fisher-Evans syndrome has probably contributed to a favorable evolution of ADEM, in contrast to other case described in the literature.

It is impossible to make pedological maps without understanding subsurface attributes. Several strategies can be used for soil mapping, from a tacit knowledge to mathematical modeling. However, there are still gaps in knowledge regarding how to optimize subsurface mapping. This work aimed to quantify subsurface soil attributes using satellite spectral reflectance and geographically weighted regression (GWR) techniques. The study was carried out in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in an area spanning 47,882 ha. Multitemporal satellite images (Landsat-5) were initially processed in order to retrieve spectral reflectance from the bare soil surface. Based on a toposequence method, 328 points were then distributed across the area (at depths between 0 and 20 cm and 80 and 100 cm) and analyzed for their soil chemical and physical attributes (including the reflectance spectra (400 to 2500 nm)) in the laboratory. We achieved 67.72% of bare soil for the whole study area, with the remaining 32.28% of the unmapped surface being filled by kriging interpolation. All 328 samples were modeled using surface (Landsat-5 TM spectral reflectance) and subsurface (acquired in the laboratory) data, reaching up to 0.72 R2adj. The correlation between the spectra of both depths was significant and the soil attributes prediction reached an R2adj of validation above 0.6 for clay, hue, value, and chroma at 0–20 and 80–100 cm depths. The satellite soil surface reflectance allowed the estimation of soil subsurface attributes. These results demonstrate that diagnostic soil attributes can be quantified based on spectral pedotransfer (SPEDO) functions to assist digital soil mapping and soil monitoring. Despite our efforts to determine soil subsurface properties using digital soil mapping approach, this task still need considerable refinement. Thus, research must continue to aggregate outcomes from other techniques.

The Earth’s surface dynamics provide essential information for guiding environmental and agricultural policies. Uncovered and unprotected surfaces experience several undesirable effects, which can affect soil ecosystem functions. We developed a technique to identify global bare surface areas and their dynamics based on multitemporal remote sensing images to aid the spatiotemporal evaluation of anthropic and natural phenomena. The bare Earth’s surface and its changes were recognized by Landsat image processing over a time range of 30 years using the Google Earth Engine platform. Two additional products were obtained with a similar technique: a) Earth’s bare surface frequency, which represents where and how many times a single pixel was detected as bare surface, based on Landsat series, and b) Earth’s bare soil tendency, which represents the tendency of bare surface to increase or decrease. This technique enabled the retrieval of bare surfaces on 32% of Earth’s total land area and on 95% of land when considering only agricultural areas. From a multitemporal perspective, the technique found a 2.8% increase in bare surfaces during the period on a global scale. However, the rate of soil exposure decreased by ~4.8% in the same period. The increase in bare surfaces shows that agricultural areas are increasing worldwide. The decreasing rate of soil exposure indicates that, unlike popular opinion, more soils have been covered due to the adoption of conservation agriculture practices, which may reduce soil degradation.

Submitted by Cristina Nachef (cristinanachef@gmail.com) on 2022-02-18T19:04:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Cristina Galo.pdf: 1415737 bytes, checksum: 0df76472947bb921e489642b1242c7bb (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Érica Santana (paixaosantana@hotmail.com) on 2022-02-28T18:15:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Cristina Galo.pdf: 1415737 bytes, checksum: 0df76472947bb921e489642b1242c7bb (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-02-28T18:15:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Cristina Galo.pdf: 1415737 bytes, checksum: 0df76472947bb921e489642b1242c7bb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019-12-13 OUTRAS A pesquisa recupera a análise do comportamento informacional de bibliotecários que atuam no Sistema Universitário de Bibliotecas da Universidade Federal da Bahia (SIBI/UFBA), buscando apresentar as fontes e canais de informações utilizadas pelos profissionais investigados, assim como os critérios adotados para o uso efetivo da informação para o cumprimento das atividades profissionais. Assim, a investigação parte do seguinte questionamento: Como o comportamento informacional dos bibliotecários do Sistema Universitário de Bibliotecas interfere nos serviços orientados aos usuários da informação vinculados à Universidade Federal da Bahia? Desta forma, objetivamos analisar o comportamento informacional dos docentes bibliotecários da Universidade Federal da Bahia. De maneira específica, buscamos identificar as fontes e canais de informação usadas pelos sujeitos investigados, verificar de que forma os bibliotecários buscam informação, e por fim, descrever os critérios adotados para o uso efetivo de uma informação. Assumimos a abordagem de natureza qualitativa como fio condutor e para desenvolver as investigações utilizamos análise de produções acadêmicas, levantamento de informações acerca do sistema universitário de bibliotecas da UFBA e consequentemente dos profissionais bibliotecários que o compõe e aplicação de questionários com bibliotecários atuantes no contexto de pesquisa escolhido. Trouxemos algumas discussões teórico – conceituais sobre comportamento informacional, discutindo sobre os estudos das necessidades e os usuários da informação e os modelos de comportamento informacional, discutimos também sobre o bibliotecário enquanto profissional da informação, refletindo sobre sua formação, seu potencial enquanto educador, sua atuação, os serviços de referências, e as fontes de informação e o processo de busca e recuperação de conteúdos. Com a pesquisa percebemos a importância do profissional bibliotecário e seu potencial enquanto mediador da informação, e mais especificamente como um educador, que pode acionar um olhar crítico e analítico para sua atuação, uma vez que, seu comportamento informacional se relaciona diretamente com o seu fazer profissional. A research retrieves an analysis of informational behavior of librarians who are not currently at the University System of Libraries of the Federal University of Bahia (SIBI / UFBA), seeking to present the sources of research used, as well as the criteria provided for or effective use. Gives information for or compliance with professional activities. Assim, a research part of the following question: How or informational behavior do two librarians of the University System of Interference Libraries serve us oriented to the users linked to the Federal University of Bahia? In this way, we objective to analyze or inform informational behavior of two library professors of the Federal University of Bahia. In a specific way, we seek to identify the sources and channels of information used under investigation, verify in what way the librarians are looking for information, and finally, disclose the criteria provided for the effective use of any information.We assume a qualitative nature approach as a condutor and to carry out research we use analysis of academic productions, information gathering about the university library system of UFBA and consequently two profissionais librarians that either compose and apply questions to library libraries context context scolhyde Let us discuss some theoretical discussions - conceituais about informational behavior, discussing about the needs and informational models and the models of informational behavior, we also discuss about the librarianship in information proficiency, reflected on their training, their potential education, their attentive education , we serve as references, and as sources of information and process of search and recovery of contents. As a result, we will perceive the importance of the professional library and its potential as a mediator of information, and more specifically as an educator, who can act on a critical and analytical approach to its attire, once again, its informative behavior is directly related to its make professional.

Aberrant re-activation of transcription factors occurs frequently in cancer. Recently, we found the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors DEC1 and DEC2 significantly up-regulated in a model of highly aggressive thyroid cancer, raising the hypothesis that these factors might be part of the program driving progression of these tumors. Here, we investigated for the first time the function of DEC1 and DEC2 in thyroid cancer. Using both gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we showed that DEC1 more than DEC2 sustains progression of thyroid cancer by promoting cell growth and invasiveness. We demonstrated that DEC1 controls NOTCH1 expression and that the interplay with the NOTCH pathway is relevant for DEC1 function in thyroid cancer. We confirmed this observation in vivo showing that DEC1 expression is a specific feature of tumor cells, that this transcription factor is significantly over-expressed in all major thyroid cancer histotypes and that its expression correlated with NOTCH1 in these tumors. Finally, we performed RNA-sequencing to define the DEC1-associated gene expression profile in thyroid cancer cells and we discovered that DEC1 drives the expression of many cell cycle-related genes, uncovering a potential new function for this transcription factor in cancer.

Angiogenesis induction is a hallmark of cancer. Antiangiogenic properties of Xanthohumol (XN), a naturally occurring prenylated chalcone from hops, have been widely reported. Here we describe the synthesis and study the antiangiogenic activity in vitro of a series of XN derivatives, where different substituents on the B-ring of the chalcone scaffold were inserted. The new XN derivatives inhibited human umbilical-vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, adhesion, migration, invasion and their ability to form capillary-like structures in vitro at 10 μM concentration. The preliminary results indicate that the phenolic OH group in R, present in natural XN, is not necessary for having antiangiogenic activity. In fact, the most effective compound from this series, 13 , was characterized by a para-methoxy group in R and a fluorine atom in R 2 on B-ring. This study paves the way for future development of synthetic analogues of XN to be used as cancer angiopreventive and chemopreventive agents.

Articles and essays published in Comunicacion y Sociedad from 2004 to 2016 are analyzed, seeking to show authorship, appointments and subject trends, as to reveal methodological and theoretical approaches that prevail in the communication field discussed in the journal. Using a content analysis we found that the critical approach is the most used in the studies, as well as the traditional methodologies.

Aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) administration for at least one month before ECV on the acute and long term success rate of the procedure.1313 consecutive persistent AF patients were enrolled in 3 different centers (Turin, Asti and Avellino): 692 patients received AADs before and after ECV (group A), 621 patients were treated only after the procedure, at discharge (group B). Primary end point was the restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm acutely and at a long-term follow up.Acute ECV success was higher in group A compared with group B (99% vs. 88%, p=0.0001) and a fewer number of shock attempts were administered (1.15±0.42 vs. 1.27±0.53 p0.0001). Moreover group A maintained SR more often than group B at one month (99% vs. 89%, log-rank p0.0001), at one year (55% vs. 48% log-rank p=0.01) and at the end of follow up (mean 2.7±2.1years, 45% vs. 29%, log-rank p0.0001). At multivariate analysis AADs premedication was the strongest independent predictor of acute and long-term ECV success (respectively p0.0001 OR 10.71 CI 5.10-22.50 and p=0.004, OR 1.50 CI 1.14-1.97). At sensitivity analysis no differences were found between ADDs in terms of acute success improvement (p=0.605), number of shock attempts (p=0.853) and long term SR maintenance (log-rank p=0.480).AADs administration for at least 4weeks before the ECV in persistent AF increases significantly the acute success rate and this result was maintained over a long-term follow-up.

Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) transcatheter ablation is a safe and effective procedure. However, outcome over 10 years of follow-up has never been reported. The aim of this study is to assess outcome, describe predictors of recurrences, and report on quality of life (QoL) the decade after an AF ablation. Methods and results Patients referred for AF ablation in a single high volume centre from June 2004 to June 2006 were enrolled and followed in a prospective fashion by yearly clinical assessment and Holter monitoring. Among 255 patients (42.7% paroxysmal AF, 77% males, after a follow-up of 125 ± 7 months), 132 (52%) were arrhythmia-free including (58, 32% after a single procedure) while 27 (10%) progressed to permanent AF. At multivariate analysis, a greater left atrium antero-posterior diameter (HR 1.05 95% CI 1.02-1.09, P = 0.02) related to arrhythmic recurrences, while no increase in blood pressure (HR 0.06 95% CI 0.02-0.20, P = 0.01), BMI (HR 0.06 95% CI 0.02-0.09, P

Autonomic Nervous System Activity Before AF OnsetIntroduction The autonomic nervous system has been proven to play a major role in the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF), along with a predisposing substrate and a specific trigger event usually consisting of a premature supraventricular ectopic beat (SVEB). By means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, we investigated the activity of the autonomic nervous system before SVEBs nontriggering and triggering AF. Methods and Results We evaluated 28 patients with at least 1 episode of sustained AF (>30 seconds) recorded during 24-hour Holter monitorings. We performed HRV analysis during the hour preceding 35 AF onsets and compared these results with the HRV values before nontriggering SVEBs with similar prematurity. According to the low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio in the 5 minutes before the onset, AF episodes were classified as either vagal (LF/HF ratio

Geospatial soil information is critical for agricultural policy formulation and decision making, land-use suitability analysis, sustainable soil management, environmental assessment, and other research topics that are of vital importance to agriculture and economy. Proximal and Remote sensing technologies enables us to collect, process, and analyze spectral data and to retrieve, synthesize, visualize valuable geospatial information for multidisciplinary uses. We obtained the soil class map provided in this article by processing and analyzing proximal and remote sensed data from soil samples collected in toposequences based on pedomorphogeological relashionships. The soils were classified up to the second categorical level (suborder) of the Brazilian Soil Classification System (SiBCS), as well as in the World Reference Base (WRB) and United States Soil Taxonomy (ST) systems. The raster map has 30 m resolution and its accuracy is 73% (Kappa coefficient of 0.73). The soil legend represents a soil class followed by its topsoil color. Keywords: Digital soil mapping, Soil management, Agricultural planning, Soil classification system, Landsat

Background/aim Pineoblastoma of the adult age is an uncommon tumor with only 200 cases reported. A standardized approach for an optimal adjuvant strategy is currently lacking. The case presented herein also deals with the issue of central nervous system tumors in pregnancy. Case report A 21-year-old pregnant woman presented with massive hydrocephalus due to a mass in the pineal region detected with MRI. After positioning an urgent ventricular derivation, a cesarean section was performed. During a third ventriculocisternostomy, a biopsy revealed a pineoblastoma. After a maximal safe resection, postoperative craniospinal irradiation for a total dose of 36 Gy plus a sequential boost to the tumor bed to 54 Gy, and adjuvant chemotherapy with CDDP plus CCNU plus vincristine were performed. After one year, the patient is alive with no evidence of disease. Conclusion The use of adjuvant radio-chemotherapy provided excellent outcomes in our case. The advanced gestational age facilitated the choice of the therapeutic strategy.

Aims QT interval may be considered an indirect marker of atrial repolarization. Aim of our study was to verify if QT interval variations precede the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods We analyzed 21 AF onsets recorded at 24-h Holter ECG. Triggering supraventricular extrabeats (TSVEB) were identified and matched to nontriggering supraventricular extrabeats (NTSVEB) with the same prematurity index. QT and QTc intervals and their variability (max-min QT interval) were measured in the 10 beats preceding TSVEB and NTSVEB. Results QTc (470.1 ± 56.7 vs. 436.7 ± 25.6 ms; P = 0.006), QT (36.8 ± 13.1 vs. 21.1 ± 10.1 ms; P = 0.001) and QTc variability (41.5 ± 15.8 vs. 23.1 ± 11.9; P = 0.001) significantly varied between TSVEB and NTSVEB. By stratifying AF onsets in vagal (n = 10) and adrenergic (n = 11) according to Heart Rate Variability, significant differences emerged concerning QT (35.20 ± 16.48 vs. 22.70 ± 10.23 ms, P = 0.006) and QTc variability (39.30 ± 18.32 vs. 25.60 ± 12.91 ms, P = 0.029) for vagal onsets and QTc (477.73 ± 57.50 vs. 438.00 ± 28.55 ms, P = 0.045), QT (38.36 ± 9.79 vs. 19.73 ± 10.21 ms, P = 0.005) and QTc variability (43.55 ± 13.72 vs. 20.82 ± 11.01 ms, P = 0.004) for adrenergic onsets. By stratifying AF onsets in type I (n = 7) or II (n = 14) according to a cycle length variation in the 30 s before the onset greater or smaller than 10% respectively, significant differences were noted concerning QTc (477.73 ± 57.50 vs. 438 ± 28.55 ms, P = 0.045), QT (43.55 ± 13.72 vs. 20.82 ± 11.01 ms, P = 0.005) and QTc variability (43.55 ± 13.72 vs. 20.82 ± 11.01 ms, P = 0.004) in type I and QT (35.20 ± 16.48 vs. 22.70 ± 10.23 ms, P = 0.006) and QTc variability (39.30 ± 18.32 vs. 25.60 ± 12.91 ms, P = 0.029) in type II onsets. Conclusion Prolongation and QT variability represent a relevant substrate marker in the genesis of AF, independently of the trigger type.

Pedological assessment and mapping by hyperspectral proximal and multispectral remote sensing comes up as an important alternative for large extent areas with high soil variability. Strategies indicating how to integrate these multi-source data for digital soil mapping are emerging. In this paper, we used proximal and remote sensed data to perform pedological assessments and to support a detailed soil class mapping by MESMA. The study area is located in Southeast of Federal District, Brazil. Six toposequences were defined according to pedomorphogeological assessments and 34 sites were collected for laboratory analysis (texture and chemical) and VIS-NIR-SWIR (350–2500 nm) spectroscopy reflectance analysis. We assessed soil mineralogy based on derivative analysis of topsoil reflectance and we grouped observations to recognize topsoil spectral patterns by clustering method. Topsoil patterns (mean spectral curve for each cluster) were convolved using a Gaussian function of Landsat 5-TM spectral bands to obtain endmembers. Then, we used a Landsat 5 TM time series to produce a bare soil composite denominated Synthetic Soil Image (SYSI). Endmembers and SYSI were used as input data for Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) to map the soil classes. Topsoil spectra clustered soil samples that were similar in texture, mineralogy and color, and identified 13 topsoil patterns (endmembers). SYSI retrieved 74% of bare soil area coverage and presented very similar spectral patterns to endmembers. The RGB 543 composite highlighted the mineralogy (i.g. sesquioxides, kaolinite and quartz), texture and color of the soils. MESMA modeled almost 100% of SYSI from endmembers, with low global RMSE of 0.86% and high global fraction of 62%. Soil classes were mapped using topsoil reflectance patterns and satellite images by MESMA method. We validated the digital soil map by using independent field-visited sites, which reached a Kappa coefficient of 0.73. We efficiently assessed soil mineralogy and recognized patterns from laboratory topsoil spectra. We successfully mapped soil classes using topsoil reflectance patterns and a bare soil composite image by MESMA method.

// Cristina Gallo 1 , Katiuscia Dallaglio 1 , Barbara Bassani 2 , Teresa Rossi 1 , Armando Rossello 3 , Douglas M. Noonan 4 , Gabriele D’Uva 2 , Antonino Bruno 2 , Adriana Albini 2 1 IRCCS “Istituto in Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia” Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy 2 Scientific and Technology Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milan, Italy 3 Department of Pharmacy, Pisa University, Pisa, Italy 4 Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciencies, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy Correspondence to: Adriana Albini, email: albini.adriana@gmail.com Keywords: angiogenesis, xanthohumol, AMPK, endothelial cells, polyphenols Received: March 25, 2016 Accepted: June 06, 2016 Published: August 1, 2016 ABSTRACT Angiogenesis, a process characterized by the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, is a crucial step in tumor growth and dissemination. Recently, increased attention has been addressed to the ability of flavonoids to prevent cancer by suppressing angiogenesis, strategy that we named “angioprevention”. Several natural compounds exert their anti-tumor properties by activating 5’ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator of metabolism in cancer cells. Drugs with angiopreventive activities, in particular metformin, regulate AMPK in endothelial cells. Here we investigated the involvement of AMPK in the anti-angiogenic effects of xanthohumol (XN), the major prenylated flavonoid of the hop plant, and mechanisms of action. The anti-angiogenic activity of XN was more potent than epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Treatment of endothelial cells with XN led to increased AMPK phosphorylation and activity. Functional studies using biochemical approaches confirmed that AMPK mediates XN anti-angiogenic activity. AMPK activation by XN was mediated by CAMMKβ, but not LKB1. Analysis of the downstream mechanisms showed that XN-induced AMPK activation reduced nitric oxide (NO) levels in endothelial cells by decreasing eNOS phosphorylation. Finally, AKT pathway was inactivated by XN as part of its anti-angiogenic activity, but independently from AMPK, suggesting that these two signaling pathways proceed autonomously. Our study dissects the molecular mechanism by which XN exerts its potent anti-angiogenic activity, pointing out AMPK as a crucial signal transducer.

Conventional soil mapping is costly and time consuming. Therefore, the development of quick, cheap, but accurate methods is required. Several studies highlight the importance of developing regional soil spectral libraries for digital soil mapping, but few studies report on the use of these libraries to aid digital mapping of soil types. This study aims to produce a digital soil map using as training set Visible and Near Infra-Red (Vis–NIR) spectra from local soil samples, a regional spectral library and terrain attributes. The soils were sampled in 162 locations on a 270-ha farm in the municipality of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Spectra from topsoil and subsoil were measured in laboratory (400–2500 nm) and arranged as multi-depth spectra. Information was summarized by principal component analysis. Regression tree models were calibrated to predict principal components (PC) scores based on terrain attributes. After calibration, the models were applied to the entire study site, resulting in PC score maps. Fuzzy c-means and PC maps were used to define the soil mapping units (MU). Based on fuzzy centroids, representative samples (RS) were defined to the MU. Munsell soil color and soil order were predicted from soil spectra and used to characterize the MU. The regression tree model had a good fit for PC1, with an r2 of 0.92, and a satisfactory r2 for PC3, PC4, and PC5, respectively 0.58, 0.66 and 0.53. The fuzzy clustering defined seven MU. The R2 for Munsell color predictions were 0.94 (hue), 0.96 (value) and 0.73 (chroma). Soil order had good agreement in validation, with kappa coefficient of 0.41. The methodology indicates the potential of Vis–NIR spectra to improve soil mapping campaigns and consequently provides a product similar to a conventional soil map.

Este artigo apresenta os debates entre autores que avaliam o ambiente físico de instituições educativas, sua ocupação e, principalmente, a relação entre esses espaços e a aprendizagem dos alunos na escola. Nesse sentido, discorre sobre a relevância do meio físico para os alunos e professores durante o processo de ensino e aprendizagem nos espaços escolares. Assim sendo, o objeto de questionamento é a importância do espaço físico para o ato de ensino, visando a aprendizagem dos alunos. Existem lacunas na ciência pedagógica para o uso desses espaços, as quais resultam em perda de qualidade da aprendizagem quando não há uma apropriação adequada dos espaços escolares, devido à má orientação inicial dos projetos de arquitetura escolar estabelecidos pelo antigo paradigma de utilização das salas de aula. Os professores, a sociedade e a comunidade escolar ainda não estão preparados para visualizar novas possibilidades de usos para os ambientes escolares. A conclusão é que se deve reivindicar, junto aos gestores educacionais, a composição de uma nova arquitetura escolar planejada em conjunto com a comunidade, docentes e alunos para transformar esses espaços em lugares efetivos e colaborativos de ensino e aprendizagem.

A partir de la llegada de Internet, y con ello la digitalizacion de diversos contenidos, las practicas de produccion y consumo cientifico, entre otros, se han visto en la necesidad de encaminarse hacia lo digital. Anteriormente la produccion cientifica llegaba a un circulo cerrado de lectores, quienes accedian a la misma a traves de la consulta directa en las revistas cientificas y libros. Pero las cosas han cambiado, y desde hace unos anos, quienes se encargan de publicar revistas cientificas se enfrentan ante un nuevo reto: converger sus formatos y pasar del papel a lo electronico. En este articulo exponemos que procesos de la produccion de revistas cientificas se ven modificados ante este contexto de cambio, cuales permanecen y los retos que poseen quienes producen las revistas para la divulgacion de la ciencia. Exponemos el caso particular de la revista Comunicacion y Sociedad, de la Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T15:22:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-10-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) The mapping of soil attributes provides support to agricultural planning and land use monitoring, which consequently aids the improvement of soil quality and food production. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images are often used to estimate a given soil attribute (i.e., clay), but have the potential to model many other attributes, providing input for soil mapping applications. In this paper, we aim to evaluate a Bare Soil Composite Image (BSCI) from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, calculated from a multi-temporal dataset, and study its relationship with topsoil properties, such as soil class and geology. The method presented detects bare soil in satellite images in a time series of 16 years, based on Landsat 5 TM observations. The compilation derived a BSCI for the agricultural sites (242,000 hectare area) characterized by very complex geology. Soil properties were analyzed to calibrate prediction models using 740 soil samples (0-20 cm) collected of the area. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) based on the BSCI spectral dataset was performed to quantify soil attributes. The method identified that a single image represents 7 to 20% of bare soil while the compilation of the multi-temporal dataset increases to 53%. Clay content had the best soil attribute prediction estimates (R2 = 0.75, root mean square error (RMSE) = 89.84 g kg-1, and accuracy = 74%). Soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity and sandy soils also achieved moderate predictions. The BSCI demonstrates a strong relationship with legacy geological maps detecting variations in soils. From a single composite image, it was possible to use spectroscopy to evaluate several environmental parameters. This technique could greatly improve soil mapping and consequently aid several applications, such as land use planning, environmental monitoring, and prevention of land degradation, updating legacy surveys and digital soil mapping. Department of Soil Science College of Agriculture Luiz de Queiroz University of São Paulo, Rua Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, Cx Postal 09 Interdisciplinary Program of Bioenergy University of São Paulo (USP) University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 80, Cidade Universitária Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine University of Brasília Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, ICC Sul, Asa Norte, Cx Postal 4508 Interdisciplinary Program of Bioenergy University of São Paulo (USP) University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 80, Cidade Universitária FAPESP: 2014/22262-0

Purpose We report our experience with a novel surgical device for the treatment of lumbar degenerative microinstability. Facet Wedge (DePuy Synthes, Raynham, Massachusetts, United States) is a novel technique of intra-articular lumbar facet fixation that provides a minimally invasive alternative to standard posterior fixation. Materials and Methods From November 2014 to July 2015, 38 patients underwent single-level Facet Wedge implantation. The main surgical indications included herniated disk (18 patients), spinal canal and foraminal stenosis (14 patients), and Meyerding grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis (6 patients). All the patients showed radiologic signs of microinstability: hyperintensity in both facet joints (facet fluid signal) in T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and a black disk as a sign of degenerative disease. No slippage was evident at dynamic radiograph. After a period of conservative treatment (minimum of 6 months), surgery was performed. All patients' follow-up lasted over at least 12 months. Results The low back visual analog scale score decreased significantly after surgery (from an average of 8.2 to 3.1 at final follow-up). Postoperatively, the Oswestry Disability Index showed a significant reduction (14.7 on average). No slippage or signs of adjacent segment degeneration was detected in neuroimaging follow-up. Conclusion Facet Wedge allows facet fixation in lumbar degenerative microinstability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical series reported in the literature on this novel device.

The autonomic nervous system has been proven to play a major role in the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF), along with a predisposing substrate and a specific trigger event usually consisting of a premature supraventricular ectopic beat (SVEB). By means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, we investigated the activity of the autonomic nervous system before SVEBs nontriggering and triggering AF.We evaluated 28 patients with at least 1 episode of sustained AF (30 seconds) recorded during 24-hour Holter monitorings. We performed HRV analysis during the hour preceding 35 AF onsets and compared these results with the HRV values before nontriggering SVEBs with similar prematurity. According to the low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio in the 5 minutes before the onset, AF episodes were classified as either vagal (LF/HF ratio1.5) or adrenergic (LF/HF ratio ≥1.5).Vagal episodes (16) showed a decrease in LF (from 50.81 ± 1.67 to 32.73 ± 3.54) and an increase in HF (from 36.00 ± 2.30 to 54.7 ± 3.69) throughout the hour preceding the onset. Adrenergic episodes (19) had opposite changes in LF (from 55.4 ± 4.95 to 67.51 ± 5.24) and HF (from 33.78 ± 5.82 to 27.96 ± 3.51) during the same period. No similar trends were observed before the selected nontriggering SVEBs.Only SVEBs occurring during a phase of hyperactivity of one of the 2 branches of the autonomic nervous system are able to trigger episodes of AF.

Existe a necessidade de avaliar a importância do relevo associado aos parâmetros espectrais de solos como base no mapeamento. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar um método de detecção de limites de solos por meio da interação de dados espectrais e formas de relevo. Foram percorridas 14 topossequências representativas de uma área de 13.000 ha próxima dos municípios de São Carlos e Araraquara, SP. As amostras foram caracterizadas pelos métodos convencionais de análise química e granulométrica. Posteriormente, foram obtidos dados espectrais de 400 a 2.500 nm. As informações do relevo foram obtidas pelo emprego de técnicas de geoprocessamento. Geraram-se o modelo digital de elevação do terreno e os mapas de declividade, de curvatura, de índice topográfico composto e de Potencial de Densidade de Drenagem. Ainda, procedeu-se à validação dos métodos pontual e espacial. Na primeira validação, os pontos classificados nas topossequências foram tomados como verdadeiros e contrastados com as informações contidas no mapa de solo pré-existente, com os dados de relevo e com os dados espectrais agrupados. Na validação em nível espacial, procuraram-se avaliar em que locais os diferentes métodos indicavam mudanças nos limites dos solos e comparar com as observações reais. Verificou-se que a análise de agrupamento com cluster evidenciou-se eficiente na discriminação das unidades de solos em topossequência, quando utilizados parâmetros espectrais do solo. Já o conjunto de parâmetros de relevo isoladamente não foi o mais adequado. There is a need to evaluate the importance of soil relief together with soil spectral attributes as the basis on soil mapping. The aim of this study was to test a method for detecting soil boundaries through the interaction of spectral data and relief features. Fourteen toposequences were used, representing an area of 13,000 ha near the municipalities of São Carlos and Araraquara, SP, Brazil. The samples were described by the conventional method of chemical and particle size analysis, such as pH (H2O and KCl), size (coarse and fine sand, silt, and clay), iron content, and color. Spectral information from 400 to 2,500 nm was subsequently obtained. Relief information was obtained by geotechnics, such as the Digital Elevation Model of the terrain, slope map, Compound Topographic Index, curvature, and Drainage Density Potential. In addition, the point and spatial methods proposed were validated. In the first validation, the points classified in the toposequences were taken as true and compared to information contained in the existing soil map, as well as the relief data and spectral data, separated by cluster analysis. Validation on the spatial level sought to assess in which locations the different methods indicated changes in the soil boundaries and compare this with real observations. It was seen that cluster analysis proved to be effective in differentiating soil classes in toposequences when soil spectral attributes were used. However, the set of relief attributes alone was not very suitable.

The search for sustainable land use has increased in Brazil due to the important role that agriculture plays in the country. Soil detailed classification is related with texture attribute. How can one discriminate the same soil class with different textures using proximal soil sensing, as to reach surveys, land use planning and increase crop productivity? This study aims to evaluate soil texture using a regional spectral library and its usefulness on classification. We collected 3750 soil samples covering 3 million ha within strong soil class variations in Sao Paulo State. The spectral analyses of soil samples from topsoil and subsoil were measured in laboratory (400–2500 nm). The potential of a regional soil spectral library was evaluated on the discrimination of soil texture. We considered two types of soil texture systems, one related with soil classification and another with soil managements. The soil line technique was used to assess differentiation between soil textural groups. Soil spectra were summarized by principal component analysis (PCA) to select relevant information on the spectra. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to predict texture. Spectral curves indicated different shapes according to soil texture and discriminated particle size classes from clayey to sandy soils. In the visible region, differences were small because of the organic matter, while the short wave infrared (SWIR) region showed more differences; thus, soil texture variation could be differentiated by quartz. Angulation differences are on a spectral curve from NIR to SWIR. The statistical models predicted clay and sand levels with R2 = 0.93 and 0.96, respectively. Indeed, we achieved a difference of 1.2% between laboratory and spectroscopy measurement for clay. The spectral information was useful to classify Ferralsols with different texture classification. In addition, the spectra differentiated Lixisols from Ferralsols and Arenosols. This work can help the development of computer programs that allow soil texture classification and subsequent digital soil mapping at detailed scales. In addition, it complies with requirements for sustainable land use and soil management.

Purpose: Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is a devastating neurological condition associated with a poor clinical outcome and a high mortality rate. Mechanical thrombectomy using a retrievable stent applied shortly after symptom onset could increase a good functional outcome, improving survival rate in patients with acute BAO. First clinical trials using stent retrievers have shown promising high recanalization rates. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy. Material and Methods: Seven consecutive patients (2 female, 5 male) with a mean age of 59,4 (range 40-82) with acute BAO undergone to endovascular therapy: all patients were treated with mechanical thrombectomy using a retrievable stent (in 5 patients with Solitaire-Covidien system, in 2 patients Revive-Codman system); two of these received in addition a intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT), one was additionally treated with intra-venous thrombolysis (IVT). Successful recanalization was defined as Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) grade 2b or 3. Good outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 at 3 months. Results: Median NIHSS score at onset was 15,8 (range 12-22).Median procedure time to maximal recanalization was 72 minutes (range 35-135).Recanalization was achieved in 100% (7/7) of patients. One symptomatic parenchymal hemorrhage occurred in a patient treated additionally with intra-arterial thrombolysis. Median NIHSS score at 7 days from treatment was 7,2 (range 0-20). At 3 months a good outcome (mRS 0–2) was observed in 71,4% (5/7); overall mortality at 3 months was 28,6% (2/7). Conclusion: Mechanical thrombectomy in BAO presents high recanalization rate, with a very low complication rate, improving good outcome and survival rates in patients with BAO.

Estudos sobre o comportamento térmico, de interação fármaco-excipiente e sobre polimorfismo do Carvedilol (1-(9H-Carbazol-4-iloxi)-3-[[2-(2-metoxifenoxi)etil]amino]-2-propanol), um fármaco da família dos β-bloqueadores, frequentemente utilizado no tratamento de doenças do coração e isquemias foram desenvolvidos, usando as técnicas termoanalíticas termogravimetria (TG), termogravimetria derivada (DTG), análise térmica diferencial (DTA) e calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), além de técnicas complementares como espectroscopia vibracional na região do infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR), difração de raios X pelo método do pó (P-XRD), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (SEM) e microscopia óptica. Esses estudos revelaram que o fármaco se decompõe, após fusão, liberando 2-metóxifenol e amônia, tanto sob atmosfera de nitrogênio, quanto de ar. Em atmosfera inerte o carvedilol se decompôs em uma única etapa, sem resíduo ao final da análise, enquanto que, no segundo caso, forma-se um resíduo carbonizado, que se oxida na seqüência, sem deixar resíduo. As curvas DTA e DSC mostraram que o fármaco funde em torno de 100°C (ΔHfus = 126,6 J g-1, ΔSfus = 0,32 J K-1 g-1) e não se recristaliza no resfriamento. Antes da fusão foi observado em evento endotérmico, atribuído à presença de formas polimórficas ou racematos. Não foram observadas interações do fármaco com uma série de excipientes normalmente usados em formulações farmacêuticas comerciais: estearato de magnésio, sacarose, PEG 6000, α-lactose monohidratada, hidroxipropilmetilcelulose (HPMC), polivinilpirrolidona (PVP) e celulose microcristalina. Estudos de cinética de decomposição em fase sólida usando o Método de Flynn-Wall-Osawa, revelaram que a primeira etapa de decomposição apresenta energia de ativação, Ea = 243 ± 32 kJ mol-1 e fator pré-exponencial de Ahrrenius, log A = 22 ± 3 min-1. A recristalização do carvedilol em diferentes solventes e temperaturas, resultou em quatro tipos de cristais: aciculares, prismáticos, placas em camadas concêntricas e placas, atribuídos às formas polimórficas II, III, IX e misturas das formas III e IX respectivamente. Studies involving thermal analytical behavior, drug-excipient interaction and about polymorphism of Carvedilol (1-(9H-Carbazol-4-yloxy)-3-[[2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]amine]-2-propanol), a β-blocker drug, frequently applied in the heart diseases and ischemia treatment have been developed using thermoanalytical techniques Thermogravimetry (TG), derivative Thermogravimetry (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), with the aid of complimentary techniques infrared with Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X ray diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron (SEM) and optical microscopies. Such studies revealed that carvedilol decomposes after melting releasing 2-methoxyphenol and ammonia in both nitrogen and air atmospheres. In inner atmosphere the decomposition took place as a single mass loss event without residue at the end, while in air, a first step resulted in carbonaceous residue that burnt completely in a second event. The DTA and DSC curves demonstrated that the sample melt around 100°C (ΔHfus = 126,6 J g-1, ΔSfus = 0,32 J K-1 g-1) without recristallyzation on cooling. An endothermic event observed previously to the melt has been attributed to a polymorphic conversion or the presence of racemates. Any interactions of the drug with excipients commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry such as: magnesium stearate, sacarose, PEG 6000, α-lactose monohydrate, hydroxypropyilmethylcellulose (HPMC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and microcrystalline cellulose. Solid state decomposition kinetic investigation using the Flynn-Wall-Osawa approach revealed activation energy of Ea = 243 ± 32 kJ mol-1 and Ahrrenius pré-exponential factor log A = 22 ± 3 min-1. Carvedilol recrystallization from different solvents and temperatures produced four kind of crystals: needles, prisms, superimposed plaques and plaques, attributed to the polymorphic forms II, III, IX and mixtures of forms III and IX respectively.

AIMS Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited heart muscle disease primarily affecting the right ventricle and potentially causing sudden death in young people. Our aims are to analyse the progression over time of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings and to investigate their prognostic impact. METHODS Sixty-eight patients (69% men; age 31 ± 19 years) with ARVC diagnosis were followed up for a mean of 17 ± 8 years. Follow-up included baseline ECG, 24-h Holter ECG, signal-averaged ECG, stress test, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance and electrophysiologic study. RESULTS During follow-up 12 (18%) patients died: three of sudden cardiac death (SCD), four of end-stage heart failure and five of noncardiac causes. Aborted SCD occurred in 7 (10%) patients, syncope in 31 (46%), sustained ventricular tachycardia in 43 (63%), heart failure in 18 (26%), atrial fibrillation in 16 (24%) and 3 (4%) patients underwent heart transplant. Twenty-four (35%) patients had implantable cardiac defibrillator (15 and 5 of them received both appropriate and inappropriate interventions, respectively and 7 experienced device-related complications). Of the ECG parameters registered at the enrolment, left anterior fascicular block (P = 0.001), QRS duration in lead 1 (P

Atrial fibrillation increases thromboembolic risk. Oral anticoagulation with antivitamin K (AVK) reduces thromboembolic event rate, but increases hemorrhagic risk.The aim of the present study was to describe long-term cerebral thromboembolic/hemorrhagic event rates in atrial fibrillation patients managed by rhythm control, pursued by atrial fibrillation transcatheter ablation (AFTCA), and rate control strategy.One thousand and five hundred consecutive patients referring to three medical care centers for atrial fibrillation were retrospectively divided into three groups: AFTCA maintaining AVK (group A); AFTCA discontinuing AVK (group B); and rate control strategy and AVK (group C). Thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events were recorded in 60 ± 28 months of follow-up. Thromboembolic events did not differ between the groups (5/500, 1% group A; 7/500, 1.4% group B; 11/500, 2.2% group C; P = 0.45), and hemorrhagic events were greater in group A (9/500, 1.8%) and C (12/500, 2.4%) than in group B (no events; P = 0.003). Among patients with CHA2DS2 VASc score 2 or less, thromboembolic events did not differ in the group discontinuing AVK (group B, 4/388, 1%) or not (group A, 1/319, 0.3%; P = 0.38), whereas hemorrhagic events were more common in patients on AVK (5/319, 1.5% group A and 3/175, 1.7% group C; P = 0.02) compared with those discontinuing AVK (0/388, group B). Following AFTCA (groups A and B), 299/1000 experienced atrial fibrillation relapses; all thromboembolic events (12/299, 4%) occurred within these patients (P 0.001).Considering this multicenter design study, AVK continuation following AFTCA, especially within patients with low-to-intermediate thromboembolic risk, confers a hemorrhagic risk greater to the thromboembolic protective effect. All thromboembolic events following AFTCA occur within patients experiencing atrial fibrillation relapses; therefore, in patients with high thromboembolic risk routine rhythm monitoring is essential after AVK discontinuation.

A espacialização de atributos dos solos é necessária com vistas ao planejamento e monitoramento do solo. As imagens do satélite Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) são utilizadas em estudos relacionados aos recursos naturais por fornecerem informações da superfície das terras em áreas amplas e de difícil acesso. Nesse trabalho objetivou-se gerar uma imagem multitemporal de solo exposto através de imagens de satélite e, com ela, mapear atributos da superfície do solo. A área de estudo é a região de Piracicaba, SP, onde foram selecionadas treze imagens do Landsat TM. Amostras da camada mais superficial dos solos foram coletadas em 740 pontos, e nelas analisados vários atributos do solo. Por meio da reflectância espectral dos objetos das imagens de satélite foram obtidas informações de solo exposto e eliminados outros alvos. As imagens foram adquiridas em série histórica e sobrepostas, gerando uma composta final com solo exposto. Os atributos do solo que obtiveram boa correlação com as bandas dessa imagem foram quantificados por meio da técnica de regressão multivariada e espacializados. Mapas pré-existentes de geologia e pedologia auxiliaram no entendimento da variabilidade espacial da textura e cor dos solos na paisagem. A taxa de variação do solo exposto em uma imagem individual variou de 7 a 20 %, enquanto a unificada atingiu 53 % da área total. Valores de reflectância entre as bandas TM3 e TM4 contrapostos representando a linha do solo e curva espectral média de espectros de amostras de solos obtidas em laboratório apresentaram semelhança com as de satélite. Entre os atributos estudados, a argila obteve a melhor correlação com R2 de 0,75, erro baixo e RPD acima de 2. Outros atributos relacionados com a argila também obtiveram boa correlação, como matéria orgânica (MO) e capacidade de troca de cátions (CTC) com R2 de 0,4 e 0,34 respectivamente. The knowledge of spatial distribution of soil attributes is necessary for soil planning and monitoring. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images are used in studies related to natural resources for providing the land surface information in large areas and in areas of difficult access. This work aimed to create a multi-temporal image of bare soil through satellite scenes and map soil attributes from the surface. The study area is located in Piracicaba region, SP, where thirteen Landsat TM scenes were selected. Samples of the soil superficial layer were collected at 740 points, and several soil properties were analyzed. Spectral reflectance of different objects from satellite images was obtained and only exposed soil information was selected. Images were acquired in historical series and overlapped, generating a final composed image with bare soil. Soil attributes that presented good correlation with the bands were quantified by multivariate regression and mapped. Pre-existing maps of geology and soil helped in understanding soil texture spatial variability and color in the landscape. The soil variation rate in an individual exposed image ranged from 7 to 20%, while the unified reached 53% of the total area. Obtained values of reflectance between TM3 and TM4 bands representing the soil line and average spectral curve of laboratory soil samples were similar to the satellite ones. Among the soil attributes studied, clay presented the best correlation with R2 value of 0.75, low error and RPD value above 2.0. Other attributes related to clay also presented good correlation, such as organic matter (OM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) with R2 values of 0.4 and 0.34 respectively.

A habilidade de atribuir a si próprio e ao outro estados mentais como desejos, intenções e crenças é denominada teoria da mente. Pesquisas recentes mostram relações entre aspectos da linguagem e aquisição de uma teoria da mente. Este estudo investiga as relações entre compreensão conversacional, entendida como um aspecto da pragmática da linguagem, e a atribuição de estados mentais. Participaram da pesquisa 28 crianças de quatro a seis anos, de ambos os sexos, de nível socioeconômico baixo, distribuídas em dois grupos de idade. A coleta de dados foi feita por meio da aplicação individual de tarefas de compreensão conversacional e de teoria da mente. Os resultados mostraram efeito da idade a favor das crianças mais velhas, para as duas variáveis, bem como uma correlação positiva entre elas, o que está de acordo com achados de pesquisas anteriores. The ability to attribute to oneself and to someone else mental states as desires, intentions and beliefs, has been called theory of mind. Recent studies show links between aspects of language and acquisition of theory of mind. This study investigates the relationship between conversational awareness, seen as an aspect of the pragmatic of language, and the attribution of mental states. Twenty eight children from 4 to 6 years old, both genders and low socioeconomic level participated in it. For the assessment of conversational awareness and theory of mind, tasks from the literature were used. The results showed the effects of age in favor of older children for the two variables and a positive correlation between them. These results are discussed based on other studies in the literature. La habilidad de atribuir a si mismo y al otro estados mentales como deseos, intenciones e creencias ha sido denominada teoría de la mente. Investigaciones recientes muestran relaciones entre aspectos del lenguaje y la adquisición de la teoría de la mente. Este estudio investiga las relaciones entre la comprensión conversacional, vista como uno de los aspectos del lenguaje, y la atribución de estados mentales. Participaron 28 niños de 4 a 6 años, de los dos sexos y bajo nivel socioeconómico. Para la evaluación de la comprensión conversacional y la teoría de la mente fueron aplicadas individualmente tareas existentes en la literatura. Los resultados mostraron efecto de la edad a favor de los niños mayores para las dos variables, bien como una correlación positiva entre ellas. Esos resultados son discutidos considerándose otras investigaciones en la literatura.

Aims Na + , K + -ATPase activity contributes to the regulation of vascular contractility and it has been suggested that vascular Na + , K + -ATPase activity may be altered during the progression of diabetes; however the mechanisms involved in the altered Na + , K + -ATPase activity changes remain unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity and the mechanism(s) responsible for any alterations on this activity in aortas from 1- and 4-week streptozotocin-pretreated (50 mg kg − 1 , i.v.) rats. Main methods Aortic rings were used to evaluate the relaxation induced by KCl (1–10 mM) in the presence and absence of ouabain (0.1 mmol/L) as an index of ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity. Protein expression of COX-2 and p-PKC-βII in aortas were also investigated. Key findings Ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity was unaltered following 1-week of streptozotocin administration, but was increased in the 4-week diabetic aorta (27%). Endothelium removal or nitric oxide synthase inhibition with l -NAME decreased ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity only in control aortas. In denuded aortic rings, indomethacin, NS-398, ridogrel or Go-6976 normalized ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity in 4-week diabetic rats. In addition, COX-2 (51%) and p-PKC-βII (59%) protein expression were increased in 4-week diabetic aortas compared to controls. Significance In conclusion, diabetes led to a time-dependent increase in ouabain-sensitive Na + , K + -ATPase activity. The main mechanism involved in this activation is the release of TxA 2 /PGH 2 by COX-2 in smooth muscle cells, linked to activation of the PKC pathway.

By studying the effects of four concentrations of cadmium (0.25, 2.5, 25, 250 μM) on Pisum sativum L. roots, we compared parameters generally used in short-term tests for environmental monitoring – root length, mitotic index, occurrence of mitotic aberrations – with less explored parameters related to meristem activity, such as apex size and viability, percentage of DNA-synthesizing cells and microtubule alterations. The results show that low cadmium concentrations caused a reduction of root growth, which is directly related to reduction of apex length, mitotic activity and percentage of DNA-synthetizing cells. The microtubular cytoskeleton was highly sensitive to cadmium, as microtubule alterations appeared after treatment with the lowest cadmium concentration, pointing to microtubules or microtubule-associated proteins, among the main targets of cadmium. In contrast, cell viability was a less sensitive parameter, as it decreased only upon treatment with the highest cadmium concentrations. The different sensitivities of the parameters examined in this work support the use of different endpoints for assessment of risk from polluted soils and waters.

Arsenic contamination of soils and groundwater is at present one of the major emergencies in the world environmental management, and phytoremediation is a promising technology to immobilize or remove contaminants from polluted areas. The first arsenic hyperaccumulating plant, the fern Pteris vittata, was discovered only recently. It is very efficient in extracting arsenic from the soil and translocating it into its large fronds, and thus has great potential in arsenic phytoremediation. In this work, by using different hormonal formulations, we developed solid and liquid in vitro culture protocols for callus induction and maintenance, as well as for sporophyte regeneration, which are the basic tools for programmes of screening and propagation of selected strains of the fern.

AIMS The prognostic role of corrected QT interval in ST-elevation myocardial infarction is still unknown. This study aims to identify the prognostic value of corrected QT interval prolongation (≥480 ms) in acute coronary syndrome. METHODS One hundred and eighty-five consecutive patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction were prospectively enrolled and electrocardiographic monitoring of corrected QT interval was performed during the hospitalization. RESULTS Over a mean period of 17.6 ± 11 months, 16 (8.6%) patients died because of cardiovascular diseases, 6 (3.2%) patients experienced aborted sudden cardiac death, 3 (1.6%) cerebral ischemic strokes, 11 (6%) recurrent myocardial ischemia and 6 (3.2%) acute heart failure. At univariate analysis a corrected QT interval peak of at least 480 ms relates to cardiovascular death (P

BACKGROUND Data are lacking on the effect of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial function. The aim of this study was to determine a cut-off of pre-ablation left atrial (LA) function in order to predict atrial functional recovery after RFCA. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 64 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who underwent RFCA were enrolled (age, 59.05±12.09 years; 36% persistent AF; LA volume 37.8±13.6 ml/m(2)). LA emptying fraction (LAEF), LA active fraction (LAAEF), LA passive emptying fraction (LAPEF) and LA expansion index (LAEI) were evaluated in sinus rhythm before and 48 h, 15 days, 1, 2, 3 and 9 months after ablation. LA function improvement was defined as any positive increase in LAEF compared with baseline. On univariate and multivariate analysis only baseline atrial function proved to be an independent predictor of LA function improvement after ablation (P=0.002; OR=0.001; 95% CI: 0.000-0.099). On receiver operating characteristic analysis (AUC=0.70), cut-off for baseline LAEF was 40%. At 9 months, patients with LAEF

Campinas Metropolitan Region is the third richest city in Brazil. This study assesses the urban street trees of Campinas based on data from a survey performed using satellite images in the year 2011. All public domain trees in the street system were counted and separated into trees, shrubs, palm trees, and seedlings. The density of trees was obtained using the images census and expressed as trees per linear kilometer for the perimeter of the block. The number of trees per linear kilometer was grouped into nine classes of different densities for data validation. The final number of trees was estimated based on the validation’s results. The Gini coefficient shows that the number of trees per person is very irregular in city neighborhoods (i.e., Campinas has a fairer income distribution than street trees distribution). There is a lower density of trees in the downtown area, due to the high concentration of population, and in more peripheral neighborhoods, due to the lack of design planning. The results obtained here may be used to support a new setting of local priorities for planting actions aimed at urban forestry management.