Several theories have been postulated regarding the origin of ovarian teratomas, including incomplete twinning, neoplastic proliferation of sequestered totipotent blastomeres or primordial cells, ...derepression of totipotent genetic information in the nuclei of somatic cells, and parthenogenetic development of germ cells. At present parthenogenetic development of ova is the most widely accepted theory, primarily because of the presence of a 46 XX karyotype in almost all mature teratomas. However, some authors have raised the possibility of fusion of ova in the mechanism of formation of ovarian teratomas. We report the results of a study on ovarian tissue adjacent to 31 teratomas to assess the frequency of biovularity, which could provide evidence favoring the last theory. On the whole we found biovularity in 26 ovaries of young patients (mean age, 27 years) with variable numbers of biovular follicles ranging from t in 4 cases to more than 10 in 2 cases; the number of biovular follicles depended on the quantity of ovarian tissue examined as well as on the total number of ova in the tissue. In multiple occasions 2 ova were included within a single follicle; in 24 ovaries the biovularity was correlated with coalescence of primary follicles characterized morphologically by an ovoid or hourglass-like shape that resulted from cohesion of 2 follicles. As control cases, 30 ovaries of patients with an average age of 28 years were examined (12 removed for endometriosis, 8 for serous cystadenoma, 7 for tubal pregnancy, and 3 for acute salpingo-oophoritis). Only 1 ovary with endometriosis contained a single biovular follicle. The results suggest that ovarian teratoma development may result from fusion of ova in ovaries containing biovularity and phenomena of coalescence of primary follicles.
The Authors report a case of umbilical endometriosis in a 46-year-old patient. The woman came in for observation describing acute pain in the vicinity of the umbilical scar. The pain was occasional ...at first and then became steady and increased at the time of menstruation. Medical examination revealed a left paraumbilical nodule, measuring 1 cm in diameter. The patient underwent surgical treatment: the nodule was excised and the subsequent histological examination was diagnostic for umbilical endometriosis. The surgical excision was effective: at follow-up 3 months later, there was no recurrence and the patient was in good general condition.
•Statistical models of LHV based on Brazilian wastes physical characteristics.•Empirical measures of moisture and heating value from samples of MSW in Brazil.•Samples were collected based on ...statistically representative sampling methodology.•Two models for accurate prediction of experimental data for LHV was built.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a serious problem for public administrations, especially in terms of treatment and final disposal. These wastes have a high energy content and one of the possibilities of treatment is the recovery of energy through thermochemical processes. The parameter used to measure the amount of useful energy available in collected waste when submitted to thermochemical processes is called the lower heating value (LHV), which is usually determined in the laboratory or through empirical models from the literature. To this end, this paper aims to present two models for prediction of the LHV in the municipal solid waste of the municipality of Santo André. Samples were collected from 36 garbage trucks in the above-mentioned city, from September 2015 to January 2016. The models were developed based on the results of the gravimetric composition and laboratory analysis. The technique used to develop the models was the multiple linear regression by least squares method. As a result, the models obtained mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) indexes of 5.09% and 5.52%, considered excellent according to the literature classification. In addition, the calculated LHV of the Santo André municipal waste was 7.03 MJ/kg, which indicates a great potential for energy recovery using thermochemical processes. These are the first LHV prediction models developed in Brazil, which has been a significant accomplishment in Brazil. The proposed models were developed using empirical measurements of moisture in the solid waste and the LHV on samples collected with a statistically representative sampling method.
Despite advances in the treatment of heart failure, prognosis is poor, mortality high and there remains no cure. Heart failure is associated with reduced cardiac pump function, autonomic ...dysregulation, systemic inflammation and sleep-disordered breathing; these morbidities are exacerbated by peripheral chemoreceptor dysfunction. We reveal that in heart failure the carotid body generates spontaneous, episodic burst discharges coincident with the onset of disordered breathing in male rats. Purinergic (P2X3) receptors were upregulated two-fold in peripheral chemosensory afferents in heart failure, and when antagonized abolished these episodic discharges, normalized both peripheral chemoreceptor sensitivity and the breathing pattern, reinstated autonomic balance, improved cardiac function, and reduced both inflammation and biomarkers of cardiac failure. Aberrant ATP transmission in the carotid body triggers episodic discharges that via P2X3 receptors play a crucial role in the progression of heart failure and as such offer a distinct therapeutic angle to reverse multiple components of its pathogenesis.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on selected biomarkers of innate and humoral immune response as well as the antioxidant/oxidant status (superoxide dismutase—SOD ...and reduced glutathione levels (GSH) to understand whether age‐related changes would influence the development of acute Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection. Young‐ (5 weeks) and middle‐aged (18 months) Wistar rats were orally treated with melatonin (gavage) (05 mg/kg/day), 9 days after infection. A significant increase in both SOD activity and GSH levels was found in plasma from all middle‐aged melatonin‐treated animals. Melatonin triggered enhanced expression of major histocompatibility class II (MHC‐II) antigens on antigen‐presenting cell (APC) and peritoneal macrophages in all treated animals. High levels of CD4+CD28‐negative T cells (*P<.05) were detected in middle‐aged control animals. Melatonin induced a significant reduction (***P<.001) in CD28‐negative in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in middle‐aged control animals. Contrarily, the same group displayed upregulated CD4+CD28+T and CD8+CD28+T cells. Melatonin also triggered an upregulation of CD80 and CD86 expression in all young‐treated groups. Significant percentages of B and spleen dendritic cells in middle‐aged infected and treated animals were observed. Our data reveal new features of melatonin action in inhibiting membrane lipid peroxidation, through the reduction in 8‐isoprostane, upregulating the antioxidant defenses and triggering an effective balance in the antioxidant/oxidant status during acute infection. The ability of melatonin to counteract the immune alterations induced by aging added further support to its use as a potential therapeutic target not only for T. cruzi infection but also for other immunocompromised states.
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