La presente comunicación está orientada a contribuir a la comprensión de algunas cuestiones vinculadascon la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de las ciencias en la Educación Superior, acudiendo a la ...categoría teóricade juego del aprendizaje completo de David Perkins, con el aporte de otros autores. Se plantean las razonesy propósitos por los cuales se propone un cambio de paradigma, se analizan los principios del aprendizajecompleto y se enuncian y ejemplifican algunas estrategias y condiciones de enseñanza pertinentes.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment in aging populations in industrialized countries. Here we investigated whether the genotype of vascular endothelial ...growth factor A (VEGFA) gene is associated with response to anti-VEGF therapy. 223 eyes with neovascular AMD were treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy. Responders were defined as patients who had an improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of at least 5 letters or one line on the EDTRS visual acuity chart along with resolution of intraretinal or subretinal fluid over 12 months. Patients who did not meet the definition of responders were classified as poor-responders. The vision of responders (n = 148) improved while the vision of poor-responders (n = 75) worsened (P<0.001). Responders on average had a decrease in central foveal thickness (CFT), while poor-responders had an increase in CFT (P <0.001). Compared with the responder group, the poor-responder group had a higher frequency of the risk (T) allele (Allelic P = 0.019) and TT genotype (P = 0.002 under a recessive model) for the VEGFA-rs943080 polymorphism. VEGFA expression was 1.8-fold higher in cells with the VEGFA rs943080 TT genotype than in cells with the VEGFA rs943080 CC genotype (P = 0.012). Age, gender, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension did not play a significant role in treatment response, but BMI was found to be significantly different between responders and poorresponders (P = 0.033). In conclusion, we demonstrated a potential pharmacogenetic relationship between the VEGFA gene and treatment response to anti-VEGF therapy.The studies are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifiers NCT00474695 (http://clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/NCT00474695) and NCT01464723 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01464723).
To determine whether there is an association between hepatic lipase (LIPC) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in two independent Caucasian cohorts.
A discovery cohort of 1626 patients with ...advanced AMD and 859 normal controls and a replication cohort of 2159 cases and 1150 controls were genotyped for two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of LIPC. The associations between the SNPs and AMD were examined by χ(2) tests.
In the discovery cohort, rs493258 and rs10468017 were both associated with advanced AMD (P=9.63E-3 and P=0.048, respectively). The association was corroborated in the replication cohort (P=4.48E-03 for rs493258 and P=0.015 for rs10468017). Combined analysis resulted in even more significant associations (P=1.21E-04 for rs493258 and P=1.67E-03 for rs10468017).
The LIPC promoter variants rs493258 and rs10468017 were associated with advanced AMD in two independent Caucasian populations, confirming that LIPC polymorphisms may be a genetic risk factor for AMD in the Caucasian population.
To investigate clinical presentation and genotypes in patients with simultaneous geographic atrophy (GA) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and to compare with patients with GA or CNV only.
...Twenty patients with combined CNV-GA and 154 CNV only and 154 GA only were chosen based on clinical exam and imaging. Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)-rs2274700 and rs1061170 (complement factor H), rs10490924 and rs11200638 (HTRA1/LOC387715), rs2230199 (C3), rs9332739 (C2)-were genotyped using the SNaPshot method. Chi-squared tests were used for genetic analysis.
In patients with CNV-GA, GA progressed slowly and often preceded CNV. CNV presented as subretinal haemorrhage or fluid, with a sudden drop in visual acuity (VA). Comparing combined CNV-GA to GA and CNV only, patients with both had a higher frequency of at-risk alleles at both SNPs within the HTRA1 gene-rs10490924 (52.5%), rs11200638 (52.6%). Statistical significance was not achieved. CNV-GA patients had no protective alleles at SNP rs9332739 (C2), compared with GA (27%) and CNV only (10%).
There is a paucity of reports describing simultaneous CNV-GA. Clinical and genetic results may support the fact that GA and CNV fit on an age-related macular degeneration (AMD)-disease continuum and may clarify the disease processes in AMD.
The study of production of Aspergillus terreus CECT 2663 alpha-L-rhamnosidase in solid state fermentation using wheat bran, washed sugar cane bagasse and polyurethane foam as substrates or supports ...for the enzyme production.
Cultures were carried out in Petri dishes under controlled temperature and humidity. Naringin or rhamnose were the enzyme inducers and carbon sources. The enzyme activity to inducer ratio was appreciably greater when using sugar cane bagasse or polyurethane foam than wheat bran. The influence of inoculum size, inducer, airflow, humidity and temperature were determined. Under optimum conditions, about four units of enzyme per ml nutrient solution were obtained after 4-6 d.
The activity to inducer ratio was higher, and the cultivation time was shorter in solid state fermentation than those observed in submerged cultures.
Solid cultures, using naringin as inducer, can be appropriate alpha-L-rhamnosidase production.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible central vision loss worldwide. Research has linked AMD susceptibility with dysregulation of the complement cascade. ...Typically, complement factor H (CFH), complement factor B (CFB), complement component 2 (C2), and complement component 3 (C3) are associated with AMD. In this paper, we investigated the association between complement factor D (CFD), another factor of the complement system, and advanced AMD in a Caucasian population.
Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs1683564, rs35186399, rs1683563, rs3826945, rs34337649, and rs1651896, across the region covering CFD, were chosen for this study. One hundred and seventy-eight patients with advanced AMD and 161 age-matched normal controls were genotyped. Potential positive signals were further tested in another independent 445 advanced AMD patients and 190 controls. χ2 tests were performed to compare the allele frequencies between case and control groups.
None of the six SNPs of CFD was found to be significantly associated with advanced AMD in our study.
Our findings suggest that CFD may not play a major role in the genetic susceptibility to AMD because no association was found between the six SNPs analyzed in the CFD region and advanced AMD.
Em 29 amostras superficiais (0-20 cm) de solos do estado do Ceará, foram determinadas diferentes frações de boro e estabelecidas relações com algumas propriedades do solo e com o boro solúvel, usado ...como índice de disponibilidade para as plantas. As frações de boro foram analisadas, seguindo-se um esquema de fracionamento seqüencial. Determinaram-se o boro solúvel em água (B-Sol), o boro não especificamente adsorvido (B-NEsAd), o boro especificamente adsorvido (B-EsAd), o boro associado a óxidos de Mn (B-OxMn), o boro associado a óxidos de Fe e Al amorfo (B-OxFeA) e a óxidos de Fe e Al cristalino (B-OxFeC), e o boro residual (B-Res). Também foram determinados o boro total (B-Total) e o solúvel em três extratores: água quente, HCl 0,05 mol L-1 e manitol 0,05 mol L-1 + CaCl2 0,01 mol L-1. O teor de boro total nos solos variou de 10,5 a 24,0 mg kg-1 (média de 14,4 mg kg-1). As frações B-Sol, B-NEsAd e B-EsAd apresentaram teores entre 0,05 e 0,79 mg kg-1, representando entre 0,3 a 4,4% do B-Total. Dentre os óxidos, houve predominância do B-OxFeC (média de 4,4 mg kg-1) com teores entre 1 a 2 vezes superiores aos de B-OxFeA (média de 2,72 mg kg-1). Na maioria dos solos, a fração predominante foi o B-Res (média de 6,22 mg kg-1), ocluso em minerais silicatados, com teores que variaram de 19,6 a 70,7% do B-Total. Os valores de B disponível, nos três extratores, correlacionaram-se de forma altamente significativa entre si e com as frações B-Sol, B-NEsAd e B-EsAd. A matéria orgânica e a argila foram as propriedades que se correlacionaram melhor com o B-Sol, B-NEsAd e B-EsAd.
PDF
