ABSTRACT
Introduction: We evaluated plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with reference to the effects of respiratory failure, ...noninvasive ventilation (NIV), and exercise. Methods: We studied plasma VEGF levels in 83 ALS patients, 20 healthy controls, and 10 patients with other disorders. There were 4 groups of ALS patients: G1, 27 patients without respiratory problems; G2, 14 patients stabilized on nocturnal NIV; G3, 30 patients presenting with respiratory failure; G4, 12 patients on an aerobic exercise protocol. Results: VEGF plasma levels did not differ significantly between ALS patients and controls, or between ALS groups. In G3, the mean VEGF levels increased 75% during NIV. In G4, the mean VEGF level increased by 300% during the exercise program. VEGF levels did not change during the course of the disease. Conclusions: VEGF levels in ALS depend on changes in ventilation and exercise but are probably not affected by the disease process itself. Muscle Nerve 49:545–550, 2014
Purpose
To elucidate current knowledge on the potential association and causality between sleep bruxism (SB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using full-night polysomnography.
Methods
Search ...strategies were developed for PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, LILACS, MEDLINE, and BBO-ODO and conducted until May 2019. The methodological quality was evaluated using the Qu-ATEBS tool.
Results
Two hundred seventy articles were identified and after independent screening of abstracts by two authors, 17 articles underwent full-text reading. Ten articles were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria and 7 were included in qualitative synthesis. Four studies support the association between SB and OSA: (a) a subtype of OSA patients may have SB as a protective response to respiratory events, (b) most episodes of bruxism occur shortly after the end of apnea/hypopnea (AH) events, (c) bruxism episodes occur secondary to arousals arising from AH events, and (d) there is a correlation between the frequency of SB and AH events, and three studies did not support: (e) AH episodes are related to non-specific SB oromotor activities, (f) SB episodes are not directly associated with the end of AH events, and (g) patients with OSA did not experience more SB events than control group.
Conclusion
There is no scientific evidence to support a conclusive relationship between SB and OSA. Further, well-designed and randomized studies with control groups are needed to investigate whether possible mechanisms common to SB and OSA exist and whether OSA treatment could improve SB negative oral health outcomes in patients with SB and comorbidity of OSA.
In framing themselves as myth-busters, historical IR scholars have inscribed the distinction between history and fiction into how they speak to the discipline. And yet, engagement with what this ...might mean for the status of historical knowledge has mostly focused on broad metatheoretical distinctions and debates. Against this, I argue that questions about historical knowledge and its status are best understood as contingent settlements in the research practice of writing history, pursuing specific questions and writing specific answers. Through an exploration of the early stages in the creation of the Iberian Empires in the fifteenth century and the chronicles that provide an account of it, the article seeks to make visible the negotiations and settlements involved in writing history along four aspects of the distinction between history and fiction: facticity, emplotment, genre and the situated politics of history.
ABSTRACT With five neotropical genera and ca. 220 species, Vochysieae is the largest tribe of Vochysiaceae, comprising more than 90 % of its species. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses with matK ...sequence data indicated that Vochysieae may be paraphyletic, separated into the clades QRC (Qualea, Ruizterania and Callisthene) and VS (Vochysia, Salvertia). Whether the genera and the infrageneric taxa are artificial is still controversial. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of chromosome numbers in mitotic or meiotic cells among 20 species belonging to the genera Callisthene, Qualea, Salvertia, and Vochysia, that are native and common in Central and Southeast Brazilian forests or savannas. Species of Callisthene and Qualea possessed 2n = 22, while species of Salvertia and Vochysia had 2n = 24 (or n = 12). These chromosome numbers corroborate the recognition of two groups, and also suggest that chromosome evolution based on numerical variation is conservative in these lineages.
Toxoplasma gondii presents a high prevalence worldwide, infecting several animals. Felines are considered the definitive hosts and among the intermediate hosts we highlight mammals and birds. The man ...can become infected by ingesting tissue cysts present in birds and mammals. Biological and molecular aspects of T. gondii allows a better understanding of the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. This work is a serologic screening of 58 chickens grown (Gallus gallus domesticus) for human consumption in Espírito Santo State, by means of indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA). Thirteen chickens tested positive for anti-T. gondii antibodies. The heart and brain of five positive chickens were harvested, treated with pepsin and inoculated separately, in two Swiss mice, intraperitoneally. Tachyzoites were observed in the peritoneum of all the animals, between seven and 10 days after the inoculum. Ten isolates were obtained and biologically characterised in BALB/c mice inoculated with 101 to 104 tachyzoites. All isolates were classified as virulent or intermediately virulent. Isolates were genotyped by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, revealing three different genotypes. None of the isolates exhibited the clonal type I, II or III genotype. No genotypic differences were observed between the isolates from the brain or heart from the same bird.
O presente artigo procura observar a construção de cenografias e ethos discursivo e em duas cartas abertas de autoria do ex-presidente Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, publicadas em 2002 e 2018, ambas com ...finalidade eleitoral em contextos de candidatura à Presidência do Brasil. Por meio da teorização de Dominique Maingueneau sobre as cenas da enunciação e o ethos discursivo, as cartas foram analisadas, comparando-se os recursos utilizadas na construção de imagens públicas do político Lula, de seus interlocutores e de seus adversários, assim como na representação de temporalidades da vida política nacional. Observam-se diferenças importantes nas estratégias utilizadas, sobretudo quanto ao ethos e ao público visados, já que as cartas atendem a interesses e funções distintas em cada contexto, tendo o gênero um lugar consolidado na vida política contemporânea.
The paradigm that Toxoplasma gondii infection generates sterilizing protective immunity was broken by case studies in which reinfections were observed in immunocompetent pregnant women in the chronic ...phase of toxoplasmosis. Since then, several murine models have suggested that immunoprotection against a previous T. gondii infection may be violated after reinfection with strains of different genotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the dissemination of the parasite after reinfection with the virulent TgCTBr9 and EGS strains in BALB/c mice chronically infected with the avirulent TgCTBr5 strain. Three mice were euthanized at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h post challenge (p.c.) and at 7, 14 and 30 days p.c. Intestines, mesenteric lymph nodes, lungs and brains were collected for PCR-RFLP. Blood samples were collected to measure total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a by ELISA. The reinfected animals survived and presented reduced morbidity after challenge with the virulent strains. Mice challenged with the TgCTBr9 strain showed a slight increase in anti-T. gondii IgG1. The spread of the TgCTBr5 strain was observed to occur earlier than the dissemination of the virulent TgCTBr9 or EGS strains. The TgCTBr9 strain was observed in the mesenteric lymph node at 7 days post challenge (d.p.c.); in the intestine and lungs at 14 d.p.c.; and in the brain at 30 d.p.c. EGS strain was demonstrated in the mesenteric lymph node and lung at 7 d.p.c and in the intestine and brain at a later time point. The immune response promoted by the primary infection with the avirulent strain (TgCTBr5) protected the animals from death after challenge with the virulent strains (TgCTBr9 or EGS).
Display omitted
•Acquired immunity in experimental toxoplasmosis is insufficient to prevent reinfection.•Challenged mice survived and presented reduced morbidity.•The TgCTBr9 and EGS strains were detected in tissues one week after challenge.
O objetivo deste texto é fazer uma análise teórico-comparativa entre estereótipos de mulher contidos em dois discursos diferentes: 1) a reportagem produzida pela revista Veja acerca de Marcela Temer, ...em abril de 2016; 2) o pronunciamento de Michel Temer na ocasião do Dia Internacional da Mulher, em março de 2017. Buscamos compreender efeitos de sentido ideológicos que aliam e complementam esses discursos. Partimos do arcabouço teórico da análise do discurso de matriz francesa, relacionando duas noções-conceito – a de pré-construído e a articulação de discursos transversos – aos estereótipos mobilizados, a fim de refletir como os dois discursos, dados em tempos distintos, formam essa correlação discursiva.
This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of Latin American cases brought before the International Court of Justice, demonstrating state practices and litigation at the ...international level. It does so by providing summaries of all contentious cases submitted by or against Latin American states before the Court in order to illustrate case law, and is organized according to specific subjects to highlight the contribution of Latin American states to the peaceful settlement of disputes and to international law in general. Furthermore, the book is enhanced by informative tables and graphs detailing the participation of Latin American states and judges in cases presented before the International Court of Justice, and includes a general and specific bibliography devoted to all the cases evaluated. The chapters presented here fill existing gaps in the literature and will be of use to an international audience, including academic libraries, the judiciary (both national and international), practitioners of international law, government institutions, academics, and students alike. It will also be of interest to anyone investigating international dispute resolution, particularly Latin American academics and practitioners.
PDF
