Amblyopia and quality of life: a systematic review

Background/Aims Amblyopia is a common condition which can affect up to 5% of the general population. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) implications of amblyopia and/or its treatment have been explored in the literature. Methods A systematic literature search was undertaken (16th-30th January 2007) to identify the HRQoL implications of amblyopia and/or its treatment. Results A total of 25 papers were included in the literature review. The HRQoL implications of amblyopia related specifically to amblyopia treatment, rather than the condition itself. These included the impact upon family life; social interactions; difficulties undertaking daily activities; and feelings and behaviour. The identified studies adopted a number of methodologies. The study populations included; children with the condition; parents of children with amblyopia; and adults who had undertaken amblyopia treatment as a child. Some studies developed their own measures of HRQoL, and others determined HRQoL through proxy measures. Conclusions The reported findings of the HRQoL implications are of importance when considering the management of cases of amblyopia. Further research is required to assess the immediate and long-term effects of amblyopia and/or its treatment upon HRQoL using a more standardised approach

Monovarietal extra-virgin olive oil classification: a fusion of human sensory attributes and an electronic tongue

Olive oil quality grading is traditionally assessed by human sensory evaluation of positive and negative attributes (olfactory, gustatory, and final olfactorygustatory sensations). However, it is not guaranteed that trained panelist can correctly classify monovarietal extra-virgin olive oils according to olive cultivar. In this work, the potential application of human (sensory panelists) and artificial (electronic tongue) sensory evaluation of olive oils was studied aiming to discriminate eight single-cultivar extra-virgin olive oils. Linear discriminant, partial least square discriminant, and sparse partial least square discriminant analyses were evaluated. The best predictive classification was obtained using linear discriminant analysis with simulated annealing selection algorithm. A low-level data fusion approach (18 electronic tongue signals and nine sensory attributes) enabled 100 % leave-one-out cross-validation correct classification, improving the discrimination capability of the individual use of sensor profiles or sensory attributes (70 and 57 % leave-one-out correct classifications, respectively). So, human sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis may be used as complementary tools allowing successful monovarietal olive oil discrimination.This work was co-financed by FCT/MEC and FEDER under Program PT2020 (Project UID/EQU/50020/2013); by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia under the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit; and by Project POCTEP through Project RED/AGROTEC-Experimentation network and transfer for development of agricultural and agro industrial sectors between Spain and Portugal

1,5-asymmetric induction in the boron-mediated aldol reactions of beta-oxygenated methyl ketones

High levels of substrate-based 1,5-stereoinduction are obtained in the boron-mediated aldol reactions of P-oxygenated methyl ketones with achiral and chiral aldehydes. Remote induction from the boron enolates gives the 1,5-anti adducts, with the enolate pi-facial selectivity critically dependent upon the nature of the beta-alkoxy protecting group. This 1,5-anti aldol methodology has been strategically employed in the total synthesis of several natural products. At present, the origin of the high level of 1,5-anti induction obtained with the boron enolates is unclear, although a model based on a hydrogen bonding between the alkoxy oxygen and the formyl hydrogen has been recently proposed.3082007201

Integração de métodos multicritério na busca da sustentabilidade agrícola para a produção de tomates no município de São José de Ubá-RJ.

Este estudo discute alternativas para os sistemas produtivos da terra no plantio de tomates em São José de Ubá-RJ e as relações de trabalho passíveis de serem colocadas em pratica de forma a promover uma agricultura sustentavel na região, priorizando os aspectos economicos, ambientais e culturais do problema. A introdução da questão cultural aumenta a complexidade da questão, sendo necessário o uso de uma metodologia capaz de lidar com toda a subjetividade envolvida nesse processo de tomada de decisão. O estudo visa contribuir para a conquista de um processo sustentavel na região, estabelecendo um processo de tomada de decisão pautado nas opinioes do agricultor, respeitando principalmente as questões culturais do problema. As características do ambiente de tomada de decisão indicaram o uso de uma combinação de métodos de apoio a decisão multicritério - MACBETH e VIP Analysis - para a seleção da melhor alternativa capaz de possibilitar o alcance dos objetivos propostos

Multifield Dynamics in Higgs-otic Inflation

In Higgs-otic inflation a complex neutral scalar combination of the $h^0$ and $H^0$ MSSM Higgs fields plays the role of inflaton in a chaotic fashion. The potential is protected from large trans-Planckian corrections at large inflaton if the system is embedded in string theory so that the Higgs fields parametrize a D-brane position. The inflaton potential is then given by a DBI+CS D-brane action yielding an approximate linear behaviour at large field. The inflaton scalar potential is a 2-field model with specific non-canonical kinetic terms. Previous computations of the cosmological parameters (i.e. scalar and tensor perturbations) did not take into account the full 2-field character of the model, ignoring in particular the presence of isocurvature perturbations and their coupling to the adiabatic modes. It is well known that for generic 2-field potentials such effects may significantly alter the observational signatures of a given model. We perform a full analysis of adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations in the Higgs-otic 2-field model. We show that the predictivity of the model is increased compared to the adiabatic approximation. Isocurvature perturbations moderately feed back into adiabatic fluctuations. However, the isocurvature component is exponentially damped by the end of inflation. The tensor to scalar ratio varies in a region $r=0.08-0.12$, consistent with combined Planck/BICEP results.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figure

Structural and Chemical Basis for Anticancer Activity of a Series of beta-Tubulin Ligands: Molecular Modeling and 3D QSAR Studies

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)An important approach to cancer therapy is the design of small molecule modulators that interfere with microtubule dynamics through their specific binding to the beta-subunit of tubulin. In the present work, comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) studies were conducted on a series of discodermolide analogs with antimitotic properties. Significant correlation coefficients were obtained (CoMFA((i)), q(2) = 0.68, r(2) = 0.94; CoMFA((ii)), q(2) = 0.63, r(2) = 0.91), indicating the good internal and external consistency of the models generated using two independent structural alignment strategies. The models were externally validated employing a test set, and the predicted values were in good agreement with the experimental results. The final QSAR models and the 3D contour maps provided important insights into the chemical and structural basis involved in the molecular recognition process of this family of discodermolide analogs, and should be useful for the design of new specific beta-tubulin modulators with potent anticancer activity.204693703Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Vascular endothelial growth factor immunoexpression in oral paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis endemic and limited to Latin America. Brazil is responsible for more than 80% of diagnosed cases in the world. Since PCM is not a notifiable disease, there are still no accurate data on its incidence in Brazil. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered the main vascular endothelial growth factor expressed in the process of angiogenesis, both under physiological and pathological conditions. To date, there are not studies in the literature that evaluated the expression of VEGF in oral PCM lesions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of oral lesions of PCM diagnosed from 1998 to 2020; to analyze the immunoexpression of VEGF in oral lesions of PCM; and to compare the VEGF immunostaining with the clinical and microscopic aspects of these lesions. Clinical data of 98 cases of patients with oral PCM were evaluated. A total of 41 selected cases were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed by immunohistochemistry for VEGF. Our results showed that oral PCM preferentially affects white males, with mean age of 50.2 years, and the gingiva and the alveolar ridge. It was not possible to correlate VEGF immunoexpression with clinical and microscopic variables. Oral PCM is a relatively uncommon pathological condition and that, in our sample, the immunoexpression of VEGF was mild and observed in a reduced number of cases

Glycobiology of cell death: when glycans and lectins govern cell fate

Although one typically thinks of carbohydrates as associated with cell growth and viability, glycosylation also has an integral role in many processes leading to cell death. Glycans, either alone or complexed with glycan-binding proteins, can deliver intracellular signals or control extracellular processes that promote initiation, execution and resolution of cell death programs. Herein, we review the role of glycans and glycan-binding proteins as essential components of the cell death machinery during physiologic and pathologic settings.Fil: Lichtenstein, Rachel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Faculty of Engineering. Department of Biotechnology Engineering; IsraelFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Cs.exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Quimica Biologica; Argentin

Mapping differential interactomes by affinity purification coupled with data independent mass spectrometry acquisition

Characterizing changes in protein-protein interactions associated with sequence variants (e.g. disease-associated mutations or splice forms) or following exposure to drugs, growth factors or hormones is critical to understanding how protein complexes are built, localized and regulated. Affinity purification (AP) coupled with mass spectrometry permits the analysis of protein interactions under near-physiological conditions, yet monitoring interaction changes requires the development of a robust and sensitive quantitative approach, especially for large-scale studies where cost and time are major considerations. To this end, we have coupled AP to data-independent mass spectrometric acquisition (SWATH), and implemented an automated data extraction and statistical analysis pipeline to score modulated interactions. Here, we use AP-SWATH to characterize changes in protein-protein interactions imparted by the HSP90 inhibitor NVP-AUY922 or melanoma-associated mutations in the human kinase CDK4. We show that AP-SWATH is a robust label-free approach to characterize such changes, and propose a scalable pipeline for systems biology studies

Cardiovascular and renal outcomes of renin-angiotensin system blockade in adult patients with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with network meta-analyses

Medications aimed at inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been used extensively for preventing cardiovascular and renal complications in patients with diabetes, but data that compare their clinical effectiveness are limited. We aimed to compare the effects of classes of RAS blockers on cardiovascular and renal outcomes in adults with diabetes