Shear wave splitting in SE Brazil: an effect of active or fossil upper mantle flow, or both?

International audienceWe investigated the structure of the upper mantle beneath southeastern Brazil using teleseismic shear wave splitting measurements. Measurements were performed on seismic data recorded in the Ribeira and Brasilia Neoproterozoic belts, which wrap around the southern termination of the São Francisco craton and disappear westward under the Paraná basin. In the northern Ribeira belt, dominated by thrust tectonics, the fast shear wave polarization planes trend on average N080°E, whereas in the central domain, dominated by strike-slip tectonics, fast shear waves are polarized parallel to the structural trend (N065°E). Stations located above the main transcurrent fault display large delay times (> 2.5 s). Such values, among the largest in the world, require either an unusually large intrinsic anisotropy frozen within the lithosphere, or a contribution from both the lithospheric and asthenospheric mantle. Within the southern Brasilia belt, fast split shear waves are polarized parallel to the structural trend of the belt, at a high angle from the APM. Although part of our data set strongly favors an origin of anisotropy related to a fabric frozen in the lithospheric mantle since the Neoproterozoic, a contribution of the asthenospheric flow related to the present day plate motion is also required to explain the observed splitting parameters

A pioneering experience in Brazil: the creation of a center for assistance and research for medical residents (NAPREME) at the Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo

The decision to develop a treatment service for medical residents at Escola Paulista de Medicina was influenced by three main factors: the suicide of four young doctors (2 residents) at this institution between 1995 and 1996, a research study that investigated stress among medical residents and the experience of other countries in response to similar problems. NAPREME has the following objectives: to help to reduce stress among residents, stimulate professional and personal development, prevent professional dysfunction and emotional disorders, offer psychological treatment, assess the tutors of residency programmes and develop research programmes to better identify risk factors for emotional problems during the residency period. We hope that by doing this the overall quality of the residency programme will improve, both for the professionals and the patients.A decisão de criar um centro de assistência e pesquisa em Residência Médica na Escola Paulista de Medicina/Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) foi influenciada por três principais fatores: o suicídio de quatro jovens médicos (2 residentes) nos anos de 1995 e 1996, uma pesquisa sobre fontes de estresse durante o treinamento na Residência Médica nessa instituição e a experiência de outros países com relação a questões semelhantes.O Núcleo de Assistência e Pesquisa em Residência Médica (NAPREME) tem como objetivos: contribuir para a redução do estresse do treinamento, promover o crescimento profissional e pessoal dos residentes, prevenir disfunções profissionais e distúrbios emocionais, oferecer atendimento psicológico, assessorar os preceptores dos Programas de Residência Médica e desenvolver projetos de pesquisa que identifiquem as dificuldades emocionais que ocorrem durante o treinamento. O objetivo final é aperfeiçoar o sistema de capacitação profissional na Residência Médica, aprimorando a assistência prestada aos pacientes e a qualidade de vida dos profissionais encarregados dessa assistência.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Does sleep deprivation and morphine influence wound healing?

The contrast between present-day sleep habits and those of the pre-industrial era are quite evident. One study recent has shown that the amount of sleep has decreased 2 h per night over the past 50 years. Such sleep curtailment, ubiquitous in the modern lifestyle, inflicts adverse repercussions upon health and well being. Investigations examining the relationship between stress and the skin have shown that different types of stress affect the healing process. Morphine is an immunosuppressive drug, and when it is used chronically, it can lead to an increased incidence of infections and a delay in the healing process. Therefore, our hypothesis is that the lack of sleep associated with chronic treatment with morphine is detrimental to the healing of the skin in the animal model we have adopted. Thus, it is important that future studies consider the paradigm of sleep curtailment when investigating the mechanisms involved in the process of skin healing in individuals who are dependent on morphine. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Associacao Fundo de Incentivo a Pesquisa (AFIP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Dermatol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Dermatol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 98/14303-3Web of Scienc

Wound-healing and benzodiazepines: does sleep play a role in this relationship?

Patients who have suffered burns frequently experience psychological consequences, among which anxiety disorders are prominent. Benzodiazepines are commonly administered to treat these symptoms. The effects of benzodiazepines on healing may not be direct but rather are modulated by alterations of the sleep architecture. This hypothesis is supported by studies that demonstrate the effects of benzodiazepines on the immune system and the inflammatory profile under both normal sleep conditions and during sleep deprivation, particularly rapid eye movement sleep deprivation.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Associacao Fundo de Incentivo a Pesquisa (AFIP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo-FAPESP (CEPID)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de PsicobiologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Psicobiologia2011/14462-0 e 2010/14768-098/14303-3SciEL

LAB-1 Targets PP1 and Restricts Aurora B Kinase upon Entrance into Meiosis to Promote Sister Chromatid Cohesion

Successful execution of the meiotic program depends on the timely establishment and removal of sister chromatid cohesion. LAB-1 has been proposed to act in the latter by preventing the premature removal of the meiosis-specific cohesin REC-8 at metaphase I in C. elegans, yet the mechanism and scope of LAB-1 function remained unknown. Here we identify an unexpected earlier role for LAB-1 in promoting the establishment of sister chromatid cohesion in prophase I. LAB-1 and REC-8 are both required for the chromosomal association of the cohesin complex subunit SMC-3. Depletion of lab-1 results in partial loss of sister chromatid cohesion in rec-8 and coh-4 coh-3 mutants and further enhanced chromatid dissociation in worms where all three kleisins are mutated. Moreover, lab-1 depletion results in increased Aurora B kinase (AIR-2) signals in early prophase I nuclei, coupled with a parallel decrease in signals for the PP1 homolog, GSP-2. Finally, LAB-1 directly interacts with GSP-1 and GSP-2. We propose that LAB-1 targets the PP1 homologs to the chromatin at the onset of meiosis I, thereby antagonizing AIR-2 and cooperating with the cohesin complex to promote sister chromatid association and normal progression of the meiotic program

Integration of collagen matrices into the urethra when implanted as onlay graft

Objective: To assess the integration of decellularized heterologous collagen matrices into the urethra, when implanted with no cells or when seeded with autologous smooth muscle cells.Materials and Methods: Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned to two groups: Group I (n = 9) - animals undergoing urethral segment resection with interposition of a patch of heterologous collagen matrix seeded with autologous smooth muscle cells; Group II (n = 9) - animals undergoing resection of a urethral segment with interposition of a decellularized heterologous collagen matrix patch. Two animals from each group were sacrificed on postoperative days seven, fourteen and twenty-eight; three animals from each group were sacrificed at the end of three postoperative months. At the end of the third month one animal from each group underwent urethroscopy for urethral integrity assessment and one animal from each group had its microcirculation image captured by a SDF device (Side-stream Dark Field - Microscan Analysis Software). One animal from each group in each euthanasia period underwent cystourethrography so as the urethra could be viewed at flow time. the matrices integration was assessed through histological examination using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson trichrome (MT), Picrosirius red and Von Willebrand staining. in a blind study with two pathologists all the slides were studied.Results: the matrices whether seeded or not with autologous muscle cells were able to restore the architecture of the urethra, but were eliminated from the first week on, before incorporation. Microcirculation of the neourethra, at the end of the third month, showed the same characteristics as a normal urethra in both groups of animals.Conclusion: Natural heterologous matrices implanted in the urethra as onlay graft were not incorporated into its walls but were able to fully restore the cell architecture of the organ, regardless of being seeded or not with autologous muscle cells.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Composição de ácidos graxos das sementes de três genótipos de Malpighia glabra L

(Fatty acid composition of seeds of three Malpighia glabra L. genotypes (Malpighiaceae)). Malpighia glabra (acerola) is a plant native to Antilles and northern South America. Its significant commercial value is due to the high vitamin C content of the fruits. Brazil is the leading producer and the largest consumer market of M. glabra in the world. The present study determines total oil yield and fatty acid profile of seeds of three M. glabra genotypes. Total oil was extracted using n-hexane, and methyl ethers of fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Total concentration of fixed oil in seeds varied between 63.33 ± 12.24 mg/g and 97.14 ± 31.47 mg/g dry matter. Palmitic (C 16:0), stearic (C 18:0), oleic (C 18:1) and linoleic (C 18:2) were identified. Linoleic acid was the main component in all M. glabra individuals analyzed, independently of epicarp color. Unsaturated fatty acids were more abundant than saturated fatty acids. The data obtained may be useful to foster the use of the species, since the oils in its seeds may be better employed in food industry and other applications. The economically viable use of agribusiness waste is an important means to reduce environmental impact and open new alternatives to obtain products with greater added value, with environmental and economic benefits.(Composição de ácidos graxos das sementes de três genótipos de Malpighia glabra L. (Malpighiaceae)). Malpighia glabra (acerola) é uma planta originária das Antilhas e norte da América do Sul, bastante comercializada devido ao elevado teor de vitamina C dos seus frutos. O Brasil é o maior produtor, consumidor e exportador no mundo. O presente projeto tem como objetivo determinar o rendimento dos óleos totais e o perfil de ácidos graxos em sementes de três genótipos de Malpighia glabra (acerola). Os óleos totais foram extraídos com n-hexano e os ésteres metílicos de ácidos graxos foram analisados por CG/EM. A concentração total do óleo fixo das sementes variou de 63,33 ± 12,24 mg/g a 97,14 ± 31,47 mg/g de matéria seca. Os ácidos palmítico (C16: 0), esteárico (18:0), oleico (C18: 1) e linoleico (18:2) foram identificados. Todos os indivíduos da Malpighia glabra analisados apresentaram o ácido linoleico como majoritário, independente da cor do epicarpo. Os ácidos graxos insaturados foram mais abundantes do que os ácidos graxos saturados. Essas informações podem ser úteis para expandir a comercialização dessa espécie, pois indicam que o óleo das sementes dessa espécie pode ser mais bem aproveitado na indústria de alimentos e para outros fins. A valorização dos resíduos provenientes da agroindústria é uma boa alternativa para a redução do impacto ambiental bem como para obtenção de produtos com alto valor agregado, gerando benefícios ambientais e econômicos

Peyronie's Reconstruction for Maximum Length and Girth Gain: Geometrical Principles

Peyronie's disease has been associated with penile shortening and some degree of erectile dysfunction. Surgical reconstruction should be based on giving a functional penis, that is, rectifying the penis with rigidity enough to make the sexual intercourse. The procedure should be discussed preoperatively in terms of length and girth reconstruction in order to improve patient satisfaction. The tunical reconstruction for maximum penile length and girth restoration should be based on the maximum length of the dissected neurovascular bundle possible and the application of geometrical principles to define the precise site and size of tunical incision and grafting procedure. As penile rectification and rigidity are required to achieve complete functional restoration of the penis and 20 to 54% of patients experience associated erectile dysfunction, penile straightening alone may not be enough to provide complete functional restoration. Therefore, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, self-injection, or penile prosthesis may need to be added in some cases

BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene.

MotivationThe BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.Main types of variables includedThe database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.Spatial location and grainBioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2).Time period and grainBioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.Major taxa and level of measurementBioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.Software format.csv and .SQL