New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Oestrogen and zoledronic acid driven changes to the bone and immune environments: potential mechanisms underlying the differential anti-tumour effects of zoledronic acid in pre- and post-menopausal conditions

Late stage breast cancer commonly metastasises to bone and patient survival averages 2–3 years following diagnosis of bone involvement. One of the most successful treatments for bone metastases is the bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid (ZOL). ZOL has been used in the advanced setting for many years where it has been shown to reduce skeletal complications associated with bone metastasis. More recently, several large adjuvant clinical trials have demonstrated that administration of ZOL can prevent recurrence and improve survival when given in early breast cancer. However, these promising effects were only observed in post-menopausal women with confirmed low concentrations of circulating ovarian hormones. In this review we focus on potential interactions between the ovarian hormone, oestrogen, and ZOL to establish credible hypotheses that could explain why anti-tumour effects are specific to post-menopausal women. Specifically, we discuss the molecular and immune cell driven mechanisms by which ZOL and oestrogen affect the tumour microenvironment to inhibit/induce tumour growth and how oestrogen can interact with zoledronic acid to inhibit its anti-tumour actions

Considerações sobre a tendência da tuberculose no Brasil

Este trabalho analisa os vários aspectos que influenciam no padrão da mortalidade e morbidade da tuberculose: a variação nas condições de vida, os efeitos da quimioterapia e a dinâmica de transmissão da doença. Caracteriza os indicadores utilizados na medida da tuberculose que são construídos a partir de inquéritos de prevalência e dos dados de notificação. Os principais indicadores são: risco de infecção; mortalidade; coeficiente de incidência de meningite tuberculosa; coeficientes de incidência de casos de tuberculose, especialmente os pulmonares bacilíferos, etc. O trabalho analisa dados recentes de incidência de casos pulmonares bacilíferos nos estados do Pará e Rio Grande do Sul e mortalidade por tuberculose nas capitais do Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco e Rio de Janeiro, que revelam uma tendência à queda, ainda que em ritmo diferenciado. Discute-se a maneira que a crise econômica atual do país repercutiria no número de casos e mortes pela doença.<br>This paper analises the various factors which affect the rate of mortality and illness from tuberculosis i.e. the variation in the quality of life of the people affected, the effects o f chemotherapy and the dynamics of the transmission of the disease. It describes the epidemiological indices used to measure the spread of tuberculosis. These indices are built up from inquiries of prevalence of the disease and the number of notified cases. The main indices are: the risk of infection, mortality, the coefficient of the incidence of tubercular meningitis, the coefficient of the incidence of cases of tuberculosis, especially smear positives, etc. The paper also analises recent data of incidence of cases of smear positives in the states of Pará and Rio Grande do Sul and the mortality rate from tuberculosis in the state capitals of Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, which reveal a downward trend, thought at different rates. The nature of how the present economic crisis in the country is affecting the number of cases and deaths as a result of the disease is also discussed

X‑ray Spectroscopic Quantification of Phosphorus Transformation in Saharan Dust during Trans-Atlantic Dust Transport

Saharan dust is an important phosphorus (P) supply to remote and oligotrophic parts of the oceans and American lowland tropical rainforests. Phosphorus speciation in aeolian dust ultimately controls the release and bioavailability of P after dust deposition, but the speciation in Saharan dust and its change during the trans-Atlantic transport remains unclear. Using P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, we showed that with increasing dust traveling distance from the Sahara Desert to Cape Verde and to Puerto Rico, about 570 and 4000 km, respectively, the proportion of Ca-bound P (Ca-P), including both apatite and non-apatite forms, decreased from 68–73% to 50–71% and to 21–37%. The changes were accompanied by increased iron/aluminum-bound P proportion from 14–25% to 23–46% and to 44–73%, correspondingly. Laboratory simulation experiments suggest that the changes in P speciation can be ascribed to increasing degrees of particle sorting and atmospheric acidification during dust transport. The presence of relatively soluble non-apatite Ca-P in the Cape Verde dust but not in the Puerto Rico dust is consistent with the higher P water solubility of the former than the latter. Our findings provide insights into the controls of atmospheric processes on P speciation, solubility, and stability in Saharan dust

Ações públicas para o controle do câncer de mama no Brasil: revisão integrativa

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar a produção científica sobre "câncer de mama" no período de 2002 a 2013 e identificar quais são as políticas públicas de rastreamento e diagnóstico precoce para o câncer de mama. Método: trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura realizada nas bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO e Google Acadêmico. Utilizou-se como critérios de inclusão: ano e período de publicação; disponibilidade do artigo na íntegra; publicação no Brasil; e o cruzamento entre os descritores Câncer de Mama, Atenção Primária à Saúde, Programas de Rastreamento e Detecção Precoce de Câncer. Resultados: após análise, obtiveram-se quatro (4) categorias temáticas: autoexame das mamas, exame clínico das mamas, mamografia e fatores que dificultam a adesão ao rastreamento. Conclusão: há déficits de conhecimento dos profissionais de saúde sobre a área, indicando a necessidade de realização de outros estudos sobre a temática abordada e maior investimento na educação continuada dos profissionais