RESUMO
The most common reason for non-adherence to medication among older adults is forgetfulness. Contextual cues, such as daily routines, serve as implicit situational information that increases the retrieval process of the intended action. The main contribution is an overview of the process and the technical details of Ambient Computing displays we developed to help seniors use contextual cues to remember actions associated with medication intake (i.e. remember to take medications or remember having taken them earlier). Through a qualitative study, we obtained evidence about the potential of our technological approach to make seniors more responsible and independent for taking medications.
Las razones más comunes para que adultos mayores no se apeguen a la medicación es el olvido. Las rutinas de vida diaria sirven como pistas contextuales que mejoran el proceso cognitivo relacionado con recordar realizar una acción planeada. Nuestro propósito es presentar el proceso de desarrollo, así como detalles técnicos, de Sistemas de Cómputo Ambiental que proveen pistas contextuales al adulto mayor para ayudarle a recordar acciones de su medicación (e.g., recordar medicarse o recordar que se medicaron). Mediante un estudio cualitativo, obtuvimos evidencia del potencial de nuestra tecnología para que el adulto mayor sea más responsable e independiente para medicarse.
RESUMO
In this study, the developmental expression pattern of myostatin (mstn) in the spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus under culture conditions is presented. The full coding sequence of mstn from L. guttatus was isolated from muscle tissue, obtaining 1134 nucleotides which encode a peptide of 377 amino acids. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that this sequence corresponds to mstn-1. mstn expression was detected in embryonic stages, and maintained at low levels until 28 days post-hatch, when it showed a significant increase, coinciding with the onset of metamorphosis. After that, expression was fluctuating, coinciding probably with periods of rapid and slow muscle growth or individual growth rates. mstn expression was also analysed by body mass with higher levels detected in smaller animals, irrespective of age. mstn was also expressed in other tissues from L. guttatus, presenting higher levels in brain, eye and gill. In brain for instance, two variants of mstn were isolated, both coding sequences were identical to muscle, except that one of them contained a 75 nucleotide deletion in exon 1, maintaining the reading frame but deleting two conserved cysteine residues. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that this brain variant was also mstn-1. The function of this variant is not clear and needs further investigation. These results indicate that mstn-1 participates in different physiological processes other than muscle growth in fishes.
Assuntos
Miostatina/metabolismo , Perciformes/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Química Encefálica , Primers do DNA , DNA Complementar/isolamento & purificação , Peixes/genética , Larva/metabolismo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Músculos/química , Miostatina/genética , Fases de Leitura Aberta , Perciformes/genética , Perciformes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Filogenia , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Cerebrovascular accidents, or strokes, are the second leading cause of mortality and the leading cause of morbidity in both Chile and the rest of the world. However, the relationship between particulate matter pollution and strokes is not well characterized. The association between fine particle concentration and stroke admissions was studied. Data on hospital admissions due to cerebrovascular accidents were collected from the Ministry of Health. Air quality and meteorological data were taken from the Air Quality database of the Santiago Metropolitan Area. Santiago reported 33,624 stroke admissions between January 1, 2002 and December 30, 2006. PM2.5 concentration was markedly seasonal, increasing during the winter. This study found an association between PM2.5 exposure and hospital admissions for stroke; for every PM2.5 concentration increase of 10 µg m(-3), the risk of emergency hospital admissions for cerebrovascular causes increased by 1.29% (95% CI 0.552%-2.03%).
Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Doenças Cardiovasculares/epidemiologia , Material Particulado/análise , Poluição do Ar/estatística & dados numéricos , Chile/epidemiologia , Exposição Ambiental/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Estações do AnoRESUMO
Constitutive overexpression of Cyp6g1 and Cyp6a2 genes in DDT-resistant line Oregon-flare of the Drosophila melanogaster wing spot test (SMART) has been reported. Cyp6g1 and Cyp6a2 expression levels were compared against the ß-actin gene in the standard (ST) and high bioactivation (HB) crosses of the Somatic Mutation and Recombination test (SMART) treated with sulforaphane or phenobarbital as the control inductor. The CYP450s' enzymatic activity was determined by overall NADH consumption. The expression levels of both genes and the CYP450s activity was higher in the HB cross. The Cyp6g1 levels were higher than those of Cyp6a2 in both crosses, but lower than the expression of ß-actin. Sulforaphane decreased Cyp6g1 in the HB cross and increased it in the ST cross; Cyp6a2 expression was inhibited in the ST cross. Sulforaphane resulted mutagenic in the ST cross, which could be related to the inhibition of Cyp6a2. Phenobarbital did not modify the Cyp6g1 levels but increased the Cyp6a2 and CYP450s basal activity. Although the transcript levels were always higher in the HB cross than in the ST, the expression of Cyp6a2 and Cyp6g1 was not constitutive and was independent one from the other. Sulforaphane modulated both genes in a differential way in each cross and, in contrast to its putative protective effect, it resulted to be mutagenic.
Assuntos
Anticarcinógenos/farmacologia , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/biossíntese , Proteínas de Drosophila/biossíntese , Mutagênicos , Tiocianatos/farmacologia , Asas de Animais/anatomia & histologia , Actinas/biossíntese , Actinas/genética , Animais , Anticarcinógenos/toxicidade , Cruzamentos Genéticos , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/genética , Família 6 do Citocromo P450 , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster , Vetores Genéticos , Hipnóticos e Sedativos/toxicidade , Isotiocianatos , Larva/metabolismo , Testes de Mutagenicidade , NAD/metabolismo , Oligonucleotídeos/síntese química , Oligonucleotídeos/genética , Fenobarbital/toxicidade , Recombinação Genética/genética , Sulfóxidos , Tiocianatos/toxicidadeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Present study addresses the issue whether apoptosis and necrosis increases the antigenicity of proteins recognized by antinuclear antibodies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: HEp-2 cells were cultured in standard conditions; apoptosis was induced by camptothecin and necrosis by mercuric chloride. Protein antigenicity of cell extracts was tested onto nitrocellulose membranes and probed with positive or negative sera for antinuclear antibodies by a luminescent-dot-ELISA system. RESULTS: Apoptotic changes in HEp-2 cells appeared by 24 hours of camptothecin exposure, meanwhile the necrotic features become visible earlier. Luminescence was significantly superior in ANA positive sera than in ANA negative controls. Antinuclear antibody sera recognized better the antigens from the apoptotic and necrotic cells than controls without chemical treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis and necrosis increase the ANA binding by better availability of intracellular antigens, or by disclosing cryptic epitopes.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antinucleares/imunologia , Apoptose/imunologia , Autoantígenos/imunologia , Doenças Autoimunes/imunologia , Anticorpos Antinucleares/sangue , Reações Antígeno-Anticorpo , Antígenos de Neoplasias/imunologia , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Doenças Autoimunes/patologia , Camptotecina/farmacologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/imunologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral/imunologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral/patologia , Técnica Indireta de Fluorescência para Anticorpo , Humanos , Fragmentos Fab das Imunoglobulinas/imunologia , Marcação In Situ das Extremidades Cortadas , Neoplasias Laríngeas/imunologia , Neoplasias Laríngeas/patologia , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/sangue , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/imunologia , Cloreto de Mercúrio/farmacologia , Doença Mista do Tecido Conjuntivo/sangue , Doença Mista do Tecido Conjuntivo/imunologia , Necrose , Proteínas de Neoplasias/imunologia , Esclerodermia Difusa/sangue , Esclerodermia Difusa/imunologia , Síndrome de Sjogren/sangue , Síndrome de Sjogren/imunologiaRESUMO
Escherichia coli C600 and C600(lambda) strains were tested for their susceptibility to the bactericidal action of 4% normal human serum. C600 survival was reduced to 30%, 23% and 16% after 60, 150 and 180 min of exposure to serum, respectively, whereas the percentage of survival of C600(lambda) was 199, 109 and 65% at the same times. The estimated exposition times for 50% killing showed an eight-fold difference, they were 23 and 202 min for C600 and C600(lambda), respectively. None of the two strains tested was killed when incubated with serum whose alternative complement pathway was inactivated by heating at 50 degrees C for 20 min, showing that this pathway, and not the classical one, was responsible of the bactericidal action, a conclusion further supported by the finding that both strains were differentially killed by the alternative complement pathway, C600 showing a 14X, 10X and 4X greater susceptibility than C600(lambda) at 60, 120 and 180 min of exposure to serum whose classical pathway was selectively inhibited by chelation with 10 mM EGTA plus 2 mM MgCl2. We feel that lambda phage may lower the serum sensitivity of its lysogen by altering the bacterial external surface, perhaps by the inclusion of some protein encoded by an accessory gene of the lambda genome, and thus interfering with either the formation, deposition or activity of the membrane attack complex.
Assuntos
Bacteriófago lambda , Atividade Bactericida do Sangue , Escherichia coli , Via Alternativa do Complemento , Humanos , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Some aspects of pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in children are presented. There is considered a multifactorial syndrome. The objective of this review is present new trends in etiology, diagnostic methods, in a practical point of view, specially in places without sophisticated equipment. Finally it is presented rational therapeutical basis en GER management.