High resolution microarray comparative genomic hybridisation analysis using spotted oligonucleotides

BACKGROUND: Currently, comparative genomic hybridisation array (array CGH) is the method of choice for studying genome wide DNA copy number changes. To date, either amplified representations of bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs)/phage artificial chromosomes (PACs) or cDNAs have been spotted as probes. The production of BAC/PAC and cDNA arrays is time consuming and expensive. AIM: To evaluate the use of spotted 60 mer oligonucleotides (oligos) for array CGH. METHODS: The hybridisation of tumour cell lines with known chromosomal aberrations on to either BAC or oligoarrrays that are mapped to the human genome. RESULTS: Oligo CGH was able to detect amplifications with high accuracy and greater spatial resolution than other currently used array CGH platforms. In addition, single copy number changes could be detected with a resolution comparable to conventional CGH. CONCLUSIONS: Oligos are easy to handle and flexible, because they can be designed for any part of the genome without the need for laborious amplification procedures. The full genome array, containing around 30000 oligos of all genes in the human genome, will represent a big step forward in the analysis of chromosomal copy number changes. Finally, oligoarray CGH can easily be used for any organism with a fully sequenced genome.     

Acute respiratory infection by human metapneumovirus in children in southern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been described as an etiologic agent of acute respiratory infections (ARI), mainly in pediatric patients. Viral isolation is difficult and has low sensitivity, and consequently RT-PCR assays are currently used for detection. OBJECTIVES: Detect hMPV in ARI in hospitalized children in Southern Brazil; standardize a RT-PCR for routine hMPV diagnosis; validate a positive control for molecular tests; and perform phylogenetics analyses. STUDY DESIGN: Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) from 156 hospitalized children were studied. A conserved region of the nucleoprotein gene was cloned, characterized and used to standardize an RT-PCR assay. Phylogenetic analyses were performed. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: hMPV was detected in 6.4% of the samples. Dyspnea and wheezing were frequently reported symptoms and the most common diagnoses were bronchiolitis, acute respiratory insufficiency or laryngotracheobronchitis. Nucleotide sequence alignment revealed 97.7% identity with genotype A1 of hMPV. The detection limit of hMPV genomes by RT-PCR in clinical samples was 180 copies/microL. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the detection and genetic characterization of hMPV infections in children with lower ARI in Southern Brazil.     

Combined Effects of Exercise and Phytoanabolic Extracts in Castrated Male and Female Mice

Dry extracts from the Eurasian plants, Ajuga turkestanica, Eurycoma longifolia, and Urtica dioica have been used as anabolic supplements, despite the limited scientific data on these effects. To assess their actions on early sarcopenia signs, male and female castrated mice were supplemented with lyophilized extracts of the three plants, isolated or in association (named TLU), and submitted to resistance exercise. Ovariectomy (OVX) led to body weight increase and non-high-density cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol elevation, which had been restored by exercise plus U. dioica extract, or by exercise and TLU, respectively. Orchiectomy (ORX) caused skeletal muscle weight loss, accompanied by increased adiposity, being the latter parameter reduced by exercise plus E. longifolia or U. dioica extracts. General physical activity was improved by exercise plus herbal extracts in either OVX or ORX animals. Exercise combined with TLU improved resistance to fatigue in OVX animals, though A. turkestanica enhanced the grip strength in ORX mice. E. longifolia or TLU also reduced the ladder climbing time in ORX mice. Resistance exercise plus herbal extracts partly altered gastrocnemius fiber size frequencies in OVX or ORX mice. We provide novel data that tested ergogenic extracts, when combined with resistance exercise, improved early sarcopenia alterations in castrated male and female mice.     

Vitamin A Status Improvement in Obesity: Findings and Perspectives Using Encapsulation Techniques

The association between obesity and vitamin A has been studied. Some studies point to the anti-obesity activity related to this vitamin, carotenoids with provitamin A activity, and carotenoid conversion products. This performance has been evaluated in respect of adipogenesis, metabolic activity, oxidation processes, secretory function, and oxidative stress modulation, showing a new property attributed to vitamin A in preventing and treating obesity. However, vitamin A and its precursors are highly sensitive and easily degraded when subjected to heat, the presence of light, and oxygen, in addition to losses related to the processes of digestion and absorption. In this context, encapsulation presents itself as an alternative capable of increasing vitamin A’s stability in the face of unfavorable conditions in the environment, which can reduce its functionality. Considering that vitamin A’s status shows a strong correlation with obesity and is an innovative theme, this article addresses the associations between vitamin A’s consumption and its precursors, encapsulated or not, and its physiological effects on obesity. The present narrative review points out those recent studies that demonstrate that vitamin A and its encapsulated precursors have the most preserved functionality, which guarantees better effects on obesity therapy.     

Web Data Mining: Validity of Data from Google Earth for Food Retail Evaluation

To overcome the challenge of obtaining accurate data on community food retail, we developed an innovative tool to automatically capture food retail data from Google Earth (GE). The proposed method is relevant to non-commercial use or scholarly purposes. We aimed to test the validity of web sources data for the assessment of community food retail environment by comparison to ground-truth observations (gold standard). A secondary aim was to test whether validity differs by type of food outlet and socioeconomic status (SES). The study area included a sample of 300 census tracts stratified by SES in two of the largest cities in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The GE web service was used to develop a tool for automatic acquisition of food retail data through the generation of a regular grid of points. To test its validity, this data was compared with the ground-truth data. Compared to the 856 outlets identified in 285 census tracts by the ground-truth method, the GE interface identified 731 outlets. In both cities, the GE interface scored moderate to excellent compared to the ground-truth data across all of the validity measures: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy (ranging from 66.3 to 100%). The validity did not differ by SES strata. Supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants yielded better results than other store types. To our knowledge, this research is the first to investigate using GE as a tool to capture community food retail data. Our results suggest that the GE interface could be used to measure the community food environment. Validity was satisfactory for different SES areas and types of outlets.     

Effect of photobiomodulation therapy on the proliferation phase and wound healing in rats fed with an experimental hypoproteic diet

Lasers in Medical Science - Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been indicated for enforcement on healing skin wounds. This study evaluated the effects of PBMT on the healing of skin wounds...     

Regional anaesthesia for labour,operative vaginal delivery and caesarean delivery: a narrative review

This narrative review discusses recent evidence surrounding the use of regional anaesthesia in the obstetric setting, including intrapartum techniques for labour and operative vaginal delivery, and caesarean delivery. Pudendal nerve blockade, ideally administered by an obstetrician, should be considered for operative vaginal delivery if neuraxial analgesia is contraindicated. Regional techniques are increasingly utilised in clinical practice for caesarean delivery to minimise opioid consumption, reduce pain, improve postpartum recovery and facilitate earlier discharge as part of enhanced recovery protocols. The evidence surrounding transversus abdominis plane and quadratus lumborum blockade supports their use when: long-acting neuraxial opioids cannot be administered due to contraindications; if emergency delivery necessitates general anaesthesia; or as a postoperative rescue technique. Current data suggest quadratus lumborum blockade is no more effective than transversus abdominis plane blockade after caesarean delivery. Transversus abdominis plane blockade, wound catheter insertion and single shot wound infiltration are all effective techniques for reducing postoperative opioid consumption, with transversus abdominis plane blockade favoured, followed by wound catheters and then wound infiltration. Ilio-inguinal and iliohypogastric, erector spinae plane and rectus sheath blockade all require further studies to determine their efficacy for caesarean delivery in the presence or absence of long-acting neuraxial opioids. Future studies are needed to: compare approaches for individual techniques; determine which combinations of techniques and dosing regimens result in optimal analgesic and recovery outcomes following delivery; and elucidate the populations that benefit most from regional anaesthesia in the obstetric setting.