New Family of Bluish Pyranoanthocyanins

The use of anthocyanins has been investigated for the preparationof food and beverage natural colorants as they seem to havenontoxic effects. In this context, vinylpyranoanthocyanins wererecently found to naturally occur in ageing red wine. This newfamily of anthocyanin-derived pigments may be obtained directlythrough the reaction between anthocyanin derivatives and othercompounds. Some of these newly formed pigments have been found toexhibit a bluish color at acidic pH. The formation of bluishpigment was obtained through reaction betweenanthocyanin-pyruvic-acid adducts and flavanols in thepresence of acetaldehyde. The formation of similar bluishpigments was attempted using other different precursors.The chromatic features of this kind of pigments bring promisingexpectations concerning the use of these naturally occurring bluepigments in the food industry.     

Delayed paraplegia following infrarenal abdominal aortic endograft placement: case report and literature review

The treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has changed over the past 12 years, with increased numbers of endovascular procedures being performed. Early morbidity is decreased following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) compared with open repair, and long-term studies of EVAR have focused on freedom from death, rupture, and conversion to open repair. Other less commonly encountered complications of EVAR are rarely reported. For instance, spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is a devastating complication infrequently seen after open AAA repair. This report discusses a case of delayed paraplegia after EVAR and reviews the pertinent literature. The incidence of SCI after EVAR is similar to open repair, but the mechanisms may be different. Atheroembolization and occlusion of pelvic inflow appear to be the predominant etiologies for SCI after EVAR. Careful consideration of the potential for SCI should be made in elderly patients undergoing EVAR, particularly if difficult arterial anatomy is present.     

Community health agents and patients' privacy

This is an exploratory study on views of various social players in the Brazilian Family Health Program, concerning the right to privacy in the relationship between users of the program and community health agents (CHA). The following healthcare professionals were interviewed: heads of basic healthcare units, physicians, nurses and community health agents, working at health units in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2002. Healthcare professionals and managers agreed that limits should be placed on access by CHAs to certain user information, including diagnosis. The study showed that frequent contact between users and CHAs results in users' disclosure of their health conditions to CHAs prior to consulting other professionals in the healthcare team. This generates the following ethical issue: Is there any specific scope of confidentiality between the CHA and users over information that should not be disclosed to other team members?     

Determination of acetonitrile and cyanide in rat blood: application to an experimental study

Methods were developed for the analysis of acetonitrile and its metabolite cyanide in the blood of rats exposed to acetonitrile. Acetonitrile was analyzed by the headspace technique coupled to gas chromatography with detection by flame ionization, and cyanide was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (lambdaex = 418 nm and lambdaem = 460 nm) after derivatization of the ion with naphthalene 2,3-dicarboxyaldehyde and taurine. The quantitation limits of the methods for the analysis of acetonitrile and cyanide were 4.875 microg/mL and 0.025 microg/mL, respectively. The coefficients of variation of 10% or less obtained for intra- and interassay precision indicate the precision of these analytical methods and the systematic errors, all less than 5%, indicate that the methods are quite accurate. The methods were applied to an experimental study after the animals received acetonitrile at the doses of 2 mmol/kg or 5 mmol/kg.     

Follow-Up of Sex Reassignment Surgery in Transsexuals: A Brazilian Cohort

This study examined the impact of sex reassignment surgery on the satisfaction with sexual experience, partnerships, and relationship with family members in a cohort of Brazilian transsexual patients. A group of 19 patients who received sex reassignment between 2000 and 2004 (18 male-to-female, 1 female-to-male) after a two-year evaluation by a multidisciplinary team, and who agreed to participate in the study, completed a written questionnaire. Mean age at entry into the program was 31.21±8.57 years and mean schooling was 9.2±1.4 years. None of the patients reported regret for having undergone the surgery. Sexual experience was considered to have improved by 83.3% of the patients, and became more frequent for 64.7% of the patients. For 83.3% of the patients, sex was considered to be pleasurable with the neovagina/neopenis. In addition, 64.7% reported that initiating and maintaining a relationship had become easier. The number of patients with a partner increased from 52.6% to 73.7%. Family relationships improved in 26.3% of the cases, whereas 73.7% of the patients did not report a difference. None of the patients reported worse relationships with family members after sex reassignment. In conclusion, the overall impact of sex reassignment surgery on this cohort of patients was positive.