Patient-focussed outcomes in acromegaly.

Background: Health-related quality of life (QoL) is severely impaired in acromegaly due to the physical and psychological consequences of the disease. Pharmacological and surgical treatments, when available, can improve QoL and life expectancy.

Case Description: A 34-year-old male with uncontrolled acromegaly due to a large and invasive macroadenoma, which could not be resected by transsphenoidal surgery.

Development and validation of an analytical method for quantification of arsenic and antimony in liposomes using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry.

Arsenic and antimony compounds are used to treat endemic diseases, such as cancer, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis, in spite of their toxicity. Several studies seeking the development and characterization of nanocarrier systems such as liposomes are being carried out with the aim of developing new drug delivery systems and minimizing the toxicity of these drugs. However, the lack of reference methods to quantify these semimetals within a liposomal matrix hinders the QC of these formulations.

Phenotypic detection of metallo-β-lactamases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from hospitalized patients in São Luis, State of Maranhão, Brazil.

Introduction: Acquired metallo-β-lactamases (MβL) are emerging determinants of resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. The objectives of this study were to phenotypically detect MβL in imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and A.

Thalamic metabolic abnormalities in patients with Huntington's disease measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurologic disorder that is not completely understood; its fundamental physiological mechanisms and chemical effects remain somewhat unclear. Among these uncertainties, we can highlight information about the concentrations of brain metabolites, which have been widely discussed. Concentration differences in affected, compared to healthy, individuals could lead to the development of useful tools for evaluating the progression of disease, or to the advance of investigations of different/alternative treatments.

Current and emergent strategies for disinfection of hospital environments.

A significant number of hospital-acquired infections occur due to inefficient disinfection of hospital surfaces, instruments and rooms. The emergence and wide spread of multiresistant forms of several microorganisms has led to a situation where few compounds are able to inhibit or kill the infectious agents. Several strategies to disinfect both clinical equipment and the environment are available, often involving the use of antimicrobial chemicals.

Management of large median and lateral intravesical lobes during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: To describe a technique to manage large intravesical prostate lobes (IVPL) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Patients And Methods: We used a "rescue stitch" to retract large IVPLs anteriorly out of the bladder lumen. This stitch is a 6-inch long 0-polyglactin suture on a CT-1 needle with a Hem-o-lok clip tied to the tail end.

Synthesis of binaphthyl based phosphine and phosphite ligands.

The development of large scale synthesis of enantiopure and thermally stable (R)- and (S)-BINOL molecules constitutes a key milestone in the field of asymmetric catalysis. Particularly, a great variety of chiral binaphthyl-based phosphorus compounds, herein represented by phosphite and phosphine classes, have earned considerable relevance due to their versatility as ligands in enantioselective metal-catalysed reactions, allowing the preparation of optically active products with the desired enantiopurity. This review highlights the most relevant concepts and accounts regarding general synthetic procedures for binaphthyl-based mono- and bidentate phosphites and phosphines.

Nonmotor and extracerebellar features in Machado-Joseph disease: a review.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 or Machado-Joseph disease is the most common spinocerebellar ataxia worldwide, and the high frequency of nonmotor manifestations in Machado-Joseph disease demonstrates how variable is the clinical expression of this single genetic entity. Anatomical, physiological, clinical, and functional neuroimaging data reinforce the idea of a degenerative process involving extracerebellar regions of the nervous system in Machado-Joseph disease. Brain imaging and neuropathologic studies have revealed atrophy of the pons, basal ganglia, midbrain, medulla oblongata, multiple cranial nerve nuclei, and thalamus and of the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and limbic lobes.

Widespread neuronal damage and cognitive dysfunction in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Previous studies demonstrated cognitive impairments in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3/MJD); however, there is no consensus about the cognitive domains affected and the correlation with structural brain abnormalities. We investigated the neuropsychological profile and 3T-MRI findings, including high-resolution T1-images, diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of 32 patients with SCA3/MJD and 32 age-, gender- and educational level-matched healthy controls. We reviewed patients' clinical history and CAG repeat length, and performed assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA)-Brazilian version and the neuropsychiatric inventory.

Central precocious puberty caused by mutations in the imprinted gene MKRN3.

Background: The onset of puberty is first detected as an increase in pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis results in central precocious puberty. The timing of pubertal development is driven in part by genetic factors, but only a few, rare molecular defects associated with central precocious puberty have been identified.

A multimodal evaluation of microstructural white matter damage in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Although white matter damage may play a major role in the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3), available data rely exclusively upon macrostructural analyses. In this setting we designed a study to investigate white matter integrity. We evaluated 38 genetically-confirmed SCA3 patients (mean age, 52.

The relationship between shift work and sleep patterns in nurses.

The scope of this study was to evaluate the sleep/wake cycle in shift work nurses, as well as their sleep quality and chronotype. The sleep/wake cycle was evaluated by keeping a sleep diary for a total of 60 nurses with a mean age of 31.76 years.

Severe feed restriction increases permeability of mammary gland cell tight junctions and reduces ethanol stability of milk.

A total of twelve lactating Jersey cows were used in a 5-week experiment to determine the effects of severe feed restriction on the permeability of mammary gland cell tight junctions (TJs) and its effects on milk stability to the alcohol test. During the first 2 weeks, cows were managed and fed together and received the same diet according to their nutritional requirements (full diet: 15 kg of sugar cane silage; 5.8 kg of alfalfa hay; 0.

Dysautonomia is frequent in Machado-Joseph disease: clinical and neurophysiological evaluation.

Autonomic dysfunction has been already described in patients with SCA3/MJD, but several important questions remain unanswered. The objectives of this study are to determine the frequency and the intensity of autonomic manifestations in SCA3/MJD, as well as to identify possible correlations between autonomic manifestations and genetic and clinical parameters. We have performed clinical and electrophysiological evaluations of 40 patients with SCA3/MJD and 38 healthy controls.

Genetic structure and gene flow among Brazilian populations of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Population genetic studies are essential to the better application of pest management strategies, including the monitoring of the evolution of resistance to insecticides and genetically modified plants. Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) crops have been instrumental in controlling tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a pest that has developed resistance to many common insecticides once used for its management.

Minimally invasive partial nephrectomy for single versus multiple renal tumors.

Purpose: We report the perioperative outcomes of robotic/laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for multiple tumors at a single operative session. Outcomes were compared with those of a matched pair cohort treated with partial nephrectomy for a single renal tumor.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively maintained database from 2001 to 2010 and identified 33 patients who underwent partial nephrectomy for multiple tumors.

Normal ATXN3 Allele but Not CHIP Polymorphisms Modulates Age at Onset in Machado-Joseph Disease.

Background: Age at onset (AO) in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is closely associated with the length of the CAG repeat at the mutant ATXN3 allele, but there are other intervening factors. Experimental evidence indicates that the normal ATXN3 allele and the C-terminal heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)-interacting protein (CHIP) may be genetic modifiers of AO in MJD.

Methods: To investigate this hypothesis, we determined the length of normal and expanded CAG repeats at the ATXN3 gene in 210 unrelated patients with MJD.

[Occupational violence experienced by nursing staff in hospital emergency service].

This research objectives were: to discover the sociodemographic profile of the nursing staff that works in the hospital emergency service, identify the main types of occupational violence suffered by this team. Cross-sectional descriptive study done in a general hospital in Duque de Cazxias/Rio de Janeiro. The data, collected on August, 2009, was put in tables for subsequent univariate analysis.