Identification of Germline and Somatic Pathway Gene Alterations in Patients with Malignant Struma Ovarii, Cleft Palate and Thyroid Cancer.

Germline variants in the FOXE1 transcription factor have been associated with thyroid ectopy, cleft palate (CP) and thyroid cancer (TC). Here, we aimed to clarify the role of in Portuguese families (F1 and F2) with members diagnosed with malignant struma ovarii (MSO), an ovarian teratoma with ectopic malignant thyroid tissue, papillary TC (PTC) and CP. Two rare germline heterozygous variants in the promoter were identified: F1) c.

A combination of stereological methods, biochemistry and electron microscopy for the investigation of drug treatment effects in experimental animals.

Some chemotherapeutic agents used for breast cancer (BC) treatment can induce severe side effects in the ovarian tissue. The combination of cyclophosphamide and docetaxel (TC) is widely used for BC treatment; however, its late effects in the ovary are not completely understood. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural and ultrastructural alterations in the ovarian stroma induced by TC treatment.

Mechanistic insights into metal ion activation and operator recognition by the ferric uptake regulator.

Ferric uptake regulator (Fur) plays a key role in the iron homeostasis of prokaryotes, such as bacterial pathogens, but the molecular mechanisms and structural basis of Fur-DNA binding remain incompletely understood. Here, we report high-resolution structures of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 Fur in four different states: apo-Fur, holo-Fur, the Fur-feoAB1 operator complex and the Fur-Pseudomonas aeruginosa Fur box complex. Apo-Fur is a transition metal ion-independent dimer whose binding induces profound conformational changes and confers DNA-binding ability.

[Near-infrared spectroscopy as an auxiliary tool in the study of child development].

Objective:: To investigate the applicability of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for cortical hemodynamic assessment tool as an aid in the study of child development.

Data Source:: Search was conducted in the PubMed and Lilacs databases using the following keywords: ''psychomotor performance/child development/growth and development/neurodevelopment/spectroscopy/near-infrared'' and their equivalents in Portuguese and Spanish. The review was performed according to criteria established by Cochrane and search was limited to 2003 to 2013.

Unveiling the effects of berenil, a DNA-binding drug, on Trypanosoma cruzi: implications for kDNA ultrastructure and replication.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, exhibits a single mitochondrion with an enlarged portion termed kinetoplast. This unique structure harbors the mitochondrial DNA (kDNA), composed of interlocked molecules: minicircles and maxicircles. kDNA is a hallmark of kinetoplastids and for this reason constitutes a valuable target in chemotherapeutic and cell biology studies.

Mechanism of origin DNA recognition and assembly of an initiator-helicase complex by SV40 large tumor antigen.

The DNA tumor virus Simian virus 40 (SV40) is a model system for studying eukaryotic replication. SV40 large tumor antigen (LTag) is the initiator/helicase that is essential for genome replication. LTag recognizes and assembles at the viral replication origin.

Proteopedia: 3D visualization and annotation of transcription factor-DNA readout modes.

3D visualization assists in identifying diverse mechanisms of protein-DNA recognition that can be observed for transcription factors and other DNA binding proteins. We used Proteopedia to illustrate transcription factor-DNA readout modes with a focus on DNA shape, which can be a function of either nucleotide sequence (Hox proteins) or base pairing geometry (p53). © 2012 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

DNA binding by GATA transcription factor suggests mechanisms of DNA looping and long-range gene regulation.

GATA transcription factors regulate transcription during development and differentiation by recognizing distinct GATA sites with a tandem of two conserved zinc fingers, and by mediating long-range DNA looping. However, the molecular basis of these processes is not well understood. Here, we determined three crystal structures of the full DNA-binding domain (DBD) of human GATA3 protein, which contains both zinc fingers, in complex with different DNA sites.

Photoelastic analysis of the distribution of stress in different systems of overdentures on osseous-integrated implants.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of generated stress around implants and adjacent bone tissue using different implant-retained overdenture designs through photoelastic analysis.

Methods: Over an edentulous human mandible, achieved from a human model, 2 or 4 microunit analog abutments were embedded (Master; Conexao Systems Prosthodontics, São Paulo, Brazil), settled in the interforaminal region. Three models of photoelastic resin (Araltec Chemicals Ltda, Hunstman, Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil), with 2 or 4 incorporated implants and microunit abutments, were obtained from molds using silicone for duplication.

Blood-feeding induces reversible functional changes in flight muscle mitochondria of Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Background: Hematophagy poses a challenge to blood-feeding organisms since products of blood digestion can exert cellular deleterious effects. Mitochondria perform multiple roles in cell biology acting as the site of aerobic energy-transducing pathways, and also an important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), modulating redox metabolism. Therefore, regulation of mitochondrial function should be relevant for hematophagous arthropods.

Efficiency of entomopathogenic fungi in the control of eggs and larvae of the horn fly Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae).

The present study assessed the pathogenic effect of isolates E9, IBCB425 and IBCB159 of the Metarhizium anisopliae fungus, JAB06, JAB07 and AM09 of Beauveria bassiana, IBCB133 and CB75 of Isaria fumosorosea (=Paecilomyces fumosoroseus) and CG189 and CG195 of Isaria farinosa (=Paecilomyces farinosus) against eggs and larvae of the horn fly Haematobia irritans. Eggs were inoculated with suspensions containing 10(6), 10(7) and 10(8)conidiaml(-1) of the fungal isolates and observed after 48h to determine viability. In the larvae study, eggs were allowed to hatch into fresh bovine feces that had been treated with 10(8), 10(7) or 10(6)conidiamgfeces(-1).

Entomopathogenic fungal activity against pupae and adult Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae).

The horn fly Haematobia irritans is one of the most important ectoparasites associated with grazing bovines. This study investigated the pathogenic activity of Metarhizium anisopliae (E9, IBCB425 and IBCB159), Beauveria bassiana (JAB06, JAB07 and AM09), Isaria fumosorosea (=Paecilomyces fumosoroseus) (IBCB133 and CB75) and Isaria farinosa (=Paecilomyces farinosus) (CG189 and CG195) fungi isolates on pupae and adult H. irritans.

Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy as treatment for nesidioblastosis after gastric bypass surgery.

Nesidioblastosis is characterized by hyperfunction of pancreatic islets caused by hypertrophic beta cells. Postprandial symptoms of hypoglycemia are the clinical presentation of the disease. A female patient with diabetes mellitus who underwent a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass began to present postprandial symptoms of hypoglycemia.

[Nonverbal communication of elderly patients facing the pain process].

This qualitative study aims at identifying which mechanisms are used by elderly patients to express pain when they are not able to use verbal communication. It relies on the accounts and interpretations of 6 nurses working in a clinical service unit dedicated to the treatment of the elderly at a hospital in São Paulo. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, recorded and transcribed for hermeneutic analysis.

Relation between chronic periodontal disease and plasmatic levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and fractions.

Many people in the world are affected by hyperlipidemia, which is a known risk factor for atherosclerotic disease. On the other hand, periodontitis, a prevalent oral disease, has been connected to several systemic health changes, including an altered lipid metabolism. Transient and recurrent bacteremias, which may be caused by periodontal infection, induce an intense local and systemic inflammatory response, leading to changes in the whole body.

Risk factors for stillbirths in two swine farms in the south of Brazil.

We evaluated stillbirth risk factors in two commercial swine farms of the Rio Grande do Sul State (south of Brazil). The study was conducted during 1 month in Farm A and during 2 months in Farm B, both during 1999. Data for all farrowings that occurred during the study period were recorded (101 for Farm A and 373 for Farm B), without interference in the farm management.