The impact of employee assistance services on workplace outcomes: Results of a prospective, quasi-experimental study.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are widely used to help employees experiencing personal or work-related difficulties that impact work productivity. However, rigorous research on the effectiveness of programs to improve work-related outcomes is lacking. The current study represents a major advance in EAP research by using a prospective, quasi-experimental design with a large and diverse employee base.

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition promotes remyelination by MCP-1/CCR-2 and MMP-9 regulation in a cuprizone-induced demyelination model.

While it has recently been shown that sildenafil (Viagra®) has a protective effect on myelination/remyelination, the mechanism of this protection is still unknown. In general, cytokines, chemokines and metalloproteinases have a pro-inflammatory action, but can also exert a role in modulating glial cell activation, contributing to the balance of cell response. Investigating these molecules can contribute to clarifying the mechanisms of sildenafil neuroprotection.

Predicting approach to homework in Primary school students.

Background: The goal of this research was to study the weight of student variables related to homework (intrinsic homework motivation, perceived homework instrumentality, homework attitude, time spent on homework, and homework time management) and context (teacher feedback on homework and parental homework support) in the prediction of approaches to homework.

Method: 535 students of the last three courses of primary education participated in the study. Data were analyzed with hierarchical regression models and path analysis.

Anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa activity of 1,10-phenanthroline-based drugs against both planktonic- and biofilm-growing cells.

Objectives: The beneficial antimicrobial properties of 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)-based drugs, together with the imperative need to develop new chemotherapeutic options for prevention/treatment of infections caused by MDR Gram-negative bacteria, led us to evaluate the effects of phen, 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione), [Ag(phendione)2]ClO4 and [Cu(phendione)3](ClO4)2·4H2O on planktonic- and biofilm-growing Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Methods: Thirty-two non-duplicated Brazilian clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa with distinct genetic backgrounds were used in all experiments.

Involvement of AMPK, IKβα-NFκB and eNOS in the sildenafil anti-inflammatory mechanism in a demyelination model.

Sildenafil (Viagra®) has recently been found to have a neuroprotective effect, which occurs through the inhibition of inflammation and demyelination in the cerebellum. However, the mechanism of action of sildenafil remains unknown. AMPK, the regulatory protein of the lipid and glucose metabolism, plays a protective role by activating the eNOS enzyme.

[Domains of physical activity and education in São Paulo, Brazil: a serial cross-sectional study in 2003 and 2008].

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of physical activity in different domains and the association with schooling, using a serial cross-sectional population-based design comparing data from two editions of a health survey in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Participation included 1,667 adults in 2003 and 2,086 in 2008. Probabilistic sampling was performed by two-stage clusters.

Candida parapsilosis (sensu lato) isolated from hospitals located in the Southeast of Brazil: Species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and virulence attributes.

Candida parapsilosis (sensu lato), which represents a fungal complex composed of three genetically related species - Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Candida orthopsilosis and Candida metapsilosis, has emerged as an important yeast causing fungemia worldwide. The goal of the present work was to assess the prevalence, antifungal susceptibility and production of virulence traits in 53 clinical isolates previously identified as C. parapsilosis (sensu lato) obtained from hospitals located in the Southeast of Brazil.

Ecto-5'-Nucleotidase, Adenosine and Transmembrane Adenylyl Cyclase Signalling Regulate Basal Carotid Body Chemoafferent Outflow and Establish the Sensitivity to Hypercapnia.

Carotid body (CB) stimulation by hypercapnia causes a reflex increase in ventilation and, along with the central chemoreceptors, this prevents a potentially lethal systemic acidosis. Control over the CB chemoafferent output during normocapnia and hypercapnia most likely involves multiple neurotransmitters and neuromodulators including ATP, acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin and adenosine, but the precise role of each is yet to be fully established. In the present study, recordings of chemoafferent discharge frequency were made from the isolated in vitro CB in order to determine the contribution of adenosine, derived specifically from extracellular catabolism of ATP, in mediating basal chemoafferent activity and responses to hypercapnia.

Efficacy of carvedilol in reversing hypertension induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats.

Animal models of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) mimic the hypertension observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Antihypertensive drugs were applied to these animal models to address the physiological mechanism but not to revert established hypertension. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of carvedilol (CVDL), an unselective beta-blocker that exhibits intrinsic anti-α1-adrenergic and antioxidant activities in a rat model of CIH-induced hypertension.

Analytic description of adaptive network topologies in a steady state.

In many complex systems, states and interaction structure coevolve towards a dynamic equilibrium. For the adaptive contact process, we obtain approximate expressions for the degree distributions that characterize the interaction network in such active steady states. These distributions are shown to agree quantitatively with simulations except when rewiring is much faster than state update and used to predict and to explain general properties of steady-state topologies.

Caffeine acts through neuronal adenosine A2A receptors to prevent mood and memory dysfunction triggered by chronic stress.

The consumption of caffeine (an adenosine receptor antagonist) correlates inversely with depression and memory deterioration, and adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonists emerge as candidate therapeutic targets because they control aberrant synaptic plasticity and afford neuroprotection. Therefore we tested the ability of A2AR to control the behavioral, electrophysiological, and neurochemical modifications caused by chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), which alters hippocampal circuits, dampens mood and memory performance, and enhances susceptibility to depression. CUS for 3 wk in adult mice induced anxiogenic and helpless-like behavior and decreased memory performance.

Can Tea Consumption be a Safe and Effective Therapy Against Diabetes Mellitus-Induced Neurodegeneration?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that is rapidly increasing and has become a major public health problem. Type 2 DM (T2DM) is the most common type, accounting for up to 90-95% of the new diagnosed DM cases. The brain is very susceptible to glucose fluctuations and hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress (OS).

Parents' conceptions of their homework involvement in elementary school.

Background: Homework is a universal practice used in schools, and is commonly related to academic achievement. According to literature, parental homework involvement has positive and negative aspects, depending on parents’ behaviors.

Method: Assuming a phenomenographic perspective, this study examined 4th graders’ parents’ conceptions of their involvement in homework.

The progression from a lower to a higher invasive stage of bladder cancer is associated with severe alterations in glucose and pyruvate metabolism.

Cancer cells present a particular metabolic behavior. We hypothesized that the progression of bladder cancer could be accompanied by changes in cells glycolytic profile. We studied two human bladder cancer cells, RT4 and TCCSUP, in which the latter represents a more invasive stage.

Daily consumption of white tea (Camellia sinensis (L.)) improves the cerebral cortex metabolic and oxidative profile in prediabetic Wistar rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health problem and its incidence is rising dramatically. The brain, particularly the cerebral cortex, is very susceptible to glucose fluctuations and hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress. Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.

Characterization of the endemic equilibrium and response to mutant injection in a multi-strain disease model.

We explore a model of an antigenically diverse infection whose otherwise identical strains compete through cross-immunity. We assume that individuals may produce upon infection different numbers of antibody types, each of which matches the antigenic configuration of a particular epitope, and that one matching antibody type grants total immunity against a challenging strain. In order to reduce the number of equations involved in the analytic description of the dynamics, we follow the strategy proposed by Kryazhimskiy et al.

Revisiting cAMP signaling in the carotid body.

Chronic carotid body (CB) activation is now recognized as being essential in the development of hypertension and promoting insulin resistance; thus, it is imperative to characterize the chemotransduction mechanisms of this organ in order to modulate its activity and improve patient outcomes. For several years, and although controversial, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was considered an important player in initiating the activation of the CB. However, its relevance was partially displaced in the 90s by the emerging role of the mitochondria and molecules such as AMP-activated protein kinase and O2-sensitive K(+) channels.

Diethylcarbamazine reduces chronic inflammation and fibrosis in carbon tetrachloride- (CCl₄-) induced liver injury in mice.

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of DEC on the CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in C57BL/6 mice. Chronic inflammation was induced by i.p.

Factors underlying the polarization of early childhood caries within a high-risk population.

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) are particularly prevalent in disadvantaged populations, and socioeconomic factors are associated with the polarization of disease. A previous study showed that even within a homogenous low-income population disease is polarized, indicating that other factors apart from income may contribute to disease susceptibility.

Methods: This study used a hierarchical approach to identify factors associated with polarization of ECC in low-income subjects.

Intramural hematoma of the esophagus after thrombolysis for ischemic stroke.

Intramural dissecting hematoma is an unusual esophageal condition with a threatening presentation but excellent prognosis when managed conservatively.We report the case of an 88-year-old woman who developed an intramural hematoma of the esophagus after intravenous thrombolysis for an acute ischemic stroke. Before thrombolysis, nasogastric intubation was attempted unsuccessfully.

Virulence attributes in Brazilian clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen responsible for causing a huge variety of acute and chronic infections with significant levels of morbidity and mortality. Its success as a pathogen comes from its genetic/metabolic plasticity, intrinsic/acquired antimicrobial resistance, capacity to form biofilm and expression of numerous virulence factors. Herein, we have analyzed the genetic variability, antimicrobial susceptibility as well as the production of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) and virulence attributes (elastase, pyocyanin and biofilm) in 96 strains of P.

Rapid evolution of constitutive and inducible defenses against an invasive predator.

Invasive alien predators can impose strong selection on native prey populations and induce rapid evolutionary change in the invaded communities. However, studies on evolutionary responses to invasive predators are often complicated by the lack of replicate populations differing in coexistence time with the predator, which would allow the determination of how prey traits change during the invasion. The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii has invaded many freshwater areas worldwide, with negative impacts for native fauna.

Effects of knot type in the folding of topologically complex lattice proteins.

The folding properties of a protein whose native structure contains a 52 knot are investigated by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations of a simple lattice model and compared with those of a 31 knot. A 52 knot embedded in the native structure enhances the kinetic stability of the carrier lattice protein in a way that is clearly more pronounced than in the case of the 31 knot. However, this happens at the expense of a severe loss in folding efficiency, an observation that is consistent with the relative abundance of 31 and 52 knots in the Protein Data Bank.

Breathing and temperature control disrupted by morphine and stabilized by clonidine in neonatal rats.

Background: Sedative-analgesics are often given to newborn infants and are known to affect many components of the autonomic nervous system. While morphine is most frequently used, α-2 adrenergic receptor agonists are being increasingly used in this population. Alpha-2 adrenergic receptors agonists also have anti-shivering properties which may make it a desirable drug to give to infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.