Support policies for dependent older adults: Europe and Brazil.

This theoretical essay discusses long-term care policies for dependent older adults. It aims to analyze the content and strategies that guided the formulation of the so-called "dependence policies" in some European states, seeking guidance to formulate actions related to the same issue in the Brazilian case. The knowledge bases are official documents and scientific papers analyzing the institutionalized proposals.

The collaborative process in the making of Ciência & Saúde Coletiva.

This paper presents the different stages of the editorial process of Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva. Different processing work methods have been overcome over these 25 years, and others have been introduced. Each stage of this construction will be analyzed in-depth to discuss the "making" of an academic publication of such a large scale and complexity.

Targeting the uncertainty of predictions at patient-level using an ensemble of classifiers coupled with calibration methods, Venn-ABERS, and Conformal Predictors: A case study in AD.

Despite being able to make accurate predictions, most existing prognostic models lack a proper indication about the uncertainty of each prediction, that is, the risk of prediction error for individual patients. This hampers their translation to primary care settings through decision support systems. To address this problem, we studied different methods for transforming classifiers into probabilistic/confidence-based predictors (here called uncertainty methods), where predictions are complemented with probability estimates/confidence regions reflecting their uncertainty (uncertainty estimates).

Neuropsychological predictors of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease: a feature selection ensemble combining stability and predictability.

Background: Predicting progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an utmost open issue in AD-related research. Neuropsychological assessment has proven to be useful in identifying MCI patients who are likely to convert to dementia. However, the large battery of neuropsychological tests (NPTs) performed in clinical practice and the limited number of training examples are challenge to machine learning when learning prognostic models.

The future of the Brazilian Health System: a short review of its pathways towards an uncertain and discouraging horizon.

This article reflects on the future of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese), based on the foresight exercises conducted by the Brasil Saúde Amanhã initiative of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. The text briefly reviews some paths followed by the SUS as referred to in the Federal Constitution of 1988. It highlights the movement towards the decentralization of care and the constraint of health financial resources that reduced policies of increasing public expenditures.

Karyotype diversity and 2C DNA content in species of the Caesalpinia group.

Background: The Leguminosae family is the third-largest family of angiosperms, and Caesalpinioideae is its second-largest subfamily. A great number of species (approximately 205) are found in the Caesalpinia group within this subfamily; together with these species' phenotypic plasticity and the similarities in their morphological descriptors, make this a complex group for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the karyotypic diversity and the 2C DNA content variation in 10 species of the Caesalpinia group, representing six genera: Paubrasilia, Caesalpinia, Cenostigma, Poincianella, Erythrostemon and Libidibia.

Predicting progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia using neuropsychological data: a supervised learning approach using time windows.

Background: Predicting progression from a stage of Mild Cognitive Impairment to dementia is a major pursuit in current research. It is broadly accepted that cognition declines with a continuum between MCI and dementia. As such, cohorts of MCI patients are usually heterogeneous, containing patients at different stages of the neurodegenerative process.

Differential effects of salinity and osmotic stress on the plant growth-promoting bacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus PAL5.

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) represent a promising alternative to the massive use of industrial fertilizers in agriculture. Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus is a PGPB that colonizes several plant species. Although this bacterium is able to grow at high sucrose concentrations, its response to environmental stresses is poorly understood.

Classification of primary progressive aphasia: Do unsupervised data mining methods support a logopenic variant?

Our objective was to test whether data mining techniques, through an unsupervised learning approach, support the three-group diagnostic model of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) versus the existence of two main/classic groups. A series of 155 PPA patients observed in a clinical setting and subjected to at least one neuropsychological/language assessment was studied. Several demographic, clinical and neuropsychological attributes, grouped in distinct sets, were introduced in unsupervised learning methods (Expectation Maximization, K-Means, X-Means, Hierarchical Clustering and Consensus Clustering).

Histological analysis of pollen-pistil interactions in sour passion fruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims).

The success of sexual plant reproduction is directly influenced by specific interactions between the pollen and pistil. Light, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to evaluate the steps of pollination in sour passion fruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims). In the compatible interaction, pollen tubes grow through stigma projections towards the ovary.

Passion fruit flowers: Kunitz trypsin inhibitors and cystatin differentially accumulate in developing buds and floral tissues.

In order to better understand the physiological functions of protease inhibitors (PIs) the PI activity in buds and flower organs of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) was investigated. Trypsin and papain inhibitory activities were analyzed in soluble protein extracts from buds at different developmental stages and floral tissues in anthesis. These analyses identified high levels of inhibitory activity against both types of enzymes at all bud stages.

Can we tell the site of origin of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma? An immunohistochemical tissue microarray study of 194 cases.

To the workup of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of unknown primary, we studied an immunohistochemical panel including thyroid transcription factor (TTF-1), napsin A, villin, CDX-2, K903, CK5/6, p63, p16, CK7, and CK20. Using tissue microarray, we compared 194 SCC cases from the following sites: 35 lung, 34 skin, 14 cervix, 4 vagina, 16 vulva, 8 penis, 9 anus, 3 rectum, 10 esophagus, 4 bladder/urethra, and 57 SCC from various head and neck sites. p63 and K903 stained positively in 100% of cases, and CK5/6 in nearly 100% of cases, with the exception of 1 lung.

Comparison of EUS-guided FNA and Trucut biopsy for diagnosing and staging abdominal and mediastinal neoplasms.

The objective of this study was to evaluate endoscopic ultrasound Trucut biopsy (TCB) specimens and compare these findings to fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens for the diagnosis of neoplasia. FNA and TCB specimens were reviewed in blinded fashion by a cytopathologist from patients (N = 93) who had EUS-guided FNA and TCB specimens collected between July 2000 and January 2005. Specimens were categorized as nondiagnostic, negative, suspicious for stromal neoplasm, suspicious for malignancy, positive for stromal neoplasm, or positive for malignancy.

Perfectionism dimensions in pregnancy--a study in Portuguese women.

Pregnancy is essentially a physiological event, but neuroendocrinal and psychosocial changes are also important components of this experience. In this context, perceived stress may be enhanced by the activation of certain personality traits, like perfectionism, which in turn may be associated with more psychological distress (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate if perfectionism could be associated with more negative emotional outcomes (PD) in the transition to motherhood and to look at which of the perfectionism dimensions these consequences are specifically linked.

A multi-institutional survey of critical diagnoses (critical values) in surgical pathology and cytology.

Critical values (CVs) are well established in clinical pathology, and an analogous concept has recently been suggested in anatomic pathology, with the terminology of critical values, or, alternatively, critical diagnoses (CDs). To better identify anatomic pathology CVs, a survey was sent to 225 members of the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology (ADASP) for grading 17 possible surgical pathology and 18 possible cytology CVs. There were 73 responses for surgical pathology and 57 for cytology.

[Use of the family health record as a quality-of-care indicator in primary health care units].

Expansion of the Family Health Program in Brazil requires indicators to evaluate the consistency of the approach actually adopted and the program's underlying principles. Together with the family health chart, the family health history (medical genealogy) allows improved follow-up of the clientele's health and the quality of care provided. This study used the family health chart based on external evaluation (accreditation) of family health teams and managers.

Late-onset infections after LASIK.

Purpose: To report two cases of infectious keratitis that developed 2 and 6 years after LASIK.

Methods: Case 1 was a 56-year-old woman who presented with redness and decreased vision in the right eye 6 years after LASIK. Slit-lamp examination revealed inflammation of the flap interface, a partially detached flap, anterior chamber reaction, and hypopyon.

Diagnostic and prognostic utility of molecular markers in synchronous bilateral breast carcinoma.

Histologic criteria have a limited role in determining whether the synchronous bilateral breast carcinomas represent two primaries or a metastasis to the contralateral breast. We studied the molecular analysis of synchronous bilateral breast carcinoma and whether they are originating from a single or different clone. We examined 17 patients with breast carcinoma, including 12 patients with synchronous bilateral carcinomas and control group of 5 infiltrating ductal carcinomas with regional lymph node metastases.

Flap-induced refraction change in LASIK after penetrating keratoplasty.

Purpose: To further analyze the refractive and topographic changes occurring with microkeratome lamellar keratotomy and to investigate possible factors associated in eyes with previous penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

Methods: The Hansatome microkeratome was used to create a lamellar corneal flap in 21 eyes of 19 patients after PK. The laser ablation was not performed in the first stage.

Critical diagnoses (critical values) in anatomic pathology.

Similar to critical values in clinical pathology, occasional diagnoses in surgical pathology and cytology may require urgent contact of the physician to facilitate rapid intervention or treatment. However, there are no established critical value (critical diagnosis) guidelines in anatomic pathology. As discussed herein, the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology (ADASP) believes that establishing anatomic pathology critical diagnosis guidelines represents a practice improvement and patient safety initiative.

The diagnosis of malignancy in effusion cytology: a pattern recognition approach.

This review presents a pattern recognition approach for the diagnosis of malignant effusions. The cytomorphologic features of reactive mesothelial proliferation, mesothelioma and metastatic carcinoma are presented. In addition, the role of ancillary studies in challenging cases and the importance of integrating clinical findings are stressed.

Critical values in anatomic pathology.

Similar to critical values (CVs) in clinical pathology, occasional diagnoses in surgical pathology and cytology could require immediate notification of the physician to rapidly initiate treatment. However, there are no established CV guidelines in anatomic pathology. A retrospective review of surgical pathology reports was recently conducted to study the incidence of CVs in surgical pathology and to survey the perceptions of pathologists and clinicians about CVs in surgical pathology, with a similar analysis of CVs performed in cytology.

Critical values in cytology.

The concept of critical values (CVs) is well established in clinical pathology, and has only recently been suggested in surgical pathology. To evaluate CVs in cytology, we reviewed 2,000 cytology reports at two large academic medical centers. Cases considered CV included unexpected malignancy, disagreement between immediate interpretation and final diagnosis in fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), and evidence of microorganisms in non-gynecology (non-GYN) and FNA specimens.

[Magnesium quantification in mouse brain and cerebellum grey matter].

The magnesium content in the brain and cerebellum grey matter was determined in 20 male mice of the wistar species with a diet poor in magnesium. Significantly smaller values were found in the cerebellum in comparison to the brain of the magnesium deprived mice.

Solitary pulmonary metastasis presenting 20 years after primary resection of Wilms tumor.

Wilms tumor is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. Relapse occurs most often within 4 years of initial diagnosis, and the most common site of metastasis is the lung. We describe a 22-year-old man who presented with hemoptysis and a solitary pulmonary lesion 20 years after primary resection of Wilms tumor.