Defective Desmosomal Adhesion Causes Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy by Involving an Integrin-αVβ6/TGF-β Signaling Cascade.

Background: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by progressive loss of cardiomyocytes with fibrofatty tissue replacement, systolic dysfunction, and life-threatening arrhythmias. A substantial proportion of ACM is caused by mutations in genes of the desmosomal cell-cell adhesion complex, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the current study, we investigated the relevance of defective desmosomal adhesion for ACM development and progression.

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 is a regulator of the cardiac side population in mice.

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) is a regulator of hematopoietic progenitor cells and a target of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Flt3-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors can have cardiovascular side effects. Flt3 and its ligand (Flt3L) are expressed in the heart, but little is known about their physiological functions.

NOX1 mediates metabolic heart disease in mice and is upregulated in monocytes of humans with diastolic dysfunction.

Aims: Microvascular inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diastolic dysfunction (DD) and metabolic heart disease. NOX1 is expressed in vascular and immune cells and has been implicated in the vascular pathology of metabolic disease. However, its contribution to metabolic heart disease is less understood.

Professional exhaustion, quality and intentions among family health nurses.

Objective: to analyze how family health nurses assess quality of care; check if they have any intention of leaving their current job and nursing; estimate prevalence of professional exhaustion; and correlate these variables.

Method: cross-sectional and correlational study with 198 nurses. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was applied, as it has questions for characterizing nurses, assessing perception on quality of care and of material and human resources, and verifying intention of leaving current work and nursing.

Polo-Like Kinase 2 is Dynamically Regulated to Coordinate Proliferation and Early Lineage Specification Downstream of Yes-Associated Protein 1 in Cardiac Progenitor Cells.

Background: Recent studies suggest that adult cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) can produce new cardiac cells. Such cell formation requires an intricate coordination of progenitor cell proliferation and commitment, but the molecular cues responsible for this regulation in CPCs are ill defined.

Methods And Results: Extracellular matrix components are important instructors of cell fate.

The environment of professional practice and Burnout in nurses in primary healthcare.

Objectives: to assess how nurses perceive autonomy, control over the environment, the professional relationship between nurses and physicians and the organizational support and correlate them with burnout, satisfaction at work, quality of work and the intention to quit work in primary healthcare.

Method: cross-sectional and correlation study, using a sample of 198 nurses. The tools used were the Nursing Work Index Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory and a form to characterize the nurses.

[Institutionalized elderly: chronological organization of daily routines and sleep quality].

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which aimed to identify the perception of nursing home elderly residents related to the chronological organization of their daily routines and to their sleep quality. The study was conducted with 37 elderly (14 women and 23 men, mean age of 75 years) who lived in a long term care facility located in the municipality of Campinas-SP, Brazil. The results showed that 81% of the elderlies had complaints compatible with poor sleep, but 70% of them reported that they had good sleep quality when directly questioned about it.

FLT3 activation improves post-myocardial infarction remodeling involving a cytoprotective effect on cardiomyocytes.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to define the role of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) in the heart.

Background: FLT3 is a prominent target of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used for anticancer therapy. TKIs can cause cardiomyopathy but understanding of the mechanisms is incomplete, partly because the roles of specific TKI target receptors in the heart are still obscure.

NOX2-derived reactive oxygen species are crucial for CD29-induced pro-survival signalling in cardiomyocytes.

Aims: The highly expressed cell adhesion receptor CD29 (β(1)-integrin) is essential for cardiomyocyte growth and survival, and its loss of function causes severe heart disease. However, CD29-induced signalling in cardiomyocytes is ill defined and may involve reactive oxygen species (ROS). A decisive source of cardiac ROS is the abundant NADPH oxidase (NOX) isoform NOX2.

β1-Integrin is up-regulated via Rac1-dependent reactive oxygen species as part of the hypertrophic cardiomyocyte response.

β(1)-Integrin mediates cardiomyocyte growth and survival and its proper regulation is essential for the structural and functional integrity of the heart. β(1)-Integrin expression is enhanced in hypertrophy, but the mechanism and significance of its up-regulation are unknown. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators of myocardial remodeling we examined their role in regulated β(1)-integrin expression.

Burnout and stress among nurses in a university tertiary hospital.

This cross-sectional, analytical and correlational study investigated the existence of Burnout based on a sample of 149 nurses of a university tertiary hospital from October to December 2008 and correlate Burnout with stressors in the hospital work environment. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Nurses' Stress Inventory and a questionnaire to characterize the subjects were applied. The results indicated the presence of Burnout in 7.

Reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and the myocardial cell homeostasis: an ambiguous relationship.

The totality of functional cardiomyocytes and an intact cardiac progenitor cell pool are key players in the myocardial cell homeostasis. Perturbation of either one may compromise the structural and functional integrity of the heart and lead to heart failure. Reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are important regulators of cardiomyocyte viability; more recently, the interrelation between ROS and progenitor cell behavior and fate has moved into the spotlight.

egc-Encoded superantigens from Staphylococcus aureus are neutralized by human sera much less efficiently than are classical staphylococcal enterotoxins or toxic shock syndrome toxin.

PCR was employed to determine the presence of all known superantigen genes (sea, seq, and tst) and of the exotoxin-like gene cluster (set) in 40 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from blood cultures and throat swabs; 28 isolates harbored superantigen genes, five on average, and this strictly correlated with their ability to stimulate T-cell proliferation. In contrast, the set gene cluster was detected in every S. aureus strain, suggesting a nonredundant function for these genes which is different from T-cell activation.