A new heteroscedastic regression to analyze mass loss of wood in civil construction in Brazil.

A heteroscedastic regression based on the odd log-logistic Marshall-Olkin normal (OLLMON) distribution is defined by extending previous models. Some structural properties of this distribution are presented. The estimation of the parameters is addressed by maximum likelihood.

Antimicrobial activity evaluation and comparison of methods of susceptibility for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacter spp. isolates.

The production of KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) is the major mechanism of resistance to carbapenem agents in enterobacterias. In this context, forty KPC-producing Enterobacter spp. clinical isolates were studied.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF TREATMENT RESPONSE TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL GROUP THERAPY IN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER.

Background: The available research on the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and the therapeutic outcome of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has yielded inconsistent results. In this study, our aim was twofold. First, we sought to evaluate the effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) on neurocognitive functions in OCD patients.

Effect of a Metalloantibiotic Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae.

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) are a great problem in hospitals, where thousands of people are infected daily, with the occurrence of high mortality rates, especially in infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-producing Kpn). The challenge is to find new compounds that can control KPC producing-Kpn infections.

Comparative analysis of the complete genome of KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Kp13 reveals remarkable genome plasticity and a wide repertoire of virulence and resistance mechanisms.

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic pathogen associated with nosocomial and community-acquired infections. A wide repertoire of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes is present in K. pneumoniae genomes, which can constitute extra challenges in the treatment of infections caused by some strains.

Quality of life in adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Objective: To compare adolescents with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with regard to quality of life and to investigate the association between quality of life and clinical characteristics.

Methods: Participants were recruited from an epidemiological study conducted at high schools in the city of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. The sample comprised 75 adolescents with OCD and 150 without the disorder, aged between 14 and 18 years.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescents: a population-based study.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorder (OCD) among adolescents and to describe OCD characteristics according to gender.

Methods: Participants were selected by cluster sampling at seven high-schools in southern Brazil. In the first stage, 2,323 students were screened for OCS; in the second stage, adolescents scoring ≥ 21 on the OCI-R scale were individually interviewed.

Translation and adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese of the Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44).

Introduction: The Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) is a self-administered instrument comprised of 44 items, designed to assess the beliefs of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The objective of this study was to describe the process of translation and adaption of the questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese.

Method: For the translation and adaptation of the OBQ-44, we first obtained authorization from the authors of the original scale to use the instrument.

Skin picking and trichotillomania in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The objective of this study was to compare patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) associated with pathologic skin picking (PSP) and/or trichotillomania, and patients with OCD without such comorbidities, for demographic and clinical characteristics. We assessed 901 individuals with a primary diagnosis of OCD, using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Axis I disorders. Diagnoses of PSP and trichotillomania were made in 16.

Structural studies of PNP from Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasmosis is a chronic infection that affects approximately 30% of the human population and is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Determination of the three dimensional structure of PNP from T. gondii could provide new insights into the purine binding site and sub-strate binding, and could be used for future rational design of new drugs against toxoplasmosis.

[Coping strategies, functional difficulties, and associated factors in institutionalized elderly].

The aim of this study was to analyze the strategies used by elderly people to cope with functional difficulties, and to investigate a possible association between such strategies and variables like depressive symptoms, gender, schooling, marital status, and self-perceived health. 103 institutionalized elderly individuals participated in the study. They required assistance for at least one activity of daily living.

Structural studies of human purine nucleoside phosphorylase: towards a new specific empirical scoring function.

Human purine nucleoside phosphorylase (HsPNP) is a target for inhibitor development aiming at T-cell immune response modulation. In this work, we report the development of a new set of empirical scoring functions and its application to evaluate binding affinities and docking results. To test these new functions, we solved the structure of HsPNP and 2-mercapto-4(3H)-quinazolinone (HsPNP:MQU) binary complex at 2.

Structural studies of prephenate dehydratase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by SAXS, ultracentrifugation, and computational analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common infectious diseases known to man and responsible for millions of human deaths in the world. The increasing incidence of TB in developing countries, the proliferation of multidrug resistant strains, and the absence of resources for treatment have highlighted the need of developing new drugs against TB. The shikimate pathway leads to the biosynthesis of chorismate, a precursor of aromatic amino acids.

Molecular modeling and dynamics studies of cytidylate kinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

Bacterial cytidylate kinase or cytidine monophosphate kinase (CMP kinase) catalyses the phosphoryl transfer from ATP to CMP and dCMP, resulting in the formation nucleoside diphosphates. In eukaryotes, CMP/UMP kinase catalyses the conversion of UMP and CMP to, respectively, UDP and CDP with high efficiency. This work describes for the first time a model of bacterial cytidylate kinase or cytidine monophosphate kinase (CMP kinase) from mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtCMPK).

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of prephenate dehydratase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of mortality arising from a bacterial pathogen (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). There is an urgent need for the development of new antimycobacterial agents. The aromatic amino-acid pathway is essential for the survival of this pathogen and represents a target for structure-based drug design.