Differences in need for antihypertensive drugs among those aware and unaware of their hypertensive status: a cross sectional survey

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common, progressive manifestation of atherothrombotic vascular disease, which should be managed no different to cardiac disease. Indeed, there is growing evidence that PAD patients are a high risk group, although still relatively under-detected and under treated. This is despite the fact that PAD patients are an increased mortality rate comparable to those with pre-existing or established cardiovascular disease [myocardial infarction, stroke]. With a holistic approach to atherothrombotic vascular disease, our management of PAD can only get better.     

高等植物中的磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧激酶

简要介绍了近年来有关高等植物中磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧激酶（ＰＥＰＣＫ）的研究进展,并讨论了此酶的结构、功能和调节等方面的问题。     

Hip joint replacement surgery for idiopathic osteoarthritis aggregates in families

In order to determine whether there is a genetic component to hip or knee joint failure due to idiopathic osteoarthritis (OA), we invited patients (probands) undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty for management of idiopathic OA to provide detailed family histories regarding the prevalence of idiopathic OA requiring joint replacement in their siblings. We also invited their spouses to provide detailed family histories about their siblings to serve as a control group. In the probands, we confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic OA using American College of Rheumatology criteria. The cohorts included the siblings of 635 probands undergoing total hip replacement, the siblings of 486 probands undergoing total knee replacement, and the siblings of 787 spouses. We compared the prevalence of arthroplasty for idiopathic OA among the siblings of the probands with that among the siblings of the spouses, and we used logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for hip and knee arthroplasty in the siblings. Familial aggregation for hip arthroplasty, but not for knee arthroplasty, was observed after controlling for age and sex, suggesting a genetic contribution to end-stage hip OA but not to end-stage knee OA. We conclude that attempts to identify genes that predispose to idiopathic OA resulting in joint failure are more likely to be successful in patients with hip OA than in those with knee OA.     

Studies of esterase 6 in Drosophila melanogaster. XVIII. Biochemical differences between the slow and fast allozymes

Most natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster are polymorphic for two major electrophoretic variants at the esterase-6 locus. The frequency of the EST 6F allozyme is greatest in populations in warmer latitudes, whereas the EST 6S allozyme is predominant in colder latitudes. Latitudinal clines in electromorph frequencies are found on three continents. Purified preparations of the allozymes have been characterized for their pH optimum, substrate specificity, organophosphate inhibition, alcohol activation, thermal stability, and kinetic parameters. These and previous analyses of the EST 6 allozymes reveal that the two variants have differences in their physical and kinetic properties that may provide a basis for the selective maintenance of the polymorphisms and an explanation of the clinal variation observed in natural populations.      

Challenges and barriers to quality oral care as perceived by caregivers in long-stay institutions in Brazil

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00475.x
Challenges and barriers to quality oral care as perceived by caregivers in long‐stay institutions in Brazil Objective: To describe how caregivers perceive the oral health status in the elderly they care for; the routines for oral hygiene in nursing homes; caregivers perceived barriers for quality oral care; and the caregivers competence and need for training in this area. Background: The phenomena surrounding ageing has been the subject of worldwide interest, particularly concerning issues related to institutionalised elderly, where several studies have shown the precarious oral health status of such individuals. Materials and methods: A qualitative interview study was held in a city in southern Brazil. Study participants were 26 caregivers of elderly people, belonging to seven institutions. Statements were collected through interviews, whose results were interpreted by phenomenological analysis. Results: Caregivers of institutionalised elderly reveal contradictions in knowledge and practices of oral health. Although it could be expected that the perception and attitudes of caregivers of their own oral health could influence the care they offer to the elderly, barriers to the implementation of such activities appear to refer to situations outside of their responsibility, especially in the absence of time and staff. Conclusions: The oral care of older people in geriatric institutions requires multidisciplinary and interinstitutional actions capable of reversing the continuing framework of neglect, requiring interventions for health promotion and disease prevention that can and should be implemented in institutions.     

Endogenous chloride channels of insect sf9 cells. Evidence for coordinated activity of small elementary channel units

The endogenous Cl- conductance of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells was studied 20-35 h after plating out of either uninfected cells or cells infected by a baculovirus vector carrying the cloned beta-galactosidase gene (beta-Gal cells). With the cation Tris+ in the pipette and Na+ in the bath, the reversal potential of whole-cell currents was governed by the prevailing Cl- equilibrium potential and could be fitted by the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation with similar permeabilities for uninfected and beta-Gal cells. In the frequency range 0.12 < f < 300 Hz, the power density spectrum of whole-cell Cl- currents could be fitted by three Lorentzians. Independent of membrane potential, >50% of the total variance of whole-cell current fluctuations was accounted for by the low frequency Lorentzian (fc = 0.40 +/- 0.03 Hz, n = 6). Single-Cl- channels showed complex gating kinetics with long lasting (seconds) openings interrupted by similar long closures. In the open state, channels exhibited fast burst-like closures. Since the patches normally contained more than a single channel, it was not possible to measure open and closed dwell-time distributions for comparing single-Cl- channel activity with the kinetic features of whole-cell currents. However, the power density spectrum of Cl- currents of cell-attached and excised outside-out patches contained both high and low frequency Lorentzian components, with the corner frequency of the slow component (fc = 0.40 +/- 0.02 Hz, n = 4) similar to that of whole-cell current fluctuations. Chloride channels exhibited multiple conductance states with similar Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz-type rectification. Single-channel permeabilities covered the range from approximately 0.6.10(-14) cm5/s to approximately 6.10(-14) cm3/s, corresponding to a limiting conductance (gamma 150/150) of approximately 3.5 pS and approximately 35 pS, respectively. All states reversed near the same membrane potential, and they exhibited similar halide ion selectivity, P1 > PCl approximately PBr. Accordingly, Cl- current amplitudes larger than current flow through the smallest channel unit resolved seem to result from simultaneous open/shut events of two or more channel units.     

Sweat gland density and response during high-intensity exercise in athletes with spinal cord injuries

Sweat production is crucial for thermoregulation. However, sweating can be problematic for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), as they display a blunting of sudomotor and vasomotor responses below the level of the injury. Sweat gland density and eccrine gland metabolism in SCI are not well understood. Consequently, this study examined sweat lactate (S-LA) (reflective of sweat gland metabolism), active sweat gland density (SGD), and sweat output per gland (S/G) in 7 SCI athletes and 8 able-bodied (AB) controls matched for arm ergometry VO₂peak. A sweat collection device was positioned on the upper scapular and medial calf of each subject just prior to the beginning of the trial, with iodine sweat gland density patches positioned on the upper scapular and medial calf. Participants were tested on a ramp protocol (7 min per stage, 20 W increase per stage) in a common exercise environment (21±1°C, 45-65% relative humidity). An independent t-test revealed lower (p<0.05) SGD (upper scapular) for SCI (22.3 ±14.8 glands · cm⁻²) vs. AB. (41.0 ± 8.1 glands · cm⁻²). However, there was no significant difference for S/G between groups. S-LA was significantly greater (p<0.05) during the second exercise stage for SCI (11.5±10.9 mmol · l⁻¹) vs. AB (26.8±11.07 mmol · l⁻¹). These findings suggest that SCI athletes had less active sweat glands compared to the AB group, but the sweat response was similar (SLA, S/G) between AB and SCI athletes. The results suggest similar interglandular metabolic activity irrespective of overall sweat rate.     

Characterization of the genetic diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</Emphasis> in São Paulo city,Brazil

Background

Tuberculosis is a major health problem in São Paulo, Brazil, which is the most populous and one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America. To characterize the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the population of this city, the genotyping techniques of spoligotyping and MIRU were applied to 93 isolates collected in two consecutive years from 93 different tuberculosis patients residing in São Paulo city and attending the Clemente Ferreira Institute (the reference clinic for the treatment of tuberculosis).

Findings

Spoligotyping generated 53 different spoligotype patterns. Fifty-one isolates (54.8%) were grouped into 13 spoligotyping clusters. Seventy- two strains (77.4%) showed spoligotypes described in the international databases (SpolDB4, SITVIT), and 21 (22.6%) showed unidentified patterns. The most frequent spoligotype families were Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) (26 isolates), followed by the T family (24 isolates) and Haarlem (H) (11 isolates), which together accounted for 65.4% of all the isolates. These three families represent the major genotypes found in Africa, Central America, South America and Europe. Six Spoligo-International-types (designated SITs by the database) comprised 51.8% (37/72) of all the identified spoligotypes (SIT53, SIT50, SIT42, SIT60, SIT17 and SIT1). Other SITs found in this study indicated the great genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis, reflecting the remarkable ethnic diversity of São Paulo city inhabitants. The MIRU technique was more discriminatory and did not identify any genetic clusters with 100% similarity among the 93 isolates. The allelic analysis showed that MIRU loci 26, 40, 23 and 10 were the most discriminatory. When MIRU and spoligotyping techniques were combined, all isolates grouped in the 13 spoligotyping clusters were separated.

Conclusions

Our data indicated the genomic stability of over 50% of spoligotypes identified in São Paulo and the great genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis isolates in the remaining SITs, reflecting the large ethnic mix of the São Paulo city inhabitants. The results also indicated that in this city, M. tuberculosis isolates acquired drug resistance independently of genotype and that resistance was more dependent on the selective pressure of treatment failure and the environmental circumstances of patients.