Sakata (Brazil)

The process by which stroke survivors move toward health while facing various difficulties can be construed as a "transition." Importantly, nurses need to understand and support this state of transition effectively. This study developed a situation-specific theory to explain post-stroke transition by integrating the findings of a qualitative study that explored the rehabilitation experiences of stroke survivors with dysphagia with a scoping review of qualitative studies using the theoretical framework of transition theory. This theory will help understand the transitions that stroke survivors with dysphagia undergo during recovery and provide a framework for exploring nursing care to support healthy transitions.

A major resistance gene of the melon accession PI414723 to zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) is located at the Zym-1 locus on chromosome 2, but the underlying defense mechanisms are poorly understood. The physiological responses and expression of selected genes at Zym-1 were assessed in PI414723 and in the susceptible genotype Védrantais. Viral titers and the expression of genes related to systemic acquired resistance were evaluated in inoculated (Inoc) and noninoculated (Non-Inoc) portions of the cotyledons at 3, 7, and 10 days after inoculation and in apical leaves at 10 days after inoculation. ZYMV was detected in both portions of the cotyledons but not in the apical leaves of PI414723 plants. Also, ZYMV was recovered in a susceptible zucchini only from Inoc portions at 3 days after inoculation. By contrast, in Védrantais, ZYMV was detected and recovered from all tissues at high concentrations. Starchy local lesions and accumulation of transcripts of the systemic acquired resistance marker genes PR1 and PR4 were also detected in the resistant genotype. Plus, transcripts of one candidate resistance gene analog previously located at Zym-1 and of two melon homologs of restricted tobacco etch virus movement 2 genes located close to Zym-1 accumulated only in PI414723. It is proposed that resistance results from the combined action of the R gene involved in restricting ZYMV replication after a supposed recognition event and of the restricted tobacco etch virus movement genes that impact viral systemic movement to distal apical tissues.

Rational:Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation therapy is a widely used treatment for bladder cancer; however, an infectious aneurysm has been reported as a rare complication.Patient concerns:A 76-year-old man who underwent BCG intravesical instillation therapy for bladder cancer presented with prolonged dull back pain for 3 months.Diagnosis:Computed tomography (CT) revealed both thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Follow-up CT at 4 weeks after the initial examination showed rapid enlargement of both aneurysms and typical findings of inflammation. Therefore, he was diagnosed with an impending rupture of infectious aneurysms.Interventions:Although open surgical resection of both aneurysms and vascular reconstruction were ideal, these operations were considered highly invasive for the patient. Therefore, a hybrid operation consisting of simultaneous endovascular repair of the thoracic aneurysm and open surgery of the abdominal lesion was performed.Outcomes:BCG “Tokyo-172” strain was identified in the resected sample from the aneurysmal wall, and he continued to receive oral antituberculosis drugs for 6 months. No sign of recurrent infection was observed 1 year after the operation.Lessons:A hybrid operation might be justified as an alternative to the conventional open surgical procedure, especially for patients with infectious aneurysms caused by weak pathogenic bacteria such as, the BCG mycobacteria.

A fixação biológica de nitrogênio substitui, ao menos em parte, a adubação nitrogenada e reduz os custos de produção. Normalmente, as sementes são inoculadas com bactérias, mas existe tecnologia para aplicar inoculantes também no sulco de semeadura, o que permite ampliar as possibilidades de inoculação. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a inoculação de diferentes bactérias, aplicadas de forma isolada ou conjunta, via sulco ou semente sobre as características agronômicas e sobre a extração de N da soja, em área com histórico de produção da cultura. O experimento foi em delineamento de blocos ao acaso em esquema fatorial 2x3+2: aplicação na semente ou no sulco; somente de Bradyrhizobium, somente de Azospirillum brasilense e coinoculação Bradyrhizobium + Azospirillum brasilense; mais duas testemunhas (sem inoculação). Com a inoculação via semente, as menores alturas de inserção da primeira vagem foram verificadas com Bradyrhizobium e com a coinoculação, no sulco a testemunha apresentou o maior resultado. A coinoculação na semente apresentou a maior quantidade de vagens por planta, quando a aplicação foi no sulco a inoculação com Bradyrhizobium e a coinoculação se sobressaíram. A maior quantidade de grãos por vagem foi obtida com a inoculação com Bradyrhizobium e com a coinoculação na semente, no sulco não foram verificadas diferenças. A maior massa de mil grãos e produtividade foram obtidas com a inoculação com Bradyrhizobium e com a coinoculação independente da forma de aplicação. O tratamento com Bradyrhizobium e a coinoculação extraíram mais nitrogênio na aplicação via semente, para o sulco o melhor resultado foi com a coinoculação.

Genome-wide association studies provided many biological insights into coronary artery disease (CAD), but these studies were mainly performed in Europeans. Genome-wide association studies in diverse populations have the potential to advance our understanding of CAD. We conducted 2 genome-wide association studies for CAD in the Japanese population, which included 12 494 cases and 28 879 controls and 2808 cases and 7261 controls, respectively. Then, we performed transethnic meta-analysis using the results of the coronary artery disease genome-wide replication and meta-analysis plus the coronary artery disease 1000 Genomes meta-analysis with UK Biobank. We then explored the pathophysiological significance of these novel loci and examined the differences in CAD-susceptibility loci between Japanese and Europeans. We identified 3 new loci on chromosome 1q21 (CTSS), 10q26 (WDR11-FGFR2), and 11q22 (RDX-FDX1). Quantitative trait locus analyses suggested the association of CTSS and RDX-FDX1 with atherosclerotic immune cells. Tissue/cell type enrichment analysis showed the involvement of arteries, adrenal glands, and fat tissues in the development of CAD. We next compared the odds ratios of lead variants for myocardial infarction at 76 genome-wide significant loci in the transethnic meta-analysis and a moderate correlation between Japanese and Europeans, where 8 loci showed a difference. Finally, we performed tissue/cell type enrichment analysis using East Asian-frequent and European-frequent variants according to the risk allele frequencies and identified significant enrichment of adrenal glands in the East Asian-frequent group while the enrichment of arteries and fat tissues was found in the European-frequent group. These findings indicate biological differences in CAD susceptibility between Japanese and Europeans. We identified 3 new loci for CAD and highlighted the genetic differences between the Japanese and European populations. Moreover, our transethnic analyses showed both shared and unique genetic architectures between the Japanese and Europeans. While most of the underlying genetic bases for CAD are shared, further analyses in diverse populations will be needed to elucidate variations fully.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological quality of ‘Chilli pepper’ seeds, extracted from fruits harvested at different stages of maturation, with and without post-harvest rest. Twelve treatments resulted from the 6 x 2 factorial, with six maturation stages (100% green fruits, 90% green and 10% orange fruits, 10% green and 90% orange fruits, 100% orange fruits, 100% red fruits and 100 % matte red fruits, corresponding to 44, 53, 60, 63, 70 and 73 days after anthesis (DAA), respectively), and fruits with and without rest for seven days. Seeds were evaluated two months after extraction as well as after 14 months of storage in a dry chamber (40% relative humidity and 20°C). The characteristics evaluated were: weight of a thousand seeds, germination, first count, electrical conductivity, emergency test and shoot length of seedlings. Fruits of orange chilli pepper 'Malagueta' kept at rest for seven days and bright red fruits and matte without rest produce seeds with physiological quality, which are maintained after a period of 14 months stored in a chamber with 40% relative humidity at 20°C.

Mitochondrial DNA contains unmethylated cytidine-phosphate-guanosine motif, and is recognized by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9, inducing sterile inflammation. We previously reported that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA in cardiomyocytes induces myocardial inflammation and heart failure using an animal model. (Nature 2012) In this study, to investigate the effect of inhibition of the inflammation via TLR9 induced by mitochondrial DNA accumulation on heart failure, we examined whether a TLR9 inhibitor, E6446 (6-[3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propoxy)-2-(4-(3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propoxy)phenyl]benzo[d]oxazole), prevents the development and progression of heart failure in mice. In in vitro study, isolated cardiomyocytes were stimulated by a TLR9 ligand (ODN1668) in the presence of E6446. ODN1668 significantly increased the expression levels of inflammatory cytokine mRNAs in the cells. Incubation of cardiomyocytes with E6446 significantly reduced the level of those mRNAs induced by ODN1668. CCCP increased the number of autolysosomes with DNA accumulation. Although E6446 had no effect on the number of the autolysosomes, it significantly reduced the production of inflammatory cytokine mRNAs induced by CCCP in cardiomyocytes. In in vivo study, mice orally received E6446 or saline 2 days before transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and every two days for 4 weeks thereafter. Four weeks after TAC, chamber size and fractional shortening (FS) of left ventricle (LV) and lung weight were significantly reduced in E6446 group compared to saline group. Furthermore, the infiltration of inflammatory cells including macrophages in the TAC-operated heart was inhibited by E6446. Next, mice with LV dysfunction at 2 weeks after TAC were subjected to the oral administration with E6446 or saline every two days for 4 weeks. The LV chamber size was significantly smaller and FS was higher in E6446 group than those in saline group 6 weeks after TAC. Our study showed that E6446 prevented the development of LV dilatation and dysfunction with inflammation and slowed progression of cardiac remodeling induced by pressure overload. E6446 might be a novel therapeutic to treat patients with heart failure.

Manuel (SP

A poda apical estimula a emissão de brotos laterais, com isso pode haver maior formação de flores e frutos e, consequentemente, maior número de sementes. Diante disso, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito da poda da haste principal para a produção de frutos e sementes de abóbora. Os tratamentos foram constituídos de plantas sem poda, com poda no sexto, oitavo e décimo nó da haste principal. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com seis repetições. Foi utilizada a linhagem de abóbora do tipo braquítica do Banco de Germoplasma da Universidade Estadual Paulista/Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas. Foram avaliadas as seguintes características: número de ramos por planta, posição dos frutos nos ramos da planta, produção (número e massa) de frutos por planta; produtividade; massa, comprimento e diâmetro do pescoço e bojo do fruto; massa e número de sementes por fruto; produtividade de sementes e qualidade das sementes (teste de germinação; primeira contagem de germinação; massa de mil sementes; emergência; índice de velocidade de emergência e envelhecimento acelerado). Houve diferença significativa apenas para número de ramos secundários por planta e massa de mil sementes, com maiores valores para as plantas que não foram podadas. Foram obtidas elevada média de germinação (94%) e alta produtividade de frutos (16,9 t.ha-1) e sementes (148 kg.ha-1). Conclui-se que a poda apical não influencia a produção de frutos e sementes de abóbora, bem como a qualidade fisiológica das sementes.

●要 約：深部静脈血栓症(以下DVT)症例および静脈血栓塞栓症(以下VTE)の予防について調査するため，日本静脈学会の会員を対象としアンケート調査を行った．72施設から，2009年1年間のDVT 1,162例が報告された．危険因子は，外科手術が38.2%と最も多く関与していた．部位別では，中枢型567肢(52.2%)，末梢型519肢(47.8%)．末梢型では，ひらめ筋静脈が84%と最も頻度が高かった．診断は超音波法が主に使用され(87.7%)，治療は未分画へパリン(57.0%)を含む内科的治療が80.8%に施行されていた．60施設(85.7%)でVTE予防法が行われ，内訳は弾性ストッキング91.4%，早期離床84.3%，間欠的空気圧迫法81.4%，抗凝固薬52.9%であった．DVTは末梢型の頻度が多くなってきており，内科的治療が主体であった．VTE予防上，リスクごとの使い分け，抗凝固薬の投与の頻度はまだ十分とは言えなかった．