The Potato Cryobank at The International Potato Center (Cip): A Model for Long Term Conservation of Clonal Plant Genetic Resources Collections of the Future.

BACKGROUND: Cryobanks are a secure, efficient and low cost method for the long-term conservation of plant genetic resources for theoretically centuries or millennia with minimal maintenance. OBJECTIVE: The present manuscript describes CIP's modified protocol for potato cryopreservation, its large-scale application, and the establishment of quality and operational standards, which included a viability reassessment of material entering the cryobank. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2013, CIP established stricter quality and operational standards under which 1,028 potato accessions were cryopreserved with an improved PVS2-droplet protocol. In 2014 the viability of 114 accessions cryopreserved in 2013 accessions were reassessed. RESULTS: The average recovery rate (full plant recovery after LN exposure) of 1028 cryopreserved Solanum species ranged from 34 to 59%, and 70% of the processed accessions showed a minimum recovery rate of ≥20% and were considered as successfully cryopreserved. CONCLUSION: CIP has established a new high quality management system for cryobanking. Periodic viability reassessment, strict and clear recovery criteria and the monitoring of the percent of successful accessions meeting the criteria as well as contamination rates are metrics that need to be considered in cryobanks.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome / Síndrome de Klippel-Trenaunay

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare congenital, vascular disorder affecting one or more limbs. The syndrome is characterized by capillary malformations, soft tissue or bony hypertrophy and varicose veins or venous malformations. We present a case of this disorder in a twelveyear old boy who had an enlarged right lower limb with varicosities. Investigations revealed extensive superficial and deep venous varices, with dilatation of the right common iliac and external iliac veins. Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome should be suspected in a child presenting with capillary haemangioma and an enlarged limb.

El síndrome de Klippel-Trenaunay (KTS) es un raro trastorno congénito vascular que afecta a una o más extremidades. El síndrome se caracteriza por malformaciones capilares, hipertrofia ósea o del tejido suave, y várices o malformaciones venosas. Presentamos un caso de este trastorno en un muchacho de doce años que tenía una extremidad inferior derecha agrandada con varicocidades. Las investigaciones revelaron varices superficiales y várices venosas profundas, con dilatación de las venas ilíacas comunes derecha y las venas ilíacas externas. El síndrome de Klippel-Trenaunay se debe sospechar en un niño que se presenta con hemangioma capilar y agrandamiento de un miembro.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare congenital, vascular disorder affecting one or more limbs. The syndrome is characterized by capillary malformations, soft tissue or bony hypertrophy and varicose veins or venous malformations. We present a case of this disorder in a twelve-year old boy who had an enlarged right lower limb with varicosities. Investigations revealed extensive superficial and deep venous varices, with dilatation of the right common iliac and external iliac veins. Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome should be suspected in a child presenting with capillary haemangioma and an enlarged limb.

Experimental evidence and structural modeling of nonstoichiometric (010) surfaces coexisting in hydroxyapatite nano-crystals.

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations of electronic structure were combined to investigate the structure of the hydroxyapatite (HA) (010) surface, which plays an important role in HA interactions with biological media. HA was synthesized by in vitro precipitation at 37°C. HRTEM images revealed thin elongated rod nanoparticles with preferential growth along the [001] direction and terminations parallel to the (010) plane. The focal series reconstruction (FSR) technique was applied to develop an atomic-scale structural model of the high-resolution images. The HRTEM simulations identified the coexistence of two structurally distinct terminations for (010) surfaces: a rather flat Ca(II)-terminated surface and a zig-zag structure with open OH channels. Density functional theory (DFT) was applied in a periodic slab plane-wave pseudopotential approach to refine details of atomic coordination and bond lengths of Ca(I) and Ca(II) sites in hydrated HA (010) surfaces, starting from the HRTEM model.

Theoretical and experimental studies of substitution of cadmium into hydroxyapatite.

Substitution of cadmium into bulk hydroxyapatite Ca((10-x))Cd(x)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2) (CdHA: x = 0.12, 1.3, 2.5) is studied by combining X-ray diffraction data from synchrotron radiation, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Energetic and electronic analyses are carried out for several configurations of Cd substitution for Ca at both cationic sites. Rietveld analysis shows preferential occupation of the Ca2 site by cadmium. FTIR data suggest a non-negligible covalent character of Cd-OH. The much-discussed cation site preference for substitution is determined on the basis of relaxed-lattice energetics, and interpreted in terms of chemical concepts; theory indicates that the Ca2 site is clearly favored and this preference is related to the more covalent character of this site compared to that of site 1.

Mechanism of Zn stabilization in hydroxyapatite and hydrated (0 0 1) surfaces of hydroxyapatite.

A basic understanding of Zn incorporation on bulk and hydrated (0 0 1) surfaces of hydroxyapatite (HA) is attained through electronic structure calculations which use a combined first principles density functional (DFT) and extended Hückel tight binding (EHTB) methodology. A Zn substituted hydroxyapatite relaxed structure is obtained through a periodic cell DFT geometry optimization method. Electronic structure properties are calculated by using both cluster DFT and periodic cell EHTB methods. Bond order calculations show that Zn preference for the Ca2 vacancy, near the OH channel and with greater structural flexibility, is associated with the formation of a four-fold (bulk) and nearly four-fold (surface) coordination, as in ZnO. When occupying the octahedral Ca1 vacancy, Zn remains six-fold in the bulk, but coordination decreases to five-fold in the surface. In the bulk and surface, Zn2 is found to be more covalent than Zn1, due to a decrease in bond lengths at the four-fold site, which approach the 1.99 Å ZnO value. Zn is however considerably less bound in the biomaterial than in the oxide, where calculated bond orders are twice as large as in HA. Surface phosphate groups (PO(4)) and hydroxide ions behave as compact individual units as in the bulk; no evidence is found for the presence of HPO(4). Ca-O bond orders decrease at the surface, with a consequent increase in ionicity. Comparison between DFT and EHTB results show that the latter method gives a good qualitative account of charge and bonding in these systems.

Postnatal depression in Southern Brazil: prevalence and its demographic and socioeconomic determinants.

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the prevalence of postnatal depression (PND) show rates ranging from 5% to 36.7%. The investigation of age, race, educational levels, religion and income as risk factors for PND has yielded conflicting results. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of PND in women residing in Southern Brazil and the associated risk factors. METHODS: This is population-based cross-sectional study of women residing in Porto Alegre who delivered in June 2001. A sample of 271 participants were selected from the Record of Living Newborn Infants of the State Health Department (the official Brazilian database and stores the name and address of all women who give birth to living newborn infants) using a process based on pseudo-random numbers which choose a random sample from 2.000 records. Once the addresses were identified, the women were visited at their place of residence (home, hotel, boarding house and prison), with the interviews taking place between the 6th and the 8th week after delivery. The association between the risk factors and PND was investigated through bivariate analysis using Pearson's chi-square test. Student's t-test was used to analyze the continuous variables. To identify independent risk factors, multivariate analysis was performed using hierarchical levels with a predefined model that took into account the time relationship between PND and the risk factors. Cox's regression was used to calculate the prevalence ratios. RESULTS: The PND prevalence rate found was 20.7% (CI 95% 15.7 - 25.7). After adjusting for confounding variables, per capita income was found to have a significant association with PND. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PND is higher than the figures found in most developed countries and similar to the figures found in developing countries. Differences in PND by regions or countries can be partially explained by the effect of income on the mediation of risk factors. In low income populations, women should be routinely evaluated for postnatal depression, and those with no partner or spouse are likely to require further care from health services and should be given the benefit of mental health prevention programs.

Osteoblast proliferation on hydroxyapatite thin coatings produced by right angle magnetron sputtering.

Right angle magnetron sputtering (RAMS) was used to produce hydroxyapatite (HA) film coatings on pure titanium substrates and oriented silicon wafer (Si(0 0 1)) substrates with flat surfaces as well as engineered surfaces having different forms. Analyses using synchrotron XRD, AFM, XPS, FTIR and SEM with EDS showed that as-sputtered thin coatings consist of highly crystalline hydroxyapatite. The HA coatings induced calcium phosphate precipitation when immersed in simulated body fluid, suggesting in vivo bioactive behavior. In vitro experiments, using murine osteoblasts, showed that cells rapidly adhere, spread and proliferate over the thin coating surface, while simultaneously generating strong in-plane stresses, as observed on SEM images. Human osteoblasts were seeded at a density of 2500 cells cm(-2) on silicon and titanium HA coated substrates by RAMS. Uncoated glass was used as a reference substrate for further counting of cells. The highest proliferation of human osteoblasts was achieved on HA RAMS-coated titanium substrates. These experiments demonstrate that RAMS is a promising coating technique for biomedical applications.

Confiabilidade de instrumentos diagnósticos: estudo do inventário de sintomas psiquiátricos do DSM-III aplicado em amostra populacional / Reability of diagnostic instruments: investigating the psychiatric DSM-III checklist applied to community samples

O objetivo foi estudar a confiabilidade do inventário de sintomas psiquiátricos do DSM-III aplicado em amostras representativas da populaçäo geral de três cidades brasileiras. Foram utilizados os métodos do entrevistador-observador e de consistência interna para medir a confiabilidade. Os diagnósticos de ansiedade generalizada, na vida (k = 0,46), no ano (k = 1,00), depressäo na vida (k = 0,77) e os diagnósticos de abuso e dependência de álcool na vida (k = 1,00) foram confiáveis de forma consistente nos dois métodos empregados. Os diagnósticos de agorafobia (k = 1,00), fobia simples (k = 0,77), transtorno psicótico näo esquizofrênico (k = 1,00) e o de fatores psicológicos que afetam o físico (1,00), todos feitos para a vida, apresentaram confiabilidade excelente medidos por meio do Kappa. O principal problema de medir a confiabilidade em estudos populacionais é a baixa prevalência de alguns diagnósticos que resulta em uma pequena variabilidade nas respostas positivas, o que impossibilita o cálculo do Kappa. Por causa disso, apenas 11 dos 39 diagnósticos que compöem o inventário puderam ser examinados. Recomenda-se a utilizaçäo do método de teste e re-teste com um tempo curto entre as entrevistas para diminuir esse problema.

Validação de escalas diagnosticas do funcionamento familiar para utilização em serviços de atenção primaria a saude / Validation of diagnostic scales of family functioning for use in primary health care services

O atendimento a pacientes em servicos primarios de saude deveria compreender uma avaliacao tanto fisica como psicologica; em muitos casos, o sucesso do tratamento depende da compreensao do individuo e de suas interacoes, em especial de sua interacao na familia. Portanto, e importante instrumentalizar os profissionais de saude para que sejam capazes de trabalhar com os individuos nesse contexto social. Estudamos tres escalas diagnosticas do funcionamento familiar consagradas na literatura internacional (FACES III, Beavers-Timberlawn e GARF), procurando valida-las para uso em nosso meio (Porto Alegre, Brasil). Comparamos os resultados do preenchimento das escalas com a avaliacao clinica, feita atraves de entrevista familiar semi-estruturada, em 31 familias clinicas. A escala auto-respondida FACES III tambem foi testada em 102 familias na comunidade. A escala FACES III mostrou uma correlacao linear positiva, porem fraca, entre coesao familiar e risco para doenca mental, mas nao em relacao a adaptabilidade. As escalas BT e GARF demonstraram forte correlacao positiva com a avaliacao clinica. A escala FACES III nao demonstrou ser adequada para uso em triagem de cuidados primarios; entretanto, as escalas BT e GARF mostratam-se muito uteis na formulacao e classificacao do diagnostico familiar

Care provided to patients in primary health services should include both a physical and a psychological assessment. In many cases treatment success depends on understanding individuals and their interactions, especially within the family; it is important for health professionals to be trained in this area. We investigated the validity of three well-known diagnostic scales of family functioning from the United States of America (FACES III, Beavers-Timberlawn, and GARF) for use in our setting in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The three scales were used with 31 families and compared to the results from clinical evaluations (semistructured family interviews), which were considered the gold standard. FACES III was also used with a sample of 102 families in the community. The Beavers-Timberlawn and GARF scales were strongly and positively correlated with the clinical evaluations. In contrast, our results suggest that FACES III is not a useful screening tool in primary care to detect the risk of psychiatric disorders. The Beavers-Timberlawn and GARF instruments showed great usefulness for formulating and classifying diagnoses of family functioning.

Confiabilidade diagnóstica dos transtornos mentais da versäo para cuidados primários da Classificaçäo Internacional das Doenças / Diagnostic reliability of mental disorders of the International Classification of Diseases - primary care

Objetivo: Avaliar a confiabilidade da versäo para teste do capítulo V - "Transtornos Mentais e do Comportamento", da décima revisäo da Classificaçäo Internacional das Doenças, Versäo para Cuidados Primários (CID-10 CP), preparado pela Divisäo de Saúde Mental da Organizaçäo Mundial da Saúde (OMS). Métodos: Durante os meses de setembro e outubro de 1994 foram treinados médicos gerais comunitários (MGC) da Secretaria da Saúde e do Meio Ambiente do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no uso da citada versäo, preparada para teste de campo, conforme o delineamento proposto pela OMS. Resultados: Os resultados referem-se ao estudo sobre concordância dos diagnósticos atribuídos por 9 duplas de MGC a 440 pacientes de primeira consulta. O Kappa de Cohen para Transtorno de Saúde Mental, presente ou ausente, foi de 0,79 (IC 95 por cento: 0,69-0,88). Conclusäo: O uso da CID-10 CP dará maior especificidade às informaçöes e permitirá maior comunicaçäo entre as equipes de saúde em nível de cuidados primários

Transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade: revisando conhecimentos / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an update

Tem-se dado crescente importância ao Transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH), visto que ele associa-se com comorbidades importantes, bem como com uma maior frequência de desfechos relevantes, tais como déficit de funcionamento acadêmico e social ao longo do ciclo de vida do indivíduo. Recentemente, inúmeras pesquisas têm demonstrado que o transtorno ultrapassa os limites da infância, sendo prevalente em adolescente e mesmo em adultos. Esta é uma revisão atual e crítica dos principais aspectos do histórico, epidemiologia, etiologia, quadro clínico, comorbidades, diagnóstico, evolução e tratamento do transtorno

Teaching medical mycology in the year 2000.

Medical mycology is of increasing interest to the basic scientist, pathologist, microbiologist and clinician. This interest has been prompted by the rising number of immunosuppressed patients with opportunistic fungal infections, the expanding boundaries of the so-called endemic mycoses, the recognition of several major new endemic mycoses and a variety of other emerging fungal infections, and the development of potent, non-toxic antifungal drugs to treat these infections. The world of mycology is changing dramatically, especially in developing countries which have only limited resources to cope with the impact of the compromised host and the introduction of costly new antifungal drugs. Consequently, there is an urgent need to increase our effectiveness as teachers of medical mycology at all levels and in all regions of the world.

Tratamento a longo prazo de pacientes psicóticos com a risperidona: um estudo brasileiro multicêntrico aberto / Long-term treatment of psychotic patients with risperidone: an open Brazilian multicentre study

Em um estudo aberto multicêntrico, 154 esquizofrênicos (DSM-III - R) com um escore total > 60 na PANSS foram tratados durante 7 meses com a risperidona depois de um período de "wash-out". As doses foram aumentadas até 3 mg duas vezes por dia na primeira semana e de forma flexível, de acordo com a ICG, a dose podia ser aumentada até 16 mg/dia no final do primeiro mês. A partir daí, foi recomendado manter-se dose estável nos próximos 6 meses do tratamento. Os parâmetros de eficácia foram: ICG aplicada mensalmente e PANSS aplicada nos meses 1, 4 e 7. A segurança da risperidona foi avaliada por meio de exame físico, testes laboratoriais, ECG e sinais vitais (PS,PD e FC). As reaçoes adversas foram registradas em todas as visitas do estudo, os sintomas extrapiramidais (SEP) foram avaliados segundo a Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) e também ICG para gravidade de parkinsonismo e discinesia. Cerca de 77 porcento dos pacientes completaram o estudo e em apenas 9 porcento o térmico precoce foi atribuído a falta de eficácia. De uma maneira geral, a risperidona foi eficaz (diminuiçao da sintomatologia > 20 porcento) em cerca de 70 porcento dos pacientes. As reaçoes adversas mais freqüentes foram insônia (14,1 porcento ) e ganho de peso (10,9 porcento). A risperidona nao causou nenhuma alteraçao importante nos testes laboratoriais realizados antes do início e no final do tratamento. Durante o período de tratamento houve uma diminuiçao dos SEP apesar de ter havido um aumento da dose média diária. Isto foi atribuído à tolerância. A dose ótima foi de 6 a 8 mg/dia, contudo, para alguns pacientes mais pode ser necessário se aumentar a dose. Em conclusao, nossos dados sugerem que a risperidona é um medicamento seguro, tem um rápido início de açao e na dose média de 6 a 8 mg/dia foi eficaz tanto em sintomas positivos como negativos; a resposta terapêutica tende a aumentar ao longo do tratamento enquanto que os SEP, além de poucos, mant6em-se estáveis ou tendem a diminuir.

Tratamento a longo prazo de pacientes psicoticos com a risperidona: um estudo brasileiro multicentrico aberto

Em um estudo aberto multicentrico, 154 esquizofrenicos (DSM-III-R) com um escore total maior igual 60 na PANSS foram tratados durante 7 meses com a risperidona depois de um periodo de 'wash-out'. As doses foram aumentadas ate 3 mg duas vezes por dia na primeira semana e de forma flexivel, de acordo com a ICG, a dose podia ser aumentada ate 16 mg/dia no final do primeiro mes. A partir dai, foi recomendado manter-se a dose estavel nos proximos 6 meses do tratamento. Os parametros de eficacia foram: ICG aplicada mensalmente e PANSS aplicada nos meses 1, 4 e 7. A seguranca da risperidona foi avaliada por meio de exame fisico, testes laboratoriais, ECG e sinais vitais (PS, PD e FC). As reacoes adversas foram registradas em todas as visitas do estudo, os sintomas extrapiramidais (SEP) foram avaliados segundo a Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) e tambem ICG para gravidade de parkinsonismo e discinesia. Cerca de 77 por cento dos pacientes completam o estudo e em apenas 9 por cento o termino precoce foi atribuido a falta de eficacia. De uma maneira geral, a risperidona foi eficaz (diminuicao da sintomatologia maior igual 20 por cento) em cerca de 70 por cento dos pacientes. As reacoes adversas mais frequencias foram insonia (14,1 por cento) e ganho de peso (10,9 por cento). A risperidona nao causou nenhuma alteracao importante nos testes laboratoriais realizados antes do inicio e no final do tratamento. Durante o periodo de tratamento houve uma diminuicao dos SEP apesar de ter havido um aumento da dose media diaria. Isto foi atribuido a tolerancia. A dose otima foi de 6 a 8 mg/dia, contudo, para alguns pacientes mais resistentes pode ser necessario se aumentar a dose. Em conclusao, nossos dados sugerem que a risperidona e um medicamento seguro, tem um rapido inicio de acao e na dose media de 6 a 8 mg/dia foi eficaz tanto em sintomas positivos como negativos; a resposta terapeutica tende a aumentar ao longo do tratamento enquanto que os SEP, alem de poucos, mantem-se estaveis ou tendem a diminuir.

Improving results of pediatric renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Outcome after renal transplantation in children has been variable. We undertook a retrospective study of our experience over the past five years. STUDY DESIGN: From January 1, 1988, to October 15, 1992, 60 renal transplantations were performed upon 59 children at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Twenty-eight (47 percent) of the kidneys were from cadaveric donors, and 32 (53 percent) were from living donors. The recipients ranged in age from 0.8 to 17.4 years, with a mean of 9.8 +/- 4.8 years. Forty-six (77 percent) recipients were undergoing a first transplant, while 14 (23 percent) received a second or third transplant. Eight (13 percent) of the patients were sensitized, with a panel reactive antibody of more than 40 percent. Eleven of the 14 patients undergoing retransplantation and seven of the eight patients who were sensitized received kidneys from cadaveric donors. Thirty-three (55 percent) patients received cyclosporine-based immunosuppression, and 27 (45 percent) received FK506 as the primary immunosuppressive agent. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 36 months, with a range of six to 63 months. The one- and four-year actuarial patient survival rate was 100 and 98 percent. The one- and four-year actuarial graft survival rate was 98 and 83 percent. For living donor recipients, the one- and four-year actuarial patient survival rate was 100 and 100 percent; for cadaveric recipients, it was 100 and 96 percent. Corresponding one- and four-year actuarial graft survival rates were 100 and 95 percent for the living donor recipients and 96 and 69 percent for the cadaveric recipients. Patients on cyclosporine had a one- and four-year patient survival rate of 100 and 97 percent, and patients on FK506 had a one- and three-year patient survival rate of 100 and 100 percent. Corresponding one- and four-year actuarial graft survival rates were 100 and 85 percent in the cyclosporine group, while one- and three-year actuarial graft survival rates were 96 and 84 percent in the FK506 group. The mean serum creatinine level was 1.24 +/- 0.64 mg per dL; the blood urea nitrogen level was 26 +/- 13 mg per dL. The incidence of rejection was 47 percent; 75 percent of the rejections were steroid-responsive. The incidence of cytomegalovirus was 10 percent. The incidence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder was 8 percent. None of the patients on cyclosporine were able to be taken off prednisone; 56 percent of the patients receiving FK506 were taken off prednisone successfully. Early growth and development data suggest that the patients receiving FK506 off prednisone had significant gains in growth. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the idea that renal transplantation is a successful therapy for end-stage renal disease in children. They also illustrate the potential benefits of a new immunosuppressive agent, FK506.

Estudo comparativo duplo-cego da buspirona e alprazolam: avaliaçåo de eficácia e tolerância em pacientes ambulatoriais com ansiedade / A double-blind comparison study of buspirone and alprazolam: evaluation of efficacious and tolerability in outpatients with anxiety

Este é um estudo clínico comparativo duplo-cego sobre a eficácia e segurança da buspirona e alprazolam. Trinta e nove pacientes com diagnóstico de distúrbio de ansiedade generalizado (DSM-III American Psychiatric association, 1980) foram randomizados para tratamento com uma das duas substâncias durante 4 semanas. Este estudo mostra que a terapia com buspirona pode ser iniciada com doses de 10 mg três vezes ao dia. A eficácia e segurança constatadas com essa dose såo comparáveis com as de alprazolam 0,5 mg três vezes ao dia