The Wnt signaling pathway in major depressive disorder: A systematic review of human studies.

Despite uncertainty about the specific molecular mechanisms driving major depressive disorder (MDD), the Wnt signaling pathway stands out as a potentially influential factor in the pathogenesis of MDD. Known for its role in intercellular communication, cell proliferation, and fate, Wnt signaling has been implicated in diverse biological phenomena associated with MDD, spanning neurodevelopmental to neurodegenerative processes. In this systematic review, we summarize the functional differences in protein and gene expression of the Wnt signaling pathway, and targeted genetic association studies, to provide an integrated synthesis of available human data examining Wnt signaling in MDD. Thirty-three studies evaluating protein expression (n = 15), gene expression (n = 9), or genetic associations (n = 9) were included. Only fifteen demonstrated a consistently low overall risk of bias in selection, comparability, and exposure. We found conflicting observations of limited and distinct Wnt signaling components across diverse tissue sources. These data do not demonstrate involvement of Wnt signaling dysregulation in MDD. Given the well-established role of Wnt signaling in antidepressant response, we propose that a more targeted and functional assessment of Wnt signaling is needed to understand its role in depression pathophysiology. Future studies should include more components, assess multiple tissues concurrently, and follow a standardized approach.

At the moment of occurrence of a fragility hip fracture, men have higher mechanical properties values in comparison with women.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that males have lower fracture risk in comparison with females, which suggests a higher bone resistance in men. The aim of our study was to find out if in older patients with hip fragility fractures, gender has also an impact on trabecular bone material behaviour, specifically to determine whether trabecular mechanical properties under compressive loading differ between men and women who suffered a fragility hip fracture. METHODS: Femoral epiphyses were consecutively collected during hip replacement surgery due to proximal femur fragility fracture. Trabecular bone cylinders were drilled and submitted to uniaxial compression tests and mechanical properties were assessed. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients, 55 women (mean age 81 years and standard deviation of 7 years) and 18 men (mean age 81 years and standard deviation of 8 years) were evaluated. The ultimate stress of trabecular bone was significantly higher in men than in women: the median values and the interquartile range (IQR) were respectively 8.04(5.35-10.90) MPa vs. 4.46(3.02-7.73) MPa, (p-value = 0.005). The same difference between male and female was observed in the Young's modulus: 293.68(166.67-538.18) MPa vs. 174.26(73.07-322.28) MPa, (p-value = 0.028), and also in the energy to failure: 0.25(0.07-0.42) MJ/m³ vs. 0.11(0.05-0.25) MJ/m³, (p-value = 0.058). These differences were also verified after adjusting the analysis for age in a multivariate model analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations demonstrated that, even in a population who suffered a fragility hip fracture, men still have higher trabecular bone mechanical properties in comparison with women.

Pediatric Phaeohyphomycosis: A 44-Year Systematic Review of Reported Cases.

BACKGROUND: Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by pigmented fungi, which can be life-threatening in immunocompromised hosts and in disseminated disease. In adults with disseminated disease, mortality is as high as 79%. Data in children are derived from case reports and series. We conducted this study to review the characteristics of phaeohyphomycoses in children. METHODS: We conducted this study following the PRISMA 2020 guideline for reporting systematic reviews. We performed a review of the reported cases of pediatric phaeohyphomycoses in core bibliographic databases published in the English and Spanish language, between June 1977 and October 2021. We included all eligible cases in patients <18 years to determine the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 130 cases were reviewed. The mean age was 8 years. The most common underlying conditions and risk factors included hematologic malignancies (32.5%), neutropenia (26.9%), steroid therapy (24.6%), trauma or surgery (23.1%), and children that received a transplant (14.6%). The most common presentation was localized infection (61.5%); skin and soft tissue infections were the most prevalent (25.4%). Exserohilum spp (20.8%) and Exophiala spp (17.7%) were the most common organisms isolated. Antifungal therapy remains as the most frequent treatment (87%). Overall mortality rate was 22.3% (localized 13.7% vs disseminated 37.3%). CONCLUSION: The findings of this review suggest that phaeohyphomycoses in children have a better outcome compared to adults. We report a lower mortality rate in children when compared with adults in disseminated infection (37.3% vs 79%) and CNS infection (50% vs 60-70%). However, there is a wide variation in mortality rates according to the infection site, treatment, and underlying conditions. Prospective studies are needed.

Altered Secretion, Constitution, and Functional Properties of the Gastrointestinal Mucus in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease.

The gastrointestinal (GI) system is affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it is currently unknown whether GI alterations arise as a consequence of central nervous system (CNS) pathology or play a causal role in the pathogenesis. GI mucus is a possible mediator of GI dyshomeostasis in neurological disorders as the CNS controls mucus production and secretion via the efferent arm of the brain-gut axis. The aim was to use a brain-first model of sporadic AD induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (STZ-icv; 3 mg/kg) to dissect the efferent (i.e., brain-to-gut) effects of isolated central neuropathology on the GI mucus. Morphometric analysis of goblet cell mucigen granules revealed altered GI mucus secretion in the AD model, possibly mediated by the insensitivity of AD goblet cells to neurally evoked mucosal secretion confirmed by ex vivo cholinergic stimulation of isolated duodenal rings. The dysfunctional efferent control of the GI mucus secretion results in altered biochemical composition of the mucus associated with reduced mucin glycoprotein content, aggregation, and binding capacity in vitro. Finally, functional consequences of the reduced barrier-forming capacity of the mucin-deficient AD mucus are demonstrated using the in vitro two-compartment caffeine diffusion interference model. Isolated central AD-like neuropathology results in the loss of efferent control of GI homeostasis via the brain-gut axis and is characterized by the insensitivity to neurally evoked mucosal secretion, altered mucus constitution with reduced mucin content, and reduced barrier-forming capacity, potentially increasing the susceptibility of the STZ-icv rat model of AD to GI and systemic inflammation induced by intraluminal toxins, microorganisms, and drugs.

Comparative Genomics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains Isolated from Different Ecological Niches.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome can change to adapt to different ecological niches. We compared four genomes from a Mexican hospital and 59 genomes from GenBank from different niches, such as urine, sputum, and environmental. The ST analysis showed that high-risk STs (ST235, ST773, and ST27) were present in the genomes of the three niches from GenBank, and the STs of Mexican genomes (ST167, ST2731, and ST549) differed from the GenBank genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genomes were clustering according to their ST and not their niche. When analyzing the genomic content, we observed that environmental genomes had genes involved in adapting to the environment not found in the clinics and that their mechanisms of resistance were mutations in antibiotic resistance-related genes. In contrast, clinical genomes from GenBank had resistance genes, in mobile/mobilizable genetic elements in the chromosome, except for the Mexican genomes that carried them mostly in plasmids. This was related to the presence of CRISPR-Cas and anti-CRISPR; however, Mexican strains only had plasmids and CRISPR-Cas. blaOXA-488 (a variant of blaOXA50) with higher activity against carbapenems was more prevalent in sputum genomes. The virulome analysis showed that exoS was most prevalent in the genomes of urinary samples and exoU and pldA in sputum samples. This study provides evidence regarding the genetic variability among P. aeruginosa isolated from different niches.

Apolipoproteins and Suicide: A Potential Psychiatric Biomarker.

Every year around 800,000 people commit suicide, this represents one death every 40 s. In the search for possible biological biomarkers associated with suicide and/or psychiatric disorders, serum cholesterol levels have been extensively explored. Several studies indicate that cholesterol and associated proteins, especially apolipoproteins (Apos), may play an important role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and susceptibility of suicidal behavior. Here, we describe the current knowledge and findings in the relationship between apolipoproteins and suicide.HIGHLIGHTSThis is the first systematic review of Apos in relation to suicidal behavior.Dysregulations of Apos expression has been observed in patients with suicidal behavior.Apos seem to be associated with cognitive dysfunction in suicide attempters.ApoE is a potential biomarker regarding suicidal behavior.

Trends of sources of clinical research funding from 1990 to 2020: a meta-epidemiological study.

Evidence has raised concerns regarding the association between funding sources and doubtful data. Our main outcome was to analyze trends on funding sources in articles published from 1990 to 2020 in the more influential journals of internal and general medicine. In this meta-epidemiological study, we included peer-reviewed studies from the 10 highest impact journals in general and internal medicine published between January 1990 and February 2020 based on published original research according to the 2018 InCites Journal of Citation Reports, these consisted of the following: The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, JAMA Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, PLOS Medicine, Cachexia, BMC Medicine, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings Two reviewers working in duplicate extracted data regarding year of publication, study design, and sources of funding. In total, 496 articles were found; of these, 311 (62.7%) were observational studies, 167 (33.7%) were experimental, and 16 (3.2%) were secondary analyses. Percentages of grant sources through the years were predominantly from government (60%), industry (23.83%), and non-governmental (16.06%) organizations. The percentage of industry subsidies tended to decrease, but this was not significant in a linear regression model (r=0.02, p≥0.05). Government and non-government funding sources showed a trend to decrease in the same univariate analysis with both significant associations (r=0.21, p≤0.001 and r=0.10, p≤0.001, respectively). The main funding source in medical research has consistently been government aid. Despite previous reported data, no association was found between the source of funding and statistically significant results favoring study authors' hypothesis.

A Plasmid Carrying blaIMP-56 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Belonging to a Novel Resistance Plasmid Family.

blaIMP and blaVIM are the most detected plasmid-encoded carbapenemase genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Previous studies have reported plasmid sequences carrying blaIMP variants, except blaIMP-56. In this study, we aimed to characterize a plasmid carrying blaIMP-56 in a P. aeruginosa strain isolated from a Mexican hospital. The whole genome of P. aeruginosa strain PE52 was sequenced using Illumina Miseq 2 × 150 bp, with 5 million paired-end reads. We characterized a 27 kb plasmid (pPE52IMP) that carried blaIMP-56. The phylogenetic analysis of RepA in pPE52IMP and 33 P. aeruginosa plasmids carrying resistance genes reported in the GenBank revealed that pPE52IMP and four plasmids (pMATVIM-7, unnamed (FDAARGOS_570), pD5170990, and pMRVIM0713) were in the same clade. These closely related plasmids belonged to the MOBP11 subfamily and had similar backbones. Another plasmid (p4130-KPC) had a similar backbone to pPE52IMP; however, its RepA was truncated. In these plasmids, the resistance genes blaKPC-2, blaVIM variants, aac(6')-Ib4, blaOXA variants, and blaIMP-56 were inserted between phd and resolvase genes. This study describes a new family of plasmids carrying resistance genes, with a similar backbone, the same RepA, and belonging to the MOBP11 subfamily in P. aeruginosa. In addition, our characterized plasmid harboring blaIMP-56 (pPE52IMP) belongs to this family.

HOMA-IR as a predictor of Health Outcomes in Patients with Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: There exists clinical interest in the following question: Is there an association between HOMA-IR and the risk of developing metabolic diseases? AIMS: Assessing the association between high values of HOMA-IR with the incidence of T2DM, MACE, essential hypertension, dyslipidemia, NASH, and cancer in healthy participants and participants with a component of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Databases were searched by an experienced librarian to find eligible studies. Observational cohort studies enrolling healthy adults and adults with metabolic syndrome components that evaluated HOMA as a marker of IR were considered for inclusion. Eligibility assessment, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and in duplicate. Baseline characteristics of patients, cutoff values of HOMA-IR to predict metabolic events were extracted independently and in duplicate. RESULTS: 38 studies (215,878 participants) proved eligible. A higher HOMA-IR value had a significant effect on the risk of developing T2DM (HR 1.87; CI 1.40-2.49), presenting non-fatal MACE (HR 1.46; CI 1.08-1.97) and hypertension (HR 1.35; CI 1.15-1.59). No association was found regarding cancer mortality and fatal MACE with higher HOMA-IR values, there was not enough information to carry out a meta-analysis to establish an association between higher values of HOMA with cancer incidence, dyslipidemia, and NASH. CONCLUSIONS: High values of HOMA were associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and non-fatal MACE; yet, not for cardiovascular or cancer mortality. More research is needed to determine the value of the HOMA index in metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020187645.

Resistome and a Novel blaNDM-1-Harboring Plasmid of an Acinetobacter haemolyticus Strain from a Children's Hospital in Puebla, Mexico.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex isolates have been frequently associated with hospital and community infections, with A. baumannii being the most common. Other Acinetobacter spp. not belonging to this complex also cause infections in hospital settings, and the incidence has increased over the past few years. Some species of the Acinetobacter genus possess a great diversity of antibiotic resistance mechanisms, such as efflux pumps, porins, and resistance genes that can be acquired and disseminated by mobilizable genetic elements. By means of whole-genome sequencing, we describe in the clinical Acinetobacter haemolyticus strain AN54 different mechanisms of resistance that involve blaOXA-265, blaNDM-1, aphA6, aac(6')-Ig, and a resistance-nodulation-cell division-type efflux pump. This strain carries six plasmids, of which the plasmid pAhaeAN54e contains blaNDM-1 in a Tn125-like transposon that is truncated at the 3' end. This strain also has an insertion sequence IS91 and seven genes encoding hypothetical proteins. The pAhaeAN54e plasmid is nontypable and different from other plasmids carrying blaNDM-1 that have been reported in Mexico and other countries. The presence of these kinds of plasmids in an opportunistic pathogen such as A. haemolyticus highlights the role that these plasmids play in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, especially against carbapenems, in Mexican hospitals.

Characterization of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying IMP variants recovered from a Mexican Hospital.

PURPOSE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in hospitals constitute an important problem due to the increasing multidrug resistance (MDR) and carbapenems resistance. The knowledge of resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas strains is an important issue for an adequate antimicrobial treatment. Therefore, the objective was to investigate other antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in MDR P. aeruginosa strains carrying bla IMP, make a partial plasmids characterization, and determine if modifications in oprD gene affect the expression of the OprD protein. METHODOLOGY: Susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby Baüer and by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (presence/absence of efflux pump inhibitor); molecular typing by Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), resistance genotyping and integrons by PCR and sequencing; OprD expression by Western blot; plasmid characterization by MOB Typing Technique, molecular size by PFGE-S1; and bla IMP location by Southern blot. RESULTS: Among the 59 studied P. aeruginosa isolates, 41 multidrug resistance and carbapenems resistance isolates were detected and classified in 38 different PFGE patterns. Thirteen strains carried bla IMP; 16 bla GES and four carried both genes. This study centered on the 17 strains har-boring bla IMP. New variants of ß-lactamases were identified (bla GES-32, bla IMP-56, bla IMP-62) inside of new arrangements of class 1 integrons. The presence of bla IMP gene was detected in two plasmids in the same strain. The participation of the OprD protein and efflux pumps in the resistance to carbapenems and quinolones is shown. No expression of the porin OprD due to stop codon or IS in the gene was found. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the participation of different resistance mechanisms, which are reflected in the levels of MIC to carbapenems. This is the first report of the presence of three new variants of ß-lactamases inside of new arrangements of class 1 integrons, as well as the presence of two plasmids carrying bla IMP in the same P. aeruginosa strain isolated in a Mexican hospital.

Flagellar expression in clinical isolates of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae.

PURPOSE: Haemophilus influenzae is a commensal organism found in the upper respiratory tract of humans. When H. influenzae becomes a pathogen, these bacteria can move out of their commensal niche and cause multiple respiratory tract diseases such as otitis media, sinusitis, conjunctivitis and bronchitis in children, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. However, H. influenzae is currently considered a non-flagellate bacterium. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: In this study, 90 clinical isolates of H. influenzae strains (typeable and non-typeable) showed different degrees of the swarm-motility phenotype in vitro.Keys findings. One of these strains, NTHi BUAP96, showed the highest motility rate and its flagella were revealed using transmission electron microscopy and Ryu staining. Moreover, the flagellar genes fliC and flgH exhibited high homology with those of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri. Furthermore, Western blot analysis, using anti-flagellin heterologous antibodies from E. coli, demonstrated cross-reaction with a protein present in NTHi BUAP96. CONCLUSION: This study provides, for the first time, information on flagellar expression in H. influenzae, representing an important finding related to its evolution and pathogenic potential.

Culturable Facultative Methylotrophic Bacteria from the Cactus Neobuxbaumia macrocephala Possess the Locus xoxF and Consume Methanol in the Presence of Ce3+ and Ca2.

Methanol-consuming culturable bacteria were isolated from the plant surface, rhizosphere, and inside the stem of Neobuxbaumia macrocephala. All 38 isolates were facultative methylotrophic microorganisms. Their classification included the Classes Actinobacteria, Sphingobacteriia, Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria. The deduced amino acid sequences of methanol dehydrogenase obtained by PCR belonging to Actinobacteria, Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria showed high similarity to rare-earth element (REE)-dependent XoxF methanol dehydrogenases, particularly the group XoxF5. The sequences included Asp301, the REE-coordinating amino acid, present in all known XoxF dehydrogenases and absent in MxaF methanol dehydrogenases. The quantity of the isolates showed positive hybridization with a xoxF probe, but not with a mxaF probe. Isolates of all taxonomic groups showed methylotrophic growth in the presence of Ce3+ or Ca2+. The presence of xoxF-like sequences in methylotrophic bacteria from N. macrocephala and its potential relationship with their adaptability to xerophytic plants are discussed.

Compatible bacterial mixture, tolerant to desiccation, improves maize plant growth.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) increase plant growth and crop productivity. The inoculation of plants with a bacterial mixture (consortium) apparently provides greater benefits to plant growth than inoculation with a single bacterial strain. In the present work, a bacterial consortium was formulated containing four compatible and desiccation-tolerant strains with potential as PGPR. The formulation had one moderately (Pseudomonas putida KT2440) and three highly desiccation-tolerant (Sphingomonas sp. OF178, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 and Acinetobacter sp. EMM02) strains. The four bacterial strains were able to adhere to seeds and colonize the rhizosphere of plants when applied in both mono-inoculation and multi-inoculation treatments, showing that they can also coexist without antagonistic effects in association with plants. The effects of the bacterial consortium on the growth of blue maize were evaluated. Seeds inoculated with either individual bacterial strains or the bacterial consortium were subjected to two experimental conditions before sowing: normal hydration or desiccation. In general, inoculation with the bacterial consortium increased the shoot and root dry weight, plant height and plant diameter compared to the non-inoculated control or mono-inoculation treatments. The bacterial consortium formulated in this work had greater benefits for blue maize plants even when the inoculated seeds underwent desiccation stress before germination, making this formulation attractive for future field applications.

First evidence of polar flagella in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from a patient with neonatal sepsis.

The genus Klebsiella belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, and is currently considered to be non-motile and non-flagellated. In the present work, 25 Klebsiella strains isolated from nosocomial infections were assessed for motility under different growth conditions. One Klebsiella isolate, KpBUAP021, demonstrated a swim-like motility phenotype. The K. pneumoniae genotype was confirmed by 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequence analysis. Multilocus sequence typing analysis also revealed that the KpBUAP021 strain places it in the ST345 sequence type, and belongs to the phylogenetic Kpl group. Transmission electron microscopy and the Ryu staining technique revealed that KpBUAP021 expresses polar flagella. Finally, the presence of fliC, fliA and flgH genes in this K. pneumoniae strain was confirmed. This report presents the first evidence for flagella-mediated motility in a K. pneumoniae clinical isolate, and represents an important finding related to its evolution and pathogenic potential.

As mortes por aborto no município de São Paulo: estudo epidemiológico sob o enfoque de gênero / The deaths caused by abortion in São Paulo county: an epidemiology study under the gender approach

O presente trabalho teve por objeto as mortes pós aborto ocorridas nos anos de 1997 e 1998 no município de São Paulo, analisadas sob o enfoque do gênero. Os objetivos que nortearam o desenvolvimento do trabalho foram: reconstituir a assistência à saúde recebida pelas mulheres; descrever as condições de vida e trabalho dessas mulheres; identificar as percepções de familiares das mesmas sobre o aborto e acerca das repercussões dessas mortes no cotidiano; analisar as mortes por aborto sobre o enfoque epidemiológico e de gênero. O caminho metodológico adotado incorporou abordagens quanti-qualitativas para apreensão da realidade, fazendo uso de técnicas de geoprocessamento em saúde, caracterização do perfil epidemiológico das mortes por aborto e entrevistas domiciliares junto aos familiares. Os resultados indicam a ocorrência de 21 óbitos de mulheres por aborto num conjunto de 260 óbitos maternos no período de 1997 e 1998. Os dados obtidos sugerem que estas mulheres eram jovens, solteiras, residentes na periferia de São Paulo, a maioria trabalhadora, e com 1º grau de escolaridade. A partir das entrevistas pôde-se verificar que a trajetória que culminou com o óbito foi marcada pela falta de informações, por atendimentos em serviços de saúde não resolutivos e pequena compreensão do processo vivenciado. Para os familiares entrevistados a morte é de difícil aceitação, provocando a desagregação familiar, sobretudo nos casos em que existem filhos menores. No entanto, poucosesboçam possibilidades de modificar o panorama que configura este problema, sendo que em alguns discursos está presente a culpabilização da vítima.

The present report aimed to analyse under the gender approach the post-abortion deaths ocurred from 1997 to 1998 in the São Paulo County. The purposes that based the development of this report were: to rebuild the care to the health received by women; to describe the life conditions and the work of these women; to identify the families's perceptions of those women about abortion and the deaths repercussion in the daily; to analyse the deaths caused by abortion under the epidemiologi and gender approach. The used methodological way added quantitative and qualitative approachs for reality perception using the geoprocessing technique in health, characterization of the epidemiology profile of deaths caused by abortion and home interviews next to the families. The results indicate the occurrence of 21 deaths of women caused by abortion in a total of 260 maternal deaths from 1997 to 1998. The obtained data suggest that those women were young, single, they lived in São Paulo suburb, the most of them were workers and they were in high school. It was verified starting from the interviews that the trajetory culminated in death was marked for lack of information, for assistance without solution in health services and low comprehension of experienced process. For the interviewees families the death is hardly accepted provoking the family disolution especially in the cases that there were younger sons. However a few people show possibilities to modify the view thatconfigures this problem beyond in some speechs there is a victim's fault.

As morte por aborto no município de Säo Paulo: estudo epidemiológico sob o enfoque de gênero / The deaths caused by abortion in São Paulo county: an epidemiology study under the gender approach

O presente trabalho teve por objeto as mortes pós aborto ocorridas nos anos de 1997 e 1998 no município de Säo Paulo, analisadas sob o enfoque do gênero. Os objetivos que nortearam o desenvolvimento do trabalho foram: reconstituir a assistência à saúde recebida pelas mulheres; descrever as condiçöes de vida e trabalho dessas mulheres; identificar as percepçöes de familiares das mesmas sobre o aborto e acerca das repercussöes dessas mortes no cotidiano; analisar as mortes por aborto sobre o enfoque epidemiológico e de gênero. O caminho metodológico adotado incorporou abordagens quanti-qualitativas para apreensäo da realidade, fazendo uso de técnicas de geoprocessamento em saúde, caracterizaçäo do perfil epidemiológico das mortes por aborto e entrevistas domiciliares junto aos familiares. Os resultados indicam a ocorrência de 21 óbitos de mulheres por aborto num conjunto de 260 óbitos maternos no período de 1997 e 1998. Os dados obtidos sugerem que estas mulheres eram jovens, solteiras, residentes na periferia de Säo Paulo, a maioria trabalhadora, e com 1§ grau de escolaridade. A partir das entrevistas pôde-se verificar que a trajetória que culminou com o óbito foi marcada pela falta de informaçöes, por atendimentos em serviços de saúde näo resolutivos e pequena compreensäo do processo vivenciado. Para os familiares entrevistados a morte é de difícil aceitaçäo, provocando a desagregaçäo familiar, sobretudo nos casos em que existem filhos menores. No entanto, poucos esboçam possibilidades de modificar o panorama que configura este problema, sendo que em alguns discursos está presente a culpabilizaçäo da vítima

Estudio experimental de elementos estructurales en base a tierra

CONTENIDO:El presente proyecto de grado, consiste en estudiar el comportamiento de elementos elaborados con tierra como materia prima, cuando se los somete a diferentes solicitaciones. Es decir; determinar las propiedades mecanicas de estos por medio de ensayos en especimenes representativos y de esta forma primero; identificar si un suelo es apto o no para la fabricacion de estos elementos y segundo; conocer el comportamiento en forma aproximada los efectos internos que se producen cuando en escala natural, estos son sometidos a los diferentes tipos de cargas. Finalmente dar recomendaciones para mejorar las caracteristicas mencionadas.