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Purpose: Several studies uncover how the period leading up to the 2016 election and the Trump administration affected college students, in particular those targeted by the rhetoric and policies in this tense sociopolitical environment. This article builds on this scholarship and examines how the broader sociopolitical context shaped how targeted and nontargeted students perceived and experienced the campus climate. Research Methods/Approach: We interviewed 21 students who had taken a higher-education course at one institution to gather their perspectives of campus climate. Students commonly referenced undocumented students and students of color as directly affected by policies and rhetoric during this time. We subsequently considered self-identified students of color and undocumented students as belonging to targeted groups and those who did not as nontargeted. Findings: Students described how the sociopolitical climate between 2016 and 2018 directly and indirectly influenced campus climate based on their perceptions and experiences. Students shared how discourse toward minoritized communities increased overt marginalization in the United States and on campuses. Immigration policies were frequently mentioned as impactful, and nontargeted students expressed major concerns for their targeted peers and family members. A few students also described how the polarized sociopolitical climate outside the university created divisions among students. Implications: Institutions should seek ways to ameliorate concerns and tensions students may feel as a result of challenging sociopolitical and campus climates. In addition to supporting students from targeted communities, institutions should provide opportunities for nontargeted students to learn more about issues affecting targeted communities.

Abstract Background Acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD) is a lysosomal disorder caused by deficiency of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) leading to the accumulation of sphingomyelin (SM) in a variety of cell types. Lysosphingomyelin (LysoSM) is the de-acetylated form of SM and it has been shown as a biomarker for ASMD in tissues, plasma, and dried blood spots (DBS) and lysosphingomyelin-509 (LysoSM509) is the carboxylated analogue of LysoSM. High levels of Lysosphingomyelin 509 (LysoSM509) have also been shown in ASMD patients. In this study, we report the utility of the quantification of LysoSM and LysoSM509 in DBS of patients from Latin America with ASMD by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Results DBS samples from 14 ASMD patients were compared with 15 controls, and 44 general newborns. All patients had their diagnosis confirmed by the quantification of ASM and the measurement of the activity of chitotriosidase. All patients had significantly higher levels of lysoSM and lysoSM509 compared to controls and general newborns. Conclusions The quantification of lysosphingolipids in DBS is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of ASMD patients and lysoSM can be useful in the differential diagnosis with NPC. This method is also valuable in the ASMD newborn screening process.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite progress in the last decades, there are still no reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis of and prognosis for GC. Aberrant sialylation is a widespread critical event in the development of GC. Neuraminidases (Neu) and sialyltransferases (STs) regulate the ablation and addition of sialic acid during glycoconjugates biosynthesis, and they are a considerable source of biomarkers in various cancers. This study retrospectively characterized Neu3 and ST3Gal3 expression by immunohistochemistry in 71 paraffin-embedded GC tissue specimens and analyzed the relationship between their expression and the clinicopathological parameters. Neu3 expression was markedly increased in GC tissues compared with non-tumoral tissues (p

OBJETIVO: O desenvolvimento de técnicas para diagnosticar as condições genéticas intra-útero foi um grande avanço na genética clínica, mudando a perspectiva reprodutiva de famílias de risco. No Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), o programa de diagnóstico pré-natal (DPN) de anomalias congênitas faz parte do Grupo de Medicina Fetal, que é composto por uma equipe multidisciplinar, cuja meta principal é estudar, analisar, diagnosticar e aconselhar as gestantes de alto risco. O trabalho apresentado aqui tem como objetivos revisar os principais procedimentos de diagnóstico pré-natal, descrever a nossa amostra e os exames que são oferecidos às nossas gestantes. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: De janeiro de 1989 a julho de 2001, foram cariotipadas 613 gestações, realizadas investigações enzimáticas em 86 casos e em 4 foram realizados estudos moleculares em material fetal. Um total de 1.378 novos casos foram avaliados no ambulatório de DPN do HCPA, de julho de 1993 a julho de 2001, para aconselhamento genético reprodutivo. RESULTADOS: O diagnóstico pré-natal de cromossomopatias realizado no HCPA atingiu uma taxa de crescimento de culturas de 98%, índice semelhante ao dos paísesdesenvolvidos. CONCLUSÕES: O diagnóstico pré-natal é um importante recurso para as famílias com risco de anomalia fetal. Novas técnicas de diagnóstico estão em implantação no HCPA, e poderão contribuir ainda mais para o atendimento dessas famílias. Apresentamos também os aspectos éticos envolvidos e algumas perspectivas futuras na área do diagnóstico pré-natal de anormalidades congênitas.

OBJETIVOS: O número de erros inatos do metabolismo (EIM) diagnosticados está crescendo constantemente devido ao aperfeiçoamento e disponibilidade das técnicas laboratoriais. Em 1982, foi estabelecido em Porto Alegre, Brasil, um laboratório para a detecção de EIM e este tornou-se um centro de referência nacional para o diagnóstico destes distúrbios. O objetivo deste trabalho é registrar os EIM mais freqüentes diagnosticados em nosso país. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Dezoito mil pacientes apresentando sinais e/ou sintomas sugestivos de um EIM foram investigados em nosso laboratório de 1982 a 2000, utilizando-se protocolos específicos que incluíam testes para a detecção de glicosaminoglicanos (GAGS), aminoácidos, açúcares, oligossacarídios, sialiloligossacarídios, ácidos orgânicos e outros metabólitos. RESULTADO: Dezessete mil oitocentos e vinte e dois pacientes completaram a imvestigação bioquímica e em 1.460 casos (8,5%) foi detectado um EIM. Os grupos de EIM de maior freqüência em nossa amostra foram as doenças lisossômicas de depósito (59,4%) e as aminoacidopatias (18,8%). Os distúrbios mais freqüentes foram a doença de Gaucher, a gangliosidose GM1, a mucopolissacaridose tipo I, a fenilcetonúria clássica, a mucopolissacaridose tipo VI e a mucopolissacaridose tipo II. CONCLUSÕES: Esse estudo mostrou que o estabelecimento de centros de referência para a investigação de doenças genéticas raras é adequado para o estudo de EIM em países em desenvolvimento como o Brasil.

Purpose : Several studies uncover how the period leading up to the 2016 election and the Trump administration affected college students, in particular those targeted by the rhetoric and policies in this tense sociopolitical environment. This article builds on this scholarship and examines how the broader sociopolitical context shaped how targeted and nontargeted students perceived and experienced the campus climate. Research Methods/Approach : We interviewed 21 students who had taken a higher-education course at one institution to gather their perspectives of campus climate. Students commonly referenced undocumented students and students of color as directly affected by policies and rhetoric during this time. We subsequently considered self-identified students of color and undocumented students as belonging to targeted groups and those who did not as nontargeted. Findings : Students described how the sociopolitical climate between 2016 and 2018 directly and indirectly influenced campus climate based on their perceptions and experiences. Students shared how discourse toward minoritized communities increased overt marginalization in the United States and on campuses. Immigration policies were frequently mentioned as impactful, and nontargeted students expressed major concerns for their targeted peers and family members. A few students also described how the polarized sociopolitical climate outside the university created divisions among students. Implications : Institutions should seek ways to ameliorate concerns and tensions students may feel as a result of challenging sociopolitical and campus climates. In addition to supporting students from targeted communities, institutions should provide opportunities for nontargeted students to learn more about issues affecting targeted communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a lysosomal disorder caused by impaired cholesterol metabolism. Levels of lysosphingomyelin 509 (LysoSM509) have been shown elevated in dried blood spots (DBS) of NPC and acid sphingomyelinase deficiency patients. In this study, we report our experience using a two-tier approach (1st tier is the quantification of lysoSM509 by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry followed by the 2nd tier with next-generation sequencing of the NPC1 and NPC2 genes). DBS samples from 450 suspected patients were received by the NPC Brazil network. Of these, 33 samples had elevated levels of lysoSM509, and in 25 of them, variants classified as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, or of unknown significance were identified in the NPC1 or NPC2 genes by next-generation sequencing. The quantification of lysoSM509 in DBS as a first-tier test for the diagnosis of NPC followed by molecular analysis of the NPC1 and NPC2 genes almost doubled the detection rate when compared to the performance of chitotriosidase activity as a first-tier biomarker, and it could likely be increased with the addition of a third tier with MLPA of the two genes involved. This strategy seems suitable for the neonatal screening (NBS) of NPC if this disease is eventually adopted by NBS programs.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. This study aims to investigate the differential tissue expression of ppGalNAc-T15 and to evaluate its possible association with clinical-pathological parameters and outcome of gastric adenocarcinoma patients. For these 70 patients were evaluated the expression by immunohistochemistry to ppGalNAc-T15. Our results showed that 33 (47.1%) patients were ppGalNAC-T15+ positive and 37 (52.9%) negative. Positive staining for ppGalNAc-T15 was significantly present in patients older than 60 years (P=0.0306) and submitted to total gastrectomy (P=0.0087). Also, some results remained at the limit of significance as surgical standing (P=0.0562) and histological grade (P=0.0549). Therefore, the ppGalNAc-T15 immunoreactivity can be useful to understand the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.

The study of issues of development and modernisation of the existing structure of economy is central to the scientific activity of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the study is to consider the trends in the development of the economic system in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study used methods of analysis and synthesis of information, the comparative method, induction and deduction and analysis of research papers, which is relevant to the subject matter. The conclusions were drawn that the modernisation and development of the economy of Kazakhstan is a complex step‐by‐step process, which includes: mastering the manufacturing of modern products; renovation of production equipment; organic integration into the latest world innovation processes; requalification of people. The practical significance of the study is that it can be used by theorists and practitioners to investigate the development of the economic system in the Republic of Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerando o significado da temática ambiental para as sociedades contemporâneas e as possibilidades e limites de processos educativos relacionados a essa temática, procuramos, nesse texto, explorar alguns aspectos relativos às políticas de formação de professores para educação ambiental. Assim, procuramos sistematizar e discutir os dados relativos à análise, de um lado, de documentos oficiais que explicitam políticas públicas de formação de professores e que fazem referência à temática e educação ambiental e, de outro, de documentos que explicitam políticas de educação ambiental e que fazem referências a processos de formação de professores, procurando explorar aproximações e distanciamentos entre esses níveis diferentes de formulação das políticas educacionais.

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil de mobilidade articular e das forças de garra e de pinça de indivíduos com MPS VI, além de sua correlação com a excreção urinária de glicosaminoglicanos, atividade da ARSB e distância percorrida no teste de caminhada de 6 minutos. MÉTODOS: Estudo observacional de 28 pacientes com MPS VI, não submetidos a tratamento específico. Todos os pacientes foram avaliados em relação à amplitude da mobilidade articular, forças de garra e de pinça, excreção urinária de glicosaminoglicanos, atividade da ARSB e teste de caminhada de 6 minutos. RESULTADOS: Demonstrou-se maior comprometimento de flexão de ombro, sem correlação com a idade, e da extensão de joelho e flexão de cotovelo, estas últimas correlacionadas negativamente com a idade. A força de garra mostrou-se comprometida em todos os pacientes, e a força de pinça apresentou correlação positiva com idade. CONCLUSÕES: A restrição da flexão de ombro, sem correlação com a idade, sugere que este achado esteja presente precocemente na MPS VI e se constitua em sinal clínico importante para suspeita diagnóstica desta doença. A amplitude da extensão de joelho e da flexão de cotovelo, por sua vez, por apresentarem correlação negativa com a idade, são possíveis marcadores da evolução da doença. Estudos adicionais são necessários para confirmação dessas hipóteses.OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of joint mobility and grip and pinch strength of MPS VI patients and to correlate this with urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), ARSB activity, and the distance covered in a 6-minute walking test (6MWT). METHODS: This was an observational study of 28 patients with MPS VI, who had not undergone specific treatment. All patients were assessed for amplitude of joint mobility (shoulder, elbow, and knee), grip and pinch strength and urinary GAG excretion and also performed the 6MWT. RESULTS: Shoulder flexion exhibited the greatest limitation, with no correlation with age, followed by knee extension and elbow flexion, both of which were correlated inversely with age. Hand grip strength was compromised in all patients, and pinch strength exhibited a positive correlation with age. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that restricted shoulder flexion was not correlated with age suggests that this finding is present early on in MPS VI and that it constitutes an important clinical sign that should arouse diagnostic suspicion of this disease. The amplitude of knee extension and elbow flexion, in turn, are possible markers of disease progression since they have a negative correlation with age. Further studies are needed to confirm these hypotheses.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical and neuroimaging, central nervous system (CNS) findings of patients with Fabry disease (FD) during 24 months of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with agalsidase-alpha. METHOD: Eight patients were included. Six completed 24 months of ERT. Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained at 0, 12 and 24 months of ERT. White matter lesions (WML) were evaluated as well as their relation to age, symptoms and neurological examination (CNS score). RESULTS: MRI was stable in 3 patients. WML and CNS score worsened in one patient, fluctuated in another, and improved in the sixth patient. In the whole series, there were 15 WML at baseline, and 19 at the 24th month. In two years, 4 lesions disappeared, whereas 8 appeared. CONCLUSION: A widespread pattern of silent WML in FD was seen. In two years, some WML appeared, and some disappeared. If these phenomena were related to the natural history, remains to be demonstrated.OBJETIVO: Relatar os achados neurológicos e de imagem do sistema nervoso central (SNC), observados durante 24 meses de tratamento de reposição enzimática (ERT) com agalsidase-alfa, em pacientes com a doença de Fabry (FD). MÉTODO: 8 pacientes foram incluídos; 6 completaram 24 meses de ERT. Os dados foram obtidos aos 0, 12 e 24 meses de ERT. Lesões de substância branca (WML) foram avaliadas assim como sua relação com a idade e o exame neurológico (escore SNC). RESULTADOS: Os achados de ressonância nuclear magnética foram estáveis em 3 pacientes. As WML e o escore SNC pioraram em um caso; flutuaram em um outro caso; e melhoraram no sexto paciente. No todo, havia 15 WML antes da ERT e 19 WML depois de 24 meses de ERT. Em dois anos, 4 lesões desapareceram e 8 novas surgiram. CONCLUSÕES: Viu-se um padrão difuso de WML assintomáticas, na FD. Em dois anos, algumas WML surgiram, enquanto outras desapareceram. Resta demonstrar se esses fenômenos fazem parte da história natural da doença.