Prognostic significance of vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms in colorectal cancer patients

AIM To investigate the associations of the genetic polymor-phisms of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A)-1498C>T and-634G>C, with the survival of patients with colorectal cancer(CRC). METHODS A prospective cohort consisting of 131 Brazilians patients consecutively operated on with a curative intention as a result of sporadic colorectal carcinoma was studied. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and its amplification and allelic discrimination for each genetic polymorphism was performed using the technique of polymerase chain reaction(PCR) in real-time. The real-time PCR technique was used to identify the VEGF-A-1498C>T(rs833031) and-634G>C(rs2010963) polymorphisms. Genotyping was validated for VEGF-A-1498C>T polymorphism in 129 patients and for VEGF-A-634G>C polymorphism in 118 patients. The analysis of association between categorical variables was performed using logistic regression, survival by Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis by the Cox regression method. RESULTS In the univariate analysis there was a significant association(OR = 0.32; P = 0.048) between genotype CC of the VEGF-A-1498C>T polymorphism and the presence of CRC liver metastasis. There was no association between VEGF-A-1498C>T polymorphism and VEGF-A-634G>C polymorphism with further clinical or anatomopathologic variables. The genotype CC of the VEGF-A-1498C>T polymorphism was significantly correlated with the 5-year survival(P = 0.032), but not significant difference(P = 0.27) was obtained with the VEGF-A-634G>C polymorphism with the 5-year survival in the univariate analysis. The genotype CT(HR = 2.79) and CC(HR = 4.67) of the polymorphism VEGF-A-1498C>T and the genotype CC(HR = 3.76) of the polymorphism VEGF-A-634C>G acted as an independent prognostic factor for the risk of death in CRC patients. CONCLUSION The CT and CC genotypes of the VEGF-A-1498C>T and the CC genotype of the VEGF-A-634C>G polymorphisms are prognostic factors of survival in Brazilians patients with sporadic colorectal carcinoma.

Theoretical and Comparative Study of the Complex[RuCl_(3)(H_(2)O)_(2)(Gly)]by Density Functional Theory

In this work, the use of computational methods was essential to distinguish the three possible isomeric structures of the [RuCl3(H2O)2(Gly)] molecule. The characterization of these molecules was performed using IR, NMR and UV-VIS simulations. Some calculations related to the optimization of structures and properties such as chemical hardness and dipole moment were also conducted. The fac-cis isomer presented promising data when compared to the experimental data, indicating that this is the likely experimentally synthesized isomer. This study demonstrates the technical utility of the computational calculations by virtue of situations that prevent the realization of X-ray diffraction.

On Differential Equations Describing 3-Dimensional Hyperbolic Spaces

In this paper, we introduce the notion of a （2＋1）-dimenslonal differential equation describing three-dimensional hyperbolic spaces （3-h.s.）. The （2＋1）-dimensional coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equation and its sister equation, the （2＋1）-dimensional coupled derivative nonlinear Schrodinger equation, are shown to describe 3-h.s, The （2 ＋ 1 ）-dimensional generalized HF model：St=（1/2i[S,Sy]＋2iσS）x,σx=-1/4i tr（SSxSy）, in which S ∈ GLc（2）/GLc（1）×GLc（1）,provides another example of （2＋1）-dimensional differential equations describing 3-h.s. As a direct con-sequence, the geometric construction of an infinire number of conservation lairs of such equations is illustrated. Furthermore we display a new infinite number of conservation lairs of the （2＋1）-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equation and the （2＋1）-dimensional derivative nonlinear Schrodinger equation by a geometric way.

Healthcare Application:An Analysis of Reception Studies in Interactive Digital Television

This paper presents a healthcare application for Brazilian digital television,its main purposes and its reception tests with end users.This is an applied research for testing the scope of the Global ITV project funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development(CNPq)and the European community which has developed a hybrid broadband and broadcasting platform.

DNA damage levels in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with low disease activity:An evaluation by comet assay

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the inflammatory process of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), particularly by the formation of anti-DNA autoantibodies, which can lead to DNA damage. The aim of this study was to investigate, through comet assay, whether the level of DNA damage in SLE patients is different from that of healthy subjects. Twenty-five adult SLE patients with SLEDAI up to ten, and 25 healthy subjects were paired according to age, gender and Body Mass Index (BMI). Other anthropometric variables were also assessed. Comet assay was assessed as the marker of oxidative stress described as DNA Damage (DD) percentage. Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC) and BMI were also performed. Exclusion criteria for patients and controls comprised smoking and other chronic disorders. Level of damage index was remarkably higher in SLE patients than in controls, and no significant differences between the groups were found for age, BMI, WC and HC. No stratification concerning gender was performed, since there were just two males per group. No correlation was observed between BMI and DD (%). DD increased in SLE, which reflects the oxidant/antioxidant imbalance in these patients. These findings support an association between oxidative stress and SLE. This stronger correlation observed in patients with low disease activity may be useful in elucidating the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis.