Background: Oxidative stress, generating from betel quid (BQ) chewing, cigarette smoking, and alcohol drinking; regulating by antioxidant-oxidant enzymes and dietary antioxidants seems to play a role in oral carcinogenesis. Objective: We aimed to examine the association between antioxidant-oxidant gene polymorphisms (CYBA, MnSOD, MPO, GPX1 and CAT), oral habits, and dietary antioxidants with the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Design: A total of 381 pathologically proved primary OSCC cases and 598 healthy controls matched for age and sex were recruited between July 2003 and February 2008 in the hospital-based case-control study. Another 200 cancer-free controls frequency matched to 200 case patients on sex, age (¡Ó5 years), and pack-years of betel quid chewing. All subjects were interviewed to collect the data on socio-demographic variables, histories of BQ-chewing, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and dietary antioxidant intake. Then, TaqMan assay were used to identify the genotype of functional or common allele tagging SNPs of each gene. The plasma total antioxidant capacities were measured by colorimetric assay. Results: Higher intakes of vitamin C, vitamin E and lycopene together with gene polymorphisms (SOD2, GPX1, and CYBA) were associated with a decreased risk for OSCC in a trend-related manner. The risk of OSCC associated with CYBA genotype was modified by alcohol (Pinteraction = 0.04). Significant interactions were observed between BQ-chewing and SOD2 V16A (Pinteraction = 0.001), MPO G-463A (Pinteraction = 0.006) and CAT C3261T (Pinteraction = 0.002). GPx1 polymorphism interact with vitamin C and lutein/zeaxanthin to modify the risk of OSCC, respectively (Pinteraction = 0.023 and 0.006). In the combined analysis, a preventive relation appeared with subjects with seven ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ (AOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.36-1.04) and those with three to six ones (AOR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.33-0.94) compared with 8-9 ones in a trend-related manner (Ptrend = 0.042). It showed an interaction effect between BQ-chewing and the combination of antioxidant-oxidant gene polymorphisms with OSCC risk (Pinteraction = 0.001). The dose-dependent protective effect was related to the decreased numbers of ¡§at risk genotypes¡¨ in lower intake of vitamin E (AOR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.27-1.11 for 7 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; AOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.21-0.90 for 3-6 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; Ptrend = 0.035), and in higher intake of vitamin C (AOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.82 for 7 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; AOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12-0.73 for 3-6 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; Ptrend = 0.047) and lycopene (AOR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.20-1.14 for 7 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; AOR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16-0.93 for 3-6 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; Ptrend = 0.049). In stratification of the numbers of ¡§at risk genotypes¡¨ of XRCC1 (XRCC1 R194W, R180H and R399B) for two groups (0-1 and 2-3 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ of XRCC1), the decreased risk of OSCC was observed with the decreasing number of ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ in the antioxidant-oxidant genes (AOR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.14-1.83 for 7 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; AOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.14-0.74 for 3-6 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨; Ptrend = 0.032) among those with 0-1 ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ of XRCC1. Significant interactions between MPO G-463A and alcohol consumption (Pinteraction 0.035), as well as between CYBA and lycopene intake in relation to OSCC risk (Pinteraction 0.036) respectively were found in those matched on BQ-chewing. Different from general population, the significant decreased risk of OSCC was observed among 2-3 ¡§at risk genotypes¡¨ of XRCC1 with less ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ (1-4) in the antioxidant-oxidant genes (AOR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.82). In addition, we observed that subjects with seven to nine ¡§at risk genotype¡¨ had significantly lower TAS level than those with less than 7 (P = 0.024) ones. Conclusion: Antioxidant-oxidant genes and dietary antioxidants play an important role in cancer prevention. Dietary antioxidant intakes, alcohol and BQ-chewing may modify the protective magnitude of antioxidant genes. The synergistic effect of dietary antioxidant intakes and antioxidant-oxidant gene polymorphisms may decrease the impact of smoking, drinking or BQ-chewing on susceptibility to OSCC.

Att Sveriges gymnasielärare också har uppdrag som mentor för sina elever är mycket vanligt. Litteratur och forskning på området belyser komplexiteten i de dubbla rollerna, som dessutom är otydligt beskrivna. Denna konstruktion vilar på en tradition i skolan där klassföreståndarskapet varit föregångare. Då det inte finns formella krav på att undervisande lärare skall ha mentorsrollen, är det anmärkningsvärt att svensk litteratur och forskning inte ifrågasätter denna norm som snarare vilar på tradition än vetenskap. Den här studien beskriver skolor som valt att göra annorlunda, det som kallas avvikande enheter. I vilka avseenden arbetar de annorlunda? Hur trivs personalen med detta annorlunda arbetssätt? Det tydligaste särdraget är att skolorna har heltidsmentorer som inte undervisar eller betygsätter. Studien visar att särdragen hos två av de tre skolorna är fler och djupare än bara heltidsmentorskap. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer har mentorer och lärare fått ge sin bild inifrån av en multiprofessionell skolorganisation och beskriva sin egen upplevelse av denna annorlunda ansvarsfördelning. Studien ger bilden av lärare och mentorer som är tillfreds med sin arbetssituation och som vill utveckla organisationsmodellen ytterligare. En jämn fördelning av ansvarsbördan på personalen tycks vara en avgörande framgångsfaktor, liksom att personalens roller är tydligt beskrivna. Studien visar att samma organisering som ger pedagogerna en känsla av tillräcklighet också avlastar rektorerna. Även om inte utbildningskvalitén undersöks i den här studien, finns tydliga tecken på att kvalitén och inte minst rättssäkerheten gynnas med en multiprofessionell skolorganisation. Organisationsformen är ovanlig och blygsamt beforskad i svenskt skolväsende, intressant nog är den vedertagen inom bland annat vård och rättsväsende sedan länge.

Untersuchung von MPO sowie anti-inflammatorischer HDL Funktionalität bei Patienten mit Vorhofflimmern

The role played by Metropolitan Planning Organizations in regional transportation planning across the United States is steadily growing, and with Congressional reauthorization looming, experts expect that role to further expand. Increasingly, MPOs are looking to land use and transportation planning integration as a logical step to address multiple pressing issues, including congestion and air quality. This report investigates selected regional entities across the nation that are engaging in various efforts to influence land use in addition to transportation facilities. Such efforts are usually referred to as “sustainable development,” “smart growth,” or “livable communities.” Historical investigation, combined with a look at agency structure, politics, and regional growth inform the discussion. Stakeholder interviews from each agency provide a unique perspective of challenges from professional staff themselves. Several trends are identified in best practices. Comprehensive findings are developed in the context of institutions, politics, finances, and technology. Relationships with the state department of transportation, strong leadership and goal establishment, dedicated sources of funding, and innovation in activity center visualization, are found to be key trends in MPOs that are producing successful outcomes in their land use and transportation integration programs. / text

Práce se věnuje podpoře exportu v ČR se zaměřením na Exportní strategii ČR pro období let 2006-2010. Práce rozebírá jednotlivé projekty Exportní strategie a zkoumá stav jejich plnění k počátku roku 2008.

My diploma thesis offers a complex summary of export promotion in the Czech Republic. The main focus is on the Czech proexport policy, the products and services of Czech Export Agencies and it also describes the most important institutions. At the end current problems which need to be dealt are pointed out.

Performance measurement has grown in importance within transportation agencies due to decreased and stipulated funding and federal focus on system performance. A shift has occurred in how transportation planning and decision making historically took place including a rise in prominence of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The public, state and local agencies, and other stakeholders are mutually served by the regional MPO to assure that transportation funding allocation and project selection meet the regional needs and coordinate the transportation planning process to provide a seamless transportation system. The recent Federal transportation funding program MAP-21 establishes performance measures for each MPO in coordination with the State department of transportation (DOT). Small MPOs, those which serve populations of less than 200,000 people, differ vastly from larger MPOs in the amount of funds available and authority to allocate funds as well as the resources that are available to perform a performance measurement program. Small MPOs often lack the resources to identify and use performance measures, even though performance measurement at the MPO level has promoted efficient decision-making in large MPOs. This research strives to find by interviews and surveys of the small Texas MPOs if the use of certain performance measures in small MPOs can be financially upheld with limited resources and budget. This thesis is timely in relation to the MAP-21 performance measurement requirements as it shows that performance measurement is, at this time, difficult to impossible based on small Texas MPOs’ very limited resources. Due to the estimated costs of basic performance measurement programs and the difficulty in quantifying the tangible benefits, the use of performance measurements in small Texas MPOs is unlikely. Small Texas MPOs listed potential performance measurement program benefits such as: project prioritization, funding allocation, and showing the public that professional planning is useful. It was found that any potential benefits of performance measurements are limited when dealing with small communities with fairly obvious transportation problems. The estimated cost of a basic performance measurement program in a small Texas MPO was determined to be around $150,000 per year. This cost exceeded both their abilities to fund a performance measurement program and the perceived benefits of such an effort. This research suggests the following performance measures are most likely to be beneficial when proven cost effective: V/C ratios, travel times, crash rates (safety) and VMT. These measures are often easily accessible and could be beneficial in the long-range planning of a local transportation system. However, fiscal and staffing limitations, along with realities of planning for a small community make the use of performance measures difficult. The results of this study can aid the Secretary of Transportation in understanding the limited technical capacities of small Texas MPOs in regards to performance measurement.

Over the last century, regionalism in American cities has taken many forms and has risen and fallen in popularity and effectiveness. “New Regionalism” is supported by many as the answer to many urban problems, yet it has proven to often be unsuccessful at addressing one of the most difficult of these problems—disjointed and inefficient regional growth and land use patterns. In this report, it is hypothesized that metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) are in such a position as to become coordinators and guiders of regional growth and land use patterns. Literature reviews and an original survey are performed as part of this research. The results show that MPOs can be politically and functionally capable of guiding land use, that tools are available to MPOs to influence land development patterns, and that MPOs are, in fact, beginning to focus on land use planning issues and are using their policies and programs to guide land development patterns and support a regional growth vision. / text

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2015-04-08T22:07:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabella Vargas de Souza Lima.pdf: 9375405 bytes, checksum: a3d913a7254631a76ea5f2fc0da63ddc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-08T22:07:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabella Vargas de Souza Lima.pdf: 9375405 bytes, checksum: a3d913a7254631a76ea5f2fc0da63ddc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / É reconhecida a interface entre a reumatologia, particularmente no que diz respeito às doenças autoimunes, e a infectologia, seja pela hipótese de agentes infecciosos atuando como gatilho das disfunções imunológicas, seja pelo risco infeccioso atribuído aos tratamentos imunossupressores. Adicionalmente, tem sido observada a produção de alguns autoanticorpos no curso de infecções. Por exemplo: em pacientes com tuberculose (TB), foi demonstrada a produção de anticorpos descritos como de alta especificidade para artrite reumatóide (AR) como os anticorpos antipeptídeos citrulinados (ACPAs) e, do mesmo modo, foi demonstrada a presença de anticorpos anticitoplasma de neutrófilos (ANCA) dentre os quais antiproteinase 3 (anti-PR3) e antimieloperoxidase (anti-MPO), que são marcadores de vasculites sistêmicas. Objetivos: a) revisar as publicações sobre positividade dos ACPAs em doenças infecciosas, b) pesquisar a prevalência destes anticorpos assim como do ANCA em uma população de portadores de tuberculose. Métodos: a) inicialmente foi realizada uma revisão sistemática sobre os estudos avaliando a presença de ACPAs em doenças infecciosas; b) posteriormente, um grupo de 50 pacientes com TB pulmonar não tratada ou com até 30 dias do início do tratamento foi avaliado quanto à presença de sintomas reumatológicos e, principalmente, quanto à positividade de anticorpos ACPAs, incluindo antipeptídeo citrulinado cíclico (anti-CCP) e antivimentina citrulinada modificada (anti-MCV) e quanto à positividade de ANCA por imunofluorescência indireta (IFI) e anticorpos anti-PR3 e anti-MPO por enzimaimunoensaio (ELISA). Resultados: a) a revisão sistemática foi publicada e encontra-se apresentada “Revisão de literatura” com o título Antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides in infectious diseases – a systematic review. Clin Rheumatol 2010, Dec 29(12): 1345-51. b) encontrou-se positividade de ACPAs em apenas dois (4%) dos 50 pacientes com TB e não houve positividade de ANCA por IFI ou a presença de anticorpos anti-PR3 ou anti-MPO por ELISA no soro desses pacientes. Estes resultados estão apresentados em dois artigos que foram submetidos para a revista Clinical Rheumatology (Canadá, fator de impacto 2011: 1,996), aguardando o parecer do corpo editorial. As versões submetidas encontram-se na sessão “Artigos”. Conclusões: embora estudos prévios tenham relatado a presença de ACPAs e ANCA em pacientes com TB, no presente estudo a positividade dos ACPAs foi baixa e não foi observada positividade para ANCA, anti-PR3 e anti-MPO, confirmando a alta especificidade destes testes para AR e vasculites sistêmicas, respectivamente.

No description available.