Tecnologías de la información y comunicación en el desarrollo de modelos estocásticos aplicados al sector de la salud / Information and communication technologies in the development of stochastic models applied to the health sector

Un modelo estocástico de simulación permite estudiar y represen tar de manera simplificada el comportamiento de variables complejas en términos de probabilidad. En este contexto, el objetivo de este trabajo es presentar, a través del uso de herramientas de tecnologías de la información y comunicación, la aplicabilidad de modelos y métodos de simulación, en estudios de indicadores dentro del sector de la salud. A través del desarrollo de un caso de estudio, este trabajo demuestra el potencial de las herramientas tecnológicas @Risk y Excel en la construcción de modelos estocásticos que permiten a los profesionales de la salud predecir, monitorizar y dar soporte en la toma de decisiones en el tratamiento y seguimiento de indicadores e índices de una población.

A stochastic simulation model allows to study and represents in a simplified manner the behavior of complex variables in terms of probability. In this context, the objective of this work is to present, through the use of information and communication technology tools, the applicability of simulation models and methods, in studies of indicators within the health sector. Through the development of a case study, this work demonstrates the potential of the @Risk and Excel technological tools in the construction of stochastic models that allow health professionals to predict, monitor and support decision making in the treatment and monitoring of indicators and indices of a population.

Utilidad del oleozón tópico en la gingivitis crónica fibroedematosa / Usefulness of topic Oleozón® in chronic fibro-edematous gingivitis

RESUMEN Introducción: La constante y diversa disponibilidad de nuevos fármacos, nos ofrece opciones alternativas de tratamiento. El oleozón tópico es un medicamento aun en experimento y validación de sus indicaciones. Existen suficientes evidencias de su efecto antimicrobiano y cicatrizante. Objetivo: evaluar la eficacia del oleozón tópico en el tratamiento de la gingivitis crónica fibroedematosa. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio experimental y aleatorizado. El período de estudio fue de septiembre de 2015 a junio de 2017. Se tomó una muestra de 60 pacientes pertenecientes al municipio de Palmira, entre 18 y 35 años, con diagnóstico de gingivitis crónica fibroedematosa que acudieron a los servicios en el período comprendido, luego de cumplir los criterios de inclusión y consentimiento informado, se dividieron de forma aleatorizada simple en dos grupos: estudio y control. Se utilizaron métodos del nivel teórico, histórico- lógico, documental en la revisión bibliográfica y teórica del tema de investigación, inducción - deducción para el análisis de los propósitos y pasos lógicos de la investigación. Resultados: a pesar de no encontrar diferencias significativas entre los grupos de pacientes tratados con oleozón tópico y clohexidina, recomendamos su inclusión en las Guías Prácticas de Estomatología, como tratamiento alternativo de la gingivitis crónica fibroedematosa. Conclusiones: no se encontraron diferencias significativas respecto a la eficacia del oleozón tópico y clohexidina en el tratamiento de la gingivitis crónica fibroedematosa, ambos tratamientos fueron resolutivos por igual en la mayoría de los casos.

ABSTRACT Introduction: the constant and diverse availability of new drugs offers alternative options of treatment. The topic Oleozón® is a drug that is still being tested and validated. There are evidences enough of its antimicrobial and healing effect. Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of topic Oleozón® in the treatment of chronic fibro-edematous gingivitis. Material and method: an experimental randomized study was carried out. The studied period was September 2015-June 2017. The sample were 60 patients living in the municipality of Palmira, aged 18-35 years old, with diagnosis of chronic fibro-edematous gingivitis who assisted the dental services in the before mentioned period and fulfilled the inclusion criteria and gave their informed consent. They were randomly divided into two groups: the study and the control groups. There were used methods of the theoretic, logic-historical and documental level in the bibliographic and theoretical review of the research theme, the induction-deduction method for the analyses of the purposes and logical steps of the research. Results: although there were not found significant differences between the groups of patients treated with topic Oleozón® and clorhexidine, the authors recommend their inclusion in Guias Prácticas de Estomatología as an alternative treatment of the chronic fibro-edematous gingivitis. Conclusions: there were not found significant differences between the groups of patients treated with topic Oleozón® and clorhexidine in the treatment of chronic fibro-edematous gingivitis; both treatments were decisive at the same level in most of the cases.

Lessons and perspectives for applications of stochastic models in biological and cancer research

The effects of randomness, an unavoidable feature of intracellular environments, are observed at higher hierarchical levels of living matter organization, such as cells, tissues, and organisms. Additionally, the many compounds interacting as a well-orchestrated network of reactions increase the difficulties of assessing these systems using only experiments. This limitation indicates that elucidation of the dynamics of biological systems is a complex task that will benefit from the establishment of principles to help describe, categorize, and predict the behavior of these systems. The theoretical machinery already available, or ones to be discovered to help solve biological problems, might play an important role in these processes. Here, we demonstrate the application of theoretical tools by discussing some biological problems that we have approached mathematically: fluctuations in gene expression and cell proliferation in the context of loss of contact inhibition. We discuss the methods that have been employed to provide the reader with a biologically motivated phenomenological perspective of the use of theoretical methods. Finally, we end this review with a discussion of new research perspectives motivated by our results.

Análisis de la eficiencia del gasto sanitario de los países de América Latina y el Caribe / Analysis of health expenditure efficiency in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean

Resumen: Objetivo: Comparar los niveles de eficiencia del gasto sanitario para 25 países de América Latina y el Caribe. Material y métodos: Aplicando la metodología del análisis de frontera estocástica se estiman los índices de eficiencia de los países, utilizando datos de los años 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 y 2012. Se consideran dos variables alternativas de resultado de salud, la esperanza de vida y la mortalidad infantil. Para este último caso, se analizan los determinantes de la ineficiencia. Resultados: La media del nivel de eficiencia de la región considerando la esperanza de vida es mayor que al utilizar la mortalidad infantil. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que los países aún pueden mejorar el uso de los recursos y que orientar una política de gasto hacia programas de inmunización y que garantice que los partos sean atendidos por un personal capacitado es una manera eficiente de salvar la vida de los neonatos.

Abstract: Objective: To compare the efficiency levels of health expenditure in 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Materials and methods: The methodology of stochastic frontier analysis was applied to estimate the efficiency scores of the countries, using data from years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2012. Two output variables were considered, life expectancy at birth and infant mortality. In the latter case, determinants of inefficiency were analyzed. Results: The average efficiency level of the region using life expectancy is higher than when using infant mortality. Conclusions: Results suggest that countries can still improve the use of resources. Guiding the expenditure policy towards immunization programs and ensuring births take place in the presence of trained staff are efficient ways to save neonates.

Inequality of opportunity in health: evidence from Chile

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To assess the possible presence of inequality of opportunities in the health status of Chileans, according to sociodemographic circumstances. METHODS Self-rated health data were used from the Chilean National Health Survey of 2010 to test the hypothesis of strong and weak equality of opportunities in the health status of the Chilean population. These hypotheses were tested using nonparametric techniques and second-order stochastic dominance criteria. RESULTS Robust empirical evidence was obtained, which indicate that the education level of the mother, household socioeconomic status, sex, zone, and region of residence determine opportunities to achieve good health in Chile. CONCLUSIONS Better health status was identified for Chilean adults whenever their mothers had a higher education level, their household income was higher, they were men, or lived in urban areas. The region of residence also affects opportunities to achieve good health in Chile.

Evaluation of a father and son with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia with SETBP1 mutations and a review of the literature

We report the case of a father and son diagnosed with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML). Both patients harbored SETBP1 mutations, which are present in 24.3% of aCML patients. Moreover, both shared the variant encoding p.Pro737His, but the aCML severity was greater in the son because of the presence of two other missense mutations causing p.Asp868Asn and p.Ser885Arg alterations. SETBP1 mutations may be associated with an adverse prognosis, so their detection would help in the diagnosis of aCML and the determination of a patient's prognosis.

Intralabyrinthine Penetrating Ventilation Tube with Preservation of Hearing: An Unusual Clinical Situation

Introduction Traumatic perilymphatic fistula is not a rare event with regards to sport activities or traffic accident. However, iatrogenic damage to the inner ear can occur following the common use of grommets and ventilation tube insertion. Objectives To report an unusual case of insertion of aeration tube into the vestibule trough the stapes footplate. Resumed Report A 62-year-old woman experienced iatrogenic penetration into the vestibule from a ventilation tube inserted for retraction pocket management. The event was misdiagnosed both by the surgeon and by the emergency room physicians, leading to delay in the management. However, preservation of the hearing function lasted for 2 weeks prior to deafness, thanks to the valve of Bast, which preserved the cochlear fluid. Conclusion This case gives us the opportunity to stress the need for systematic clinical examination of traumatic injury to the ear and to recommend performing multiplanar millimetric computed tomography scan with accurate interpretation. Traumatic injuries should be referred to a dedicated traumatic emergency referral center. .

Studies published in indexed journals on lawsuits for medicines in Brazil: a systematic review / Estudios publicados en revistas indexadas acerca de decisiones judiciales para el acceso a los medicamentos en Brasil: una revisión sistemática / Estudos publicados em periódicos indexados sobre decisões judiciais para acesso a medicamentos no Brasil: uma revisão sistemática

The aim of this systematic review was to identify and characterize articles in indexed scientific journals with quantitative data surveys on administrative or legal proceedings for access to medicines. The SciELO, LILACS, MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were used. We identified 45 articles, of which 17 were selected. The larger studies, each covering between 2,000 and 2,927 lawsuits, were done in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina, Brazil. Eleven studies specified the type of legal representation, of which six examined cases with public attorneys and five with private attorneys. Only two studies reported whether the lawsuit was individual or class action, and in both the claims were individual. Since the majority of the medicines requested in the lawsuits were medium to high-cost, the review indicates that lawsuits contributed to the incorporation of these drugs into current pharmaceutical care in Brazil.

El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática fue identificar y caracterizar los artículos disponibles en revistas científicas indexadas en bases de datos electrónicas, que llevaron a cabo un estudio cuantitativo de datos, procedimientos administrativos o judiciales sobre la cuestión del acceso a los medicamentos a través de demandas judiciales. Los estudios fueron localizados en las bases de datos SciELO, LILACS, MEDLINE vía PubMed, Embase, Scopus. Se identificaron 45 artículos, de los cuales se seleccionaron 17. Los estudios que se llevaron a cabo engloban de 2.000 a 2.927 procesos judiciales en São Paulo, Río de Janeiro y Santa Catarina, Brasil. En once estudios se realizaron encuestas a los representantes legales de la acción judicial. En seis estudios predominó la representación pública legal y en cinco abogados privados. Sólo dos estudios examinaron si la acción era individual o colectiva y en los dos hubo prevalencia de acciones individuales. Como la mayoría de los medicamentos estaba involucrada en acciones legales de medio y alto coste, se cree que las demandas han contribuido a la incorporación de fármacos en la política pública actual.

O objetivo desta revisão sistemática foi identificar e caracterizar artigos disponíveis em periódicos científicos indexados em bases eletrônicas, que realizaram levantamento de dados quantitativo, em processos administrativos ou judiciais, sobre a questão do acesso a medicamentos por meio de ações judiciais. Foram usadas as bases de dados SciELO, LILACS, MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase e Scopus. Identificamos 45 artigos, dos quais foram selecionados 17 artigos. Os estudos com faixa de 2.000 a 2.927 processos foram conduzidos em São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro e Santa Catarina, Brasil. Em 11 estudos foram pesquisadas qual a representação jurídica da ação. Em seis estudos predominaram a representação de advogados públicos e em cinco particulares. Somente dois estudos observaram se a ação era coletiva ou individual, sendo que nas duas pesquisas a prevalência era de ações individuais. Como a maioria dos medicamentos envolvidos nas ações é de médio e alto custo, acredita-se que as demandas judiciais tenham contribuído para incorporação de medicamentos nas ações de assistência farmacêutica atuais.

Comparative Study of Three Commonly Used Methods for Hospital Efficiency Analysis in Beijing Tertiary Public Hospitals, China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Tertiary hospitals serve as the medical service center within the region and play an important role in the medical and health service system. They are also the key targets of public hospital reform in the new era in China. Through the reform of health system, the public hospital efficiency has changed remarkably. Therefore, this study aimed to provide some advice for efficiency assessment of public hospitals in China by comparing and analyzing the consistency of results obtained by three commonly used methods for examining hospital efficiency, that is, ratio analysis (RA), stochastic frontier analysis (SFA), and data envelopment analysis (DEA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The theoretical basis, operational processes, and the application status of RA, SFA, and DEA were learned through literature analysis. Then, the empirical analysis was conducted based on measured data from 51 tertiary public hospitals in Beijing from 2009 to 2011.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average values of hospital efficiency calculated by SFA with index screening and principal component analysis (PCA) results and those calculated by DEA with index screening results were relatively stable. The efficiency of specialized hospitals was higher than that of general hospitals and that of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. The results obtained by SFA with index screening results and the results obtained by SFA with PCA results showed a relatively high correlation (r-value in 2009, 2010, and 2011 were 0.869, 0.753, and 0.842, respectively, P < 0.01). The correlation between results obtained by DEA with index screening results and PCA results and results obtained by other methods showed statistical significance, but the correlation between results obtained by DEA with index screening results and PCA results was lower than that between results obtained by SFA with index screening results and PCA results.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>RA is not suitable for multi-index evaluation of hospital efficiency. In the given conditions, SFA is a stable efficiency analysis method. In the evaluation of hospital efficiency, DEA combined with PCA should be adopted with caution due to its poor stability.</p>

Early detection of metabolic and energy disorders by thermal time series stochastic complexity analysis

Maintenance of thermal homeostasis in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) is associated with changes in their thermal balance. The thermodynamic relationship between heat dissipation and energy storage is altered by the ingestion of high-energy diet content. Observation of thermal registers of core temperature behavior, in humans and rodents, permits identification of some characteristics of time series, such as autoreference and stationarity that fit adequately to a stochastic analysis. To identify this change, we used, for the first time, a stochastic autoregressive model, the concepts of which match those associated with physiological systems involved and applied in male HFD rats compared with their appropriate standard food intake age-matched male controls (n=7 per group). By analyzing a recorded temperature time series, we were able to identify when thermal homeostasis would be affected by a new diet. The autoregressive time series model (AR model) was used to predict the occurrence of thermal homeostasis, and this model proved to be very effective in distinguishing such a physiological disorder. Thus, we infer from the results of our study that maximum entropy distribution as a means for stochastic characterization of temperature time series registers may be established as an important and early tool to aid in the diagnosis and prevention of metabolic diseases due to their ability to detect small variations in thermal profile.

The structure of selective dinucleotide interactions and periodicities in D melanogaster mtDNA

BACKGROUND: We found a strong selective 3-sites periodicity of deviations from randomness of the dinucleotide (DN) distribution, where both bases of DN were separated by 1, 2, K sites in prokaryotes and mtDNA. Three main aspects are studied. I) the specific 3 K-sites periodic structure of the 16 DN. II) to discard the possibility that the periodicity was produced by the highly nonrandom interactive association of contiguous bases, by studying the interaction of non-contiguous bases, the first one chosen each I sites and the second chosen J sites downstream. III) the difference between this selective periodicity of association (distance to randomness) of the four bases with the described fixed periodicities of base sequences. RESULTS: I) The 16 pairs presented a consistent periodicity in the strength of association of both bases of the pairs; the most deviated pairs are those where G and C are involved and the least deviated ones are those where A and T are involved. II) we found significant non-random interactions when the first nucleotide is chosen every I sites and the second J sites downstream until I=J=76. III) we showed conclusive differences between these internucleotide association periodicities and sequence periodicities. CONCLUSIONS: This relational selective periodicity is different from sequence periodicities and indicates that any base strongly interacts with the bases of the residual genome; this interaction and periodicity is highly structured and systematic for every pair of bases. This interaction should be destroyed in few generations by recurrent mutation; it is only compatible with the Synthetic Theory of Evolution and agrees with the Wright's adaptive landscape conception and evolution by shifting balanced adaptive peaks.

Efeitos biológicos das radiações ionizantes: acidente radiológico de Goiânia / Biological effects of ionizing radiation: radiological accident in Goiânia

Neste artigo apresentamos as bases da Física das radiações, as fontes naturais e artificiais, os efeitos biológicos, a proteção radiológica. Examinamos também a sequência de eventos que resultou no acidente de Goiânia com uma fonte de césio-137 de um equipamento de radioterapia abandonado e suas terríveis consequências.

Instilación intrauterina de ácido tricloroacético como tratamiento de la hemorragia uterina anormal / Intrauterine trichloroacetic acid instillation as treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding

Objetivo: Demostrar la eficacia de la instilación intrauterina de ácido tricloroacético como método de ablación endometrial para el tratamiento de la hemorragia uterina. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, analítico, comparativo, en 60 pacientes que acudieron a la consulta del Servicio de Ginecología del Hospital Universitario de Caracas entre mayo 2008 y agosto 2009, en quienes se empleó ácido tricloroacético al 95 %, como método de ablación endometrial. Se seleccionaron dos grupos al azar, uno sujeto a la colocación previa de analógos de GnRh y otro control, sin este. Resultados: A los 3 meses del tratamiento, el grupo que recibió acetato de leuprolide presentó eumenorrea en 62,5 % e hipomenorrea en 37,5 %. Ninguna de las pacientes de este grupo presentó hipermenorrea, ni amenorrea. El grupo que no recibió análogos presentó eumenorrea en 50 % de los casos, hipomenorrea en 32,1 % e hipermenorrea en 17,9 %. La tasa de éxito y satisfacción de la paciente, fue de 100 % para el grupo con análogos y de 82,1 % para el control. Estos cambios resultaron estadísticamente significativos (P < 0,05). Conclusión: La instilación intrauterina de ácido tricloroacético es eficaz en el tratamiento de la hemorragia uterina, obteniendo mejores resultados al preparar el endometrio con acetato de leuprolide.

Objective: To demonstrate the efficiency of intrauterine instillation of trichloroacetic acid as a method of endometrial ablation for the treatment of uterine hemorrhage. Methods: This was a prospective, analytical and comparative study performed in 60 patients who came to consultation at the Servicio de Ginecologia del Hospital Universitario de Caracas between May, 2008 and August, 2009, in whom 95 % trichloroacetic acid was used as method of endometrial ablation. Two groups were selected at random, one subject to the previous administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue and another control, without this one. Results: To 3 months of treatment, the group that received leuprolide acetate presented eumenorrhea rates of 62.5 % and hypomenorrhea of 37.5 %. None of the patients of this group presented menorrhagia, not amenorrhea. The group that did not receive analogous presented eumenorrhea in 50 % of the cases, hypomenorrhea in 32.1 % and menorrhagia in 17.9 %. The rate of success and satisfaction of the patient was 100 % for the group with analogous and 82.1 % for the control group. These results turned out to be statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion: Intrauterine instillation of trichloroacetic acid is effective in the treatment of uterine hemorrhage, obtaining better results when leuprolide acetate is used previous the procedure.

Toward pluripotency by reprogramming: mechanisms and application

The somatic epigenome can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state by a combination of transcription factors. Altering cell fate involves transcription factors cooperation, epigenetic reconfiguration, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, posttranscriptional regulation by microRNAs, and so on. Nevertheless, such reprogramming is inefficient. Evidence suggests that during the early stage of reprogramming, the process is stochastic, but by the late stage, it is deterministic. In addition to conventional reprogramming methods, dozens of small molecules have been identified that can functionally replace reprogramming factors and significantly improve induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming. Indeed, iPS cells have been created recently using chemical compounds only. iPSCs are thought to display subtle genetic and epigenetic variability; this variability is not random, but occurs at hotspots across the genome. Here we discuss the progress and current perspectives in the field. Research into the reprogramming process today will pave the way for great advances in regenerative medicine in the future.

Hippocampal-cerebellar involvement in enhancement of performance in word-based BRT with the presence of background noise: an initial fMRI study

Background noise may impose deleterious effects on cognitive processing. However, noise below the threshold level may increase the ability to detect stimuli via stochastic resonance mechanisms (SR). The present study investigates whether task performance is deteriorated or enhanced by 5-dB SNR and, if the task performance is enhanced, whether this facilitation in performance points to a particular neural area that serves to attenuate noise and/or increase effective task performance. The areas of interest are the cerebellum and hippocampus due to their roles in working memory (WM) and their links with attention. Fifteen healthy young Malay adults performed three tasks during fMRI scanning: listening to babble noise (N), WM task in quiet (WMQ), and WM task in noise (WMN). Activated regions during N are bilateral STG and MTG. Both WM tasks produced similar activation in a network of areas in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes. However, the two tasks demonstrated marked differences in the left hippocampus, right posterior cerebellum, and bilateral anterior cerebellum. Moreover, the results obtained from the behavioral task demonstrated that participants responded better in the presence of noise. These results support the hypothesis that the left hippocampus, right posterior cerebellum, and bilateral anterior cerebellum may be involved in attenuating noise and/or increasing attention to task performance, which could be due to SR mechanisms operating in the presence of noise. These results collectively suggest leftward asymmetries during the tasks with the right posterior cerebellum, bilateral anterior cerebellum, and left hippocampus providing compensatory attention processes, at least in the context of this study.

Membrane protein characterization by photoactivatable localization microscopy / 生物工程学报

The on-site labeling and localization tracking of membrane proteins in pathogenic bacteria are tedious work. In order to develop a novel protein labeling technology at super resolution level (nanometer scale) using the photoactivatable localization microscopy (PALM), the chimeric protein of the outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the photoactivatable mEos2m protein were expressed in the non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis. The recombinant bacteria were fixed on slide, activated by 405 nm laser and subject to PALM imaging to capture photons released by the fusion protein. Meanwhile, colony and cell morphology were visualized under regular fluorescent stereomicroscope and upright fluorescent microscope to characterize fluorescence conversion and protein localization. The fusion proteins formed a "belt"-like structure on cell membrane of M. smegmatis under PALM, providing direct evidence of on-site imaging of membrane proteins. Expression of fusion protein did not compromise the localization properties of OmpA. Thus, mEos2m could be used as a labeling probe to track localizations of non-oligomer oriented membrane proteins. This indicates non-pathogenic M. smegmatis could be served as a model strain to characterize the function and localization of the proteins derived from pathogenic M. tuberculosis. This is the first report using PALM to characterize localization of membrane proteins.

Rubéola, soroprevalência de anticorpos em puérperas e recém-nascidos durante a campanha de vacinação de 2008, em Botucatu, Brasil / Rubella: seroprevalence of antibodies among puerperae and newborns during the 2008 vaccination campaign in Botucatu, Brazil

Objetivo: Avaliar o estado sorológico contra rubéola de uma amostra, representativa e randomizada de puérperas e seus filhos durante a campanha de vacinação. Métodos: Estudo transversal de amostr representativa e randomizada de puérperas e recém-nascidos, durante campanha de vacinação e inquérito sobre antecedente de doença e vacinas. Nas crianças, a dosagem em IgG contra rubéola foi repetida aos 9 meses de vida. Resultados: Noventa e duas, puérperas e 51 recém-nascidos foram avaliados. A menor positividade (66,6%), foi encontrada entre as mulheres com menos de 20 anos, e a maior (90,4%), entre as com 30 ou mais anos de idade. Houve forte correlação entre IgG da mãe e do recém-nascido. Entre as mulheres com antecedentes de doença exantemática, os valores médios de IgG foram significativamente maiores. A maioria das mães (62,0%) não sabia informar se tinha recebido vacina anteriormente. Aos nove meses, nenhuma das crianças avaliada apresentou IgG detectável.

Assessing the relationship among physicochemical properties of proteins with respect to hydrophobicity: A case study on AGC kinase superfamily.

Understanding the protein structures is crucial, as it is involved in every cellular activity. Several experimental techniques, such as X-Ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance and electron microscopy are available to gain insight about the structure and function of a protein molecule. Gigantic data on protein structural and sequential information is deposited in various repositories regularly which provide us the scope for more theoretical studies. Hydrophobicity always plays a vital role in tertiary structure formation and behavior of a protein molecule. This study focuses on elucidating influence of several physicochemical properties on hydrophobicity of AGC kinase proteins. AGC kinase superfamily is selected due to its tremendous structural and functional variability and sequence data availability. A combined data mining and stochastic approach confirmed that out of 47 parameters, transmembrane tendency influences the target variable most, followed by percent buried residues, GRAVY (Grand Average Hydropathicity) and aliphatic index. Calculating the influence of different physicochemical parameters and their interrelation will aid tremendously in the future of protein science.

Validación empírica del modelo de formulación clínica por procesos básicos de Castro y Ángel / Empirical validation of Castro and Angel's CLINICAL formulation model by basic process / Validação empírica do modelo de formulação clínica por processos básicos de Castro e Ángel

Esta investigación tuvo como propósito realizar la validación empírica del modelo de formulación clínica por procesos básicos de Castro y Ángel (1998). Se utilizó un diseño cuasi-experimental transeccional, descriptivo y comparativo de tres grupos. Participaron treinta psicólogos divididos en tres grupos según su nivel de formación académica y experiencia clínica (novato, intermedio, experto), a quienes se les entregó la información de un caso clínico y se les solicitó elaborar la formulación de dicho caso con base en el modelo de Castro y Ángel. El nivel de validez empírica se obtuvo calculando el porcentaje de acuerdo de dichas formulaciones con una formulación de referencia, y utilizando un instrumento especialmente diseñado y validado para tal fin. Igualmente, se aplicaron las pruebas H de Kruskal-Wallis y W de Kendall. Se encontró que el modelo, en general, orientó el desarrollo de las formulaciones sin depender, en la mayoría de aspectos, del nivel de experiencia del clínico, lo cual apunta a su validez empírica; sin embargo, los niveles de acuerdo no fueron altos y las diferencias se presentaron en una de las categorías básicas del modelo. Éste es el primer estudio realizado para la validación del modelo de Castro y Ángel; sus resultados permitirán estructurarlo y a su vez sentarán las bases para su validación en futuras investigaciones.

The aim of this research was to carry out the empirical validation of the clinical formulation model founded on basic processes and proposed by Castro and Angel (1998). A quasi-experimental trans-sectional descriptive and comparative design with three groups was used. Participants were thirty psychologists assigned to the three groups according to their academic background and clinical experience (novice, intermediate an expert). They received written information about a clinical case in order to formulate it using Castro and Angel's model. Validity indexes were obtained by calculating the percentage of agreements between the formulations of the three groups and a reference formulation; a special instrument was designed for this purpose. The statistical tests H of Kruskal-Wallis and W of Kendall were also used. Results showed that, in general, the model oriented the development of the formulations in the majority of aspects regardless the clinician's level of experience. This points out the empirical validity of the model; nevertheless, the levels of agreement were not high and the differences lie in one of the model's basic categories. This is the first study aimed at validating Castro and Angel's model; its results will allow the restructuring of that model and in turn will lay the foundations for validating it in future research projects.

Nesta pesquisa validou-se empiricamente o modelo de formulação clínica por processos básicos de Castro e Ángel (1998). Nós usamos um desenho quase-experimental, transversal, descritivo e comparativo de três grupos. Participaram trinta psicólogos divididos em três grupos de acordo com seu nível de formação acadêmica e experiência clínica (iniciante, intermediário e avançado), que receberam informação de um caso clínico e se lhes pediu desenvolver a formulação de esse caso aplicando o modelo de Castro e Angel. O nível de validade empírica foi calculado como a percentagem de concordância dessas formulações com uma formulação de referência, utilizando um instrumento especialmente desenhado e validado para esse fim. Da mesma forma, foram aplicados os testes H de Kruskal-Wallis H e W de Kendall. O modelo geral norteou o desenvolvimento de formulações sem depender, em muitos aspectos, do nível de experiência clínica, o que aponta para a sua validade empírica; no entanto, os níveis de acordo não foram altos. As diferenças ocorreram em uma das categorias básicas do modelo. Este é o primeiro estudo realizado para validar o modelo de Castro e Angel; os resultados ajudarão a estruturá-lo e fornecerão a base para sua validação em pesquisas futuras.