Iodine status, dietary iodine intake and iodized salt in school-aged children in São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal.

OBJECTIVE: School-aged children in São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal, are a population with a long history of iodine deficiency, and a recent governmental program for iodized salt (IS) consumption was implemented. This study investigated urinary iodine concentration (UIC), household and school IS consumption, and iodine-rich food intake in school-aged children. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, spot urine samples and dietary iodine intake were collected. Urinary iodine concentration was evaluated using the fast colorimetric method. Dietary iodine intake was calculated by determining the iodine content of reported food intake using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: The median UIC was 106.7 µg/L, and 55.5% of children had UIC >100 µg/L. Iodized salt was used by 100% of schools and 48.3% of school-aged children's households. Excluding iodine in IS, the median dietary iodine intake was 105.5 µg/d. No significant correlation was found between UIC and dietary iodine intake. Milk and dairy products, with a median intake of 311.1 g/d, provided 81.5 µg iodine/d. Seafood, with a median intake of 30.5 g/d, provided 16.8 µg iodine/d. Dairy product intake was not statistically correlated with UIC (P = 0.567). CONCLUSIONS: School-aged children in São Miguel Island did not have iodine deficiency after the governmental program for IS consumption. Adequate iodine status of school-aged children probably reflects not only an increase in iodine intake, through IS, but also an improvement of food intake patterns. Future studies are needed to ensure the sufficient iodine status of school-aged children in the Azores, and political commitment and efforts are required to prevent the possible reemergence of iodine deficiency.

Vulcano: A new robotic challenge for legged robots.

The Vulcano challenge is a new and innovative robotic challenge for legged robots in a physical and simulated scenario of a volcanic eruption. In this scenario, robots must climb a volcano's escarpment and collect data from areas with high temperatures and toxic gases. This paper presents the main idea behind this challenge, with a detailed description of the simulated and physical scenario of the volcano ramp, the rules proposed for the competition, and the conception of a robot prototype, Vulcano, used in the competition. Finally, it discusses the performance of teams invited to participate in the challenge in the context of Azorean Robotics Open, the Azoresbot 2022. This first test for this challenge provided insights into what the participants found exciting and positive and what they found less positive.

Educational Robotics and Tangible Devices for Promoting Computational Thinking.

Recently, efforts have been made to add programming activities to the curriculum that promote computational thinking and foster 21st-century digital skills. One of the programming modalities is the use of Tangible Programming Languages (TPL), used in activities with 4+ year old children. In this review, we analyze solutions proposed for TPL in different contexts crossing them with non-TPL solutions, like Graphical Programming Languages (GPL). We start to characterize features of language interaction, their use, and what learning activities are associated with them. Then, in a diagram, we show a relation between the complexity of the languages with factors such as target age and output device types. We provide an analysis considering the type of input (e.g., TPL versus GPL) and output devices (e.g., physical robot versus graphical simulation) and evaluate their contribution to further insights about the general trends with respect to educational robotic systems. Finally, we discuss the opportunities to extend and improve TPLs based on the different solutions identified.

The synthesis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy cultures of IL-7, IL-16 and IL-18 is significantly associated with acute rejection in kidney transplants.

BACKGROUND: T-cell activation, the key event in the development of acute allograft rejection, depends on co-stimulatory signals delivered by antigen-presenting cells (APC). APC-derived cytokines may provide co-stimulation and modulate alloimmune reaction. We have studied cytokine synthesis by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) culture and we found significant differences for interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-10, M-CSF and IL-1ra on comparing acute rejection versus stable kidney transplant patients. We report our findings on FNAB cultures synthesis of IL-7, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18 and RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), all potential modulators of anti-graft reaction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Kidney transplants (KTX) treated with CsA-AZA-Pred from the beginning, were divided into four groups. Group I: day 7 post-KTX, stable; II: day 7 post-KTX, 6.5 +/- 5.5 days before acute rejection; III: first day of acute rejection; IV: day 14 post-KTX, stable. Patients from I and IV remained rejection-free for the first 6 months, at least. All rejection episodes were confirmed by classical core renal biopsy. FNAB samples were cultured according to our published methodology and culture supernatants were collected at 48 h and analysed by ELISA for IL-7, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18 and RANTES. RESULTS: Group III synthesized significantly higher amounts of IL-7, IL-16 and IL-18 than stable patients (groups I and IV). RANTES production did not show significant differences among the four groups. We did not find any trace of IL-15. CONCLUSIONS: IL-18 may play the activation role that has been attributed to IL-12 which previously, we did not find to correlate significantly with acute rejection in KTX. IL-16 seems to play an activation role rather than an inhibition of anti-graft reaction. We confirm that RANTES is not significantly associated with acute rejection in KTX.

Cultures of kidney transplant fine-needle aspiration samples from rejection-free patients produce a specific antidonor response suppressive factor.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Growth of T cell lines from kidney graft biopsy specimens that suppress the antidonor response, either directly or through a soluble factor, both specific and nonspecific to donor, has been reported. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy sample cultures synthesize a large array of cytokines/chemokines with significant differences between stable versus acute rejection transplants. We hypothesize that the products of such cultures may be endowed with antidonor response modulation abilities in kidney transplantation. METHODS: From 46 patients, 21 rejection free (group A) and 25 developing 28 acute rejection crises (group B), samples were obtained on days 7 and 30 after transplantation in group A and on day 7 and on acute rejection day in group B. The supernatants obtained after 48 h of culture were studied for IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-4, IL-4 soluble receptor alpha, IL-12, IL-13, IFN-gamma, TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, GM-CSF, and PGE(2) and for their effects on mixed lymphocyte reactions, donor-recipient and recipient-third-party combinations. At the end, analysis by flow cytometry of donor-recipient cultures complemented the analysis done before cultures. RESULTS: Day 7 supernatants from group A specifically and significantly inhibited the antidonor response; supernatants from group B nonspecifically stimulated the antidonor response. The IL-1 receptor antagonist production was significantly higher by day 7 in group A, and the PGE(2) production was significantly higher in group B. Flow cytometry analysis did not disclose significant differences between inhibited versus stimulated antidonor responses. CONCLUSIONS: Cultures of aspiration biopsy samples done early after transplantation in rejection-free patients produce soluble suppression-specific antidonor response factor(s), not present in cultures from biopsy specimens taken before and during rejection. This was associated with IL-1 receptor antagonist synthesis.

Compared to mycophenolate mofetil, rapamycin induces significant changes on growth factors and growth factor receptors in the early days post-kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The new immunosuppressive drug Rapamycin (Rapa) is endowed with a mechanism of action that is distinct from that of calcineurin inhibitors. It has been claimed that Rapa does not significantly modulate either the cytokine expression or the transcription of several growth factors in mitogen-activated T cells. Previously, we reported that fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) sample cultures synthesize a large array of cytokines, and some of them may be powerful predictors of acute rejection in renal transplants. We hypothesized that Rapa may induce significant changes on cytokine production by FNAB sample cultures and on serum cytokine receptors when compared to other immunosuppressive drugs. METHODS: Kidney transplants treated with CsA-Rapa-Pred (Rapa group) were compared with transplants treated with CsA-mycophenolate mofetil-Pred (MMF group). They were studied on day 7 posttransplantation, and they remained rejection free for at least the first 6 months. FNAB samples were cultured and the supernatants were collected at 48 hr of incubation and analyzed by ELISA for interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), soluble tumor necrosis factor I, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1). The soluble receptors for IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, together with IL-2 and IL-18 were also measured in serum. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed when comparing Rapa with the MMF group. IL-18 and TGF-beta(1) synthesis were up-regulated, whereas IL-6 and MCP-1 were down-regulated in FNAB sample cultures. The Rapa group showed a significant down-regulation of each cytokine receptor and of IL-2 in serum. CONCLUSIONS: Rapa was associated with a decreased synthesis of primarily monocyte-derived cytokines and enhanced production of TGF-beta(1), which in an appropriate cytokine milieu may promote allograft tolerance. The down-regulation of cytokine receptors and IL-2 may be associated with a depressed immune response towards the kidney allograft.