Fundamentos: As doenças cardiovasculares são, atualmente, as maiores causas de óbito e incapacitação em todo o mundo. Objetivos: Avaliar os efeitos de um programa educativo básico para prevenção cardiovascular em uma população de pacientes ambulatoriais não selecionados. Métodos: Todos os participantes frequentaram um programa educativo de mudança para um estilo de vida saudável. Foram realizadas avaliações à admissão no estudo e durante o acompanhamento. Foram avaliados sintomas, hábitos, parâmetros do ATP III para síndrome metabólica e parâmetros da American Heart Association 2020 para saúde cardiovascular. Resultados: Foram incluídos no estudo 15.073 participantes com idade ≥ 18 anos. Foi feita a análise de dados dos 3.009 pacientes que completaram a segunda avaliação. Foram documentados perda de peso (de 76,6 ± 15,3 para 76,4 ± 15,3 kg, p = 0,002), melhora da dispneia aos esforços graus II-NYHA (de 23,4% para 21,0%) e III (de 15,8% para 14,0%), e redução na proporção de fumantes ativos atuais (de 3,6% para 2,9%, p = 0,002). Houve melhora na proporção de pacientes com níveis de triglicérides > 150 mg/dL (de 46,3% para 42,4%, p < 0,001) e de colesterol LDL > 100 mg/dL (de 69,3% para 65,5%, p < 0,001). Houve melhora ≥ 20% na métrica AHA 2020 no nível classificado como ruim para tabagismo (-21,1%), alimentação (-29,8%), e nível de colesterol (23,6%). Foi documentada grande evasão como indicador substituto para baixa adesão de paciente nas primeiras 5 consultas, sendo 80% entre a primeira e a segunda avaliação, 55,6% entre a segunda e a terceira, 43,6% entre a terceira e a quarta, e 38% entre a quarta e a quinta. Conclusão: Um programa educativo básico e simples pode melhorar os sintomas e fatores de risco cardiovasculares modificáveis, mas conta com pouca adesão por parte dos pacientes.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the current leading causes of death and disability globally. Objective: To assess the effects of a basic educational program for cardiovascular prevention in an unselected outpatient population. Methods: All participants received an educational program to change to a healthy lifestyle. Assessments were conducted at study enrollment and during follow-up. Symptoms, habits, ATP III parameters for metabolic syndrome, and American Heart Association’s 2020 parameters of cardiovascular health were assessed. Results: A total of 15,073 participants aged ≥ 18 years entered the study. Data analysis was conducted in 3,009 patients who completed a second assessment. An improvement in weight (from 76.6 ± 15.3 to 76.4 ± 15.3 kg, p = 0.002), dyspnea on exertion NYHA grade II (from 23.4% to 21.0%) and grade III (from 15.8% to 14.0%) and a decrease in the proportion of current active smokers (from 3.6% to 2.9%, p = 0.002) could be documented. The proportion of patients with levels of triglycerides > 150 mg/dL (from 46.3% to 42.4%, p < 0.001) and LDL cholesterol > 100 mg/dL (from 69.3% to 65.5%, p < 0.001) improved. A ≥ 20% improvement of AHA 2020 metrics at the level graded as poor was found for smoking (-21.1%), diet (-29.8%), and cholesterol level (-23.6%). A large dropout as a surrogate indicator for low patient adherence was documented throughout the first 5 visits, 80% between the first and second assessments, 55.6% between the second and third assessments, 43.6% between the third and fourth assessments, and 38% between the fourth and fifth assessments. Conclusion: A simple, basic educational program may improve symptoms and modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, but shows low patient adherence.

The present study is a revision of our work on evolutionary cytogenetics of the genus Zea, including several new experiments which give a deeper insight into the nature of the DNA sequences involved in telomeric regions of Zea luxurians. These new experiments, based on the Southern blotting technique and in situ hybridization, have demonstrated the following: 1) in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated the presence of the 180-bp repeat maize-knob-repeat-sequence in DAPI-positive terminal heterochromatic blocks of Z. luxurians (ZL-THB region); 2) Southern blot analysis confirmed that the 180-bp repeat present in maize is also present in Z. diploperennis, Z. luxurians and Tripsacum dactyloides, but not in Z. perennis; 3) another sequence with targeted sites for endonucleases, but without recognition sites for the 180-bp repeat, may be interspersed with the 180-bp repeat in a tandem array sited in the ZL-THB region; 4) in situ hybridization (GISH) of probes and blocking-probes with chromosomes of Z. luxurians (using Z. luxurians as a probe and Z. diploperennis or Z. perennis as a blocking-probe) gave strong fluorescence in both cases. Since Z. diploperennis possesses the 180-bp repeat, fluorescence on Z. luxurians chromosomes was not expected. These results can be explained if the ZL-THB regions are composed not only of 180-bp repeats interspersed with other sequences, but also of other tandem arrays unique to Z. luxurians, which, according to our GISH results, are probably located at the subterminal position.