O risco de desenvolver doença cardiovascular (DCV) está relacionado ao estilo de vida (por exemplo, dieta, atividade física e tabagismo), bem como a fatores genéticos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a associação entre fatores de risco cardiovascular e os níveis de danos ao DNA em crianças e adolescentes. Antropometria, dieta e fatores de risco para DCV foram avaliados através de procedimentos padrão. Níveis de danos no DNA foram avaliados através do ensaio cometa (eletroforese de célula única; EC) e do teste de micronúcleos em leucócitos. Um total de 34 crianças e adolescentes, selecionados a partir de uma amostra populacional, foram divididos em três grupos, de acordo com seu nível de risco de DCV. Indivíduos com níveis moderado e alto risco para DCV apresentaram de forma significativa maiores níveis de gordura corporal e de marcadores séricos de risco cardiovascular que indivíduos de baixo risco (P <0,05). Indivíduos de alto risco também mostraram um aumento significativo de danos ao DNA, de acordo com o EC, mas não de acordo com o teste de micronúcleos, do que indivíduos de risco baixo e moderado. A vitamina C consumida foi inversamente correlacionada com os danos ao DNA avaliados pelo EC, e o número de micronúcleos foi inversamente correlacionado com a ingestão de ácido fólico. Os resultados obtidos indicam um aumento de danos no DNA que pode ser consequente do estresse oxidativo em indivíduos jovens com fatores de risco para DCV, indicando que o nível de danos no DNA pode auxiliar na avaliação do risco de DCV.

The risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is related to lifestyle (e.g. diet, physical activity and smoking) as well as to genetic factors. This study aimed at evaluating the association between CVD risk factors and DNA damage levels in children and adolescents. Anthropometry, diet and serum CVD risk factors were evaluated by standard procedures. DNA damage levels were accessed by the comet assay (Single cell gel electrophoresis; SCGE) and cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assays in leukocytes. A total of 34 children and adolescents selected from a population sample were divided into three groups according to their level of CVD risk. Moderate and high CVD risk subjects showed significantly higher body fat and serum CVD risk markers than low risk subjects (P<0.05). High risk subjects also showed a significant increase in DNA damage, which was higher than that provided by low and moderate risk subjects according to SCGE, but not according to the CBMN assay. Vitamin C intake was inversely correlated with DNA damage by SCGE, and micronucleus (MN) was inversely correlated with folate intake. The present results indicate an increase in DNA damage that may be a consequence of oxidative stress in young individuals with risk factors for CVD, indicating that the DNA damage level can aid in evaluating the risk of CVD.

We have shown that the Paramagnetic Meissner Effect (PME) is directly associated with pinning, and not necessarily related to the presence of pi-junctions. Through the study of the magnetic properties of two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays (2D-JJA) in the present work we show that, among the systems exhibiting PME, only those with suffciently low dissipation and high capacitance will show dynamics reentrance. The concept of a critical state and its use in the interpretation of AC magnetization data in terms of a critical current density were introduced to derive the magnetic properties of hard type-II superconductors. In the critical state model proposed by Bean, flux lines penetrate into the sample and, due to the presence of disorder they give rise to a steady flux gradient. Here we show that in 2D-JJA this typical picture is valid only in short-range distances. For long-range distances, the picture of uniform flux fronts, as described by a critical state model, breaks down and the penetration of the magnetic field takes place through the growth of magnetic dendrites. De Gennes originally compared the slope of a pile of vortices to a sand-pile, with the slope being proportional to the local magnitude of the critical current. Dynamical properties of the sand-pile problem have attracted new attention since it consists of a marginally stable system displaying self-organized criticality (SOC). In this case, when a superconductor is in the Bean critical state, the addition of vortices occurs by increasing the external magnetic field. This procedure is analogous to the introduction of new grains to a sand-pile and is expected to produce an avalanche of grains of sand (or, equivalently, vortices) of all sizes to maintain a constant gradient in the grain (or, magnetic ux) density. We show in this work strong evidences pointing out that, for some specific conditions, magnetic field penetrates 2D-JJA in ux avalanches.

Redes de junções Josephson são dispositivos supercondutores com importantes aplicações tanto em tecnologia quanto em ciência básica. Neste artigo mostramos como estes dispositivos funcionam, suas propriedades magnéticas e de transporte, e como através das quais é possível estudar propriedades ainda controversas dos sistemas supercondutores granulares tais como o Efeito Meissner Paramagnético (PME), a Avalanche de Vórtices (VA) e outros efeitos relacionados com a granularidade.

Arrays of Josephson junctions are powerful superconducting devices with both technological and basic applications. In this review article, we describe how these devices work as well as their transport and magnetic properties. We also show how they can be used to explain some of the controversial properties of granular superconducting systems, like Paramagnetic Meissner Effect (PME), Vortex Avalanche (VA) and other granularity-related e ects.