The Accuracy of National Body Fat Cutoff Levels in the Prediction of Elevated Blood Pressure among Brazilian Male Adolescents

Objective: To assess viability of the development of percentage body fat cutoffs based on blood pressure values in Brazilian adolescents.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 358 male subjects from 8 to 18 years old. Blood pressure was measured by the oscilometric method, and body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).Results: For the identification of elevated blood pressure, these nationally developed body fat cutoffs presented relative accuracy. The cutoffs were significantly associated with elevated blood pressure [odds ratio = 5.91 (95% confidence interval: 3.54-9.86)].Conclusions: Development of national body fat cutoffs is viable, because presence of high accuracy is an indication of elevated blood pressure.

Nucleation kinetics of crystalline phases from a kaolinitic body used in the processing of red ceramics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of the elevated T-maze as an animal model of anxiety in the mouse

The elevated T-maze has been developed as an animal model of anxiety to generate both conditioned and unconditioned fears in the same rat. This study explores a version of the elevated T-maze fit for mice. Inhibitory (passive) avoidance-conditioned fear-is measured by recording the latency to leave the enclosed arm during three consecutive trials. One-way escape-unconditioned fear-is measured by recording the time to withdraw from open arms. The results showed that mice do not appear to acquire inhibitory avoidance in the standard T-maze, since their latencies to leave enclosed arm did not increase along trials. Nevertheless, the open arms seemed to be aversive for mice, because the latency to leave the enclosed arm after the first trial was lower in a T-maze with the three enclosed arms than in the standard elevated T-maze, In agreement, the exposure of mice to an elevated T-maze without shield, that reduces the perception of openness, increased significantly the latencies to leave the enclosed arm, However, the absence of the shield also increased the time taken to leave the open arms when compared to that recorded in standard T-maze. Systematic observation of behavioral items in the enclosed arm has shown that risk assessment behavior decreases along trials while freezing increases. In the open arms, freezing did not appear to influence the high latency to leave this compartment, since mice spend only about 8% of their time exhibiting this behavior, These results suggest that mice acquire inhibitory avoidance of the open arms by decreasing and increasing time in risk assessment and freezing, respectively, along three consecutive trials, However, one-way escape could not be characterized. Therefore, there are important differences between mice (present results) and rats (previously reported results) in the performance of behavioral tasks in the elevated T-maze. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V.

Third-body perturbation in the case of elliptic orbits for the disturbing body

This work presents a semi-analytical and numerical study of the perturbation caused in a spacecraft by a third-body using a double averaged analytical model with the disturbing function expanded in Legendre polynomials up to the second order. The important reason for this procedure is to eliminate terms due to the short periodic motion of the spacecraft and to show smooth curves for the evolution of the mean orbital elements for a long-time period. The aim of this study is to calculate the effect of lunar perturbations on the orbits of spacecrafts that are traveling around the Earth. An analysis of the stability of near-circular orbits is made, and a study to know under which conditions this orbit remains near circular completes this analysis. A study of the equatorial orbits is also performed. Copyright (C) 2008 R. C. Domingos et al.

Effects of polymorphic microsatellites in the regulatory region of IGF1 and GHR on growth and carcass traits in beef cattle

Growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGF1 and IGF2) and their associated binding proteins and transmembrane receptors (GHR, IGF1R and IGF2R) play an important role in the physiology of mammalian growth. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the allele and genotype frequencies of microsatellite markers located in the 5'-regulatory region of the IGF1 and GHR genes in beef cattle belonging to different genetic groups and to determine effects of these markers on growth and carcass traits in these animals under an intensive production system. For this purpose, genotyping was performed on 384 bulls including 79 Nellore, 30 Canchim (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 Zebu) and 275 crossbred animals originating from crosses of Simmental (1/2 Simmental, n = 30) and Angus (1/2 Angus, n = 245) sires with Nellore females. The effects of substituting L allele for S allele of GHR microsatellite across Nellore, Canchim and 1/2 Angus were significant for weight gain and body weight (P < 0.05). The IGF1 microsatellite allele substitutions of 229 for 225 within Nellore group and of 225 for 229 within 1/2 Angus were not significant for any of the traits.

Addition of propolis or monensin in the diet: Behavior and productivity of lambs in feedlot

This study assessed the behavior and the productive performance of lambs finished in feedlot receiving diets added with green propolis, brown propolis or monensin sodium. The experiment used a randomized block design that compared weight gain of 32 male lambs aged four months among four dietary treatments: (1) control, non-enriched diet; (2) with green propolis; (3) with brown propolis; and (4) with monensin sodium. The basic diet provided to all the groups was a total mixed ration (TMR) with a forage:concentrate ratio of 50:50, in which Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) grass was used as roughage feed and the concentrate was based on soybean meal, corn meal and minerals. The green propolis diet decreased rumination and increased resting time. The diets provided similar feeding rate (g/min). DM and aNDF intake (g/kg of body weight and g/kg of metabolic weight) were higher in the control treatment. Although the control group had the highest weight gain, the highest feed conversion and feed efficiency were found in lambs fed brown propolis and monensin sodium. Technically, brown propolis can substitute monensin sodium as a dietary additive for feedlot lambs. However, complementary studies are needed to identify the best levels of brown propolis to add to these diets. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lesions of the lateral hypothalamus impair pilocarpine-induced salivation in rats

In the present study we investigated the effects of electrolytic lesions of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) in the salivation induced by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the cholinergic agonist pilocarpine. Rats with sham or LH lesions and stainless steel cannulas implanted into the lateral ventricle (LV) were used. In rats anesthetized with urethane (1.25 mg/kg of body weight) saliva was collected using pre-weighed cotton balls inserted in the animal mouth during a period of 7 min following i.c.v. or i.p. injection of pilocarpine. Injection of pilocarpine (1 mg/kg of body weight) i.p. in sham-operated rats (6 h, 2, 7, and 15 days after the surgery) induced salivation (497+/-24, 452+/-26, 476+/-30, and 560+/-75 mg/7 min, respectively). The effects of i.p. pilocarpine was reduced 6 h, 2 and 7 days after LH lesions (162+/-37, 190+/-32, and 229+/-27mg/7 min, respectively), not 15 days after LH lesions (416+/-89mg/7 min). Injection of pilocarpine (120 mug/mul) i.c.v., in sham-operated rats (6 h, 2, 7, and 15 days after the surgery) also produced salivation (473 20, 382 16, 396 14, and 427 47 mg/7 min, respectively). The salivation induced by i.c.v. pilocarpine was also reduced 6 h, 2 and 7 days after LH lesions (243+/-19, 278+/-24, and 295+/-27 mg/7 min, respectively), not 15 days after LH lesions (385 48 mg/7 min). The present results show the participation of the LH in the salivation induced by central or peripheral injection of pilocarpine in rats, reinforcing the involvement of central mechanisms on pilocarpine-induced salivation. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Activation of alpha(2)-adrenoceptors in the lateral hypothalamus reduces pilocarpine-induced salivation in rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Culture-dependent and culture-independent characterization of microorganisms associated with Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) (L.) and dynamics of bacterial colonization in the midgut

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible subsequent to a 20-year-old work-related accident

The purpose of this article was to describe the clinical and microscopic features of an intraosseous foreign-body granuloma in the mandible that developed after the traumatic implantation of metal fragments during a work-related accident. A 65-year-old male patient had a severe pain in the body of mandible. Clinical examination showed facial asymmetry and a scar, extending to the left mental region. Intraoral examination revealed a soft mass involving the left alveolar bone with normal appearance of the mucosa surface. Panoramic radiographs showed a radiolucent lesion along the mandible extending from the central incisive to the first molar. Computed tomography revealed an osteolytic mass in the same area. His medical history included a work-related accident twenty years prior to evaluation. During the biopsy an important amount of bright metal-like pieces surrounded by soft tissue were found. A microscopic examination showed a foreign body associated with an aggregation of multinucleated giant cells. The final diagnosis was a foreign body granuloma. Even though foreign-body granulomas in the mandible are rare lesions, dentists should be familiar with their features and include them in the differential diagnosis of tissue masses.

Influence of TNF-alpha blockers on the oral prevalence of opportunistic microorganisms in ankylosing spondylitis patients

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fluorescence spectroscopy for the detection of tongue carcinoma - validation in an animal model

The efficacy of fluorescence spectroscopy to detect squamous cell carcinoma is evaluated in an animal model following laser excitation at 442 and 532 nm. Lesions are chemically induced with a topical DMBA application at the left lateral tongue of Golden Syrian hamsters. The animals are investigated every 2 weeks after the 4th week of induction until a total of 26 weeks. The right lateral tongue of each animal is considered as a control site (normal contralateral tissue) and the induced lesions are analyzed as a set of points covering the entire clinically detectable area. Based on fluorescence spectral differences, four indices are determined to discriminate normal and carcinoma tissues, based on intraspectral analysis. The spectral data are also analyzed using a multivariate data analysis and the results are compared with histology as the diagnostic gold standard. The best result achieved is for blue excitation using the KNN (K-nearest neighbor, a interspectral analysis) algorithm with a sensitivity of 95.7% and a specificity of 91.6%. These high indices indicate that fluorescence spectroscopy may constitute a fast noninvasive auxiliary tool for diagnostic of cancer within the oral cavity. (C) 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.