Perinatal and early adulthood factors associated with adiposity

We used body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as fat indicators to assess whether perinatal and early adulthood factors are associated with adiposity in early adulthood. We hypothesized that risk factors differ between men and women and are also different when WC is used for measuring adiposity as opposed to BMI. We conducted a longitudinal study based on a sample of 2,063 adults from the 1978/1979 Ribeirao Preto birth cohort. Adjustment was performed using four sequential multiple linear regression models stratified by sex. Both perinatal and early adulthood variables influenced adulthood BMI and WC. The associations differed between men and women and depending on the measure of abdominal adiposity (BMI or WC). Living with a partner, for both men and women, and high fat and alcohol intake in men were factors that were consistently associated with higher adulthood BMI and WC levels. The differences observed between sexes may point to different lifestyles of men and women, suggesting that prevention policies should consider gender specific strategies.

Pandemic unadjuvanted influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in dermatomyositis and polymyositis: Immunogenicity independent of therapy and no harmful effect in disease

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine on dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) disease parameters and the potential deleterious effect of therapy on immune response. Thirty-seven DM and 21 PM patients (Bohan and Peter's criteria) were gender- and age-matched to 116 healthy controls. Seroprotection, seroconversion, the geometric mean titers (GMTs) and the factor increase (FI) in the GMTs were calculated. Disease safety was determined from a muscle enzyme analysis and the DM/PM scores [patient's visual analog scale (VAS), physician's VAS, manual muscle strength (MMT-8)] evaluated pre- and post-vaccination. The mean age (43.1 +/- 9.9 vs. 43.8 +/- 8.4 years, p = 0.607) and gender distribution (p = 1.00) were comparable between the patients and controls. After 21 days, seroconversion (p = 0.394), seroprotection (p = 0.08), GMT (p = 0.573) and the FI in the GMT (p = 0.496) were similar in both groups. The disease and muscle parameters remained stable throughout the study, including the creatine kinase (p = 0.20) and aldolase levels (p = 0.98), the physicians' VAS (p = 1.00), the patients' VAS (p = 1.00) and the MMT-8 (p = 1.00). Regarding the influence of treatment, the seroconversion rates were comparable between the controls and patients undergoing treatment with glucocorticoid (GC) (p = 0.969), GC >0.5 mg/kg/day (p = 0.395) and GC + immunosuppressors (p = 0.285). Vaccine-related adverse events were mild and similar in the DM/PM and control groups (p > 0.05). Our data support the administration of the pandemic influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccination in DM/PM, as we found no short-term harmful effects related to the disease itself and adequate immunogenicity in spite of therapy. Further studies are necessary to identify any long-term adverse effects in patients with these diseases.(c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exotic B-c-like molecules in QCD sum rules

We use the QCD sum rules to study possible B-c-like molecular states. We consider isoscalar J(P) = 0(+) and J(P) = 1(+) D(*) B(*) molecular currents. We consider the contributions of condensates up to dimension eight and we work at leading order in alpha(s). We obtain for these states masses around 7 GeV. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface roughness and color change of a composite: Influence of beverages and brushing

This study evaluated the influence of beverages and brushing on the surface roughness(SR) and color change(Delta E) of a composite resin. For this, 120-disks(10 mmx2 mm) of composite resin(Filtek-Z250) were prepared and polished. Initials SR(Ra-mu m) and color(CIELab-system) were measured with rugosimeter and spectrophotometer; specimens were divided into four groups(red wine, soft drink, sugar cane spirit, or artificial saliva=control) and three subgroups(without brushing; brushed with Colgate or with Close-Up). Specimens were immersed in the beverage 5x/day, for 5', over 30 day, being two subgroups brushed(120 strokes/day). Color was measured at 15th day, 30th day and after repolishment; SR at 30th day. Delta E-values were statistically different after immersion in the beverages(p<0.05). Red wine promoted the highest alteration, followed by soft drink=sugar cane spirit and finally saliva. At 30th day, specimens exhibited Delta E higher than 15th day; after repolishing, Delta E was similar to 15th day. Beverages and brushing negatively influenced the SR. Therefore, Delta E and SR can be influenced by beverages and brushing.

First measurement of beta decay half-lives in neutron-rich Tl and Bi isotopes

Neutron-rich isotopes around lead, beyond N = 126, have been studied exploiting the fragmentation of an uranium primary beam at the FRS-RISING setup at GSI. For the first time beta-decay half-lives of Bi-219 and Tl-211,Tl-212,Tl-213 isotopes have been derived. The half-lives have been extracted using a numerical simulation developed for experiments in high-background conditions. Comparison with state of the art models used in r-process calculations is given, showing a systematic underestimation of the experimental values, at variance from close-lying nuclei. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of high-surface-area gamma-Al2O3 from aluminum scrap and its use for the adsorption of metals: Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II)

Several types of alumina were synthesized from sodium aluminate (NaAlO2) by precipitation with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and subsequently calcination at 500 degrees C to obtain gamma-Al2O3. The precursor aluminate was derived from aluminum scrap. The various gamma-Al2O3 synthesized were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), adsorption-desorption of N-2 (S-BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD revealed that distinct phases of Al2O3 were formed during thermal treatment. Moreover, it was observed that conditions of synthesis (pH, aging time and temperature) strongly affect the physicochemical properties of the alumina. A high-surface-area alumina (371 m(2) g(-1)) was synthesized under mild conditions, from inexpensive raw materials. These aluminas were tested for the adsorption of Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution at toxic metal concentrations, and isotherms were determined. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.