Correlation of photodynamic activity and singlet oxygen quantum yields in two series of hydrophobic monocationic porphyrins

The photodynamic properties of eight hydrophobic monocationic methyl and ruthenium polypyridine complex derivatives of free-base and zinc(II) meso-triphenyl-monopyridylporphyrin series were evaluated and compared using HeLa cells as model. The cream-like polymeric nanocapsule formulations of marine atelocollagen/xanthan gum, prepared by the coacervation method, exhibited high phototoxicity but negligible cytotoxicity in the dark. Interestingly, the formulations of a given series presented similar photodynamic activities but the methylated free-base derivatives were significantly more phototoxic than the respective ruthenated photosensitizers, reflecting the higher photoinduced singlet oxygen quantum yields of those monocationic porphyrin dyes.

Intraoperative ultrasonography for presumed brain metastases: a case series study

Brain metastases (BM) are one of the most common intracranial tumors and surgical treatment can improve both the functional outcomes and patient survival, particularly when systemic disease is controlled. Image-guided BM resection using intraoperative exams, such as intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS), can lead to better surgical results. Methods: To evaluate the use of IOUS for BM resection, 20 consecutives patients were operated using IOUS to locate tumors, identify their anatomical relationships and surgical cavity after resection. Technical difficulties, complications, recurrence and survival rates were noted. Results: IOUS proved effective for locating, determining borders and defining the anatomical relationships of BM, as well as to identify incomplete tumor resection. No complications related to IOUS were seen. Conclusion: IOUS is a practical supporting method for the resection of BM, but further studies comparing this method with other intraoperative exams are needed to evaluate its actual contribution and reliability.

Homicide and public security indicator trends in the city of Sao Paulo between 1996 and 2008: a time-series ecological study

The scope of this paper was to analyze the association between homicides and public security indicators in Sao Paulo between 1996 and 2008, after monitoring the unemployment rate and the proportion of youths in the population. A time-series ecological study for 1996 and 2008 was conducted with Sao Paulo as the unit of analysis. Dependent variable: number of deaths by homicide per year. Main independent variables: arrest-incarceration rate, access to firearms, police activity. Data analysis was conducted using Stata. IC 10.0 software. Simple and multivariate negative binomial regression models were created. Deaths by homicide and arrest-incarceration, as well as police activity were significantly associated in simple regression analysis. Access to firearms was not significantly associated to the reduction in the number of deaths by homicide (p>0,05). After adjustment, the associations with both the public security indicators were not significant. In Sao Paulo the role of public security indicators are less important as explanatory factors for a reduction in homicide rates, after adjustment for unemployment rate and a reduction in the proportion of youths. The results reinforce the importance of socioeconomic and demographic factors for a change in the public security scenario in Sao Paulo.

Homogeneity assessment of a station climate series (1933-2005) in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo: instruments change and urbanization effects

This work assessed homogeneity of the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences (IAG) weather station climate series, using various statistical techniques. The record from this target station is one of the longest in Brazil, having commenced in 1933 with observations of precipitation, and temperatures and other variables later in 1936. Thus, it is one of the few stations in Brazil with enough data for long-term climate variability and climate change studies. There is, however, a possibility that its data may have been contaminated by some artifacts over time. Admittedly, there was an intervention on the observations in 1958, with the replacement of instruments, for which the size of impact has not been yet evaluated. The station transformed in the course of time from rural to urban, and this may also have influenced homogeneity of the observations and makes the station less representative for climate studies over larger spatial scales. Homogeneity of the target station was assessed applying both absolute, or single station tests, and tests relatively to regional climate, in annual scale, regarding daily precipitation, relative humidity, maximum (TMax), minimum (TMin), and wet bulb temperatures. Among these quantities, only precipitation does not exhibit any inhomogeneity. A clear signal of change of instruments in 1958 was detected in the TMax and relative humidity data, the latter certainly because of its strong dependence on temperature. This signal is not very clear in TMin, but it presents non-climatic discontinuities around 1953 and around 1970. A significant homogeneity break is found around 1990 for TMax and wet bulb temperature. The discontinuities detected after 1958 may have been caused by urbanization, as the observed warming trend in the station is considerably greater than that corresponding to regional climate.

Maximum Series-Parallel Subgraph

Consider the NP-hard problem of, given a simple graph G, to find a series-parallel subgraph of G with the maximum number of edges. The algorithm that, given a connected graph G, outputs a spanning tree of G, is a 1/2-approximation. Indeed, if n is the number of vertices in G, any spanning tree in G has n-1 edges and any series-parallel graph on n vertices has at most 2n-3 edges. We present a 7/12 -approximation for this problem and results showing the limits of our approach.

Effectiveness of Piezoelectric Surgery in Preparing the Lateral Window for Maxillary Sinus Augmentation in Patients with Sinus Anatomical Variations: A Case Series

Purpose: The present article sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a piezoelectric surgical unit for maxillary sinus augmentation surgeries in avoiding perforation of the sinus membrane and other possible procedural complications in patients with anatomical variations of the sinus. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients presenting sinus anatomical variations, who were indicated for a total of 40 sinus grafting procedures performed by the lateral window approach with a piezoelectric device, were analyzed. After 6 months of healing, implants were placed. Information collected included clinical and computed tomographic information on anatomical variations in the sinus bone walls, in the size of the sinus, and in the thickness of the sinus membrane. Occurrence of sinus membrane perforation and computed tomographic measurements of the amount of bone height gained with the grafting procedures were also recorded. Results: Only two patients presented a small perforation (less than 5 mm in diameter) of the sinus membrane, which occurred only after osteotomies of the lateral windows and did not compromise the surgical outcome. No implants were lost during a mean follow-up period of 19 months. Conclusion: The use of piezoelectric surgery allowed for the accomplishment of all rehabilitation treatments within the follow-up period of this study. INT J ORAL MAXILLOFAC IMPLANTS 2012;27:1211-1215

Gender characterization in a large series of Brazilian patients with spondyloarthritis

An increasing number of women have been diagnosed with spondyloarthritis (SpA) in recent decades. While a few studies have analyzed gender as a prognostic factor of the disease, no studies have addressed this matter with a large number of patients in South America, which is a peculiar region due to its genetic heterogeneity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of gender on disease patterns in a large cohort of Brazilian patients with SpA. A prospective study was carried out involving 1,505 patients [1,090 males (72.4%) and 415 females (27.6%)] classified as SpA according to the European Spondyloarthropaties Study Group criteria who attended at 29 reference centers for rheumatology in Brazil. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded and the following disease indices were administered: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiologic Index (BASRI), Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score (MASES), and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL). Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was the most frequent disease in the group (65.4%), followed by psoriatic arthritis (18.4%), undifferentiated SpA (6.7%), reactive arthritis (3.3%), arthritis associated to inflammatory bowel disease (3.2%), and juvenile SpA (2.9%). The male-to-female ratio was 2.6:1 for the whole group and 3.6:1 for AS. The females were older (p<0.001) and reported shorter disease duration (p=0.002) than the male patients. The female gender was positively associated to peripheral SpA (p<0.001), upper limb arthritis (p<0.001), dactylitis (p=0.011), psoriasis (p<0.001), nail involvement (p<0.001), and family history of SpA (p=0.045) and negatively associated to pure axial involvement (p< 0.001), lumbar inflammatory pain (p=0.042), radiographic sacroiliitis (p<0.001), and positive HLA-B27 (p=0.001). The number of painful (p<0.001) and swollen (p=0.006) joints was significantly higher in the female gender, who also achieved higher BASDAI (p<0.001), BASFI (p=0.073, trend), MASES (p=0.019), ASQoL (p=0.014), and patient's global assessment (p=0.003) scores, whereas the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (p<0.001) and biological agents (p=0.003) was less frequent in the female gender. Moreover, BASRI values were significantly lower in females (p<0.001). The female gender comprised one third of SpA patients in this large cohort and exhibited more significant peripheral involvement and less functional disability, despite higher values in disease indices.

Evaluation of physiologic complexity in time series using generalized sample entropy and surrogate data analysis

Complexity in time series is an intriguing feature of living dynamical systems, with potential use for identification of system state. Although various methods have been proposed for measuring physiologic complexity, uncorrelated time series are often assigned high values of complexity, errouneously classifying them as a complex physiological signals. Here, we propose and discuss a method for complex system analysis based on generalized statistical formalism and surrogate time series. Sample entropy (SampEn) was rewritten inspired in Tsallis generalized entropy, as function of q parameter (qSampEn). qSDiff curves were calculated, which consist of differences between original and surrogate series qSampEn. We evaluated qSDiff for 125 real heart rate variability (HRV) dynamics, divided into groups of 70 healthy, 44 congestive heart failure (CHF), and 11 atrial fibrillation (AF) subjects, and for simulated series of stochastic and chaotic process. The evaluations showed that, for nonperiodic signals, qSDiff curves have a maximum point (qSDiff(max)) for q not equal 1. Values of q where the maximum point occurs and where qSDiff is zero were also evaluated. Only qSDiff(max) values were capable of distinguish HRV groups (p-values 5.10 x 10(-3); 1.11 x 10(-7), and 5.50 x 10(-7) for healthy vs. CHF, healthy vs. AF, and CHF vs. AF, respectively), consistently with the concept of physiologic complexity, and suggests a potential use for chaotic system analysis. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4758815]

How large is the lung recruitability in early acute respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective case series of patients monitored by computed tomography

Introduction: The benefits of higher positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been modest, but few studies have fully tested the "open-lung hypothesis". This hypothesis states that most of the collapsed lung tissue observed in ARDS can be reversed at an acceptable clinical cost, potentially resulting in better lung protection, but requiring more intensive maneuvers. The short-/middle-term efficacy of a maximum recruitment strategy (MRS) was recently described in a small physiological study. The present study extends those results, describing a case-series of non-selected patients with early, severe ARDS submitted to MRS and followed until hospital discharge or death. Methods: MRS guided by thoracic computed tomography (CT) included two parts: a recruitment phase to calculate opening pressures (incremental steps under pressure-controlled ventilation up to maximum inspiratory pressures of 60 cmH(2)O, at constant driving-pressures of 15 cmH(2)O); and a PEEP titration phase (decremental PEEP steps from 25 to 10 cmH2O) used to estimate the minimum PEEP to keep lungs open. During all steps, we calculated the size of the non-aerated (-100 to +100 HU) compartment and the recruitability of the lungs (the percent mass of collapsed tissue re-aerated from baseline to maximum PEEP). Results: A total of 51 severe ARDS patients, with a mean age of 50.7 years (84% primary ARDS) was studied. The opening plateau-pressure was 59.6 (+/- 5.9 cmH(2)O), and the mean PEEP titrated after MRS was 24.6 (+/- 2.9 cmH(2)O). Mean PaO2/FiO(2) ratio increased from 125 (+/- 43) to 300 (+/- 103; P < 0.0001) after MRS and was sustained above 300 throughout seven days. Non-aerated parenchyma decreased significantly from 53.6% (interquartile range (IQR): 42.5 to 62.4) to 12.7% (IQR: 4.9 to 24.2) (P < 0.0001) after MRS. The potentially recruitable lung was estimated at 45% (IQR: 25 to 53). We did not observe major barotrauma or significant clinical complications associated with the maneuver. Conclusions: MRS could efficiently reverse hypoxemia and most of the collapsed lung tissue during the course of ARDS, compatible with a high lung recruitability in non-selected patients with early, severe ARDS. This strategy should be tested in a prospective randomized clinical trial.

Calibration of a Species-Specific Spectral Vegetation Index for Leaf Area Index (LAI) Monitoring: Example with MODIS Reflectance Time-Series on Eucalyptus Plantations

The leaf area index (LAI) is a key characteristic of forest ecosystems. Estimations of LAI from satellite images generally rely on spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) or radiative transfer model (RTM) inversions. We have developed a new and precise method suitable for practical application, consisting of building a species-specific SVI that is best-suited to both sensor and vegetation characteristics. Such an SVI requires calibration on a large number of representative vegetation conditions. We developed a two-step approach: (1) estimation of LAI on a subset of satellite data through RTM inversion; and (2) the calibration of a vegetation index on these estimated LAI. We applied this methodology to Eucalyptus plantations which have highly variable LAI in time and space. Previous results showed that an RTM inversion of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) near-infrared and red reflectance allowed good retrieval performance (R-2 = 0.80, RMSE = 0.41), but was computationally difficult. Here, the RTM results were used to calibrate a dedicated vegetation index (called "EucVI") which gave similar LAI retrieval results but in a simpler way. The R-2 of the regression between measured and EucVI-simulated LAI values on a validation dataset was 0.68, and the RMSE was 0.49. The additional use of stand age and day of year in the SVI equation slightly increased the performance of the index (R-2 = 0.77 and RMSE = 0.41). This simple index opens the way to an easily applicable retrieval of Eucalyptus LAI from MODIS data, which could be used in an operational way.

Analysis of NDVI time series using cross-correlation and forecasting methods for monitoring sugarcane fields in Brazil

Brazil is the largest sugarcane producer in the world and has a privileged position to attend to national and international market places. To maintain the high production of sugarcane, it is fundamental to improve the forecasting models of crop seasons through the use of alternative technologies, such as remote sensing. Thus, the main purpose of this article is to assess the results of two different statistical forecasting methods applied to an agroclimatic index (the water requirement satisfaction index; WRSI) and the sugarcane spectral response (normalized difference vegetation index; NDVI) registered on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) satellite images. We also evaluated the cross-correlation between these two indexes. According to the results obtained, there are meaningful correlations between NDVI and WRSI with time lags. Additionally, the adjusted model for NDVI presented more accurate results than the forecasting models for WRSI. Finally, the analyses indicate that NDVI is more predictable due to its seasonality and the WRSI values are more variable making it difficult to forecast.

Stochastic simulation of time-series models combined with geostatistics to predict water-table scenarios in a Guarani Aquifer System outcrop area, Brazil

Stochastic methods based on time-series modeling combined with geostatistics can be useful tools to describe the variability of water-table levels in time and space and to account for uncertainty. Monitoring water-level networks can give information about the dynamic of the aquifer domain in both dimensions. Time-series modeling is an elegant way to treat monitoring data without the complexity of physical mechanistic models. Time-series model predictions can be interpolated spatially, with the spatial differences in water-table dynamics determined by the spatial variation in the system properties and the temporal variation driven by the dynamics of the inputs into the system. An integration of stochastic methods is presented, based on time-series modeling and geostatistics as a framework to predict water levels for decision making in groundwater management and land-use planning. The methodology is applied in a case study in a Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) outcrop area located in the southeastern part of Brazil. Communication of results in a clear and understandable form, via simulated scenarios, is discussed as an alternative, when translating scientific knowledge into applications of stochastic hydrogeology in large aquifers with limited monitoring network coverage like the GAS.

E series prostaglandins alter the proliferative, apoptotic and migratory properties of T98G human glioma cells in vitro

Background: In many types of cancer, prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) is associated with tumour related processes including proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and apoptosis. However in gliomas the role of this prostanoid is poorly understood. Here, we report on the proliferative, migratory, and apoptotic effects of PGE(1), PGE(2) and Ibuprofen (IBP) observed in the T98G human glioma cell line in vitro. Methods: T98G human glioma cells were treated with IBP, PGE(1) or PGE(2) at varying concentrations for 24-72 hours. Cell proliferation, mitotic index and apoptotic index were determined for each treatment. Caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity was measured using fluorescent probes in live cells (FITC-LEHD-FMK and FITC-DEVD-FMK respectively). The migratory capacity of the cells was quantified using a scratch migration assay and a transwell migration assay. Results: A significant decrease was seen in cell number (54%) in the presence of 50 mu M IBP. Mitotic index and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation were also decreased 57% and 65%, respectively, by IBP. The apoptotic index was increased (167%) and the in situ activity of caspase-9 and caspase-3 was evident in IBP treated cells. The inhibition of COX activity by IBP also caused a significant inhibition of cell migration in the monolayer scratch assay (74%) and the transwell migration assay (36%). In contrast, the presence of exogenous PGE(1) or PGE(2) caused significant increases in cell number (37% PGE(1) and 45% PGE(2)). When mitotic index was measured no change was found for either PG treatment. However, the BrdU incorporation rate was significantly increased by PGE(1) (62%) and to a greater extent by PGE(2) (100%). The apoptotic index was unchanged by exogenous PGs. The addition of exogenous PGs caused an increase in cell migration in the monolayer scratch assay (43% PGE(1) and 44% PGE(2)) and the transwell migration assay (28% PGE(1) and 68% PGE(2)). Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that treatments which alter PGE(1) and PGE(2) metabolism influence the proliferative and apoptotic indices of T98G glioma cells. The migratory capacity of the cells was also significantly affected by the change in prostaglandin metabolism. Modifying PG metabolism remains an interesting target for future studies in gliomas.

Hybrid Water Demand Forecasting Model Associating Artificial Neural Network with Fourier Series

This paper addressed the problem of water-demand forecasting for real-time operation of water supply systems. The present study was conducted to identify the best fit model using hourly consumption data from the water supply system of Araraquara, Sa approximate to o Paulo, Brazil. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used in view of their enhanced capability to match or even improve on the regression model forecasts. The ANNs used were the multilayer perceptron with the back-propagation algorithm (MLP-BP), the dynamic neural network (DAN2), and two hybrid ANNs. The hybrid models used the error produced by the Fourier series forecasting as input to the MLP-BP and DAN2, called ANN-H and DAN2-H, respectively. The tested inputs for the neural network were selected literature and correlation analysis. The results from the hybrid models were promising, DAN2 performing better than the tested MLP-BP models. DAN2-H, identified as the best model, produced a mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.3 L/s and 2.8 L/s for training and test set, respectively, for the prediction of the next hour, which represented about 12% of the average consumption. The best forecasting model for the next 24 hours was again DAN2-H, which outperformed other compared models, and produced a MAE of 3.1 L/s and 3.0 L/s for training and test set respectively, which represented about 12% of average consumption. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000177. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy in Children for Neuroblastoma: Report of Case Series

Background: Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors in the pediatric population and the adrenal gland is the main abdominal site of this tumor. The laparoscopic approach has become the standard of care for most benign adrenal tumors in adults, but the role of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in children for malignant tumor is still a point of controversy. However, there is a growing experience with laparoscopic neuroblastoma resection of small lesions and the use of minimally invasive techniques for the initial management of infiltrative neuroblastoma in the last years. The aim of this study is to describe our initial experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy for neuroblastoma in children, based on surgical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review of 7 laparoscopic adrenalectomies performed in a single institution between October 2008 and October 2009. We focused our analysis on early surgical outcomes. Results: The mean tumoral size was 2.8 +/- 0.9 cm, the average surgical time was 38.6 +/- 65.5 minutes, and the mean hospital stay was 2.9 +/- 1.6 days. One stage IV patient was submitted to conversion due to bleeding and needed blood transfusion. There were no late complications or deaths and the mean follow-up time was 18.8 +/- 6.1 months. Conclusions: The laparoscopic approach for adrenal neuroblastoma resection is feasible in children with good outcomes, but should be reserved to patients with small, well-circumscribed adrenal lesions, without invasive or infiltrative disease.