Correlates of change in self-perceived oral health among older adults in Brazil Findings from the Health, Well-Being and Aging Study

Background. Identifying changes in the oral health status of older populations, and their predictors and explanations, is necessary for public health planning. The authors assessed patterns of change in oral health-related quality of life in a large cohort of older adults in Brazil during a five-year period and evaluated associations between baseline characteristics and those changes. Methods. The sample consisted of 747 older people enrolled in a Brazilian cohort study called the Health, Well-Being and Aging (Saude, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento [SABE]) Study. Trained examiners measured participants' self-perceived oral health by using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). The authors calculated changes in the overall GOHAI score and in the scores for each of the GOHAI's three dimensions individually by subtracting the baseline score from the score at follow-up. A positive difference indicated improvement in oral health, a negative difference indicated a decline and a difference of zero indicated no change. Results. The authors found that 48.56 percent of the participants experienced a decline in oral health and 33.48 percent experienced an improvement. Participants with 16 or more missing teeth and eight or more years of education were more likely to have an improvement in total GOHAI score. Deterioration was more likely to occur among those with two or more diseases. Improvement and decline in GOHAI functional scores were related to the number of missing teeth. The authors found no significant model for the change in the psychosocial score, and Self-rated general health was the only variable related to both improvement and decline in pain or discomfort scores. Conclusions. The authors observed a bidirectional change in self-perceived oral health, with deterioration predominating. The strongest predictor of improvement in the total GOHAI score was the number of missing teeth, whereas the number of diseases was the strongest predictor of deterioration. Clinical Implications. Dental professionals and policymakers need to know the directions of change in older adults' oral health to establish treatment priorities and evaluate the impact of services directed at this population.

Accurate ab initio potential energy surfaces for the (3)A '' and (3)A ' electronic states of the O(P-3) plus HBr system

In this work, we report the construction of potential energy surfaces for the (3)A '' and (3)A' states of the system O(P-3) + HBr. These surfaces are based on extensive ab initio calculations employing the MRCI+Q/CBS+SO level of theory. The complete basis set energies were estimated from extrapolation of MRCI+Q/aug-cc-VnZ(-PP) (n = Q, 5) results and corrections due to spin-orbit effects obtained at the CASSCF/aug-cc-pVTZ(-PP) level of theory. These energies, calculated over a region of the configuration space relevant to the study of the reaction O(P-3) + HBr -> OH + Br, were used to generate functions based on the many-body expansion. The three-body potentials were interpolated using the reproducing kernel Hilbert space method. The resulting surface for the (3)A '' electronic state contains van der Waals minima on the entrance and exit channels and a transition state 6.55 kcal/mol higher than the reactants. This barrier height was then scaled to reproduce the value of 5.01 kcal/mol, which was estimated from coupled cluster benchmark calculations performed to include high-order and core-valence correlation, as well as scalar relativistic effects. The (3)A' surface was also scaled, based on the fact that in the collinear saddle point geometry these two electronic states are degenerate. The vibrationally adiabatic barrier heights are 3.44 kcal/mol for the (3)A '' and 4.16 kcal/mol for the (3)A' state. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4705428]

Mycobiota and mycotoxins in Brazil nut samples from different states of the Brazilian Amazon region

The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of fungi and mycotoxins (aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic acid) in Brazil nut samples collected in different states of the Brazilian Amazon region: Acre, Amazonas, Amapa, and Para. A total of 200 husk samples and 200 almond samples were inoculated onto Aspergillus flavus-parasiticus agar for the detection of fungi. Mycotoxins were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The mycobiota comprised the following fungi, in decreasing order of frequency: almonds - Phialemonium spp. (54%), Penicillium spp. (16%), Fusarium spp. (13%), Phaeoacremonium spp. (11%), and Aspergillus spp. (4%), husks - Phialemonium spp. (62%), Phaeoacremonium spp. (11%), Penicillium spp. (10%), Fusarium spp. (9%), and Aspergillus spp. A polyphasic approach was used for identification of Aspergillus species. Aflatoxins were detected in 22 (11%) of the 200 almond samples, with 21 samples presenting aflatoxin B-1 levels above 8 mu g/kg, the limit established by the European Commission for Brazil nuts for further processing. Nineteen (9.5%) of the 200 husk samples contained aflatoxins, but at levels lower than those seen in almonds. Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was detected in 44 (22%) almond samples, with levels ranging from 98.65 to 1612 mu g/kg. Aspergillus nomius and A. flavus were the most frequent Aspergillus species. The presence of fungi does not necessarily imply mycotoxin contamination, but almonds of the Brazil nut seem to be a good substrate for fungal growth. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rates of Change in the Visual Field and Optic Disc in Patients with Distinct Patterns of Glaucomatous Optic Disc Damage

Purpose: To investigate the rate of visual field and optic disc change in patients with distinct patterns of glaucomatous optic disc damage. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Participants: A total of 131 patients with open-angle glaucoma with focal (n = 45), diffuse (n = 42), and sclerotic (n = 44) optic disc damage. Methods: Patients were examined every 4 months with standard automated perimetry (SAP, SITA Standard, 24-2 test, Humphrey Field Analyzer, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and confocal scanning laser tomography (CSLT, Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) for a period of 4 years. During this time, patients were treated according to a predefined protocol to achieve a target intraocular pressure (IOP). Rates of change were estimated by robust linear regression of visual field mean deviation (MD) and global optic disc neuroretinal rim area with follow-up time. Main Outcome Measures: Rates of change in MD and rim area. Results: Rates of visual field change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean -0.34, standard deviation [SD] 0.69 dB/year) were faster than in patients with sclerotic (mean - 0.14, SD 0.77 dB/year) and diffuse (mean + 0.01, SD 0.37 dB/year) optic disc damage (P = 0.003, Kruskal-Wallis). Rates of optic disc change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean - 11.70, SD 25.5 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) were faster than in patients with diffuse (mean -9.16, SD 14.9 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) and sclerotic (mean -0.45, SD 20.6 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) optic disc damage, although the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.11). Absolute IOP reduction from untreated levels was similar among the groups (P = 0.59). Conclusions: Patients with focal optic disc damage had faster rates of visual field change and a tendency toward faster rates of optic disc deterioration when compared with patients with diffuse and sclerotic optic disc damage, despite similar IOP reductions during follow-up. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references. Ophthalmology 2012; 119: 294-303 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Molecular epidemiology of livestock rabies viruses isolated in the northeastern Brazilian states of Paraíba and Pernambuco from 2003 - 2009

Background Limited or no epidemiological information has been reported for rabies viruses (RABVs) isolated from livestock in the northeastern Brazilian states of Paraíba (PB) and Pernambuco (PE). The aim of this study was to clarify the molecular epidemiology of RABVs circulating in livestock, especially cattle, in these areas between 2003 and 2009. Findings Phylogenetic analysis based on 890 nt of the nucleoprotein (N) gene revealed that the 52 livestock-derived RABV isolates characterized here belonged to a single lineage. These isolates clustered with a vampire bat-related RABV lineage previously identified in other states in Brazil; within PB and PE, this lineage was divided between the previously characterized main lineage and a novel sub-lineage. Conclusions The occurrences of livestock rabies in PB and PE originated from vampire bat RABVs, and the causative RABV lineage has been circulating in this area of northeastern Brazil for at least 7 years. This distribution pattern may correlate to that of a vampire bat population isolated by geographic barriers.

A new species of Callicebus Thomas, 1903 (Primates, Pitheciidae) from the states of Mato Grosso and Pará, Brazil

A new species of titi monkey, genus Callicebus Thomas, 1903, is described based on four individuals, one from a small tributary of the left bank of Rio Teles Pires, northern state of Mato Grosso, and three others from Largo do Souza, Rio Iriri, Pará, Brazil. The new species belongs to the Callicebus moloch species group, and the main diagnostic characteristics of the new species are the whitish forehead, sideburns and beard coloration, which are contiguous, forming a frame around the blackish face; overall body pelage coloration is pale grayish-brown agouti; hands, feet and tip of the tail whitish; belly and inner sides of fore and hind limbs uniformly orange. The pattern of pelage coloration and qualitative and quantitative skull morphology are described and compared to the other species of the Callicebus moloch group. Species of the Callicebus moloch group show great similarity in skull morphology and morphometrics, making the external morphological characters, specially the chromatic fields, the most reliable diagnostic trait to identify the species.

Recycling of the high valence states of heme proteins by cysteine residues of thimet-oligopeptidase

The peptidolytic enzyme THIMET-oligopeptidase (TOP) is able to act as a reducing agent in the peroxidase cycle of myoglobin (Mb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The TOP-promoted recycling of the high valence states of the peroxidases to the respective resting form was accompanied by a significant decrease in the thiol content of the peptidolytic enzyme. EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) analysis using DBNBS spin trapping revealed that TOP also prevented the formation of tryptophanyl radical in Mb challenged by H2O2. The oxidation of TOP thiol groups by peroxidases did not promote the inactivating oligomerization observed in the oxidation promoted by the enzyme aging. These findings are discussed towards a possible occurrence of these reactions in cells.