A heat transfer model of the human upper limbs

A steady state multi-segmented heat transfer model of the human upper limbs was developed. The main purpose was to evaluate the impact of blood flow through superficial veins and subcutaneous vascular structures in the palm of the hands over the heat transfer between the limbs and the environment. The distinguishing feature of the model is the inclusion of a detailed circulatory network composed of vessels with diameter larger than 1 mm. The model was validated by comparing its results from exposures to a hot, a neutral, and a cold environment to experimental data presented in the literature. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efeito agudo dos exercícios de flexibilidade no desempenho de força máxima e resistência de força de membros inferiores e superiores

This study investigated the acute effect of static stretching exercises (SSE) on maximum strength (MS) and strength endurance (SE) performance in lower and upper limbs. Thirteen volunteers participated in the study and were submitted to MS and SE (70% 1RM) tests in the bench press and squat exercises with or without SSE. The paired T test showed that the SSE decreased MS in the squat (141.2 +/- 34.2 vs 132 +/- 34.9kg, p=0.007) and in the BP (77.5 +/- 21.7 vs 71.7 +/- 17.7kg p=0.04). Squat SE was not affected by SSE (16.2 +/- 5.7 vs 16.3 +/- 6.8 repetitions p=0.48). On the other hand, bench press SE decreased significantly after SSE (11.7 +/- 4.8 vs 9.9 +/- 5.1 repetitions p=0.008). Therefore, SSE impaired MS performance on upper and lower limbs but SE was affected only on upper limbs. This difference in SE may be related to the stretching exercises volume applied to the size of each muscle group.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of injuries among adolescents attended at an emergency service in the city of Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Injuries are an important cause of morbidity during adolescence, but can be avoided through learning about some of their characteristics. This study aimed to identify the most frequent injuries among adolescents attended at an emergency service. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective descriptive study on adolescents attended at the emergency service of the Teaching Health Center, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto (FMRP), between January 1, 2009, and September 30, 2009. METHODS: Age, sex, type of injury, site, day and time of occurrence, part of body involved, care received, whether the adolescent was accompanied at the time of injury and whether any type of counseling regarding injury prevention had been given were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 180 adolescents attended, 106 (58.8%) were boys and 74 (41.1%) were girls. Their ages were: 10 to 12 (66/36.6%), 12 to 14 (60/33.3%) and 14 to 16 years (54/30%). The injuries had occurred in public places (47.7%) and at home (21.1%). The main types were bruises (45.1%) and falls (39.2%), involving upper limbs (46.1%), lower limbs (31%) and head/neck (13.1%). The injuries occurred in the afternoon (44.4%) and morning (30%), on Mondays (17.7%) and Thursdays (16.6%). Radiological examinations were performed on 53.8%. At the time of injury, 76.1% of the adolescents were accompanied. Some type of counseling about injury prevention had been received by 39.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Although the injuries were of low severity, preventive attitudes need to be incorporated in order to reduce the risks and provide greater safety for adolescents.

The influence of anthropometric factors on postural balance: the relationship between body composition and posturographic measurements in young adults

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of anthropometric characteristics and gender on postural balance in adults. One hundred individuals were examined (50 males, 50 females; age range 20-40 years). METHODS: The following body composition measurements were collected (using bone densitometry measurements): fat percentage (% fat), tissue (g), fat (g), lean mass (g), bone mineral content (g), and bone mineral density (g/cm(2)). In addition, the following anthropometric measurements were collected: body mass (kg), height (cm), length of the trunk-cephalic region (cm), length of the lower limbs (cm) and length of the upper limbs (cm). The following indices were calculated: body mass index (kg/m(2)), waist-hip ratio and the support base (cm 2). Also, a postural balance test was performed using posturography variables with open and closed eyes. RESULTS: The analysis revealed poor correlations between postural balance and the anthropometric variables. A multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that the whole group (female and male) height explained 12% of the medial-lateral displacement, 10% of the speed of oscillation, and 11% of the displacement area. The length of the trunk-cephalic length explained 6% of the displacement in the anteroposterior direction. With eyes closed, the support base and height explained 18% of the medial displacement, and the lateral height explained 10% of the displacement speed and 5% of the scroll area. CONCLUSION: Measured using posturography, the postural balance was only slightly influenced by the anthropometric variables, both with open and closed eyes. Height was the anthropometric variable that most influenced postural balance, both in the whole group and separately for each gender. Postural balance was more influenced by anthropometric factors in males than females.

Nutritional risk and anthropometric evaluation in pediatric liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the nutritional status of pediatric patients after orthotopic liver transplantation and the relationship with short-term clinical outcome. METHOD: Anthropometric evaluations of 60 children and adolescents after orthotopic liver transplantation, during the first 24 hours in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit. Nutritional status was determined from the Z score for the following indices: weight/age, height/age or length/age, weight/height or weight/length, body mass index/age, arm circumference/age and triceps skinfold/age. The severity of liver disease was evaluated using one of the two models which was adequated to the patients' age: 1. Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease, 2. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. RESULTS: We found 50.0% undernutrition by height/age; 27.3% by weight/age; 11.1% by weight/height or weight/length; 10.0% by body mass index/age; 61.6% by arm circumference/age and 51.0% by triceps skinfold/age. There was no correlation between nutritional status and Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease or mortality. We found a negative correlation between arm circumference/age and length of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Children with chronic liver diseases experience a significant degree of undernutrition, which makes nutritional support an important aspect of therapy. Despite the difficulties in assessment, anthropometric evaluation of the upper limbs is useful to evaluate nutritional status of children before or after liver transplantation.

Saphenofemoral arteriovenous fistula as hemodialysis access

Abstract Background An upper limb arteriovenous (AV) fistula is the access of choice for haemodialysis (HD). There have been few reports of saphenofemoral AV fistulas (SFAVF) over the last 10-20 years because of previous suggestions of poor patencies and needling difficulties. Here, we describe our clinical experience with SFAVF. Methods SFAVFs were evaluated using the following variables: immediate results, early and late complications, intraoperative and postoperative complications (up to day 30), efficiency of the fistula after the onset of needling and complications associated to its use. Results Fifty-six SFAVF fistulas were created in 48 patients. Eight patients had two fistulas: 8 patent (16%), 10 transplanted (20%), 12 deaths (24%), 1 low flow (2%) and 20 thrombosis (39%) (first two months of preparation). One patient had severe hypotension during surgery, which caused thrombosis of the fistula, which was successfully thrombectomised, four thrombosed fistulae were successfully thrombectomised and revised on the first postoperative day. After 59 months of follow-up, primary patency was 44%. Conclusion SFAVF is an adequate alternative for patients without the possibility for other access in the upper limbs, allowing efficient dialysis with good long-term patency with a low complication rate.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of injuries among adolescents attended at an emergency service in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Injuries are an important cause of morbidity during adolescence, but can be avoided through learning about some of their characteristics. This study aimed to identify the most frequent injuries among adolescents attended at an emergency service. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective descriptive study on adolescents attended at the emergency service of the Teaching Health Center, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), between January 1, 2009, and September 30, 2009. METHODS: Age, sex, type of injury, site, day and time of occurrence, part of body involved, care received, whether the adolescent was accompanied at the time of injury and whether any type of counseling regarding injury prevention had been given were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 180 adolescents attended, 106 (58.8%) were boys and 74 (41.1%) were girls. Their ages were: 10 to 12 (66/36.6%), 12 to 14 (60/33.3%) and 14 to 16 years (54/30%). The injuries had occurred in public places (47.7%) and at home (21.1%). The main types were bruises (45.1%) and falls (39.2%), involving upper limbs (46.1%), lower limbs (31%) and head/neck (13.1%). The injuries occurred in the afternoon (44.4%) and morning (30%), on Mondays (17.7%) and Thursdays (16.6%). Radiological examinations were performed on 53.8%. At the time of injury, 76.1% of the adolescents were accompanied. Some type of counseling about injury prevention had been received by 39.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Although the injuries were of low severity, preventive attitudes need to be incorporated in order to reduce the risks and provide greater safety for adolescents.

The anatomy of the upper cretaceous snake Najash rionegrina Apesteguia & Zaher, 2006, and the evolution of limblessness in snakes

Najash rionegrina Apesteguia & Zaher, 2006, a terrestrial fossil snake from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina, represents the first known snake with a sacrum associated with robust, well-developed hind limbs. Najash rionegrina documents an important gap in the evolutionary development towards limblessness, because its phylogenetic affinities suggest that it is the sister group of all modern snakes, including the limbed Tethyan snakes Pachyrhachis, Haasiophis, and Eupodophis. The latter three limbed marine fossil snakes are shown to be more derived morphologically, because they lack a sacrum, but have articulated lymphapophyses, and their appendicular skeleton is enclosed by the rib cage, as in modern snakes.

A compound heterozygote SLC26A2 mutation resulting in robin sequence, mild limbs shortness, accelerated carpal ossification, and multiple epiphysial dysplasia in two Brazilian sisters. A new intermediate phenotype between diastrophic dysplasia and recessive multiple epiphyseal dysplasia

Mutations in solute carrier family 26 (sulfate transporter), member 2 (SLC26A2) gene result in a spectrum of autosomal recessive chondrodysplasias that range from the mildest recessive form of multiple epiphysial dysplasia (rMED) through the most common diastrophic dysplasia (DTD) to lethal atelosteogenesis type II and achondrogenesis IB. The clinical variability has been ascribed to quantitative effect of mutations of the sulfate transporter activity. Here we describe two Brazilian sisters, born to healthy and non consanguineous parents, with Robin sequence, mild shortening of upper and lower limbs, brachymetacarpalia/tarsalia, additional and accelerated carpal ossification, marked genu valgum, and multiple epiphysial dysplasia. This phenotype was intermediate between DTD and rMED, and both girls have a compound heterozygous mutations for the SLC26A2, a Finnish founder mutation (c.-26?+?2T>C), and R279W. This combination of mutations has been observed in individuals with different phenotypes, including DTD, DTD variant, and rMED. The distinct phenotype of our cases reinforces the hypothesis that other factors may be influencing the phenotype as previously suggested.

PALEOPRODUCTIVITY CHANGES DURING THE LATE QUATERNARY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN BRAZILIAN UPPER CONTINENTAL MARGIN OF THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC

Changes in the Brazilian continental margin`s oceanic productivity and circulation over the last 27,000 years were reconstructed based on sedimentological and microfaunal analyses. Our results suggest that oceanic paleoproductivity and the supply of terrigenous sediments to the Brazilian continental margin were higher during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) than during the Holocene. These changes may have been primarily influenced by significant sea level fluctuations that have occurred since the late Pleistocene. During the LGM, the lower sea level, higher productivity and lower sea-surface paleotemperatures may have been the result of the offshore displacement of the main flow of the Brazil Current. However, during the Holocene, the warm waters of the Brazil Current were displaced toward the coast. This displacement contributed to the increase in water temperature and prevented an increase in oceanic productivity. The decrease in terrigenous supply since the LGM could be related to the increase of the extension of the continental shelf and/or drier climatic conditions.

Deep chlorophyll maximum and upper ocean structure interactions: Case of the Guinea Thermal Dome

Deep Chlorophyll Maximum (DCM) modifies the upper ocean heat capture distribution and thus impacts water column temperature and stratification, as well as biogeochemical processes. This energetical role of the DCM is assessed using a 1 m-resolution 1D physical-biogeochemical model of the upper ocean, using climatological forcing conditions of the Guinea Dome (GD). This zone has been chosen among others because a strong and shallow DCM is present all year round. The results show that the DCM warms the seasonal thermocline by +2 degrees C in September/October and causes an increase of heat transfer from below into the mixed layer (ML) by vertical diffusion and entrainment, leading to a ML warming of about 0.3 degrees C in October. In the permanent thermocline, temperature decreases by up to 2 degrees C. The result is a stratification increase of the water column by 0.3 degrees C m(-1) which improves the thermocline realism when compared with observations. At the same time, the heating associated with the DCM is responsible for an increase of nitrate (+300%, 0.024 mu M), chlorophyll (+50%, 0.02 mu g l(-1)) and primary production (+45%: 10 mg C m(-2) day(-1)) in the ML during the entrainment period of October. The considered concentrations are small but this mechanism could be potentially important to give a better explanation of why there is a significant amount of nitrate in the ML. The mechanisms associated with the DCM presence, no matter which temperature or biogeochemical tracers are concerned, are likely to occur in a wide range of tropical or subpolar regions; in these zones a pronounced DCM is present at least episodically at shallow or moderate depths. These results can be generalized to other thermal dome regions where relatively similar physical and biogeochemical structures are encountered. After testing different vertical resolutions (10 m, 5 m, 2.5 m, 1 m and 0.5 m), we show that using at least a 1 to vertical resolution model is mandatory to assess the energetical importance of the DCM.

Benthic foraminiferal distribution on the southeastern Brazilian shelf and upper slope

Foraminiferal data were obtained from 66 samples of box cores on the southeastern Brazilian upper margin (between 23.8A degrees-25.9A degrees S and 42.8A degrees-46.13A degrees W) to evaluate the benthic foraminiferal fauna distribution and its relation to some selected abiotic parameters. We focused on areas with different primary production regimes on the southern Brazilian margin, which is generally considered as an oligotrophic region. The total density (D), richness (R), mean diversity (H) over bar`, average living depth (ALD(X) ) and percentages of specimens of different microhabitats (epifauna, shallow infauna, intermediate infauna and deep infauna) were analyzed. The dominant species identified were Uvigerina spp., Globocassidulina subglobosa, Bulimina marginata, Adercotryma wrighti, Islandiella norcrossi, Rhizammina spp. and Brizalina sp.. We also established a set of mathematical functions for analyzing the vertical foraminiferal distribution patterns, providing a quantitative tool that allows correlating the microfaunal density distributions with abiotic factors. In general, the cores that fit with pure exponential decaying functions were related to the oligotrophic conditions prevalent on the Brazilian margin and to the flow of the Brazilian Current (BC). Different foraminiferal responses were identified in cores located in higher productivity zones, such as the northern and the southern region of the study area, where high percentages of infauna were encountered in these cores, and the functions used to fit these profiles differ appreciably from a pure exponential function, as a response of the significant living fauna in deeper layers of the sediment. One of the main factors supporting the different foraminiferal assemblage responses may be related to the differences in primary productivity of the water column and, consequently, in the estimated carbon flux to the sea floor. Nevertheless, also bottom water velocities, substrate type and water depth need to be considered.

A new species of Hemigrammus from the upper Rio Tapajos basin in Brazil (Teleostei : Characiformes : Characidae)

Hemigrommus silimoni is described from the Rio Juruena, upper Rio Tapajos basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners, and in fact from the remaining Characidae, by the autapomorphic presence of an ocellus-like blotch on the caudal-fin dorsal lobe. The high level of fish endemicity In the Rio Juruena (upper Rio Tapajos basin) is discussed.

A new distinctively banded species of Pseudolithoxus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper Orinoco River

Pseudolithoxus kelsorum is described as a new species based on type material from the upper Orinoco in Amazonas State, Venezuela. Pseudolithoxus kelsorum is diagnosed from all other Pseudolithoxus by having dark brown to black base color with eight to 11 (usually nine) light yellow vertical or oblique transversal bands between orbits and caudal fin, bands wide and rarely but sometimes incomplete or contorted as swirls (vs. dark brown to black base color with 18 or more thin, light yellow, frequently contorted transversal bands between orbits and caudal fin in P. tigris; black base color with small white spots in P. anthrax and P. nicoi; and light brown base color with dark brown to black spots in P. dumus). Distributions of P. kelsorum and other Ancistrini taxa support the presence of a zoogeographic filter limiting fish distributions across a reach of the Orinoco River between the Ventuari-Orinoco confluence and the Maipures rapids.