Periodontal outcomes and social, racial and gender inequalities in Brazil: a systematic review of the literature between 1999 and 2008

The objective of this study was to review the Brazilian epidemiologic literature on periodontal outcomes and socio-demographic factors, assessing bibliographic and methodological characteristics of this scientific production, as well as the consistency and statistical significance of the examined associations. A systematic review was carried out in six bibliographic sources. The review was limited to the period between 1999 and 2008, without any other type of restriction. Among the 410 papers identified, 29 were included in the review. An increasing number of articles, specifically in the last four years of study, was observed. However, there is a concentration of studies in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil, and many of them are not closely connected to theoretical formulations in the field. In spite of these shortcomings, the review findings corroborate the idea that poor socioeconomic conditions are associated with periodontal outcomes, as demonstrated primarily by income and schooling indicators.

Color/race inequalities in oral health among Brazilian adolescents

This study assessed oral health outcomes (perceived dental treatment need, untreated dental caries, gingival bleeding, periodontal pockets, and pain in teeth and gums), in relation to color/race inequalities among adolescents in each Brazilian region. The database included dental examination and interview of 16,833 15-19-year-old adolescents, surveyed by the Brazilian health authority, from May 2002 to October 2003, in accordance with international diagnostic criteria standardized by the World Health Organization. Prevalence ratios estimated by Poisson regression, and controlled by socioeconomic status and access to fluoridated piped water, assessed oral health differentials among color/race groups and country's regions. Except for periodontal pockets, prevalence figures were higher in the North and Northeast: perceived dental treatment needs, untreated dental caries, gingival bleeding at probing and pain in teeth and gums varied between 80-83%, 75-76%, 38-43%, and 17-18%, respectively, in these regions. Adolescents living in the Southeast - the richest Brazilian region - presented a better general profile of oral health than their counterparts living in the remaining regions; they had a lower prevalence of untreated dental caries (54%) and unfavorable gingival status (29%). However, the Southeast presented color/race inequalities in all oral health outcomes, with a poorer profile systematically affecting browns or blacks, depending on the oral health condition under consideration. These results reinforce the need for expanding the amplitude of health initiatives aimed at adolescent oral health. Socially appropriate health programs should concurrently aim at the reduction of levels of oral disease and its inequalities.

Title Model for Computer Networks Optimization

The TCP/IP architecture was consolidated as a standard to the distributed systems. However, there are several researches and discussions about alternatives to the evolution of this architecture and, in this study area, this work presents the Title Model to contribute with the application needs support by the cross layer ontology use and the horizontal addressing, in a next generation Internet. For a practical viewpoint, is showed the network cost reduction for the distributed programming example, in networks with layer 2 connectivity. To prove the title model enhancement, it is presented the network analysis performed for the message passing interface, sending a vector of integers and returning its sum. By this analysis, it is confirmed that the current proposal allows, in this environment, a reduction of 15,23% over the total network traffic, in bytes.

Trends in dermatomyositis- and polymyositis-related mortality in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1985-2007: multiple cause-of-death analysis

Background: Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are rare systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases with high fatality rates. There have been few population-based mortality studies of dermatomyositis and polymyositis in the world, and none have been conducted in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to employ multiple-cause of-death methodology in the analysis of trends in mortality related to dermatomyositis and polymyositis in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, between 1985 and 2007. Methods: We analyzed mortality data from the Sao Paulo State Data Analysis System, selecting all death certificates on which DM or PM was listed as a cause of death. The variables sex, age and underlying, associated or total mentions of causes of death were studied using mortality rates, proportions and historical trends. Statistical analysis were performed by chi-square and H Kruskal-Wallis tests, variance analysis and linear regression. A p value less than 0.05 was regarded as significant. Results: Over a 23-year period, there were 318 DM-related deaths and 316 PM-related deaths. Overall, DM/PM was designated as an underlying cause in 55.2% and as an associated cause in 44.8%; among 634 total deaths females accounted for 71.5%. During the study period, age-and gender-adjusted DM mortality rates did not change significantly, although PM as an underlying cause and total mentions of PM trended lower (p < 0.05). The mean ages at death were 47.76 +/- 20.81 years for DM and 54.24 +/- 17.94 years for PM (p = 0.0003). For DM/PM, respectively, as underlying causes, the principal associated causes of death were as follows: pneumonia (in 43.8%/33.5%); respiratory failure (in 34.4%/32.3%); interstitial pulmonary diseases and other pulmonary conditions (in 28.9%/17.6%); and septicemia (in 22.8%/15.9%). For DM/PM, respectively, as associated causes, the following were the principal underlying causes of death: respiratory disorders (in 28.3%/26.0%); circulatory disorders (in 17.4%/20.5%); neoplasms (in 16.7%/13.7%); infectious and parasitic diseases (in 11.6%/9.6%); and gastrointestinal disorders (in 8.0%/4.8%). Of the 318 DM-related deaths, 36 involved neoplasms, compared with 20 of the 316 PM-related deaths (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Our study using multiple cause of deaths found that DM/PM were identified as the underlying cause of death in only 55.2% of the deaths, indicating that both diseases were underestimated in the primary mortality statistics. We observed a predominance of deaths in women and in older individuals, as well as a trend toward stability in the mortality rates. We have confirmed that the risk of death is greater when either disease is accompanied by neoplasm, albeit to lesser degree in individuals with PM. The investigation of the underlying and associated causes of death related to DM/PM broaden the knowledge of the natural history of both diseases and could help integrate mortality data for use in the evaluation of control measures for DM/PM.

The role played by the parietoocciptal cortex in the process of sensory-motor integration: An electroencephalographic study

Introduction. A fundamental aspect of planning future actions is the performance and control of motor tasks. This behaviour is done through sensory-motor integration. Aim. To explain the electrophysiological mechanisms in the cortex (modifications to the alpha band) that are involved in anticipatory actions when individuals have to catch a free-falling object. Subjects and methods. The sample was made up of 20 healthy subjects of both sexes (11 males and 9 females) with ages ranging between 25 and 40 years (32.5 +/- 7.5) who were free of mental or physical diseases (previous medical history); the subjects were right-handed (Edinburgh Inventory) and were not taking any psychoactive or psychotropic substances at the time of the study. The experiment consisted in a task in which subjects had to catch freely falling objects. The experiment was made up of six blocks of 15 tests, each of which lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds before and two seconds after each ball was dropped. Results. An interaction of the factors moment and position was only observed for the right parietooccipital cortex, in the combination of electrodes P4-O2. Conclusion. These findings suggest that the right parietooccipital cortex plays an important role in increasing expectation and swiftness in the process of preparing for a motor task.

Synergism Between Keratinocyte Growth Factor and Carboxymethyl Chitosan Reduces Pericardial Adhesions

Background. Mesothelial injury is the pivot in the development of adhesions. An increase in the proliferation of mesothelial cells was verified by in vitro studies with the use of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF). This study investigated the influence of KGF associated with thermo-sterilized carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCCts) in the reduction of pericardial adhesions. Methods. An induction model of pericardial adhesion was carried out in 24 pigs. Animals were randomly allocated to receive topical application of KGF, KGF + NOCCts, NOCCts, or saline (control). At 8 weeks, intra-pericardial adhesions were evaluated and a severity score was established. The time spent to dissect the adhesions and the amount of sharp dissection used, were recorded. Histologic sections were stained with sirius red for a morphometric evaluation using a computer-assisted image analysis system. Cytokeratin AE1/AE3 immunostaining were employed to identify mesothelial cells. Results. The severity score expressed in median (minimum to maximum), in relation to the control group (17 [15 to 18]), was lower in the KGF + NOCCts group (7 [6 to 9], p < 0.01) followed by the KGF group (11.5 [9 to 12], 0.01 < p < 0.05) and the NOCCts group (12 [9 to 14], p > 0.05). The dissection time was significantly lower in the KGF + NOCCts group (7.1 +/- 0.6 vs 33.9 +/- 9.2 minutes, p < 0.001). A significantly less sharp dissection was also required in the KGF + NOCCts group. In the adhesion segment, a decreased collagen proportion was found in the KGF + NOCCts group (p < 0.05). Mesothelial cells were present more extensively in groups in which KGF was delivered (p = 0.01). Conclusions. The use of KGF associated with NOCCts resulted in a synergic action that decreases postoperative pericardial adhesions in a highly significant way. (Ann Thorac Surg 2010; 90: 566-72) (C) 2010 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Prognostic value of TP53 Pro47Ser and Arg72Pro single nucleotide polymorphisms and the susceptibility to gliomas in individuals from Southeast Brazil

The TP53 tumor suppressor gene codifies a protein responsible for preventing cells with genetic damage from growing and dividing by blocking cell growth or apoptosis pathways. A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TP53 codon 72 (Arg72Pro) induces a 15-fold decrease of apoptosis-inducing ability and has been associated with susceptibility to human cancers. Recently, another TP53 SNP at codon 47 (Pro47Ser) was reported to have a low apoptosis-inducing ability; however, there are no association studies between this SNP and cancer. Aiming to study the role of TP53 Pro47Ser and Arg72Pro on glioma susceptibility and oncologic prognosis of patients, we investigated the genotype distribution of these SNPs in 94 gliomas (81 astrocytomas, 8 ependymomas and 5 oligodendrogliomas) and in 100 healthy subjects by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism approach. Chi-square and Fisher exact test comparisons for genotype distributions and allele frequencies did not reveal any significant difference between patients and control groups. Overall and disease-free survivals were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used for comparisons, but no significant statistical difference was observed between the two groups. Our data suggest that TP53 Pro47Ser and Arg72Pro SNPs are not involved either in susceptibility to developing gliomas or in patient survival, at least in the Brazilian population.

Support Tool to the Validation Process of Functional Requirements

The activity of validating identified requirements for an information system helps to improve the quality of a requirements specification document and, consequently, the success of a project. Although various different support tools to requirements engineering exist in the market, there is still a lack of automated support for validation activity. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to make up for that deficiency, with the use of an automated tool, to provide the resources for the execution of an adequate validation activity. The contribution of this study is to enable an agile and effective follow-up of the scope established for the requirements, so as to lead the development to a solution which would satisfy the real necessities of the users, as well as to supply project managers with relevant information about the maturity of the analysts involved in requirements specification.

Analysis of the emissions of volatile organic compounds from the compression ignition engine fueled by diesel-biodiesel blend and diesel oil using gas chromatography

This paper describes the procedures of the analysis Of Pollutant gases, as volatile organic compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene) emitted by engines, using high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC). In a broad sense, CI engine burning diesel was compared with B10 and a drastic reduction was observed in the emissions of the aromatic compounds by using B10. Especially for benzene, the reduction of concentrations occurs on the level of about 19.5%. Although a concentration value below 1 mu g ml(-1) has been obtained, this reduction is extremely significant since benzene is a carcinogenic compound. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residual stresses in titanium nitride thin films obtained with step variation of substrate bias voltage during deposition

In this work, a series of depositions of titanium nitride (TiN) films on M2 and D2 steel substrates were conducted in a Triode Magnetron Sputtering chamber. The temperature; gas flow and pressure were kept constant during each run. The substrate bias was either decreased or increased in a sequence of steps. Residual stress measurements were later conducted through the grazing X-ray diffraction method. Different incident angles were used in order to change the penetration depth and to obtain values of residual stress at different film depths. A model described by Dolle was adapted as an attempt to calculate the values of residual stress at each incident angle as a function of the value from each individual layer. Stress results indicated that the decrease in bias voltage during the deposition has produced compressive residual stress gradients through the film thickness. On the other hand, much less pronounced gradients were found in one of the films deposited with increasing bias voltage. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inorganic elements in the fat bodies of Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae parasitized by Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Koinobiont parasitoids use several strategies to regulate the host`s physiological processes during parasitism. Although many aspects of host-parasitoid interactions have been explored, studies that attempted to assess the effects of parasitism on the availability of inorganic elements in the host are virtually nonexistent. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of parasitism on the concentrations of inorganic elements in the fat bodies of larvae of Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) during the development of the parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), by using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). TXRF analysis allowed comparisons of the changes in the availability of the elements P. S. K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn in the fat body tissues of D. saccharalis larvae parasitized by C. flavipes. Overall, the concentration of inorganic elements was higher early in parasitoid development (1 and 3 days after parasitism) compared to non-parasitized larvae, but much lower towards the end of parasitoid development (7 and 9 days after parasitism). Ca, K, and S were reduced after the fifth day of parasitism, which affected the total abundance of inorganic elements observed in the fat bodies of the parasitized hosts. The regulatory mechanisms or pathological effects related to the observed variation of the host inorganic elements induced by the parasitoid remain unknown, but there might be a strategy to make these elements available to the parasitoid larvae at the end of their development, when higher metabolic activity of the host fat body is required to sustain parasitoid growth. The observed variation of the host`s inorganic elements could also be related to the known effects of parasitism on the host`s immune response. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antibacterial activity of 15-deoxygoyazensolide isolated from the stems of Minasia alpestris (Asteraceae) against oral pathogens

This work reports the isolation of the sesquiterpene lactone 15-deoxygoyazensolide from the stems of Minasia alpestris and the evaluation of its antimicrobial activity against the following oral pathogens: Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Lactobacillus casei. Despite the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of other sesquiterpene lactones of the furanoheliangolide-type, our results revealed that this compound exhibits low antibacterial activity against the evaluated oral pathogens; however, an interesting selectivity against E. faecalis (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] = 40 mu g mL(-1)) and S. sobrinus (MIC = 60 mu g mL(-1)) was observed.

Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Various Crystalloid Cardioplegic Solutions on Myocardial Protection After Prolonged Cold Ischemia

Introduction. The quality and effectiveness of myocardial protection are fundamental problems to expand the use of and consequently good outcomes of donated hearts for transplantation. Objective. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the cardioprotective effects of Krebs-Henseleit, Bretschneider-HTK, St Thomas, and Celsior solutions using a modified nonrecirculating Langendorff column model of isolated perfused rat heart during prolonged cold storage. Materials and Methods. After removal 36 rat hearts underwent isolated perfusion into a Langendorff apparatus using Krebs-Henseleit solution for a 15-minute period of recovery; we excluded organs that did not maintain an aortic pressure above 100 m Hg. Subsequently, we equally distributed the hearts into four groups according to the cardioprotection solution; group 1, Krebs-Henseleit (control); group II, Bretschneider-HTK; group III, St Thomas; and group IV, Celsior. Each heart received the specific cardioplegic solution at 10 C for 2-hour storage at 20 C, before a 15 minutes perfusion with Krebs-Henseleit solution for recovery and stabilization. After 60 additional minutes of perfusion, every 5 minutes we determined heart rate (HR), coronary flow (CF), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), and positive and negative peak of the first derivative of left ventricular pressure (+dP/dt and dP/dt, respectively). Results. Comparative analysis by Turkey`s test showed the following performances among the groups at 60 minutes of reperfusion: HR: II = IV > III > I; CF: II = IV > I = III; LVSP: IV > I = II = III; +dP/dt: IV > I = II = III; and dP/dt: IV = II > I = II. Conclusion. Cardioprotective solutions generally used in clinical practice are not able to avoid hemodynamic alterations in hearts exposed to prolonged ischemia. Celsior solution showed better performance than Bretschneider-HTK, St Thomas, and Krebs-Henseleit.

Acute intracranial hypertension increases gastric tonus in anesthetized rats

We studied the acute effect of intracranial hypertension (ICH) on gastric tonus of anesthetized rats. Brain ventricles were cannulated bilaterally for intracerebro-ventricular pressure (ICP) monitoring and ICH induction. Next, a balloon catheter was inserted at the proximal stomach and coupled to a barostat for gastric volume (GV) monitoring by plethysmography. Arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored continuously during 80-min. After a 20-min basal period, they were submitted to control or ICH protocols. In controls, the ICP varied spontaneously up to the end. Other rats were subjected to ICP rising to 10, 20, 40 or 60 mmHg and kept at these levels for 30-min. Another group was subjected after basal period to stepwise ICH (ICP rising to 20, 40 and 60 mmHg at every 10-min interval). Next, the ICH rats were monitored for further 30-min. Other rats, previously submitted to a subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, splanchnicectomy plus ganglionectomy or their respective sham surgery, were also studied under ICH. Each subset consisted of 5-6 rats. Data were compared to respective basal values after ANOVA and Bonferroni`s test. In controls, the CV, AP, HR values remained within stable levels. Besides inducing bradycardia and arterial hypertension, ICH10 mmHg decreased GV by 14.8% at the 50-min interval. In ICH20, 40 and 60 mmHg subsets, GV decreased 14.0, 24.5 and 30.6% at the 40-min interval, respectively. In stepwise ICH rats, GV decreased 10.2% and 12.7%, respectively under ICP of 40 and 60 mmHg. The GV values remained significantly lower than basal levels during the last 30-min of monitoring. Thus, ICH decreases the GV in an ICP-dependent pattern besides inducing Cushing`s reflex. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of periodontal therapy on glycemic control and inflammatory markers

Background: Periodontitis, a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), can induce or perpetuate systemic conditions. This double-masked, placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of periodontal therapy (scaling and root planing [SRP]) on the serum levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and on inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: Thirty subjects with type 2 DM and periodontitis were treated with SRP + placebo (SRP; N = 15) or with SRP + doxycycline (SRP+Doxy; N = 15), 100 mg/day, for 14 days. Clinical and laboratory data were recorded at baseline and at 3 months after treatment. Results: After 3 months, the reduction in probing depth Was 0.8 mm for the SRP group (P <0.01) and 1.1 mm for the SRP+Doxy group (P <0.01) followed by a 0.9% (SRP; P = 0.17) and 1.5% (SRP+Doxy; P<0.01) reduction in HbA1c levels. A significant reduction in interleukin (IL)-6; interferon-inducible protein 10; soluble fas ligand; granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; RANTES; and IL-12 p70 serum levels were also verified (N = 30). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the effects of periodontal therapy on multiple systemic inflammatory markers in DM. Conclusions: Periodontal therapy may influence the systemic conditions of patients with type 2 DM, but no statistical difference was observed with the adjunctive systemic doxycycline therapy. Moreover, it is possible that the observed improvement in glycemic control and in the reduction of inflammatory markers could also be due to diet, which was not controlled in our study. Therefore, a confirmatory study with a larger sample size and controlled diet is necessary.