Eficácia do aconselhamento no tratamento das disfunções temporomandibulares

The aim of this controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of counseling in pain, function and well-fare outcomes on the management of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Therefore, 51 consecutive patients were allocated to one of the research groups. In Group I, was instituted counseling therapy for Group II was conducted treatment as usual with occlusal splint. Patients were followed for returns at 7, 15, 30 and 60 days after baseline. At baseline, all patients were examined and assessed RDC/TMD form, which was administered by a single trained and calibrated examiner, in addition, the patients were referred for specific treatment according to the group to which belonged. The clinical and functional impairment was assessed at each visit through the Temporomandibular Index (TMI). In each session, the patients were also surveyed about pain intensity using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). To analyze the impact of pain on quality of life, OHIP-14 questionnaire was used. The results showed 26 patients in Group I with a mean age of 35.15 ± 10.79 years. 25 patients were allocated to Group II. The mean age was 27.36 ± 10.34 years. The counseling was effective in reducing the intensity of pain (VAS), with significant improvement observed at 7 day follow-up (p <0.001). The functional impairment (TMI) showed significant results at 15 days follow-up (p = 0.002). Counseling was also responsible for significant improvement in the impact of TMD on quality of life (OHIP-14) at all times of the analysis (p <0.001). When comparing research groups, no significant difference was observed for any of the analyzed indices (p> 0.05) nor in the short term (7 days) neither in long term (60 days). It was concluded therefore that, for the studied sample, counseling consisted in an effective treatment option for the control of signs and symptoms of TMD, with results in the short and long term similar to the usual treatment group.

Programa Agente jovem em Arez/RN: juventude e violação de direitos

This paper proposes discusses the theme of the youth and of the violation of rights in the context of the Young Agent Program developed in the local authority of Arez/RN, sugar cane region of the Brazilian northeast. We take like empirical reference, the young people in the age group from 15 to 17 years old that were participating of the activities of the Program, in the period of April to July of 2008. Objectives of this study were constituted, economical-partner apprehended the conditions and cultural of the young participants of the Young Agent Program, in the context of violations of rights; as well as the analysis of the limits and means, of the bases theoretician-politician, methodological and of the activities developed in the Program. In the persecution of the objectives we use like methodological instrumental the observation, activities in group with the focal group technique and the application of semi-structured interviews. As result, we notice that the violation of rights of the young persons inserted in the Young Agent Program of Arez sets itself up as reflex of the multiple determinations of the social question, inherent in the capitalist society, specified in the context of the poverty and of the social unequality that they acquire visibility in the hunger, in the unemployment / menial job, in the precarious dwelling, in the low schooling, for lack of leisure, in the violence between others. The approximations systematized in this healthy work relevant for the Unveiling of the reality of the Brazilian youth, specifically of Arez young people, in such a way that they come to subsidize future inquiries, are eaten by me also it promotes the discussion around the way like the Social Politics Programs they are implemented and driven in the capitalist society, in its neoliberal format, where the focusing and the selectivity is put on top to the detriment of the universal access of the democratic rights. So, the great challenge that is put for the XXI century is to cause to the voices from these which they do and this which build this country, in the continuous and tireless search of the rights realization in the struggle against the barbarism installed in the capitalist societycapitalista

Projeto e implementação de uma plataforma MP-SoC usando SystemC

This work presents the concept, design and implementation of a MP-SoC platform, named STORM (MP-SoC DirecTory-Based PlatfORM). Currently the platform is composed of the following modules: SPARC V8 processor, GPOP processor, Cache module, Memory module, Directory module and two different modles of Network-on-Chip, NoCX4 and Obese Tree. All modules were implemented using SystemC, simulated and validated, individually or in group. The modules description is presented in details. For programming the platform in C it was implemented a SPARC assembler, fully compatible with gcc s generated assembly code. For the parallel programming it was implemented a library for mutex managing, using the due assembler s support. A total of 10 simulations of increasing complexity are presented for the validation of the presented concepts. The simulations include real parallel applications, such as matrix multiplication, Mergesort, KMP, Motion Estimation and DCT 2D

Influência do tamoxifeno associado ao diabete melito na densidade mineral óssea

Considering that osteopenia and osteoporosis are diabetes mellitus complications, and that tamoxifen (TAM) is an anti-estrogenic drug used in breast cancer treatment, this drug may have a beneficial action preventing accentuaded bone loss associated to diabetes. Female Wistar rats (n=60) weighting 180-250g were divided in four groups: Group C, control animals (n=5); Group T, animals treated with TAM (n=5); Group D, diabetic animals (n=5); and Group DT, diabetic animals treated with TAM (n=5). Oestrus cycle was evaluated before the beggining of experimental period to select the animals with regular cycle. This evaluation continued throughout the study period and for all studied groups. Diabetes was induced by a intra perithoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in a concentration of 45 mg/Kg of body weight. Those animals with serum glicose levels 250 mg/dL were considered diabetics. Animals were sacrificed in the periods of 30, 60 and 90 days after diabetes onset. Left femur histomorphometric measurements and serum biochemical analysis (glycemia, alkaline phosphatase, tartaric-resistant acid phosphatase, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, total proteins, albumin, globulins, urea and creatinine) were done. Histomorphometric results showed a progressive bone loss in Group D animals when compared to those from Group C all over the experimental period, becoming accentuaded in the 90 days period. In relation to Groups T and DT, values approcimated to those obtained for control group were found during the whole period of study. Those data may indicate a bone mass recovery or a diminished bone loss due to diabetes when animals were treated with TAM. During the whole experimental period animals of groups D and DT maintained glycemic levels above 250 mg/dL whereas animals of groups C and T maintained those levels below 150mg/dL. Alkaline phosphatase activity was increased in all study periods for groups D and DT when compared to group C animals over the 90 days period. Tartarate-resistant acid phosphatase activity was showed unaltered in all periods of study and for all groups. Calcium and magnesium results were also unaltered, maintaining reference levels for all groups in all experimental periods. Phosphorous levels were increased in groups D and DT when compared to groups C and T in the 30 days period. However no difference was found in the periods of 60 and 90 days for this test. No difference was found for total proteins levels for groups C, T, D and DT over the study period. Albumin levels were reduced in DT group in the 60 days period and in D and DT groups in the 90 days period. Urea levels were significantly increased in the 30, 60 and 90 days study periods in groups D and DT when compared to groups C and T. Creatinine results showed a significantly increase in the 90 days period for groups D and DT when compared to groups C and T, and maintaining unaltered in the 30 and 60 days periods. These results suggest that the treatment with TAM may reduce bone loss caused by diabetes mellitus

Análise imuno-histoquímica de proteínas relacionadas às respostas Th1, Th2 e Th17 na doença periodontal

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition of infectious nature characterized by destruction of protecting and supporting dental tissues. It happens as a response produced by the host when attacked by microorganisms. Several factors are involved in this process. Among them, cytokines are key regulatory molecules in this immune response, playing a role either protective and/or destructive in lesion progression. Thus, this study investigated the immunohistochemical expression of IFN- , GATA-3, IL-17, IL-23, IL-6 and TGF- in gingival tissues of humans, in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the participation of Th1, Th2 and Th17 immune responses in the development of periodontal disease processes. To this end, eighty-two samples of gingival tissues were divided into three groups: Group 1 = 15 (samples of healthy gum tissue as controls), Group 2 = 36 (samples with chronic gingivitis) and Group 3 = 31 (samples with chronic periodontitis). All cases were submitted to morphological analysis from sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin and then subjected to staining by immunohistochemistry using the streptavidin-biotin method. Results showed positive labeling for all proteins. Nonetheless, we observed a greater expression of Th1 cytokines and Th17 cells in group 3. We found statistically significant difference between TGF- expression and the clinical condition of the samples (p=0.02). We conclude that Th1 and Th17 responses may act synergistically in the destructive process of periodontal tissue, overlapping the Th2 response that was also present in these tissues