Adição de chamote de velas de ignição inservíveis na obtenção de cerâmica branca a base de alumina

This work presents research into the addition of chamotte obtained from the ceramic isolator of unusable spark plugs in formulations of material mixes for standard white ceramic material with aluminum oxide bases. After the physical chemical characterization of the primary materials, standard clay and the chamotte, three mixtures were prepared with concentrations of 10, 20 and 30% chamotte by weight in relation to the standard clay. The test samples underwent heating at a rate of 30 0C/min to levels that included 100o , 200o , 300o, 400o, 500o e 600 0C and also we submitted to three distinct burn temperatures: 1450o, 1500o e 1550 0C, remaining at these temperatures for 2 hour periods. After sintering, the physical and microstructural properties of the different test samples were measured and analyzed. The results show that the materials obtained present good technical properties and that the chamotte can be reutilized as an additive in the production of white ceramic material with an aluminum oxide base

Hepatite C crônica em serviço de referência no nordeste do Brasil: um estudo retrospectivo de dezoito anos de acompanhamento

Chronic Hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in advanced final stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and of death related to liver disease. Evolves progressively in time 20-30 years. Evolutionary rates vary depending on factors virus, host and behavior. This study evaluated the impact of hepatitis C on the lives of patients treated at a referral service in Hepatology of the University Hospital Onofre Lopes - Liver Study Group - from May 1995 to December 2013. A retrospective evaluation was performed on 10,304 records, in order to build a cohort of patients with hepatitis C, in which all individuals had their diagnosis confirmed by gold standard molecular biological test. Data were obtained directly from patient charts and recorded in an Excel spreadsheet, previously built, following an elaborate encoding with the study variables, which constitute individual data and prognostic factors defined in the literature in the progression of chronic hepatitis C. The Research Ethics Committee approved the project. The results were statistically analyzed with the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact used to verify the association between variable for the multivariate analysis, we used the Binomial Logistic regression method. For both tests, it was assumed significance p < 0.05 and 95%. The results showed that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C in NEF was 4.96 %. The prevalence of cirrhosis due to hepatitis C was 13.7%. The prevalence of diabetes in patients with Hepatitis C was 8.78 % and diabetes in cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C 38.0 %. The prevalence of HCC was 5.45%. The clinical follow-up discontinuation rates were 67.5 %. The mortality in confirmed cases without cirrhosis was 4.10% and 32.1% in cirrhotic patients. The factors associated with the development of cirrhosis were genotype 1 (p = 0.0015) and bilirubin > 1.3 mg % (p = 0.0017). Factors associated with mortality were age over 35 years, abandon treatment, diabetes, insulin use, AST> 60 IU, ALT> 60 IU, high total bilirubin, extended TAP, INR high, low albumin, treatment withdrawal, cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. The occurrence of diabetes mellitus increased mortality of patients with hepatitis C in 6 times. Variables associated with the diagnosis of cirrhosis by us were blood donor (odds ratio 0.24, p = 0.044) and professional athlete (odds ratio 0.18, p = 0.35). It is reasonable to consider a revaluation in screening models for CHC currently proposed. The condition of cirrhosis and diabetes modifies the clinical course of patients with chronical hepatitis C, making it a disease more mortality. However, being a blood donor or professional athlete is a protective factor that reduces the risk of cirrhosis, independent of alcohol consumption. Public policies to better efficient access, hosting and resolution are needed for this population.

Graph analysis of verbal fluency test discriminate between patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal elderly controls

Verbal fluency is the ability to produce a satisfying sequence of spoken words during a given time interval. The core of verbal fluency lies in the capacity to manage the executive aspects of language. The standard scores of the semantic verbal fluency test are broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of the elderly, and different analytical methods are likely to extract even more information from the data generated in this test. Graph theory, a mathematical approach to analyze relations between items, represents a promising tool to understand a variety of neuropsychological states. This study reports a graph analysis of data generated by the semantic verbal fluency test by cognitively healthy elderly (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment – subtypes amnestic(aMCI) and amnestic multiple domain (a+mdMCI) - and patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sequences of words were represented as a speech graph in which every word corresponded to a node and temporal links between words were represented by directed edges. To characterize the structure of the data we calculated 13 speech graph attributes (SGAs). The individuals were compared when divided in three (NC – MCI – AD) and four (NC – aMCI – a+mdMCI – AD) groups. When the three groups were compared, significant differences were found in the standard measure of correct words produced, and three SGA: diameter, average shortest path, and network density. SGA sorted the elderly groups with good specificity and sensitivity. When the four groups were compared, the groups differed significantly in network density, except between the two MCI subtypes and NC and aMCI. The diameter of the network and the average shortest path were significantly different between the NC and AD, and between aMCI and AD. SGA sorted the elderly in their groups with good specificity and sensitivity, performing better than the standard score of the task. These findings provide support for a new methodological frame to assess the strength of semantic memory through the verbal fluency task, with potential to amplify the predictive power of this test. Graph analysis is likely to become clinically relevant in neurology and psychiatry, and may be particularly useful for the differential diagnosis of the elderly.

Padronização de testes para avaliação do estado de mania e potencial anti-maníaco de um agonista do receptor NOP

Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood impairment, alternating between mania/hypomania and depression, and its exact pathophysiology is already unknown. The treatment of bipolar disorder is based on prevention of the manic and depressive episodes using mood stabilizers. Nociceptin/orfanin FQ (N/OFQ) is an endogenous heptadecapeptide which binds as an agonist to NOP receptor, which is a G-coupled inhibitory receptor. N/OFQ and its receptor modulate a lot of functions in the organism, including emotional processes. It is known that the plasmatic concentration of N/OFQ is altered in patients in both phases depressive and manic of bipolar disorder and it is assumed that this system has a role on the etiology of this disorder. Concerning mania, the animal models used in research tend to focus in an unique aspect of the manic behavior, as hyperactivity or agressivity. In the 60’s, the hole board test was proposed, and it consists of an apparatus with holes where a behavior known as head-dippings is measured. High levels of head-dippings are suggestive of neophilia, while low levels can be characteristic of an anxious-like behavior. As the increase of exploratory and goal-directed behavior are characteristics of manic behavior, this test could help in mania research. Thus, this work was organized in 3 steps and aims to: (1) investigate the induction of a manic-like state promoted by ouabain, a Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor, in the mouse open field test; (2) set up the hole board as a test to measure manic-like behaviors; and (3) investigate the N/OFQ effects in prevention of this kind of behavior on hole board. Male Swiss mice were used in this study, and they take part of only one of the described steps. Depending on the step performed, mice received one or more of the following treatments: (1) ouabain 10-6 , 10-5 , 10-4 , 10-3 or 10-2 M, intracerebroventricular (icv); (2) sodium valproate 300 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (ip); (3) sodium valproate 400 mg/kg, ip; (4) diazepam 1 mg/kg, ip; (5) methylphenidate 10 mg/kg, ip; and (6) N/OFQ 0,1 or 1 nmol, icv. The results suggest that hole board can be used to evaluate a manic state, through analysis of different animal behaviors. However, it was not possible to standard the model of Na+ /K+ -ATPase dysfunction through ouabain administration in mice. Moreover, the data suggest that N/OFQ, at the doses tested, has not affected the methylphenidate-induced mania-like behavior. Taken together, the results point to a new approach of manic research, through the hole board using. However, more studies are necessary in order to verify the role of N/OFQ system on bipolar disorder.

Graph analysis of verbal fluency test discriminate between patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal elderly controls

Verbal fluency is the ability to produce a satisfying sequence of spoken words during a given time interval. The core of verbal fluency lies in the capacity to manage the executive aspects of language. The standard scores of the semantic verbal fluency test are broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of the elderly, and different analytical methods are likely to extract even more information from the data generated in this test. Graph theory, a mathematical approach to analyze relations between items, represents a promising tool to understand a variety of neuropsychological states. This study reports a graph analysis of data generated by the semantic verbal fluency test by cognitively healthy elderly (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment – subtypes amnestic(aMCI) and amnestic multiple domain (a+mdMCI) - and patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sequences of words were represented as a speech graph in which every word corresponded to a node and temporal links between words were represented by directed edges. To characterize the structure of the data we calculated 13 speech graph attributes (SGAs). The individuals were compared when divided in three (NC – MCI – AD) and four (NC – aMCI – a+mdMCI – AD) groups. When the three groups were compared, significant differences were found in the standard measure of correct words produced, and three SGA: diameter, average shortest path, and network density. SGA sorted the elderly groups with good specificity and sensitivity. When the four groups were compared, the groups differed significantly in network density, except between the two MCI subtypes and NC and aMCI. The diameter of the network and the average shortest path were significantly different between the NC and AD, and between aMCI and AD. SGA sorted the elderly in their groups with good specificity and sensitivity, performing better than the standard score of the task. These findings provide support for a new methodological frame to assess the strength of semantic memory through the verbal fluency task, with potential to amplify the predictive power of this test. Graph analysis is likely to become clinically relevant in neurology and psychiatry, and may be particularly useful for the differential diagnosis of the elderly.