Effect of ball milling on structural and physicochemical characteristics of cassava and Peruvian carrot starches

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Combined effect of linezolid and N-acetylcysteine against Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms

Introduction: Staphylococcus epidermidis is an organism commonly associated with infections caused by biofilms. Biofilms are less sensible to antibiotics and therefore are more difficult to eradicate. Linezolid and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), have demonstrated to be active against gram-positive microorganisms. Therefore and since linezolid and NAC have different modes of action, the main objective of this work was to investigate the single and synergistic effect of linezolid and NAC against S. epidermidis biofilms. Methods: This work reports the in vitro effect of linezolid and NAC against S. epidermidis biofilms, treated with MIC (4 mg ml-1) and 10×MIC of NAC, and MIC (1 μg ml-1) and peak serum concentration (PS = 18 μg ml-1) of linezolid alone and in combination. After exposure of S. epidermidis biofilms to linezolid and/or NAC for 24 h, several biofilm parameters were evaluated, namely the number of cultivable cells [colony forming unit (CFU) enumeration], total biofilm biomass and cellular activity. Results: When tested alone, NAC at 10×MIC was the most effective agent against S. epidermidis biofilms. However, the combination linezolid (MIC) + NAC (10×MIC) showed a synergistic effect and was the most biocidal treatment tested, promoting a 5 log reduction in the number of biofilm viable cells. Conclusion: This combination seems to be a potential candidate to combat infections caused by S. epidermidis biofilms, namely as a catheter lock solution therapy. © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Effect of the bone marrow cell transplantation on elevated plus-maze performance in hippocampal-injured mice

Several reports have shown that the hippocampus plays an important role in different aspects of the emotional control. There is evidence that lesions in this structure cause behavioral disinhibition, with reduction of reactions expressing fear and anxiety. Thus, to portray the aptitude of cell therapy to abrogate injuries of hippocampal tissue, we examined the behavioral effects of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) transplantation on C57BL/6 mice that had the hippocampus damaged by electrolytic lesion. For this purpose, mice received, seven days after bilateral electrolytic lesion in the dorsal hippocampus, culture medium or BMMCs expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene. One week after transplantation, animals were tested in the elevated plus-maze (EPM). On the whole, three assessment sessions in the EPM were carried out, with seven days separating each trial. Thirty-five days after the induction of injury, mice were sacrificed and their brains removed for immunohistochemistry. The behavioral evaluation showed that the hippocampal lesion caused disinhibition, an effect which was slightly lessened, from the second EPM test, in transplanted subjects. On the other hand, immunohistochemical data revealed an insignificant presence of EGFP+ cells inside the brains of injured mice. In view of such scenario, we hypothesized that the subtle rehabilitation of the altered behavior might be a result from a paracrine effect from the transplanted cells. This might have been caused by the release of bioactive factors capable of boosting endogenous recuperative mechanisms for a partial regaining of the hippocampal functions. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Effect of a hyperbolide mastication apparatus for the treatment of severe sleep bruxism in a child with cerebral palsy: Long-term follow-up

Purpose: Sleep bruxism is common among the various oromotor alterations found in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Few studies have investigated the use of the mastication device denominated hyperbola (HB) and none was found describing the use of such a device for the treatment of bruxism in children with CP. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the HB on electromyographic (EMG) activity in the jaw-closing muscles and the reduction in sleep bruxism in a child with CP using surface EMG analysis before and after nine months of treatment. Methods: A seven-year-old boy with severe spastic CP and sleep bruxism was enrolled in this study. The HB was chosen as the treatment option for sleep bruxism in this case because the child did not accept an occlusal splint. The HB has a hyperbolic shape and is made of soft, non-toxic, odorless, tasteless silicone. There are five different sizes of HB manufactured based on the diversity of tooth sizes. This device produces proprioceptive excitation in the dentoalveolar nerve, spindles and Golgi tendon organs. HB has been employed for the treatment of temporomandibular disorder, abnormal oro-dental development, abnormal occlusion, xerostomy, halitosis and bruxism. HB therapy was performed for 5 min six times a day over a nine-week period. Surface EMG of the mandible at rest and during maximum contraction was performed on the masseter and temporalis muscles bilaterally to evaluate electromyographic activity before and after nine months of HB usage. Results: HB usage led to a visible tendency toward the reorganization of mastication dynamics, achieving a marked balance in electromyographic activity of the jaw-closing muscles and improving the child's quality of life. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, this noninvasive therapy may be useful for individuals with cerebral palsy due to its positive effects and low cost, which allows its use in the public health realm. Further clinical studies with a larger sample size are needed to validate these results and allow the development of a new treatment protocol for patients with spastic cerebral palsy. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of physical training on metabolic and bone profile in weaning rats

Introduction: The practice of moderate-intensity exercise can reduce the risk of infections and improve metabolic aspects of the person. Objective: To investigate the effects of aerobic physical training on endocrine and metabolic aspects, bone and immune systems. Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were divided in two groups: sedentary (SG) and trained group (TG). Training program consisted in swimming, 6 weeks, supporting a workload corresponding to 5% of body weight. At the end of the experiment, were performed counting total and differential leukocyte count and hematocrit. After training period, were analyzed glucose, total protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, liver and muscle samples for the determination of the levels of glycogen, and determination of the tibia length and bone area. All dependent variables were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a significance level of P < 0.05 was used for all comparisons. Results: Hematocrit (%) analyzed showed a significant difference, with higher values ffor TG (54.63 ± 1.41) than for the SG (49.5 ± 1.65). The total leukocyte count was not significantly different, as there was no difference in the differential count. Total cholesterol showed significant decrease in TG (TG = 68.27 ± 13.71 mg/dL; SG = 94.44 ± 28.09), the total protein levels also showed significant reduction (TG = 7.3 ± 0.40 g/dL; SG = 7.74 ± 0.36 g/dL) glucose levels and triglyceride showed no significant differences. The bone length showed significant difference (TG = 40±0.14 mm; SG = 42.10 ± 0.12mm). Tibial area showed a lower value for TG (1.53 ± 0.12cm2) than for SG (1.67 ± 0.18cm2); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It can be concluded that aerobic exercise training is able to produce some unique physiological changes in young rats. There is also the need to prescribe exercises that meet the particular maturational stage of development.

Aquatic Exercise is as Effective as dry Land Training to Blood Pressure Reduction in Postmenopausal Hypertensive Women

Background and Purpose: The evidence of the benefits from regular physical activity to hypertensives is based on dry land training studies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effect of aquatic exercise with dry land training on hypertensive women. Methods: This is a randomized controlled study with 52 post-menopausal hypertensive women. The patients were randomly allocated in three groups: water aerobic training group (n=19), dry land aerobic training group (n=19) and a non-intervention control group (n=14). The training protocol was performed by 12weeks. Results: There were no differences among the three groups concerning basal blood pressure (BP) and biochemical variables. In water group, there was a statistically significant reduction of systolic BP from 136±16mmHg at zero week to 124±18mm Hg at 11th week and 124±15mmHg at 12th week. In dry land training group, there was a statistically significant reduction of systolic BP from 138±15mmHg at zero week to 125±10mmHg at 7th week, 127±10mmHg at 10th week and 126±9mmHg at 12th week. The control group presented no change in any of the assessed variables. No changes were carried out in any antihypertensive medications during study. Discussion: This is a randomized controlled study that demonstrates the antihypertensive efficacy of aerobic aquatic exercise. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of final irrigation protocols on microhardness and erosion of root canal dentin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of final irrigation protocols (17% EDTA, BioPure MTAD, SmearClear, and QMiX) on microhardness and erosion of root canal dentin. Fifty roots were sectioned transversely at the cement-enamel junction and each root was sectioned horizontally into 4-mm-thick slices. The samples were divided into five groups (n=10) according to the final irrigation protocol: G1: distilled water (control group); G2: 17% EDTA; G3: BioPure MTAD; G4: SmearClear; and G5: QMiX. The dentin microhardness was then measured with a load of 25 g for 10 s. Initially, the reference microhardness values were obtained for the samples without any etching. The same samples were then submitted to the final irrigation protocols. A new measure was realized and the difference between before and after the procedures was the dentin microhardness reduction. In sequence, the specimens were submitted to SEM analysis to verify the dentinal erosion. The Kruskal Wallis and Dunn tests (α=5%) were used to compare the results. The dentin microhardness decreased for all final irrigation protocols. There was no significant difference between groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 (P>0.05), but this groups presented significant dentin microhardness reduction than G1 (P<0.05). In G2, occurred the highest incidence of dentinal erosion (P<0.05). 17% EDTA, BioPure MTAD, SmearClear, and QMiX promoted significant dentin microhardness reduction. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cryoprotective effect of different glycerol concentrations on domestic cat spermatozoa

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa is a pivotal tool in assisted reproduction, and studies aiming to establish optimal freezing/thawing protocols are essential to enhance sperm survival. The objectives of the present study were to (1) compare the cryoprotective efficiency of three different glycerol concentrations (3%, 5%, and 7%) on the basis of post-thaw sperm quality and (2) investigate whether the incidence of morphologically abnormal sperm in fresh samples is related to cryodamage sensitivity. Semen was collected from six tomcats using an artificial vagina (total 18 ejaculates). Each ejaculate was diluted using Tris-egg yolk-based extender (TEY), evaluated, equally divided into three aliquots, and rediluted using TEY with and without glycerol to achieve final concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 7%. Samples were loaded into 0.25 mL straws, equilibrated for 60 minutes at 5 °C, frozen, and then thawed at 46 °C for 12 seconds. Fresh and frozen-thawed samples were evaluated for sperm motion parameters (computer-assisted sperm analysis), plasma membrane integrity (PMI; propidium iodide and carboxyfluorescein diacetate), and DNA integrity (acridine orange). Plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity were assessed by flow cytometry (propidium iodide and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated pea (Pisum sativum) agglutinin) immediately after thawing. Sperm motion parameters were also evaluated at 30 and 60 minutes of postincubation. For all treatment groups, cryopreservation significantly impaired the PMI and sperm motion parameters, except for straightness and amplitude of lateral head displacement. DNA integrity showed a slight reduction (P < 0.05) when 3% glycerol was used. The percentage of total motility, progressive motility, and rapid spermatozoa were significantly lower immediately after thawing and up to 60 minutes of incubation for the 3% glycerol group when compared with 5% and 7%. No difference (P > 0.05) was found for PMI, acrosome integrity, and DNA integrity among post-thaw groups. However, higher (P < 0.05) incidence of viable cells with reacted acrosome and dead cells with intact acrosome were observed with 7% and 3% glycerol, respectively. Percentage of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa in fresh sample was positively correlated with PMI only in the 3% glycerol group and negatively correlated with sperm motility in the 5% and 7% groups. In conclusion, the final concentration of 5% glycerol offered better cryoprotective effect for ejaculated cat sperm, and the relationship found between prefreezing sperm morphology and post-thaw sperm quality showed to be dependent on final glycerol concentration. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Effect of ambulatory versus hospital treatment for gestational diabetes or hyperglycemia on infant mortality rates: a systematic review

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO:Gestações complicadas pelo diabetes estão associadas com aumento das complicações neonatais e maternas. A complicação mais grave materna é o risco de desenvolver diabetes tipo 2 após 10-12 anos do parto. Para o controle rigoroso da glicose no sangue, as mulheres grávidas são tratadas de forma ambulatorial ou com internações hospitalares. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a efetividade do tratamento ambulatorial versus hospitalização em gestações complicadas por diabetes ou hiperglicemia.TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL:Revisão sistemática conduzida em hospital universitário público.MÉTODOS:Uma revisão sistemática da literatura foi realizada e as principais bases de dados eletrônicas foram pesquisadas. A data da pesquisa mais recente foi 4 de setembro de 2011. Dois autores selecionaram independentemente os ensaios clínicos relevantes, avaliaram a qualidade metodológica e extraíram os dados.RESULTADOS:Apenas três estudos foram selecionados, com tamanho de amostra pequeno. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o tratamento ambulatorial versus hospitalização em relação à mortalidade em nenhuma das subcategorias analisadas: mortes perinatais e neonatais, (risco relativo [RR] 0,65; 95% de intervalo de confiança [IC] 0,11-3,84, P = 0,63); morte neonatal (RR 0,29, IC 95% 0,01-6,07, P = 0,43), e óbitos infantis (RR 0,29, IC 95% 0,01-6,07, P = 0,43).CONCLUSÕES:Com base em estudos com risco de viés alto ou moderado, esta revisão demonstrou que não há diferença estatisticamente significante entre o tratamento ambulatorial comparado com o hospitalar na redução das taxas de mortalidade em gestações complicadas por diabetes ou hiperglicemia. Esta revisão sistemática também sugere a necessidade de mais ensaios clínicos randomizados sobre o assunto.

Effect of nutritional density and season on the performance of young rabbit does before the first mating

The objective was to evaluate the effect of nutritional density and season on the performance of young rabbit does before the first mating. Forty-eight females from the Botucatu Genetic Group were used in each season (warm or cool), starting at the age of 70 days, housed in groups of four per cage up to 119 days, and reared individually from 120 to 140 days of age. The high-density diet was formulated to contain, on a 90% DM basis, 18.4% CP, 16.5% ADF and 2,500 kcal DE kg-1; whereas the low-density diet was formulated to contain 14.7% CP, 24% ADF and 2,000 kcal DE kg-1. The experiment was conducted according to a 2x2 factorial design (two diets x two seasons) with repeated measures (weeks). The high-density diet promoted lower feed intake, higher final weight, and higher daily weight gain, adjusted for constant intake. But these facts alone do not warrant using a high-density diet for growing rabbit does, because it could have a negative impact during the reproductive phase. In the warm season, there was a reduction in feed intake and an improvement in feed efficiency. Along time, however, the mean body weight of does was similar in the two seasons.

Effect of lipid sources with different fatty acid profiles on the intake, performance, and methane emissions of feedlot Nellore steers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of supplementation frequency on intake, behavior and performance in beef steers grazing Marandu grass

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Early light reduction for preventing retinopathy of prematurity in very low birth weight infants

BackgroundRetinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a complex condition of the developing retinal blood vessels and is one of the leading causes of preventable childhood blindness. Several risk factors for ROP have been studied over the past 50 years. Among them, general immaturity (low birth weight and low gestational age) and prolonged oxygen therapy have been consistently related to disease onset. However, it is understood that the progression of the disease is multifactorial and may be associated with others risk factors, such as multiple gestation, apnoea, intracranial haemorrhage, anaemia, sepsis, prolonged mechanical ventilation, multiple transfusions and light exposure. Furthermore, the precise role of these individual factors in the development of the disease has not yet been well established.ObjectivesTo determine whether the reduction of early environmental light exposure reduces the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) or poor ROP outcomes among very low birth weight infants.Search methodsWe searched the following databases: the Cochrane Neonatal Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, Science Citation Index Database, CANCERLIT, the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials and www.clinicaltrials.gov. We also searched previous reviews including cross-references, abstracts, conference and symposia proceedings, and contacted expert informants. This search was updated in October 2012.Selection criteriaRandomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that reduced light exposure to premature infants within the first seven days following birth were considered for this review. We also considered cluster-randomised controlled trials.Data collection and analysisData on clinical outcomes including any acute ROP and poor ROP outcome were extracted by both review authors independently and consensus reached. We conducted data analysis according to the standards of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group.Main resultsData from four randomised trials with a total of 897 participants failed to show any reduction in acute ROP or poor ROP outcome with the reduction of ambient light to premature infants' retinas. The overall methodological quality of the included studies was about evenly split between those in which the classification was unclear and those in which the studies were categorised as low risk of bias. There was no report on the secondary outcomes considered in this review: quality of life measures; and time of exposure to oxygen.Authors' conclusionsThe evidence shows that bright light is not the cause of retinopathy of prematurity and that the reduction of exposure of the retinas of premature infants to light has no effect on the incidence of the disease.

The effect of chronic treatment with fluoride on salivary activity, tooth, and bone in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of fluoride varnish supplemented with sodium trimetaphosphate on enamel erosion and abrasion

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)