Volume overload influence on hypertrophied myocardium function

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that hypertrophied cardiac muscle is more sensitive to volume-overload than normal cardiac muscle. We assessed the mechanical function of isolated left ventricular papillary muscle from male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) Submitted to volume overload caused by aortocaval fistula (ACF) for 30 days. Muscles were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution at 28degreesC and Studied isometrically at a Stimulation rate of 0.2 Hz. The ACF increased the right and left ventricular weight-to-body weight ratio in WKY rats; it also promoted right ventricular hypertrophy and further increased the basal hypertrophy in the left ventricle from SHR. The arterial systolic pressure was greater in SHR than in WKY rats, and decreased with ACF in both groups. Developed tension (DT) and maximum rate of DT (+dT/dt) were greater in the SHR-control than in the WKY-control (P<0.05); the time from peak tension to 50% relaxation (RT1/2) was similar in these animals. ACE did not change any parameters ill the SHR group and increased the resting tension in the WKY group. However, the significant difference observed between myocardial contraction performance in WKY-controls and SHR-controls disappeared when the SHR-ACF and WKY-controls were compared. Furthermore, RT1/2 increased significantly ill the SHR-ACF in relation to the WKY-controls. In conclusion, the data lead LIS to infer that volume-overload for 30 days promotes more mechanical functional changes in hypertrophied muscle than in normal cardiac muscle.

The influence of cervical finish line, internal relief, and cement type on the cervical adaptation of metal crowns

Objective: the aim of this investigation was to evaluate the cervical adaptation of metal crowns under several conditions, namely (1) variations in the cervical finish line of the preparation, (2) application of internal relief inside the crowns, and (3) cementation using different luting materials. Method and Materials: One hundred eighty stainless-steel master dies were prepared simulating full crown preparations: 60 in chamfer (CH), 60 in 135-degree shoulder (OB), and 60 in rounded shoulder (OR). The finish lines were machined at approximate dimensions of a molar tooth preparation (height: 5.5 mm; cervical diameter: 8 mm; occlusal diameter: 6.4 mm; taper degree: 6; and cervical finish line width: 0.8 mm). One hundred eighty corresponding copings with the same finish lines were fabricated. A 30-mu m internal relief was machined 0.5 mm above the cervical finish line in 90 of these copings. The fit of the die and the coping was measured from all specimens (L0) prior to cementation using an optical microscope. After manipulation of the 3 types of cements (zinc phosphate, glass-ionomer, and resin cement), the coping was luted on the corresponding standard master die under 5-kgf loading for 4 minutes. Vertical discrepancy was again measured (L1), and the difference between L1 and L0 indicated the cervical adaptation. Results: Significant influence of the finish line, cement type, and internal relief was observed on the cervical adaptation (P < .001). The CH type of cervical finish line resulted in the best cervical adaptation of the metal crowns regardless of the cement type either with or without internal relief (36.6 +/- 3 to 100.8 +/- 4 mu m) (3-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test, alpha = .05). The use of glass-ionomer cement resulted in the least cervical discrepancy (36.6 +/- 3 to 115 +/- 4 mu m) than those of other cements (45.2 +/- 4 to 130.3 +/- 2 mu m) in all conditions. Conclusion: the best cervical adaptation was achieved with the chamfer type of finish line. The internal relief improved the marginal adaptation significantly, and the glass-ionomer cement led to the best cervical adaptation, followed by zinc phosphate and resin cement.

Molecular engineering strategies to control photo-induced birefringence and surface-relief gratings on layer-by-layer films from an azopolymer

The interactions governing adsorption of layer-by-layer (LBL) films from an azopolymer, PS-119(R), and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) have been controlled by modifying the pH of the solutions used to form the films. The thickness per bilayer was varied by one order of magnitude, from 10 to 240 A, as the pH changed from 4 to 10. Thick layers were formed at higher pHs because in this case the PAH is only partially charged adopting a loopy conformation. This change in molecular conformation caused the kinetics of isomerization and mass transport to be much slower than at lower pHs. The writing time defined as the time to achieve 50% of maximum birefringence dropped from 110 to 18 min for films prepared from solutions with pH 10 and pH 4, respectively. This decrease is probably due to the higher free volume for isomerization in the films prepared at lower pHs, in which PAH molecules are less coiled than at higher pHs. For the same reason, the rate of inscription of surface-relief gratings with an interference pattern of p-polarized light was also much slower at higher pHs. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-level laser therapy for pain relief after episiotomy: a double-blind randomised clinical trial

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

Mechanisms of surface-relief gratings formation in layer-by-layer films from azodyes

Surface-relief gratings are photoinscribed on ionically adsorbed layer-by-layer (LBL) films of an azodye, Brilliant Yellow (BY), which was layered alternately with a polyelectrolyte. Photoinscription is performed by impinging an interference pattern of p- or s-polarized laser light with moderate intensity onto the LBL film, which is unlikely to cause thermal effects. Large-scale mass transport occurs due to the force associated with the field gradient of the light pattern. The ionic interactions between adjacent layers appear to provide the means for the chromophores to drag the polymer chains upon photoizomerization. LBL films were produced from two different polyelectrolytes and under two distinct pH values leading to markedly different film properties especially concerning photodegradation. Exposure to the laser light, for instance, leads to higher photodegradation in the poly(dimethyl diallylammonium chloride)/BY system, in comparison to the poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/BY films. Mass transport in the latter case is predominantly light-driven, which is consistent with the higher amplitude of modulation for p-polarized light (70 nm) compared to that caused by s-polarized light (18 nm). © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The frequency of pharmacological pain relief in university neonatal intensive care units

Objective: To evaluate the use of drugs to relieve the pain of invasive procedures newborn infants cared for at a university hospital NICU. Methods: A prospective cohort study of all newborn infants hospitalized in four NICU during October 2001. The following data were collected: demographic data of the hospitalized newborn infants; clinical morbidity; number of potentially painful procedures and frequency of analgesic administration. Factors associated with the use of analgesia in this cohort of patients were studied by multiple linear regression using SPSS 8.0. Results: Ninety-one newborn infants were admitted to the NICU during the study period (1,025 patient-days). Only 25% of the 1,025 patient-days received systemic analgesia. No specific drugs were administered to relieve acute pain during any of the following painful events: arterial punctures, venous, capillary and lumbar punctures or intubations. For chest tube insertion, 100% of newborn infants received specific analgesia. For the insertion of central catheters 8% of the newborn infants received painkillers. Only nine of the 17 newborn infants that underwent surgical procedures received any analgesic dosage during the postoperative period. For 93% of patients under analgesia the drug of choice was fentanyl. The presence of mechanical ventilation increased the chance of newborn infants receiving painkillers by 6.9 times and the presence of chest tube increased this chance by five times. Conclusion: It is necessary to train health professionals in order to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge regarding newborn infant pain and clinical practice. Copyright © 2005 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

Relief influence on the spatial distribution of the Atlantic Forest cover on the Ibiúna Plateau, SP

Several studies suggest that, on a large scale, relief conditions influence the Atlantic Forest cover. The aim of this work was to explore these relationships on a local scale, in Caucaia do Alto, on the Ibiúna Plateau. Within an area of about 78 km2, the distribution of forest cover, divided into two successional stages, was associated with relief attribute data (slope, slope orientation and altitude). The mapping of the vegetation was based on the interpretation of stereoscopic pairs of aerial photographs, from April 2000, on a scale of 1:10,000, while the relief attributes were obtained by geoprocessing from digitalized topographic maps on a scale of 1:10,000. Statistical analyses, based on qui-square tests, revealed that there was a more extensive forest cover, irrespective of the successional stage, in steeper areas (>10 degrees) located at higher altitudes (>923 m), but no influence of the slope orientation. There was no sign of direct influence of relief on the forest cover through environmental gradients that might have contributed to the forest regeneration. Likewise, there was no evidence that these results could have been influenced by the distance from roads or urban areas or with respect to permanent preservation areas. Relief seems to influence the forest cover indirectly, since agricultural land use is preferably made in flatter and lower areas. These results suggest a general distribution pattern of the forest remnants, independent of the scale of study, on which relief indirectly has a strong influence, since it determines human occupation.

Delineation of specific management areas for coffee cultivation based on the soil-relief relationship and numerical classification

Predicting and mapping productivity areas allows crop producers to improve their planning of agricultural activities. The primary aims of this work were the identification and mapping of specific management areas allowing coffee bean quality to be predicted from soil attributes and their relationships to relief. The study area was located in the Southeast of the Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A grid containing a total of 145 uniformly spaced nodes 50 m apart was established over an area of 31. 7 ha from which samples were collected at depths of 0. 00-0. 20 m in order to determine physical and chemical attributes of the soil. These data were analysed in conjunction with plant attributes including production, proportion of beans retained by different sieves and drink quality. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) in combination with geostatistical data showed the attributes clay content and available iron to be the best choices for identifying four crop production environments. Environment A, which exhibited high clay and available iron contents, and low pH and base saturation, was that providing the highest yield (30. 4l ha-1) and best coffee beverage quality (61 sacks ha-1). Based on the results, we believe that multivariate analysis, geostatistics and the soil-relief relationships contained in the digital elevation model (DEM) can be effectively used in combination for the hybrid mapping of areas of varying suitability for coffee production. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Alívio de sobrecargas em redes de transmissão com o auxílio de geradores distribuídos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Uso de floculador hidráulico de manta de lodo acoplado a flotador por ar dissolvido no tratamento de água de abastecimento

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Envenomation by caterpillars (erucism): proposal for simple pain relief treatment

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

Volt-VAR multiobjective optimization to peak-load relief and energy efficiency in distribution networks

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