Field methods for the study of ants in sugarcane plantations in Southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of recovery type after a judo combat on blood lactate removal and on performance in an intermittent anaerobic task

Aim. The objective of this study was to verify the effects of active (AR) and passive recovery (PR) after a judo match on blood lactate removal and on performance in an anaerobic intermittent task (4 bouts of upper body Wingate tests with 3-min interval between bouts; 4WT).Methods. The sample was constituted by 17 male judo players of different competitive levels: A) National (Brazil) and International medallists (n. 5). B) State (São Paulo) medallists (n. 7). Q City (São Paulo) medallists (n. 5). The subjects were submitted to: 1) a treadmill test for determination of VO2peak and velocity at anaerobic threshold (VAT); 2) body composition; 3) a 5-min judo combat, 15-min of AR or PR followed by 4WT.Results. The groups did not differ with respect to: body weight, VO2peak, VAT, body fat percentage, blood lactate after combats. No difference was observed in performance between AR and PR, despite a lower blood lactate after combat (10 and 15 min) during AR compared to PR. Groups A and B performed better in the high-intensity intermittent exercise compared to athletes with lower competitive level (C).Conclusion. The ability to maintain power output during intermittent anaerobic exercises can discriminate properly judo players of different levels. Lactate removal was improved with AR when compared to PR but AR did not improve performance in a subsequent intermittent anaerobic exercise.

Determination of the relative contribution of phenolic antioxidants in orange juice by voltammetric methods

The electrochemical oxidation of caffeic, chlorogenic, sinapic, ferulic and p-coumaric acids was investigated by cyclic voltammetry on acetate buffer pH 5.6 on glassy carbon electrode and modified glassy carbon electrode. According to their voltammetric behavior, the antioxidant activity of these phenolic acids was evaluated and the results pointed to the following sequence: caffeic acid (E-a = +0.31 V) > chlorogenic acid (+ 0.38 V) > sinapic acid (+ 0.45 V) > ferulic acid (+ 0.53 V) >p-coumaric acid (+ 0.73 V). The results were confirmed by DPPH test, which evidenced the strongest antiradical activity for compounds possessing the cathecol moiety (caffeic and chlorogenic acids). Linear calibration graphs were obtained for their determination at concentrations from 1 x 10(-4) to 1 x 10(-3) mol L-1. The method was applied to orange juice. Selectivity was illustrated by the analysis of caffeic and chlorogenic acids electrodeposited on a glassy carbon electrode previously modified by electrochemical activation in the presence of ascorbic acid. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Collagen type VI is a component of the extracellular matrix microfibril network of the prostatic stroma

Stroma-epithelium relationships are of great relevance in prostatic morphogenesis and physiology, However, little knowledge exists about either stromal cells or extracellular matrix composition and arrangement in this system, Ultrastructural analysis revealed the existence of a microfibrillar system which occupies large areas of the rat prostatic stroma, In this work, we have applied immunocytochemistry and an ATP treatment for the ultrastructural identification of collagen type VI microfibrils, aiming at examining its participation in the prostatic microfibrillar network. Immunocytochemistry was also extended to a human case of prostatic nodular hyperplasia, Both methods succeeded in identifying collagen type VI in the rat ventral prostate, Collagen type VI is evenly distributed throughout the stroma but mainly associated with the basal lamina, collagen fibrils, and around the stromal cells, the use of ATP treatment allowed for the discrimination between collagen type VI and elastin-associated microfibrils, and demonstrated that these two classes of microfibrils establish an extended, mixed, and open network. The same aspects of association with the basal lamina, with stromal cells (particularly with smooth muscle cells), and with fibrillar components of the stroma were observed in the human tissue, We suggest that the collagen type VI and elastin-associated microfibril system may be involved in the control of some aspects of cellular behavior and may also play a structural role, maintaining the organ integrity after the deformations occurring under smooth muscle contraction.

Exfoliative cytology of the oral mucosa in type II diabetic patients: morphology and cytomorphometry

Background: In recent years, important advances have occurred in the determination of diagnostic criteria for the disease diabetes mellitus and in new strategies for its treatment. The purpose of this research was to develop a new method for diabetes diagnosis by microscopic and cytomorphometric analyses of the oral epithelium. Methods: the smears were obtained from three distinct oral sites: buccal mucosa (cheek), tongue dorsum, and floor of the mouth in 10 control individuals and 10 type II diabetic patients. The oral smears were stained with Papanicolaou EA-36 solution. The nuclear (NA) and cytoplasmic (CA) areas were evaluated from 50 integral cells predominant in each oral site by the use of the KS 300(TM) image analysis system (Carl Zeiss, Germany), by which the cytoplasmic/nuclear ratio (C/N) was calculated. Results: the results showed that: (i) the epithelial cells of the diabetic group exhibited figures of binucleation and occasional karyorrhexis in all layers; (ii) the NA was markedly higher (P<0.05) in the diabetic group; (iii) the CA did not exhibit a statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between these two groups; and (iv) the C/N mean was 37.4% lower in the type II diabetic group. Conclusions: These results associated with clinical observations suggest that diabetes mellitus can produce alterations in oral epithelial cells, detectable by microscopy and cytomorphometry, which can be used in the diagnosis of this disease.

Mechanical strength and subcritical crack growth under wet cyclic loading of glass-infiltrated dental ceramics

Objectives. Evaluate the flexural strength (sigma) and subcritical crack growth (SCG) under cyclic loading of glass-infiltrated alumina-based (IA, In-Ceram Alumina) and zirconia-reinforced (IZ, In-Ceram Zirconia) ceramics, testing the hypothesis that wet environment influences the SCG of both ceramics when submitted to cyclic loading.Methods. Bar-shaped specimens of IA (n = 45) and IZ ( n = 45) were fabricated and loaded in three-point bending (3P) in 37 degrees C artificial saliva (IA(3P) and IZ(3P)) and cyclic fatigued (F) in dry (D) and wet (W) conditions (IA(FD), IA(FW), IZ(FD), IZ(FW)). The initial sigma and the number of cycles to fracture were obtained from 3P and F tests, respectively. Data was examined using Weibull statistics. The SCG behavior was described in terms of crack velocity as a function of maximum stress intensity factor (K(Imax)).Results. The Weibull moduli (m = 8) were similar for both ceramics. The characteristic strength (sigma(0)) of IA and IZ was and 466 MPa 550 MPa, respectively. The wet environment significantly increased the SCG of IZ, whereas a less evident effect was observed for IA. In general, both ceramics were prone to SCG, with crack propagation occurring at K(I) as low as 43-48% of their critical K(I). The highest sigma of IZ should lead to longer lifetimes for similar loading conditions.Significance. Water combined with cyclic loading causes pronounced SCG in IZ and IA materials. The lifetime of dental restorations based on these ceramics is expected to increase by reducing their direct exposure to wet conditions and/or by using high content zirconia ceramics with higher strength. (C) 2010 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal trends in incidence of Type 1 diabetes between 1986 and 2006 in Brazil

Background: Scarce information is available about the variation in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in the Brazilian population in the last decades. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the long-term trends (1986-2006) in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil. Subjects and methods: The annual incidence of Type 1 diabetes (per 100,000 per yr) from 1986 to 2006 was determined in children yr of age, using the capture and recapture method. Results: A total of 176 cases were diagnosed in the study population. The overall incidence was 10.4/100,000 with a range of 2.82/100,000 in 1987 to 18.49/100,000 in 2002 representing a 6.56-fold increase within the same population. The estimated incidence, using the capture and recapture method varied from 2.82/100,000 per yr in 1987 to 27.20/100,000 per yr in 2002, representing a 9.6-fold variation. The global pattern of incidence variation was categorized as high (10-19.99/100,000 per yr), and very high (20/100,000 per yr) in 71.43% of the study-years. Incidence was slightly higher among females, Caucasians, children in the 5-9 yr of age range and belonging to lower socio-economic classes. Most diagnoses were established during the colder months and/or with higher pluviometric indexes. Conclusions: The incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children is increasing in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil, and the global pattern of incidence was classified as high or very high, mainly in the last 10 yr. All Brazilian regions should be involved in the study. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 33: 373-377, 2010) (C)2010, Editrice Kurtis

Evaluation of developmental changes in bovine in vitro produced embryos following exposure to bovine Herpesvirus type 5

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

Bayesian and multivariate methods applied to favorability quantification in recôncavo Basin and Ribeira Belt, Brazil

A methodology to define favorable areas in petroleum and mineral exploration is applied, which consists in weighting the exploratory variables, in order to characterize their importance as exploration guides. The exploration data are spatially integrated in the selected area to establish the association between variables and deposits, and the relationships among distribution, topology, and indicator pattern of all variables. Two methods of statistical analysis were compared. The first one is the Weights of Evidence Modeling, a conditional probability approach (Agterberg, 1989a), and the second one is the Principal Components Analysis (Pan, 1993). In the conditional method, the favorability estimation is based on the probability of deposit and variable joint occurrence, with the weights being defined as natural logarithms of likelihood ratios. In the multivariate analysis, the cells which contain deposits are selected as control cells and the weights are determined by eigendecomposition, being represented by the coefficients of the eigenvector related to the system's largest eigenvalue. The two techniques of weighting and complementary procedures were tested on two case studies: 1. Recôncavo Basin, Northeast Brazil (for Petroleum) and 2. Itaiacoca Formation of Ribeira Belt, Southeast Brazil (for Pb-Zn Mississippi Valley Type deposits). The applied methodology proved to be easy to use and of great assistance to predict the favorability in large areas, particularly in the initial phase of exploration programs. © 1998 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

Methods of experimental induction of periapical inflammation. Microbiological and radiographic evaluation

Aim: To evaluate the influence of coronal filling and apical perforation on the induction of periapical inflammation. Methodology: Fifty-eight root canals in the teeth of dogs were divided into four groups. Groups I and II: root canals were exposed for 180 days; groups III and IV: root canals were exposed for 7 days and then the access cavity filled for 53 days. The root apices of groups I and III were perforated after the coronal opening, whilst those of groups II and IV remained intact. Standard radiographs were taken before and after the experimental periods. Digital images of the radiographs were created and then analysed by three examiners. After induction of periapical inflammation, the root canal contents were collected using paper points. Microbiologic evaluation of the type of microorganism was carried out by culture in different growth media. The radiographic and microbiologic data were statistically analysed using ANOVA at a 5% significance level. Results: There were a greater total number of microorganisms in groups I and II (P < 0.05). The number of anaerobes was greater than the number of aerobes (P < 0.05). The size of the periapical radiolucencies were not significantly different between the experimental groups. Conclusions: The different methods analysed induced similar areas of periapical radiolucency in dogs with predominantly anaerobic bacteria. However, the time required for induction was less when the method with coronal filling was used. © 2005 International Endodontic Journal.

Effect of cyclic compressive loading on the bond strength of an adhesive system to dentin after collagen removal

Purpose: The objective of this study was to verify the effect of cyclic compressive loading on the shear bond strength of an adhesive system following collagen removal. Materials and Methods: Sixty bovine teeth were divided into 4 groups based on the adhesive procedure used: groups 1 and 2 - etching with 35% phosphoric acid and application of the Single Bond adhesive system; groups 3 and 4 - after etching, a 10% sodium hypochlorite solution was applied for 1 min before the application of the adhesive. In all the specimens, a Z100 resin cylinder was built up over the bond area. Groups 2 and 4 were submitted to 500,000 cycles with a load of 100 N. Results: The mean values for the shear bond test (MPa) were: group 1: 7.37 ± 1.15; group 2: 5.72 ± 1.66; group 3: 5.95 ± 1.21; group 4: 3.66 ± 1.12. There was no difference between groups 1 and 2 (p > 0.01). Between groups 1 and 3, 2 and 4, and 3 and 4 there was a significant difference (p < 0.01). The majority of the specimens demonstrated an adhesive failure. Conclusion: The application of sodium hypochlorite on dentin decreased the values of shear bond strength, as did the load cycling in the group treated with sodium hypochlorite.

Diagnosis of 5α-reductase type 2 deficiency: Contribution of anti-Müllerian hormone evaluation

Aim: To evaluate anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in patients with clinical and molecular diagnosis of 5α-reductase 2 deficiency. Patients and methods: Data from 14 patients whose age ranged from 21 days to 29 years were analyzed according to age and pubertal stage. Sexual ambiguity was rated as Prader III in 11 patients. LH, FSH, testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and AMH serum levels were measured in all but two patients, who had been previously submitted to gonadectomy; T and DHT were also measured in 20 age-matched controls. Results: Gonadotropin levels were normal in all but one patient who retained gonads (six of whom had reached puberty) and T/DHT ratio was elevated in all patients when compared to controls. All prepubertal patients had AMH levels < -1 SD for age, while most pubertal patients had AMH levels compatible with pubertal stage. Conclusions: Prepubertal patients with 5α-reductase 2 deficiency have AMH values in the lower part of the normal range. These data indicate that T does not need to be converted to DHT to inhibit AMH secretion by Sertoli cells. © Freund Publishing House Ltd., London.

Strategies for developing NADH detector based on meldola blue in different immobilization methods: A comparative study

A comparative study was accomplished between two immobilization methodologies for the meldola's blue (MB), used to decrease the oxidation potential of NADH. The study was performed with glassy carbon electrode by electropolymerization of pyrrole and MB through the technique of cyclic voltammetry being evaluated the effect of the number of cycles to define the thickness and the stability of the film. With 25 cycles it was obtained the best result. They were also investigated the modification of the graphite electrode with film formed by the system sol-gel PPO 300 or PPO 4000 for the dip-coating, through two methods: occlusion and adsorption. The best method was it of adsorption of MB during 10 min, following by deposit of the film PPO 300, favored for the time of drying (24 hours). The adsorption of MB followed by PPO 300 deposition presented broader linear range than PPy methodology. ©2006 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Distortional buckling of simple lipped channel in bending results of the experimental analysis versus direct strength methods

Cold-formed steel members are subject to failure caused by buckling, normally under loads smaller than those corresponding to partial or total yielding of the cross section. The buckling of members in bending can be classified as local or global, and the occurrence of one or the other type is expected by the members' geometric characteristics and by the constraints and load conditions. One of the local instability modes that can characterize a member's failure is distortional buckling of the cross section occurring on its own plane and involving lateral displacements and rotations. This paper presents and discusses the procedures and results obtained from experimental tests of cold-formed steel members under bending. Forty-eight beams were carried out on members in simple lipped channel, in pairs, with 6-meter spans and loads applied by concentrated forces at every 1/3 of the span. The thickness, width and dimensions, of the stiffeners were chosen so that the instability by distortion buckling of the cross section was the principal failure mode expected. The experimental results are compared with the obtained results by using the direct strength method.

Influence of brush type as a carrier of adhesive solutions and paper points as an adhesive-excess remover on the resin bond to root dentin

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of the brush type as a earner of priming adhesive solutions and the use of paper points as a remover of the excess of these solutions on the push-out bond strength of resin cement to bovine root dentin. The null hypotheses were that brush type and the use of paper points do not affect the bond strength. Materials and Methods: The canals of 80 single-root bovine roots (16 mm in length) were prepared at 12 mm using the preparation drill (FRC Postec Plus, Ivoclar). Half of each root was embedded in acrylic resin and the specimens were divided into 8 groups, considering the factors brush type (4 levels) and paper point (2 levels) (n = 10): Gr 1: small microbrush (Cavi-Tip, SDI); Gr 2: Microbrush (Dentsply); Gr 3: Endobrush (Bisco); Gr 4: conventional brush (Bisco); Gr 5: Cavi-Tip (SDI) + paper points; Gr 6: Microbrush (Dentsply) + paper points; Gr 7: Endobrush (Bisco) + paper points; Gr 8: conventional brush (Bisco) + paper points. The root dentin was treated with a multistep total-etch adhesive system (All Bond 2). The adhesive system was applied using each microbrush, with and without using paper points. One fiber post was molded with addition silicon and 80 posts were made of resin cement (Duolink), The resin posts were luted (Duolink resin cement), and the specimens were stored for 24 h in water at 37°C. Each specimen was cut into 4 disk-shaped samples (1.8 mm in thickness), which were submitted to the push-out test. Results: The brush type (p < 0.0001) (small microbrush > microbrush = endobrush = conventional brush) and the use of paper points (p = 0.0001) (with > without) influenced the bond strength significantly (two-way ANOVA). The null hypotheses were rejected. Conclusion: The smallest brush (Cavi-Tip) and the use of paper points significantly improved the resin bond to bovine root dentin.