Repercussões endodônticas dos procedimentos clareadores

Tooth bleaching is a treatment modality that raises great interest, due to the important role played by aesthetics in current life style. To perform such procedure, nowadays, there are several bleaching substances at several concentrations, as well as, diverse clinical techniques. When suggesting this procedure, the dentist should take into consideration several factors related to the patient to determine which will be the most appropriate technique/material combination for solving the clinical problem. The procedure indication should not only be based on the expectations exhibited by the patient, but also on respecting the biological principles to maintain the integrity of both the endodontic and periodontal tissues.

Outros benefícios do exercício físico para o hipertenso

Aerobic exercise has been suggested as a non-pharmacological treatment for hypertension, and the previous paper of this set demonstrated some of the physiological responses induced by exercise. It has been shown an increment on expenditures for appropriate hypertension management in both, public and private services, which reinforces the inclusion of preventive programs to reduce healthcare costs. However, little is known about physical exercise cost-effectiveness for hypertensive patients. There are several interventions like a simple doctor/dietitian counselling in order to change life style, wed-based nutrition program, pharmacological treatment and assisted or non-assisted physical exercise program that evaluate the costs savings. We have shown that regular exercise (combined or not with another diet counselling and antihypertensive treatment) may effectively contribute to reduce the health care costs (up to -38%). Also, we have shown that exercise improves body composition and lipid profile which are important risk factors to development of cardiovascular disease. So, exercise can lead to significant reduction in blood pressure medication use and, therefore, it causes cost savings, justifying the implementation of exercise programs in all healthcare units.

Avaliação dos parâmetros psicomotores de equilíbrio e coordenaçao motora apendicular em crianças obesas

Obesity is a growing problem all over the world, reaching all age groups and social categories. This is a concern ing fact, because the current life style, more and more sedentary, favors the develop of this disease. Children suffer with this ill more and more prematurely and many of its consequences will be carried during all their lives. With the intention of better understand the relationship between obesity and children's motor development, the present research investigated, through psychomotor evaluations of equilibrium and appendicular motor coordination, based on the Exame Neurológico Evolutivo (ENE), the existence of changes in the performance of this variables in obese children and children with normal weight, in their first year on fundamental education in a public state school. The static equilibrium presented itself lower than normal in obese, compared to the normal weight group. Statistically significant differences were not found in respect to dynamic equilibrium and appendicular motor coordination. With that, we can conclude that the static equilibrium suffered influence of obesity, because the centre of gravity might have been changed due to excessive weight

Modelo matemático de tratamento de câncer via quimioterapia em ciclos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Tolerance and nutritional therapy of dietary fibre from konjac glucomannan hydrolysates for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Carbohydrates may provide an alternative therapeutic approach for a number of digestive health disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this work was to characterise the tolerance and efficacy of low and high molecular weight konjac glucomannan hydrolysates within healthy volunteers and patients suffering from IBD and associated gut conditions. These conditions included constipation, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. For general tolerance, fourteen patients participated whilst for the digestive disorder trial, there were twenty. Scores of taste/texture of the product, bowel movement, stool consistency, diarrhoea, existence/absence of blood in the faeces, abdominal pains, flatulence, vomiting, fever, improvement of life style after use, willingness to use in the future and clinician's statements about each patient's conditions before and after use were recorded. The results showed that the hydrolysates were tolerated well for patients with diarrhoea and had a significant improvement on bowel movement, stool consistency, abdominal pain and flatulence after ten days. With respect to effects on IBD, there was a significant health benefit after fourteen days of consumption for bowel movement, stool consistency, diarrhoea, existence/absence of blood in the faeces, abdominal pain, flatulence and vomiting. Most patients declared an improvement of their life style after consuming the hydrolysates. The use of konjac glucomannan hydrolysates as a therapeutic agent or adjunct to standard treatments could prove a successful tool for the treatment of a range of disorders; although large scale studies are required to characterise further the role of the carbohydrates.

Indeterminate form of chagas disease and metabolic syndrome: a dangerous combination

Chagas’ disease (CD) has been a major concern in public health in Latin America countries and in Brazil there are about 3 million people suffering from this disease. With the social and economic changes which have been occurring in the last 6 decades in the country, there have been a lot of changes in the population life style with severe metabolic consequences, especially for those with Chagas' disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in individuals with the indeterminate form of CD. A total of 74 individuals, mean age of 55.6 years, participated in the study. Anthropometric and biochemical evaluations were performed. Overweight/obesity was found in 86.5 % of individuals, increased waist circumference in 72.5%, and 67% had more than 30% of fat mass. Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia were observed in 24.3% and 75.7% of patients, respectively. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 48.2% of patients. The family history revealed high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (80.3%), systemic arterial hypertension (57.1%) and diabetes mellitus (42.8%). A total of 90% of patients were overweight/obese, and it is well known that increased adipose tissue, specially visceral adipose tissue is highly associated with dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, as well as imbalance in production of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines produced by that tissue. Adipocytes are also known as a reservoir for Trypanosoma cruzi, favoring an increase in parasite load and a possible reacutization of the disease. Therefore, the study individuals are at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases as well as further symptomatic form of the Chagas' disease, mainlychagastic cardiopathy.

Longitudinal distribution and lateral pattern of megalopal settlement and juvenile recruitment of Carcinus maenas (L.) (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the Mira River Estuary, Portugal

Settlement is a critical process in the life history of crabs, and thus affecting the abundance, distribution and structure of estuarine communities. The spatial pattern of settlement of megalopae of the shore crab Carcinus maenas along a longitudinal estuarine gradient (Mira River Estuary, Portugal) was examined, as well as its effects on the juvenile population. To measure megalopal settlement, four replicate collectors were deployed in six equally spaced stations along the estuarine axis. Juveniles were collected on the same locations with a quadrat randomly deployed on the substrate. To assess fine-scale megalopal settlement within a curved region of the estuary, replicate collectors were deployed on both margins along Moinho da Asneira curve. Megalopae settled differently along the six longitudinal points, with a tendency to attenuate their settlement upstream. Within the curved region, megalopae preferentially settled on the left margin collectors, probably due to the weaker velocity speeds felt on this margin. Concerning the overall juvenile density, there were significant differences among the stations distributed along the estuary, but they did no reflect a longitudinal dispersion attenuation pattern. Size-frequency distribution of the juvenile population showed that the average size is higher on the left margin. Recruits (carapace length between 1.0 mm and 3.4 mm) were more abundant on the upstream stations. Density of early juveniles (3.4 mm-6.5 mm) and juveniles (6.5 mm-10 mm) was more stable throughout the estuary axis than that of recruits. This distribution pattern may result from tidal excursion processes or mechanisms to avoid biotic interactions, such as predation and competition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecological distribution of the shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti (Burkenroad, 1936) (Decapoda, Penaeoidea) in Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo, Brazil

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

Improved Fault Location on Distribution Feeders Based on Matching During-Fault Voltage Sags

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Prosthesis Auricular With Osseointegrated Implants and Quality of Life

Implants in craniofacial reconstructions improve prostheses retention and stability, comfort, and safety for the patient. According to biomechanical principles, the treatment success regarding osseointegration maintenance depends on an adequate surgery technique associated to a retention system that provides favorable tension distribution to implants. Implants in the mastoid area are a very important aid for retention of auricular prostheses. Color stability of resin and silicone is an important factor for longevity of auricular prostheses, and the high degree of satisfaction of patients with head and neck defects receiving epithesial reconstruction in the maxillofacial region is demonstrated.

Automated Nuclear Analysis of Leishmania major Telomeric Clusters Reveals Changes in Their Organization during the Parasite's Life Cycle

Parasite virulence genes are usually associated with telomeres. The clustering of the telomeres, together with their particular spatial distribution in the nucleus of human parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma brucei, has been suggested to play a role in facilitating ectopic recombination and in the emergence of new antigenic variants. Leishmania parasites, as well as other trypanosomes, have unusual gene expression characteristics, such as polycistronic and constitutive transcription of protein-coding genes. Leishmania subtelomeric regions are even more unique because unlike these regions in other trypanosomes they are devoid of virulence genes. Given these peculiarities of Leishmania, we sought to investigate how telomeres are organized in the nucleus of Leishmania major parasites at both the human and insect stages of their life cycle. We developed a new automated and precise method for identifying telomere position in the three-dimensional space of the nucleus, and we found that the telomeres are organized in clusters present in similar numbers in both the human and insect stages. While the number of clusters remained the same, their distribution differed between the two stages. The telomeric clusters were found more concentrated near the center of the nucleus in the human stage than in the insect stage suggesting reorganization during the parasite's differentiation process between the two hosts. These data provide the first 3D analysis of Leishmania telomere organization. The possible biological implications of these findings are discussed.

Recognition and distribution of Leptodactylus mystaceus (Anura; Leptodactylidae) in the State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil

Leptodactylus mystaceus, uma espécie com ampla distribuição geográfica pela América do Sul, é diagnosticada com base em exemplares do Estado de São Paulo, seu limite meridional de distribuição geográfica. Apresentamos aqui o primeiro registro da espécie para o Sudeste do Brasil, ampliando sua distribuição conhecida em cerca de 1.300 km ao sudeste. Também incluímos a descrição da vocalização de anúncio, informações sobre história natural, fotografia em vida e desenhos de caracteres morfológicos que auxiliam na identificação desta espécie.

Accelerating solutions of perfect fluid hydrodynamics for initial energy density and life-time measurements in heavy ion collisions

A new class of accelerating, exact, explicit and simple solutions of relativistic hydrodynamics is presented. Since these new solutions yield a finite rapidity distribution, they lead to an advanced estimate of the initial energy density and life-time of high energy heavy ion collisions. Accelerating solutions are also given for spherical expansions in arbitrary number of spatial dimensions.

DISTRIBUTION AND SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF RHODOPHYTA IN THE PRETO RIVER BASIN, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Distribution and seasonal dynamics of freshwater Rhodophyta were investigated in the Preto River basin, located in northwestern São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Twenty-two sites were sampled, six monthly during one year, four bimonthly during two years, and 12 twice (hot-rainy and cool-dry seasons) during the study period (May 1989 through March 1991). Red algal representatives were found in 19 sites (86.4%). Four species occurred in the basin with varying frequencies: Batrachospermum delicatulum (54.5%), Compsopogon coeruleus (36.4%), B. bicudoi (13.6%) and B. virgatum (4.5%). In addition, 'Chantransia' stage of the batrachospermalean species was found in 17 sites (77.3%). B. bicudoi, B. virgatum and C. coeruleus occurred only in large stream segments (greater-than-or-equal-to 3-order), generally in the main river, whereas B. delicatulum was more frequent in small streams (less-than-or-equal-to 3-order). The stream variables most closely related to the species distribution in the basin were specific conductance, pH and oxygen. B. bicudoi and B. delicatulum showed a marked seasonality: gametophytes were observed from late fall to early spring, while the 'Chantransia' stage generally occurred throughout the year. C. coeruleus was observed throughout the year in most sites, but the populations were generally more abundant from late fall to early spring. The combination of lower temperature and reduced turbidity resulting in increased illumination to the benthic algae during the dry winter months promotes the gametophytic growth of the batrachospermalean species, whereas current velocity was found to be the most influential stream variable for C. coeruleus. The persistance of the 'Chantransia' stage throughout the year as well as its tolerance to wider environmental conditions are key factors in the efficiency of the batrachospermalean life history strategy in lotic ecosystems.

Optimized Allocation of Control and Protective Devices in Electric Distribution Systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)