A method for the geometric standardization of intraoral radiographs for long-term follow up of replanted teeth: A case report

The interpretation of the set of radiographs taken during the follow-up period after tooth replantation might pose several difficulties, especially the inability to adequately reproduce the projection geometry of the exposures. This article describes a method for the geometric standardization of intraoral radiographs using a custom-made apparatus comprising a film-holder attached to an occlusal splint for the long-term follow up of dentoalveolar trauma. The method was applied in a patient who suffered an avulsion of the maxillary central incisors and had the teeth replanted after 4 h in saline storage. Endodontic treatment started 7 days after the trauma with changes of a calcium hydroxide intracanal medication every 15 days in the first 2 months and thereafter at 30-day intervals for 8 months. Root canal filling was carried out after this period. The radiographic exposures taken at the follow-up visits were standardized to identify the possible alterations during the repair process, such as root resorptions. A maxillary arch impression was made with alginate, and the model was cast in stone for fabrication of an acetate occlusal splint. The custom-made apparatus used for standardization of the radiographic exposures was fabricated by fixing a Rinn X-C-P film-holder and a 5-mm-long piece of 0.7-mm orthodontic wire to the occlusal splint with autopolymerized acrylic resin. Radiographs were taken at 4-month intervals, starting 10 months after replantation up to 76 months. The images were digitized and analysed using the Digora system. The length of the central incisors was determined to verify the reproduction of the projection geometry of the exposures and the orthodontic wire served to assess accuracy during length estimations in the radiographs. The method described in this article for geometric standardization of intraoral radiographs provided a consistent reproduction of the geometric exposure parameters, being indicated for use in the radiographic follow up of cases of dentoalveolar trauma. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

A compound model for the origin of Earth's water

One of the most important subjects of debate in the formation of the solar system is the origin of Earth's water. Comets have long been considered as the most likely source of the delivery of water to Earth. However, elemental and isotopic arguments suggest a very small contribution from these objects. Other sources have also been proposed, among which local adsorption of water vapor onto dust grains in the primordial nebula and delivery through planetesimals and planetary embryos have become more prominent. However, no sole source of water provides a satisfactory explanation for Earth's water as a whole. In view of that, using numerical simulations, we have developed a compound model incorporating both the principal endogenous and exogenous theories, and investigating their implications for terrestrial planet formation and water delivery. Comets are also considered in the final analysis, as it is likely that at least some of Earth's water has cometary origin. We analyze our results comparing two different water distribution models, and complement our study using the D/H ratio, finding possible relative contributions from each source and focusing on planets formed in the habitable zone. We find that the compound model plays an important role by showing greater advantage in the amount and time of water delivery in Earth-like planets. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Improvement of grapevine iron nutrition by a bovine blood-derived compound

Iron (Fe) is essential for chlorophyll formation and plant growth. Irondeficiency chlorosis is a major nutritional disorder in several fruit trees cultivated in calcareous and alkaline soils, reducing fruit yield and quality and causing heavy economic losses. Since chelated Fe, the most widespread fertilizers used for preventing or curing Fe deficiency, pose risks of environmental pollution, the development of sustainable agronomic alternatives represents a priority for the fruit industry. In this work, we investigated the effectiveness of a bovine blood-derived product (BB; 0,125% Fe) for preventing Fe-deficiency in grapevine plants. During the vegetative season 2011 potted plants of five graft combinations: Sangiovese/S4O, Cabernet Sauvignon/S4O and Cabernet Sauvignon/140 Ruggeri, 140 Ruggeri/Cabernet Sauvignon, Vitis riparia/Cabernet Sauvignon were grown on calcareous soil. Soil treatments included: 1) Control; 2) Fe-EDDHA (Fe 6%); 3) Bovine-Blood (5 g/L); 4) Bovine-Blood (20 g/L). With the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon/S4O plants, Fe-EDDHA increased SPAD units (leaf chlorophyll content). Bovine-blood at low concentrations had similar or higher SPAD units than Fe-EDDHA. Increasing concentration resulted in further increases in SPAD units only in some graft combinations. Data highlight the efficiency of Fe blood-compound in the prevention of grapevine Fe-deficiency over one growing season.

Evaluation of estrogenic, antiestrogenic and genotoxic activity of nemorosone, the major compound found in brown Cuban propolis

Background: Brown propolis is the major type of propolis found in Cuba; its principal component is nemorosone, the major constituent of Clusia rosea floral resins. Nemorosone has received increasing attention due to its strong in vitro anti-cancer action. The citotoxicity of nemorosone in several human cancer cell lines has been reported and correlated to the direct action it has on the estrogen receptor (ER). Breast cancer can be treated with agents that target estrogen-mediated signaling, such as antiestrogens. Phytoestrogen can mimic or modulate the actions of endogenous estrogens and the treatment of breast cancer with phytoestrogens may be a valid strategy, since they have shown anti-cancer activity.Methods: The aim of the present investigation was to assess the capacity of nemorosone to interact with ERs, by Recombinant Yeast Assay (RYA) and E-screen assays, and to determine by comet assay, if the compound causes DNA-damaging in tumoral and non-tumoral breast cells.Results: Nemorosone did not present estrogenic activity, however, it inhibited the 17-β-estradiol (E2) action when either of both methods was used, showing their antiestrogenicity. The DNA damage induced by the benzophenone in cancer and normal breast cells presented negative results.Conclusion: These findings suggest that nemorosone may have therapeutic application in the treatment of breast cancer. © 2013 Camargo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Estudos computacionais e sintéticos visando o planejamento racional de novos agentes anticolinesterásicos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Theoretical investigation of geometric configurations and vibrational spectra in citric acid complexes

The performance of advanced electronic ceramics is directly related to the synthesis route employed. Sol-gel methods are widely used for this purpose. However, the physicochemical intermediate steps are still not well understood. Better understanding and control of these processes can improve the final quality of samples. In this work, we studied theoretically the formation of metal complexes between citric acid and lithium or barium metal cations with different citric acid/metal proportions, using Density Functional Theory electronic structure calculations. Infrared and Raman scattering spectra were simulated for the more stable geometric configurations. Using this methodology, we identified some features of complexes formed in the synthesis process. Our results show that the complexes can be distinguished by changes in the bands assigned to C=O, COH-, and COO- group vibrations. An estimate of the most stable complexes is made based on total energy.

Auditory stimulation with music influences the geometric indices of heart rate variability in response to the postural change maneuver

It is poor in the literature the behavior of the geometric indices of heart rate variability (HRV) during the musical auditory stimulation. The objective is to investigate the acute effects of classic musical auditory stimulation on the geometric indexes of HRV in women in response to the postural change maneuver (PCM). We evaluated 11 healthy women between 18 and 25 years old. We analyzed the following indices: Triangular index, Triangular interpolation of RR intervals and Poincar plot (standard deviation of the instantaneous variability of the beat-to beat heart rate [SD1], standard deviation of long-term continuous RR interval variability and Ratio between the short - and long-term variations of RR intervals [SD1/SD2] ratio). HRV was recorded at seated rest for 10 min. The women quickly stood up from a seated position in up to 3 s and remained standing still for 15 min. HRV was recorded at the following periods: Rest, 0-5 min, 5-10 min and 10-15 min during standing. In the second protocol, the subject was exposed to auditory musical stimulation (Pachelbel-Canon in D) for 10 min at seated position before standing position. Shapiro-Wilk to verify normality of data and ANOVA for repeated measures followed by the Bonferroni test for parametric variables and Friedmans followed by the Dunns posttest for non-parametric distributions. In the first protocol, all indices were reduced at 10-15 min after the volunteers stood up. In the protocol musical auditory stimulation, the SD1 index was reduced at 5-10 min after the volunteers stood up compared with the music period. The SD1/SD2 ratio was decreased at control and music period compared with 5-10 min after the volunteers stood up. Musical auditory stimulation attenuates the cardiac autonomic responses to the PCM.

The first frequency of cantilevered bars with geometric effect: a mathematical and experimental evaluation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Magnetoelastic couplings in the distorted diamond-chain compound azurite

We present results of ultrasonic measurements on a single crystal of the distorted diamond-chain compound azurite Cu-3(CO3)(2)(OH)(2). Pronounced elastic anomalies are observed in the temperature dependence of the longitudinal elastic mode c(22) which can be assigned to the relevant magnetic interactions in the system and their couplings to the lattice degrees of freedom. From a semiquantitative analysis of the magnetic contribution to c(22) the magnetoelastic coupling G = partial derivative J(2)/partial derivative epsilon(b) can be estimated, where J(2) is the intradimer coupling constant and epsilon(b) the strain along the intrachain b axis. We find an exceptionally large coupling constant of | G| similar to 3650 K highlighting an extraordinarily strong sensitivity of J(2) against changes of the b-axis lattice parameter. These results are complemented by measurements of the hydrostatic pressure dependence of J2 by means of thermal expansion and magnetic susceptibility measurements performed both at ambient and finite hydrostatic pressure. We propose that a structural peculiarity of this compound, in which Cu2O6 dimer units are incorporated in an unusually stretched manner, is responsible for the anomalously large magnetoelastic coupling.

RAMSY: Ratio Analysis of Mass Spectrometry to Improve Compound Identification

The complexity of biological samples poses a major challenge for reliable compound identification in mass spectrometry (MS). The presence of interfering compounds that cause additional peaks in the spectrum can make interpretation and assignment difficult. To overcome this issue, new approaches are needed to reduce complexity and simplify spectral interpretation. Recently, focused on unknown metabolite identification, we presented a new approach, RANSY (ratio analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 7616-7623), which extracts the signals related to the same metabolite based on peak intensity ratios. On the basis of this concept, we present the ratio analysis of mass spectrometry (RAMSY) method, which facilitates improved compound identification in complex MS spectra. RAMSY works on the principle that, under a given set of experimental conditions, the abundance/intensity ratios between the mass fragments from the same metabolite are relatively constant. Therefore, the quotients of average peak ratios and their standard deviations, generated using a small set of MS spectra from the same ion chromatogram, efficiently allow the statistical recovery of the metabolite peaks and facilitate reliable identification. RAMSY was applied to both gas chromatography/MS and liquid chromatography tandem MS (LC-MS/MS) data to demonstrate its utility. The performance of RAMSY is typically better than the results from correlation methods. RAMSY promises to improve unknown metabolite identification for MS users in metabolomics or other fields.

Responses of the geometric indices of heart rate variability to the active orthostatic test in women

OBJECTIVES: The effects of the orthostatic test on the cardiovascular system have been investigated, but there are no data on the behavior of the geometric indices of heart rate variability. We evaluated the effects of the active orthostatic test on the geometric indices of heart rate variability in women. METHOD: The study was performed on 12 healthy women between ages 18 and 30. For the analysis of heart rate variability, heart rate was recorded beat-to-beat. The RR intervals were transformed into geometric figures, and from these we calculated the triangular index, the triangular interpolation of RR intervals, the SD1, SD2 indexes and the SD1/SD2 ratio, which were obtained from the Poincaré plot. Visual analysis of the plot was also performed. For the test, participants quickly stood up from a seated position in 3 seconds or less, and remained standing still for 15 minutes. Heart rate variability samples were collected at four moments: rest, 0-5 minutes, 5-10 minutes and 10-15 minutes at standing position. RESULTS: The triangular index, the triangular interpolation of RR intervals, the SD1 and SD2 indices were reduced (p < 0.05) at 10-15 minutes after the volunteers stood up from seated position. The SD1/SD2 ratio was decreased at 0-15 minutes after the subjects changed from seated to orthostatic position.

Musical auditory stimulation at different intensities and its effects on the geometric indices of heart-rate variability

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that relaxation music increases the heart's parasympathetic modulation as well as reducing its sympathetic activity. However, what is lacking in the literature is information on the acute effects of different intensities of music on cardiac autonomic regulation. We aimed to evaluate the acute effects of baroque and heavy-metal music on cardiac autonomic regulation at different intensities. Method The study was performed in 16 healthy men aged between 18 and 25 years. The main outcomes were the geometric indices of heart-rate variability (HRV) [i.e. triangular index (RRtri); triangular interpolation of RR intervals (TINN) and Poincaré plot: SD1, SD2 and SD1/SD2 ratio]. First, HRV was recorded at rest for 10 min. The volunteers were then exposed to baroque or heavy-metal music for 5 min through an earphone; subjects were exposed to each song at three different sound levels (60–70, 70–80 and 80–90 decibels). After the first song, subjects remained at rest for 5 min before being exposed to the next song. The sequence of songs and sound intensity were randomised for each individual. Results Musical auditory stimulation with baroque music did not influence the geometric indices of HRV. The same was observed with heavy-metal musical auditory stimulation at the three sound-level ranges. Conclusion Musical auditory stimulation at different sound intensities did not influence the geometric indices of HRV in men.

Auditory stimulation with music influences the geometric indices of heart rate variability in men

Background: Chronic classical music was reported to increase parasympathetic activitywhen evaluating heart rate variability (HRV). It is poor in the literature investigation of the acute effects of baroque and heavy metal styles of musical auditory stimulation on HRV. In this study we evaluated the acute effects of relaxant baroque and excitatory heavy metal music on the geometric indices of HRV in healthy men. Method: The study was performed in 12 healthy men between 18 and 30 years old. We excluded persons with previous experience with music instrument and those who had affinity with the song styles. We analyzed the following indices: RRtri, TINN and Poincaré plot (SD1, SD2 and SD1/SD2 ratio). HRV was recorded at rest for ten minutes. Subsequently they were exposed to relaxant baroque or excitatory heavy metal music for five minutes through an earphone. After the first music exposure they remained at rest for more five minutes and them they were exposed again to Baroque or Heavy Metal music (65–80 dB). The sequence of songs was randomized for each individual. Results: The RRTri and SD2 indices were reduced during the heavy metal musical auditory stimulation (p < 0.05). No changes were observed regarding TINN, SD1 and SD1/SD2 ratio (p > 0.05).The qualitative Poincaré plot analysis indicated that during relaxant classical baroque music there was observed a higher beat-to-beat dispersion of RR intervals compared with no music exposure and during excitatory heavy metal musical auditory stimulation, showing higher HRV. Conclusion: We suggest that excitatory heavy metal music acutely decreases global HRV.

Linear Versus Geometric Morphometric Approaches for the Analysis of Head Shape Dimorphism in Lizards

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)