Paracoccidioidomycosis: Survey and clinical aspects from the Department of Dermatology of the School of Medicine of Botucatu (Sao Paulo - Brazil)

Background - Paracoccidioidomycosis is the most frequent among the systemic mycoses in Brazil. Objective: To study the cases of paracoccidioidomycosis diagnosed from 1976 to 1996 at the Department of Dermatology of the School of Medicine of Botucatu. Methods - Descriptive study obtained from specific protocols comprising anamnesis, clinical- dermatological-laboratorial examination, treatment and follow-up of the patients. Results - Paracoccidioidomycosis was diagnosed in 1.04% of the dermatologic outpatients assisted from 1976 to 1996. In 315 cases, 89.8% were male, 61.9% were over forty and 53.7% were rural workers. The complaints were related more to oropharyngolaryngeal (53.6%) or cutaneous (23.8%) lesions or adenopathy (10.2%). Seventy patients had already been treated in other health services. The chronic multifocal clinical from was the most common: 80.6% of the cases, followed by the acute-subacute (juvenile type) 15.5%. The disease was pulmonary in 80.0%, oropharyngolaryngeal in 69.2% and cutaneous in 45.7%. Th treatment: Amphotericin B in 146 patients, Ketoconazole - 88, Itraconazole - 56, Sulfonamide derivatives - 146 and Terbinafine in 3. The lethality index resulting from the disease or its treatment was 2.0%. Conclusions - The high number of cases, showing the regional relevance of the disease and the high percentage of tegumentary complaints and the high number of relapsing are remarkable.

Detection of highways in high resolution images using Mathematical Morphology techniques

This paper seeks to apply a routine for highways detection through the mathematical morphology tools in high resolution image. The Mathematical Morphology theory consists of describing structures geometric presents quantitatively in the image (targets or features). This explains the use of the Mathematical Morphology in this work. As high resolution images will be used, the largest difficulty in the highways detection process is the presence of trees and automobiles in the borders tracks. Like this, for the obtaining of good results through the use of morphologic tools was necessary to choose the structuring element appropriately to be used in the functions. Through the appropriate choice of the morphologic operators and structuring elements it was possible to detect the highways tracks. The linear feature detection using mathematical morphology techniques, can contribute in cartographic applications, as cartographic products updating.

Morphological routine proposal to extraction of highways in digital images of high resolution

This research proposes to apply techniques of Mathematics Morphology to extract highways in digital images of high resolution, targeting the upgrade of cartographic products. Remote Sensing data and Mathematical Morphological techniques were integrated in the process of extraction. Mathematical Morphology's objective is to improve and extract the relevant information of the visual image. In order to test the proposed approach some morphological operators related to preprocess, were applied to the original images. Routines were implemented in the MATLAB environment. Results indicated good performances by the implemented operators. The integration of the technologies aimed to implement the semiautomatic extraction of highways with the purpose to use them in processes of cartographic updating.

Supplementation and therapeutic use of vitamin D in patients with multiple sclerosis: Consensus of the Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology

A esclerose múltipla (EM) é uma doença inflamatória, autoimune, desmielinizante e degenerativa do sistema nervoso central. Estudos epidemiológicos têm identificado associações de hipovitaminose D com doenças autoimunes. O principal objetivo desta revisão é responder se há evidências que indiquem o uso terapêutico de vitamina D em monoterapia para pacientes com EM. Por meio dos sites PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS e Scielo foram realizadas buscas usando os descritores “vitamin D”, e “multiple sclerosis” até 12/09/2013. Estudos clínicos randomizados, controlados e duplo-cegos foram selecionados para avaliar a resposta terapêutica da vitamina D na EM. Não foram encontradas evidências científicas que justifiquem o uso da vitamina D em monoterapia no tratamento da EM, na prática clínica.

Greening of the essential activities of an Engineering School: a case study in the Area/Department of Production Engineering

This article analyzes the inclusion of the issue of “environmental management” in the department of Production Engineering of the “Alfa” School of Engineering. For this, a case study was conducted at the School of "Alpha" Engineering, with a focus on the area of Production Engineering. Professors were interviewed; documents were reviewed as well as information collected from direct observations by of one of the authors of this article. It was observed that the department of Production Engineering at the Alpha School of Engineering has been developing activities covering all those aspects proposed by Jabbour [8]. "Environmental management" has been included in the curriculums of: (a) Teaching: in the creation of undergraduate courses (obligatory) and graduate Master's degree (optional), (b) Research: formalization of research groups in environmental management for the creation of master’s post graduation research, formalization of environmental management as one of the subjects that should be chosen by candidates for a Professorship in the area of production engineering; (c) Extension: Course in Environmental Management, Symposium (which in recent years has been focusing on environmental issues), creation of sustainability indicators for universities, (d) University Management: initiatives to raise awareness, distribution of reusable mugs and installation of special bins for selective collection in the Campus.