New contributions to the determination of resonance frequencies of rectangular microstrip antennas by neural networks

This paper uses artificial neural networks (ANN) to compute the resonance frequencies of rectangular microstrip antennas (MSA), used in mobile communications. Perceptron Multi-layers (PML) networks were used, with the Quasi-Newton method proposed by Broyden, Fletcher, Goldfarb and Shanno (BFGS). Due to the nature of the problem, two hundred and fifty networks were trained, and the resonance frequency for each test antenna was calculated by statistical methods. The estimate resonance frequencies for six test antennas were compared with others results obtained by deterministic and ANN based empirical models from the literature, and presented a better agreement with the experimental values.

Characterization of Atrazine-Loaded Biodegradable Poly(Hydroxybutyrate-Co-Hydroxyvalerate) Microspheres

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

Exogenous Administration of 15d-PGJ(2)-Loaded Nanocapsules Inhibits Bone Resorption in a Mouse Periodontitis Model

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

Paraquat-loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and soil sorption studies

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

Effects of 15d-PGJ(2)-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanocapsules on inflammation

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

(-)-Hinokinin-loaded poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles for Chagas disease

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Zidovudine-Loaded PLA and PLA-PEG Blend Nanoparticles: Influence of Polymer Type on Phagocytic Uptake by Polymorphonuclear Cells

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

Development of praziquantel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and evaluation of intestinal permeation by the everted gut Sac model

Praziquantel has been shown to be highly effective against all known species of Schistosoma infecting humans. Spherical nanoparticles made of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) acid with controlled size were designed as drug carriers. Praziquantel, a hydrophobic drug, was entrapped into the polymeric nanoparticles with 30% (w/w) of theoretical loading. The nanoparticles size was approximately of 350 nm with 66% of encapsulation efficiency. The everted gut sac model shows to be efficient to evaluate the drug permeation through the intestinal membrane. The results show that free praziquantel presents 4-fold times more permeation than praziquantel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and physical mixture. For this drug, in special, this result can be interesting, since the nanoparticulate system can behave as a drug reservoir and/or to have a more localized effect in intestinal membrane for a prolonged period of time, since great amounts of parasites can be usually found in the mesenteric veins.

Praziquantel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles: preparation and characterization

Nanoparticles containing praziquantel made of Poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) were designed by an emulsion-solvent evaporation method. Two organic solvents were separately utilized as disperse phase: methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. The size of the particles prepared with the former solvent was bigger than the particles prepared with the latter. The entrapment efficiency was bigger when methylene chloride was used, 79.82% in comparison with 29.27% by using ethyl acetate. DSC and infrared studies showed that no strong chemical interaction between drug and polymer occurred. Release kinetics of praziquantel, used as a model drug, was governed not only by actual drug loading but also by particles size. The higher the drug content and the smaller the particle size resulted in faster drug release.

Use of 4 Immediately Loaded Zygomatic Fixtures for Retreatment of Atrophic Edentulous Maxilla After Complications of Maxillary Reconstruction

This article reports the 20-month clinical outcome of the use of 4 zygomatic implants with immediate occlusal loading and reverse planning for the retreatment of atrophic edentulous maxilla after failed rehabilitation with autogenous bone graft reconstruction and maxillary implants. The intraoral clinical examination revealed mispositioned and loosened implants underneath a maxillary complete denture. The panoramic radiograph showed 6 maxillary implants. One implant was displaced into the right maxillary sinus, and the implant anchored in the region of tooth 21 was fractured. The other implants presented peri-implant bone loss. The implants anchored in the regions of teeth 21 to 23 and 11 to 13 were first removed. After 2 months, the reverse planning started with placement of 4 zygomatic fixtures, removal of the implants migrated into the sinus cavity and anchored in the region of tooth 17, and installation of a fixed denture. After 20 months of follow-up, no painful symptoms, peri-implant inflammation or infection, implant instability, or bone resorption was observed. The outcomes of this case confirm that the zygoma can offer a predictable anchorage and support function for a fixed denture in severely resorbed maxillae.

Anterior Tooth Rehabilitation With Frozen Homogenous Bone Graft and Immediately Loaded Titanium Implant Using Computer-Guided Surgery

Computed tomographic scanning is a precise, noinvasive surveying technique that enables the professionals to improve the precision of implant placement by building a prototype that allows the confection of surgical guides. The authors present a clinical case of anterior tooth rehabilitation with frozen homogenous bone graft and immediately loaded titanium implant using computer-guided surgery. A multislice computed tomography was realized, and a prototype was built. All the procedures were previously realized in the prototype before started in the patient. This technique allows a better surgical planning, makes the procedures more accurate, and reduces surgery time.

Success rate of immediate nonfunctional loaded single-tooth implants: Immediate versus delayed implantation

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the success rate of maxillary immediate nonfunctional single-tooth loaded implants used into fresh extraction sites (immediate placement condition) or healed ridge (delayed placement condition).Materials and Methods: Eighty-two dental implants were placed in the maxilla of 64 consecutive patients from Private practice office and from a specialization course in Implantology. Forty-six implants were inserted under immediate placement condition, and 36 were inserted under delayed placement condition. The criteria used to evaluate success rate were those previously described by Albrektsson and Zarb (Int J Prosthodont 1993;6: 95-105), and follow-up period ranged from 18.0 to 39.7 months.Results: Seventy-nine implants fulfilled the success rate criteria (96.3%). Moreover, differences concerning implantation condition were not significant (P = 0.33, Qui-square test): three of the failed implants were from immediate placement group (success rate of 93.5%), and none was from delayed placement group (success rate of 100.0%).Conclusion: In the present sample, no statistically significant differences were detected for immediate nonfunctional single-tooth loaded implants under immediate placement condition in comparison with those inserted under delayed placement condition; both protocols had high success rate in maxillary incisors, canines, and premolars areas.

Biologic width changes around loaded implants inserted in different levels in relation to crestal bone: histometric evaluation in canine mandible

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate histometric changes around dental implants inserted at different levels in relation to the crestal bone, under different loading conditions.Material and methods: Thirty-six implants were inserted in the edentulous mandible of six mongrel dogs. Each implant was assigned to an experimental group according to the distance from the top of the implant to the crestal bone: Bone Level (at the crestal bone level), Minus 1 (1 mm below the crestal bone) or Minus 2 group (2 mm below the crestal bone). Each hemimandible was submitted to a loading protocol: conventional or immediate restoration. After 90 days, the animals were killed. Specimens were processed, and measurements were performed concerning the length of soft and hard peri-implant tissues. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Student's t test (alpha=5%).Results: Among conventionally restored sites, the distance from the most coronal position of soft tissue margin (PSTM) and first bone-implant contact (fBIC) was greater for Minus 2 than for Bone Level and Minus 1 sites (P=0.03), but significant differences were not observed among immediately restored sites. Differences among groups were not observed concerning the PSTM, and the distance from the implant-abutment junction to fBIC. Greater amounts of lateral bone loss were observed for conventionally than for immediately restored sites (P=0.006).Conclusions: These findings suggest that the apical positioning of the top of the implant may not jeopardize the position of soft peri-implant tissues, and that immediate restoration can be beneficial to minimize lateral bone loss. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the clinical significance of these results in longer healing periods.

Solid-phase peptide synthesis in highly loaded conditions

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

Evaluation of nanoparticles loaded with benzopsoralen in rat peritoneal exudate cells

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)