Surgical Site Infections In Women And Their Association With Clinical Conditions.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) can affect body tissues, cavities, or organs manipulated in surgery and constitute 14% to 16% of all infections. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSIs in women following their discharge from a gynecology outpatient clinic, to survey different types of SSIs among women, and to verify the association of SSIs with comorbidities and clinical conditions. Data were collected via analytical observation with a cross-sectional design, and the study was conducted in 1,026 women who underwent gynecological surgery in a teaching hospital in the municipality of Teresina, in the northeast Brazilian State of Piauí, from June 2011 to March 2013. The incidence of SSIs after discharge was 5.8% among the women in the outpatient clinic. The most prevalent surgery among the patients was hysterectomy, while the most prevalent type of SSI was superficial incisional. Comorbidities in women with SSIs included cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Surveillance of SSIs during the post-discharge period is critical for infection prevention and control. It is worth reflecting on the planning of surgical procedures for patients who have risk factors for the development of SSIs.

Intermittent Fasting Induces Hypothalamic Modifications Resulting In Low Feeding Efficiency, Low Body Mass And Overeating.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an often-used intervention to decrease body mass. In male Sprague-Dawley rats, 24 hour cycles of IF result in light caloric restriction, reduced body mass gain, and significant decreases in the efficiency of energy conversion. Here, we study the metabolic effects of IF in order to uncover mechanisms involved in this lower energy conversion efficiency. After 3 weeks, IF animals displayed overeating during fed periods and lower body mass, accompanied by alterations in energy-related tissue mass. The lower efficiency of energy use was not due to uncoupling of muscle mitochondria. Enhanced lipid oxidation was observed during fasting days, whereas fed days were accompanied by higher metabolic rates. Furthermore, an increased expression of orexigenic neurotransmitters AGRP and NPY in the hypothalamus of IF animals was found, even on feeding days, which could explain the overeating pattern. Together, these effects provide a mechanistic explanation for the lower efficiency of energy conversion observed. Overall, we find that IF promotes changes in hypothalamic function that explain differences in body mass and caloric intake.

Exploratory Study Of The Effect Of Lifestyle Counselling On Bone Mineral Density And Body Composition In Users Of The Contraceptive Depot-medroxyprogesterone Acetate.

To compare variations in bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition (BC) in depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) users and nonusers after providing counselling on healthy lifestyle habits. An exploratory study in which women aged 18 to 40 years participated: 29 new DMPA users and 25 new non-hormonal contraceptive users. All participants were advised on healthy lifestyle habits: sun exposure, walking and calcium intake. BMD and BC were assessed at baseline and 12 months later. Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney test or Student's t-test followed by multiple linear regression analysis. Compared to the controls, DMPA users had lower BMD at vertebrae L1 and L4 after 12 months of use. They also had a mean increase of 2 kg in total fat mass and an increase of 2.2% in body fat compared to the non-hormonal contraceptive users. BMD loss at L1 was less pronounced in DMPA users with a calcium intake ≥ 1 g/day compared to DMPA users with a lower calcium intake. DMPA use was apparently associated with lower BMD and an increase in fat mass at 12 months of use. Calcium intake ≥ 1 g/day attenuates BMD loss in DMPA users. Counselling on healthy lifestyle habits failed to achieve its aims.

[health Protection For Rural Workers: The Need To Standardize Techniques For Quantifying Dermal Exposure To Pesticides].

Quantification of dermal exposure to pesticides in rural workers, used in risk assessment, can be performed with different techniques such as patches or whole body evaluation. However, the wide variety of methods can jeopardize the process by producing disparate results, depending on the principles in sample collection. A critical review was thus performed on the main techniques for quantifying dermal exposure, calling attention to this issue and the need to establish a single methodology for quantification of dermal exposure in rural workers. Such harmonization of different techniques should help achieve safer and healthier working conditions. Techniques that can provide reliable exposure data are an essential first step towards avoiding harm to workers' health.

Growth And Body Composition In Brazilian Female Rhythmic Gymnastics Athletes.

The aim was to analyse the physical growth and body composition of rhythmic gymnastics athletes relative to their level of somatic maturation. This was a cross-sectional study of 136 athletes on 23 teams from Brazil. Mass, standing height and sitting height were measured. Fat-free and fat masses, body fat percentages and ages of the predicted peak height velocity (PHV) were calculated. The z scores for mass were negative during all ages according to both WHO and Brazilian references, and that for standing height were also negative for all ages according to WHO reference but only until 12 years old according to Brazilian reference. The mean age of the predicted PHV was 12.1 years. The mean mass, standing and sitting heights, body fat percentage, fat-free mass and fat mass increased significantly until 4 to 5 years after the age of the PHV. Menarche was reached in only 26% of these athletes and mean age was 13.2 years. The mass was below the national reference standards, and the standing height was below only for the international reference, but they also had late recovery of mass and standing height during puberty. In conclusion, these athletes had a potential to gain mass and standing height several years after PHV, indicating late maturation.

Magnesium-deficient High-fat Diet: Effects On Adiposity, Lipid Profile And Insulin Sensitivity In Growing Rats.

To determine if magnesium deficiency aggravates the effects of a high-fat diet in growing rats in terms of obesity, lipid profile and insulin resistance. The study population comprised 48 newly weaned male Wistar Hannover rats distributed into four groups according to diet, namely, control group (CT; n = 8), control diet provided ad libitum; pair-feeding control group (PF; n = 16), control diet but in the same controlled amount as animals that received high-fat diets; high-fat diet group (HF; n = 12), and magnesium-deficient high-fat diet group (HFMg(-); n = 12). The parameters investigated were adiposity index, lipid profile, magnesium status, insulin sensitivity and the phosphorylation of proteins involved in the insulin-signaling pathway, i.e. insulin receptor β-subunit, insulin receptor substrate 1 and protein kinase B. The HF and HFMg(-) groups were similar regarding gain in body mass, adiposity index and lipid profile, but were significantly different from the PF group. The HFMg(-) group exhibited alterations in magnesium homeostasis as revealed by the reduction in urinary and bone concentrations of the mineral. No inter-group differences were observed regarding glucose homeostasis. Protein phosphorylation in the insulin-signaling pathway was significantly reduced in the high-fat groups compared with the control groups, demonstrating that the intake of fat-rich diets increased insulin resistance, a syndrome that was aggravated by magnesium deficiency. Under the experimental conditions tested, the intake of a magnesium-deficient high-fat diet led to alterations in the insulin-signaling pathway and, consequently, increased insulin resistance.

Utilization Of (15)no3 (-) By Nodulated Soybean Plants Under Conditions Of Root Hypoxia.

Waterlogging of soils is common in nature. The low availability of oxygen under these conditions leads to hypoxia of the root system impairing the development and productivity of the plant. The presence of nitrate under flooding conditions is regarded as being beneficial towards tolerance to this stress. However, it is not known how nodulated soybean plants, cultivated in the absence of nitrate and therefore not metabolically adapted to this compound, would respond to nitrate under root hypoxia in comparison with non-nodulated plants grown on nitrate. A study was conducted with (15)N labelled nitrate supplied on waterlogging for a period of 48 h using both nodulated and non-nodulated plants of different physiological ages. Enrichment of N was found in roots and leaves with incorporation of the isotope in amino acids, although to a much smaller degree under hypoxia than normoxia. This demonstrates that nitrate is taken up under hypoxic conditions and assimilated into amino acids, although to a much lesser extent than for normoxia. The similar response obtained with nodulated and non-nodulated plants indicates the rapid metabolic adaptation of nodulated plants to the presence of nitrate under hypoxia. Enrichment of N in nodules was very much weaker with a distinct enrichment pattern of amino acids (especially asparagine) suggesting that labelling arose from a tissue source external to the nodule rather than through assimilation in the nodule itself.

Biochemical, Anthropometric And Body Composition Indicators As Predictors Of Hepatic Steatosis In Obese Adolescents.

To describe the prevalence of hepatic steatosis and to assess the performance of biochemical, anthropometric and body composition indicators for hepatic steatosis in obese teenagers. Cross-sectional study including 79 adolecents aged from ten to 18 years old. Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound in case of moderate or intense hepatorenal contrast and/or a difference in the histogram ≥7 on the right kidney cortex. The insulin resistance was determined by the Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index for values >3.16. Anthropometric and body composition indicators consisted of body mass index, body fat percentage, abdominal circumference and subcutaneous fat. Fasting glycemia and insulin, lipid profile and hepatic enzymes, such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase, were also evaluated. In order to assess the performance of these indicators in the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in teenagers, a ROC curve analysis was applied. Hepatic steatosis was found in 20% of the patients and insulin resistance, in 29%. Gamma-glutamyltransferase and HOMA-IR were good indicators for predicting hepatic steatosis, with a cutoff of 1.06 times above the reference value for gamma-glutamyltransferase and 3.28 times for the HOMA-IR. The anthropometric indicators, the body fat percentage, the lipid profile, the glycemia and the aspartate aminotransferase did not present significant associations. Patients with high gamma-glutamyltransferase level and/or HOMA-IR should be submitted to abdominal ultrasound examination due to the increased chance of having hepatic steatosis.

Endocytosis Of Tight Junctions Caveolin Nitrosylation Dependent Is Improved By Cocoa Via Opioid Receptor On Rpe Cells In Diabetic Conditions.

Retinal pigment epithelium cells, along with tight junction (TJ) proteins, constitute the outer blood retinal barrier (BRB). Contradictory findings suggest a role for the outer BRB in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the mechanisms involved in these alterations are sensitive to nitrosative stress, and if cocoa or epicatechin (EC) protects from this damage under diabetic (DM) milieu conditions. Cells of a human RPE line (ARPE-19) were exposed to high-glucose (HG) conditions for 24 hours in the presence or absence of cocoa powder containing 0.5% or 60.5% polyphenol (low-polyphenol cocoa [LPC] and high-polyphenol cocoa [HPC], respectively). Exposure to HG decreased claudin-1 and occludin TJ expressions and increased extracellular matrix accumulation (ECM), whereas levels of TNF-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were upregulated, accompanied by increased nitric oxide levels. This nitrosative stress resulted in S-nitrosylation of caveolin-1 (CAV-1), which in turn increased CAV-1 traffic and its interactions with claudin-1 and occludin. This cascade was inhibited by treatment with HPC or EC through δ-opioid receptor (DOR) binding and stimulation, thereby decreasing TNF-α-induced iNOS upregulation and CAV-1 endocytosis. The TJ functions were restored, leading to prevention of paracellular permeability, restoration of resistance of the ARPE-19 monolayer, and decreased ECM accumulation. The detrimental effects on TJs in ARPE-19 cells exposed to DM milieu occur through a CAV-1 S-nitrosylation-dependent endocytosis mechanism. High-polyphenol cocoa or EC exerts protective effects through DOR stimulation.

Leaf-, Panel- And Latex-expressed Sequenced Tags From The Rubber Tree (hevea Brasiliensis) Under Cold-stressed And Suboptimal Growing Conditions: The Development Of Gene-targeted Functional Markers For Stress Response.

Hevea brasiliensis is a native species of the Amazon Basin of South America and the primary source of natural rubber worldwide. Due to the occurrence of South American Leaf Blight disease in this area, rubber plantations have been extended to suboptimal regions. Rubber tree breeding is time-consuming and expensive, but molecular markers can serve as a tool for early evaluation, thus reducing time and costs. In this work, we constructed six different cDNA libraries with the aim of developing gene-targeted molecular markers for the rubber tree. A total of 8,263 reads were assembled, generating 5,025 unigenes that were analyzed; 912 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) represented new transcripts, and two sequences were highly up-regulated by cold stress. These unigenes were scanned for microsatellite (SSR) regions and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In total, 169 novel EST-SSR markers were developed; 138 loci were polymorphic in the rubber tree, and 98 % presented transferability to six other Hevea species. Locus duplication was observed in H. brasiliensis and other species. Additionally, 43 SNP markers in 13 sequences that showed similarity to proteins involved in stress response, latex biosynthesis and developmental processes were characterized. cDNA libraries are a rich source of SSR and SNP markers and enable the identification of new transcripts. The new markers developed here will be a valuable resource for linkage mapping, QTL identification and other studies in the rubber tree and can also be used to evaluate the genetic variability of other Hevea species, which are valuable assets in rubber tree breeding.

Effects Of Programmed Physical Activity On Body Composition In Post-pubertal Schoolchildren.

To assess body composition modifications in post-pubertal schoolchildren after practice of a physical activity program during one school year. The sample consisted of 386 students aged between 15 and 17 years and divided into two groups: the study group (SG) comprised 195 students and the control group (CG), 191. The SG was submitted to a physical activity program and the CG attended conventional physical education classes. Body composition was assessed using body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat (%BF), fat mass (FM), and lean mass (LM). A positive effect of the physical activity program on body composition in the SG (p<0.001) was observed, as well as on the interaction time x group in all the variables analyzed in both genders. A reduction in %BF (mean of differences = -5.58%) and waist circumference (-2.33cm), as well as an increase in LM (+2.05kg) were observed in the SG for both genders, whereas the opposite was observed in the CG. The practice of programmed physical activity promotes significant reduction of body fat in post-pubertal schoolchildren.

Photoelastic And Finite Element Analyses Of Occlusal Loads In Mandibular Body.

This study proposed to evaluate the mandibular biomechanics in the posterior dentition based on experimental and computational analyses. The analyses were performed on a model of human mandible, which was modeled by epoxy resin for photoelastic analysis and by computer-aided design for finite element analysis. To standardize the evaluation, specific areas were determined at the lateral surface of mandibular body. The photoelastic analysis was configured through a vertical load on the first upper molar and fixed support at the ramus of mandible. The same configuration was used in the computer simulation. Force magnitudes of 50, 100, 150, and 200 N were applied to evaluate the bone stress. The stress results presented similar distribution in both analyses, with the more intense stress being at retromolar area and oblique line and alveolar process at molar level. This study presented the similarity of results in the experimental and computational analyses and, thus, showed the high importance of morphology biomechanical characterization at posterior dentition.

Analysis Of The Fluorescence Of Body Fluids On Different Surfaces And Times.

The use of screening techniques, such as an alternative light source (ALS), is important for finding biological evidence at a crime scene. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether biological fluid (blood, semen, saliva, and urine) deposited on different surfaces changes as a function of the age of the sample. Stains were illuminated with a Megamaxx™ ALS System and photographed with a Canon EOS Utility™ camera. Adobe Photoshop™ was utilized to prepare photographs for analysis, and then ImageJ™ was used to record the brightness values of pixels in the images. Data were submitted to analysis of variance using a generalized linear mixed model with two fixed effects (surface and fluid). Time was treated as a random effect (through repeated measures) with a first-order autoregressive covariance structure. Means of significant effects were compared by the Tukey test. The fluorescence of the analyzed biological material varied depending on the age of the sample. Fluorescence was lower when the samples were moist. Fluorescence remained constant when the sample was dry, up to the maximum period analyzed (60 days), independent of the substrate on which the fluid was deposited, showing the novelty of this study. Therefore, the forensic expert can detect biological fluids at the crime scene using an ALS even several days after a crime has occurred.

Comparison Between Automated And Microscopic Analysis In Body Fluids Cytology.

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Comparative In vitro Mechanical Evaluation Of Techniques Using A 2.0 mm Locking Fixation System For Simulated Fractures Of The Mandibular Body.

To perform a comparative evaluation of the mechanical resistance of simulated fractures of the mandibular body which were repaired using different fixation techniques with two different brands of 2.0 mm locking fixation systems. Four aluminum hemimandibles with linear sectioning simulating a mandibular body fracture were used as the substrates and were fixed using the two techniques and two different brands of fixation plate. These were divided into four groups: groups I and II were fixed with one four-hole plate, with four 6 mm screws in the tension zone and one four-hole plate, with four 10 mm screws in the compression zone; and groups III and IV were fixed with one four-hole plate with four 6 mm screws in the neutral zone. Fixation plates manufactured by Tóride were used for groups I and III, and by Traumec for groups II and IV. The hemimandibles were submitted to vertical, linear load testing in an Instron 4411 servohydraulic mechanical testing unit, and the load/displacement (3 mm, 5 mm and 7 mm) and the peak loads were measured. Means and standard deviations were evaluated applying variance analysis with a significance level of 5%. The only significant difference between the brands was seen at displacements of 7 mm. Comparing the techniques, groups I and II showed higher mechanical strength than groups III and IV, as expected. For the treatment of mandibular linear body fracture, two locking plates, one in the tension zone and another in the compression zone, have a greater mechanical strength than a single locking plate in the neutral zone.