Liposomal encapsulation improves the duration of soft tissue anesthesia but does not induce pulpal anesthesia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Sleep duration in elderly obese patients correlated negatively with intake fatty

Study objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between sleep duration and dietary habits in elderly obese patients treated at an institute of cardiology.Methods: The fifty-eight volunteers were elderly patients with obesity (classified as obese according to BMI) of both genders, between 60 and 80 years of age. All participants were subjected to assessments of food intake, anthropometry, level of physical activity, and duration of sleep.Results: The men had significantly greater weight, height, and waist circumference than women. Sleep durations were correlated with dietary nutrient compositions only in men. We found a negative association between short sleep and protein intake (r = -0.43; p = 0.02), short sleep and monounsaturated fatty acids intake (r = -0.40; p = 0.03), and short sleep and cholesterol dietary intake (r = -0.50; p = 0.01).Conclusions: We conclude that mainly in men, volunteers that had short sleep duration showed a preference for high energy-density as fatty food, at least in part, may explain the relationship between short sleep duration and the development of metabolic abnormalities.

Effect of the rest interval duration between contractions on muscle fatigue

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Duration of Protopolybia exigua exigua (de Saussure) nests and related aspects as influenced by phorid fly infestation (vespidae, polistinae, epiponini)

The main characteristics of 55 nests of Protopolybia exigua exigua were periodically evaluated in Ribeirão Preto, southeastern Brazil. Although the queens' life-span can eventually reach one year, nests barely thrive for six months because most of them are periodically invaded by the scavenger phorid fly, Megaselia aff. picta. Under heavy infestation the adult wasp population partially closes the nest entrance, migrates and constructs a new nest in the neighborhood. Afterwards the old-nest's entrance can be completely closed by the wasps which results in blocking the parasitoid flies inside. In the tropics, predation by ants is considered the main selective pressure which shaped most of the bionomic characteristics of Polistinae wasps. It is suggested that Megaselia can easily overcome the usual wasps defensive tactics just because they are so specialized against ants. Aerial raids, fast erratic-jerking movements, rapid and efficient oviposition behavior, etc. can eventually turn Megaselia into a very important enemy of some social wasps.

Efficacy of Carisolv™ as an adjunctive therapy to scaling and root planing on subgingival calculus removal

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of subgingival application of Carisolv™ gel as an adjunctive therapy to scaling and root planing (SRP) on calculus removal compared to conventional instrumentation. Forty-five teeth requiring extraction due to severe periodontal disease were randomized to the following treatments: 1) SRP alone; 2) placebo gel + SRP; 3) Carisolv™ gel + SRP. Either test or placebo gel was applied subgingivally for 1 min and then the root were instrumented until a smooth and calculus-free surface was achieved. Instrumentation time and the number of strokes required were recorded. After extraction, the efficacy of root surface instrumentation was measured by percentage of remaining calculus. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) between the treatment groups regarding either time required for instrumentation or the percentage of residual calculus. The subgingival application of Carisolv™ gel prior to SRP did not provide any additional benefit to root instrumentation compared to scaling and root planing alone.

Effect of hydrofluoric acid etching duration on the roughness and flexural strength of a lithium disilicate-based glass ceramic

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different acid etching times on the surface roughness and flexural strength of a lithium disilicate-based glass ceramic. Ceramic bar-shaped specimens (16 mm x 2 mm x 2 mm) were produced from ceramic blocks. All specimens were polished and sonically cleaned in distilled water. Specimens were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=15). Group A (control) no treatment. Groups B-E were etched with 4.9% hydrofluoric acid (HF) for 4 different etching periods: 20 s, 60 s, 90 s and 180 s, respectively. Etched surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscopy. Surface profilometry was used to examine the roughness of the etched ceramic surfaces, and the specimens were loaded to failure using a 3-point bending test to determine the flexural strength. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05). All etching periods produced significantly rougher surfaces than the control group (p<0.05). Roughness values increased with the increase of the etching time. The mean flexural strength values were (MPa): A=417 ± 55; B=367 ± 68; C=363 ± 84; D=329 ± 70; and E=314 ± 62. HF etching significantly reduced the mean flexural strength as the etching time increased (p=0.003). In conclusion, the findings of this study showed that the increase of HF etching time affected the surface roughness and the flexural strength of a lithium disilicate-based glass ceramic, confirming the study hypothesis.

Impact of the timing and duration of weed control on the establishment of a rubber tree plantation

A produção da seringueira é reduzida pelas plantas daninhas que competem por recursos ambientais; portanto, a época e duração do controle de plantas daninhas influencia a interferência das plantas daninhas. Os objetivos deste estudo foram: avaliar o crescimento de plantas de seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis), determinar o período crítico para controle das plantas daninhas e avaliar a recuperação do crescimento das seringueiras que conviveram com plantas daninhas por diferentes períodos de tempo após o plantio. Dois grupos de tratamentos foram estabelecidos em condições de campo, no primeiro ano de investigação: um grupo conteve períodos crescentes de infestação de plantas daninhas, enquanto o outro conteve períodos crescentes de controle das plantas daninhas, também incluindo uma testemunha livre de plantas daninhas e uma testemunha com infestação total de plantas daninhas. No segundo ano da investigação, as plantas daninhas foram totalmente controladas. Urochloa decumbens foi a planta daninha dominante (mais de 90% de cobertura). O crescimento da cultura foi grandemente reduzido devido à interferência de plantas daninhas. A altura de plantas decresceu mais rapidamente que qualquer outra característica. Altura de planta, massa seca de folhas e área foliar decresceram em 99%, 97% e 96%, respectivamente, e foram as características mais reduzidas. A altura de plantas também se recuperou mais rapidamente que qualquer outra característica quando o período de controle das plantas daninhas foi entendido. Contudo, a massa seca do caule aumentou em 750%, fazendo desta a característica mais recuperada. O período crítico para o controle de plantas daninhas foi entre 4 e 9½ meses após o plantio, no primeiro ano; contudo, as seringueiras mostraram expressiva recuperação do crescimento quando as plantas daninhas foram controladas ao longo do segundo ano.

Monitoring scaling and dental calculus removal with an optical fluorescence system

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of the Etching Duration and Ultrasonic Cleaning on Microtensile Bond Strength Between Feldspathic Ceramic and Resin Cement

This study assessed the effect of different etching durations of feldspathic ceramic with hydrofluoric acid (HF) and ultrasonic cleaning of the etched ceramic surface on the microtensile bond strength stability of resin to a feldspathic ceramic. The research hypotheses investigated were: (1) different etching times would not affect the adhesion resistance and (2) ultrasonic cleaning would improve the adhesion. Ceramic blocks (6 x 6 x 5 mm) (N = 48) were obtained. The cementations surfaces were duplicated in resin composite. The six study groups (n = 8) were: G1Etching with 10% aqueous HF (30 s) + silane; G 210% HF (1 min) + silane; G3-10% HF (2 min) + silane; G4-10% HF (30 s) + ultrasonic cleaning (4 min) in distilled water + silane; G5-10% HF (1 min) + ultrasonic cleaning + silane; G6-10% HF (2 min) ultrasonic cleaning + silane. The cemented blocks were sectioned into microbars for the microtensile test. The etching duration did not create significant difference among the groups (p = .156) but significant influence of ultrasonic cleaning was observed (p = .001) (Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test, p > 0.05). All the groups after ultrasonic cleaning presented higher bond strength (19.38-20.08 MPa) when compared with the groups without ultrasonic cleaning (16.2117.75 MPa). The bond strength between feldspathic ceramic and resin cement was not affected by different etching durations using HF. Ultrasonic cleaning increased the bond strength between ceramic surface and resin cement, regardless of the etching duration.

Comparison of pain threshold and duration of pain perception in men and women of different ages

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

Dialysis complications in AKI patients treated with extended daily dialysis: is the duration of therapy important?

This trial aimed to compare the dialysis complications occurring during different durations of extended daily dialysis (EDD) sessions in critically ill AKI patients. We included patients older than 18 years with AKI associated with sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit and using noradrenaline dose ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 mu g/kg/min. Patients were divided into two groups randomly: in G1, 6 h sessions were performed and, in G2, 10 h sessions were performed. Seventy-five patients were treated with 195 EDD sessions for 18 consecutive months. The prevalence of hypotension, filter clotting, hypokalaemia, and hypophosphataemia was 82.6, 25.3, 20, and 10.6%, respectively. G1 and G2 were similar in male predominance and SOFA. There was no significant difference between the two groups in hypotension, filter clotting, hypokalaemia, and hypophosphataemia. However, the group treated with sessions of 10 hours showed higher refractory to clinical measures for hypotension and dialysis sessions were interrupted more often. Metabolic control and fluid balance were similar between G1 and G2. In conclusion, intradialysis hypotension was common in AKI patients treated with EDD. There was no difference in the prevalence of dialysis complications in patients undergoing different durations of EDD.

NDVI and vegetation phenology dynamics under the influence of sunshine duration on the Tibetan plateau

Climate change has significantly influenced vegetation dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Past research mainly focused on vegetation responses to temperature variation and water stress, but the influence of sunshine duration on NDVI and vegetation phenology on the TP is not well understood. In this study, NDVI time series from 1982-2008 were used to retrieve spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics on the TP. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was conducted to understand the spatiotemporal variations of NDVI. The Start of Season (SOS) was estimated from NDVI time series with a local threshold method. The first EOF, accounting for 35.1% of NDVI variations on the TP, indicates that NDVI variations are larger in areas with shorter sunshine duration. The needle-leaved forest and shrub in the southeastern TP are more sensitive to sunshine duration anomalies (p < 0.01) than broad-leaved forest, steppe, and meadow due to spatial and altitudinal distribution of sunshine duration and vegetation types. The decrease in sunshine duration for the growing season on the TP has resulted in a decreased NDVI trend in some areas of southeastern TP (p ranging from 0.32-0.05 with threshold ranging from 0.05 to 0.25) in spite of the overall NDVI increase. SOS dynamics in most parts of the TP were mainly related to temperature variability, with precipitation and sunshine duration playing a role in a few regions. This study enhances our understanding of vegetation responses to climatic change on the TP.

Metabolic investigation of patients with staghorn calculus: is it necessary?

To evaluate the prevalence of metabolic disorders in patients with staghorn calculi treated at the Regional Center of Lithiasis Metabolic Studies in central region of Såo Paulo State, Brazil. Between February 2000 and February 2008, 630 patients with urinary calculi were evaluated in the lithiasis outpatient clinic. Thirty-seven of them had staghorn calculi (35 women and 2 men). The inclusion criteria for the metabolic investigation included the absence of urological manipulation 30 days before the examination, negative urine culture and creatinine clearance > 60 mL/min. The protocol for metabolic investigation consisted of qualitative search for cystinuria. Two non-consecutive 24-hour urine samples collected to measure calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, sodium, potassium, magnesium, oxalate and citrate, and serum calcium levels, phosphorus, uric acid, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, parathormone and urine pH. Among patients with lithiasis, 5.9% (37/630) had staghorn calculus and in 48.6% (18/37) were diagnosed with urinary infection. The females were predominant for 94.5% of cases. The calculi were unilateral in 31 of cases and bilateral in six. Metabolic abnormalities were found in 68.2% of patients with hypercalciuria (64.2%) and hypocitraturia (53.3%) being the most common disorders. The presence of metabolic disorders in nearly 70% of patients with staghorn calculus reinforces the necessity for evaluation of these patients. The diagnosis and treatment of identified metabolic abnormalities can contribute to the prevention of recurrent staghorn calculi.

Incorporation of Ca, P, and Si on bioactive coatings produced by plasma electrolytic oxidation: The role of electrolyte concentration and treatment duration

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

Long duration exercise program in individuals with parkinson´s disease: effects on functional capacity

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of long duration exercise program on physical fitness components of functional capacity in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) and to evaluate ongoing effects of exercise after 8 to 10-week follow-up without exercise. Twenty-four individuals with PD were randomly assigned to two groups: generalized exercise program and stretching exercise program (control group). The generalized exercise program provided training in physical fitness components of functional capacity. The stretching exercise program was characterized by low intensity and volume, mainly with static exercises. Both groups were evaluated before (BI) and after the 4-month (AI) exercise program. In addition, the individuals of generalized exercise program were also evaluated after 8-month exercise program and after 8 to 10- week follow-up without exercise. The generalized exercise program improved flexibility (BI - 38.50±12.42 cm; AI - 44.00±12.74 cm) and agility (BI - 30.59±7.54 s; AI - 28.56±8.20 s) while the stretching exercise program worsened coordination (BI - 23.27±6.58 s; AI - 28.06±7.37 s) and aerobic resistance (BI- 13.64±3.76 min; AI - 17.27±5.15 min) and improved balance (BI - 44.00±7.79 pts; AI - 46.57±6.53 pts). Lower-limb strength and UPDRS-motor scale scores were better at 8 months (14.75±2.92 rep and 26.25±13.97 pts, respectively) compared to baseline (13.13±2.59 rep and 31.63±12.82 pts, respectively) and 4 months (13.50±1.93 rep and 30.38±14.52 pts, respectively) for generalized exercise program. However, the benefits of 8 months of exercise were lost after 8 to 10-week follow-up without exercise (lower-limb strength - 12.43±3.15 rep and UPDRS-motor scale - 32.57±14.05 pts). In conclusion, generalized exercise program improved the functional capacity in individuals with PD, differently of stretching exercise program. In addition, a long duration exercise program promoted benefits for functional capacity and disease progression in individuals with PD. However, benefits were lost after a short period without exercise.