Fraction of work-related accidents attributable to occupational noise in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

Background: Noise is the most common agent of occupational exposure. It may induce both auditory and extraauditory dysfunction and increase the risk of work accidents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the fraction of accidents attributable to noise occupational exposure in a mid-size city located in southeastern Brazil. Materials and Methods: In this population case-control study, which included 108 cases and 324 controls, the incidence rate ratio of work accidents controlled for several covariables was obtained by classifying occupational noise exposure into three levels, as well as determining the prevalence in each level. Results: Based on these data, the attributable fraction was estimated as 0.6391 (95 CI = 0.2341-0.3676), i.e., 63 of the work accidents that took place in the study site were statistically associated with occupational noise exposure. Discussion: The causes of this association as well as its implications in the prevention of work accidents are discussed.

Clinical Approach of Ankyloglossia in Babies: Report of Two Cases

Ankyloglossia is a developmental anomaly of the tongue characterized by a short lingual frenum, resulting in restricted movement of the tongue. Its etiology is undefined and there is no gender preference. Few studies are available in the literature and the diagnosis and management of ankyloglossia in infants remains controversial. We report two cases of infants submitted to lingual frenectomy, emphasizing the management of ankyloglossia and its implications in breast-feeding.

Complex mating behavior in Adelosgryllus rubricephalus (Orthoptera, Phalangopsidae, Grylloidea)

Descrevemos o comportamento reprodutivo de Adelosgryllus rubricephalus Mesa & Zefa, 2004. em observações realizadas em laboratório verificamos a seguinte seqüência no comportamento de acasalamento: (1) reconhecimento sexual por antenação; (2) corte, em que o macho volta seu abdômen em direção à fêmea, vibra as antenas médio-lateralmente, treme o corpo ântero-posteriormente e estridula intermitentemente, enquanto a fêmea receptiva toca a ponta do abdômen, os cercos e os fêmures posteriores do macho, com seus palpos ou tarsos anteriores; o macho então fica imóvel por alguns segundos, expõe o espermatóforo e ambos retomam a seqüência comportamental descrita acima; (3) cópula: o macho coloca-se sob a fêmea, com suas tégminas inclinadas para frente, anexa sua genitália à dela e promove a transferência do esperma; a fêmea desce de cima do macho e ocorre brevemente a posição end-to-end durante a separação do casal; (4) pós-cópula: não há comportamento de guarda; o macho retém o espermatóforo e o ingere. Quantificamos o intervalo de tempo das principais etapas do acasalamento e discutimos suas possíveis implicações no comportamento observado.

Long-term physical training increases liver IGF-I in diabetic rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Oxidative stress markers and apoptosis in the prostate of diabetic rats and the influence of vitamin C treatment

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Duality of coordinates and matter fields in curved spacetime

We show that there exists a duality between the local coordinates and the solutions of the Klein-Gerdon equation in curved spacetime in the same sense as in the Minkowski spacetime. However, the duality in curved spacetime does not have the same generality as in flat spacetime and it holds only if the system satisfies certain constraints. We derive these constraints and the basic equations of duality and discuss the implications in the quantum theory. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

SYNAPTONEMAL COMPLEX-ANALYSIS IN SPERMATOCYTES AND OOCYTES OF RAINBOW-TROUT, ONCORHYNCHUS-MYKISS (PISCES, SALMONIDAE) - THE PROCESS OF AUTOSOME AND SEX-CHROMOSOME SYNAPSIS

The surface-spreading synaptonemal complex (SC) technique was employed to analyze spermatocytes and oocytes of rainbow trout in order to visualize the process of autosome and sex chromosome synapsis in this species. The structure of lateral elements (LEs) of the SC and the chromosome synapsis process at the stages of leptotene, zygotene and pachytene are described. Comparative analysis of SCs of spermatocytes and oocytes showed a difference in the synaptic process, i.e. in spermatocytes all LEs were synapsed before the appearance of centromeric regions in the biarmed elements, while in the oocytes some fully synapsed LEs, including the centromeric region of the biarmed elements, were found together with fully or partially unsynapsed LEs. In males the sex chromosome synapsis starts only after all autosomes have synapsed. Irregular synapses involving three or four LEs were found in 3.4% of the cells analyzed in mid or late zygotene. Multivalents were found in males and females. Some aspects of initial meiotic development and their implications in rainbow trout cytogenetics, genetics and evolution are discussed.

Choroidal vasculature in diabetic rats

This study aims to evaluate the diabetic influence on the choroidal vessels morphology. Twenty Wistar rats were divided into a control (CG) and a diabetic group (DG). The animals had the diabetes induced by an intra-venous injection of Alloxan (42 mg/kg). Transmission electron microscopy analysis focusing the choroidal vessels was done one (T2) and twelve (T3) months after the diabetes induction. The CG rats in T3 showed vesicles and dense bodies in the endothelial and pericytic cells; the same structures were observed in the DG at T2. The DG rats in T3 had even more and intense changes than the T2DG rats. The morphological evaluation indicates that the choroidal vessels are affected in diabetes and the disease accelerates degenerative processes in the rat choroidal vasculature.

Exercise training ameliorates the impairment of endothelial and nitrergic corpus cavernosum responses in diabetic rats

Aims: The effect of exercise training (ET) on vascular responsiveness in diabetes mellitus has been largely well studied. However, limited studies have investigated the effects of ET on functional responses of the corpus cavernosum (CC) in diabetic animals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether prior ET prevents the impairment of erectile function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Main methods: Rats were exercised for four weeks prior to the induction of diabetes, and then again for another 4 weeks thereafter. Concentration-response curves to acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, Y-27632, BAY 412272 and phenylephrine (PE) were obtained in CC. The excitatory and inhibitory effects of electrical-field stimulation were also evaluated. Key findings: Plasma SOD levels were markedly decreased in the sedentary diabetic group (D-SD) as compared to control sedentary animals (C-SD), approximately 53% (P < 0.05) and this reduction was restored in trained diabetic animals. Physical training restored the impairment of endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation responses seen in the D-SD group. The potency values for Y-27632 in the CC were significantly reduced in the D-SD group, which was reversed by physical training. The impairment of electrical-field stimulation (EFS)-induced relaxation seen in the D-SD group was restored by physical training. On the other hand, both EFS-induced contractions and concentration-response curves to PE in cavernosal strips were not modified by either diabetes or physical training. Significance: Practice of regular physical exercise may be an important approach in preventing erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus by re-establishment of the balance between NO production and its inactivation. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Globalization and restructuring the energy sector in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Seedling morphology and development in the epiphytic cactus Epiphyllum phyllanthus (L.) Haw. (Cactaceae: Hylocereeae)

Seedling morphology is relevant in classification, taxonomy, and vegetation studies to understand plant life cycles, germination succession and requirements, and developmental progression. However, most morphological studies of seedlings lack analysis of organ anatomy, impeding the comprehension of series of development and establishment in a particular environment. Here, we have taken a traditional anatomical approach to examine the stages of seedling development in Epiphyllum phyllanthus, a holo-epiphytic cactus of tribe Hylocereeae. The goals were 1) to offer a comprehensive description of growth series in E. phyllanthus seedlings based on morphological and anatomical analysis and 2) to examine the initial growth phases in the life cycle of this species to identify organ development and understand their adaptive significance in relation to seedling establishment. Our results include descriptions of seed morphology, embryonic features, and seedling vascularization pattern in the root, hypocotyl, cotyledons, and epicotyl. The morphological and developmental patterns in E. phyllanthus seedlings have potential phylogenetic and ontogenetic implications in the Cactaceae. Characters such as the presence of mucilage on the seed coat, the lack of seed operculum, and large cotyledons in E. phyllanthus are comparable to basal cacti, but the root anatomy is more similar to columnar relatives. At the familial level, there is an apparent trend in decreasing number of phloem and xylem poles in the stele of primary root, correlated with degree of specialization and advanced phylogenetic position: tetrarch to septarch-octarch in basal lineages, tetrarch Cereus-type in columnar species, to the diarch vascular system in Rhipsalideae and some species with cylindric/globose stem. © Torrey Botanical Club.

Antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles in combination with nystatin and chlorhexidine digluconate against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata biofilms

Although silver nanoparticles (SN) have been investigated as an alternative to conventional antifungal drugs in the control of Candida-associated denture stomatitis, the antifungal activity of SN in combination with antifungal drugs against Candida biofilms remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of SN in combination with nystatin (NYT) or chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata biofilms. The drugs alone or combined with SN were applied on mature Candida biofilms (48 h), and after 24 h of treatment their antibiofilm activities were assessed by total biomass quantification (by crystal violet staining) and colony forming units enumeration. The structure of Candida biofilms was analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The data indicated that SN combined with either NYT or CHG demonstrated synergistic antibiofilm activity, and this activity was dependent on the species and on the drug concentrations used. SEM images showed that some drug combinations were able to disrupt Candida biofilms. The results of this study suggest that the combination of SN with NYT or CHG may have clinical implications in the treatment of denture stomatitis. However, further studies are needed before recommending the use of these drugs safely in clinical situations. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Estudo comparativo de diferentes cogumelos comestíveis comercializados no Brasil: ação contra radicais livres, espécies reativas e atividade antibacteriana

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influência do Diabetes mellitus e da insulinoterapia na osseointegração. Análise por torque reverso em tíbia de coelhos

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

The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Advances and challenges in measuring decent work

At 6.4%, the unemployment rate for the Latin American and Caribbean region overall was the lowest for the past few decades, down from 6.7% in 2011. This is significant, in view of the difficult employment situation prevailing in other world regions. Labour market indicators improved despite modest growth of just 3.0% in the region’s economy. Even with sharply rising labour market participation, the number of urban unemployed fell by around 400,000, on the back of relatively strong job creation. Nevertheless, around 15 million are still jobless in the region. Other highlights of 2012 labour market performance were that the gender gaps in labour market participation, unemployment and employment narrowed, albeit slightly; formal employment increased; the hourly underemployment rate declined; and average wages rose. This rendering was obviously not homogenous across the region. Labour market indicators worsened again in the Caribbean countries, for example, reflecting the sluggish performance of their economies. The sustainability of recent labour market progress is also a cause for concern. Most of the new jobs in the region were created as part of a self-perpetuating cycle in which new jobs and higher real wages (and greater access to credit) have boosted household purchasing power and so pushed up domestic demand. Much of this demand is for non-tradable goods and services (and imports), which has stimulated expansion of the tertiary sector and hence its demand for labour, and many of the new jobs have therefore arisen in these sectors of the economy. This dynamic certainly has positive implications in terms of labour and distribution, but the concern is whether it is sustainable in a context of still relatively low investment (even after some recent gains) which is, moreover, not structured in a manner conducive to diversifying production. Doubt hangs over the future growth of production capacity in the region, given the enormous challenges facing the region in terms of innovation, education quality, infrastructure and productivity. As vigorous job creation has driven progress in reducing unemployment, attention has turned once again to the characteristics of that employment. Awareness exists in the region that economic growth is essential, but not in itself sufficient to generate more and better jobs. For some time, ILO has been drawing attention to the fact that it is not enough to create any sort of employment. The concept of decent work, as proposed by ILO, emphasized the need for quality jobs which enshrine respect for fundamental rights at work. The United Nations General Assembly endorsed this notion and incorporated it into the targets set in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. This eighth issue of the ECLAC/ILO publication “The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean” examines how the concept of decent work has evolved in the region, progress in measuring it and the challenges involved in building a system of decent work indicators, 14 years after the concept was first proposed. Although the concept of decent work has been accompanied since the outset by the challenge of measurement, its first objective was to generate a discussion on the best achievable labour practices in each country. Accordingly, rather than defining a universal threshold of what could be considered decent work —regarding which developed countries might have almost reached the target before starting, while poor countries could be left hopelessly behind— ILO called upon the countries to define their own criteria and measurements for promoting decent work policies. As a result, there is no shared set of variables for measuring decent work applicable to all countries. The suggestion is, instead, that countries move forward with measuring decent work on the basis of their own priorities, using the information they have available now and in the future. However, this strategy of progressing according to the data available in each country tends to complicate statistical comparison between them. So, once the countries have developed their respective systems of decent work indicators, it will be also be important to work towards harmonizing them. ECLAC and ILO are available to provide technical support to this end. With respect to 2013, there is cautious optimism regarding the performance of the region’s labour markets. If projections of a slight uptick —to 3.5%— in the region’s economic growth in 2013 are borne out, labour indicators should continue to gradually improve. This will bring new increases in real wages and a slight drop of up to 0.2 percentage points in the region’s unemployment rate, reflecting a fresh rise in the regional employment rate and slower growth in labour market participation.