Preparation and characterization of PEG-coated silica nanoparticles for oral insulin delivery

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

Collaboration of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of thyroid gland carcinoma in a dog - case report

The sonographic evaluation of thyroid glands in veterinary medicine presents challenges due to the complexity of the anatomical region, professional experience and type of ultrasonography equipment. The technique is considered a versatile diagnostic method that is noninvasive and has a low cost indicated in different clinical situations. Thyroid carcinoma is a malignant tumor that is often invasive and frequently metastatic to regional lymph nodes and lungs. The prognostic indicators for survival after surgery include tumor size, histological type, mobility and presence or absence of metastasis. The objective of the present report is to demonstrate the importance of ultrasound as a complementary method in the evaluation of thyroid carcinoma in dogs. At the Dr. Halim Atique Veterinary Hospital, an eight-year-old male Pit Bull was examined due to a history of firm painless swelling, approximately six inches in diameter, in the ventral cervical region, for about two months. The sonogram showed a nodular area, with defined and regular margins, and heterogeneous hypoechoic parenchyma, with areas of cavitation and swelling of the thyroid. Histopathology of the nodule was consistent with carcinoma. After thyreoidectomy and hormone replacemet, the patient is in good clinical condition.

Application of ultrasound in the evaluation of renal abscess in a dog

Renal abscesses are rare in dogs and, although its pathogenesis is uncertain, may occur in diabetic patients with pyelonephritis, nephrolithiasis, kidney injuries or after abdominal surgery or kidney biopsy. Because of nonspecific clinical signs, laboratory tests associated with ultrasonography are important to confirm the diagnosis and treatment. Generally, kidney abscesses have sonographic aspects with different degrees of echogenicity such as hypo or hyperechoic, homogeneous or heterogeneous, and may or may not have thickened and hyperechoic walls, depending on its chronicity. Our objective was to report the use of ultrasound as a complementary method in the evaluation of disorders of the urinary tract, focusing on a case of renal abscess in a dog.

Amélia Beviláqua que era mulher de verdade: a memória construída da esposa de Clóvis Beviláqua

Based on Clovis Bevilaqua’s four biographies which present three stigmas of the character - being the son of a priest, engaged in a large grammatical legal controversy with Rui Barbosa in making the Civil Code of 1917 and married to a wife of exotic modes - we discuss the built memory of Amelia Carolina Freitas Bevilaqua, who is marked as a pioneer of the feminist movement in Brazil and also upstart writer who aspired to join the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Among other negative adjectives, she was sloppy, not vain and misaligned in dress, futile or adulterous.

Effect of mucoadhesive polymers on the in vitro performance of insulin-loaded silica nanoparticles: Interactions with mucin and biomembrane models

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

Effect of cryoprotectants on the reconstitution of silica nanoparticles produced by sol-gel technology

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

Protein and energy requirements of castrated male Saanen goats

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

Surface engineering of silica nanoparticles for oral insulin delivery: characterization and cell toxicity studies

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

Abrasion resistance of direct and indirect resins as a function of a sealant veneer

Abrasive wear is one of the most common type of wear that not only affect teeth, as also dental restorations. Thus to investigate one of the etiological factors as tooth brushing procedure is clinical relevant in order to select the best material combination that may prevent damage of resin dental restoration's abrasion. This study evaluated the influence of tooth brushing on mass loss and surface roughness of direct Venus (Vs) and indirect Signum (Sg) resin composites, with and without a surface sealant, Fortify (F). Twenty-four specimens were prepared with each resin composite, using their proprietary curing units, according to manufacturer's instructions. All the specimens were polished and ultrasonically cleaned in distilled water for 5 minutes. Half of the specimens of each resin (n = 12) were covered with F (Vs F and Sg F ), except for the control (C) specimens (Vs C and Sg C ), which were not sealed. Mass loss (ML) as well as surface roughness (Ra ) was measured for all the specimens. Then, the specimens were subjected to toothbrush-dentifrice abrasion, using a testing machine for 67.000 brushing strokes, in an abrasive slurry. After brushing simulation, the specimens were removed from the holder, rinsed thoroughly and blot dried with soft absorbent paper. The abrasion of the material was quantitatively determined with final measurements of ML and surface roughness, using the method described above. ML data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the analysis indicated that resin composites were not statistically different; however, the specimens sealed with F showed higher ML. Ra mean values of the groups Vs F and Sg F significantly increased. Tooth brushing affects mainly the roughness of the direct and indirect resin composites veneered with a sealant.

Factors associated with red blood cell transfusions in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants in Brazilian neonatal units

Preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units frequently receive red blood cells (RBC) transfusions due to the anemia of prematurity. A number of variables related to gestational age, severity of illness and transfusion practices adopted in the neonatal unit where the neonate was born may contribute to the prescription of RBC transfusions. This study aimed to analyse the frequency and factors associated with RBC transfusions in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants. A prospective cohort of 4283 preterm infants (gestational age: 29.9 ± 2.9 weeks; birth weight: 1084 ± 275 g) carried out at 16 university hospitals in Brazil between January 2009 and December 2011 was analysed. Factors associated with RBC transfusions were evaluated using univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. A total of 2208 (51.6%) infants received RBC transfusions (variation per neonatal unit: 34.1% to 66.4%). RBC transfusions were significantly associated with gestational age (OR: -1.098; 95%CI: -1.12 to -1.04), SNAPPE II score (1.01; 1.00-1.02), apnea (1.69; 1.34-2.14), pulmonary hemorrhage (2.65; 1.74-4.031), need for oxygen at 28 days of life (1.56; 1.17-2.08), clinical sepsis (3.22; 2.55-4.05), necrotising enterocolitis (3.80; 2.26-6.41), grades III/IV intraventricular hemorrhage (1.64; 1.05-2.58), mechanical ventilation (2.27; 1.74-2.97), use of umbilical catheter (1.86; 1.35-2.57), parenteral nutrition (2.06; 1.27-3.33), >60 days of hospitalization (5.29; 4.02-6.95) and the neonatal unit where the neonate was born. The frequency of RBC transfusions varied among neonatal intensive care units. Even after adjusting for adverse health conditions and therapeutic interventions, the neonatal unit continued to influence transfusion practices in very-low birth-weight infants.

A maldição de Eva: vozes femininas nos romances A dança dos cabelos, Sombras de julho e O vestido, de Carlos Herculano Lopes

Pós-graduação em Estudos Literários - FCLAR

THE INFLUENCE OF THE 1992-1993 EL NINO ON THE REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF Scomber japonicus peruanus (JORDAN & HUBB, 1925)

The influence of the 1992-1993 El Nino events on the reproductive behavior of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Chub mackerel) was studied from samples collected monthly, along the Peruvian coast (3 degrees 23`S-14 degrees 00`S), from January 1990 to December 1993. The monthly variation of the gonadosomatic index and the frequency of the periods of gonad maturation evidenced that the spawning of the species occurred all year long, being more intense in summer. The values of the gonadosomatic index were higher during the occurrence of the 1992-1993 El Nino, while the body weight and gonad weight decreased. Regarding the condition factor, its values decreased in females over 35 cm in fork length.

Growth parameters and mortality rate of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Jordan & Hubb, 1925) along the Peruvian coast, South Pacific

The growth parameters and the mortality rates of the Scomber japonicus peruanus (Chub mackerel) were studied based on monthly data of frequency of fork length classes obtained from commercial landings off the Peruvian coast from 1996 to 1998. The asymptotic body length and growth rate values obtained by the ELEFAN I (Electronic Length Frequency Analysis) ranged from 40.20 cm to 42.20 cm and from 0.38 to 0.39, respectively. The oscillation amplitude was 0.60; the Winter point values varied from 0.50 to 0.60 and the performance index from 2.79 to 2.84. The total mortality rate of the Chub mackerel obtained by the linearized catch curve oscillated between 1.68 and 3.35. The rate of fishing mortality varied from 1.16 to 2.78 and the exploitation rate from 0.68 to 0.84. The annual rate of natural mortality estimated by the Pauly`s method ranged from 0.52 to 0.53. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the longevity of the Chub mackerel was slightly over seven years.

Anthropogenic influences in a lagoonal environment: a multiproxy approach at the valo grande mouth, Cananéia-Iguape system (SE Brazil)

The Cananeia-Iguape system, SE Brazil, consists of a complex of lagoonal channels, located in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. Nevertheless, important environmental changes have occurred in approximately the last 150 yrs due to the opening of an artificial channel, the Valo Grande, connecting the Ribeira de Iguape River to the lagoonal system. Our objective is to assess the historical record of the uppermost layers of the sedimentary column of the lagoonal system in order to determine the history of environmental changes caused by the opening of the artificial channel. In this sense, an integrated geochemical-faunal approach is used. The environmental changes led significant modifications in salinity, in changes of the depositional patterns of sediments and foraminiferal assemblages (including periods of defaunation), and, more drastically, in the input of heavy metals to the coastal environment. The concentrations Pb in the core analyzed here were up to two times higher than the values measured in contaminated sediments from the Santos estuary, the most industrialized coastal zone in Brazil.