Prospects For Early Investigational Therapies For Sickle Cell Disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder characterized by the production of abnormal hemoglobin that polymerizes at low oxygen concentrations, causing the erythrocyte to adopt a sickle-shaped morphology. SCD pathophysiology is extremely complex and can lead to numerous clinical complications, including painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOC), end-organ damage, and a shortened lifespan. An impressive number of investigational drugs are currently in early stages of clinical development with prospects for use either as chronic therapies to reduce VOC frequency and end-organ damage in SCD or for use at the time of VOC onset. Many of these agents have been developed using a pathophysiological-based approach to SCD, targeting one or more of the mechanisms that contribute to the disease process. It is plausible that a multi-drug approach to treating the disease will evolve in the coming years, whereby hydroxyurea (HU) (the only drug currently FDA-approved for SCD) is used in combination with drugs that amplify nitric oxide signaling and/or counteract hemolytic effects, platelet activation and inflammation.

The Total Synthesis Of (-)-cryptocaryol A.

A stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-cryptocaryol A () is described. Key features of the 17-step route include the use of three boron-mediated aldol reaction-reduction sequences to control all stereocenters and an Ando modification of the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination that permitted the installation of the Z double bond of the α-pyrone ring.

Plastias de estenoses de intestino delgado na doença de Crohn: resultados imediatos e tardios

BACKGROUND: Strictureplasty is an alternative surgical procedure for Crohn?s disease, particulary in patients with previous resections or many intestinal stenosis. AIM: To analyze surgical complications and clinical follow-up in patients submitted to strictureplasty secondary to Crohn?s disease. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients (57.1% male, mean age 33.3 years, range 16-54 years) with Crohn?s disease and intestinal stenosis (small bowel, ileocecal region and ileocolic anastomosis) were submitted to strictureplasty, at one institution, between September 1991 and May 2004. Thirteen patients had previous intestinal resections. The mean follow-up was 58.1 months. A total of 116 strictureplasties were done (94 Heineke-Mikulicz - 81%, 15 Finney - 13%, seven side-to-side ileocolic strictureplasty - 6%). Three patients were submitted to strictureplasty at two different surgical procedures and two in three procedures. RESULTS: Regarding to strictureplasty, postoperative complication rate was 25% and mortality was 3.6%. Early local complication rate was 57.1%, with three suture leaks (10.7%) and late complication was present in two patients, both with incisional hernial and enterocutaneous fistulas (28.6%). Patients remained hospitalized during a medium time of 12.4 days. Clinical and surgical recurrence rates were 63% and 41%, respectively. Among the patients submitted to another surgery, two patients had two more operations and one had three. Recurrence rate at strictureplasty site was observed in 3.5%, being Finney technique the commonest one. Presently, 19 patients had been asymptomatic with the majority of them under medical therapy. CONCLUSION: Strictureplasties have low complication rates, in spite of having been done at compromised site, with long term pain relief. Considering the clinical course of Crohn?s disease, with many patients being submitted to intestinal resections, strictureplasties should be considered as an effective surgical treatment to spare long intestinal resections.

Determinação de açúcar total em café cru por espectroscopia no infravermelho próximo e regressão por mínimos quadrados parciais

In this work a fast method for the determination of the total sugar levels in samples of raw coffee was developed using the near infrared spectroscopy technique and multivariate regression. The sugar levels were initially obtained using gravimety as the reference method. Later on, the regression models were built from the near infrared spectra of the coffee samples. The original spectra were pre-treated according to the Kubelka-Munk transformation and multiplicative signal correction. The proposed analytical method made possible the direct determination of the total sugar levels in the samples with an error lower by 8% with respect to the conventional methodology.

Durabilidade de compósito biomassa vegetal-cimento modificado por polímero

The durability of the cellulose-cement composites is a decisive factor to introduce such material in the market. Polymers have been used in concrete and mortar production to increase its durability. The goal of this work was the physical and mechanical characterization of cellulose-cement composites modified by a polymer and the subsequent durability evaluation. The work also evaluated the dispersion of acrylic polymer in composites made of Pinus caribaea residues. The physical properties observed were water absorption by immersion and bulk density. Rupture modulus and toughness were determined by flexural test. The specimens were obtained from pads, produced by pressing and wet curing. Samples were subjected to accelerated aging tests by repeated wetting and drying cycles and hot-water bath and natural aging. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed verifying the fiber and composite characteristics along the time. For the composite range analyzed, it was observed the polymer improved the mechanical properties of composites besides a significant decreasing in water absorption. The use of polymer improved the performance of vegetable fiber-cement composites when compared to the conventional mortar, due to water absorption decreasing.

Are skeletally mature female rats a suitable model to study osteoporosis?

OBJECTIVE: To analyze if female Wistar rats at 56 weeks of age are a suitable model to study osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female rats with 6 and 36 weeks of age (n = 8 per group) were kept over a 20-week period and fed a diet for mature rodents complete in terms of Ca, phosphorous, and vitamin D. Excised femurs were measured for bone mass using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, morphometry, and biomechanical properties. The following serum mar-kers of bone metabolism were analyzed: parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OC), osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor Κappa B ligand (RANKL), C-terminal peptides of type I collagen (CTX-I), total calcium, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. RESULTS: Rats at 56 weeks of age showed important bone metabolism differences when compared with the younger group, such as, highest diaphysis energy to failure, lowest levels of OC, CTX-I, and ALP, and elevated PTH, even with adequate dietary Ca. CONCLUSION: Rats at 26-week-old rats may be too young to study age-related bone loss, whereas the 56-week-old rats may be good models to represent the early stages of age-related changes in bone metabolism.

Spontaneous puberty in girls with early diagnosis of Turner syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To verify if the frequency of spontaneous pubertal development among girls with Turner syndrome (TS) diagnosed in infancy and childhood is greater than that of patients diagnosed later. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty three girls aged < 10 years at the time of diagnosis were evaluated regarding pubertal development. The frequency of spontaneous puberty was compared with that of girls aged > 13 years diagnosed at the same service. RESULTS: Sixteen of 32 informative patients had signs of spontaneous puberty, a frequency greater than that of patients diagnosed later. In six patients, there was no progression of puberty; menarche occurred in six, and one became pregnant, but the fetus was a stillborn. Spontaneous puberty was absent in all cases with 45,X karyotype. CONCLUSIONS: The greater prevalence of spontaneous puberty in girls whose diagnosis was not based on pubertal delay suggests that, among those diagnosed later, there is a bias towards patients with hypogonadism. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2012;56(9):653-7

Reflexões acerca do brincar na educação infantil

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Utilização da discriminação grafica de Fisher para indicação dos dermatoglifos como referencial de potencialidade de atletas de basquetebol

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física

Escala de autoaceitação para pessoas com cegueira congênita ou precoce : desenvolvimento e investigação psicométrica = Self-acceptance acale for people with congenital or early blindness : development and psychometric analysis

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Early treatment of Class III malocclusion: 10-year clinical follow-up

Angle Class III malocclusion has been a challenge for researchers concerning diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. It has a prevalence of 5% in the Brazilian population, and may have a genetic or environmental etiology. This malocclusion can be classified as dentoalveolar, skeletal or functional, which will determine the prognosis. Considering these topics, the aim of this study was to describe and discuss a clinical case with functional Class III malocclusion treated by a two-stage approach (interceptive and corrective), with a long-term follow-up. In this case, the patient was treated with a chincup and an Eschler arch, used simultaneously during 14 months, followed by corrective orthodontics. It should be noticed that, in this case, initial diagnosis at the centric relation allowed visualizing the anterior teeth in an edge-to-edge relationship, thereby favoring the prognosis. After completion of the treatment, the patient was followed for a 10-year period, and stability was observed. The clinical treatment results showed that it is possible to achieve favorable outcomes with early management in functional Class III malocclusion patients.

Shear bond strength of self-etch and total-etch bonding systems at different dentin depths

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dentin shear bond strength of four adhesive systems (Adper Single Bond 2, Adper Prompt L-Pop, Magic Bond DE and Self Etch Bond) in regards to buccal and lingual surfaces and dentin depth. Forty extracted third molars had roots removed and crowns bisected in the mesiodistal direction. The buccal and lingual surfaces were fixed in a PVC/acrylic resin ring and were divided into buccal and lingual groups assigned to each selected adhesive. The same specimens prepared for the evaluation of superficial dentin shear resistance were used to evaluate the different depths of dentin. The specimens were identified and abraded at depths of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm. Each depth was evaluated by ISO TR 11405 using an EMIC-2000 machine regulated at 0.5 mm/min with a 200 Kgf load cell. We performed statistical analyses on the results (ANOVA, Tukey and Scheffé tests). Data revealed statistical differences (p < 0.01) in the adhesive and depth variation as well as adhesive/depth interactions. The Adper Single Bond 2 demonstrated the highest mean values of shear bond strength. The Prompt L-Pop product, a self-etching adhesive, revealed higher mean values compared with Magic Bond DE and Self Etch Bond adhesives, a total and self-etching adhesive respectively. It may be concluded that the shear bond strength of dentin is dependent on material (adhesive system), substrate depth and adhesive/depth interaction.

A novel bioactive glass-ceramic for treating dentin hypersensitivity

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a painful response to stimulus applied to the open dentinal tubules of a vital tooth. It's a common oral condition, however, without an ideal treatment available yet. This work evaluated in vitro the effect of micron-sized particles from a novel bioactive glass-ceramic (Biosilicate) in occluding open dentinal tubules. A dentin disc model was employed to observe comparatively, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dentinal tubule occlusion by different products and deposition of hydroxyl carbonate apatite (HCA) on dentin surface by Biosilicate, after a single application: G1 - Dentifrice with potassium nitrate and fluoride; G2 - Two-step calcium phosphate precipitation treatment; G3 - Water-free gel containing Biosilicate particles (1%); G4 - Biosilicate particles mixed with distilled water in a 1:10 ratio; all of them after 1, 12 and 24 hours of immersion in artificial saliva. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to detect HCA formation on dentin discs filled with Biosilicate after 2 minutes, 30 minutes and 12 hours of immersion in artificial saliva. SEM showed a layer of HCA formed on dentin surface after 24 hours by G4. G1, G2 and G3 promoted not total occlusion of open dentinal tubules after 24 hours. FTIR showed HCA precipitation on the dentin surface induced by Biosilicate after 30 minutes. The micron-sized particles from the bioactive glass-ceramic thus were able to induce HCA deposition in open dentinal tubules in vitro. This finding suggests that Biosilicate may provide a new option for treating DH.

Effect of ageing and immersion in different beverages on properties of denture lining materials

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the color stability and hardness of two denture liners obtained by direct and indirect techniques, after thermal cycling and immersion in beverages that can cause staining of teeth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy disc-shaped specimens (18 x 3 mm) processed by direct (DT) and indirect techniques (IT) were made from Elite soft (n=35) and Kooliner (n=35) denture liners. For each material and technique, 10 specimens were subjected to thermal cycling (3,000 cycles) and 25 specimens were stored in water, coffee, tea, soda and red wine for 36 days. The values of color change, Shore A hardness (Elite soft) and Knoop hardness (Kooliner) were obtained. The data were subjected to ANOVA, Tukey's multiple-comparison test, and Kruskal-Wallis test (P<0.05). RESULTS: The thermal cycling promoted a decrease on hardness of Kooliner regardless of the technique used (Initial: 9.09± 1.61; Thermal cycling: 7.77± 1.47) and promoted an increase in the hardness in the DT for Elite Soft (Initial: 40.63± 1.07; Thermal cycling: 43.53± 1.03); hardness of Kooliner (DT: 8.76± 0.95; IT: 7.70± 1.62) and Elite Soft (DT: 42.75± 1.54; IT=39.30± 2.31) from the DT suffered an increase after the immersion in the beverages. The thermal cycling promoted color change only for Kooliner in the IT. Immersion in the beverages did not promote color change for Elite in both techniques. The control group of the DT of Kooliner showed a significant color change. Wine and coffee produced the greatest color change in the DT only for Elite Soft when compared to the other beverages. CONCLUSION: The three variation factors promoted alteration on hardness and color of the tested denture lining materials.

Influence of surface sealant on the translucency of composite resin: effect of immersion time and immersion media

This study evaluated the effect of surface sealant on the translucency of composite resin immersed in different solutions. The study involved the following materials: Charisma, Fortify and coffee, Coca-Cola®, tea and artificial saliva as solutions. Sixty-four specimens (n = 8) were manufactured and immersed in artificial saliva at 37 ± 1 °C. Samples were immersed in the solutions for three times a day and re-immersed in artificial saliva until the translucency readings. The measurements were carried out at nine times: T1 - 24 hours after specimen preparation, T2 - 24 hours after immersion in the solutions, T3 - 48 hours and T4 to T9 - 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively, after immersion. The translucency values were measured using a JOUAN device. The results were subjected to ANOVA and Tukey's test at 5%. The surface sealant was not able to protect the composite resin against staining, the coffee showed the strongest staining action, followed by tea and regarding immersion time, a significant alteration was noted in the translucency of composite resin after 21 days.