Biocompatibility evaluation of alendronate paste in rat`s subcutaneous tissue

Alendronate is a known inhibitor of root resorption and the development of alendronate paste would enhance its utilization as intracanal medication. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the biocompatibility of experimental alendronate paste in subcutaneous tissue of rats, for utilization in teeth susceptible to root resorption. The study was conducted on 15 male rats, weighing similar to 180-200 grams. The rats` dorsal regions were submitted to one incision on the median region and, laterally to the incision, the subcutaneous tissue was raised and gently dissected for introduction of two tubes, in each rat. The tubes were sealed at one end with gutta-percha and taken as control. The tubes were filled with experimental alendronate paste. The animals were killed at 7, 15 and 45 days after surgery and the specimens were processed in laboratory. The histological sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and analyzed by light microscopy. Scores were assigned to the in. ammatory process and statistically compared by the Tukey test (P < 0.05). Alendronate paste promoted severe inflammation process at 7 days, with statistically significant difference compared to the control (P < 0.05%). However, at 15 days, there was a regression of in. ammation and the presence of connective tissue with collagen fibers, fibroblasts and blood vessels was observed. After 45 days, it was observed the presence of well-organized connective tissue, with collagen fibers and fibroblasts, and few in. ammatory cells. No statistical difference was observed between the control and experimental paste at 15 and 45 days. The experimental alendronate paste was considered biocompatible with subcutaneous tissue of rat.

Thermal/mechanical simulation and laboratory fatigue testing of an alternative yttria tetragonal zirconia polycrystal core-veneer all-ceramic layered crown design

This study evaluated the stress levels at the core layer and the veneer layer of zirconia crowns (comprising an alternative core design vs. a standard core design) under mechanical/thermal simulation, and subjected simulated models to laboratory mouth-motion fatigue. The dimensions of a mandibular first molar were imported into computer-aided design (CAD) software and a tooth preparation was modeled. A crown was designed using the space between the original tooth and the prepared tooth. The alternative core presented an additional lingual shoulder that lowered the veneer bulk of the cusps. Finite element analyses evaluated the residual maximum principal stresses fields at the core and veneer of both designs under loading and when cooled from 900 degrees C to 25 degrees C. Crowns were fabricated and mouth-motion fatigued, generating master Weibull curves and reliability data. Thermal modeling showed low residual stress fields throughout the bulk of the cusps for both groups. Mechanical simulation depicted a shift in stress levels to the core of the alternative design compared with the standard design. Significantly higher reliability was found for the alternative core. Regardless of the alternative configuration, thermal and mechanical computer simulations showed stress in the alternative core design comparable and higher to that of the standard configuration, respectively. Such a mechanical scenario probably led to the higher reliability of the alternative design under fatigue.

Genetic and environmental contributions to educational attainment in Australia

The genetic and environmental contributions to educational attainment in Australia are examined using a multiple regression model drawn from the medical research literature. Data from a large sample of Australian twins are analysed. The findings indicate that at least as much as 50 percent and perhaps as much as 65 percent of the variance in educational attainments can be attributed to genetic endowments. It is suggested that only around 25 percent of the variance in educational attainments may be due to environmental factors, though this contribution is shown to be around 40 percent when adjustments for measurement error and assortative mating are made. The high fraction of the observed variation in educational attainments due to genetic differences is consistent with results reported by Heath et al. (Heath, A.C., Berg, K., Eaves, L.J., Solaas, M.H., Corey, L.A., Sundet, J., Magnus, P., Nance, W.E., 1985. Education policy and the heritability of educational attainment. Nature 314(6013), 734-736.), Tambs et al. (Tambs, K., Sundet, J.M., Magnus, P., Berg, K., 1989. Genetic and environmental contributions to the covariance between occupational status, educational attainment and IQ: a study of twins. Behavior Genetics 19(2), 209-222.), Vogler and Fulker (Vogler, G.P., Fulker, D.W., 1983. Familial resemblance for educational attainment. Behavior Generics 13(4), 341-354.) and Behrman and Taubman (Behrman, J., Taubman, P., 1989. Is schooling mostly in the genes? Nature-nurture decomposition using data on relatives. Journal of Political Economy 97(6), 1425-1446.), suggesting that the finding is robust. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anthropogenic and Natural Organohalogen Compounds in Blubber of Dolphins and Dugongs (Dugong dugon) from Northeastern Australia

A range of organohalogen compounds (10 polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB] congeners, DDT and metabolites, chlordane-related compounds, the potential natural organochlorine compound Q1, toxaphene, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexanes, dieldrin, and several yet unidentified brominated compounds) were detected in the blubber of four bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), one common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and seven dugongs (Dugong dugon), as well as in adipose tissue of a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and a python (Morelia spilota) from northeast Queensland (Australia). The green turtle and dugongs accumulated lower organohalogen levels than the dolphins. Lower levels in dugongs were expected because this species is exclusively herbivorous. Highest PCB and DDT levels recorded in dugongs were 209 and 173 mug/kg lipids, respectively. Levels of the nonanthropogenic heptachlorinated compound Q1 (highest level in dugongs was 160 mug/kg lipids) were estimated using the ECD response factor of trans-nonachlor. Highest organohalogen levels were found in blubber of dolphins for sumDDT (575-52,500 mug/kg) and PCBs (600-25,500 mug/kg lipids). Furthermore, Q1 was a major organohalogen detected in all samples analyzed, ranging from 450 -9,100 mug/kg lipids. The highest concentration of Q1 determined in this study represents the highest concentration reported to date in an environmental sample. Levels of chlordane-related compounds were also high (280-7,700 mug/kg, mainly derived from trans-nonachlor), but concentrations of hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexanes, dieldrin, and toxaphene were relatively low and contributed little to the overall organohalogen contamination. Furthermore, a series of three major (BC-1, BC-2, and BC-3) and six minor (BC-4 through BC-9) unknown brominated compounds were observable by extracting m/z 79 and m/z 81 from the GC/ECNI-MS full scan run. Structural proposals were made for the two major recalcitrant compounds (referred to as BC-1 and BC-2). BC-2 appears to be a tetrabromo-methoxy-diphenylether (512 u) and BC-1 has 14 u (corresponding with an additional CH2 group) more relative to BC-1. In general the organohalogen pattern observed in blubber of dolphins was different compared to similar samples from other locations in the world, which is apparent from the fact that the four major abundant signals in the GC/ECD chromatogram. of D. delphis originated from the four unknown compounds Q1, BC-1, BC-2, and BC-3.

Simultaneous administration of a cocktail of markers to measure renal drug elimination pathways: absence of a pharmacokinetic interaction between fluconazole and sinistrin, p-aminohippuric acid and pindolol

Aims Previous studies suggest that estimated creatinine clearance, the conventional measure of renal function, does not adequately reflect charges in renal drug handling in some patients, including the immunosuppressed. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a cocktail of markers. to be given in a single administration, capable of detecting alterations in the renal elimination pathways of glomerular filtration, tubular secretion and tubular reabsorption. Methods Healthy male subjects (n = 12) received intravenously infused 2500 mg sinistrin (glomerular filtration) and 440 mg p-aminohippuric acid (PAH; anion secretion), and orally administered 100 mg fluconazole (reabsorption) and 15 mg rac-pindolol (cation secretion). The potential interaction between these markers was investigated in a pharmacokinetic study where markers (M) or fluconazole (F) were administered alone or together (M + F). Validated analytical methods were used to measure plasma and urine concentrations in order to quantify the renal handling of each marker. Plasma protein binding of fluconazole was measured by ultrafiltration. All subjects had an estimated creatinine clearance within the normal range. The renal clearance of each marker (Mean +/- s.d.) was calculated as the ratio of the amount excreted in urine and thearea-under-the-concentration-time curve. Statistical comparisons were made using a paired t-test and 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results The renal clearances of sinistrin (M: 119 +/- 31 ml min(-1); M + F: 130 +/- 40 ml min(-1); P = 0.32), PAH (M: 469 +/- 145 ml min(-1); M + F: 467 +/- 146 ml min(-1); P = 0.95), R-pindolol (M: 204 +/- 41 ml min(-1); M + F: 190 +/- 41 ml min(-1); P = 0.39; n = 11), S-pindolol (M: 225 +/- 55 ml min(-1); M + F: 209 +/- 60 ml min(-1); P = 0.27; n = 11) and fluconazole (F: 14.9 +/-3.8 ml min(-1); M + F: 13.6 +/- 3.4 ml min(-1); P = 0.16) were similar when the markers or fluconazole were administered alone (M or F) or as a cocktail (M + F). Conclusions This study found no interaction between markers and fluconazole in healthy male subjects, suggesting that a single administration of this cocktail of markers of different renal processes call be used to simultaneously investigate pathways of renal drug elimination.

Climate of fear in organisational settings: Construct definition, measurement and a test of theory

This paper reports a study that explored a new construct: climate of fear. We hypothesised that climate of fear would vary across work sites within organisations, but not across organisations. This is in contrast a to measures of organisational culture, which were expected to vary both within and across organisations. To test our hypotheses, we developed a new 13-item measure of perceived fear in organisations and tested it in 20 sites across two organisations (N = 209). Culture variables measured were innovative leadership culture, and communication culture. Results were that climate of fear did vary across sites in both organisations, while differences across organisations were not significant, as we anticipated. Organisational culture, however, varied between the organisations, and within one of the organisations. The climate of fear scale exhibited acceptable psychometric properties.

A????es premiadas no 10?? Concurso Inova????o na Gest??o P??blica Federal

A publica????o apresenta o relato das 20 experi??ncias premiadas no 10?? Concurso Inova????o na Gest??o P??blica Federal e ?? uma importante fonte de refer??ncia de solu????es concretas para problemas enfrentados no dia-a-dia da administra????o p??blica. Nesta publica????o, o leitor encontrar?? iniciativas inovadoras nas seguintes ??reas: articula????o de parcerias, avalia????o de desempenho institucional, avalia????o e monitoramento de pol??ticas p??blicas, estabelecimento de padr??es de atendimento de servi??os, gerenciamento de pessoas e capacita????o, gerenciamento de informa????es, implementa????o de melhoria cont??nua, planejamento e gest??o estrat??gica, simplifica????o e agiliza????o de procedimentos

Modelo de gest??o como processo de inova????o e aumento da produtividade

Aponta e descreve as diversas a????es implementadas que resultaram em redu????o do desperd??cio, aumento das receitas, assist??ncia de alto n??vel ao paciente, aprimoramento do ensino e da pesquisa com novos patamares quantitativos e qualitativos de desempenho, satisfa????o do corpo profissional, al??m de forte credibilidade junto ?? comunidade, decorrente do efetivo cumprimento dos seus objetivos institucionais

A gest??o de pessoas como um recurso estrat??gico

O texto examina as estrat??gias e os sistemas que devem ser considerados para se alcan??ar a melhor gest??o de recursos humanos no setor p??blico. Inicialmente, baseado em tr??s modelos tradicionais de administra????o p??blica, sugere uma abordagem hol??stica para aumentar a efetividade da gest??o. Em seguida, defende a id??ia de um ??rg??o ???guardi??o??? central, que considere o princ??pio do m??rito e que divida com os ??rg??os de linha a responsabilidade sobre a GRH. Mostra, ainda, a import??ncia de institucionalizar os valores da imparcialidade, do profissionalismo e da responsividade. Ao tratar da profissionaliza????o da GRH, ressalta a necessidade de uma pol??tica que defina como a gest??o de pessoas contribuir?? para o alcance de objetivos governamentais. Para isso, prop??e a aplica????o de um modelo integrado baseado em compet??ncias e o desenvolvimento de uma pol??tica salarial que permita a atra????o e reten????o de talentos no setor p??blico. Ao final, o texto apresenta os pr??s e contras da gest??o por desempenho, bem como os desafios de um redimensionamento organizacional no servi??o p??blico.

Perfil intra-empreendedor: um estudo inicial em funcion??rios da Infraero-sede

Considerando os conceitos de intra-empreendedorismo e sua import??ncia para as organiza????es atualmente, realizou-se pesquisa juntos aos ocupantes do cargo de Profissional de Servi??os Aeroportu??rios (PSA), na sede da Empresa Brasileira de Infra-Estrutura Aeroportu??ria (Infraero), buscando verificar se eles possuem ou n??o perfil intra-empreendedor. Utilizou-se um question??rio, composto de 28 quest??es referentes ??s necessidades e habilidades indispens??veis ao desenvolvimento do intra-empreendedorismo, para avaliar o perfil dos funcion??rios, bem como levantar as caracter??sticas que apareceram com maior e menor freq????ncia na amostra selecionada. Como resultado, concluiu-se que a maioria dos empregados pesquisados possui perfil intra-empreendedor, por??m necessitando do desenvolvimento de outras caracter??sticas, tais como necessidade de independ??ncia e de autorealiza????o, tamb??m imprescind??veis. Foram sugeridas, tamb??m, a????es que podem ser adotadas na organiza????o para incentivar os trabalhadores a exercer suas capacidades empreendedoras.

Uso de tecnologias de informa????o e comunica????o na gest??o p??blica: exemplos no governo federal

A administra????o p??blica passou por diversas mudan??as nos ??ltimos 30 anos. Parte dessas altera????es tem origem nas oportunidades criadas pelas inova????es tecnol??gicas. O objetivo deste trabalho ?? apresentar como tem sido o uso de tecnologias da informa????o e comunica????o (TICs) nas inova????es promovidas na administra????o p??blica federal brasileira. Para tanto, tomamos como base a descri????o de cinco experi??ncias inovadoras em TIC premiadas nos concursos anuais Inova????o na Gest??o P??blica Federal, realizados pela Escola Nacional de Administra????o P??blica (ENAP): o Portal da Transpar??ncia da Controladoria-Geral da Uni??o (CGU); o Programa Nacional do Livro Did??tico; o uso dos computadores de m??o pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estat??stica (IBGE); a entrega da Declara????o do Imposto de Renda via internet; e a utiliza????o de urnas eletr??nicas nas elei????es brasileiras. A despeito da relev??ncia dos avan??os do governo eletr??nico brasileiro at?? aqui, medidas de aprimoramento da intera????o entre os diversos ??rg??os p??blicos e tamb??m das pol??ticas p??blicas de inclus??o digital ainda se fazem necess??rias.

Pessoal: o Estado e seus servidores

Retomando o artigo de J. A. de Carvalho e Melo, a RSP Revisitada traz ?? tona temas importantes e recorrentes, at?? os dias de hoje, na rela????o entre o Estado e seus servidores. O texto discorre sobre aspectos distintos: nomea????o, posse e exerc??cio, natureza legal ou contratual do v??nculo entre o funcion??rio p??blico e o Estado, estabilidade e tempo de servi??o, e encerra com reflex??es sobre a Administra????o democr??tica e o seu papel na vida moderna.

Tabagismo, abandono do fumo e os otorrinolaringologistas do estado de São Paulo

Os otorrinolaringologistas estão diretamente envolvidos no diagnóstico e tratamento de doenças provocadas pelo cigarro, incluindo o câncer das vias aéreas superiores. É importante que os especialistas estejam capacitados a tratar o tabagismo e a dependência da nicotina. Também se sabe que há fumantes entre os próprios médicos. OBJETIVO: Pesquisar as opiniões e condutas de otorrinolaringologistas do Estado de São Paulo frente ao tabagismo e à dependência química da nicotina, e avaliar o hábito tabagístico dos especialistas. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Corte transversal. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Foram selecionados aleatoriamente 600 otorrinolaringologistas do Estado de São Paulo. A esses especialistas foi enviado, em março de 2005, por correio, um questionário padrão. Foram analisadas as respostas recebidas no período de março a maio de 2005. RESULTADOS: Foram recebidas 209 respostas. Nestas, 97 profissionais (46,4%) avaliaram sua familiaridade com os meios de tratamento da dependência de nicotina como regular e 60 (28,7%) como insatisfatória. Dos participantes do estudo, 144 (68,9%) nunca fumaram, 50 (23,9%) são ex-fumantes, nove (4,3%) são fumantes ocasionais e seis (2,9%) são fumantes. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de tabagistas na amostra de 209 otorrinolaringologistas do Estado de São Paulo foi de 7,1%.

Morphological and phytochemical characterization of Piper hispidinervum DC. and Piper aduncum L. populations in the state of Acre

Because of the increasing demand of the industry for the production of essential oils, studies highlight the genetic variability of Piper hispidinervum and P. aduncum species according to their patterns of spatial distribution, showing the Amazon region as the source of superior genetic material in the production of safrole and dillapiole. Thus, the objective this study was to characterize the morphology and the phytochemistry of Piper hispidinervum and P. aduncum populations in the Active Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Acre to generate subsidies for the genetic improvement of these species. The results showed that the average values for leaf width and length were 141.67 and 48.04 mm, and petioles length and diameter measurements were 2.83 and 1.78 mm for P. hispidinervum and 189.22; 67.74; 6.03 and 2.22 mm for P. aduncum respectively. The average height and canopy volume measurements were 2.39 m and 6.30 m3 and 2.70 m and 7.78 m3 respectively for each species. For P. hispidinervum, the population with higher performance indried yield and content of safrole was population 02, with 3.9%, and the population 04 showed 94.3% safrole content, both with genetic material from the region of Acrelândia and Plácido de Castro. To P. aduncum, the populations with better performance were 207, 208 and 209, forming a homogeneous group with dried yield average of 3.8% and dillapiol content of 84-85%. Such populations are indicated for selection in breeding program of these species due to better performance.

Portuguese india, the Politics of Print and a Questionable Modernity

Este artigo-recensão do livro da Dra. Rochelle Pinto, Between Empires: Print and Politics in Goa, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2007, pp. 209 analisa este excelente estudo das implicações modernistas da imprensa na Índia Portuguesa. A autora distingue a modernidade da peninsula imbérica da modernidade inglesa. Salienta a diferença entre as duas modernidades. O que parece ser de pouco valor neste estudos é a tendência orientalista que os jovens investigadores são forçados a assumir: passa pela adoração pelos autores euro-americanos, subalternizando ou quase ignorando os estudos mais competentes dos investigadores orientais. Este complexo da inferioridade poderá levar ainda muito tempo para ser ultrapassada.