Should Anacardium humile St. Hil be used as an antiulcer agent? A scientific approach to the traditional knowledge

The crude methanolic extract (ME) obtained from the leaves of Anacardium humile was evaluated orally at doses of 250-500-1000 mg/kg on gastric lesion on ethanol and piroxicam induced gastric lesions in rodents. All the tested doses significantly inhibited gastric lesions by 56 to 100%. These results seems to support the traditional use of this species in the treatment of gastric diseases. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental paracoccidioidomycosis of the Syrian hamster: fungicidal activity and production of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages

Phagocytic cells play an important role in nonspecific resistance to fungal infection by mediating an inflammatory response and by a direct fungicidal action. In this study, the functional activity of peritoneal macrophages obtained from hamsters experimentally infected with strain Pb18 of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was evaluated during 16 weeks of infection. The results showed that macrophages had a higher spreading ability associated with increased production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and enhanced fungicidal activity during the early periods of infection. TNF-alpha levels remained elevated during all periods studied, while low levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) were produced during the infection. A necrotic area with dead fungi was observed at the inoculation site and the infection disseminated only to liver and lymph nodes in a few animals. These results suggest that during the early stages of infection with P. brasiliensis, macrophage activation by the high levels of TNF-alpha limited fungal dissemination. In contrast, in the later stages of infection, high levels of TNF-alpha were observed while the fungicidal activity of macrophages was lower and the animals presented loss of vitality resulting in their death. These observations suggest a complex role of TNF-alpha in experimental paracoccidioidomycosis of Syrian hamsters, involving not only resistance but also pathogenesis.

Chromosome spreading of associated transposable elements and ribosomal DNA in the fish Erythrinus erythrinus. Implications for genome change and karyoevolution in fish

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

Evolutionary dynamics of rRNA gene clusters in cichlid fish

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

Screw Spreading: Technical Considerations and Case Report

The spreading system is an alternative technique to the Summers osteotome. The crest expansion technique is a less invasive procedure in which the facial wall expands after the medullary bone is compressed against the cortical wall. It improves the density of the maxillary bone, which allows for greater initial stability of implants. A specific screw instrument, the "spreader," achieved a controlled and standardized dilation of the bone horizontally. The use of spreaders to enhance the dental implant site is a highly predictable procedure. (Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2011;31:141-147.)

What are Scientific Leaders? The Introduction of a Normalized Impact Factor

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Power-law distributions for the citation index of scientific publications and scientists

The number of citations of a scientific publication or of an individual scientist has become an important factor of quality assessment in science. We report a study of the statistical distribution of the citation index of both scientific publications and scientists. We give numerical evidence that Tsallis (power law) statistics explains the entire distribution over eight orders of magnitude (10-4 to 10(4)). Also, we draw Zipf plots in order to analyze the statistical distribution of the citation index of Brazilian and international physicists and chemists. The relatively small group of Brazilian scientists seems more adequate to explain the dynamics of the citation index. In this case, we find that the distribution of the citation index can also be explained by a gradually truncated power law with similar parameters. We finally discuss possible mechanisms behind the citation index of scientists and scientific publications.

Clinical research on new drugs (Phase I). Profile of scientific publications: data from the pre-clinical phase and bioethical aspects

OBJETIVO: Traçar o perfil das publicações científicas de fase I e procurar saber se a publicação oferece dados da fase pré-clínica com ênfase nos aspectos bioéticos. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados 61 artigos científicos publicados no ano de 2007, que relatam pesquisas envolvendo seres humanos com novos fármacos, medicamentos ou vacinas em fase I. Foi elaborado um roteiro para coleta de dados, com o qual fosse possível analisar e avaliar os artigos científicos. O roteiro contempla itens referentes à fase pré-clínica (associados à fase clínica) e itens referentes às características da amostra. RESULTADOS: Nos artigos analisados, a maioria das pesquisas foi realizada nos EUA. Devido ao grande número de publicações destinadas às doenças oncológicas a maioria delas foi realizada com voluntários doentes. Quanto às informações sobre a fase pré-clínica presente nas publicações de fase I observamos que são pobres ou inexistentes. Mesmo que os autores julguem a pesquisa fase I como promissora e sugiram estudos futuros de fase II, ao leitor não é possível este mesmo julgamento pela escassez de informações da fase pré-clínica. CONCLUSÃO: O perfil das publicações levanta dados que merecem reflexão e análise para melhor avaliação do que está ocorrendo com as publicações de fase I.

Evaluation of the Spreading of Isolated Bacterias from Dental Consulting-Room using RAPD Technique

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Scientific article in vitro evaluation of the influence of air abrasion on detection of occlusal caries lesions in primary teeth

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of cleaning pits and fissures with an aluminum oxide air abrasion system on the detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth using laser fluorescence (LF) and visual examination. Methods: The sample comprised 65 pit and fissure sites on extracted primary teeth suspected to be carious. The sites were submitted to 2 visual examinations (examiner JAR) and 2 LF readings (examiner TMV). Next, the occlusal surfaces were air-abraded and re-examined thereafter using both methods. The teeth were sectioned, and the histological analysis of the sites with a stereoscopic magnifying lens at X32 magnifi cation was used as the gold standard. Results: Cohen's kappa statistic for LF and visual examination were, respectively, 0.282/0.884 before and 0.896/0.905 after air abrasion. LF showed a sensitivity of 0.28 increasing to 0.49 and a specifi city of 0.50 increasing to 0.92. Visual examination showed sensitivity of 0.78 and specifi city of 0.73. Both increased after air abrasion. Conclusion: The findings suggest that cleaning pits and fissures with aluminum oxide air abrasion increased the accuracy of LF and visual examination for detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth.

Bone spreading technique a case report

Bone spreading technique (BST) is a horizontal augmentation with minimal trauma for simultaneous implant placement and an alternative to Summer's osteotome technique both for its clinical use and for the armamentarium. The foremost advantage of the crest dilation technique is a substantially less invasive method; the buccal wall expands after the medullary bone is compressed against the cortical bone. The lateral dilation and compaction of medullary bone improved primary stability. The vital difference is that the BST used in this case report avoided discomfort of the patient, thus eliminating the need for malleting.

Brazilian experience with the medium-term multi-organ bioassay: Scientific and regulatory developments

In 1996 the Brazilian Institute for the Environment (IBAMA) officially adopted a variation of the multiorgan initiation-promotion DMBDD bioassay as a valid source of evidence of the carcinogenic potential of pesticides. The protocol adopted by IBAMA was a modification of the one originally proposed by researchers led by Nobuyuki Ito, from the Nagoya City University Medical School. Among the modifications established in the Brazilian protocol were the use of both sexes of the outbreed Wistar strain of rats and two positive control test chemicals. The adoption of the modified DMBDD protocol was instrumental during the last decade for qualifying technical people and to spread knowledge on chemical carcinogenesis in Brazil.