Supplementation and therapeutic use of vitamin D in patients with multiple sclerosis: Consensus of the Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology

A esclerose múltipla (EM) é uma doença inflamatória, autoimune, desmielinizante e degenerativa do sistema nervoso central. Estudos epidemiológicos têm identificado associações de hipovitaminose D com doenças autoimunes. O principal objetivo desta revisão é responder se há evidências que indiquem o uso terapêutico de vitamina D em monoterapia para pacientes com EM. Por meio dos sites PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS e Scielo foram realizadas buscas usando os descritores “vitamin D”, e “multiple sclerosis” até 12/09/2013. Estudos clínicos randomizados, controlados e duplo-cegos foram selecionados para avaliar a resposta terapêutica da vitamina D na EM. Não foram encontradas evidências científicas que justifiquem o uso da vitamina D em monoterapia no tratamento da EM, na prática clínica.

Use of sample size calculation in scientific research in Brazilian Physical Education journals

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

Scientific collaboration network among Brazilian universities: an analysis in Dentistry area

This paper analyses the scientific collaboration network formed by the Brazilian universities that investigate in dentistry area. The constructed network is based on the published documents in the Scopus (Elsevier) database covering a period of 10 (ten) years. It is used social network analysis as the best methodological approach to visualize the capacity for collaboration, dissemination and transmission of new knowledge among universities. Cohesion and density of the collaboration network is analyzed, as well as the centrality of the universities as key-actors and the occurrence of subgroups within the network. Data were analyzed using the software UCINET and NetDraw. The number of documents published by each university was used as an indicator of its scientific production.

Benefits of soil carbon: report on the outcomes of an international scientific committee on problems of the environment rapid assessment workshop

A Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment Rapid Assessment (SCOPE-RAP) workshop was held on 18-22 March 2013. This workshop was hosted by the European Commission, JRC Centre at Ispra, Italy, and brought together 40 leading experts from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America to create four synthesis chapters aimed at identifying knowledge gaps, research requirements, and policy innovations. Given the forthcoming publication by CABI of a book volume of the outcomes of the SCOPE-RAP in 2014, this workshop report provides an update on the global societal challenge of soil carbon management and some of the main issues and solutions that were identified in the four working sessions.

The University and its libraries: reactions and resistance to scientific publishers

This paper addresses the relationship of copyright and the right of universities on scientific production. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are causing many changes in the system of scientific communication, such as the creation of Institutional Repositories that aim to gather scientific production in digital format. The University needs quicker ways of spreading academic production and many questions are emerging due to contexts such as the Open Access movement. Thus, this paper questions the positioning of Universities, especially Public Universities, which despite having policies related to intellectual property to protect the transferring forms of research results to society; many times do not have a positioning or a mechanism that regulates the self-deposit of scientific production in these Institutional Repositories. In order to develop this paper, the following issues are addressed: lack of interest of the University in storing scientific production; reports on the relationship of the library with scientific publishing houses; the participation of faculty members and students in supporting the Free Access movement; and initiatives aimed at greater flexibility of copyright to the context of scientific production. In order to follow the development of these issues at international level, it was opted for qualitative research with non-participating direct observation to carry out the identification and description of copyright policy of important publishers from the ROMEO SHERPA site; therefore, it can be observed that there are changes regarding the publishers' flexibility before self-archiving of authors in open access institutional repositories in their universities. Given this scenario, we presente reflections and considerations that involve the progress and mainly the integration of the University and its faculty members; the institution should recommend and guide its faculty members not to transfer their copyrights, but to defend their right of copy to Institutional Repositories along with Publishing Houses.

Entre o acadêmico e o jornalístico: análise da coluna de crítica literária Prosa de Sábado, do suplemento Sabático

The literary criticism was developed in Brazil in the period that comprehends the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During that time, the mean of dissemination of the criticism were the footnotes of the newspapers, places in which literature was discussed and the critics expressed their personal impressions about literary works with the objective of orientating the good taste of the readers. With the progressive evolution of journalism and of the newspaper's audience, the criticism columns became incompatible with the informative part of the periodicals, being transferred to the literary supplements, during a transition phase, until it was concentrated in the universitary field. This change in the paradigms of the production of criticism also caused a change in the profile of the literary critics and in the criteria to do the criticism. Before, if the critics were professionals that only needed to have enough erudition to judge the literary works, they turn into literature experts and need to use scientific methodologies in the literary analysis, while the cultural journalist begins to look at the events and literary works as products which belong to a market that needs to be reported. This research proposes studying and comparing the critics published in the column Prosa de Sábado, of the literary supplement Sabático, produced by Silviano Santiago, critic of an academic origin, and Sérgio Augusto, journalist critic, with the objective of identifying similarities and contrasts between them, and analyse the relation of this critics with their distinct fields of literary legitimation, as well as reflecting about the presence of the literary criticism and of the critics in the current press

Patentes patéticas

The objective of this project is to publish a book of scientific dissemination aimed at the subject of intellectual or industrial property, in particular patent, and its approval process. Based on a series of weekly blog posts published by its author, Patentes Patéticas use scientific, literary journalism and humour techniques to analyze a selection of U.S. patents that stand out for their questionable utility and criticize the number of patents granted as a metric of technological innovation in a country

An Informatics Technical Note on Interaction of DNA - Graphene Chemical Sensor System as Reaction-Diffusion Wave-Based Computing System in Ionised Gaseous environments and their Applications Using Theoretical Studies and Scientific Computation Overview

The physics of plasmas encompasses basic problems from the universe and has assured us of promises in diverse applications to be implemented in a wider range of scientific and engineering domains, linked to most of the evolved and evolving fundamental problems. Substantial part of this domain could be described by R–D mechanisms involving two or more species (reaction–diffusion mechanisms). These could further account for the simultaneous non-linear effects of heating, diffusion and other related losses. We mention here that in laboratory scale experiments, a suitable combination of these processes is of vital importance and very much decisive to investigate and compute the net behaviour of plasmas under consideration. Plasmas are being used in the revolution of information processing, so we considered in this technical note a simple framework to discuss and pave the way for better formalisms and Informatics, dealing with diverse domains of science and technologies. The challenging and fascinating aspects of plasma physics is that it requires a great deal of insight in formulating the relevant design problems, which in turn require ingenuity and flexibility in choosing a particular set of mathematical (and/or experimental) tools to implement them.

Scientific use of the finite element method in Orthodontics

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Deutsche Welle Brasil: construção da notícia e representação social

Zusammenfassung: In dieser Studie wurde untersucht, wie Nachrichten, die vom Nachrichtenportal Deutsche Welle in portugiesischer Sprache veröffentlicht werden, produziert werden und inwieweit sie Brasilien und Deutschland bezüglich kulturellen, politischen und wirtschaftlichen Aspekten repräsentieren. Der staatliche deutsche Auslandsrundfunk zeichnet sich durch seine internationale Reichweite aus und schafft Dialoge zwischen Deutschland und anderen Nationen. Angesichts der Schnittstelle zwischen Journalismus und Internet, haben wir uns auf den Sender Deutsche Welle, und dort vor allem auf die brasilianische Nachrichtenredaktion fokussiert. Dadurch war es möglich, den Kontext, in dem der analysierte journalistische Inhalt produziert wird, genau zu verstehen. Die Nachrichten wurden über einen Zeitraum von einer Woche im Portal gesammelt und anschließend einer quantitativen und qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse unterzogen (BARDIN, 2009). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, wie die Inhalte beide Länder repräsentieren und gleichzeitig die Redaktionsstrategie des Senders bestätigt wird. In Anbetracht des Effekts, den die Nachrichten und die übermittelte Repräsentation der beiden Länder in den Beiträgen auf die Meinungsbildung der Zielgruppe haben könnten, trägt diese Studie zum wissenschaftlichen Verständnis im journalistischen Bereich bei und regt zu weitere Studien über die Deutsche Welle an

Antibiotic prophylaxis for third molar extraction in healthy patients: current scientific evidence

Third molar extraction is one of the most frequently performed procedures in the dental clinic, and it is associated with innumerable trans- and postoperative complications, such as pain, trismus, edema, localized alveolar osteitis, and surgical site infection. Some authors advocate the use of local or systemic antibiotics to reduce the incidence of these postoperative complications. However, several studies have revealed an insignificant gain after using antibiotics. Despite the risks of allergic reactions, toxicity, and the development of resistant microorganisms, about 50% of dentists routinely prescribe the use of prophylactic antibiotics for this purpose. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the scientific evidence that justifies antibiotic prescription to healthy patients undergoing third molar extraction.

Probiotics: the scientific evidence in the context of inflammatory bowel disease

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

Games independentes: plataformas de inovação das novas mídias no contexto da economia criativa

Creative spaces need freedom. Any productions, especially with artistic content, need space to mistakes, that is, for an attempt away from the standard. The independent production environment is recognized in different artistic sectors as a space for innovation, to be free of the serial production logic. The major innovations in the international scenario of games came from the independent productions. Great classics revolutionized the aesthetics and functionality of this new media. This project aims to analyze the productive chains of Brazilian independent games, starting with a regional analysis. The goal is to observe the factors responsible for the innovation that these games can offer, the management aspects of creative processes, articulation of innovative agents and resources mobilized. Brazil currently has the fourth largest gaming market in the world with expectation of strong growth for years to come, but arises in the international market as a consumer. Given this regional demand is necessary to study the tools of production, even to help fill that need. Not only the production of games should be thought, the media coverage is also another important factor, in view of the economic importance of this segment. Understanding the mechanisms of innovation in the gaming universe, its impact on the formation of public and coverage of specialized journalism in this new media are possible outcomes of future studies and research that scientific research can contribute

Enamel microabrasion: an overview of clinical and scientific considerations

Superficial stains and irregularities of the enamel are generally what prompt patients to seek dental intervention to improve their smile. These stains or defects may be due to hypoplasia, amelogenesis imperfecta, mineralized white spots, or fluorosis, for which enamel microabrasion is primarily indicated. Enamel microabrasion involves the use of acidic and abrasive agents, such as with 37% phosphoric acid and pumice or 6% hydrochloric acid and silica, applied to the altered enamel surface with mechanical pressure from a rubber cup coupled to a rotatory mandrel of a low-rotation micromotor. If necessary, this treatment can be safely combined with bleaching for better esthetic results. Recent studies show that microabrasion is a conservative treatment when the enamel wear is minimal and clinically imperceptible. The most important factor contributing to the success of enamel microabrasion is the depth of the defect, as deeper, opaque stains, such as those resulting from hypoplasia, cannot be resolved with microabrasion, and require a restorative approach. Surface enamel alterations that result from microabrasion, such as roughness and microhardness, are easily restored by saliva. Clinical studies support the efficacy and longevity of this safe and minimally invasive treatment. The present article presents the clinical and scientific aspects concerning the microabrasion technique, and discusses the indications for and effects of the treatment, including recent works describing microscopic and clinical evaluations.