Best site for embryo transfer: the upper or lower half of endometrial cavity?

BACKGROUND: the objective of the present study was to determine the importance of the site of embryo transfer (upper or lower half endometrial cavity) on implantation and clinical pregnancy rates. METHODS: A total of 400 transfers guided by ultrasound were randomly assigned to two groups according to the distance between the uterine fundus and the catheter tip at the time of embryo placement. Group I (n=200) consisted of transfers corresponding to a distance of <50% of the endometrial cavity length (ECL), i.e. transfer in upper half of the cavity; and group II (n=200) consisted of transfers corresponding to a distance of greater than or equal to50%, of the ECL, i.e. transfer in lower half of cavity. The Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Fisher's exact test were used where appropriate. RESULTS: the general characteristics of the study population and the main transfer cycle characteristics had an equal distribution (P>0.05) between groups I and II. No significant difference in implantation or pregnancy rates was observed between groups I and II. CONCLUSION: the implantation or pregnancy rates were similar whether the embryos were deposited in the upper or lower half of the endometrial cavity.

Distribution of NADPH-diaphorase-positive neurons in the prefrontal cortex of the Cebus monkey

We studied the distribution of NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity in the prefrontal cortex of normal adult Cebus apella monkeys using NADPH-d histochemical protocols. The following regions were studied: granular areas 46 and 12, dysgranular areas 9 and 13, and agranular areas 32 and Oap. NADPH-d-positive neurons were divided into two distinct types, both non-pyramidal. Type I neurons had a large soma diameter (17.24 +/- 1.73 pm) and were densely stained. More than 90% of these neurons were located in the subcortical white matter and infragranular layers. The remaining type I neurons were distributed in the supragranular layers. Type II neurons had a small, round or oval soma (9.83 +/- 1.03 mu m), and their staining pattern varied markedly. Type II neurons were distributed throughout the cortex, with their greatest numerical density being observed in layers II and III. In granular areas, the number of type II neurons was up to 20 times that of type I neurons, but this proportion was smaller in agranular areas. Areal density of type II neurons was maximum in the supragranular layers of granular areas and minimum in agranular areas. Statistical analysis revealed that these areal differences were significant when comparing some specific areas. In conclusion, our results indicate a predominance of NADPH-d-positive cells in supragranular layers of granular areas in the Cebus prefrontal cortex. These findings support previous observations on the role of type II neurons as a new cortical nitric oxide source in supragranular cortical layers in primates, and their potential contribution to cortical neuronal activation in advanced mammals. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Periodontal ligament influence on the stress distribution in a removable partial denture supported by implant: a finite element analysis

Objective: The non-homogenous aspect of periodontal ligament (PDL) has been examined using finite element analysis (FEA) to better simulate PDL behavior. The aim of this study was to assess, by 2-D FEA, the influence of non-homogenous PDL on the stress distribution when the free-end saddle removable partial denture (RPD) is partially supported by an osseointegrated implant. Material and Methods: Six finite element (FE) models of a partially edentulous mandible were created to represent two types of PDL (non-homogenous and homogenous) and two types of RPD (conventional RPD, supported by tooth and fibromucosa; and modified RPD, supported by tooth and implant [10.00x3.75 mm]). Two additional FE models without RPD were used as control models. The non-homogenous PDL was modeled using beam elements to simulate the crest, horizontal, oblique and apical fibers. The load (50 N) was applied in each cusp simultaneously. Regarding boundary conditions the border of alveolar ridge was fixed along the x axis. The FE software (Ansys 10.0) was used to compute the stress fields, and the von Mises stress criterion (sigma vM) was applied to analyze the results. Results: The peak of sigma vM in non-homogenous PDL was higher than that for the homogenous condition. The benefits of implants were enhanced for the non-homogenous PDL condition, with drastic sigma vM reduction on the posterior half of the alveolar ridge. The implant did not reduce the stress on the support tooth for both PDL conditions. Conclusion: The PDL modeled in the non-homogeneous form increased the benefits of the osseointegrated implant in comparison with the homogeneous condition. Using the non-homogenous PDL, the presence of osseointegrated implant did not reduce the stress on the supporting tooth.

A discrepância de tamanho dentário, de Bolton, na oclusão normal e nos diferentes tipos de más oclusões, bem como sua relação com a forma de arco e o posicionamento dentário

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral avaliar a discrepância de tamanho dentário, na oclusão normal e nos diferentes tipos de más oclusões e a sua relação com as medidas que determinam a forma de arco e o posicionamento dentário na região anterior. Para tanto, foram estudados 185 pares de modelos de gesso, divididos em 4 grupos: Grupo 1 (composto por 41 pares com Oclusão Normal, sendo 20 do gênero masculino e 21 do gênero feminino); Grupo 2 (composto por 44 pares com má oclusão de Classe I, divisão 1, sendo 22 do gênero masculino e 22 do gênero feminino); Grupo 3 (composto por 54 pares com má oclusão de Classe II, sendo 28 do gênero masculino e 26 do gênero feminino) e Grupo 4 (composto por 46 pares com Classe III, sendo 23 do gênero masculino e 23 do gênero feminino). Observou-se que não ocorreu dimorfismo sexual entre as discrepâncias de tamanho dentário e os diferentes tipos de oclusão dentária; as proporções estabelecidas por Bolton não se aplicaram ao grupo com Oclusão Normal; na Oclusão Normal, Classe I, Classe II e Classe III, houve um predomínio de excesso dentário total (RAZ12) no arco inferior; na Classe I houve uma igualdade na distribuição de excesso dentário anterior (RAZ6) nos arcos superior e inferior; na Oclusão Normal, Classe II e Classe III, ocorreu um predomínio de excesso dentário anterior (RAZ6) no arco inferior, em relação ao arco superior; os excessos dentários não contribuíram na ocorrência das más oclusões e as discrepâncias total e anterior (RAZ12 e RAZ6) não interferiram diretamente nas larguras e comprimentos dos arcos, bem como no posicionamento dos dentes anteriores.

Quantitative Analysis of Placental Vasculature by Three-Dimensional Power Doppler Ultrasonography in Normal Pregnancies From 12 to 40 Weeks of Gestation

Evaluate the distribution and variation of placental vascular indices according to gestational age and placental volume. From March to November 2007, three-dimensional (3D)-power Doppler ultrasound was performed in 295 normal pregnancies from 12 to 40 weeks of gestation. Using the same preestablished settings for all patients, power Doppler was applied to the placenta and placental Volume was obtained by the rotational technique (VOCAL(TM)). The 3D-power histogram was used to determine the placental vascular indices: vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization-flow index (VFI). The placental vascular indices were then plotted against gestational age and placental volume. All placental vascular indices showed constant distribution throughout gestation. A tendency for a reduction in placental vascular indices with increased placental volume was observed, but was only statistically significant when placental FI was considered (p < 0.05). All placental vascular indices estimated by 3D-power Doppler ultrasonography presented constant distribution throughout gestation, despite the increase in placental volume according to gestational age. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura: Leiuperidae) from the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, with comments on the geographic distribution of Pseudopaludicola canga Giaretta & Kokubum, 2003.

A new species of Pseudopaludicola is described from the state of Mato Grosso, western Brazil. The new species inhabits the transition zone between Brazilian Cerrado and Amazon rainforest in northern Mato Grosso, and is characterized by its medium size (snout-vent length 12-17 mm), lack of T-shaped terminal phalanges, toe tips not expanded laterally, presence of two antebrachial tubercles, and smooth upper eyelids. The advertisement call of the new species consists of a series composed of 11-74 non-pulsed notes. Mean dominant frequency is 3938 Hz. Each note presents a slight ascendant frequency modulation in its first half, and another ascendant modulation in its last half. We also present new data on the distribution and conservation status of Pseudopaludicola canga.

Distribution of Rhodophyta in streams from São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

Distribution of Rhodophyta was investigated in 172 stream segments, which were sampled from May to October in 1992-1993 and 1996-1997 in six natural regions (parts of biomes or geological areas) of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Red algae occurred in 60.5 % of stream segments sampled, a high frequency in comparison with other major surveys in the world (18-65 %). 17 species of freshwater red algae were found, of which the most widespread was Batrachospermum delicatulum occurring in 17 sites of five regions. The proportion of morphological types was as follows: gelatinous filaments (62.5 %), free filaments (19 %), tufts (12.5 %) and crusts (6 %); all but free filaments can be considered as having mechanisms to tolerate stress provoked by current velocity. No significant difference was found between the frequency distributions of variables measured for all streams and for those with red algae. Rhodophyta occurred under the following conditions (means): temperature (19.0 degrees C), current velocity (48 cm s(-1)), specific conductance (74 mu S cm(-1)), turbidity (8 NTU), oxygen (67.3 %) and pH (6.9 +/- 0.7). on the basis of species composition among the regions, the following patterns were evident: 1) the number of red algal species per region ranged from 1 to 10; 2) the highest proportion of sites with red algae (65-73 %) was found in hard water regions and in Atlantic rainforest, whereas the lowest (50 %) was found in tropical rainforest; 3) more than half of the species were exclusive from a single region, whereas the higher proportion of exclusive species was in the subtropical rainforest (50 %). No combination of stream variables was clearly associated with the occurrence of red algae for the regions as a whole. Species composition for streams and rivers of São Paulo State revealed higher similarities with other tropical regions and had few species in common with freshwater red algal floras of other continents.

Periodontal disease characterization in dogs with normal renal function or chronic renal failure

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

Genetics of anthracnose panel canker disease resistance and its relationship with yield and growth characters in half-sib progenies of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

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

Respiratory muscle strength in obese individuals and influence of upper-body fat distribution

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: A disfunção pulmonar no obeso pode estar associada a comprometimento muscular respiratório e também pode ser influenciada pelo predomínio de distribuição de gordura corporal na região toraco-abdominal. O objetivo foi avaliar a força dos músculos respiratórios em obesos e analisar a influência da distribuição do tecido adiposo. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo transversal no período pré-operatório de Cirurgia Bariátrica. Estudo desenvolvido no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia da Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) - Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu. MÉTODO: Mensuração da força dos músculos respiratórios através das medidas das pressões inspiratórias e expiratórias máximas (PImax e PEmax) em obesos candidatos à cirurgia bariátrica. Avaliar a distribuição do tecido adiposo através da relação entre as circunferências da cintura e quadril (RC/Q). Comparar esses atributos com os valores de referência de normalidade e também entre grupos com diferentes índices de massa corpórea (IMC). RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 23 homens e 76 mulheres. Todos foram submetidos à avaliação de PImax e 86 realizaram a PEmax. O IMC médio foi de 44,42 kg/m². Os valores de PImax e de PEmax estavam dentro dos padrões de normalidade, a relação cintura-quadril mostrou distribuição do tecido adiposo na porção superior corporal e não houve correlação entre as variáveis estudadas. CONCLUSÃO: Na população de obesos estudada, o excesso de peso não provocou alterações na força dos músculos respiratórios, e as modificações não foram influenciadas pela distribuição de gordura predominante em porção superior corporal.

A comparative-analysis of glycosaminoglycans from human umbilical arteries in normal subjects and in pathological conditions affecting pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Vascular cells express different phenotypes in adult and fetal vessels, and the extracellular matrix they synthesize should reflect these differences. Alterations of vascular proteoglycan/glycosaminoglycan is verified in disorders such as hypertension and diabetes, and when occurring during pregnancy, they bring about structural changes to fetal vessels that often lead to impaired fetus growth. Yet there is little data about the extracellular matrix of an important human fetal vessel, the umbilical artery.EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This study involved the biochemical characterization of the extracellular matrix of normal umbilical arteries, umbilical arteries from complicated pregnancies (maternal hypertension and diabetes and intrauterine growth retardation syndrome), and, for purpose of comparison, normal adult arteries (aorta and iliac and pulmonary arteries). Although the collagen types I:III ratio was determined in some cases, emphasis was placed on analysis of glycosaminoglycans.RESULTS: Normal umbilical arteries differ from normal adult arteries in that they contain greater concentrations of hyaluronic acid and lesser concentrations of heparan sulfate and chondroitin 4-and 6-sulfate. The umbilical artery also differs from adult arteries in the disaccharide composition of its chondroitin and heparan sulfates and in the molecular weight of this latter glycosaminoglycan. The glycosaminoglycan distribution in umbilical arteries derived from complicated pregnancies is roughly similar to that of controls. However, total glycosaminoglycan and collagen were significantly reduced, and the collagen I:III ratio was increased in the umbilical arteries from hypertension-complicated pregnancies.CONCLUSIONS: the glycosaminoglycan composition of the normal umbilical artery, a fully differentiated tissue, differs in many aspects from that of normal adult arteries. of the cases of complicated pregnancies studied, the extracellular matrix of umbilical arteries was altered only in maternal hypertension. The changes, notably a mild fibrosis, were not very pronounced and should not impair hemodynamic properties of the vessel.

Assessment of apoptosis in epidermal lamellar cells in clinically normal horses and those with laminitis

Objective - To determine and compare the number, type, location, and distribution of apoptotic epidermal cells in the laminae of clinically normal horses and horses with laminitis.Sample Population - Formalin-fixed samples of digital lamellar tissue from 47 horses (including clinically normal horses [controls; n = 7], horses with acurte [4] and chronic [7] naturally acquired laminitis, and horses with black walnut extract-induced [11] or carbohydrate overload-induced [18] laminitis).Procedure - Blocks of paraffin-embedded lamellar tissues were stained for DNA fragmentation with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) technique. Differential immunohistochemical staining for caspases 3 and 14 were used to confirm apoptosis.Results - the number of TUNEL-positive epidermal cells per 0.1 mm of primary laminae was significantly greater in the acute laminitis group than in the other groups. In the acute laminitis group, there were 17 and 1,025 times as many TUN EL-positive basal layer cells and keratinocytes, respectively, compared with the control group. Apoptosis of TUNEL-positive basal layer cells was confirmed by results of caspase 3 immunohistochemical staining. The TUNEL-positive keratinocytes did not stain for caspases 3 or 14.Conclusions and Clinical Relevance - the large number of apoptotic basal layer cells detected in the lamellar tissue of horses with acute naturally acquired laminitis suggests that apoptosis may be important in the development of acute laminitis. The role of the large number of TUNEL-positive keratinocytes detected in the interface of primary and secondary epidermal laminae of horses with acute laminitis remains to be elucidated.

The IFUSP race-track microtron booster accelerator end magnets antisymmetric perturbations

We will present measurements and calculations related to the antisymmetric perturbations, and comparisons with the symmetric ones, of the IFUSP race-track microtron booster accelerator end magnets. These perturbations were measured in planes situated at +/-12 mm of the middle plane, in a gap height of 4 cm, for a field distribution of about 0.1 T. The measurements were done in 1170 points, separated by a distance of 8 mm, using an automated system with a +/-1.5 mu T differential Hall probe. The race-track microtron booster is the second stage of the 30.0 MeV electron accelerator under construction at the Linear Accelerator Laboratory in which the required uniformity for the magnetic field is of about 10(-3). The method of correction employed to homogenize the IFUSP race-track microtron booster accelerator magnets assures uniformity of 10(-5) in an average field of 0.1 T, over an area of 700 cm(2). This method uses the principle of attaching to the pole pieces correction coils produced by etching techniques, with copper leads shaped like the isofield lines of the normal component of the magnetic field measured. The ideal planes, in which these measurements are done, are calculated and depend on the behavior of the magnetic field perturbations: symmetric or antisymmetric with reference to the middle plane of the magnet gap. These calculations are presented in this work and show that for antisymmetric perturbations there is no ideal plane for the correction of the magnetic field; for the symmetric one, these planes are at +/-60% of the half gap height, from the middle plane. So this method of correction is not feasible for antisymmetric perturbations, as will be shown. Besides, the correction of the symmetric portion of the field distribution does not influence the antisymmetric one, which almost does not change, and corroborates the theoretical predictions. We found antisymmetric perturbations of small intensity only in one of the two end magnets. However, they are not detected at +/- 1 mm of the middle plane and will not damage the electron beam.

Spatial distribution of solutes and water in sucrose solution dehydrated apples

Half-fresh apples were immersed in sucrose solution (50% w/w, 27 degrees C) during different times of exposition (2, 4, and 8 h). Then each fruit was sliced from the transversal exposed surface. Density, water, and sugar content were determined for each slice. A mathematical model was fitted to experimental data of water and sucrose content considering the global flux and the tissue shrinkage. By numerical analysis, the binary effective diffusion coefficients as a function of concentration were calculated, using material coordinates and integrating simultaneously two differential equations (for water and sucrose). The coefficients obtained are one or even two orders of magnitude lower than the ones for pure solutions and present an unusual concentration dependence. This comparison shows the influence of the tissue resistance to the diffusion.

Classical and quantal aspects of resonant normal forms

The Birkhoff-Gustavson normal form is employed to study separately chaos and resonances in a system with two degrees of freedom. In the integrable regime, tunnelling effects are appreciable when the nearest level spacings show oscillations. Tunnelling among states in the libration and rotation tori regions is also observed. The regularity of avoided crossings due to tunnelling indicates a collective effect and is associated with an isolated resonance. The spectral fluctuations also show a strong level correlation. The Husimi distribution, on the other hand, is insensitive to avoided crossings. An integrable approximation to the overlap of resonances is obtained and a theoretical description is given for an isolated cubic resonance plus a complex orbit. In the non-integrable regime chaos is stronger after overlapping and preferentially at low energies.