Molecular expression profile reveals potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in canine endometrial lesions

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

The importance of the lifelike esthetic appearance of all-ceramic restorations on anterior teeth

The success of rehabilitation will not depend on just clinical procedures. A proper dental technique (ceramist) is required as well as the respect for some biomimetic principles to obtain the desired final result. This study has the purpose of describing a prosthetic rehabilitation with laminate veneers and all-ceramic crowns of a patient unsatisfied with a previous esthetic treatment because of the negligence of some biomimetic principles. A 45-year-old female patient was admitted to the dental clinic complaining about the lifelike appearance of her all-ceramic restorations. Before the fabrication of new restorations, a mock-up was conducted to verify the patient's satisfaction. A ceramist conducted all the fabrication process so that surface characterizations could be visually verified and the lifelike appearance of natural tooth could be reproduced. After the cementation procedure, the patient reported being satisfied with the lifelike appearance of the new restorations. Based on the clinical findings of the present case report, it can be concluded that the reproduction of the lifelike esthetic appearance of natural teeth and the visualization of the final results before definitive procedures are essential to obtain the clinical success.

Characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi Sirtuins as Possible Drug Targets for Chagas Disease

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

A glycolytic phenotype is associated with prostate cancer progression and aggressiveness: a role for monocarboxylate transporters as metabolic targets for therapy

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

Heat treatment of pre-hydrolyzed silane increases adhesion of phosphate monomer-based resin cement to glass ceramic

This study evaluated the influence of different forms of heat treatment on a pre-hydrolyzed silane to improve the adhesion of phosphate monomer-based (MDP) resin cement to glass ceramic. Resin and feldspathic ceramic blocks (n=48, n=6 for bond test, n=2 for microscopy) were randomly divided into 6 groups and subject to surface treatments: G1: Hydrofluoric acid (HF) 9.6% for 20 s + Silane + MDP resin cement (Panavia F); G2: HF 9.6% for 20 s + Silane + Heat Treatment (oven) + Panavia F; G3: Silane + Heat Treatment (oven) + Panavia F; G4: HF 9.6% for 20 s + Silane + Heat Treatment (hot air) + Panavia F; G5: Silane + Heat Treatment (hot air) + Panavia F; G6: Silane + Panavia F. Microtensile bond strength (MTBS) test was performed using a universal testing machine (1 mm/min). After debonding, the substrate and adherent surfaces were analyzed using stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to categorize the failure types. Data were analyzed statistically using two-way test ANOVA and Tukey's test (=0.05). Heat treatment of the silane containing MDP, with prior etching with HF (G2: 13.15 ± 0.89a; G4: 12.58 ± 1.03a) presented significantly higher bond strength values than the control group (G1: 9.16 ± 0.64b). The groups without prior etching (G3: 10.47 ± 0.70b; G5: 9.47 ± 0.32b) showed statistically similar bond strength values between them and the control group (G1). The silane application without prior etching and heat treatment resulted in the lowest mean bond strength (G6: 8.05 ± 0.37c). SEM analysis showed predominantly adhesive failures and EDS analysis showed common elements of spectra (Si, Na, Al, K, O, C) characterizing the microstructure of the glass-ceramic studied. Heat treatment of the pre-hydrolyzed silane containing MDP in an oven at 100 °C for 2 min or with hot air application at 50 ± 5 ºC for 1 min, was effective in increasing the bond strength values between the ceramic and resin cement containing MDP.

Bone Ceramic® at implants installed immediately into extraction sockets in the molar region: an experimental study in dogs

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

Current advances in antitubercular drug discovery: potent prototypes and new targets

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacterium of the Mycobacterium genus, mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The World Health Organization aims to substantially reduce the number of cases in the coming years; however, the increased number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extremely drug-resistant (XDR) forms of the bacterium and the lack of treatment for latent tuberculosis are challenges to be overcome. In this review, we have identified the most potent compounds described in the literature during recent years with MIC values < 7 µM, low toxicity and a high selective index. In addition, emerging targets in MTB are presented to provide new perspectives for the discovery of new antitubercular drugs. This review aims to summarize the current advances in and promote insights into antitubercular drug discovery.

Oxygen mobility in Bi:Sr:Ca:Cu:O ceramic measured using anelastic relaxation methods

Since the discovery of YBaCuO, experiments have shown that its superconducting properties are strongly affected by the oxygen content. More recently, anelastic relaxation measurements in La2CuO4+δ, showed that the decrease in the oxygen content can be related to two events. One is the decrease in mobility between two adjacent CuO planes, and the other is the increase in the number of tilting patterns of the CuO6 octahedra. In the case of the bismuth-based ceramic, it is known that the oxygen content, within some limits, does not affect its superconducting properties. In order to evaluate the mobility and the effect of the oxygen content on this material we have prepared BSCCO ceramic and tested regarding its internal friction and electrical resistivity as a function of the temperature while the oxygen content was being reduced by a sequence of vacuum annelaing at 620 K. The samples were prepared in the Bi:Sr:Ca:Cu = 2212 and 2223 proportion, using powder obtained by the sol-gel route and conventional solid state reaction. The anelastic relaxation measurements were performed using a torsion pendulum operating with frequency about 15-35 Hz between 77 to 700 K. The diffraction pattern of the as sintered and the vacuum annealed material were also presented. The results have shown complex anelastic relaxation structures that were associated to the jump of interstitial oxygen atoms between two adjacent CuO planes. The vacuum annealing showed to be deleterious to the critical temperature of the superconducting ceramic.

Al-doping effect on the surface morphology of zno films grown by reactive rf magnetron sputtering

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were deposited onto glass and silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using a zinc-aluminum target. Both films were deposited at a growth rate of 12.5 nm/min to a thickness of around 750 nm. In the visible region, the films exhibit optical transmittances which are greater than 80%. The optical energy gap of ZnO films increased from 3.28 eV to 3.36 eV upon doping with Al. This increase is related to the increase in carrier density from 5.9 × 1018 cm−3 to 2.6 × 1019 cm−3 . The RMS surface roughness of ZnO films grown on glass increased from 14 to 28 nm even with only 0.9% at Al content. XRD analysis revealed that the ZnO films are polycrystalline with preferential growth parallel to the (002) plane, which corresponds to the wurtzite structure of ZnO.

Effect of Zn Sputtering Rate on the Morphological and Optical Properties of ZnO Films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were deposited onto glass and silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using a zinc-aluminum target. Both films were deposited at a growth rate of 12.5 nm/min to a thickness of around 750 nm. In the visible region, the films exhibit optical transmittances which are greater than 80%. The optical energy gap of ZnO films increased from 3.28 eV to 3.36 eV upon doping with Al. This increase is related to the increase in carrier density from 5.9 × 1018 cm-3 to 2.6 × 1019 cm-3. The RMS surface roughness of ZnO films grown on glass increased from 14 to 28 nm even with only 0.9% at Al content. XRD analysis revealed that the ZnO films are polycrystalline with preferential growth parallel to the (002) plane, which corresponds to the wurtzite structure of ZnO.

Rochas calciossilicáticas e feldspáticas na região de Castro Alves e Rafael Jambeiro (BA)

The towns of Castro Alves and Rafael Jambeiro, central-east of Bahia state, are located in the east of São Francisco Craton, in granulite terrains of Salvador-Curaçá Belt, formed in Paleoproterozoic. The region of study contains ortognaisses of Caraíba Complex, metamafic and metaultramafic rocks of São José do Jacuípe Suite, metasedimentary rocks of Tanque Novo-Ipirá Complex, granitoids, pegmatites and alkaline rocks. The study carried out regional and detailed geological mapping in addition to petrographical and geochemical characterization of six areas in the search for targets of feldspar and white diopside, minerals used in ceramic industry. The areas consist of granitic ortognaisses interspersed with lenses of mafic granulite rocks, calc-silicate rock, banded iron formations, paragnaisses, quartzites, and bodies of quartz-feldspar or feldspar pegmatites and alkaline rocks that fill discontinuities. The region of study contains four deformations phases, with a predominance of ductile structures. The foliation Sn has N30E to N70W direction, high angle of dip and is characterized by compositional banding of granoblastic and felsic bands interspersed with nematoblastic or lepidoblastic mafic bands. A mineral or stretching lineation Ln is associated with Sn and has trend of S55E to S72E. The rocks have been suffered a regional metamorphism with granulite facies peak and partial retrogression to greenschist facies. Geochemical studies indicate that the green coloring calc-silicate rocks have lower SiO2, MgO and higher Fe2O3 content compared with white calcssilicate rocks. The alkaline rocks of the studied area have higher Na2O, SiO2 and lower K2O, Fe2O3 content compared with others Paleoproterozoic alkaline rocks of Bahia state. The targets of diopside are associated with white calc-silicate rocks, while the targets of feldspar are associated with paragnaisses, pegmatites and alkaline rocks

Nanoestruturas de GaN crescidas pelas técnicas de epitaxia por magnetron sputtering e epitaxia por feixe molecular

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

Growth and Characterization of Silicon Carbide Thin Films Using a Nontraditional Hollow Cathode Sputtering Technique

Silicon carbide (SiC) is considered a suitable candidate for high-power, high-frequency devices due to its wide bandgap, high breakdown field, and high electron mobility. It also has the unique ability to synthesize graphene on its surface by subliming Si during an annealing stage. The deposition of SiC is most often carried out using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques, but little research has been explored with respect to the sputtering of SiC. Investigations of the thin film depositions of SiC from pulse sputtering a hollow cathode SiC target are presented. Although there are many different polytypes of SiC, techniques are discussed that were used to identify the film polytype on both 4H-SiC substrates and Si substrates. Results are presented about the ability to incorporate Ge into the growing SiC films for the purpose of creating a possible heterojunction device with pure SiC. Efforts to synthesize graphene on these films are introduced and reasons for the inability to create it are discussed. Analysis mainly includes crystallographic and morphological studies about the deposited films and their quality using x-ray diffraction (XRD), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and Raman spectroscopy. Optical and electrical properties are also discussed via ellipsometric modeling and resistivity measurements. The general interpretation of these analytical experiments indicates that the films are not single crystal. However, the majority of the films, which proved to be the 3C-SiC polytype, were grown in a highly ordered and highly textured manner on both (111) and (110) Si substrates.

Ceramic technology of the Asurini do Xingu, Brazil: An ethnoarchaeological study of artifact variability

This article presents some of the results of ethnoarchaeological research on ceramic technology I have conducted among the Asurini do Xingu, an Amazonian indigenous population inhabiting a village in the margins of the Xingu River, Para, Brazil. Based on collected data, presented throughout the article, I discuss the reasons behind the formal, quantitative, spatial and relational variability of the Asurini ceramic vessels. This work will demonstrate that these distinct dimensions of variability are related to the potters` technological choices during the vessels` production process, the ceramic teaching-learning structure, and the type, frequency, method and context of use of the same vessels. I try to make clear the different practical and symbolic aspects that may influence the production, use, reuse, storage and discard processes of the vessels. Furthermore, I compare the Asurini context with other ethnographic contexts and try to distinguish regularities that may serve as interpretative references to the study of archaeological ceramic assemblages.

Color tunability of intense upconversion emission from Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped SiO2-Ta2O5 glass ceramic planar waveguides

This work reports on the infrared-to-visible CW frequency upconversion from planar waveguides based on Er3+-Yb3+-doped 100-xSiO(2)-xTa(2)O(5) obtained by a sol-gel process and deposited onto a SiO2-Si substrate by dip-coating. Surface morphology and optical parameters of the planar waveguides were analyzed by atomic force microscopy and the m-line technique. The influence of the composition on the electronic properties of the glass-ceramic films was followed by the band gap ranging from 4.35 to 4.51 eV upon modification of the Ta2O5 content. Intense green and red emissions were detected from the upconversion process for all the samples after excitation at 980 nm. The relative intensities of the emission bands around 550 nm and 665 nm, assigned to the H-2(11/2) -> I-4(15/2), S-4(3/2) -> I-4(15/2), and F-4(9/2) -> I-4(15/2) transitions, depended on the tantalum oxide content and the power of the laser source at 980 nm. The upconversion dynamics were investigated as a function of the Ta2O5 content and the number of photons involved in each emission process. Based on the upconversion emission spectra and 1931CIE chromaticity diagram, it is shown that color can be tailored by composition and pump power. The glass ceramic films are attractive materials for application in upconversion lasers and near infrared-to-visible upconverters in solar cells.