Clinical and radiographic evaluation of a polyester prosthesis in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture

Os achados clínicos e radiográficos após reparo intra-articular do ligamento cruzado cranial com prótese de poliéster, utilizando a técnica over-the-top modificada, foram avaliada em seis cães. Sete cirurgias foram realizadas devido ao acometimento bilateral em um dos animais. A avaliação clínica foi realizada ao 3º, 10º e 40º dias de pós-operatório, e a avaliação radiográfica realizada ao 5º e 24º meses após a cirurgia em cinco cães, por meio da qual se confirmou a progressão da doença articular degenerativa. A resolução dos sinais clínicos foi observada entre o 25º e 68º dias após a cirurgia, segundo avaliação realizada pelos proprietários. A função do membro operado foi considerada boa. Dois cães apresentaram desgaste e ruptura da prótese após a cirurgia. Concluiu-se que a prótese de poliéster, da forma como foi implantada neste estudo, não pode ser considerada como substituto satisfatório, uma vez que resultados superiores podem ser obtidos com ténicas menos invasivas e mais simples.

Elastic modulus and hardness of CaTiO3, CaCu3Ti4O12 and CaTiO3/CaCu3Ti4O12 mixture

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alterations in the intestinal wall due to protein malnutrition in rats. Evaluation of the rupture strength and the tissue's collagen

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito da desnutrição protéica na parede intestinal do rato através da medida de força de ruptura e dosagem do colágeno tecidual no íleo e cólon distal. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 120 ratos, pesando em média 100g, que receberam durante 07 dias uma dieta padrão, contendo 20% de caseína para adaptação dos animais as condições do biotério. Após esse período os animais foram divididos em dois grupos de 60, o controle denominado grupo um que recebeu a dieta padrão, e o grupo teste denominado grupo dois, que recebeu dieta hipoprotéica contendo 2% de caseína. Os dois grupos receberam suas respectivas dietas por um período de 21 dias. Após esse período iniciou-se o sacrifício seqüencial dos animais em ambos os grupos, em número de 12 animais em cada momento, correspondendo ao dia Zero (MO), 4º dia (M1), 7º dia (M2), 14º dia (M3), e 21º dia (M4) sendo mantida a mesma dieta até o final do sacrifício. em cada momento foram avaliados o peso corpóreo, albumina sanguínea, hidroxiprolina tecidual, relação hidroxiprolina/proteína tecidual e a força de ruptura no segmento ileal e cólico dos animais. RESULTADOS: Observou-se que a força de ruptura do segmento ileal e do cólon distal foi menor nos animais desnutridos (Grupo 2). A perda da resistência mecânica foi maior no segmento do cólon distal do que no segmento ileal, provavelmente pela menor concentração do colágeno tecidual no cólon distal. CONCLUSÃO: A desnutrição protéica induz a diminuição da resistência mecânica no íleo e no cólon distal associado a diminuição do colágeno tecidual na parede intestinal.

Cervical Lactobacillus and leukocyte infiltration in preterm premature rupture of membranes

Objectives: To evaluate the possible association between microorganisms present in the cervical secretions and amniotic fluid of pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), and histologic chorioamnionitis. Methods: Thirty-seven pregnant women with PPROM and 21 healthy pregnant women were studied. Secretions from the cervical canal and amniotic fluid were collected to isolate microorganisms present in the genital tract. Cervical smears were Gram stained and evaluated microscopically. At delivery, chorioamniotic membranes were collected for histopathologic analysis. Results: Microscopic examination of the cervical secretion smears obtained from the PPROM group showed a low rate of Lactobacillus species, large numbers of leukocytes, and a wide diversity of microorganisms compared with the control group. The PPROM group presented an 80% rate of chorioamnionitis. Staphylococcus aureus isolation in cervical secretion was associated with intense inflammatory infiltrate in the membranes and might play a role in the pathogenesis of PPROM. Conclusions: the low colonization of cervical flora by Lactobacillus species associated with an intense leukocyte infiltrate detected in Gram-stained cervical smears can be considered a rapid method of detecting chorioamnionitis in pregnant women with PPROM. (C) 2003 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interleukin 18 messenger RNA and proIL-18 protein expression in chorioamniotic membranes from pregnant women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes

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

Inflammatory cytokine mRNA detection by real time PCR in chorioamniotic membranes from pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes

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

Antioxidant supplementation and premature rupture of the membranes: a planned secondary analysis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if antioxidant supplementation during pregnancy reduces the incidence of premature rupture of the membranes (PROM).STUDY DESIGN: A placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted. PROM and preterm PROM (PPROM) were planned secondary outcomes of the trial. Women between 12(0/7) and 19(6/7) weeks of gestation and diagnosed to have chronic hypertension or a prior history of preeclampsia were randomized to daily treatment with both vitamin C (1000 mg) and E (400 IU) or placebo.RESULTS: Outcome data for PROM were available for 697 of 739 patients. The rates of PROM (37/349 [10.6%] vs 19/348 [5.5%]; adjusted risk ratio [RR] 1.89 [95.42% CI, 1.11-3.23]; P = .015), and PPROM (16/349 [4.6%] vs 6/348 [1.7%]; RR 2.68 [1.07-6.71]; P = .025) were increased in the antioxidant group.CONCLUSION: Contrary to expectations, vitamins C and E supplementation in this dose combination may be associated with an increased risk of PROM and PPROM.

All-Ceramic Crowns Over Single Implant Zircon Abutment. Influence of Young's Modulus on Mechanics

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

QUANTIFICATION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN-A IN CHORIOAMNIOTIC MEMBRANE OF PATIENTS WITH PREMATURE RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES

Objective: the proposal was to study the presence of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the chorioamniotic membrane of healthy postpartum women with premature rupture of the chorioamniotic membrane (FROM). Method: A single radial immunodiffusion technique was used to quantify the IgA in the chorioamniotic membrane tissues. Results: the level of IgA was approximately 10 times higher in patients whose membranes had been ruptured for > 10 h (24.58 mg/dl). These results were compared with those of a previously published study where the mean of amount of IgA was 2.52 mg/dl in membranes of patients with rupture < 10 h. Our results show that IgA began to rise after 10-15 h following rupture. Conclusion: Although more studies need to be performed our data indicate that the increasing IgA in our patients after 10 h of latency probably represents the beginning of an ascending colonization of bacteria which could be the source of future infection.

Effect of yttrium doping in barium zirconium titanate ceramics: A structural, impedance, modulus spectroscopy study

In the current article, we studied the effect of yttrium [Y3+] ions' substitution on the structure and electric behavior of barium zirconate titanate (BZT) ceramics with a general formula [Ba1-x Y 2x/3](Zr0.25Ti0.75)O3 (BYZT) with [x = 0, 0.025, 0.05] which were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that these ceramics have a single phase with a perovskite-type cubic structure. Rietveld refinement data confirmed [BaO 12], [ZrO6], [TiO6], [YO6] clusters in the cubic lattice. The Y3+ ions' effects on the electric conductivity behavior of BZT ceramics as a function of temperature and frequency are described, which are based on impedance spectroscopy analyses. The complex impedance plots display a double semicircle which highlights the influences of grain and grain boundary on the ceramics. Impedance analyses showed that the resistance decreased with the increasing temperature and resulted in a negative temperature coefficient of the resistance property in all compositions. Modulus plots represent a non-Debye-type dielectric relaxation which is related to the grain and grain boundary as well as temperature-dependent electric relaxation phenomenon and an enhancement in the mobility barrier by Y3+ ions. Moreover, the electric conductivity increases with the replacement of Ba 2+ by Y3+ ions may be due to the rise in oxygen vacancies. © 2013 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International.

The Influence of Small Quantities of Oxygen in the Structure, Microstructure, Hardness, Elasticity Modulus and Cytocompatibility of Ti-Zr Alloys for Dental Applications

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cord blood cytokine levels in focal early-onset neonatal infection after preterm premature rupture of membranes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aging of intrauterine tissues in spontaneous preterm birth and preterm premature rupture of the membranes: a systematic review of the literature

Many adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), including spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), are associated with placental dysfunction. Recent clinical and experimental evidences suggest that premature aging of the placenta may be involved in these events. Although placental aging is a well-known concept, the mechanisms of aging during normal pregnancy and premature aging in APOs are still unclear. This review was conducted to assess the knowledge on placental aging related biochemical changes leading to placental dysfunction in PTB and/or preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM). We performed a systematic review of studies published over the last 50 years in two electronic databases (Pubmed and Embase) on placental aging and PTB or pPROM. The search yielded 554 citations, 30 relevant studies were selected for full-text review and three were included in the review. Only one study reported oxidative stress-related aging and degenerative changes in human placental membranes and telomere length reduction in fetal cells as part of PTB and/or pPROM mechanisms. Similarly, two animal studies reported findings of decidual senescence and referred to PTB mechanisms. Placental and fetal membrane oxidative damage and telomere reduction are linked to premature aging in PTB and pPROM but the risk factors and biomolecular pathways causing this phenomenon are not established in the literature. However, no biomarkers or clinical indicators of premature aging as a pathology of PTB and pPROM have been reported. We document major knowledge gaps and propose several areas for future research to improve our understanding of premature aging linked to placental dysfunction.

The reduced modulus in the analysis of sharp instrumented indentation tests

In the analysis of instrumented indentation data, it is common practice to incorporate the combined moduli of the indenter (E-i) and the specimen (E) in the so-called reduced modulus (E-r) to account for indenter deformation. Although indenter systems with rigid or elastic tips are considered as equivalent if E-r is the same, the validity of this practice has been questioned over the years. The present work uses systematic finite element simulations to examine the role of the elastic deformation of the indenter tip in instrumented indentation measurements and the validity of the concept of the reduced modulus in conical and pyramidal (Berkovich) indentations. It is found that the apical angle increases as a result of the indenter deformation, which influences in the analysis of the results. Based upon the inaccuracies introduced by the reduced modulus approximation in the analysis of the unloading segment of instrumented indentation applied load (P)-penetration depth (delta) curves, a detailed examination is then conducted on the role of indenter deformation upon the dimensionless functions describing the loading stages of such curves. Consequences of the present results in the extraction of the uniaxial stress-strain characteristics of the indented material through such dimensional analyses are finally illustrated. It is found that large overestimations in the assessment of the strain hardening behavior result by neglecting tip compliance. Guidelines are given in the paper to reduce such overestimations.