Effect of electrical stimulation of the cranial tibial muscle after end-to-side neurorrhaphy of the peroneal nerve in rats

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

End-to-side neurorrhaphy with and without perineurium

OBJETIVOS: Comparar a neurorrafia término-lateral com epineuro versus sem epineuro. DESENHO: Foram operados 20 ratos. O nervo fibular foi seccionado e seu coto distal suturado na face lateral do nervo tibial. do lado direito nós removemos janela de epineuro e no lado esquerdo o epineuro foi deixado intacto. Depois de seis meses, os 14 animais sobreviventes foram submetidos a testes eletrofisiológicos, sacrificados e os nervos e músculos removidos para exames histológicos. O teste eletrofisiológico foi realizado mediante estímulo elétrico fornecido por um neuro-estimulador (LHM-110) com 2 milisegundos de duração, num modo repetido e 30 Hz. O estímulo foi aumentado progressivamente partindo de zero até atingir 1 volt. LOCAL: Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu. RESULTADOS: No lado direito, os músculos que tiveram resposta positiva necessitaram uma média de 258,89 mv (±92,31) de estímulo elétrico para apresentar uma resposta e no lado esquerdo uma média de 298,34 mV (±139,32). O músculo tibial cranial apresentou peso médio para o lado direito de 0,47 g (±0,18) e para o lado esquerdo de 0,45 g (±0,15). O coto distal do nervo fibular apresentou uma média 310 fibras nervosas (±191,34) para o lado direito e 287,71 (±183,60) para o lado esquerdo. O nervo tibial acima da neurorrafia mostrou médias de 939,46 (±223,51) fibras nervosas para o lado direito e 959,46 (±327,48) para o lado esquerdo. O nervo tibial abaixo da neurorrafia mostrou médias de 935,17 (±298,65) fibras nervosas para o lado direito e 755,31 (±323,26) para o lado esquerdo. As fibras do músculo tibial cranial do lado direito apresentaram uma área média de 0,0162 (±0,008) m2 depois de 230 vezes de magnificação e 0,0152 (±0,0064) para as fibras do músculo tibial cranial do lado esquerdo. O aspecto histológico do músculo tibial cranial, tomando-se o normal como 100% foi de 78,21 (±20,75) para o lado direito e 82,14 (±15,89) para o lado esquerdo. A análise estatística (testetde Student) não mostrou diferenças (p>0,05) entre os lados esquerdo e direito para todas as variáveis. CONCLUSÕES: Ambas as neurorrafias (com e sem epineuro) não mostraram diferenças relacionadas aos aspectos morfológicos e eletrofisiológicos estudados.

2 END-TO-SIDE NEURORRHAPHIES AND NERVE GRAFT WITH REMOVAL OF THE EPINEURAL SHEATH - EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RATS

We have studied a new type of end-to-side nerve repair in rats. The healthy (donor) nerve was not divided but an epineural window was created. In our experiment, a nerve graft bridged the tibial nerve to the distal end of the divided peroneal nerve. Electrophysiological studies showed electrical impulses conducted through both end-to-side nerve junctions. Histological studies demonstrated axons leaving the lateral surface of the healthy (donor) nerve. Based on these observations, we suggest that end-to-side neurorrhaphy from a healthy nerve may bridge a neural deficit.

Manipulation of anchoring strength in an azo-dye side chain polymer by photoisomerization

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A finite element free convection model for the side wall heated cavity

This paper presents a finite element numerical solution of free convection in a cavity with side walls maintained at constant but different temperatures. The predictions from the model and the method of solution were validated by comparison with the 'bench mark' solution and Vahl Davis' results and good agreement was found. The present model was used to obtain additional results over a wide range of Rayleigh number (10(3)-10(6)) and L/H ratios varying from 0.1 to 1.0. The predicted stream function patterns, temperature and velocity profiles as well as the mean Nusselt number were presented and discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

EPR investigation of the influence of side chain protecting groups on peptide-resin solvation of the Asx and Glx model containing peptides

In spite of all progressive efforts aiming to optimize SPPS, serious problems mainly affecting the assembly of aggregating sequences have persisted. Following the study intended to unravel the complex solvation phenomenon of peptide-resin beads, the XING and XAAAA model aggregating segments were labeled with a paramagnetic probe and studied via EPR spectroscopy. Low and high substituted resins were also comparatively used, with the X residue being Asx or Glx containing the main protecting groups used in the SPPS. Notably, the cyclo-hexyl group used for Asp and Glu residues in Boc-chemistry induced greater chain immobilization than its tert-butyl partner-protecting group of the Fmoc strategy. Otherwise, the most impressive peptide chain immobilization occurred when the large trytil group was used for Asn and Gln protection in Fmoc-chemistry. These surprising results thus seem to stress the possibility of the relevant influence of the amino-acid side chain protecting groups in the overall peptide synthesis yield. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chromophore relaxation in a side-chain methacrylate copolymer functionalized with 4-[N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)]amino-2 '-chloro-4 '-nitroazobenzene

A side-chain methacrylate copolymer functionalized with the nonlinear optical chromophore 4-[N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)]amino-2'-chloro-4'-nitroazobenzene, disperse red-13, was prepared and characterized. The chromophore relaxation was investigated measuring the decay of the electrooptic coefficient r(13) and the complex dielectric constant at different temperatures. Results obtained below and above T-g were analyzed using the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts(KWW) equation, through the study of the temperature dependence of the KWW parameters. Above T-g the relaxation time experimental data were fitted to the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation and its parameters determined. Chromophore relaxation leading to the decrease of electrooptic properties was found associated with a primary alpha relaxation. The obtained WLF equation parameters were introduced into the Adam-Gibbs-Tool-Narayanaswamy-Moynihan equation, and the overall relaxation time temperature dependence was successfully obtained in terms of the fictive temperature, accounting for the sample thermal treatment and allowing optimized thermal treatment to be found. The copolymer KWW stretching parameter at the glass transition temperature lies close to the limit value for short-range interactions, i.e., 0.6, suggesting that the chromophore group is participating in primary a relaxation.

Product development process: Using real options for assessments and to support the decision-making at decision gates

Enterprises need continuous product development activities to remain competitive in the marketplace. Their product development process (PDP) must manage stakeholders' needs - technical, financial, legal, and environmental aspects, customer requirements, Corporate strategy, etc. -, being a multidisciplinary and strategic issue. An approach to use real option to support the decision-making process at PDP phases in taken. The real option valuation method is often presented as an alternative to the conventional net present value (NPV) approach. It is based on the same principals of financial options: the right to buy or sell financial values (mostly stocks) at a predetermined price, with no obligation to do so. In PDP, a multi-period approach that takes into account the flexibility of, for instance, being able to postpone prototyping and design decisions, waiting for more information about technologies, customer acceptance, funding, etc. In the present article, the state of the art of real options theory is prospected and a model to use the real options in PDP is proposed, so that financial aspects can be properly considered at each project phase of the product development. Conclusion is that such model can provide more robustness to the decisions processes within PDP.

Enzymatic Logic Gates with Noise-Reducing Sigmoid Response

Biochemical computing is an emerging field of unconventional computing that attempts to process information with biomolecules and biological objects using digital logic. In this work we survey filtering in general, in biochemical computing, and summarize the experimental realization of an and logic gate with sigmoid response in one of the inputs. The logic gate is realized with electrode-immobilized glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme that catalyzes a reaction corresponding to the Boolean and functions. A kinetic model is also developed and used to evaluate the extent to which the performance of the experimentally realized logic gate is close to optimal.

Self-Structuring of Lamellar Bridged Silsesquioxanes with Long Side Spacers

Diurea cross-linked bridged silsesquioxanes (BSs) C(10)C(11)C(10) derived from organosilane precursors, including decylene chains as side spacers and alkylene chains with variable length as central spacers (EtO)(3)Si- (CH(2))(10)-Y(CH(2))(n)-Y-(CH(2))(10)-Si(OEt)(3) (n = 7, 9-12; Y = urea group and Et = ethyl), have been synthesized through the combination of self-directed assembly and an acid-catalyzed sol gel route involving the addition of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and a large excess of water. This new family of hybrids has enabled us to conclude that the length of the side spacers plays a unique role in the structuring of alkylene-based BSs, although their morphology remains unaffected. All the samples adopt a lamellar structure. While the alkylene chains are totally disordered in the case of the C(10)C(7)C(10) sample, a variable proportion of all-trans and gauche conformers exists in the materials with longer central spacers. The highest degree of structuring occurs for n = 9. The inclusion of decylene instead of propylene chains as side spacers leads to the formation of a stronger hydrogen-bonded urea-urea array as evidenced by two dimensional correlation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. The emission spectra and emission quantum yields of the C(10)C(n)C(10) Cm materials are similar to those reported for diurea cross-linked alkylene-based BSs incorporating propylene chains as side spacers and prepared under different experimental conditions. The emission of the C(10)C(n)C(10) hybrids is ascribed to the overlap of two distinct components that occur within the urea cross-linkages and within the siliceous nanodomains. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy has provided evidence that the average distance between the siliceous domains and the urea cross-links is similar in the C(10)C(n)C(10) BSs and in oxyethylene-based hybrid analogues incorporating propylene chains as side spacers (diureasils), an indication that the longer side chains in the former materials adopt gauche conformations. It has also allowed us to demonstrate for the first time that the emission features of the urea-related component of the emission of alkylene-based BSs depend critically on the length of the side spacers.