Validation of cone-beam computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the porcine spine: a comparative study with multidetector computed tomography and anatomical specimens

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

The anuran calling repertoire in the light of social context

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

Uso do soro autólogo condicionado e do plasma rico em plaquetas na terapia ortopédica de equinos

Musculoskeletal injuries that occur in horses during sports activities are often disabling and require a long period of treatment and rehabilitation, most resulting in scar tissue, predisposing to recurrence. In search of more effective therapies and tissue regeneration, studies have been carried out with blood derivatives - platelet rich plasma and autologous conditioned serum. In spite of both being blood-derived therapies, platelet rich plasma and autologous conditioned serum are distinct products, with equally distinct indications for their use. Platelet rich plasma shows promising results in ligament and tendon injuries in clinical and experimental trials. This occurs also in osteoarticular lesions with both hemoderivates, autologous conditioned serum and platelet rich plasma. This review aims to present clinical and experimental studies (in vivo and in vitro) in the equine species, as an aid for an appropriate therapeutic choice, when hemoderivates are considered for treatment of musculoskeletal lesions.

Structure of the pelvic and penile urethra--relationship with the ducts of the sex accessory glands of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

The urethra is the main place of entry for sexually transmitted pathogens. However, there is little literature on the morphology of the urogenital system, principally the urethra and ducts of the sex accessory glands. The Mongolian gerbil is an insectivorous, herbivorous and monogamous rodent with nocturnal habits; it has been used successfully as a laboratory animal since the 1960s. Therefore, the objective of the present paper was to describe the structure and ultrastructure of the urethra and its relations to the ducts of the accessory sex glands of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), contributing to the understanding of the reproductive biology of the rodent and aiming to provide data for future experimental studies. Conventional techniques of light and scanning electron microscopy were utilized. The urethra and ducts of the accessory sex glands are similar to those of the albino rat and the mouse. However, there is variation in drainage type among accessory sex glands for the inner urethra. The ducts of the seminal vesicle, the ductus deferens, drain their contents independently into the ampullary duct that opens in the urethra. The ducts of the prostate, coagulating and bulbourethral glands drain their contents independently into the urethra.

Adesivo tecidual de fibrina e sua aplicação na implantodontia

The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the use of fibrin tissue adhesive in implant dentistry. Materials and Methods: A literature search of Medline-PubMed for articles published, describing the use of fibrin tissue adhesive in implant dentistry was performed and articles were critically reviewed. Results: The literature review reveals clinical trials and experimental studies with regard to the use of fibrin tissue adhesive in implant dentistry. This material consists of 2 components: highly purified, freeze-dried human fibrinogen with factor XIII and a starter solution containing human thrombin. Clotting factor XIII is admitted for reinforcement of the fibrin network. The components are reconstituted before use and when mixed form a clot by mimicking the terminal phase of the physiological clotting cascade. Several studies showed that fibrin tissue adhesive is fully absorbed by macrophages within 2 weeks of application. Adhesive fibrin tissue may be used for to prevent bone loss, to create contour in the periimplant soft tissue and osseous tissue, to sculpt emergence profile for prosthetic components and to mimic tissue architecture. In the last years fibrin tissue adhesive also find use as material for the controlled delivery of drugs and biologics. Conclusions: The fibrin tissue adhesive presents good properties such as biocompatibility, hemostatic properties and ability to break down like the physiologic clot. This material, alone or associated with other materials, can be used with the implants immediately after extraction. In this condition it brings the necessary anchoring and efficient maintenance of osseous/mucosal contour, which it is important for the clinical success.

Relation between bruxism and dental implants

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gather information and discuss the predictability of implant-supported prostheses in patients with bruxism by performing a literature review. METHODS: In order to select the studies included in this review, a detailed search was performed in PubMed and Medline databases, using the following key words: bruxism, dental implants, implant supported prosthesis, and dental restoration failure. Items that were included are: case reports, randomized controlled trials, in vitro studies, literature and systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, of the last 20 years that addressed the theme. Articles without abstracts, animal studies, articles in languages other than English and articles from journals unrelated to the dental field were excluded. RESULTS: after analysis according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 28 articles were selected from a total of 54. It is known from the array of scientific articles which have assessed, either through retrospective, prospective or experimental studies, that the biomechanical and biological impact of bruxism on implant-supported prostheses is small, and that the literature has contributed little to exemplify the prosthetic limits of safety for the specialist from a clinical point of view. CONCLUSION: Although there is still no general consensus on this matter, most of the literature review articles do provide clinical guidelines that contribute to implant supported prostheses longevity and stability in patients with bruxism.

Reações alérgicas aos implantes osseointegráveis de titânio: uma revisão de literatura

Titanium dental implants have been common practice in the dental office, which can increases the number of allergic reactions to this material. Objectives: to alert dental surgeons and specialists of this possible phenomenon through a literature review. Material and methods: an electronic search at PubMed was performed with the keywords “dental implants”, “titanium”, and “allergy” from January 1990 to May 2013. Only articles published in the English language were included. Letters to editor were excluded. Results: from the 22 initially retrieved articles, only 7 were included, being 4 clinical case reports and 3 experimental studies. For clinical cases, the reactions included edema, erythema, exfoliative cheilitis, and eczema. Regarding experimental studies, skin rash and dermatitis were reported. A patch test was not used in two clinical reports. Only one study used histological analysis to attest the lack of allergic reactions. Conclusion: within the limits of the available literature, allergic reactions to titanium dental implants are extremely rare and seem to be related to the female gender. More controlled clinical studies are necessary to elucidate this question.

Efeitos da administração de eritropoietina na dislipidemia e na hipertrofia ventricular esquerda de camundongos hiperlipidêmicos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Qualidade de vida e atividade física em idosos

The aims of this literature review were to analyze the relationship between elderly quality of life - by means of the verification of the major measure instruments - with the physical activity, the sensibility of these questionnaires to the physical activity and the relationship between the type of physical activity and the quality of life in older persons. Comparisons of papers selected by the key words quality of life, exercise, and aging, reveal the components of quality of life assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF and SF-36 questionnaires. Based on the searched literature, we can conclude that: (i) active elderly seems to have better subjective perception of their quality of life than non active older persons; (ii) experimental studies did not showed strong evidence about the effects of physical exercise in the subjective perception of quality of life; (iii) none of the questionnaires is sensible to the practice of physical activity; (iv) the studies' results about the relationship between the type of physical activity and the elderly quality of life are inconclusive

Transplante multivisceral em suínos: modelo de pesquisa e treinamento

Objective: To present a model for research and training in multivisceral transplantation in pigs. Methods: Eight Large White pigs (four donors and four recipients) were operated. The multivisceral transplant with stomach, duodenum, pancreas, liver and intestine was performed similarly to transplantation in humans with a few differences, described below. Anastomoses were performed as follows: end-to-end from the supra-hepatic vena cava of the graft to the recipient juxta diaphragmatic vena cava; end-to-end from the infra-hepatic vena cava of the graft to the inferior (suprarenal) vena cava of the recipient; and endto-side patch of the aorta of the graft to the infrarenal aorta of the recipient plus digestive reconstruction. Results: The performance of the multivisceral transplantion was possible in all four animals. Reperfusions of the multivisceral graft led to a severe ischemia-reperfusion syndrome, despite flushing of the graft. The animals presented with hypotension and the need for high doses of vasoactive drugs, and all of them were sacrificed after discontinuing these drugs. Conclusion: Some alternatives to minimize the ischemia-reperfusion syndrome, such as the use of another vasoactive drug, use of a third pig merely for blood transfusion, presence of an anesthesia team in the operating room, and reduction of the graft, will be the next steps to enable experimental studies.

Estudos computacionais de esfingomielinases D: docking, dinâmica molecular e métodos híbridos QM/MM

Pós-graduação em Biofísica Molecular - IBILCE

Estudos computacionais de esfingomielinases D: docking, dinâmica molecular e métodos híbridos QM/MM

Pós-graduação em Biofísica Molecular - IBILCE

Alterations in pulmonary structure by elastase administration in a model of emphysema in mice is associated with functional disturbances

Several experimental studies of pulmonary emphysema using animal models have been described in the literature. However, only a few of these studies have focused on the assessment of ergometric function as a non-invasive technique to validate the methodology used for induction of experimental emphysema. Additionally, functional assessments of emphysema are rarely correlated with morphological pulmonary abnormalities caused by induced emphysema. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of elastase administered by tracheal puncture on pulmonary parenchyma and their corresponding functional impairment. This was evaluated by measuring exercise capacity in C57Bl/6 mice in order to establish a reproducible and safe methodology of inducing experimental emphysema. Thirty six mice underwent ergometric tests before and 28 days after elastase administration. Pancreatic porcine elastase solution was administered by tracheal puncture, which resulted in a significantly decreased exercise capacity, shown by a shorter distance run (-30.5%) and a lower mean velocity (-15%), as well as in failure to increase the elimination of carbon dioxide. The mean linear intercept increased significantly by 50% in tracheal elastase administration. In conclusion, application of elastase by tracheal function in C57Bl/6 induces emphysema, as validated by morphometric analyses, and resulted in a significantly lower exercise capacity, while resulting in a low mortality rate. (C) 2011 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.

Evolution of extrafloral nectaries: adaptive process and selective regime changes from forest to savanna

Much effort has been devoted to understanding the function of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) for antplantherbivore interactions. However, the pattern of evolution of such structures throughout the history of plant lineages remains unexplored. In this study, we used empirical knowledge on plant defences mediated by ants as a theoretical framework to test specific hypotheses about the adaptive role of EFNs during plant evolution. Emphasis was given to different processes (neutral or adaptive) and factors (habitat change and trade-offs with new trichomes) that may have affected the evolution of antplant associations. We measured seven EFN quantitative traits in all 105 species included in a well-supported phylogeny of the tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae) and collected field data on antEFN interactions in 32 species. We identified a positive association between ant visitation (a surrogate of ant guarding) and the abundance of EFNs in vegetative plant parts and rejected the hypothesis of phylogenetic conservatism of EFNs, with most traits presenting K-values < 1. Modelling the evolution of EFN traits using maximum likelihood approaches further suggested adaptive evolution, with static-optimum models showing a better fit than purely drift models. In addition, the abundance of EFNs was associated with habitat shifts (with a decrease in the abundance of EFNs from forest to savannas), and a potential trade-off was detected between the abundance of EFNs and estipitate glandular trichomes (i.e. trichomes with sticky secretion). These evolutionary associations suggest divergent selection between species as well as explains K-values < 1. Experimental studies with multiple lineages of forest and savanna taxa may improve our understanding of the role of nectaries in plants. Overall, our results suggest that the evolution of EFNs was likely associated with the adaptive process which probably played an important role in the diversification of this plant group.

Increased Metallothionein I/II Expression in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

In the central nervous system, zinc is released along with glutamate during neurotransmission and, in excess, can promote neuronal death. Experimental studies have shown that metallothioneins I/II (MT-I/II), which chelate free zinc, can affect seizures and reduce neuronal death after status epilepticus. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of MT-I/II in the hippocampus of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Hippocampi from patients with pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and patients with TLE associated with tumor or dysplasia (TLE-TD) were evaluated for expression of MT-I/II, for the vesicular zinc levels, and for neuronal, astroglial, and microglial populations. Compared to control cases, MTLE group displayed widespread increase in MT-I/II expression, astrogliosis, microgliosis and reduced neuronal population. In TLE-TD, the same changes were observed, except that were mainly confined to fascia dentata. Increased vesicular zinc was observed only in the inner molecular layer of MTLE patients, when compared to control cases. Correlation and linear regression analyses indicated an association between increased MT-I/II and increased astrogliosis in TLE. MT-I/II levels did not correlate with any clinical variables, but MTLE patients with secondary generalized seizures (SGS) had less MT-I/II than MTLE patients without SGS. In conclusion, MT-I/II expression was increased in hippocampi from TLE patients and our data suggest that it is associated with astrogliosis and may be associated with different seizure spread patterns.