Análise dos efeitos de um plano educacional individualizado no desenvolvimento acadêmico e funcional de um aluno com transtorno do espectro do autismo

Given the paradigm of inclusive education, the presence of students with autism spectrum disorder in regular schools has become more significant in recent years. Studies have revealed, however, deficits in academic participation of these students in these settings. Among the factors contributing to this phenomenon include poor teacher training and the lack of strategies to promote curriculum access. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument that would promote academic inclusion of a student with autism through procedures that could simultaneously empower the teacher. In this perspective, the study aimed to analyze the effects of an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), developed collaboratively with teachers, on the academic and functional development of a student with autism in an early childhood education setting. Data were collected in a private school located in the city of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte, in the course of the academic year 2012. In addition to the student with autism, one teacher, a specialized educator, and four teacher aides participated in the study. The research used a single subject quasi-experimental design (AB) as well as qualitative methods of data analysis. The study was conducted in three phases: characterization, baseline and intervention. The first comprised interviews with the child´s parents and teachers, as well as the identification of two routines focus of intervention. In the second phase, the amount of time the student spent engaged in the selected routines during baseline was analyzed. In the third phase, the researcher prepared, collaboratively with the teachers, an individualized educational plan (IEP) for the student. Finally, the IEP was implemented by the teachers. The results indicated qualitative and quantitative changes in student´s participation in academic and functional tasks after the intervention program

O desenvolvimento da interlíngua na aprendizagem da escrita em inglês em uma escola bilíngue: um estudo exploratório

The aim of this study is to investigate the development of written Interlanguage in English as an Additional Language (AL) by students in the 2nd grade of Ensino Fundamental I in a bilingual school in the city of Natal-RN. For this purpose two research questions guided this study: (a) which hypotheses could be inferred from the writing development of the bilingual learners of English as AL? and, (b) what is the impact of the type of input monomodal or multimodal in the Interlanguage development in the AL of bilingual learners? The 38 learners were divided into a control group, with 21 learners exposed to monomodal input, and an experimental group, with 17 learners exposed to multimodal input, and pre and post-tests were applied to both groups. A mixed methods research design was conducted (DÖRNYEI, 2007) to involve both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The qualitative aspect comprehended descriptive characteristics that interpreted the central cognitive processes in the acquisition of writing in AL by the learners. Through these interpretations, it was possible to understand the constitution of written Interlanguage (SELINKER, 1972) according to the data generated by the learners. The quantitative data were presented as the results generated from the experimental design. Thus, they narrowed the relations between the dependent variable the writing development, that is, how close it is to the target form which was modified throughout the process by the independent variable the quality of input (VAN PATTEN, 2002, GASS, 1997, SCHMIDT, 1986, PARADIS, 2009; 2010, ELLIS, 1995), which, being monomodal or multimodal, its function was possibly to alter the route of acquisition. The quantitative results pointed towards significant gains by the experimental group, which had multimodality present, suggesting that the learners in this group seem to have been more able to cognitively register (SCHIMDT, 1990) aspects of learning than the learners in the control group

Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from Brazil: Phenotypic and genotypic methods

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Tigecycline: A Review of Properties, Applications, and Analytical Methods

Tigecycline is a new glycylcycline with an expanded broad-spectrum antibiotic, including inhibition of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, atypical, anaerobic, and antibiotic-resistant organisms. Trials have demonstrated that tigecycline is noninferior to the comparators for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections as well as complicated intra-abdominal infections. Tigecycline is only available as an intravenous preparation and analytical methods to its quantitation in pharmaceutical products has not been published to date. This review examined tigecycline characteristics, the spectrum and mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, applications, and, mainly, the instrumental conditions of published chromatographic methods used to measure tigecycline, its metabolites, and some analogs in clinical and biologic research.

Review of Fluconazole Properties and Analytical Methods for Its Determination

Fluconazole, alpha-(2.4-diflurofenil)-alpha-(1H-triazol-1-methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ethanol, is an antifungal of the triazoles class. It shows activity against species of Candida sp. and it is indicated in cases of oropharyngeal candidiasis, esophageal, vaginal, and deep infection. Fluconazole is a selective inhibitor of ergosterol, a steroid exclusive of the cell membrane of fungal cells. Fluconazole is highly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and spreads easily by body fluids. The main adverse reactions related to the use of fluconazole are nausea, vomiting, headache, rash, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and alopecia in patients undergoing prolonged treatment with a dose of 400 mg/day. In the form of raw material, pharmaceutical formulations, or biological material, fluconazole can be determined by methods such as titration, spectrophotometry, and thin-layer, gas, and liquid chromatography. This article discusses the pharmacological and physicochemical properties of fluconazole and also the methods of analysis applied to the determination of the drug.

Ultrastructural and quantitative studies of hemocytes in the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of the univariate and multivariate methods in the optimization of experimental conditions for determining Cu, Pb, Ni and Cd in biodiesel by GFAAS

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

A Novel Diagnostic Target in the Hepatitis C Virus Genome

BackgroundDetection and quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is integral to diagnostic and therapeutic regimens. All molecular assays target the viral 5'-noncoding region (59-NCR), and all show genotype-dependent variation of sensitivities and viral load results. Non-western HCV genotypes have been under-represented in evaluation studies. An alternative diagnostic target region within the HCV genome could facilitate a new generation of assays.Methods and FindingsIn this study we determined by de novo sequencing that the 3'-X-tail element, characterized significantly later than the rest of the genome, is highly conserved across genotypes. To prove its clinical utility as a molecular diagnostic target, a prototype qualitative and quantitative test was developed and evaluated multicentrically on a large and complete panel of 725 clinical plasma samples, covering HCV genotypes 1-6, from four continents (Germany, UK, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore). To our knowledge, this is the most diversified and comprehensive panel of clinical and genotype specimens used in HCV nucleic acid testing (NAT) validation to date. The lower limit of detection (LOD) was 18.4 IU/ml (95% confidence interval, 15.3-24.1 IU/ml), suggesting applicability in donor blood screening. The upper LOD exceeded 10(-9) IU/ml, facilitating viral load monitoring within a wide dynamic range. In 598 genotyped samples, quantified by Bayer VERSANT 3.0 branched DNA (bDNA), X-tail-based viral loads were highly concordant with bDNA for all genotypes. Correlation coefficients between bDNA and X-tail NAT, for genotypes 1-6, were: 0.92, 0.85, 0.95, 0.91, 0.95, and 0.96, respectively; X-tail-based viral loads deviated by more than 0.5 log10 from 5'-NCR-based viral loads in only 12% of samples (maximum deviation, 0.85 log10). The successful introduction of X-tail NAT in a Brazilian laboratory confirmed the practical stability and robustness of the X-tail-based protocol. The assay was implemented at low reaction costs (US$8.70 per sample), short turnover times (2.5 h for up to 96 samples), and without technical difficulties.ConclusionThis study indicates a way to fundamentally improve HCV viral load monitoring and infection screening. Our prototype assay can serve as a template for a new generation of viral load assays. Additionally, to our knowledge this study provides the first open protocol to permit industry-grade HCV detection and quantification in resource-limited settings.

Avaliação quantitativa das dimensões óculo-palpebrais em portadores de cavidade anoftálmica em uso de prótese ocular externa

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar o posicionamento palpebral em portadores de cavidade anoftálmica com e sem prótese ocular externa, utilizando o processamento de imagem digital. MÉTODOS: Dezoito pacientes foram avaliados qualitativa e quantitativamente na Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, com e sem a prótese externa. Usando imagens obtidas por filmadora e processadas usando o programa Scion Image, mediu-se a altura do sulco palpebral superior, a altura da fenda palpebral e os ângulos palpebrais dos cantos interno e externo. RESULTADOS: Pseudo-estrabismo e sulco palpebral superior profundo foram as alterações mais freqüentes ao exame externo. Houve diferença significativa em todas as variáveis estudadas, com diminuição da altura do sulco palpebral superior, aumento da área da fenda palpebral e aumento dos ângulos palpebrais interno e externo quando o paciente estava usando a prótese externa. CONCLUSÃO: Todos os pacientes avaliados apresentaram algum tipo de anormalidade órbito-palpebral, o que reflete a dificuldade em se proporcionar ao portador de cavidade anoftálmica um aspecto idêntico ao que existe na órbita normal. O processamento de imagens digitais permitiu avaliação objetiva das dimensões óculo-palpebrais, o que poderá contribuir nas avaliações seqüenciais dos portadores de cavidade anoftálmica.

Morphologic and quantitative evaluation of preantral follicles of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in different reproductive phases

The objectives of the present study were to estimate the population of the normal and degenerated preantral follicles of buffaloes in different reproductive phases and to classify the different types of degeneration of ovarian preantral follicles. For this, 18 ovaries were divided in three groups: prepubertal, non pregnat and pregnant adult females. The ovaries were collected from a slaughterhouse (Frigol - Brazil) and processed for classic histological examination. The follicular population was estimated according to Cahill et al. (1979) and calculated according to Gougeon & Chainy (1987). Young buffaloes, pregnant and non pregnat adults presented an average number of 15.5, 3.7 and 8.9 preantral follicles with normal morphology and type I (the degeneration was observed just in oocyte) and II (oocyte and granulosa cells were degenerated) degeneration, respectively. This experiment demonstrated that the proportions of primordial, primary and secondary follicles were affected by reproductive phase. A significant difference was observed considering the proportions of preantral follicles with normal morphology and Type I degeneration in all reproductive phases evaluated. The primary follicles presented more percentage of Type I degeneration that the others follicles and the primordial and primary follicles presented more percentage of Type II degeneration in three reproductive phases evaluated.

Comparison of parasitological, immunological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis in dogs with different clinical signs

Aiming to improve the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in an endemic area of the Northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil, the efficacy of parasitological, immunological and molecular diagnostic methods were studied. Dogs with and without clinical sips of the disease and positive for Leishmania, by direct parasite identification on lymph node smears and/or specific antibody detection by ELISA, were selected for the study. According to the clinical signs, 89 dogs attending the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP in Aracatuba (SP, Brazil) were divided into three groups: symptomatic (36%), oligosymptomatic (22%) and asymptomatic (22%). Twenty-six dogs from an area non-endemic for CanL were used as negative controls (20%). Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) of popliteal lymph nodes were collected and Diff-Quick (R)-stained for optical microscopy. Direct immumofluorescence, immunocytochemistry and parasite DNA amplification by PCR were also performed. After euthanasia, fragments of popliteal lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow and liver were collected and processed for HE and immunohistochemistry. Parasite detection by both HE and immunohistochemistry was specifically more effective in lymph nodes, when compared with the other organs. Immunolabeling provided higher sensitivity for parasite detection in the tissues. In the symptomatic group, assay sensitivity was 75.61% for direct parasite search on Diff-Quick (R)-stained FNAs, 92.68% for direct immunofluorescence, 92.68% for immunocytochemistry and 100% for PCR; the corresponding values in the other clinical groups were: 32, 60, 76 and 96% (oligosymptomatic), and 39.13, 73.91, 100 and 95.65% (asymptomatic). Results of the control animals from the CanL non-endemic area were all negative, indicating that the methods used were 100% specific. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of alveolar socket response to Angelus MTA and experimental light-cure MTA

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rat alveolar socket response to implanted polyethylene tubes filled with a light-cured MTA or Angelus MTA.Study design. Fifty-seven Wistar rats received an implant filled with one of the materials in the dental socket of the right central incisor. After 30, 60, and 90 days, animals were killed, and the right hemimaxillas were removed and processed to be analyzed on light microscopy. After embedding in paraffin, 6-mu m-thick sections were obtained and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the reaction were performed.Results. It was observed that the light-cured MTA presented a similar response compared with Angelus MTA, characterized by the reduction of the chronic inflammatory response and organization of the alveolar bone close to the materials, especially at the 90th day of observation.Conclusions. It was concluded that both materials were well accepted by the alveolar tissue of rats, with the formation of mineralized tissue close to the materials. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2010;110:e93-e97)

Effect of monomer treatment and polymerisation methods on the bond strength of resin teeth to denture base material

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