Numerical solution of the FENE-CR model in complex flows

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

Application of the PTT Model to Axisymmetric Free Surface Flows

This work is concerned with numerical simulation of axisymmetric viscoelastic free surface flows using the Phan-Thien-Tanner (PTT) constitutive equation. A finite difference technique for solving the governing equations for unsteady incompressible flows written in Cylindrical coordinates on a staggered grid is described. The fluid is modelled by a Marker-and-Cell type method and an accurate representation of the fluid surface is employed. The full free surface stress conditions are applied. The numerical method is verified by comparing numerical predictions of fully developed flow in a pipe with the corresponding analytic solutions. To demonstrate that the numerical method can simulate axisymmetric free surface flows governed by the PTT model, numerical results of the flow evolution of a drop impacting on a rigid dry plate are presented. In these simulations, the rheological effects of the parameters epsilon and xi are investigated.

Adherence to standard precautions from the standpoint of the Health Belief Model: the practice of recapping needles

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

Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate and cranberry proanthocyanidins act in synergy with cathelicidin (LL-37) to reduce the LPS-induced inflammatory response in a three-dimensional co-culture model of gingival epithelial cells and fibroblasts

Objectives: The human antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin (LL-37) possesses anti-inflammatory properties that may contribute to attenuating the inflammatory process associated with chronic periodontitis. Plant polyphenols, including those from cranberry and green tea, have been reported to reduce inflammatory cytokine secretion by host cells. In the present study, we hypothesized that A-type cranberry proanthocyanidins (AC-PACs) and green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) act in synergy with LL-37 to reduce the secretion of inflammatory mediators by oral mucosal cells. Methods: A three-dimensional (3D) co-culture model of gingival epithelial cells and fibroblasts treated with non-cytotoxic concentrations of AC-PACs (25 and 50 mg/ml), EGCG (1 and 5 mg/ml), and LL-37 (0.1 and 0.2 mM) individually and in combination (AC-PACs + LL-37 and EGCG + LL-37) were stimulated with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Multiplex ELISA assays were used to quantify the secretion of 54 host factors, including chemokines, cytokines, growth factors, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Results: LL-37, AC-PACs, and EGCG, individually or in combination, had no effect on the regulation of MMP and TIMP secretion but inhibited the secretion of several cytokines. ACPACs and LL-37 acted in synergy to reduce the secretion of CXC-chemokine ligand 1 (GRO-a), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and had an additive effect on reducing the secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8), interferon-g inducible protein 10 (IP-10), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in response to LPS stimulation. EGCG and LL-37 acted in synergy to reduce the secretion of GRO-a, G-CSF, IL-6, IL-8, and IP-10, and had an additive effect on MCP-1 secretion. Conclusion: The combination of LL-37 and natural polyphenols from cranberry and green tea acted in synergy to reduce the secretion of several cytokines by an LPS-stimulated 3D coculture model of oral mucosal cells. Such combinations show promising results as potential adjunctive therapies for treating inflammatory periodontitis.

Zinc supplementation for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults with insulin resistance

BackgroundDiabetes is associated with long-term damage, dysfunction and failure of various organs, especially the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, obesity and lack of physical activity. Insulin resistance is a fundamental aspect of the aetiology of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance has been shown to be associated with atherosclerosis, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance, hyperuricaemia, hypertension and polycystic ovary syndrome. The mineral zinc plays a key role in the synthesis and action of insulin, both physiologically and in diabetes mellitus. Zinc seems to stimulate insulin action and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity.ObjectivesTo assess the effects of zinc supplementation for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults with insulin resistance.Search methodsThis review is an update of a previous Cochrane systematic review published in 2007. We searched the Cochrane Library (2015, Issue 3), MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and the ICTRP trial register (frominception toMarch 2015). There were no language restrictions. We conducted citation searches and screened reference lists of included studies.Selection criteriaWe included studies if they had a randomised or quasi-randomised design and if they investigated zinc supplementation compared with placebo or no intervention in adults with insulin resistance living in the community.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors selected relevant trials, assessed risk of bias and extracted data.Main resultsWe included three trials with a total of 128 participants in this review. The duration of zinc supplementation ranged between four and 12 weeks. Risk of bias was unclear for most studies regarding selection bias (random sequence generation, allocation concealment) and detection bias (blinding of outcome assessment). No study reported on our key outcome measures (incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, adverse events, health-related quality of life, all-cause mortality, diabetic complications, socioeconomic effects). Evaluation of insulin resistance as measured by the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) showed neutral effects when comparing zinc supplementation with control (two trials; 114 participants). There were neutral effects for trials comparing zinc supplementation with placebo for total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides (2 studies, 70 participants). The one trial comparing zinc supplementation with exercise also showed neutral effects for total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and a mean difference in triglycerides of -30 mg/dL (95% confidence interval (CI) -49 to -10) in favour of zinc supplementation (53 participants). Various surrogate laboratory parameters were also analysed in the included trials.Authors'conclusionsThere is currently no evidence on which to base the use of zinc supplementation for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Future trials should investigate patient-important outcome measures such as incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, health-related quality of life, diabetic complications, all-cause mortality and socioeconomic effects.

Beneficial effect of annexin A1 in a model of experimental allergic conjunctivitis

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

Search for a standard model-like Higgs boson in the mu(+)mu(-) and e(+)e(-) decay channels at the LHC

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for physics beyond the standard model in final states with a lepton and missing transverse energy in proton-proton collisions at root s = 8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Molecular model for hydrated biological tissues

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

A dissipative Fermi-Ulam model under two different kinds of dissipation

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

Search for physics beyond the standard model in dilepton mass spectra in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with two leptons, jets, and missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Precise determination of the mass of the Higgs boson and tests of compatibility of its couplings with the standard model predictions using proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks using a matrix element method

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of low-level laser therapy in an experimental model of osteoarthritis in rats evaluated through raman spectroscopy

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