Sciatic Nerve High Division: Two Different Anatomical Variants

Introduction: Sciatic nerve variations are relatively common. These variations are often very significant in several fields of Medicine. The purpose of this paper is to present two such variants and discuss their clinical implications. Material and Methods: Three Caucasian cadavers with no prior history of lower limb trauma or surgery were dissected and found to present anatomical variants of the sciatic nerve. Results: In all cases the sciatic nerve divided above the popliteal fossa. In two cases (cadavers 1 and 2) it divided on both sides in the inferior portion of the gluteal region in its two terminal branches: the common fibular and the tibial nerves. In another case (cadaver 3) the sciatic nerve was found to divide inside the pelvis just before coursing the greater sciatic notch. The common fibular nerve exited the pelvis above the pyriformis muscle and then passed along its posterior aspect, while the tibial nerve coursed deep to the pyriformis muscle. Discussion: According to the literature, the anatomical variant described in cadaver 3 is considered relatively rare. This variant can predispose to nerve entrapment and thus to the pyriformis syndrome, sciatica and coccygodynia. The high division of the sciatic nerve, as presented in cadavers 1 and 2, can make popliteal nerve blocks partially ineffective. Conclusion: The anatomical variants associated with a high division of the sciatic nerve, must always be born in mind, as they are relatively prevalent, and have important clinical implications, namely in Anesthesiology, Neurology, Sports Medicine and Surgery.

High occurrence of giardiasis in children living on a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, Brazil

Enteric parasitosis remains an important public health problem in many areas around the world including in Brazil, and it is frequently associated with poverty and lack of sanitation facilities. Research carried out over the course of a year revealed that 96.6% (28/29) of children randomly selected from a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, aged 4 - 15 years, presented Giardia intestinalis cysts. After referral to the neighborhood Health Office, all the children received tinidazole, given as a single dose of 50 mg/kg and 12 months later, new fecal samples were collected and analyzed. Despite the low adherence to the study, a high percentage (64.3% - 9/14) of the children remained positive for the parasite. This study showed a high positivity of giardiasis in child residents of the settlement, even after treatment; adults were not sensitized to the study and did not collected and/or deliver children fecal samples. The precarious living conditions are consistent with a high susceptibility to parasitic diseases, suggesting that the treatment of the infected individuals without identifying and eradicating the means of contamination is simply a palliative measure.

High occurrence of Entamoeba histolytica in the municipalities of Ariquemes and Monte Negro, State of Rondônia, Western Amazonia, Brazil

Introduction: Entamoeba histolytica infections were investigated in residents of the Ariquemes and Monte Negro municipalities in Rondônia State, Brazil. Methods: Stool samples of 216 individuals were processed by the spontaneous sedimentation method and analyzed by microscopy for detection of the E. histolytica/E. dispar complex, followed by the immunoassay method using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based kit for the E. histolytica stool antigen. Results: E. histolytica/E. dispar cysts were present in 61% (50/82) and 44% (59/134) of the samples from Ariquemes and Monte Negro respectively, with a significant difference in the occurrence of infection between the two populations [p < 0.05; χ2 = 5.2; odds ratio = 2.0 (1.1 - 3.6)]. The E. histolytica antigen detection rate was 36.6% (30/82) for stool samples from Ariquemes, and 19.4% (26/134) for stool taken from the residents of Monte Negro. The rate of the occurrence of amoebiasis was significantly higher in the population from Ariquemes [p < 0.05; χ2 = 7.8; odds ratio = 2.4 (1.2 - 4.7)]. Discussion: Due to the high occurrence of E. histolytica infected residents diagnosed in the region and the unavailability in local clinics of a test to distinguish between the two Entamoeba species, physicians should consider treating E. histolytica/E.dispar infections. Conclusion: The results indicate that E. histolytica infection is highly endemic in the studied areas.

Caraterização das propriedades mecânicas de um adesivo estrutural de alta ductilidade

A tecnologia de ligação por adesivos estruturais tem vindo a ser utilizada ao longo de várias décadas, permitindo solucionar diversos problemas associados a técnicas chamadas "tradicionais" de ligação, como a soldadura, a rebitagem ou a ligação aparafusada. Esta é uma alternativa viável para substituir as ligações mecânicas, devido a diversos fatores como o menor peso estrutural, menor custo de fabricação e capacidade de união de diferentes materiais. O crescente recurso a materiais compósitos em diversas indústrias, nomeadamente a aeronáutica e naval, levaram ao consequente aumento da aplicação de ligações adesivas, por serem indicadas como forma de união destes materiais, onde é de enaltecer a sua elevada resistência à fadiga. Uma junta adesiva está maioritariamente sujeita a esforços de corte e arrancamento e portanto o conhecimento dos módulos de elasticidade à tração (E) ou corte (G) do adesivo, e ainda as resistências máximas à tração e ao corte, não é suficiente quando se pretende prever o comportamento da mesma. Na verdade, torna-se necessário abranger na análise a plastificação progressiva verificada nas juntas adesivas antes da rotura, sendo necessário o conhecimento de parâmetros tais como a taxa crítica de libertação de energia de deformação à tração (GIc) e corte (GIIc). Este trabalho pretende estudar um adesivo estrutural recentemente lançado no mercado, carecendo portanto da sua caracterização, para facilitar a previsão da resistência de estruturas adesivas ligadas com o mesmo. São 4 os ensaios a realizar: ensaios à tração de provetes em bruto, ensaios ao corte com a geometria Thick Adherend Shear Test (TAST), ensaios Double-Cantilever Beam (DCB) e ensaios End-Notched Flexure (ENF). Com a realização dos ensaios referidos, serão determinadas as propriedades mecânicas e de fratura à tração e ao corte, e serão fornecidos os parâmetros para a previsão da resistência de juntas adesivas com este adesivo por uma variedade de métodos, desde métodos analíticos mais expeditos até aos métodos numéricos mais avançados existentes atualmente. Os resultados foram de encontro aos disponibilizados pelo fabricante, sempre que estes se encontravam disponíveis, obtendo-se discrepâncias bastante reduzidas nos diversos parâmetros determinados.

HIGH PREVALENCE OF Strongyloides stercoralis INFECTION AMONG THE ELDERLY IN BRAZIL

SUMMARY Little is known about the frequency of intestinal parasites in the elderly due to a lack of attention given to the occurrence of these infections among older adults. This study compares the frequency of Strongyloides stercoralis and other enteroparasites between elderly living in nursing homes (n = 100) and those noninstitutionalized (n = 100) from Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, associated with data of epidemiological and socio-demographic conditions. Through coproparasitological examination of both groups, enteroparasites were detected in 15 of 200 individuals examined (7.5%; CI: 5.1- 9.9). S. stercoralis was the most frequent parasite 10/200 (5%; CI: 4.2-5.8), being significantly higher in males and in individuals with autonomy for daily living activities. There were no statistical differences in the prevalence of parasites between the two groups compared. In conclusion, S. stercoralis infection was highly prevalent in elderly patients and it does not depend on whether the individual was institutionalized or not.

High-Content Analysis of Breast Cancer Using Single-Cell Deep Transfer Learning

High-content analysis has revolutionized cancer drug discovery by identifying substances that alter the phenotype of a cell, which prevents tumor growth and metastasis. The high-resolution biofluorescence images from assays allow precise quantitative measures enabling the distinction of small molecules of a host cell from a tumor. In this work, we are particularly interested in the application of deep neural networks (DNNs), a cutting-edge machine learning method, to the classification of compounds in chemical mechanisms of action (MOAs). Compound classification has been performed using image-based profiling methods sometimes combined with feature reduction methods such as principal component analysis or factor analysis. In this article, we map the input features of each cell to a particular MOA class without using any treatment-level profiles or feature reduction methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of DNN in this domain, leveraging single-cell information. Furthermore, we use deep transfer learning (DTL) to alleviate the intensive and computational demanding effort of searching the huge parameter's space of a DNN. Results show that using this approach, we obtain a 30% speedup and a 2% accuracy improvement.

AN UPWARD TREND IN DNA P16INK4A METHYLATION PATTERN AND HIGH RISK HPV INFECTION ACCORDING TO THE SEVERITY OF THE CERVICAL LESION

SUMMARY High-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infection is necessary but not sufficient for cervical cancer development. Recently, P16INK4A gene silencing through hypermethylation has been proposed as an important cofactor in cervical carcinogenesis due to its tumor suppressor function. We aimed to investigate P16INK4A methylation status in normal and neoplastic epithelia and evaluate an association with HPV infection and genotype. This cross-sectional study was performed with 141 cervical samples from patients attending Hospital Moncorvo Filho, Rio de Janeiro. HPV detection and genotyping were performed through PCR and P16INK4A methylation by nested-methylation specific PCR (MSP). HPV frequency was 62.4% (88/141). The most common HPV were HPV16 (37%), HPV18 (16.3%) and HPV33/45(15.2%). An upward trend was observed concerning P16INK4A methylation and lesion degree: normal epithelia (10.7%), low grade lesions (22.9%), high grade (57.1%) and carcinoma (93.1%) (p < 0.0001). A multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate an association between methylation, age, tobacco exposure, HPV infection and genotyping. A correlation was found concerning methylation with HPV infection (p < 0.0001), hr-HPV (p = 0.01), HSIL (p < 0.0007) and malignant lesions (p < 0.0001). Since viral infection and epigenetic alterations are related to cervical carcinoma, we suggest that P16INK4A methylation profile maybe thoroughly investigated as a biomarker to identify patients at risk of cancer.

HIGH SENSITIVE PCR METHOD FOR DETECTION OF PATHOGENIC Leptospira spp. IN PARAFFIN-EMBEDDED TISSUES

This study describes the development and application of a new PCR assay for the specific detection of pathogenic leptospires and its comparison with a previously reported PCR protocol. New primers were designed for PCR optimization and evaluation in artificially-infected paraffin-embedded tissues. PCR was then applied to post-mortem, paraffin-embedded samples, followed by amplicon sequencing. The PCR was more efficient than the reported protocol, allowing the amplification of expected DNA fragment from the artificially infected samples and from 44% of the post-mortem samples. The sequences of PCR amplicons from different patients showed >99% homology with pathogenic leptospires DNA sequences. The applicability of a highly sensitive and specific tool to screen histological specimens for the detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. would facilitate a better assessment of the prevalence and epidemiology of leptospirosis, which constitutes a health problem in many countries.

FALSE-NEGATIVE DENGUE CASES IN RORAIMA, BRAZIL: AN APPROACH REGARDING THE HIGH NUMBER OF NEGATIVE RESULTS BY NS1 AG KITS

Serum samples from 150 NS1-negative (Platelia ELISA) patients presumptively diagnosed with dengue were analyzed by the TaqMan probed real-time reverse transcription PCR (TaqMan qRT-PCR) method. The qRT-PCR positive samples were tested for serotype by semi-nested RT-PCR and a qualitative immunochromatographic assay for IgG and IgM. Molecular detection methods showed 33 (22%) positive samples out of 150 NS1-antigen negative samples. Of these, 72% were collected up to day 2 after the onset of symptoms, when diagnostic sensitivity of NS1-antigen test assays is significantly enhanced. Most of the cases were not characterized as secondary infection. Twenty-eight samples were successfully serotyped, 75% of which for DENV-4, 14% for DENV-2, 7% for DENV-3 and 4% for DENV-1. These findings reaffirm the hyperendemic situation of the state of Roraima and suggest a lower sensitivity of the NS1 test, mainly when DENV-4 is the predominant serotype. Health care providers should therefore be aware of samples tested negative by NS1 antigen assays, especially when clinical symptoms and other laboratory data results show evidence of dengue infection.

Caraterização das propriedades macânicas e de fratura de um adesivo estrutural de alta ductilidade

As juntas adesivas são uma alternativa viável para substituir ligações comuns como as mecânicas ou soldadas, devido a diversas vantagens como a possibilidade de união de materiais de natureza diferente, maior leveza, menores custos inerentes ao fabrico e ainda prevenção da corrosão galvânica que pode ocorrer nas ligações entre dois materiais metálicos diferentes. A resistência de uma junta depende, para um determinado tipo de solicitação imposta, da distribuição de tensões no interior da junta. Por outro lado, a geometria das juntas, as propriedades mecânicas dos adesivos e os componentes a ligar vão influenciar a distribuição de tensões. O carregamento nas camadas adesivas de uma junta poderá induzir tensões de tração, compressão, corte, arrancamento ou clivagem, ou ainda uma combinação de duas ou mais destas componentes. O objetivo da presente dissertação é a caraterização completa de um adesivo estrutural de alta ductilidade recentemente lançado no mercado (SikaPower® -4720), para facilitar o projeto e otimização de juntas adesivas ligadas com o mesmo. São quatro os ensaios a realizar: ensaios à tração de provetes maciços (também denominados de bulk), ensaios ao corte com a geometria Thick Adherend Shear Test, ensaios Double-Cantilever Beam e ainda ensaios End-Notched Flexure. Com a realização dos ensaios referidos, são determinadas as propriedades essenciais à caraterização mecânica e de fratura do adesivo. Os resultados obtidos para cada ensaio resultaram em propriedades medidas com elevada repetibilidade, da mesma maneira que se revelaram de acordo com os dados disponibilizados pelo fabricante, sempre que estes estavam disponíveis.

Effect of Efavirenz on High-Density Lipoprotein Antioxidant Properties in HIV-Infected Patients

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: * In previous work, we showed a long-term and concentration-dependent beneficial effect of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz (EFV) on high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. * Furthermore, it has been suggested that instead of the current practice of only measuring HDL-chelesterol values, the evaluation of HDL function, namely its antioxidant properties, might be an improved tool for identifying subjects at increased risk for cardiovascular events. * Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an enzyme associated with HDL that is responsible for HDL antioxidant function. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: * In the present work, we studied the effect of EFV on the activity of PON-1 and showed, for the first time, that EFV-based antiretroviral therapy is associated with a better antioxidant function, i.e. with a higher PON-1 activity. AIMS: A long-term and concentration-dependent beneficial effect of efavirenz (EFV) on cholesterol associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has been documented. Furthermore, it has been suggested that, instead of the current practice of only measuring HDL-c values, the evaluation of HDL quality might be an improved tool for identifying subjects at increased risk of cardiovascular events. Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an enzyme associated with HDL that is involved in the onset of cardiovascular disease and responsible for HDL antioxidant function. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of EFV on the circulating activity of PON-1 in HIV-infected patients. METHODS: The patients included were adults with a documented HIV-1 infection, nontreated or treated with antiretroviral regimens including EFV 600 mg once daily as first therapeutic regimen for at least 3 months. The influence of treatment with EFV, HDL-c and CD4 cell count on PON-1 activity was analysed. RESULTS: HIV-infected White patients treated with EFV had higher PON-1 activity [77.35 U l(-1) (65.66, 89.04)] (P < 0.05) and higher PON-1 activity : HDL-c ratio [1.88 (1.49, 2.28)] (P < 0.01) than untreated patients. PON-1 activity was higher in Black patients (P < 0.001) and in patients with a CD4 cell count >500 cells ml(-1) (P= 0.0120). CONCLUSIONS: EFV-based antiretroviral regimens are associated with HDL particles with a better antioxidant function, i.e. with a higher PON-1 activity. The PON-1 activity of Black patients is higher than that found in Whites regardless of treatment. Ethnicity should be taken into consideration when studying drug effects on PON-1 activity.