Increased carbon dioxide concentration in the air reduces the severity of Ceratocystis wilt in Eucalyptus clonal plantlets

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A Novel Chemically Modified Curcumin Reduces Severity of Experimental Periodontal Disease in Rats: Initial Observations

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

Epidemiology of Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders in Brazilian Women

Aims: To evaluate the severity of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of women in the municipality of Araraquara (Brazil) as well as the contribution of the perception of oral health, mandibular functional limitation, and sociodemographic variables on the severity of TMD. Methods: The participants were interviewed by telephone. Information regarding age, marital status, economic level, education, and use and type of dental prostheses was surveyed. To evaluate TMD severity, mandibular functional limitation and perception of oral health, Fonseca's Anamnesic Index (IAF), the Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire (MFIQ), and the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) were used. To evaluate the contribution of these variables on TMD severity, a structural equation model (SEM) was fitted to the data and assessed by usual goodness-of-fit indices. Results: A total of 701 women with a mean age of 44.36 years (SD = 16.31) participated. According to the IAF, 59.6% (95% confidence interval = 56.00%-63.2%) of the women were classified as having TMD, of which 63.9% presented light, 26.8% moderate, and 9.3% severe TMD. Mandibular functional limitation was low in 91.0% of the women, moderate in 7.1%, and severe in 1.9%. Goodness-of-fit for the structural model was adequate. The predictors explained 43% of the variation in the TMD severity, with significant contributions of the variables dental prostheses (beta = -.008; P = .006), perception of oral health (beta = -.43; P < .001), and mandibular functional limitation (beta = .014; P = 014). Conclusion: The severity of TMD among Brazilian women was greater in non-users of dental prostheses and was also associated with greater mandibular functional limitation and poor perception of oral health.

Prevalence and severity of orofacial pain in pregnant women

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

Report of 15 injuries caused by lionfish (pterois volitans) in aquarists in Brazil: a critical assessment of the severity of envenomations

Lionfish are venomous fish that belong to the Scorpaenidae family. Individuals of this family and those of the Synanceiidae family comprise most of the existing venomous fish in the world. Lionfish are originally found in the Indo-Pacific, but they have received special attention in the last years for their dissemination in the Atlantic Ocean, with the emergence of large populations in the USA, Caribbean and South America. Because of its beauty, this fish has always been present in private and commercial aquariums around the world. Herein, we describe 15 envenomations in aquarists registered in a period of eighteen years (1997-2014). The stings caused excruciating pain and marked inflammation, with local erythema, edema, heat, paleness and cyanosis. In one case, it was possible to observe vesicles and blisters. There were no skin necroses or marked systemic manifestations. We discuss the possible coming of the fish to South America and the circumstances and clinical impact of the envenomations.

Severity of Brazilian sickle cell disease patients: severity scores and feasibility of the Bayesian network model use

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SEVERITY OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ICUS

This study aimed to compare clinical characteristics, evolution and severity of adult patients admitted to public and private Intensive Care Units. It is a retrospective, longitudinal and quantitative analysis of 600 patients admitted to four Intensive Care Units of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Differences were found between patients admitted in private and public hospitals regarding the following variables: age, origin, length of stay and mortality in the critical unit, cardiologic, hematologic, neurologic and renal failures and some comorbidities. The results reveal the importance of analyzing in detail clinical characteristics and healthcare of patients admitted in public institutions, because of the high mortality found. The Intensive Care Nurse can contribute to change this scenario, because she/he plays a leading role in planning and providing resources for intensive care.

Severity of restless legs syndrome is inversely correlated with echogenicity of the substantia nigra in different neurodegenerative movement disorders. A preliminary observation

Objective: Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra is a frequent observation on transcranial sonography in Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients. Additionally, restless legs syndrome is a sleep disorder that is also frequently found in both diseases. Autopsy studies have demonstrated increased SN iron content in hyperechogenic substantia nigra. Iron storage is also known to be involved in restless legs syndrome. We formally compared echogenicity of the substantia nigra with restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients. Methods: Transcranial brain sonography was performed in a sample of Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients, and findings then correlated with the presence and severity of restless legs syndrome. Results: There was a continuum of substantia nigra echogenicity among groups (Parkinson's disease versus Machado-Joseph disease versus controls) and sub-groups (Parkinson's disease with and without restless legs syndrome versus Machado-Joseph disease with and without restless legs syndrome) as well as a statistically significant negative correlation between restless legs syndrome severity and substantia nigra echogenicity (p<0.001). Conclusions: These preliminary observations demonstrate that the severity of RLS may be influenced by nigral iron load reflected by substantia nigra echogenicity in different neurodegenerative movement disorders. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lipid Peroxidation Is Associated with the Severity of Periodontal Disease and Local Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Context: Periodontitis is the most common lytic disease of bone and is recognized as a common complication of diabetes. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) is increased in diabetes and may be related to modulation of the inflammatory response. LPO levels in patients with diabetes and periodontal disease have not been evaluated. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of LPO and its correlation with periodontal status and inflammatory cytokines in type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Design and Setting: This is a cross-sectional study involving Brazilian patients recruited at the State University of Sao Paulo. Patients: The sample comprised 120 patients divided into four groups based upon diabetic and dyslipidemic status: poorly controlled diabetics with dyslipidemia, well-controlled diabetics with dyslipidemia, normoglycemic individuals with dyslipidemia, and healthy individuals. Main Outcome Measures: Blood analyses were carried out for fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and lipid profile. Periodontal examinations were performed, and gingival crevicular fluid was collected. LPO levels were evaluated by measuring oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ELISA) and malondialdehyde (HPLC). Cytokines were evaluated by the multiplex bead technique. Results: LPO evaluated by malondialdehyde in plasma and gingival crevicular fluid was significantly increased in diabetes groups. Significant correlations between LPO markers and periodontal parameters indicate a direct relationship between these levels and the severity of inflammation and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, particularly in diabetic patients. Conclusion: These findings suggest an important association for LPO with the severity of the local inflammatory response to bacteria and the susceptibility to periodontal disease in diabetic patients. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 97: E1353-E1362, 2012)

Interstrain differences in the severity of liver injury induced by a choline- and folate-deficient diet in mice are associated with dysregulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health problem and a leading cause of chronic liver disease in the United States and developed countries. In humans, genetic factors greatly influence individual susceptibility to NAFLD. The goals of this study were to compare the magnitude of interindividual differences in the severity of liver injury induced by methyl-donor deficiency among individual inbred strains of mice and to investigate the underlying mechanisms associated with the variability. Feeding mice a choline-and folate-deficient diet for 12 wk caused liver injury similar to NAFLD. The magnitude of liver injury varied among the strains, with the order of sensitivity being A/J approximate to C57BL/6J approximate to C3H/HeJ < 129S1/SvImJ approximate to CAST/EiJ < PWK/PhJ < WSB/EiJ. The interstrain variability in severity of NAFLD liver damage was associated with dysregulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism, primarily with a down-regulation of the peroxisome proliferator receptor alpha (PPAR alpha)-regulated lipid catabolic pathway genes. Markers of oxidative stress and oxidative stress-induced DNA damage were also elevated in the livers but were not correlated with severity of liver damage. These findings suggest that the PPAR alpha-regulated metabolism network is one of the key mechanisms determining interstrain susceptibility and severity of NAFLD in mice.-Tryndyak, V., de Conti, A., Kobets, T., Kutanzi, K., Koturbash, I., Han, T., Fuscoe, J. C., Latendresse, J. R., Melnyk, S., Shymonyak, S., Collins, L., Ross, S. A., Rusyn, I., Beland, F. A., Pogribny, I. P. Interstrain differences in the severity of liver injury induced by a choline-and folate-deficient diet in mice are associated with dysregulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism. FASEB J. 26, 4592-4602 (2012). www.fasebj.org

Classification of the severity of diabetic neuropathy: a new approach taking uncertainties into account using fuzzy logic

OBJECTIVE: This study proposes a new approach that considers uncertainty in predicting and quantifying the presence and severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: A rule-based fuzzy expert system was designed by four experts in diabetic neuropathy. The model variables were used to classify neuropathy in diabetic patients, defining it as mild, moderate, or severe. System performance was evaluated by means of the Kappa agreement measure, comparing the results of the model with those generated by the experts in an assessment of 50 patients. Accuracy was evaluated by an ROC curve analysis obtained based on 50 other cases; the results of those clinical assessments were considered to be the gold standard. RESULTS: According to the Kappa analysis, the model was in moderate agreement with expert opinions. The ROC analysis (evaluation of accuracy) determined an area under the curve equal to 0.91, demonstrating very good consistency in classifying patients with diabetic neuropathy. CONCLUSION: The model efficiently classified diabetic patients with different degrees of neuropathy severity. In addition, the model provides a way to quantify diabetic neuropathy severity and allows a more accurate patient condition assessment.

The ergogenic effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on VO2max depends on the severity of arterial hypoxemia

Treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) induces a rise in blood oxygen-carrying capacity (CaO(2)) that unequivocally enhances maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max) during exercise in normoxia, but not when exercise is carried out in severe acute hypoxia. This implies that there should be a threshold altitude at which VO(2)max is less dependent on CaO(2). To ascertain which are the mechanisms explaining the interactions between hypoxia, CaO(2) and VO(2)max we measured systemic and leg O(2) transport and utilization during incremental exercise to exhaustion in normoxia and with different degrees of acute hypoxia in eight rhEpo-treated subjects. Following prolonged rhEpo treatment, the gain in systemic VO(2)max observed in normoxia (6-7%) persisted during mild hypoxia (8% at inspired O(2) fraction (F(I)O(2)) of 0.173) and was even larger during moderate hypoxia (14-17% at F(I)O(2) = 0.153-0.134). When hypoxia was further augmented to F(I)O(2) = 0.115, there was no rhEpo-induced enhancement of systemic VO(2)max or peak leg VO(2). The mechanism highlighted by our data is that besides its strong influence on CaO(2), rhEpo was found to enhance leg VO(2)max in normoxia through a preferential redistribution of cardiac output toward the exercising legs, whereas this advantageous effect disappeared during severe hypoxia, leaving augmented CaO(2) alone insufficient for improving peak leg O(2) delivery and VO(2). Finally, that VO(2)max was largely dependent on CaO(2) during moderate hypoxia but became abruptly CaO(2)-independent by slightly increasing the severity of hypoxia could be an indirect evidence of the appearance of central fatigue.

Influence of total and specific IgE, serum tryptase, and age on severity of allergic reactions to Hymenoptera stings

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of total serum IgE and other potential risk factors on severity of systemic allergic Hymenoptera sting reactions.

Video-based quantification of body movement during social interaction indicates the severity of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

In schizophrenia, nonverbal behavior, including body movement, is of theoretical and clinical importance. Although reduced nonverbal expressiveness is a major component of the negative symptoms encountered in schizophrenia, few studies have objectively assessed body movement during social interaction. In the present study, 378 brief, videotaped role-play scenes involving 27 stabilized outpatients diagnosed with paranoid-type schizophrenia were analyzed using Motion Energy Analysis (MEA). This method enables the objective measuring of body movement in conjunction with ordinary video recordings. Correlations between movement parameters (percentage of time in movement, movement speed) and symptom ratings from independent PANSS interviews were calculated. Movement parameters proved to be highly reliable. In keeping with predictions, reduced movement and movement speed correlated with negative symptoms. Accordingly, in patients who exhibited noticeable movement for less than 20% of the observation time, prominent negative symptoms were highly probable. As a control measure, the percentage of movement exhibited by the patients during role-play scenes was compared to that of their normal interactants. Patients with negative symptoms differed from normal interactants by showing significantly reduced head and body movement. Two specific positive symptoms were possibly related to movement parameters: suspiciousness tended to correlate with reduced head movement, and the expression of unusual thought content tended to relate to increased movement. Overall, a close and theoretically meaningful association between the objective movement parameters and the symptom profiles was found. MEA appears to be an objective, reliable and valid method for quantifying nonverbal behavior, an aspect which may furnish new insights into the processes related to reduced expressiveness in schizophrenia.

Occurrence, types and severity of associated injuries of paediatric patients with fractures of the frontal skull base

To clarify the occurrence, sites, and types of associated injuries in paediatric patients with fractures of the anterior skull base.