Evaluation of validity and reliability of a methodology for measuring human postural attitude and its relation to temporomandibular joint disorders

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs) are caused by several factors such as anatomical, neuromuscular and psychological alterations. A relationship has been established between TMJDs and postural alterations, a type of anatomical alteration. An anterior position of the head requires hyperactivity of the posterior neck region and shoulder muscles to prevent the head from falling forward. This compensatory muscular function may cause fatigue, discomfort and trigger point activation. To our knowledge, a method for assessing human postural attitude in more than one plane has not been reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to design a methodology to measure the external human postural attitude in frontal and sagittal planes, with proper validity and reliability analyses.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The variable postures of 78 subjects (36 men, 42 women; age 18-24 years) were evaluated. The postural attitudes of the subjects were measured in the frontal and sagittal planes, using an acromiopelvimeter, grid panel and Fox plane.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The method we designed for measuring postural attitudes had adequate reliability and validity, both qualitatively and quantitatively, based on Cohen's Kappa coefficient (> 0.87) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r = 0.824, > 80%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This method exhibits adequate metrical properties and can therefore be used in further research on the association of human body posture with skeletal types and TMJDs.</p>

Morphometric and ultrastructural studies of the effect of infrared laser on rabbit temporo-mandibular joint fibroblasts

The infrared laser beams has been successfully used in joint lesions treatment due to its analgesic anti inflamatory and healing action, and on a cellular level, inducing an accentuated synthesis of ATP, activating cellular proliferation and collagen synthesis. Samples of normal-control and irradiated tissue from temporo-mandibular joint disc of rabbit, were obtained, with daily doses of 2 joules/cm²during 10 consecutive days. They were prepared for transmission electronic microscopy.Transmission electronic micrographs of normal and irradiated fibroblasts were obtained with final increase of 11.500 X for morphometric studies with the purpose of quantifying the volumetric fractions of the cellular components pertaining to the mentioned cellular types. Volumetric fractions of the quoted cell corresponding to nucleus, cytoplasm, rough endoplasmatic reticule, eu and heterochromatin were evaluated. In the same manner, the nucleus - cytoplasmatic relation and the area of each cellular type were quantified. The results derived from the morphometric comparative study between the normal and irradiated fibroblasts indicated that there were significant differences with respect to the volumetric fractions of euchromatin and heterochromatin and fundamentally in the cellular areas of both types. On the other hand, the rest of quantified parameters remained constant. It could be concluded that the cellular function reflected in collagen synthesis and secretion remained constant in both cellular types. However, by means of infrared laser stimulations, this fibroblast facilitated protein synthesis, due to high percentage of transcriptionally active euchromatine.

O raio laser infravermelho tem sido usado com sucesso no tratamento de lesoes articulares por sua ação analgesica, antinflamatoria e cicatrizante e, ao nivel celular, induzindo acentuada síntese de ATP, ativando a proliferação celular e a síntese do colágeno. Foram obtidas amostras do disco da articulação temporo-mandibular de coelhos que foram irradiados com raio laser e de outras não irradiadas que foram consideradas como controle normal. As doses diarias de irradiação foram de 2 Joules /cm² durante 10 dias. As amostras foram tratadas para microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Dos fibroblastos normais e irradiados obtiveram-se microfotografias eletrônicas de transmissão com aumentos finais de 11.500 X, realizando-se estudos morfometricos com propósito de quantificar as frações volumétricas dos componentes celulares pertencentes aos tipos celulares assinalados. Das células indicadas avaliaram-se frações volumétricas correspondentes ao núcleo, citoplasma, retículo endoplásmico rugoso, eucromatina e heterocromatina. Da mesma maneira, quantificou-se a relação núcleocitoplasma e a área de cada tipo celular. Os resultados originados do estudo morfométrico comparativo entre fibroblastos normais e irradiados, indicaram que existem diferencas significativas nas frações volumétricas de eucromatina e heterocromatina e fundamentalmente nas áreas celulares de ambos os tipos. Os outros parâmetros quantificados mantiveram-se constantes. A conclusão é que a função celular traduzida em síntese e secreção de colágeno é constante em ambos os tipos celulares, contudo, produto das estimulações com raio laser infravermelho este fibroblasto tem tendência devido a sua percentagem de eucromatina transcripcionalmente ativa a uma sintese imediata e facilitada de proteinas.

Generación de criterios de igualación: un caso de conducta creativa / Generation of matching criteria: a case of creative behavior

Concibiendo conducta creativa como generación de criterios novedosos que dan lugar a contingencias distintas (Carpio, 1999; 2005), se compararon los efectos de dos niveles de variabilidad en las condiciones de entrenamiento sobre el desempeño efectivo en pruebas de transferencia y sobre la generación de criterios de igualación. Participaron 20 estudiantes universitarios asignados aleatoriamente a cuatro grupos experimentales que se distinguieron por el nivel de variabilidad en los problemas a resolver.