Avaliação da padronização da força inicial liberada por elásticos ortodônticos em cadeia / Evaluation of the standardization of the initial released force by chain orthodontic elastics

Resumo Este trabalho avaliou a padronização da força inicial liberada por elásticos ortodônticos em cadeia em diferentes lotes de fabricação de três marcas comerciais. Foram testadas 762 amostras de elásticos em cadeia incolores, tamanho médio, das marcas Morelli®, Uniden® e Eurodonto®. Os elásticos foram distribuídos em 6 diferentes grupos: Grupo M (Morelli), Grupo U (Uniden) e Grupo E (Eurodonto), com 2 lotes para cada grupo. Os elásticos foram mantidos em um "jig" de acrílico de 07 X 07 cm que foi fixado em uma base de madeira de 55 X 15 cm. Os elásticos foram ativados em 50% de seus comprimentos iniciais e as forças iniciais liberadas foram mensuradas através de um dinamômetro digital de precisão. Foram utilizados os testes de Kolmogorov-Smirnov e "t" de Student com 5% de significância para ambos os testes. Os resultados evidenciaram diferença significativa entre a força inicial média liberada de 336,84g e 270,72g dos lotes 1 e 2, respectivamente, da marca U. Não houve diferença significativa entre os lotes da marca M apresentando força inicial média de 310,31g e 312,77g e da marca E com forças iniciais médias de 378,42 e 377,91. Os grupos M,U e E apresentaram os percentuais de 8,7%, 4,3% e 11,4%, respectivamente, de amostras elásticas liberando força inicial considerada padronizada. Pode-se concluir que as marcas Morelli® e Eurodonto® apresentaram força inicial padronizada quando variações entre os lotes foram investigadas. Porém, todas as marcas comerciais apresentaram percentual muito baixo de amostras elásticas com força inicial padronizada, considerando o intervalo de confiança (AU)

Abstract This study evaluated the standardization of the initial strength delivered by elastomeric chains of different lots of fabrication of three commercial brands. 762 colorless middle size samples of elastomeric chains were tested of the brands Morelli®, Uniden® and Eurodonto®. The elastics were distributed in 6 different groups: Group M (Morelli), Group U (Uniden) and Group E (Eurodonto), with 2 lots for each group. The elastics were maintained in a "jig" of 07 x 07 cm acrylic one that was fixed in a 55 X 15 cm wooden base. The elastics were activated in 50% of his initial lengths and the released inicial force was measured through a digital precision dynamometer. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used and Student "t" test with 5% of significantion for both tests. The results showed significant difference between the mean initial released force of 336.84g and 270.72g of lots 1 and 2, respectively, of brand U. There was no significant difference between lots of brand M presenting average initial force of 310.31g and 312.77g and brand E with initial forces of 378.42 and 377.91. Groups M, U and E presented the percentages of 8.7%, 4.3% and 11.4%, respectively, of elastic samples releasing initial strength considered standardized. It can be concluded that the Morelli® and Eurodonto® brands showed standardized initial strength when variations between lots were investigated. However, all commercial brands had a very low percentage of elastic samples with standardized initial strength, considering the confidence interval (AU)

The grapevine aspartic protease gene family: characterization and expression modulation in response to Plasmopara viticola.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Grapevine aspartic proteases gene family is characterized and five VviAPs appear to be involved in grapevine defense against downy mildew. Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide. However, it is highly susceptible to the downy mildew disease caused by Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & Curt.) Berl. & De Toni. To minimize the use of fungicides used to control P. viticola, it is essential to gain a deeper comprehension on this pathosystem and proteases have gained particular interest in the past decade. Proteases were shown to actively participate in plant-pathogen interactions, not only in the processes that lead to plant cell death, stress responses and protein processing/degradation but also as components of the recognition and signalling pathways. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the aspartic proteases (APs) involvement in grapevine defense against P. viticola. A genome-wide search and bioinformatics characterization of the V. vinifera AP gene family was conducted and a total of 81 APs proteins, coded by 65 genes, were found. VviAPs proteins can be divided into three categories, similar to those previously described for other plants. Twelve APs coding genes were selected, and expression analysis was conducted at several time-points after inoculation in both compatible and incompatible interactions. Five grapevine APs may be involved in grapevine tolerance against P. viticola. Our findings provide an overall understanding of the VviAPs gene family and establish better groundwork to further describe the roles of VviAPs in defense against P. viticola.

Strabismus and Artificial Intelligence App: Optimizing Diagnostic and Accuracy.

Purpose: Clinical evaluation of eye versions plays an important role in the diagnosis of special strabismus. Despite the importance of versions, they are not standardized in clinical practice because they are subjective. Assuming that objectivity confers accuracy, this research aims to create an artificial intelligence app that can classify the eye versions into nine positions of gaze. Methods: We analyzed photos of 110 strabismus patients from an outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital at nine gazes. For each photo, the gaze was identified, and the corresponding version was rated by the same examiner during patient evaluation. Results: The images were standardized by using the OpenCV library in Python language, so that the patient's eyes were located and sent to a multilabel model through the Keras framework regardless of the photo orientation. Then, the model was trained for each combination of the following groupings: eyes (left, right), gaze (1 to 9), and version (-4 to 4). Resnet50 was used as the neural network architecture, and the Data Augmentation technique was applied. For quick inference via web browser, the SteamLit app framework was employed. For use in Mobiles, the finished model was exported for use in through the Tensorflow Lite converter. Conclusions: The results showed that the mobile app might be applied to complement evaluation of ocular motility based on objective classification of ocular versions. However, further exploratory research and validations are required. Translational Relevance: Apart from the traditional clinical practice method, professionals will be able to envisage an easy-to-apply support app, to increase diagnostic accuracy.

Defense and Offense Strategies: The Role of Aspartic Proteases in Plant-Pathogen Interactions.

Plant aspartic proteases (APs; E.C.3.4.23) are a group of proteolytic enzymes widely distributed among different species characterized by the conserved sequence Asp-Gly-Thr at the active site. With a broad spectrum of biological roles, plant APs are suggested to undergo functional specialization and to be crucial in developmental processes, such as in both biotic and abiotic stress responses. Over the last decade, an increasing number of publications highlighted the APs' involvement in plant defense responses against a diversity of stresses. In contrast, few studies regarding pathogen-secreted APs and AP inhibitors have been published so far. In this review, we provide a comprehensive picture of aspartic proteases from plant and pathogenic origins, focusing on their relevance and participation in defense and offense strategies in plant-pathogen interactions.

Does the Lockdown Influence the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service in a Level 1 Trauma Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

ABSTRACT: The pandemic status of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 has affected many countries around the world, due to the high virulence of the SARS-CoV-2, the recommended protocol to prevent infection is social isolation. The purpose of this study was to compare the number of patients admitted and their epidemiological data on a Level 1 Trauma Hospital after the declaration of the pandemic status and the first week of mandatory lockdown, with the same period of time in the last year. This was a retrospective study of medical records from the patients admitted in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the João XXIII Hospital, between the March 24 and March 31 of 2020 and the same period of the last year. There was a 52.27% decrease in the total number of patients and 76.34% decrease in the total consultations of the service of oral and maxillofacial surgery during the lockdown. All the groups presented a decrease in significance with motor vehicle accidents events, the group 11 to 20 years old presented an increase on the correlation with violence (P = 0.019) and falls (P = 0.002). When comparing both sex with the etiologies, the male one presented an increase in the correlation with violence and falls. The female sex presented correlations only with the minor causes. No valid significance was observed when comparing females with violence events. The lockdown is an effective way to reduce the transmission of the COVID-19, the hospital usage and occupation.

Modulation of Glucose Availability and Effects of Hypo- and Hyperglycemia on Status Epilepticus: What We Do Not Know Yet?

Status epilepticus (SE) can lead to serious neuronal damage and act as an initial trigger for epileptogenic processes that may lead to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Besides promoting neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and abnormal neurogenesis, SE can generate an extensive hypometabolism in several brain areas and, consequently, reduce intracellular energy supply, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules. Although some antiepileptic drugs show efficiency to terminate or reduce epileptic seizures, approximately 30% of TLE patients are refractory to regular antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Modulation of glucose availability may provide a novel and robust alternative for treating seizures and neuronal damage that occurs during epileptogenesis; however, more detailed information remains unknown, especially under hypo- and hyperglycemic conditions. Here, we review several pathways of glucose metabolism activated during and after SE, as well as the effects of hypo- and hyperglycemia in the generation of self-sustained limbic seizures. Furthermore, this study suggests the control of glucose availability as a potential therapeutic tool for SE.

Host Cell Proteins in Biologics Manufacturing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Significant progress in the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals has been made by increasing the overall titers in the USP (upstream processing) titers without raising the cost of the USP. In addition, the development of platform processes led to a higher process robustness. Despite or even due to those achievements, novel challenges are in sight. The higher upstream titers created more complex impurity profiles, both in mass and composition, demanding higher separation capacities and selectivity in downstream processing (DSP). This creates a major shift of costs from USP to DSP. In order to solve this issue, USP and DSP integration approaches can be developed and used for overall process optimization. This study focuses on the characterization and classification of host cell proteins (HCPs) in each unit operation of the DSP (i.e., aqueous two-phase extraction, integrated countercurrent chromatography). The results create a data-driven feedback to the USP, which will serve for media and process optimizations in order to reduce, or even eliminate nascent critical HCPs. This will improve separation efficiency and may lead to a quantitative process understanding. Different HCP species were classified by stringent criteria with regard to DSP separation parameters into "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" in terms of pI and MW using 2D-PAGE analysis depending on their positions on the gels. Those spots were identified using LC-MS/MS analysis. HCPs, which are especially difficult to remove and persistent throughout the DSP (i.e., "Bad" or "Ugly"), have to be evaluated by their ability to be separated. In this approach, HCPs, considered "Ugly," represent proteins with a MW larger than 15 kDa and a pI between 7.30 and 9.30. "Bad" HCPs can likewise be classified using MW (>15 kDa) and pI (4.75-7.30 and 9.30-10.00). HCPs with a MW smaller than 15 kDa and a pI lower than 4.75 and higher than 10.00 are classified as "Good" since their physicochemical properties differ significantly from the product. In order to evaluate this classification scheme, it is of utmost importance to use orthogonal analytical methods such as IEX, HIC, and SEC.

Aspectos histológicos da papila interdentária de rato após preenchimento com gel de ácido hialurônico / Histological aspects of rat interdental papilla after filling with hyaluronic acid gel

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar os aspectos histológicos iniciais da papila interdentária de rato após o preenchimento com gel de ácido hialurônico. 43 ratos Wistar (Rattus norvegicus) machos foram divididos aleatoriamente em 2 grupos: o GSS, grupo solução salina e o GAH, grupo ácido hialurônico. O grupo GSS foi subdividido em 6 grupos contendo 2 animais cada e o grupo GAH foi subdividido em 6 grupos contendo 5 animais cada. Um animal foi destinado ao controle negativo, ao qual não foi injetado nenhum material. Os animais do grupo GSS receberam 0,02ml de solução salina 0,9% na papila interdentária superior vestibular e os animais do grupo GAH receberam injeção de 0,02ml do gel de ácido hialurônico (23mg/ml). Os grupos diferiram entre si pelo tempo de avaliação: 0 dias (imediato), 1 dia, 3 dias, 5 dias, 6 dias e 7 dias. Parte dos cortes histológicos foi destinada à análise histopatológica, para caracterização de eventos como: reação inflamatória, vascularização, atividade fagocitária, necrose e presença de material residual. Outra parte foi direcionada à histomorfometria, para mensuração da área e do perímetro ocupado pelo gel de ácido hialurônico no tecido gengival. Os resultados revelaram que: houve reação inflamatória intensa 1 dia após a injeção do gel, a qual diminuiu de intensidade nos períodos seguintes de avaliação, comportamento semelhante ao da neovascularização. Houve formação de fina cápsula envolvendo o material a partir do 3º dia de avaliação. Não foi observada necrose tecidual. O material residual assumiu forma e tamanho variável no interior do tecido. A variável área não apresentou diferença significativa entre os grupos de tempo (p=.265), enquanto a variável perímetro revelou significância entre os mesmos (p=.044). Os valores do perímetro para os grupos de tempo GAH6 e GAH7 diferiram significativamente em relação aos grupos GAH0 e GAH1.A correlação de Pearson entre área e tempo revelou fraca associação negativa (r=.0461), já a correlação entre perímetro e tempo apresentou uma moderada associação negativa (r=.585). O gel de AH desencadeou reação inflamatória de caráter agudo de curta duração, aumento da vascularização local e observou-se a formação de cápsula envolvendo o material, entretanto não foram identificadas áreas de necrose no tecido adjacente (AU)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the initial histological effects of hyaluronic acid gel in the interdental papilla of rat model. 43 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, GSS, as the saline solution group and GHA, as the hyaluronic acid group. GSS group had 6 groups with 2 animals each and GHA group had 6 groups with 5 animals each. One animal was designed to negative control, to which no material was injected. The GSS group received 0,02ml of normal saline solution 0,9% in the upper buccal interdental papilla and the GHA group received an injection of 0,02ml of hyaluronic acid gel (23mg/ml). The groups differed by evaluation time: 0 days (immediately), 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 6 days and 7 days. Histological slices were designated to histopathological analysis, describing events like: inflammatory reaction, vascularization, phagocytic activity, necrosis, and residual material; and to histomorphometry, measure area and perimeter occupied by the hyaluronic acid gel in the gingival tissue. There was intense inflammatory reaction 1 day after gel injection, which decreased in intensity in the following evaluation periods, behavior similar to neovascularization. Thin capsule formation occurred involving the material from the third day evaluation. No necrosis was observed. Residual material took shape and variable size within the tissue. The variable area showed no significant difference between the periods of experiment (p=.265). Conversely perimeter values for GHA 6 and GHA 7 groups differ significantly (p=.044) from the values recorded in GHA0 and GHA1 groups. The Pearson's correlation between area and time showed a weak negative association (r=.461). The correlation between perimeter and time showed a moderate negative association (r=.585).In conclusion, it was observed that HA gel caused acute inflammatory reaction of short duration, increased local vascularization, capsule formation involving the material was observed, but necrotic areas were not identified (AU)

Substituiçäo do ligamento da cabeça do fêmur com auto-enxerto de fáscia lata na luxaçäo coxofemoral em cäes / Substitution of femoral head ligament in dogs with fascia lata autograft for treatment of hip luxation

Uma técnica cirúrgica para o tratamento da luxaçäo coxofemoral que substituiu o ligamento da cabeça do fêmur por fáscia lata associada ao enxerto ósseo foi realizada em 20 cäes. Estes foram separados em cinco grupos e submetidos à eutanásia para realizaçäo dos exames macro e microscópicos aos 15, 30, 60, 90 e 120 dias do pós-operatório. Na macroscopia, näo foi observada luxaçäo da articulaçäo. Em 65 por cento dos animais, o enxerto de fáscia lata estava presente. Microscopicamente, a fáscia lata utilizada como substituto do ligamento da cabeça do fêmur näo desenvolveu reaçöes inflamatórias, permanecendo preservada e integrada ao tecido ósseo. O uso da fáscia lata como substituto do ligamento da cabeça do fêmur mostrou-se viável, podendo ser utilizada para reforçar a estabilidade articular.

Comparaçäo entre timerosal, glicerina iodada e iodo polivinilpirrolidona com açúcar, na cicatrizaçäo de pele em eqüinos / Thimerosal, iodine glycerin, PVP-iodine with sugar effects on experimental equine wound healing

Utilizando-se cinco eqüinos adultos, machos, castrados, procedeu-se em cada animal lesöes circulares de pele, quatro em cada lado da regiäo lombar, distribuídas linearmente, procedendo-se quatro tratamentos, estes com timerosal tintura, glicerina iodada a 5 por cento, associaçäo iodo polivinilpirrolidona (pvp-iodo) com açúcar e soluçäo fisiológica como tratamento controle. As lesöes produzidas do lado direito foram mensuradas por planimetria a cada 72 horas (Análise de Perfil) e observadas macroscopicamente. As lesöes do lado esquerdo foram submetidas a biópsias para exames histopatológicos no 6§ e 15§ dias de tratamento. O tratamento com glicerina iodada apresentou os melhores resultados, seguido pelo timerosal, porém, sem que houvesse diferenças estatísticas. O timerosal mostrou discreta desvantagem quando avaliado macro e microscopicamente. O pvp-iodo associado ao açúcar e o controle (soluçäo fisiológica) apresentaram resultados estatisticamente semelhantes, com aspectos macro e microscópicos em fase mais retardada de cicatrizaçäo

Estudo comparativo das reaçöes teciduais produzidas pela "linha de pesca" (poliamida) e fio de náilon cirúrgico / Comparative study of tissue reaction produced by fishing line (polyamide) and surgical nylon suture

Foram empregados 30 ratos, machos, linhagem Wistar. Implantou-se sob a pele segmentos de 3cm de comprimento de "linha de pesca" mantida em formalina, "linha de pesca" autoclavada uma vez, "linha de pesca" autoclavada duas vezes e fio de náilon cirúrgico. Cada animal recebeu dois tipos de material de sutura, em locais paralelos e eqüidistantes da coluna vertebral. Foram sacrificados com cinco, 15 e 90 dias de pós-operatório para que se procedesse o exame histopatológico. Pelo grau de reaçäo tecidual pode-se concluir que: a maior reaçäo ocorreu com a "linha de pesca" mantida em formalina e a menor com o fio de náilon cirúrgico; as "linhas de pesca" autoclavadas uma e duas vezes se comportaram de forma semelhante e apresentaram uma reaçäo intermediária.