Endoparasite community of anurans from an altitudinal rainforest enclave in a Brazilian semiarid area.

In the present study, we aimed to describe the composition of endoparasites associated with anurans from an altitudinal rainforest enclave in northeastern Brazil. Additionally, we tested if microhabitat use influences endoparasite abundance and richness, as well as the hypothesis that larger frogs tend to be more parasitized. We sampled 306 individuals from 25 anuran species that were necropsied and analysed using a stereomicroscope. The total endoparasite prevalence was 79.08%, with a parasitic community consisting of 46 taxa. Overall, we found the common pattern described for Neotropical amphibians, which is the predominance of generalist and direct-cycle parasites. Twenty new host records and two possible new parasite species were found, highlighting the importance of this type of inventory. We also observed that microhabitat use was associated with a significant difference in parasite richness between groups, in which arboreal and terrestrial species, and aquatic and arboreal species contributed to these differences. Moreover, larger frogs tended to be more parasitized regarding only an interspecific view. Our results suggest that parasite richness is directly related to infection cycle and how the host exploits its habitat.

Efficient in-house 3D printing of an orthognathic splint for single-jaw cases.

The purpose of this paper is to outline a simple and effective digital protocol for in-house 3D-printing of orthognathic splints for use during single-jaw orthognathic surgery. Using this protocol, an intraoral scanner, and virtual planning software, computer-designed splints were fabricated by a rapid prototyping machine in-house. The protocol was utilized for 35 consecutive patients requiring single-jaw orthognathic surgery between January 2019 and March 2020. The total time from initial scan to splint fabrication for each case was between 5 and 9hours, including 3minutes for scanning of models, 4.5minutes for development of the splint, and 4-8hours for rapid prototyping and post-processing. This time varied based on the complexity of the design and the number of splints printed simultaneously. The average cost of raw materials for each splint was $0.73 Canadian dollars.

The nonsteady state modeling of freeze drying: in-process product temperature and moisture content mapping and pharmaceutical product quality applications.

INTRODUCTION: Theoretical models of the freeze-drying process are potentially useful to guide the design of a freeze-drying process as well as to obtain information not readily accessible by direct experimentation, such as moisture distribution and glass transition temperature, Tg, within a vial during processing. Previous models were either restricted to the steady state and/or to one-dimensional problems. While such models are useful, the restrictions seriously limit applications of the theory. An earlier work from these laboratories presented a nonsteady state, two-dimensional model (which becomes a three-dimensional model with an axis of symmetry) of sublimation and desorption that is quite versatile and allows the user to investigate a wide variety of heat and mass transfer problems in both primary and secondary drying. The earlier treatment focused on the mathematical details of the finite element formulation of the problem and on validation of the calculations. The objective of the current study is to provide the physical rational for the choice of boundary conditions, to validate the model by comparison of calculated results with experimental data, and to discuss several representative pharmaceutical applications. To validate the model and evaluate its utility in studying distribution of moisture and glass transition temperature in a representative product, calculations for a sucrose-based formulation were performed, and selected results were compared with experimental data. THEORETICAL MODEL: The model is based on a set of coupled differential equations resulting from constraints imposed by conservation of energy and mass, where numerical results are obtained using finite element analysis. Use of the model proceeds via a "modular software package" supported by Technalysis Inc. (Passage/ Freeze Drying). This package allows the user to define the problem by inputing shelf temperature, chamber pressure, container properties, product properties, and numerical analysis parameters required for the finite element analysis. Most input data are either available in the literature or may be easily estimated. Product resistance to water vapor flow, mass transfer coefficients describing secondary drying, and container heat transfer coefficients must normally be measured. Each element (i.e., each small subsystem of the product) may be assigned different values of product resistance to accurately describe the nonlinear resistance behavior often shown by real products. During primary drying, the chamber pressure and shelf temperature may be varied in steps. During secondary drying, the change in gas composition from pure water to mostly inert gas is calculated by the model from the instantaneous water vapor flux and the input pumping capacity of the freeze dryer. RESULTS: Comparison of the theoretical results with the experiment data for a 3% sucrose formulation is generally satisfactory. Primary drying times agree within two hours, and the product temperature vs. time curves in primary drying agree within about +/-1 degrees C. The residual moisture vs. time curve is predicted by the theory within the likely experimental error, and the lack of large variation in moisture within the vial (i.e., top vs. side vs. bottom) is also correctly predicted by theory. The theoretical calculations also provide the time variation of "Tg-T" during both primary and secondary drying, where T is product temperature and Tg is the glass transition temperature of the product phase. The calculations demonstrate that with a secondary drying protocol using a rapid ramp of shelf temperature, the product temperature does rise above Tg during early secondary drying, perhaps being a factor in the phenomenon known as "cake shrinkage." CONCLUSION: The theoretical results of in-process product temperature, primary drying time, and moisture content mapping and history are consistent with the experimental results, suggesting the theoretical model should be useful in process development and "trouble-shooting" applications.