comparison of the mt surgical articulator to the erickson platform method for the execution of model surgery

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Comparative study of the microbial diversity of bulk paddy soil of two rice fields subjected to organic and conventional farming

Two adjacent paddies of an experimental rice field, subjected to organic and conventional farming, were characterized aiming the comparative assessment of microbiological variations occurring in the bulk paddy soil over the rice cycle. This study comprehended the simultaneous characterization of general physicochemical soil properties [total carbon and nitrogen, pH (H2O and KCl), C:N ratio and water content], biochemical properties [enzymatic activities and Community Level Physiological Profiles (CLPP)], the estimation of cultivable organisms (enumeration of fast growing heterotrophic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) and the assessment of bacterial diversity using a culture-independent method (PCR-DGGE fingerprinting). The linkage of the parameters measured was analysed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). CCA ordination plots of the CLPP showed a similar pattern of microbial functional activity in both agronomic management systems, except in June. Enzymatic activity, water content and fungi counts were the main factors affecting the observed CLPP time variation. Such a variation was not expressed by the Shannon and evenness indices, which did not evidence significant differences in the bacterial and functional diversity between or within farming type over the analysed period. The cluster and CCA analyses of the DGGE profiles allowed the distinction of the bacterial communities of both paddies, with temporal variations being observed in the organically managed field but not in the conventional paddy. Enzymatic activity, pH and molinate content were the factors which most contributed to the observed variations. Altogether these results underline the functional redundancy of the rice paddy soil and evidence the temporal variations on the metabolic activity of soil, irrespective of farming type.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Microbacterium invictum sp. nov., isolated from homemade compost

Strain DC-200T was isolated from homemade compost produced from kitchen refuse and characterized using a polyphasic approach. The isolate was a Gram-positive motile short rod, facultatively aerobic, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative, and was able to grow at 10–37 6C, pH 6.0–9.5 and with up to 5% of NaCl. The peptidoglycan was of the type B1 alpha and the muramic acid residues were glycolylated. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso- C17 : 0. The predominant respiratory menaquinones were MK-11 and MK-12. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 70 mol%. Based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the closest phylogenetic neighbours of strain DC-200T were Microbacterium lacus A5E-52T (98.7 %) and Microbacterium aoyamense KV-492T (98.2 %). The phenetic characterization of the isolate supports its inclusion within the genus Microbacterium; however, its distinctive phenotypic features and the results from the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the DNA–DNA hybridization study suggest that the isolate represents a novel species. The name Microbacterium invictum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DC-200T (5DSM 19600T5LMG 24557T)

A formação e a condição docente num contexto de complexidade e diversidade

Esta comunicação pretende trazer algumas reflexões acerca das novas configurações da docência na contemporaneidade, considerando a necessidade de se articular a formação e a condição docentes e de compreendê-las a partir dos contextos sócio-históricos em que se efetivam. Entende-se que a docência vai além do conjunto de ações da professora e do professor no cotidiano da sala de aula e abrange as diversas dimensões do ser professor/a em sua complexidade. Reconhecendo a concretude dessa experiência, o texto aborda elementos como a diversidade sociocultural, a subjetividade, a formação inicial e continuada, a relação professor/aluno/a, e tantos outros aspectos que constituem o sujeito professor/a neste momento histórico, marcado por rápidas e profundas transformações culturais e econômicas, forjadas e alimentadas no interior/exterior da escola, mas que incidem sobre seus tempos e espaços, trazendo novos desafios para a educação

Evidence for an association of prenatal exposure to particulate matter with clinical severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Early-life exposure to air pollutants, including ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5 or PM10, depending on diameter of particles), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) has been suggested to contribute to the etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this study, we used air quality monitoring data to examine whether mothers of children with ASD were exposed to high levels of air pollutants during critical periods of pregnancy, and if higher exposure levels may lead to a higher clinical severity in their offspring. We used public data from the Portuguese Environment Agency to estimate exposure to these pollutants during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy, full pregnancy and first year of life of the child, for 217 subjects with ASD born between 2003 and 2016. These subjects were stratified in two subgroups according to clinical severity, as defined by the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS). For all time periods, the average levels of PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 to which the subjects were exposed were within the admissible levels defined by the European Union. However, a fraction of these subjects showed exposure to levels of PM2.5 and PM10 above the admissible threshold. A higher clinical severity was associated with higher exposure to PM2.5 (p = 0.001), NO2 (p = 0.011) and PM10 (p = 0.041) during the first trimester of pregnancy, when compared with milder clinical severity. After logistic regression, associations with higher clinical severity were identified for PM2.5 exposure during the first trimester (p = 0.002; OR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.05–1.23) and full pregnancy (p = 0.04; OR = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.00–1.15) and for PM10 (p = 0.02; OR = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01–1.14) exposure during the third trimester. Exposure to PM is known to elicit neuropathological mechanisms associated with ASD, including neuroinflammation, mitochondrial disruptions, oxidative stress and epigenetic changes. These results offer new insights on the impact of earlylife exposure to PM in ASD clinical severity.This work was supported by Fundaçao ˜ para a Ciˆencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), through funding to the project “Gene-environment interactions in Autism Spectrum Disorder” (Grant PTDC/MED-OUT/28937/2017) and to Research Center Grants UIDB/04046/2020 and UIDP/04046/2020 (to BioISI) and UIDB/00006/2020 (to Centro de Estatística e Aplicaçoes ˜ da Universidade de Lisboa). Joao ˜ Xavier Santos is a fellow of the BioSys PhD Program and an awardee of a scholarship funded by FCT with reference PD/BD/114,386/2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correlation between cephalometric data and severity of sleep apnea

AbstractIntroductionObstructive sleep apnea syndrome has a high prevalence among adults. Cephalo- metric variables can be a valuable method for evaluating patients with this syndrome.ObjectiveTo correlate cephalometric data with the apnea-hypopnea sleep index.MethodsWe performed a retrospective and cross-sectional study that analyzed the cephalo- metric data of patients followed in the Sleep Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Discipline of Otorhinolaryngology of a university hospital, from June 2007 to May 2012.ResultsNinety-six patients were included, 45 men, and 51 women, with a mean age of 50.3 years. A total of 11 patients had snoring, 20 had mild apnea, 26 had moderate apnea, and 39 had severe apnea. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane was the only variable that showed a statistically significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index.ConclusionCephalometric variables are useful tools for the understanding of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane showed a statisti- cally significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index

MAXILLOMANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT SURGERY FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA/HYPOPNEA SYNDROME (OSAHS)

Treatment of upper airway occlusion (UAO) during sleep has been re-evaluated because of the observation of the failure of some therapeutic techniques. The different interpretations of the pattern of obstruction in UAO seem to determine the success or failure of surgical treatment. Surgery for maxillomandibular advancement has proved to be the most efficient surgical treatment of OSAHS (excluding tracheostomy), with a high success rate. In order to better understand the procedure of maxillomandibular advancement and to discuss the numerous difficulties pointed out, we present the diagnostic methodology, surgical description, results, complications, and advantages of this procedure. After surgery for maxillomandibular advancement, patients with OSAHS show the absence or a marked reduction of symptoms and improvement of polysonographic indices, with a consequent improvement of quality of life. Thus, this surgery represents an important tool to be used in the treatment of OSAHS.O tratamento da oclusão das vias aéreas superiores (VAS) durante o sono tem merecido reavaliação pela constatação de insucessos de algumas técnicas terapêuticas. As diferentes interpretações dos padrões de obstrução nas VAS parecem determinar o sucesso ou falha do tratamento cirúrgico. A cirurgia de avanço maxilomandibular tem se apresentado como o tratamento cirúrgico mais eficiente para SAHOS (excluindo a traqueostomia), com elevados índices de sucesso. Com o objetivo de melhor compreendermos o procedimento de avanço maxilomandibular, bem como desmistificar as inúmeras dificuldades apontadas, apresentamos a metodologia diagnóstica, descrição cirúrgica, resultados, complicações e vantagens deste procedimento. Os pacientes portadores de SAHOS, depois da cirurgia de avanço maxilomandibular, apresentam ausência ou redução acentuada dos sintomas e melhora dos índices polissonográficos e conseqüente melhora em sua qualidade de vida. Portanto, essa cirurgia apresenta-se como uma importante ferramenta para ser utilizada no tratamento da SAHOS

Comparison of the area of the pharynx during wakefulness and induced sleep in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

The study of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has received growing attention over the past years since various aspects have not been sufficiently established. Aim: To evaluate, with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), changes in the area of the pharynx during wakefulness and induced sleep in patients with OSA. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of thirty-two patients with a polysomnographic diagnosis of OSA. All patients were submitted to MR imaging in order to obtain high-definition anatomical sagittal sequences during wakefulness and during sleep induced with Propofol. An area was defined on the sagittal plane in the midline of the pharynx. This region was called pharyngeal midplane (PMP) area. Results: A significant difference in PMP area (mm(2)) was observed between wakefulness and induced sleep in each patient (p < 0.000001). Conclusion: The patients with OSA suffer a significant reduction of 75,5 % in the area of the pharynx during induced sleep compared to wakefulness

Photocatalytic ozonation of urban wastewater and surface water using immobilized TiO2 with LEDs: Micropollutants, antibiotic resistance genes and estrogenic activity

Photocatalytic ozonation was employed for the first time in continuous mode with TiO2-coated glass Raschig rings and light emitting diodes (LEDs) to treat urban wastewater as well as surface water collected from the supply area of a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP). Different levels of contamination and types of contaminants were considered in this work, including chemical priority substances (PSs) and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), as well as potential human opportunistic antibiotic resistant bacteria and their genes (ARB&ARG). Photocatalytic ozonation was more effective than single ozonation (or even than TiO2 catalytic ozonation) in the degradation of typical reaction by-products (such as oxalic acid), and more effective than photocatalysis to remove the parent micropollutants determined in urban wastewater. In fact, only fluoxetine, clarithromycin, erythromycin and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) were detected after photocatalytic ozonation, by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) pre-concentration and LC-MS/MS analysis. In surface water, this treatment allowed the removal of all determined micropollutants to levels below the limit of detection (0.01-0.20 ng L(-1)). The efficiency of this process was then assessed based on the capacity to remove different groups of cultivable microorganisms and housekeeping (16S rRNA) and antibiotic resistance or related genes (intI1, blaTEM, qnrS, sul1). Photocatalytic ozonation was observed to efficiently remove microorganisms and ARGs. Although after storage total heterotrophic and ARB (to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem), fungi, and the genes 16S rRNA and intI1, increased to values close to the pre-treatment levels, the ARGs (blaTEM, qnrS and sul1) were reduced to levels below/close to the quantification limit even after 3-days storage of treated surface water or wastewater. Yeast estrogen screen (YES), thiazolyl blue tetrazolium reduction (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were also performed before and after photocatalytic ozonation to evaluate the potential estrogenic activity, the cellular metabolic activity and the cell viability. Compounds with estrogenic effects and significant differences concerning cell viability were not observed in any case. A slight cytotoxicity was only detected for Caco-2 and hCMEC/D3 cell lines after treatment of the urban wastewater, but not for L929 fibroblasts.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Bioburden characterization in Portuguese dwellings

Projeto IPL/2017/B2CF_ESTeSL, Projeto IPL/2017/B2 Hemo_ESTeSLSeveral studies have indicated that bioburden presence in the indoor environment is associated with serious health effects. Passive sampling methods are easy to use and represent a long-term integrated sample. This study intended to characterize bioburden and assess the azole-resistant fungi through electrostatic dust cloth from 23 dwellings from Aveiro.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio