Electroterapia nos Triggers Points do masséter em disfunções da articulação temporomandibular: LASER vs TENS

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em FisioterapiaObjectivo: Aferir qual técnica apresenta melhores e mais rápidos resultados quanto à abertura bocal, Escala Visual Numérica de dor (EVN) e limiar de dor (LD) à palpação dos Trigger Points (TP’s) do Masséter, numa DisfunçãoTemporomandibular DTM. Metodologia: Foram seleccionadas 8 indivíduos, do sexo feminino a partir do Questionário anamnésico de Fonseca, da mensuração de amplitude de abertura bocal e do nível de dor à palpação. Os indivíduos foram aleatoriamente divididos em dois grupos experimentais: LASER e TENS. Ambas as aplicações foram realizadas três vezes por semana durante quatro semanas, nos TP’s do Masséter, bilateralmente. O LASER foi aplicado durante 15 segundos por TP (λ 808 nm, 50 mW e intensidade de 80 J/cm2). O TENS foi aplicado numa frequência de 4 Hz com intensidade alta máxima suportada pelo indivíduo e com uma duração de impulso de 250 μs. Cada variável foi avaliada antes da 1ª sessão, depois da 6ª sessão, no fim do tratamento e uma semana após o mesmo. Resultados: Surgiram melhorias em todas as variáveis, mas nunca com significância, nos dois grupos. Em nenhum momento surgiram diferenças significativas entre grupos. Conclusão: Os parâmetros escolhidos no LASER e TENS não se revelaram eficazes na melhoria da dor miofascial e da amplitude de abertura bocal de DTM.Purpose: Verify which technique presents better and faster results in mouth opening, Numeric Visual Scale (NVS) and pain threshold while palpation of the Masseter’s Trigger Points (TP’s), in Temporomandibular disorder TMD. Methods: Eight female individuals were selected by using Fonseca’s anamnesis questionnaire and by measuring pain level and maximum mouth opening. These 8 patients were randomly assigned in two experiment groups: LASER and TENS. Both treatments were done three times per week, for four weeks, in the TP’s, bilaterally. Laser therapy was applied during 15 sec in each TP (λ 808 nm, 50 mW and intensity of 80 J/cm2). The TENS was applied with a 4 Hz frequency in the highest intensity tolerated by the patient, with an impulse width of 250 μs. Each variable was evaluated before the 1st session, after the 6st session, in the end of the treatment and a week after that. Results: There were improvements in all variables but never being significant, in both groups. There weren’t times of evaluation with significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The chosen parameters for TENS and LASER didn’t revealed effectiveness in the improvement of myofascial pain and mouth opening

The Effect of Nitrogen Fixation and Plant Species on Ammonium and Amino Acids Soil Contents

Grass and legume intercropping systems, particularly ryegrass-clover mixed cultures, increase grasslands productivity, due to the clover nitrogen (N) fixation and to the transfer of part it to the companion grass. The objective of this experiment was to determine if N fixation and plant species could modify ammonium and amino acids soil contents

Effect of trace elements on the interface reactions between two lead-free solders and copper or nickel substrates

Traditional Sn-Pb solder alloys are being replaced, because of environmental and health concerns about lead toxicity. Among some alternative alloy systems, the Sn-Zn and Sn-Cu base alloy systems have been studied and reveal promising properties. The reliability of a solder joint is affected by the solder/substrate interaction and the nature of the layers formed at the interface. The solder/substrate reactions, for Sn-Zn and Sn-Cu base solder alloys, were evaluated in what concerns the morphology and chemical composition of the interface layers. The effect of the addition of P, at low levels, on the chemical composition of the layers present at the interface was studied. The phases formed at the interface between the Cu or Ni substrate and a molten lead-free solder at 250º C, were studied for different stage times and alloy compositions. The melting temperatures, of the studied alloys, were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Identification of equilibrium phases formed at the interface layer, and the evaluation of their chemical composition were performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDS). Different interface characteristics were obtained, namely for the alloys containing Zn. The obtained IML layer thickness was compared, for both types of alloy systems.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Electroterapia nos Triggers Points do Masséter em disfunções da articulação Temporomandibular: LASER vs TENS

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em FisioterapiaObjectivo: Aferir qual técnica apresenta melhores e mais rápidos resultados quanto à abertura bocal, Escala Visual Numérica de dor (EVN) e limiar de dor (LD) à palpação dos Trigger Points (TP’s) do Masséter, numa DisfunçãoTemporomandibular DTM. Metodologia: Foram seleccionadas 8 indivíduos, do sexo feminino a partir do Questionário anamnésico de Fonseca, da mensuração de amplitude de abertura bocal e do nível de dor à palpação. Os indivíduos foram aleatoriamente divididos em dois grupos experimentais: LASER e TENS. Ambas as aplicações foram realizadas três vezes por semana durante quatro semanas, nos TP’s do Masséter, bilateralmente. O LASER foi aplicado durante 15 segundos por TP (λ 808 nm, 50 mW e intensidade de 80 J/cm2). O TENS foi aplicado numa frequência de 4 Hz com intensidade alta máxima suportada pelo indivíduo e com uma duração de impulso de 250 μs. Cada variável foi avaliada antes da 1ª sessão, depois da 6ª sessão, no fim do tratamento e uma semana após o mesmo. Resultados: Surgiram melhorias em todas as variáveis, mas nunca com significância, nos dois grupos. Em nenhum momento surgiram diferenças significativas entre grupos. Conclusão: Os parâmetros escolhidos no LASER e TENS não se revelaram eficazes na melhoria da dor miofascial e da amplitude de abertura bocal de DTM. Purpose: Verify which technique presents better and faster results in mouth opening, Numeric Visual Scale (NVS) and pain threshold while palpation of the Masseter’s Trigger Points (TP’s), in Temporomandibular disorder TMD. Methods: Eight female individuals were selected by using Fonseca’s anamnesis questionnaire and by measuring pain level and maximum mouth opening. These 8 patients were randomly assigned in two experiment groups: LASER and TENS. Both treatments were done three times per week, for four weeks, in the TP’s, bilaterally. Laser therapy was applied during 15 sec in each TP (λ 808 nm, 50 mW and intensity of 80 J/cm2). The TENS was applied with a 4 Hz frequency in the highest intensity tolerated by the patient, with an impulse width of 250 μs. Each variable was evaluated before the 1st session, after the 6st session, in the end of the treatment and a week after that. Results: There were improvements in all variables but never being significant, in both groups. There weren’t times of evaluation with significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The chosen parameters for TENS and LASER didn’t revealed effectiveness in the improvement of myofascial pain and mouth opening

Capela do Senhor da Pedra: diagonóstico e proposta de tratamento da pedra

Mestrado em Engenharia Geotécnica e GeoambienteEsta dissertação insere-se no domínio da patologia da pedra, nomeadamente na patologia do Granito de Lavadores empregue na Capela do Senhor da Pedra. Inicialmente, fez-se a recolha bibliográfica sobre o monumento, a geologia da pedra utilizada na construção e os tipos de deteriorações existentes em vários monumentos de granito. Efectuou-se a identificação dos tipos de deteriorações existentes, designadamente desagregação granular, alvéolos, eflorescências, colonização biológica e fissuras, tendo-se procedido à recolha de amostras das mesmas para posterior realização de testes de diagnóstico. Estudou-se o meio poroso do Granito de Lavadores com recurso a diversas técnicas de ensaio de diagnóstico, nomeadamente, aos ensaios de determinação da densidade aparente, porosidade livre às quarenta e oito horas, porometria com o porosímetro de mercúrio, absorção de água por capilaridade e evaporação. Executou-se o mapeamento das deteriorações em cinco zonas distintas do monumento. Os minerais de sais solúveis são os principais agentes responsáveis pelos mecanismos de deterioração do granito da capela, tendo sido identificados através das técnicas de microscopia electrónica de varrimento e da difracção de raios X. Após a interpretação de todos os resultados obtidos, elaborou-se uma proposta de intervenção devidamente fundamentada a realizar no referido monumento, atendendo ao tipo de deterioração existente, tipo de rocha e resultados obtidos dos ensaios. Finalmente, apresenta-se um estudo económico relativo aos ensaios realizados e aos tipos de tratamentos a utilizar na Capela do Senhor da Pedra de acordo com a proposta de intervenção apresentada.This work concerns the pathology of the stone, namely the deterioration of the Lavadores granite employed in the Capela do Senhor da Pedra. Initially, it was gathered the bibliography about the monument, the geology of the rock used in the construction and the types of deteriorations that affect most of the granite monuments. The identification of the deteriorations, namely granular disintegration, alveoli, efflorescence, biological colonization and fissures has been carried out as well as sampling for subsequent diagnosis tests. The porous network of the Lavadores granite was studied making use of diverse diagnosis techniques, namely the determination of bulk density, free porosity, mercury porosimetry, water absorption by capillarity and evaporation. The mapping of the deteriorations was executed in five distinct areas of the monument. The minerals of soluble salts are the most important deterioration agent responsible for stone decay in the granite of the chapel, having been identified by the scanning electron microscopy and the X-ray diffraction techniques. After the interpretation of the results, it was elaborated an intervention proposal to be carry out in the monument, attending to the different deteriorations, type of rock and test results. Finally, it is presented an economic study concerning the tests carried out and the types of treatments to be employed in the Capela do Senhor da Pedra, according to the intervention proposal

Logarithmic Corrections for Spin Glasses, Percolation and Lee-Yang Singularities in Six Dimensions

We study analytically the logarithmic corrections to the critical exponents of the critical behavior of correlation length, susceptibility and specific heat for the temperature and the finite-size scaling behavior, for a generic $\phi^3$ theory at its upper critical dimension (six). We have also computed the leading correction to scaling as a function of the lattice size. We distinguish the obtained formulas to the following special cases: percolation, Lee-Yang (LY) singularities and $m$-component spin glasses. We have compared our results for the Ising spin glass case with numerical simulations finding a very good agreement. Finally, and using the results obtained for the Lee-Yang singularities in six dimensions, we have computed the logarithmic corrections to the singular part of the free energy for lattice animals in eight dimensions.Comment: 18 pages. We have extended the computation to lattice animals in eight dimensions. To be published in Journal of Physics

The novel anti-cancer fluoropyrimidine NUC-3373 is a potent inhibitor of thymidylate synthase and an effective DNA-damaging agent

Funding: GMZ and CMC are funded by research grant from NuCana plc. PT is funded by IBioIC, CMC is funded by the Wellcome trust (217078/Z/19/Z).Introduction Fluoropyrimidines, principally 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), remain a key component of chemotherapy regimens for multiple cancer types, in particular colorectal and other gastrointestinal malignancies. To overcome key limitations and pharmacologic challenges that hinder the clinical utility of 5-FU, NUC-3373, a phosphoramidate transformation of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, was designed to improve the efficacy and safety profile as well as the administration challenges associated with 5-FU. Methods Human colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116 and SW480 were treated with sub-IC50 doses of NUC-3373 or 5-FU. Intracellular activation was measured by LC–MS. Western blot was performed to determine binding of the active anti-cancer metabolite FdUMP to thymidylate synthase (TS) and DNA damage. Results We demonstrated that NUC-3373 generates more FdUMP than 5-FU, resulting in a more potent inhibition of TS, DNA misincorporation and subsequent cell cycle arrest and DNA damage in vitro. Unlike 5-FU, the thymineless death induced by NUC-3373 was rescued by the concurrent addition of exogenous thymidine. 5-FU cytotoxicity, however, was only reversed by supplementation with uridine, a treatment used to reduce 5-FU-induced toxicities in the clinic. This is in line with our findings that 5-FU generates FUTP which is incorporated into RNA, a mechanism known to underlie the myelosuppression and gastrointestinal inflammation associated with 5-FU. Conclusion Taken together, these results highlight key differences between NUC-3373 and 5-FU that are driven by the anti-cancer metabolites generated. NUC-3373 is a potent inhibitor of TS that also causes DNA-directed damage. These data support the preliminary clinical evidence that suggest NUC-3373 has a favorable safety profile in patients.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe