Oriental oculopalpebral dimensions: Quantitative comparison between Orientals from Japan and Brazil

Rodrigo U Takahagi1, Silvana A Schellini1, Carlos R Padovani1, Shinji Ideta2, Nobutada Katori2, Yasuhisa Nakamura21Department of Ophthalmology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, Sao Paulo State, Brazil; 2Department of Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery, Hamamatsu Seirei General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka-ken, JapanObjectives: Quantitative evaluation of palpebral dimensions of Japanese residents in Japan and Japanese descendant (Nikkeis) who live in Brazil, in order to define if environmental factors may influence these parameters.Methods: A prospective study evaluating 107 Nikkeis from Brazil and 114 Japanese residents in Japan, aged 20 years or older. Exclusion criteria were those with palpebral position alterations, prior palpebral surgery, and crossbreeding. Images were obtained with a digital camera, 30 cm from the frontal plane at pupil height, with the individual in a primary position and the eye trained on the camera lens. Images were transferred to computer and processed by the Scion Image program. Measurements were made of distance between medial canthi, distance between pupils (IPD), superior eyelid crease position, distance between the superior lid margin and corneal reflexes (MRD), horizontal width, height, area, and obliquity of the palpebral fissure. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance for a three factor model and respective multiple comparison tests.Results: Japanese residents and Nikkeis living in Brazil have similar measurements. Statistical differences were found for some age groups concerning distance between pupils, horizontal, and vertical fissures, palpebral fissure area, and obliquity with native Japanese presenting discretely higher measurements than Nikkeis.Conclusion: Environmental factors do not affect palpebral dimensions of Nikkeis living in Brazil.Keywords: eyelid dimensions, Japanese, Nikkeis, digital imag

Ocular and eyelid alterations observed in the medical school of Botucatu - São Paulo, Brazil

Modelo do estudo: observacional retrospectivo. Objetivo: conhecer a freqüência das alterações oculopalpebrais em pacientes atendidos na Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu,São Paulo. Método: o estudo foi realizado através da análise de fichas de atendimento no Serviço de Plástica Ocular da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, durante o período de 12 anos, avaliando-se a idade, sexo, procedência e diagnóstico principal dos pacientes atendidos. Resultados: no período estudado foram avaliados 3323 pacientes, 58,3% dos indivíduos eram procedentes da região de Botucatu; a faixa etária superior a 60 anos (41,6%) e o sexo feminino foram os prevalentes (55,7%) e as patologias com alteração da posição palpebral foram as mais comuns. Comentários: as alterações mais freqüentes foram as relacionadas com a posição das pálpebras e as lesões benignas; o conhecimento da freqüência das alterações oculopalpebrais é importante para a adoção de medidas preventivas e para planejar o treinamento de novos profissionais.Study model: observational, retrospective.Purpose :to evaluate the oculopalpebral alterations at Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, São Paulo State. Methods: a retrospective study in the Oculoplastic Service of the Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu during the last 12 years was done. The age, sex, place of residence and the patients’ main diagnosis were evaluated. Results: 3323 patients were assisted. 58,3% of them lived in Botucatu area. The older than 60 years( 41.6%) and the females( 55.7%) were the prevalent group of attendance. The eyelid position alterations were the most common pathology observed. Comments: the positional eyelids disorders and the benign lesions were the manly pathologies observed The knowledge of the oculopalpebral alterations frequence is important to prevention and in order to teach new professionals who will act in this Ophthalmology area

Análise do mercado de serviços de regulação de frequência secundária e terciária no sistema eléctrico português

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica Ramo EnergiaOs operadores das redes de transporte (ORT) enfrentam desafios cada vez maiores e mais imprevisíveis. A forte penetração de energias renováveis e a liberalização do mercado de energia eléctrica dão origem a uma maior volatilidade na produção de energia eléctrica e a desencontros entre produção e consumo, passíveis de acontecer no decorrer da operação do sistema eléctrico. Os serviços de sistema são um complemento aos mercados de energia eléctrica e caracterizam-se como sendo uma segurança necessária ao bom funcionamento do sistema pois é através destes que é feito o equilíbrio entre geração e consumo em tempo real e assim feita a regulação de frequência da rede eléctrica. Com o presente trabalho pretende-se fazer uma análise aprofundada do que são os serviços de sistema para regulação de frequência, nomeadamente sobre a regulação secundária e a regulação terciária bem como abordar a regulamentação que as fundamenta. Será também aprofundado o funcionamento do mercado de serviços de sistema para regulação de frequência em Portugal e oencadeamento cronológico deste com o mercado diário e com as diversas sessões intradiárias do Mercado Ibérico de Electricidade (MIBEL). Serão ainda referidos diversos serviços de sistema noutros países europeus em comparação com Portugal. Para apoio a esta análise desenvolveu-se uma ferramenta em Matlab®que permita visualizar sob a forma de gráficos as ofertas dos agentes de mercado participantes através das suas unidades físicas (grupos geradores), o custo marginal dessas mesmas centrais e ainda visualizar o preço de fecho de mercado na respectiva hora. Os resultados obtidos apontam para uma dependência do perfil de licitação relativamente à tecnologia da central. Foram ainda analisadas as correlações entre centrais e a dependência do preço das ofertas e da banda contratada relativamente à existência de meses mais ou menos chuvosos, ou seja com maior ou menos índice de produtibilidade hidroeléctrica (IPH). Denota-se ainda uma elevada participação das centrais hídricas neste mercado de banda secundária.Abstract: The transmission system operators (TSO) face increasing and more unpredictable challenges. The high penetration of renewable energy and the liberalization of the electricity market rises the volatility in electricity generation and bigger differences between production and consumption, in the course of the electrical system operation. Ancillary services are a complement to electricity markets and are characterized as a necessary service that allows a proper and reliable functioning of the system as it is the mechanism that allows the TSO to balance generation and consumption in real time operation and control the frequency of the system. The present work aims to make a thorough analysis of what are the ancillary services for frequency regulation, particularly on secondary regulation and tertiary regulation and to address the laws that allow to develop the frequency regulation in Portugal. It will also be studied the operation of the ancillary services market for frequency regulation in Portugal and the chronological connection with the daily market and the various intraday market sessions of Iberian Electricity Market (MIBEL). Itwill be studied also various ancillary services in other European countries compared to Portugal. To support this data analysis a Matlab® tool was developed allowing the user to view in the graphical form the offers of market players participating with their physical units (power plants), the marginal cost of these same power plants and the market clearing price, all for the same selected period of time. The results show a dependence of the bidding profile relative to the power plant technology. It will be also studied the correlations between different power plants and the price variation of the market due to the variation of the hydroelectric capability factor (HCF) variation. It is also relevant the high share of hydro power plants participating in the ancillary services market for secondary frequency control

Immune Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in the Parietal Pleura of Patients with Tuberculous Pleurisy

The T lymphocyte-mediated immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the parietal pleura of patients with tuberculous pleurisy is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the immune response in the parietal pleura of tuberculous pleurisy compared with nonspecific pleuritis. We have measured the numbers of inflammatory cells particularly T-cell subsets (Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg cells) in biopsies of parietal pleura obtained from 14 subjects with proven tuberculous pleurisy compared with a control group of 12 subjects with nonspecific pleuritis. The number of CD3+, CD4+ and CCR4+ cells and the expression of RORC2 mRNA were significantly increased in the tuberculous pleurisy patients compared with the nonspecific pleuritis subjects. The number of toluidine blue+ cells, tryptase+ cells and GATA-3+ cells was significantly decreased in the parietal pleura of patients with tuberculous pleurisy compared with the control group of nonspecific pleuritis subjects. Logistic regression with receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis for the three single markers was performed and showed a better performance for GATA-3 with a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 100% and an AUC of 0.88. There was no significant difference between the two groups of subjects in the number of CD8, CD68, neutrophil elastase, interferon (IFN)-γ, STAT4, T-bet, CCR5, CXCR3, CRTH2, STAT6 and FOXP3 positive cells. Elevated CD3, CD4, CCR4 and Th17 cells and decreased mast cells and GATA-3+ cells in the parietal pleura distinguish patients with untreated tuberculous pleurisy from those with nonspecific pleuritis

The role of salt abuse on risk for hypercalciuria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elevated sodium excretion in urine resulting from excessive sodium intake can lead to hypercalciuria and contribute to the formation of urinary stones. The aim of this study was to evaluate salt intake in patients with urinary lithiasis and idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between August 2007 and June 2008, 105 lithiasic patients were distributed into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 55): patients with IH (urinary calcium excretion > 250 mg in women and 300 mg in men with normal serum calcium); Group 2 (n = 50): normocalciuric patients (NC). Inclusion criteria were: age over 18 years, normal renal function (creatinine clearance ≥ 60 ml/min), absent proteinuria and negative urinary culture. Pregnant women, patients with intestinal pathologies, chronic diarrhea or using corticoids were excluded. The protocol of metabolic investigation was based on non-consecutive collection of two 24-hour samples for dosages of: calcium, sodium, uric acid, citrate, oxalate, magnesium and urinary volume. Food intake was evaluated by the three-day dietary record quantitative method, and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Sodium intake was evaluated based on 24-hour urinary sodium excretion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution in both groups as regards mean age (42.11 ± 10.61 vs. 46.14 ± 11.52), weight (77.14 ± 16.03 vs. 75.99 ± 15.80), height (1.64 ± 0.10 vs. 1.64 <b>± plusorminus </b>0.08) and BMI (28.78 ± 5.81 vs. 28.07 ± 5.27) was homogeneous. Urinary excretion of calcium (433.33 ± 141.92 vs. 188.93 ± 53.09), sodium (280.08 ± 100.94 vs. 200.44.93 ± 65.81), uric acid (880.63 ± 281.50 vs. 646.74 ± 182.76) and magnesium (88.78 ± 37.53 vs. 64.34 ± 31.84) was significantly higher in the IH group (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in calcium intake between the groups, and there was significantly higher salt intake in patients with IH than in NC.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study showed that salt intake was higher in patients with IH as compared to NC.</p