Brief review of Music and Embodied Cognition

Music, a part of human existence, has great potential for exciting memories, creating emotions (Boltz, 2018; Koelsch, 2014; Levitin, Grahn, & London, 2018; Mahendran et al., 2017) and reactions (CaparrosGonzalez, De La TorreLuque, DiazPiedra, Vico, & BuelaCasal, 2018; Hillier, Kopec, Poto, Tivarus, & Beversdorf, 2015; Semenza, 2018). Studies show that listening to music is associated with decreased regulation in the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis, as well as a reduction in cortisol concentration pathways in both experiments and clinical contexts (Kreutz et al., 2012), promotes changes in the autonomic nervous system such as decreased heart rate and blood pressure (Hodges, 2011), and interferes with cortisol levels (Chlan et al, 2013, Han et al., 2010; Chanda & Levitin, 2013; Linnemann et al., 2015). Music also has a great influence on cognitive processes, since any musical activity involves practically all cognitive functions (Zatore, 2005). These listed cognitive functions are: attention, perception, language, memory, and intellectual reasoning (Damasceno, 2012)

Acute onset of renal colic from bilateral ureterolithiasis: a case report

We report a case of a 32-year-old man, who presented to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain, with radiation to his back. An ultrasound examination revealed mild hydronephrosis bilaterally. A non-enhanced computer tomography was then performed and showed a 9 mm hyperdense image in the left ureter topography along together with an 8-mm hyperdense image in the right ureter topography, allowing us to establish the diagnosis of bilateral ureterolithiasis. The patient was taken to the operating room in order to perform ureteroscopy for endoscopic removal of the stones

ClusterOSS: a new undersampling method for imbalanced learning

A dataset is said to be imbalanced when its classes are disproportionately represented in terms of the number of instances they contain. This problem is common in applications such as medical diagnosis of rare diseases, detection of fraudulent calls, signature recognition. In this paper we propose an alternative method for imbalanced learning, which balances the dataset using an undersampling strategy. We show that ClusterOSS outperforms OSS, which is the method ClusterOSS is based on. Moreover, we show that the results can be further improved by combining ClusterOSS with random oversampling.FAPESPCAPESCNP

Hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass produced from domestic sewage treatment in high-rate ponds

ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the application of biomass produced from the treatment of domestic sewage in high-rate ponds (HRPs) as feedstock for the production of bio-oil via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). The effects of reaction time, temperature, and biomass/water ratio on the yield of bio-oil were assessed. In addition, a balance of carbon and nitrogen among the products (bio-oil, aqueous phase, solid residue, and gas) was carried out, in order to evaluate the quality of the bio-oil and possibilities for increasing value from the byproducts. In a 15-min operation at 300 degrees C with biomass/water ratio of 1/10 (w.w(-1)), the bio-oil yield was of 44.4% (Dry Ash Free - daf-basis). Under every condition tested, the solid residue was the most abundant byproduct, mostly due to the high ash content in the biomass. The minimum nitrogen recovery in the bio-oil was 57%, obtained in the operation at 275 degrees C, which is considered the main disadvantage of the process. The use of biomass directly after its production may result in an excessive consumption of energy due to the high water content. However, the need for drying is reduced when compared to other microalgal-based bioenergy production processes, potentially achieving a positive energy balance in the HTL.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Oral granular cell tumor: a study of twelve cases in a Brazilian population

Objectives: Analyze clinic and epidemiological aspects of all Oral Granular cell tumor (GCT) during a 5-year period in a Brazilian population. Study design: clinical and treatment outcome data of patients with oral GCT seen at the Division of Stomatology, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Ceara, Brazil, between January 2001 and December 2005 were reviewed. Results: during the analyzed period, 6231 oral lesions were collected from files of different anatomo-pathology laboratories situated in the state of Ceara, Brazil. Of all cases, only 12 of GCT were diagnosed. The lesion was more common in female patients, with a mean age of 40.8 years, occurring mainly in tongue. Conclusion: Oral GCT is a rare and infrequent lesion in this population, and affects more female in the third, fourth a fifth decade of life. Clinical significance: Although it is a rare occurrence in the oral cavity, the clinician must know about its occurrence and should include GCT in the differential diagnose of certain lesions especially when situated in tongu

Epidermal Renewal after Treatment of Primary Canine Hypothyroidism using Levothyroxine

Background: Primary canine hypothyroidism, an endocrine disorder that causes imbalances in the hypothalamus-pituitarythyroid axis, is a common cause of endocrine dermatoses, which frequently presents with opaque dry brittle hair. Tissue changes are also visible, such as myxedema, hyperkeratosis, epidermal atrophy, alopecia, and others. This paper describes the skin changes caused by primary hypothyroidism in a female dog before and after treatment with levothyroxine.Case: This case study involved a 7-year-old Dalmatian bitch with a history of weight gain and changes such as rough dry brittle hair. For about a year, the dog also had also presented symmetrical erythematous and alopecia skin lesions in the regions of the hind limbs, lower back and tail, progressive lethargy and fatigue after exercise. A hemogram showed mild normocytic and normochromic regenerative anemia, as well as mild leukopenia and neutropenia. Biochemical tests revealed increased levels of creatinine, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Skin biopsy revealed the presence of comedones in the epidermis and acanthosis and trichilemmal keratinization. Hormonal tests revealed high TSH and low free T4 and total T4 levels. A cervical ultrasound scan showed changes in the thyroid glands, with hypoechoic parenchyma, in addition to increased size of the right lobe, suggesting thyroiditis. Based on these exams, the patient was diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism, and treatment with levothyroxine was instituted.Discussion: Around 90% of dogs with hypothyroidism show a decrease in total T4 and about 65-75% of them show an increase in TSH levels. In endocrinopathy, there is a decrease in the expression of T3 receptors in the keratinocytes and genes responsible for epidermal renewal. Also, molecules that affect epidermal differentiation bind to intracellular receptors belonging to the steroid/thyroid hormone superfamily. In this study, however, the application of the minimum levothyroxine dose restored the normal epidermal pattern for the species and the remaining parameters returned to normal. The hormone T3 acts in the differentiation of keratinocytes, a fact that, although not yet proven, is believed to be indirect and mediated by the epidermal growth factor or by the expression of the genes responsible for the renewal of the epidermis. Besides, some effects on the epidermis caused by deficiency of thyroid hormones may be due to secondary vitamin A deficiency, which is necessary for epithelial differentiation and binding epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the cell. Still, there is a theory that sex hormones also affect the differentiation of the epidermis, as studies show that deficiency causes effects similar to those caused by hypothyroidism. Some studies indicate the investigation of the relationship between secondary vitamin D deficiency and the increased cellularity of the epidermis of the spayed hypothyroid female rats. Additionally, the mechanism of the formation of hyperkeratosis in hypothyroidism is not yet elucidated. T3 is known to regulate keratingene expression and perhaps also epidermal maturation, epithelial cycle, and normal keratin synthesis. The single treatment with levothyroxine in the female dog was effective in promoting the restoration of gene expression to T3 in keratinocytes.Keywords: dermatopathies, endocrinopathies, hypothyroidism, levothyroxine, synthetic hormone