Schwannoma Of The Craniocervical Junction: Surgical Approach Of Two Cases

We report two cases of craniocervical junction schwannomas with a special focus on the surgical approach. The patients underwent a far-lateral approach in the sitting position that facilitated the lesion removal. This report is meant to improve the understanding of this surgical technique as well as improve awareness of its usefulness for similar cases.6103:00:00639641Baldwin, H., Christopher, G., The far lateral/combined supra- and infratentorial approach (1994) J Neurosurg, 81, pp. 60-68Oliveira, E., Rhoton A.L., Jr., Peace, D., Microsurgical anatomy of the region of the foramen magnum (1985) Surg Neurol, 24, pp. 293-352Salas, E., Sekhar, L.N., Ziyal, I.M., Caputy, A.J., Wright, D.C., Variations of the extreme-lateral craniocervical approach: Anatomical study and clinical analysis of 69 patients (1999) J Neurosurg, 90 (SPINE 2), pp. 206-219Martins, R.S., Suzuki, S.H., Sanematsu P., Jr., Plese, J.P.P., Acoustic neuroma in children without association with neurofibromatosis: Report of two cases (1999) Arq Neuropsiquiatr, 57, pp. 96-100Neto, P.M.A., Stamm, A.C., Braga, F.M., Mandibular trigeminal schwannoma: Case report (2001) Arq Neuropsiquiatr, 59, pp. 959-963Siqueira, M.G., Jennings, E., Moraes, O.J.S., Naso-ethmoid schwannoma with intracranial extension: Case report (2001) Arq Neuropsiquitr, 59, pp. 421-423Andrade, G.C., Neto, P.M.A., Braga, F.M., Thalamic intracerebral schwannoma: Case report (2002) Arq Neuropsiquiatr, 60, pp. 308-313Rhoton A.L., Jr., The far-lateral approach and its transcondylar, supracondylar, and paracondylar extensions (2000) Neurosurgery, 47, pp. 195-210Spetzler, R.F., Grahm, T.W., The far-lateral approach to file inferior clivus and the upper cervical region technical note (1990) BNI Quarterly, 6, pp. 35-38Samii, M., Klekamp, J., Carvalho, G., Surgical results for meningiomas of the craniocervical junction (1996) Neurosurgery, 39, pp. 1086-1095Al-Mefty, O., Borba, L.A.B., Aoki, N., Angtuaco, E., Pait, T.G., The transcondylar approach to extradural nonneoplastic lesions of the craniovertebral junction (1996) J Neurosurg, 84, pp. 1-6Bertalanffy, H., Seeger, W., The dorsolateral, suboccipital, transcondilar approach to the lower clivus and anterior portion of the craniocervical junction (1991) Neurosurgery, 29, pp. 815-82

Pharmacovigilance: an evaluation on the practice of pharmacists acting in pharmacies and drugstores

Pharmacists acting in pharmacies and drugstores stores are some of the most accessible healthcare providers and the last to intervene before the patient takes their medicine. This puts the pharmacist in a position of authority that should be harnessed for the benefit of health. Thus, this professional is strategic for performing pharmacovigilance. Our objective of this study was to interrogate the practice of pharmacists in relation to pharmacovigilance activities, and to identify difficulties and possible stimuli for the improvement these activities in pharmacies and drugstores. The information was collected through an online questionnaire via Survey Monkey®. The data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software. Responses were received from 5174 pharmacists: mostly young women within five years of graduation and experience in pharmaceutical retail. 81% of them reported having identified suspected substandard medicines, but only 16% used the Brazilian notification system Notivisa. More than 85% of pharmacists agreed with the importance of pharmacovigilance and the recognition of reporting services as part of pharmacist duties and pharmaceutical care. The main barriers to making notifications were the lack of access and knowledge about Notivisa. Pharmacists agreed that simplifying the system would be a stimulus for notifications, and requested more feedback from notifications, as well as material and courses to understand the notification process. Pharmacists have important data to feed into pharmacovigilance systems, recognize their responsibilities and are willing to contribute, but still demonstrate low compliance. Simplification of the system and training on it are likely to increase notifications

Alginate hydrogel improves anti-angiogenic bevacizumab activity in cancer therapy

Alginate hydrogel improves anti-angiogenic bevacizumab activity in cancer therapyAnti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy applied to solid tumors is a promising strategy, yet, the challenge to deliver these agents at high drug concentrations together with the maintenance of therapeutic doses locally, at the tumor site, minimizes its benefits. To overcome these obstacles, we propose the development of a bevacizumab-loaded alginate hydrogel by electrostatic interactions to design a delivery system for controlled and anti-angiogenic therapy under tumor microenvironrnental conditions. The tridimensional hydrogel structure produced provides drug stability and a system able to be introduced as a flowable solution, stablishing a depot after local administration. Biological performance by the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay indicated a pH-independent improved anti-angiogenic activity (similar to 50%) compared to commercial available anti-VEGF drug. Moreover, there was a considerable regression in tumor size when treated with this system. Immunohistochemistry highlighted a reduced number and disorganization of microscopic blood vessels resulting from applied therapy. These results suggest that the developed hydrogel is a promising approach to create an innovative delivery system.that offers the possibility to treat different solid tumors by intratumoral administration.Brazilian Fundação de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Additionally, this article has been developed under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) Project PTDC/SAU-TOX/114549/2009 – FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-016057, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Side-resistance to macrolactones in cattle nematodes

Cattle ranches in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), are predominantly extensive and the control of gastrointestinal nematodes relies on the continuous usage of anthelmintic drugs. Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are the most frequently used products. There have been reports of anthelmintic resistance from gastrointestinal parasites in RS. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of 10 commercially available MLs in naturally infected cattle. A total of seventy Nelore and Charolais of abaut one year old and their crosses were studied. Each group (n=7) was treated with: doramectin 1% (Dectomaxâ, Pfizer), moxidectin 1% (Cydectinâ, Fort Dodge), four ivermectin 1% (Ivermectinaâ, Ouro Fino; Ivermectinaâ, Jofadel; Imectinâ, Irfa; Dectiverâ, Lapisa); ivermectin 3.1% (Ivomec Goldâ, Merial), two abamectin 1% (Abamectinaâ, Jofadel; Abactinâ, Biofarm), and the combination ivermectin 2.25% plus abamectin 1.25% (Solutionâ, Intervet) at their recommended doses. Fecal samples were collected at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days postreatment for the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and larval culture, using modified RESO analysis. At 21 days after treatment overall efficacy was 0, 0, 19, 89, 30, 13, 27, 0, 0, and 67% respectively. Trichostrongylus sp. and Cooperia sp. have shown resistance to all products. Although, ivermectin 3.1% nor the combination ivermectin plus abamectin were used previously against this parasite population, the data confirm the deep development of side-resistance between MLs in the most important cattle nematodes.No Rio Grande do Sul (RS), a bovinocultura de corte, em sua maioria, tem caráter extensivo e o controle parasitário é fundamentado no uso contínuo de drogas anti-helmínticas. Os produtos mais utilizados fazem parte do grupo das lactonas macrocíclicas (LMs). No RS, já existem relatos da ocorrência de resistência a estes produtos em parasitas gastrintestinais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a eficácia de 10 LM´s disponíveis comercialmente em bovinos naturalmente infectados. Foram utilizados setenta bovinos da raça Nelore, de aproximadamente um ano de idade. Cada grupo (n=7) foi tratado com doramectina 1% (Dectomaxâ, Pfizer), moxidectina 1% (Cydectinâ, Fort Dodge), quatro ivermectinas 1% (Ivermectinaâ, Ouro Fino; Ivermectinaâ, Jofadel; Imectinâ, Irfa; Dectiverâ, Lapisa); ivermectina 3,1% (Ivomec Goldâ, Merial), duas abamectinas 1% (Abamectinaâ, Jofadel; Abactinâ, Biofarm), e a combinação de abamectina 1,25% com ivermectina 2,25% (Solutionâ, Intervet) na dose recomendada pelo fabricante. Amostras fecais foram colhidas nos dias 0, 7, 14 e 21 pós-tratamento para determinação do número de ovos e cultura de larvas e cálculo do percentual de eficácia com o programa estatístico RESO. A eficácia das drogas foi de 0, 0, 19, 89, 30, 13, 27, 0, 0, e 67% respectivamente, 21 dias pós-tratamento. Os gêneros, Trichostrongylus sp. e Cooperia sp. demonstraram resistência a todos os produtos. Embora nessa população de parasitas gastrintestinais o produto à base de ivermectina 3,1% e da combinação ivermectina e abamectina jamais tenha sido utilizado previamente, os dados obtidos confirmam o grave desenvolvimento da resistência lateral entre as LMs nos mais importantes nematóides de bovinos

Controlling Bovine Brucellosis In The State Of São Paulo, Brazil: Results After Ten Years Of A Vaccination Program

A cross- sectional study was carried out, between May and November 2011, to estimate the situation of the bovine brucellosis in São Paulo State, 10 years after the commencement of the vaccination of the heifers with the S19 strain. The State was divided into seven regions and in each of them, 300 farms with reproductive activity were randomly chosen and considered as primary sample units. A fixed number of cows was randomly selected and tested for antibodies against Brucella spp. A farm was considered infected if at least one female tested positive. In the selected farms, an epidemiological questionnaire was administered which focused on herd traits as well as husbandry and sanitary practices that could be associated with the risk of infection. The prevalence (percentile, [95% confidence interval]) of infected herds was 10.2% [8.8-11.8] for the State, and for the regions, it varied from 7.3% [4.7-11.2] to 12.3% [8.8-16.8], not showing significant difference between different regions. The apparent prevalence of positive farms in the State and regions remained similar to the prevalence observed 10 years before. The prevalence of positive animals was 2.4% [1.8-3.1] in the State and varied from 1.1% [0.6-2] to 3.5% [1.7-7.1] in the regions, not showing significant difference between regions. Again, there was no difference in the prevalence of positive animals after 10 years of the vaccination program. The risk factors (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval) associated with bovine brucellosis in the State included number of cows = 24 (3.08, 2.22-4.27) and the acquisition of breeding animals (1.33, 0.95-1.87). The São Paulo State should conduct systematic vaccination coverage of above 80% of the eligible heifers with the S19 strain vaccine annually. Moreover, the State should emphatically use RB51 strain vaccine in females above 8 months of age not vaccinated with S19 strain vaccine. An efficient animal health education program to orientate farmers to test replacement animals for brucellosis prior to introduction in their herds should also be implemented.3753505351

Aroma precursors of grapes: contribution of variety and vineyard traning system to port wine aroma

In order to evaluate the influence of the vine training system in the composition in terpenes, norisoprenoids and their precursors (carotenoids and glycosidic molecules), these compounds were quantified in grapes and Port wines belonging to two varieties: Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca from Douro Region. The double cordon LYS 2/3 system was compared with the traditional method, the vertical shoot positioning VSP system. Touriga Nacional grapes and wines have higher contents in carotenoids, free and glycosylated fractions of terpenic and norisoprenoids compounds than Touriga Franca. In general, LYS 2/3 training system produced grapes and wines with high content in glycosylated fractions of terpenes and nor-isoprenoids, being more appropriate to the production of Port wines, which are submitted to an aging process

Effectiveness of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis

Background: The management of spinal stenosis by surgery has increased rapidly in the past two decades, however, there is still controversy regarding the efficacy of surgery for this condition. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy and comparative effectiveness of surgery in the management of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: Electronic searches were performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS and Cochrane Library from inception to November 2014. Hand searches were conducted on included articles and relevant reviews. We included randomised controlled trials evaluating surgery compared to no treatment, placebo/sham, or to another surgical technique in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Primary outcome measures were pain, disability, recovery and quality of life. The PEDro scale was used for risk of bias assessment. Data were pooled with a random-effects model, and the GRADE approach was used to summarise conclusions. Results: Nineteen published reports (17 trials) were included. No trials were identified comparing surgery to no treatment or placebo/sham. Pooling revealed that decompression plus fusion is not superior to decompression alone for pain (mean difference -3.7, 95% confidence interval -15.6 to 8.1), disability (mean difference 9.8, 95% confidence interval -9.4 to 28.9), or walking ability (risk ratio 0.9, 95% confidence interval 0.4 to 1.9). Interspinous process spacer devices are slightly more effective than decompression plus fusion for disability (mean difference 5.7, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 10.0), but they resulted in significantly higher reoperation rates when compared to decompression alone (28% v 7%, P < 0.001). There are no differences in the effectiveness between other surgical techniques for our main outcomes. Conclusions: The relative efficacy of various surgical options for treatment of spinal stenosis remains uncertain. Decompression plus fusion is not more effective than decompression alone. Interspinous process spacer devices result in higher reoperation rates than bony decompression

Gravitational field around a screwed superconducting cosmic string in scalar-tensor theories

We obtain the solution that corresponds to a screwed superconducting cosmic string (SSCS) in the framework of a general scalar-tensor theory including torsion. We investigate the metric of the SSCS in Brans-Dicke theory with torsion and analyze the case without torsion. We show that in the case with torsion the space-time background presents other properties different from that in which torsion is absent. When the spin vanish, this torsion is a $\phi$-gradient and then it propagates outside of the string. We investigate the effect of torsion on the gravitational force and on the geodesics of a test-particle moving around the SSCS. The accretion of matter by wakes formation when a SSCS moves with speed $v$ is investigated. We compare our results with those obtained for cosmic strings in the framework of scalar-tensor theory.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, presented at the "XXII - Encontro Nacional de Fisica de Particulas e Campos", Sao Lourenco, MG, Brazi

Higher Grading Conformal Affine Toda Teory and (Generalized) Sine-Gordon/Massive Thirring Duality

Some properties of the higher grading integrable generalizations of the conformal affine Toda systems are studied. The fields associated to the non-zero grade generators are Dirac spinors. The effective action is written in terms of the Wess-Zumino-Novikov-Witten (WZNW) action associated to an affine Lie algebra, and an off-critical theory is obtained as the result of the spontaneous breakdown of the conformal symmetry. Moreover, the off-critical theory presents a remarkable equivalence between the Noether and topological currents of the model. Related to the off-critical model we define a real and local Lagrangian provided some reality conditions are imposed on the fields of the model. This real action model is expected to describe the soliton sector of the original model, and turns out to be the master action from which we uncover the weak-strong phases described by (generalized) massive Thirring and sine-Gordon type models, respectively. The case of any (untwisted) affine Lie algebra furnished with the principal gradation is studied in some detail. The example of $\hat{sl}(n) (n=2,3)$ is presented explicitly.Comment: 28 pages, JHEP styl

The brief body avoidance and checking scale for physically active men: development and initial validation

The aim of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Brief Body Avoidance and Checking Scale (BBACS) for physically active men. The BBACS is designed to assess the frequency of body checking and avoidance behaviors common among users of gyms and health clubs. Following development of an initial pool of items and content judgment, data from 325 men were collected from gym users and participants in organized sporting events. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit for a model with two factors and 12 items. Satisfactory evidence of construct validity and internal consistency was also generated through analysis of factor loadings, t-values, correlations with drive for muscularity and body satisfaction measures, group differences, Cronbach’s alpha, and construct reliability tests. The BBACS appears to be a valid and reliable scale for assessing the frequency of body checking and body avoidance behaviors among physically active men