Effectiveness Analysis of Biomedical Dynamometers used to evaluate palmar gripping force and forceps gripping in Leprosy Carriers

Leprosy is a chronic and infectious disease, transmissible, which causes neural lesions in which its investigation is mandatory in Brazil because it causes decreased thermal sensitivity, touch and pain, but mainly causes loss of muscle strength in the feet and hands giving the disease a great disabling power. Therefore, this disease is of health concern and control policies have been concerned with early diagnosis and treatment of affected individuals, requiring objective, sensitive and reliable methods of measurement. Therefore, this research proposed to analyze the effectiveness of biomedical dynamometers in the measurement of handgrip strength and forceps grasping force in the hand of leprosy patients. In this context, a systematic literature review was performed considering publications in Portuguese and English from 1993 to 2019, due to the lack of qualitative research publications in recent years related to the measurement of the effects of leprosy. The results of the study showed that the dynamometers surveyed have the potential to be used as tools to measure effects and support the diagnosis of leprosy. These meters have important features such as non-invasive, easily reproduced and good accuracy, contributing to objective assessment and early diagnosis of the professional, favoring the treatment of affected patients. In addition, through this literature review, it is possible to observe the importance of handgrip strength measurement, because the delay in diagnosis and consequently in treatment generates severe physical disabilities in the hands, which are evident due to the radial, median and ulnar nerves generating limitation to perform activities and decreased work capacity

Biomedical Mechatronic Dynamometer to Support the Evaluation of the Effects of Leprosy Through the Palmar Holding Strenght and the Tweezer Holding Strenght

The hand can suffer the effects of several diseases among the most serious, leprosy stands out, which is considered infectious and can generate loss of muscle strength, atrophy, deformity and physical, mental and social disability. For the World Health Organization (WHO) and also doctors and physiotherapists, it is necessary to evaluate the diseases in an objective, reliable and early manner in order to propose appropriate treatment and follow their evolution. This research proposed a biomedical mechatronic dynamometer in order to support the evaluation of the effects of leprosy by means of palmar grip strength and grip strength of tweezers performed by hand. The experimental research was developed at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul and consisted first of all in the survey of the demands of the health area in relation to the biomedical dynamometer being consulted the following databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline); US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (PUBMED) e Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The mechatronic biomedical dynamometer consisted of three fundamental parts: mechanical structure, electronic signal conditioning circuitry and digital information processing. The mechanical structure was designed to withstand a strenght of up to 700 N, developed in brass because this metal has low cost, has less mass and also because it is easier to machine than steel. The oval shape of the structure contains two lateral and thin regions that measure 2 cm thick, 3 cm wide each and aim to concentrate mechanical stresses in order to sensitize the strain sensor consisting of the four linear strain gages, model N2A-XX-S5262P-350/E4 and nominal resistance of 350 Ω, from the company Micro-Measurements, which showed accuracy of 98%. The mechanical structure also has a stainless-steel support that measures 1 cm thick and 3 cm wide located at the bottom and on which was glued a cushion to support the palm of the hand. This support can be replaced by other models that also contain a cushion that considers the presence of injuries or deformities in the hand. The mechanical structure also has a upper support that also measures 1 cm thick and 3 cm wide, to which four pressure sensors developed with rosette strain gages model N2K-XX-S5294R-350/DP/E4 with a nominal resistance of 350 Ω, from the company Micro-Measurements, were fixed and which showed an accuracy of 99.5%. The deformation sensor is stimulated by the application of palmar grip strenght while the pressure sensors are stimulated by the realization of index, middle, annular and minimum finger gripping strenght. In addition, these sensors are connected to Wheatstone Bridges whose feeds and also the responses are processed by five signal conditioning circuits developed with operational amplifiers LF 356, OPA 27 and OP27 GP of the company Burr-Brown, whose structure consists of voltage oscillator, amplifier, band pass filter, buffer and peak detector that generates DC voltage that feeds the data acquisition board. The answers on this board are sent to the Inspiron 15 3000 microcomputer from Dell, which has installed Labview software from National Instruments, which processes the information, stores, plotts the palmar grip strenght and pinch grip strenght graphs and can also send the information over the Internet. This research has the potential to obtain accurate information on the effects of leprosy in the hand that can support the evaluation, diagnosis of health professionals, follow up the evolution of the disease and the treatment adopted

Development of Biomedical Dynamometer for Measurement of Grip Strength in Mice Modeled with Cerebral Palsy

This research aimed to develop a biomedical dynamometer capable of measuring the grip strength of the forepaws of laboratory mices to verify the posterior phase, the effect of modeled cerebral palsy in the animal. The equipment was developed using a stainless steel blade, two double strain gages, a signal conditioning circuit that was connected to a software for acquisition, processing and plotting of graphs and tables in Excel. The metal blade has a length of 18.5 cm, a width of 1.5 cm and a thickness of 2 mm and a double strain gage model pa-09-125ha-350-l8 from Excel Sensors (Brazil), was glued to each face. The two double strain gages were connected in a Wheatstone bridge, which produces an analog response due to mechanical deformation of the blade, with force applied by the mice. This response was submitted to a signal conditioning circuit developed with Arduino that modulated the input wave, generated 10000 times amplification and performed filtering 4th order using Butterworth filter. Finally, a software developed in Labview 2019 of National Instruments (USA) was used for acquisition, processing and plotting of graphs and tables in Excel of the measurements performed. In the next step, the dynamometer was calibrated for sequential loading of masses of 0, 15.48 g, 31.53 g, 46.88 g to 62.47 g and also for sequential unloading of the same masses. For this, the masses were hung on a nylon string that was attached to the free end of the metal sheet. The final test was to measure the response time of the dynamometer with a stopwatch, when hanging a mass of 62.47 g on the nylon thread that was cut abruptly with scissors. Some of the main results of the calibration were as follows: 15.48 g generated 3.70 V, 31.53 g generated 7.48 V and 62.47 g gene rated 14.80 V and the response time was 0.3 s. These answers show that the dynamometer can be used to measure the grip strength of mice and can be modified for use in humans

Usefulness of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions in detection of lung cells alterations after benzo[a]pyrene instillation Uso do AgNOR na detecção de alterações das células do pulmão após o instilação de benzo[a]pireno

PURPOSE: To verify the relationship between AgNOR expression and lung tissues changes of Wistar rats after pulmonary instillation of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). METHODS: Male Rattus norvegicus albinus,Wistar lineage were given a single intrapulmonary instillation of B[a]P at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg in a volume of approximately 0,3 ml. After 7 and 21 days the rats were killed and the lung slices submitted to a histological technique of AgNOR. AgNOR dots were quantified and the result analyzed by statistical tests; p <= 0,05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean values of AgNOR dots for the experimental groups 10/7 (1,51±0,86) and 10/21 (1,84±0,13) were statistically different (p = 0,009). Among the groups 20/7 (1,63±0,11) and 20/21 (2,48±0,28) was observed statistically significant difference (p = 0,003). CONCLUSION: The AgNOR technique can be useful in identification of cells changes induced by B[a]P.<br>OBJETIVO: Verificar a relação entre a expressão de AgNOR e alterações teciduais pulmonares em ratos Wistar após instilação pulmonar de benzo[a]pireno (B[a]P). MÉTODOS: Rattus norvegicus albinus, linhagem Wistar machos foram submetidos à instilação pulmonar única de B[a]P em doses de 10 e 20mg/kg, em um volume aproximado de 0,3 ml. Os animais foram sacrificados após 7 e 21 dias e o tecido pulmonar submetido a técnica histológica de AgNOR. Os pontos AgNOR foram quantificados e os resultados analisados estatisticamente; foram considerados significantes os valores de p <= 0,05. RESULTADOS: Os valores médios de pontos AgNOR no grupo experimental 10/7 (1,51±0,86) e 10/21 (1,84±0,13) foram estatisticamente significantes (p = 0,009). Entre os grupos 20/7 (1,63±0,11) e 20/21 (2,48±0,28) a diferença observada foi também considerada significante (p = 0,003). CONCLUSÃO: A técnica de AgNOR pode ser útil na identificação de alterações celulares induzidas pelo B[a]P

Evaluation of oxidative stress in mice subjected to aerobic exercise Avaliação do estresse oxidativo em camundongos submetidos ao exercício físico aeróbico

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of aerobic exercise on oxidative stress in mice. METHODS: The study included twenty female mice Mus musculus-Swiss divided into two groups: sedentary control (GA) and exercise (GB), each containing ten animals. All animals underwent an adaptation period of seven days isolated in individual boxes. After this period, the animals in the exercise group (GB) were trained in angled running wheel with circumference of 25 cm assembled on an articulated axle during five minutes for three consecutive days. On the fourth day, they underwent an exercise program of one session lasting 45 minutes. The evaluation of oxidative stress was performed by determining the levels of malondialhyde derived of lipid peroxidation by the TBA method. The samples were read in a spectrophotometer at 535 nm. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in the intergroup comparison of MDA levels in the tissues evaluated. A significant difference was observed in the intragroup comparison of MDA levels in the control group (p = 0.0201).The Tukeys' post hoc test indicated significantly lower values of MDA in the smooth muscle in relation to plasma. In the analysis of variance in the exercise group, a significant difference between tissues (p = 0.0009), with significantly lower values in the smooth muscle in relation to plasma (p<0.001) and higher in striated muscle in relation to smooth muscle (p<0.05) was observed. CONCLUSION: There was no change in the analysis of oxidative stress in mice which were undergone a single session of aerobic exercise.<br>OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência do exercício físico aeróbico sobre o estresse oxidativo em camundongos. MÉTODOS: Participaram do estudo 20 camundongos (Swiss), distribuídos em dois grupos: controle-sedentário (GA) e exercício (GB) cada um contendo dez animais. Todos os animais passaram por um período de adaptação de sete dias. Após os animais do grupo (GB) receberam treinamento em roda giratória angulada montada sobre eixo articulado por cinco minutos durante três dias consecutivos. No quarto dia foram submetidos à única sessão de exercício por 45 minutos. A avaliação do estresse oxidativo foi realizada por meio dos níveis de malondiadeído pelo método do TBA. As amostras foram lidas em espectrofotômetro a 535nm. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença significativa na comparação intergrupos nos tecidos avaliados. Diferença significativa foi observada na comparação intragrupo para o GA (p=0,0201). O post hoc test de Tukey apontou valores significantemente inferiores no músculo liso em relação ao plasma. A análise de variância do GB apontou diferença significativa entre os tecidos (p=0,0009), com valores menores no músculo liso em relação ao plasma (p<0,001), e maiores no músculo estriado em relação ao músculo liso (p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Não houve alteração nas análises de malondialdeído tecidual entre os grupos avaliados

Healing effect of the ointment made of Equisetum pyramidale in the treatment of cutaneous lesions in diabetic rats

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and repair effects of the ethanolic extract and ointment of Equisetum pyramidale on the skin lesions of rats induced to diabetes. After the induction of diabetes with alloxan, a surgical procedure was performed on the back of each rat. Then, they were separated into treatment groups: G1 ethanol extract of E. pyramidale; G2-ointment (extract of E. pyramidale 80g + 20g of vaseline:lanolin 1:1); G3 control (vehicle vaseline:lanolin 1:1); and G4-no treatment during 3, 7 and 14 days. The samples were embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological analysis. The findings showed that the use of ethanolic extract as well as the ointment decreased the inflammatory cells at the site of inflammation, resulting a faster healing, with less crusting and lower amount of secretion in comparison to the control group. Therapy with topical herbal was an effective method in the inflammatory process of tissue repair, contributing to a faster and more organized tissue re-epithelialization