Frictional resistance of self-ligating versus conventional brackets in different bracket-archwire-angle combinations

Objective: To compare the influence of archwire material (NiTi, beta-Ti and stainless steel) and brackets design (self-ligating and conventional) on the frictional force resistance. Material and Methods: Two types of brackets (self-ligating brackets - Smartclip, 3M/Unitek - and conventional brackets - Gemini, 3M/Unitek) with three (0, 5, and 10 degrees) slot angulation attached with elastomeric ligatures (TP Orthodontics) were tested. All brackets were tested with archwire 0.019"x0.025" nickel-titanium, beta-titanium, and stainless steel (Unitek/3M). The mechanical testing was performed with a universal testing machine eMIC DL 10000 (eMIC Co, Brazil). The wires were pulled from the bracket slots at a cross-head speed of 3 mm/min until 2 mm displacement. Results: Self-ligating brackets produced significantly lower friction values compared with those of conventional brackets. Frictional force resistance values were directly proportional to the increase in the bracket/ wire angulation. With regard to conventional brackets, stainless steel wires had the lowest friction force values, followed by nickel-titanium and beta-titanium ones. With regard to self-ligating brackets, the nickel-titanium wires had the lowest friction values, significantly lower than those of other materials. Conclusion: even at different angulations, the self-ligating brackets showed significantly lower friction force values than the conventional brackets. Combined with nickel-titanium wires, the self-ligating brackets exhibit much lower friction, possibly due to the contact between nickel-titanium clips and wires of the same material

Effect of Citric Acid and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid on the Surface Morphology of Young and Old Root Dentin

Introduction: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of 10% citric acid and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) irrigating solutions on the surface morphology of young and old root dentin by determining the number and diameter of dentinal tubules using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Methods and Materials: Fifty healthy human teeth collected from young (≤30 years) and old (≥60 years) individuals (n=25) were first prepared with a Largo bur #2 to produce smear layer on the root canal surface. Subsequently, the crowns and the root middle and apical thirds were sectioned and removed, and the cervical thirds were sectioned vertically in the buccal-lingual direction into two equal halves. The obtained samples were then immersed in 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 30 min and randomly separated into two treatment groups for each age group. In each age group, ten samples were selected as controls and did not receive any type of treatment. The rest of the specimens were then rinsed, dried and treated for 4 min with 10% citric acid or 17% EDTA. The samples were then assessed with SEM regarding the number and diameter of dentinal tubules. All data were assessed using Student’s t-test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Regardless of the type of treatment, no significant differences were observed in the number of open tubules between the young and old root dentin (P>0.05). Nonetheless, the diameter of the tubules in the old root dentin was larger when 17% EDTA was used (P<0.05). Both, young and old root dentin did not differ with the 10% citric acid treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that 17% EDTA treatment induced a significant demineralization in old root dentin.Keywords: Citric Acid; Dentinal Tubule; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid; Scanning Electron Microscopy; Surface Morpholog

DENGUE DURING PREGNANCY: ASSOCIATION WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND PREMATURITY

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dengue virus infection during pregnancy and its correlation with low birth weight, prematurity, and asphyxia. A non-concurrent cohort study reveals the association of dengue during pregnancy with prematurity and low birth weight, when birth occurred during the maternal-fetal viremia period (p = 0.016 and p < 0.0001, respectively)

CONSTRUÇÃO DE UM INDICADOR PARA A QUALIDADE GLOBAL DE VIDA NO ENSINO PÚBLICO SUPERIOR (Estudo de Caso sobre as condições de vida e trabalho vinculadas à formação de profissionais do Curso de Graduação em Matemática da Universidade Federal Fluminense)

A quality of life index is presented and applied to students and teachers of a university. The index, supported by four dimensions of quality of life, emerges from the crossing of two dichotomies of human beings: individual life-occupational life versus physical dimensionpsychic dimension. This crossing action makes emerge four planes to considering quality of life. The individual physical life was available by the instrument WHOQOL-Bref; the individual psychic one by SRQ-20, the occupational physical one by a ponometric scale and the occupational psychic one by a scale for detecting stress (students) or by the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale (teachers). The results show that, except on the individual psychic dimension, female groups present precarious quality of life in relation to males ones (p<0,05). It was observed around 20% of peoples in suffering stage on each of the four dimensions. The global quality of life (GQL) index shows that individual and occupational conditions of life of the students are worst of teachers one (p<0,05).Universidade Federal FluminenseA presente dissertação descreve a construção de um indicador para a qualidade de vida de alunos e professores em universidade. Considera-se a qualidade de vida composta de quatro dimensões, engendradas pela consideração cruzada dos planos individual e ocupacional desses indivíduos com as dimensões objetiva e subjetiva do ser. As qualidades de vida física, psíquica, ocupacional e psíquica ocupacional formam essas quatro dimensões, as quais foram avaliadas pelas escalas WHOQOL-Bref, SRQ-20, ponométrica e de estresse (no caso dos professores, escala de burnout de Maslach). Os resultados mostram que, exceto na dimensão psíquica, os grupos femininos estão em situação de qualidade de vida mais precária do que os masculinos (p<0,05). Observou-se cerca de 20% de indivíduos em sofrimento em cada uma das dimensões. O indicador de qualidade global de vida, QGV, permitiu concluir que as condições de vida, individual e ocupacional, dos alunos são piores do que a dos professores (p<0,05). A pesquisa foi realizada em universidade pública federal

Contribuição da citopatologia na rotina investigativa de pacientes de risco para o carcinoma oral e no diagnóstico da candidíase oral

Introdução: O exame citopatológico é uma ferramenta diagnóstica auxiliar confiável na identificação de lesões pré-malignas e do carcinoma de células escamosas oral, para imediato encaminhamento e tratamento dos pacientes. A confiança no método tem sido crescente e as indicações para sua utilização referem-se à identificação das lesões malignas ou com potencial de malignidade, auxílio à decisão da escolha da melhor área de biópsia e ao monitoramento dos pacientes, à identificação da candidíase oral e do efeito citopático do vírus Epstein-Barr, além da confirmação de outros tipos de lesões da mucosa bucal. O método diagnóstico é universalmente utilizado com sucesso, embora para o estudo e diagnóstico das lesões orais apresente pouca adesão na rotina do clínico e do estomatologista. Nos últimos tempos alguns autores conseguiram romper a barreira de resistência de sua utilização na boca e conseguiram divulgar estudos e resultados na literatura internacional. Objetivos: Demonstrar que a Citopatologia é um método importante na rotina investigativa de pacientes de risco para o carcinoma oral e mais eficiente do que o método clínico no diagnóstico da candidíase oral. Material e Métodos: Bancos de dados de estudos anteriores propiciaram uma amostra de 195 registros de pacientes de risco para carcinoma de boca e 500 registros de pacientes imunocomprometidos e imunocompetentes em estudo sobre diagnóstico de candidíase oral. A análise documental sobre os registros focalizou a capacidade de impacto positivo da citopatologia no processo investigativo do carcinoma de boca e da candidíase oral e métodos quantitativos buscaram relações matemáticas e estatísticas que sustentassem o alcance dos objetivos. Resultados: Nos pacientes de risco para carcinoma de boca, a citopatologia identificou 32% de casos de candidíase (dezesseis vezes mais casos que o exame clínico), 10% de casos apresentando malignidade (displasias epiteliais e carcinomas), 54% de pacientes clinicamente normais com alguma anormalidade (dentre elas, 5% de displasias epiteliais e 32% de candidíase) e 83% de informação adicional relevante (displasias, candidíases e normalidade) associadas às lesões malignas clinicamente diagnosticas, além de ter 70% dos casos de displasias e todos os de carcinoma confirmados pela histopatologia. No estudo da candidíase oral em pacientes imunocompetentes e imunocomprometidos, o método de Papanicolaou combinado com o método PAS possibilitou a correção de 35% de todos os diagnósticos clínicos (54% dos imunocomprometidos e 40% dos imunocompetentes). Considerando o crescimento da taxa de mortalidade por 100 mil habitantes na última década, a citopatologia mostra características (baixo custo, pouco incômodo aos pacientes, dentre outras) de método que, se introduzido como rotina ambulatorial, apresenta potencial para mitigar a morbidade e mortalidade por câncer de boca, funcionando a médio e longo prazos como eficiente método de rastreio diferente das abordagens convencionais. Conclusões: Os resultados mostram a natureza diagnóstica diferencial do método citopatológico em relação ao método clínico e o ganho de informação adicional em relação aos diagnósticos clínicos na investigação do câncer oral em pacientes de risco para carcinoma de boca, particularmente na identificação de lesões epiteliais displásicas. Na avaliação da presença de candidíase, os resultados mostram superioridade diagnóstica da avaliação citopatológica em relação à avaliação clínicaIntroduction: Cytopathological examination is a helpfull diagnostic tool that identifies oral premalignant lesions and oral squamous cell carcinoma for immediate referral and treatment of patients. Confidence in the method has been growing and the indications for its use refer to the identification of malignant or potentially malignant lesions, aid to the decision to choose the best biopsy area and monitoring of patients, identification of oral candidiasis and cytophatic effect of Epstein-Barr virus, besides the confirmation of other oral mucosa lesions. The diagnostic method based on cytophalogy is universally used successfully, though for the study and diagnosis of oral lesions present low compliance in clinial and stomatological routine. Lately some authors managed to break through the resistance barrier of use in the mouth and managed to promote studies and results in the international literature. Objectives: To demonstrate that Cytopathology is an important method in the research routine of patients at risk for oral cancer and more efficient than the clinical method in the diagnosis of oral candidiasis. Methods: Databases of previous studies provided a sample of 195 records of patients at risk for oral cancer and 500 records of immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients in a study on diagnosis of oral candidiasis. The documentary analysis of the records focused on the positive impact of capacity of cytopathology in the investigative process of oral carcinoma and oral candidiasis and mathematical and statistical methods to support the achievement of objectives. Results: For patients at risk for oral cancer, cytopathology identified 32% of cases of candidiasis (sixteen times more cases than clinical examination), 10% of cases showing malignancy (epithelial dysplasia and carcinomas), 54% of patients clinically normal with some abnormality (among them 5% of epithelial dysplasia and 32% of candidiasis) and 83% of additional relevant information (dysplasias, candidiasis and normality) associated with clinically diagnostic malignant lesions, in addition to 70% of cases of dysplasia and all cases of carcinoma confirmed by histopathology. In the study of oral candidiasis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients, the Papanicolaou method combined with PAS method enabled the correction of 35% of all clinical diagnoses (54% of immunocompromised and 40% of immunocompetent patients). Considering the growth of mortality rate per 100 thousand inhabitants in the last decade, cytopathology shows characteristics (low cost, little uncomfortable procedure for patients, among others) that make it a method that has the potential to mitigate morbidity and mortality from oral cancer, if introduced as ambulatory care, working in the medium and long term as an effective screening method different from conventional approaches. Conclusions: The results show the diagnostic differential nature of cytophatological method opposed to clinical method and the additional gain of information to clinical diagnoses in the investigation of oral cancer in patients at risk for mouth cancer, particularly in the identification of dysplastic epithelial lesions. In assessing the presence of candidiasis, the results show diagnostic superiority of cytological evaluation in relation to the clinical evaluation206f