Validation of a suggested pre-operative protocol for the prevention of traumatic dental injuries during oroendotracheal intubation: a pilot study

The aim of this study was to develop a protocol for oral pre-operative registration and dental risk assessment by the anaesthesiologist, determining its reliability through the inter-observer agreement between a senior dental student and an internal physician specializing in anaesthesiology. A convenience sample consisting of 35 patients was selected. These were observed during the anaesthesiology consultation, at Hospital de São João, Porto, Portugal. The protocol included a self-administered questionnaire and a brief clinical examination by the two observers. A descriptive analysis (qualitative and quantitative variables) was performed. The Fleiss Kappa index was used to measure the degree of agreement between the two observers. In most of the parameters defined, the agreement presented Kappa index values between 0.6 and 1, corresponding to good and excellent correlation, respectively. The general oral status was considered “poor”, with a great number of missing teeth, namely the upper central and lateral incisors. The proposed pre-anaesthetic protocol can be a reliable tool for the anaesthesiologists, which suggests the relevancy of incorporating interdisciplinary training between future health professionals. Further research is needed to assess its implementation, providing information about the pre-operative oral status, preventing intraoperative damage and potential medicolegal litigation

Cutaneous mucormycosis

Cutaneous mucormycosis is an emerging fungal infection caused by opportunistic fungi of the phylum Glomeromycota. It is frequent in poorly controlled diabetic patients and individuals with immunosuppression. It is usually acquired by direct inoculation through trauma. The clinical presentation is nonspecific, but an indurated plaque that rapidly evolves to necrosis is a common finding. Diagnosis should be confirmed by demonstration of the etiological agent and new molecular diagnostic tools have recently been described. It is an invasive life-threatening disease and in order to improve survival, a prompt diagnosis and multidisciplinary management should be provided. The treatment of choice is amphotericin B, but new azoles, such as posaconazole and isavuconazole, must be considered. Keywords: Mucormycosis; Mucorales; Mucor; Zygomycosis; Rhizopu

Polyphenol oxidase activity and colour changes of ‘Starking’ Apple cubes coated with alginate and dehydrated with air

The objective was to study the effect of alginate coating on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and colour of ‘Starking’ apple cubes during dehydration with hot air. Apple cubes were dehydrated at 20°C, 35°C or 40°C, with a parallel air-flow. Analysis of PPO activity, colour (L*, a*, b*) and dry matter were performed along the dehydration process at each temperature. All samples presented a peak in relative PPO activity in the beginning of the drying. Exponential models fitted well the experimental data after the peak. Cubes without coating presented lower PPO activity, suggesting lower browning than coated samples throughout the dehydration process, for all temperatures. Better results for coated samples were obtained with a perpendicular airflow drying at 40°C, after dipping the whole apple in water at 60°C for 10 minutes. In order to prevent coated samples from browning, drying by perpendicular airflow preceded by a thermal treatment of the whole apple is required.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tensile strain hardening of a metakaolin based fibre reinforced composite

Portland cement concrete is the most used building material in the world. However, its manufacture is energy-intensive and it is susceptible to harsh environments. Alternative binder systems without ordinary Portland cement, such as geopolymers or alkali-activated materials, are recently new in the Civil Engineered world. These alternative binder systems seek, among other characteristics, improved durability and environmental efficiency. The attaining of strain hardening and multiple cracking typical of Strain Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCC) using these alternative binder systems is very attractive from a conceptual point of view, since additional endurance to certain harsh or extreme environments, as well as enhanced durability, are usually expected as two of the main outcomes. In the present work, the behaviour of two different composites was studied: an existing Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) and a new composite based on an alternative binder prepared with metakaolin. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres were used in both materials. A series of experiments, including compressive and direct tensile testing were carried out to characterize and compare the mechanical properties of both materials. The results showed that the alternative binder composite, when subjected to uniaxial tension, developed multiple cracks at steadily increasing tensile stress and strain, which is also typical of ECCs showing strain hardening behaviour. The development of fibre reinforced geopolymer or alkali-activated materials showing strain hardening ability in tension may still be considered as a novel research topic, with great potential for creating new and interesting developments for Civil Engineering and structural applications, particularly the ones subjected to harsh environments

Monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 are associated with CD147 in cervical carcinoma

Due to the highly glycolytic metabolism of solid tumours, there is an increased acid production, however, cells are able to maintain physiological pH through plasma membrane efflux of the accumulating protons. Acid efflux through MCTs (monocarboxylate transporters) constitutes one of the most important mechanisms involved in tumour intracellular pH maintenance. Still, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of these proteins are not fully understood. We aimed to evaluate the association between CD147 (MCT1 and MCT4 chaperone) and MCT expression in cervical cancer lesions and the clinico-pathological significance of CD147 expression, alone and in combination with MCTs. The series included 83 biopsy samples of precursor lesions and surgical specimens of 126 invasive carcinomas. Analysis of CD147 expression was performed by immunohistochemistry. CD147 expression was higher in squamous and adenocarcinoma tissues than in the non-neoplastic counterparts and, importantly, both MCT1 and MCT4 were more frequently expressed in CD147 positive cases. Additionally, co-expression of CD147 with MCT1 was associated with lymph-node and/or distant metastases in adenocarcinomas. Our results show a close association between CD147 and MCT1 and MCT4 expressions in human cervical cancer and provided evidence for a prognostic value of CD147 and MCT1 co-expression.CP received a PhD fellowship from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/27465/2006)

Atividade reprodutiva e estrutura populacional de Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) no sul do Brasil

Among mammals, bats present the greatest diversity in reproductive strategies. In this study we analyzed reproductive and population characteristics of Myotis nigricans over one year in a temperate region in Brazil. We carried out the samplings in an anthropic roost, in Pedras Grandes municipality, Santa Catarina state. We captured bats monthly with mist nets installed at the roosts exits and identified the captured individuals according to sex, reproductive condition and age. There was greatest number of females than males. Population size was estimated from 569 to 1050 individuals. Births occurred mainly from September to January, with more than one pregnancy event along the year, evidencing a seasonal and bimodal polyester pattern. The reproductive period of M. nigricans in southern Brazil is similar to the records made in other regions. Despite of it, there is no pattern along its distribution range. © SAREM, 2018

Solar and Interplanetary Turbulence: Lagrangian Coherent Structures

Talk delivered in 22nd EGU General Assembly, held online 4-8 May, 2020, id.4289, https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2020/EGU2020-4289.html.-- https://www.egu2020.eu/The dynamics of solar and interplanetary plasmas is governed by coherent structures such as current sheets and magnetic flux ropes which are responsible for the genesis of intermittent turbulence via magnetic reconnections in solar supergranular junctions, solar coronal loops, the shock-sheath region of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection, and the interface region of two interplanetary magnetic flux ropes. Lagrangian coherent structures provide a new powerful technique to detect time- or space-dependent transport barriers, and objective (i.e., frame invariant) kinematic and magnetic vortices in space plasma turbulence. We discuss the basic concepts of Lagrangian coherent structures in plasmas based on the computation of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent, the Lagrangian averaged vorticity deviation and the integrated averaged current deviation, as well as their applications to numerical simulations of MHD turbulence and space and ground observations.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation SEV-2017-070

Arp 220: A Post-starburst Galaxy with Little Current Star Formation outside of Its Nuclear Disks

The ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 is a late-stage merger with several tidal structures in the outskirts and two very compact, dusty nuclei that show evidence for extreme star formation and host at least one active galactic nucleus (AGN). New and archival high-resolution images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope provide a state-of-the-art view of the structures, dust, and stellar clusters in Arp 220. These images cover the near-ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared in both broad- and narrowband filters. We find that ∼90% of the H α emission arises from a shock-ionized bubble emanating from the AGN in the western nucleus, while the nuclear disks dominate the Pa β emission. Four very young (∼3–6 Myr) but lower-mass (≲10 ^4 M _⊙ ) clusters are detected in H α within a few arcseconds of the nuclei, but they produce less than 1% of the line emission. We see little evidence for a population of massive clusters younger than 100 Myr anywhere in Arp 220, unlike previous reports in the literature. From the masses and ages of the detected clusters, we find that star formation took place more or less continuously starting approximately a few gigayears ago with a moderate rate between ≈3 and 12 M _⊙ yr ^−1 . Approximately 100 Myr ago, star formation shut off suddenly everywhere (possibly due to a merging event), except in the nuclear disks. A very recent flicker of weak star formation produced the four young, low-mass clusters, while the rest of the galaxy appears to have remained in a post-starburst state. Cluster ages indicate that the tidal structures on the west side of the galaxy are older than those on the east side, but all appear to predate the shutoff of star formation. Arp 220 has many of the characteristics expected of a “shocked post-starburst galaxy,” since most of the system has been in a post-starburst state for the past ∼100 Myr and the detected H α emission arises from shocked rather than photoionized gas

Disruption of tuftelin 1, a desmosome associated protein, causes skin fragility, woolly hair and palmoplantar keratoderma

Desmosomes are dynamic complex protein structures involved in cellular adhesion. Disruption of these structures by loss of function variants in desmosomal genes lead to a variety of skin and heart related phenotypes. Here, we report tuftelin 1 as a desmosome-associated protein, implicated in epidermal integrity. In two siblings with mild skin fragility, woolly hair and mild palmoplantar keratoderma, but without a cardiac phenotype, we identified a homozygous splice site variant in the TUFT1 gene, leading to aberrant mRNA splicing and loss of tuftelin 1 protein. Patients' skin and keratinocytes showed acantholysis, perinuclear retraction of intermediate filaments, and reduced mechanical stress resistance. Immunolabeling and transfection studies showed that tuftelin 1 is positioned within the desmosome and its location dependent on the presence of the desmoplakin carboxy-terminal tail. A Tuft1 knock-out mouse model mimicked the patients' phenotypes. Altogether, this study reveals tuftelin 1 as a desmosome-associated protein, whose absence causes skin fragility, woolly hair and palmoplantar keratoderma.</p