Bilateral Hip Heterotopic Ossification with Sciatic Nerve Compression on a Paediatric Patient–An Individualized Surgical Approach: A Case Report

Background: Neurogenic heterotopic ossification is an acquired serious complication described in patients with central nervous system disorders and defined by bone formation in non-osseous tissue. Case summary: We present an unusual case of a 13-yr-old boy presenting with hip pain and severe gait impairment 5 mo after the diagnosis of hemiplegia following a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. Computed tomography revealed bilateral heterotopic ossification of both the paretic and the non-paretic limbs, with entrapment of the sciatic nerve. The choice of surgical or nonsurgical management of such patients depends on the timing of diagnosis, the symptoms, and the extent of maturation of the ossified lesions. Surgical resection remains the only treatment with proven, evidence-based effectiveness. The choice of surgical approach largely depends on the location of the ossified lesions. Conclusion: We believe the plane of dissection presented is a satisfactory option for resection of a posteromedial mass and sciatic nerve release.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Altered cogs of the clock: Insights into the embryonic etiology of spondylocostal dysostosis

Spondylocostal dysostosis (SCDO) is a rare heritable congenital condition, characterized by multiple severe malformations of the vertebrae and ribs. Great advances were made in the last decades at the clinical level, by identifying the genetic mutations underlying the different forms of the disease. These were matched by extraordinary findings in the Developmental Biology field, which elucidated the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in embryo body segmentation into the precursors of the axial skeleton. Of particular relevance was the discovery of the somitogenesis molecular clock that controls the progression of somite boundary formation over time. An overview of these concepts is presented, including the evidence obtained from animal models on the embryonic origins of the mutant-dependent disease. Evidence of an environmental contribution to the severity of the disease is discussed. Finally, a brief reference is made to emerging in vitro models of human somitogenesis which are being employed to model the molecular and cellular events occurring in SCDO. These represent great promise for understanding this and other human diseases and for the development of more efficient therapeutic approaches.PTDC/BEX-BID/5410/2014, SFRH/BD/146043/2019, UID/BIM/04773/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On the performance of profile extrusion dies

This work presents a study performed with an in-house 3D numerical modelling code, used to evaluate the sensitivity of extrusion dies, optimized with alternative strategies, to process parameters, such as machining inaccuracies, melt rheology and processing conditions.FC

Metodologia científica: aperfeiçoamento metodológico para digestão assistida via micro-ondas na análise mineral de feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a eficiência na recuperação de minerais por meio do método de digestão em micro-ondas adaptado e analisar se essa recuperação é confiável com o uso de menor volume de ácido nítrico, otimizando-se, desta forma, o método. Neste comunicado, são relatadas todas as etapas e procedimentos para a condução das análises, assim como, discutidos os resultados e o alcance dos principais objetivos do trabalho com base em análise estatística e cálculo do Z Score.bitstream/item/30834/1/comt196.pd

Medial dorsal cutaneous nerve entrapment following inversion ankle sprain

The medial dorsal cutaneous nerve is one of the terminal branches of the superficial peroneal nerve that provides sensory innervation to the dorsum of the foot. It may be prone to injury by direct blow, iatrogenic surgical lesion or in rare situations secondary to ankle sprains. The authors report a case of persistent ankle pain in a female patient caused by a post- traumatic compressive neuropathy of the medial dorsal cutaneous nerve secondary to an ankle sprain which was successfully surgically treated with complete resolution of the symptoms

Are the Tails of Percolation Thresholds Gaussians ?

The probability distribution of percolation thresholds in finite lattices were first believed to follow a normal Gaussian behaviour. With increasing computer power and more efficient simulational techniques, this belief turned to a stretched exponential behaviour, instead. Here, based on a further improvement of Monte Carlo data, we show evidences that this question is not yet answered at all.Comment: 7 pages including 3 figure

Molecular Identification Of Cultivable Bacteria From Infected Root Canals Associated With Acute Apical Abscess

The objective of this study was to investigate the bacterial composition present in root canals of teeth associated with acute apical abscess by molecular identification (16S rRNA) of cultivable bacteria. Two hundred and twenty strains isolated by culture from 20 root canals were subjected to DNA extraction and amplification of the 16S rRNA gene (PCR), followed by sequencing. The resulting nucleotide sequences were compared to the GenBank database from the National Center of Biotechnology Information through BLAST. Strains not identified by sequencing were submitted to clonal analysis. The association of microbiological findings with clinical features and the association between microbial species were also investigated. Fifty-nine different cultivable bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, belonging to 6 phyla, with an average number of 6 species per root canal. Molecular approaches allowed identification of 99% of isolates. The most frequently identified bacteria were Prevotella spp., Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus, Parvimonas micra, Dialister invisus, Filifactor alocis, and Peptostreptococcus stomatis. Positive association was found between Prevotella buccae and Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus and between Parvimonas micra and Prevotella nigrescens (both p<0.05). It was concluded that the microbiota of infected root canals associated with acute apical abscess is diverse and heterogeneous, composed mainly of anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, with the great majority belonging to the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes.27331832

Heat transfer to Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in cross-corrugated chevron-type plate heat exchangers: numerical approach

Food fluids are frequently processed in plate heat exchangers (PHEs) and usually behave as non-Newtonian fluids, this behaviour being scarcely considered for PHEs design purposes. Moreover, many food fluids processed in PHEs have a high viscosity and, therefore, data obtained in laminar flow regime is useful to practical applications. The thermal-hydraulic performance of PHEs is strongly dependent on the physical properties of the fluid and on the geometrical properties of the plates namely, on the corrugation angle and on the channel aspect ratio. The mostly widely used PHEs have corrugations of the chevron type with an area enlargement factor defined as the ratio between the effective plate area and projected plate area close to 1.17. In the present work non-isothermal laminar flows of Newtonian and power-law fluids through cross-corrugated chevron-type plate heat exchangers are studied numerically in terms of the geometry of the channels. The plates area enlargement factor was a typical one (1.17), the corrugation angle varied between 30º and 60º and the flow index behaviour, n, between 0.25 and 1. The numerical calculations were performed using the commercial finite element software package POLYFLOW®. The equations solved were the conservation of mass, momentum and energy equations for laminar incompressible flow of Newtonian and power-law fluids. The simulations were performed using channels containing seven consecutive unitary cells, since thermal and hydraulic fully developed flows were achieved in the fifth or sixth consecutive cell, as described in previous works. Coefficient K from the friction curves fRe = K compares very well with experimental and semi-theoretical data for all (seven) values of corrugation angle. Nusselt number reaches a maximum in the interior of the studied corrugation angle range, for a fixed Reynolds, Re, number. Shear thinning effects greatly affect the thermal-hydraulic performance of the plate heat exchanger

SheepIT, an E-Shepherd System for Weed Control in Vineyards: Experimental Results and Lessons Learned

Weed control in vineyards demands regular interventions that currently consist of the use of machinery, such as plows and brush-cutters, and the application of herbicides. These methods have several drawbacks, including cost, chemical pollution, and the emission of greenhouse gases. The use of animals to weed vineyards, usually ovines, is an ancestral, environmentally friendly, and sustainable practice that was abandoned because of the scarcity and cost of shepherds, which were essential for preventing animals from damaging the vines and grapes. The SheepIT project was developed to automate the role of human shepherds, by monitoring and conditioning the behaviour of grazing animals. Additionally, the data collected in real-time can be used for improving the efficiency of the whole process, e.g., by detecting abnormal situations such as health conditions or attacks and manage the weeding areas. This paper presents a comprehensive set of field-test results, obtained with the SheepIT infrastructure, addressing several dimensions, from the animals’ well-being and their impact on the cultures, to technical aspects, such as system autonomy. The results show that the core objectives of the project have been attained and that it is feasible to use this system, at an industrial scale, in vineyards.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Construction of a tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometer (WCAES)

It is here discussed the development of a low cost analytical instrument with capacity for metals determination using atomic emission measurements in an electrothermal atomization system with a tungsten coil atomizer. The main goal was to show a new frontier for using this atomizer and to demonstrate that the simple instrumental arrangement here proposed has potential for portability and for solving analytical tasks related to metals determination. Atomic emission of calcium was selected for the adjustment of instrumental parameters and to evaluate the main characteristics of the lab-built instrument. Cobalt was determined in medicines and one alloy to demonstrate its feasibility.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPES