HELLP Syndrome a Severe Form of Preeclampsia: a Comparative Study of Clinical and Laboratorial Parameters

The objective of this study was to compare clinical, laboratorial, maternal and perinatal results between HELLP Syndrome and severe Preeclampsia. An observational study comparing women with HELLP Syndrome (n=71) to women with severe preeclampsia (n=253) was done. The authors analyzed the early course of the pathologies and the outcomes in both groups. HELLP syndrome occurred in 28% of all the cases and was more frequent at gestational age before 32 weeks (n=39 – 55%) than severe preeclampsia (n=108 - 42%), with more newborns weighting less than 1500g (27 – 38.6% vs 65 – 25.6%; p=0.036). Thrombocytopenia below 100 000/μL (aOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.49 – 3.06) and LDH>1 000 UI/L (aOR: 5.17; 95% CI 2.19 – 12.16) were risk factors for HELLP. Maternal morbidity (eclampsia, abruptio placentae, and acute renal failure) was similar in both cohorts; eight stillbirths (6 in severe preeclampsia and 2 in HELLP Syndrome) occurred. There were no maternal deaths. In conclusion, in this study the authors confirmed that HELLP Syndrome is a severe form of preeclampsia with an earlier presentation in pregnancy, worst laboratorial findings and more prematurity rates

Resistance Spot Welding of Dissimilar Steels: Temperature Curves

Resistance spot welding was used to joint AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel and AISI 1020 low carbon steel. During the welding process, temperature measurements were taken to obtain the temperature curves. Because of the different chemical compositions of the carbon steel and stainless steels, their thermal conductivity values are also different. Electrical resistivity is also an important parameter when carbon steel is spot welded to stainless steel. Differences in the thermal conductivity and in the electrical resistivity of metals lead to an asymmetrical weld nugget in the dissimilar joints. Dissimilar resistance spot welding can be more complex than similar welding due to different thermal cycle experienced with each metal

Impact of body and orofacial appearance on life satisfaction among Brazilian adults

Aims 1. to elaborate a general model of physical appearance taking into account body image (BI) and orofacial appearance (OA) components; and 2. to evaluate the impact of BI and OA on life satisfaction among Brazilian adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional observational study. The cognitive, behavioral, affective, and satisfaction/ dissatisfaction aspects of BI, the satisfaction and psychosocial impact of OA, and life satisfaction were evaluated by self-reported psychometric scales. Principal Component Analysis and Parallel Analysis were performed. Structural equation models were elaborated to estimate the impact of BI and OA on life satisfaction. The fit of the models was verified and the significance of the path estimates (β) was evaluated using z-tests (α = 5%). Results A total of 1,940 individuals participated in the study (age: mean = 24.8, standard deviation = 5.7 years; females = 70.1%). In the male sample, three physical appearance factors were retained (OA, cognitive and behavioral components of BI, and affective and satisfaction/dissatisfaction components of BI). In the female sample, two factors were retained (OA and all components of BI). All factors had significant impact on life satisfaction (β = |0.26|-|0.48|, p<0.001) in both samples. Individuals dissatisfied with BI and OA had lower levels of life satisfaction. For men, the affective and satisfaction components of BI had a greater impact on life satisfaction (β = 0.48, p<0.001) than the other factors (β =] -0.30;-0.25[, p<0.001). For women, both BI and OA had a similar impact (BI: β = -0.30, p<0.001; OA: β = -0.32, p<0.001). Conclusion BI and OA formed distinct clusters in the physical appearance evaluation. Physical appearance was perceived differently by men and women, fostering discussion about the sociocultural construction of the body. BI and OA had a significant impact on life satisfaction and should be considered in assessment and treatment protocols.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EFFECT OF NEUROMUSCULAR RESISTANCE TRAINING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF 5-KM RUNNERS

The study aimed to identify the effect of a neuromuscular resistance training protocol (NRTP) on the performance of 5-km distance runners. This study included 18 male runners (age=29.3±3.2 years, fat percentage=11.3±2.6%, body height=1.77±.04 m, body mass=73.4±4.4 kg, time in 5 km=20.6±2.4 min, training years=4.3±0.7 years). First, volunteers were anthropometrically evaluated, and they performed one-repetition maximum (1RM) 45o leg press (LP) strength test. Second, they performed an incremental protocol in the 45o LP to acquire the electromyographic threshold. Third, they completed a 5-km time trial run (5 km basal). In the fourth session, they performed NRTP in LP. And fifth, the 5-km time trial run was performed at 30 min, 48 h, 96 h, and 144 h post the NRTP intervention. A significant decrease (p≤.05) was observed when baseline values were compared with post 30 min and post 48 h (p=.02 and p=.04, respectively). However, there were significant positive differences in performance (p=.04 for time) when baseline values and post 144 h were analyzed. Therefore, it is concluded that the NRTP can be used by 5-km distance runners to improve their performance with a break of one week between the intervention and test

Inverse identification processes of elastoplastic constitutive models using advanced optimisation strategies

The success of simulation tools in reproducing the mechanical behaviour of materials, particularly for metals, depends on the quality of the models and their inherent material parameters. However, the commonly used parameter identification strategies are still expensive and non-robust. The robustness and efficiency of these strategies are closely related with the single-stage optimisation methods adopted. The aim of this work is to implement and analyse optimisation strategies such as sequential, parallel and hybrid approaches in a parameter identification problem using full-field methods, particularly the Virtual Fields Method (VFM) and the Finite Element Model Updating (FEMU). The definition of the objective functions of both VFM and FEMU methods is also discussed in the framework of optimisation.publishe

O uso de nitrato com monensina não afeta o nível de metemoglobina no sangue de bovinos de corte alimentados com dietas de alto concentrado.

O uso de nitrato na nutrição de ruminantes vem se ampliando como estratégia para redução da emissão de metano entérico. Foram utilizados 10 animais mestiços com peso inicial de 237,4 ± 53,2 kg submetidos a duas dietas com nitrato adicionadas ou não de monensina. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue quantificadas para o teor de metemoglobina. Os níveis de metemoglobina atingiram 20,3% com o uso de nitrato, entretanto nenhum sintoma de intoxicação foi observado. Este estudo mostrou que a monensina em combinação com com nitrato não afeta o nível de metemoglobina no sangue de bovinos de corte alimentados com dietas de alto concentrado

Community-based population recovery of overexploited Amazonian wildlife

The Amazon Basin experienced a pervasive process of resource overexploitation during the 20th-century, which induced severe population declines of many iconic vertebrate species. In addition to biodiversity loss and the ecological consequences of defaunation, food security of local communities was relentlessly threatened because wild meat had a historically pivotal role in protein acquisition by local dwellers. Here we discuss the urgent need to regulate subsistence hunting by Amazonian semi-subsistence local communities, which are far removed from the market and information economy. Following positive examples from community-based management of aquatic and terrestrial resources, we advocate that hunting practices, based on modern scientific principles firmly grounded in population ecology, represent a strong window of opportunity to recover viable populations of previously overexploited wildlife