A new species of lizard genus Enyalius (Squamata, Leiosauridae) from the highlands of Chapada Diamantina, state of Bahia, Brazil, with a key to species

A new species of lizard genus Enyalius is described from Fazenda Caraibas, municipality of Mucugê, state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil, in the northern portion of the Serra do Espinhaço. It is characterized by an almost straight canthal ridge, a distinctive enlarged subocular, ventral scales and infradigital lamellae smooth, tail length varying between 2.02-2.18 times snout-vent length, 54-63 vertebral scales between occiput and base of tail, 144-167 paravertebral scales between occiput and base of tail, 44-47 transverse rows of ventrals between posterior level of forelimbs and anterior level of hindlimbs, 52-66 scales at mid-body between middle of venter and crest, 17-18 and 25-28 infradigital lamellae, respectively under Finger IV and Toe IV, 23-27 scales along dorsal surface of tibia, and 33-40 gular scales between mental and collar. The new species is sexually dichromatic with males being brightly colored with a series of six very conspicuous transverse wide black dorsal bands on body separated by deep orange light areas and females dull colored with a pattern of irregular dark or light brown longitudinal stripes. The new species was obtained at Serra do Sincorá, state of Bahia, Brazil, in low, thin, and dense semidecidual forests situated around 1000m altitude, near the headwaters of the Rio Paraguaçu. Character distribution in Enyalius is discussed, the presently recognized subspecies of Enyalius catenatus are elevated to full species status and a key to the current species of Enyalius is presented

Utjecaj sastava i početne pH-vrijednosti podloge na proizvodnju karotenoida iz otpada dobivenog pri proizvodnji biodizela i parene riže

Search for naturally grown food has stimulated the biotechnological production of carotenoids. Therefore, the use of the yeast Xanthophyllomonas dendrorhous has been researched due to its abilities to assimilate different sources as substrates and to produce high amounts of carotenoids. Furthermore, alternative sources have been used as the culture medium to reduce costs and environmental impact. A potent carotenoid is astaxanthin in view of its health-promoting and antioxidative properties. It consists of different geometrical isomers with trans and cis configuration. In X. dendrorhous this carotenoid is mostly found in the trans form, but cis isomers can also be found. Carotenoid production was investigated in culture medium containing by-products such as raw glycerol (from biodiesel) and parboiled rice effluent. The effects of the culture medium components on biomass concentration and specific and volumetric productions of carotenoids were verified by the Plackett-Burman design. Cultivations were carried out with yeast Xanthophyllomonas dendrorhous NRRL Y-17268 at 25 °C and 150 rpm for 168 h. In this study, maximum production of carotenoids was obtained under the following conditions (in g/L): raw glycerol 10, glucose 10, yeast extract 10, malt extract 10 and peptone 1 at pH=6. Resulting specific and volumetric productions of carotenoids were 326.8 and 4.1 μg/g, respectively.Sve veća potražnja za organskom hranom potaknula je razvoj biotehnološke proizvodnje karotenoida. Stoga je ispitana mogućnost proizvodnje velike količine karotenoida iz različitih supstrata pomoću kvasca Xanthophyllomonas dendrorhous. Osim toga, upotrijebljeni su alternativni izvori hranjivih tvari za rast kvasca, s ciljem smanjenja troškova proizvodnje i negativnog utjecaja na okoliš. Astaksantin je karotenoid koji ima snažan pozitivni učinak na zdravlje zbog svojih antioksidativnih svojstava, a javlja se u različitim oblicima cis- i trans-izomera. U kvascu X. dendrorhous prisutan je uglavnom u trans-obliku, ali može se pronaći i u obliku cis-izomera. Ispitana je mogućnost proizvodnje karotenoida na podlozi koja sadržava nusprodukte, kao što su otpadni glicerol nastao pri proizvodnji biodizela i otpad dobiven pri proizvodnji parene riže. Pomoću Plackett-Burmanovog dizajna potvrđeno je da sastav podloge utječe na dobivenu koncentraciju biomase te specifičnu i volumetrijsku proizvodnju karotenoida. Za proizvodnju karotenoida upotrijebljen je soj kvasca Xanthophyllomonas dendrorhous NRRL Y-17268 pri temperaturi od 25 °C i brzini vrtnje od 150 rpm tijekom 168 h. Najveći je prinos karotenoida postignut uzgojem kvasca u podlozi sljedećeg sastava: otpadni glicerol 10 g/L, glukoza 10 g/L, ekstrakt kvasca 10 g/L, ekstrakt slada 10 g/L i pepton 1 g/L, pri pH=6. Pritom je specifična proizvodnja karotenoida bila 326,8 μg/g, a volumetrijska 4,1 μg/g

Radiation-related superficial oral mucoceles : an under-recognized acute toxicity in head and neck cancer patients

Acute toxicity is usually defined as adverse changes occurring immediately or a short time after the start of oncological treatment. Cross-sectional retrospective study performed with head and neck cancer patients who underwent radiotherapy from 2013 to 2016. Ten (1.2%) patients developed SOMs during radiotherapy, most (80%) of which were men with a mean age of 59.5 years at diagnosis. SOMs mainly affected the floor of the mouth (60%) between the fourth and the sixth weeks of radiation therapy. All lesions were asymptomatic and spontaneously ruptured approximately 9 days after diagnosis. Although rare, SOMs may be regarded as an acute oral toxicity of head and neck radiotherapy

Management of deep caries lesions with or without pulp involvement in primary teeth: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

There is a lack of evidence about the best approach for cavitated caries lesions with the possibility of pulpal involvement in primary teeth. Thus, the present authors aimed to verify the best treatment for deep caries lesions with or without pulp involvement in primary teeth. The search was conducted in MEDLINE/Pubmed and Web of Science databases until May 2020. Studies that compared techniques to manage deep caries lesions with at least 12 months of follow-up were included. The risk of bias was evaluated using the RoB tool. Network meta-analysis and pairwise meta-analyses were conducted considering the treatment clinical success as an outcome, according to the pulp health condition. From 491 potentially eligible studies, 9 were included. For deep caries lesions with pulp vitality, the Hall Technique presented the highest probability of success (78%). In the event of accidental pulp exposure, pulpectomy presented a 76% chance of providing the best clinical results. For pulp necrosis, no difference was observed between a pulpectomy and non-instrumented endodontic treatment (RR = 0.69; 95%CI: 0.21–2.33) Thus, it was concluded that the Hall Technique may be a better option for deep caries lesions with pulp vitality. In cases of accidental pulp exposure of vital teeth during caries removal, a pulpectomy may be considered the best option. However, there are insuficient studies to build up evidence about the best treatment option when irreversible pulpitis or pulp necrosis is present.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Orbital apex syndrome affecting head and neck cancer patients : a case series

Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a complex and uncommon disorder that typically damages multiple cranial nerves in association with optic nerve dysfunction. OAS is associated with several different pathologies, however; only a few cases have been reported in association with head and neck cancer (HNC) so far. A case series of HNC patients diagnosed with OAS is described including clinicopathological data, image findings, and disease outcome. Ptosis and diplopia were diagnosed in four male patients with mean age of 61.2 years who were undergoing treatment for late-stage carcinomas of the tongue, larynx, and nasopharynx, eventually leading to the diagnosis of OAS. The mean overall survival rate after the diagnosis of OAS was 9.5 months. The current study reinforces evidence that OAS indicates poor prognosis and highlights the importance of early diagnosis

Assessment of symptoms of urinary incontinence in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVES: The pelvic floor muscles are sensitive to androgens, and due to hyperandrogenism, women with polycystic ovary syndrome can have increased mass in these muscles compared to controls. The aim of this study is to compare reports of urine leakage and quality of life between women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome. METHODS: One hundred thirteen 18-to 40-year-old nulliparous women with polycystic ovary syndrome or without the disease (controls) were recruited at the University Hospital of School Medicine of São Paulo University at Ribeirão Preto City, Brazil. The subjects were not taking any hormonal medication, had not undergone previous pelvic surgery and did not exercise their pelvic floor muscles. The women were divided into the following four groups: I-polycystic ovary syndrome with normal body mass index (n = 18), II-polycystic ovary syndrome with body mass index >25 (n = 32), III-controls with normal body mass index (n = 29), and IV-controls with Body Mass Index >25 (n = 34). Quality of life was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire, and the subjects with urinary complaints also completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form to evaluate the severity of their urinary incontinence. RESULTS: The replies to the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form revealed a significant difference in urinary function between groups, with 24% of the subjects in group IV reporting urinary incontinence. The mean scores for the SF-36 questionnaire revealed that group II had the lowest quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The control obese group (IV) reported a higher prevalence of urinary incontinence. There was no difference in the reported frequency of urine loss between the polycystic ovary syndrome and control groups with normal body mass index or between the polycystic ovary syndrome and control groups with body mass index >25

The barriers dentists face to communicate cancer diagnosis:self-assessment based on SPIKES protocol

This study aimed to characterize the barriers faced by Brazilian dentists to deliver bad news (DBN) about oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnoses to patients by using a questionnaire based on the guidelines of the SPIKES protocol. This was an observational cross-sectional study. The questionnaire contained 27 questions based on the SPIKES protocol, which were answered in the SurveyMonkey platform. A total of 186/249 dentists answered the questionnaire. The main specialties reported were 36.02% oral medicine, 21.5% oral pathology, and 9.13% oral and maxillofacial surgery. A total of 44.6% expressed concern about the patient?s emotional reactions, and 46.24% of respondents had never participated in any specific training to communicate bad news. The lack of training and low confidence in dealing with patients? emotional reactions dentists were considered the greatest barriers to DBNs. Moreover, most dentists who participated in the survey believe that a protocol to guide the communication of bad news would be useful for clinical practice. For those protocols to be used by dentists, training is critical for these protocols to be incorporated by professionals

Calcified carotid artery atheromas on panoramic radiographs of head and neck cancer patients before and after radiotherapy

The aims of this study were to verify if head and neck radiotherapy (RT) is able to induce calcified carotid artery atheroma (CCAA) in a large head and neck cancer (HNC) population and also to compare the socio-demographic and clinical findings of patients with and without CCAA detected on panoramic radiographs. Panoramic radiographs taken before and after head and neck radiotherapy (RT) of 180 HNC patients were selected and analyzed in order to identify the presence of CCAA. In addition, CCAA presence or absence on panoramic radiographs were compared and correlated with clinicopathological findings. A high overall prevalence of CCAA was found on panoramic radiographs (63 out of 180 = 35%) of HNC patients. No significant difference of CCAA before and after RT was observed. There were also no differences between groups (with and without CCAA) regarding age, gender, tobacco and alcohol use, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, acute myocardial infarction, hypercholesterolemia, tumor location, clinical stage of disease and RT dose. However, there was a greater prevalence of strokes in patients with CCAA (p<0.05). Although CCAA were frequently found in panoramic radiographs of patients with HNC, RT seems not to alter the prevalence of these calcifications

Nests of Eufriesea aff. auriceps (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossini) in remnants of Atlantic Forest and reforested areas

In recent decades, the use of the trap-nest technique has helped to increase knowledge on the nest architecture of many orchid bee species. This study describes the nest architecture of Eufriesea aff. auriceps constructed in trap-nests made of dried bamboo internodes (canes). The nests were placed in remnants of Atlantic forest and in reforested areas next to forest remnants and monitored monthly from August 2015 to August 2016 and from August 2018 to August 2019 in southern Brazil. The bamboo internodes occupied by bees varied in internal diameter from 1.0cm to 2.0 cm (`X = 1.7; SD = 0.3; N = 12) and in length from 11.0 cm to 28.0 cm (`X = 19.5; SD = 4.8; N = 12). The total size of the nests inside the bamboo internodes ranged from 9.0 cm to 19.9 cm (`X = 14.3; SD= 3.9; N = 12). The number of brood cells constructed per nest varied from 1 to 10 (`X = 4.0; SD = 2.3; N = 15). The cells were built with small pieces of bark cemented with resin, linearly arranged along the bamboo tube. Internally, the cell wall was lined with resin. The cells measured 1.5-3.0 cm (`X = 2.3 ± 0.5; N = 48) in length and 1.4-1.7 (`X = 1.5 ± 0.1; N = 17) cm in width. The internal contour of the cells was elliptical. Females of Eufriesea aff. auriceps occupied trap-nests in both the forest remnants and in areas undergoing restoration