EFFETTO DELLA RAZZA E DEL TIPO DI ALIMENTAZIONE SU ALCUNI PARAMETRI QUALITATIVI DELLA CARNE SUINA

The present study was carried out to establish the effect of two feeding strategies on some qualitative parameters of fresh pork. Regarding the feed strategies the first group was called NORMAL(Norm) with available the 100% of concentrate that they needed and RESTRICTIVE (Rest) with only the 60% of concentrate available. Two market hogs DLY and TLY are raised up at the organic research platform of Aarhus University, Denmark, from August to October 2012. The market hogs were 32 female pigs, born from the progeny F1 of Landrace x Yorkshire (LY) sows sired by Duroc (D) or Tamworth (T) boars. The pigs were reared outdoors in paddocks 1625 m² and slaughtered at about 90 days of age. All pigs at the time of slaughter, were weighed and from each carcass several samples were taken from two muscle beams (biceps femoris and longissimus dorsi). Quality parameters evaluated were, the trend of pH and temperature within 24h postmortem, the color in the two muscles by Minolta Chroma Meter, the development of tenderness by shear force measurement (WBSF) in the samples aging for 1, 4 and 7 days. A group of tasters from University of Copenaghen was involved for the sensory evaluation of sample of longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris from DLY and TLY respectively with 4 day of aging time. The result of the panel test has been elaborated with the statistical program SAS. The result of the shear force obtain from the system (WBSF) has been compared with the result from panel test by SAS for evaluated eventual correlations. An assessment of the development of oxidation in meat samples, was finally performed through chemical extraction and spectrophotometric analysis on TBARS, using samples stored at 5 ± 1 ° C under fluorescent light (1000 LUX) for three days, in order to simulate the standard conditions of retail sale

Variability of Settling Particles Fluxes and Isotopic Composition (δ13C and δ15N) from Material Trapped in Coastal Reefs of Abrolhos Bank, Eastern Brazilian Shelf

Elemental and isotopic ratios (C/N, δ13C, δ15N) of sediment samples captured by PVC traps in eight stations along the coastal reefs of the Abrolhos region, Brazil, were analyzed. The study area is characterized by the influence of continental sediments on biogenic sediments. The highest δ13C values were found in the Sebastião Gomes (second shallower station), with average values close to -15‰ in all sampling periods. The isotopic ratio of carbon and nitrogen indicates that the organic matter analyzed has marine origin, with signature features of oceanic regions. The highest C/N ratio average value of 8.29 occurred in Nova Viçosa (the southernmost station and one of the shallowest) during the spring, in other seasons the average value was close to 7 in all periods. Although the values of C/N indicate a significantly marine contribution, δ15N values suggest that N series recycling processes are frequent during the time that the material remained in the environment. The results will provide a baseline for future environmental monitoring and studies on changes in sediment composition in an important set of coastal coral reefs

T1-weighted volumetric whole-brain vessel wall study

Introdução: a evolução da ressonância magnética na avaliação do sistema nervoso central e das artérias intracranianas tem permitido a busca e aprimoramento de métodos que possibilitem a avaliação da parede vascular arterial e, consequentemente, a caracterização de diferentes processos patológicos que poderiam não ser bem definidos ao estudo angiográfico por apresentarem alterações semelhantes ao estudo do lúmen vascular. Objetivos: avaliar de forma qualitativa e quantitativa as alterações da parede arterial intracraniana utilizando a sequência CUBE-T1 em pacientes com exames de angio-RM alterados e normais. Métodos: trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo observacional descritivo transversal qualitativo e quantitativo. Foram analisados exames de 741 pacientes que realizaram angioRM arterial e estudo de parede vascular arterial intracraniana CUBE-T1 entre os anos de 2012 e 2018, em uma clínica particular localizada em Ribeirão Preto, interior de São Paulo, em aparelho de ressonância magnética de 3 Tesla, por diferentes indicações clínicas como cefaleia, suspeita de AVC isquêmico/ AIT, suspeita de dissecção arterial, doença aterosclerótica, tonturas, histórico familiar de aneurisma e outros. Grupo 1: pacientes com presença de alterações evidentes ao estudo de angioRM arterial intracraniana utilizando angioRM-TOF nas grandes artérias intracranianas e pacientes com angioRM-TOF normal, sendo realizada análise qualitativa das alterações e utlizado coeficiente Kappa. Grupos 2 e 3; pacientes que apresentaram exame normal à avaliação do parênquima cerebral e no estudo de angioRM-TOFarterial intracraniana e pacientes que apresentaram estudo de angioRM arterial intracraniana considerado normal, porém que apresentavam alterações sugestivas de microangiopatia à avaliação da substância branca cerebral, sendo realizadas medidas das áreas de secção transversa dos limites externos e internos das artérias carótidas internas e basilar, sendo realizada análise de covariância (ANCOVA). Resultados: avaliação qualitativa demonstrou concordância entre angioRM-TOF e CUBE-T1 volumétrico que variou de substancial a quase perfeita nos segmentos arteriais avaliados com força de concordância (Kappa) variando de 0,66 a 0,86. A avaliação quantitativa demonstrou aumento significativo da área da parede arterial intracraniana nos segmentos distais das carótidas internas (p<0,01) e artéria basilar (p-0,002) , sem redução significativa do lúmen arterial, assim como diferença significativa da área da parede arterial entre homens e mulheres nas carótidas internas (p<0,01) e artéria basilar (p<0,01) , porém sem alteração significativa entre o grupo de pacientes com e sinais de microangiopatia. Conclusões: os resultados demonstraram boa correlação entre as sequências de angioRM-TOF e CUBE-T1 para avaliação respectivamente da luz arterial e das alterações correspondentes na parede arterial intracraniana. Além disso, com a adição da sequência CUBE-T1 volumétrica é possível caracterizar alterações da parede vascular que trazem informações adicionais sobre a alteração vascular, o que pode auxiliar no diagnóstico, com tempo de exame aceitável para a rotina clínica. Foi possível também caracterizar diferenças nas áreas de secção transversa da parede arterial intracraniana entre os diferentes grupos com diferença significativa entre homens e mulheres e aumento progressivo com a idade.Introduction: the evolution of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the central nervous system and intracranial arteries has allowed the search and improvement of methods that allow the evaluation of the arterial vascular wall. Consequently, the characterization of different pathological processes that could not be well defined in the angiographic study because they have similar arterial lumen changes. Purpose: evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively the changes in the intracranial arterial wall using the CUBE-T1 sequence in patients with abnormal and normal MR angiography exams. Methods: this is a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study. Exams from 741 patients who underwent arterial MR angiography and CUBE-T1 intracranial arterial vascular wall study were analyzed between 2012 and 2018, in a private clinic located in Ribeirão Preto-SP, in a 3 Tesla MRI. The clinical indications were varied, such as headache, suspected ischemic stroke/TIA, suspected arterial dissection, atherosclerotic disease, dizziness, family history of aneurysm and others. They were divided into three groups: patients with evident changes on intracranial arterial MR angiography (TOF-MRA) in the large intracranial arteries, patients with normal MR angiography (TOF-MRA) with normal brain parenchyma and patients with normal MR angiography (TOF-MRA) with alterations suggestive of microangiopathy in the evaluation of the cerebral white matter. Results: the qualitative evaluation showed agreement between MRA-TOF and volumetric CUBE-T1 that ranged from substantial to almost perfect in the arterial segments evaluated with strength of agreement (Kappa) ranging from 0.66 to 0.86. The quantitative evaluation showed a significant increase in the cross-sectional area of the intracranial arterial wall in the distal segments of the internal carotid arteries (p<0.01) and basilar artery (p=0.002), with no significant reduction in the arterial lumen. There was a significant difference in arterial wall area between men and women in the internal carotid arteries (p<0.01) and basilar artery (p<0.01).However, there was no significant change between the group of patients with and signs of microangiopathy. Conclusions:The results showed a good correlation between the MRI-TOF and CUBE-T1 sequences for the evaluation, respectively, of the arterial lumen and the corresponding changes in the intracranial arterial wall. Furthermore, with the addition of the volumetric CUBE-T1 sequence, it is possible to characterize changes in the vascular wall that provide additional information about the vascular conditions, which can aid in the diagnosis, with an acceptable examination time for the clinical routine. It was also possible to characterize differences in the cross-sectional areas of the intracranial arterial wall between the different groups, with a significant difference between men and women and a progressive increase with age

Efficacy of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation on functioning in patients with bilateral hip osteoarthritis: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive disease that impresses a noticeable burden to society and healthcare systems. Physical exercise constitutes the first-line hip OA treatment approach, nevertheless, there is currently no gold standard method to treat this disease. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on functioning in patients with hip OA. Method: A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out on patients with painful bilateral hip OA with a body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2. After the randomization, the experimental group was treated with PNF protocol and the control group with conventional physical therapy (10 sessions of manual therapy, 5 sessions/week for 2 weeks). The Harris Hip Score (HHS) was the primary outcome, whereas we assessed as secondary outcomes: pain, range of motion, and muscle strength of hip, physical performance, and quality of life. Results: Twenty patients (40 hips) were enrolled and randomized into two groups: PNF group (mean age: 70.7 ± 8.07; BMI: 25.1 ± 3.07; 7 females and 3 males) and control group (mean age: 74.9 ± 10.72; BMI: 26.8 ± 3.78; 6 females and 4 males). The results showed a statistically significant improvement of HHS in the study group (T1: 90.6 ± 5.63) than in the control group (T1: 77.3 ± 10.9) (between-group p value < 0.001). Three months after the treatment we have statistically significant maintenance in the PNF group (T2:89.6±6.32, within-group ΔT0-T2 p< 0.01) while the control group did not maintain the improvements recorded at T1 (T2: 71.4 ± 15.8). Conclusion: The results of this pilot RCT showed that incorporating PNF exercises into the rehabilitation program yielded notable enhancements in improving lower limb function, strength and ROM in hip OA patients. Nonetheless, further prospective studies including wider sample size are needed to implement scientific knowledge on this physical therapy approach, in patients with hip osteoarthritis

Efficacy of Proprioceptive Training on Plantar Pressure and Jump Performance in Volleyball Players: A Proof-of-Principle Study

Volleyball players are often subject to micro-traumatisms of the heel fat pad and ankle injuries. Recently, mat-based proprioceptive training has assumed a key role in recovery from these disorders. Therefore, this proof-of-principle study aimed to assess the efficacy of proprioceptive mat training on plantar pressures and athletic performance in volleyball players. The participants included adult semi-professional volleyball players allocated into two groups: an experimental group, with mat-based proprioceptive and balance training, and a control group, with a sham protocol. For the outcome, we evaluated the barefoot plantar pressure, performing an analysis on a baropodometric resistive platform. The countermovement jump and squat jump were measured using an inertial measurement unit. Nineteen subjects were included in the two groups: the active proprioceptive group (n = 10) or the control group (n = 9). The results show a more uniform redistribution of loads with pressure hindfoot relief in the experimental group compared to the control group (p = 0.021, RBC = 0.67). Moreover, we observed a significant increase in peak landing force and high concentric power development in the experimental group compared to the controls. Focused proprioceptive management provided hindfoot load attenuation by stimulating higher peaks of concentric force in the experimental group compared to the sham group. Even though the study included a small sample, the results obtained in this proof-of-principle study suggest a positive role of proprioceptive stimulation in the inter-seasonal scenario for volleyball players to improve their jump performance and reduce the micro-traumatisms of the heel fat pad and the ankle injury rate. However, further studies performed on larger samples are needed to confirm these preliminary results