Oral hygiene and habits of children with autism spectrum disorders and their families

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) frequently receive poorer health care then the general population. Frequently the speech-language pathologist is the only health professional that follows the child?s everyday life and therefore is the only resource for guidance regarding basic health habits. Poor oral health may result in severe discomfort and other health problems that can be prevented by simple routine habits and adequate professional follow-up. The aim of the present study was to gather information about oral hygiene and dental care habits of children with ASD and their families. The hypothesis was that these children have poorer oral care habits than their families. Participants were parents of 120 children with autism, aged 4 to 12 years in two different cities of the state of Sao Paulo. They answered to a simple questionnaire about oral hygiene and health care habits. Indicated that there is a significant difference (p< 0.001) between the children and their families regarding basic oral hygiene habits, such as brushing and flossing, as well as routine visits to the dentist. This information clearly indicates the need for education programs aiming to encourage the inclusion children with ASD in the basic habits of oral care carried-out by the families

Polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers and nanocellulose in the automotive industry: a short review

Environmental concerns and cost reduction have encouraged the use of natural fillers as reinforcement in polymer composites. Currently, a wide variety of reinforcement, such as natural fibers and nanocellulose, are used for this purpose. Composite materials with natural fillers have not only met the environmental appeal, but also contribute to developing low-density materials with improved properties. The production of natural fillers is unlimited around the world, and many species are still to be discovered. Their processing is considered beneficial since the natural fillers do not cause corrosion or great wear of the equipment. For these reasons, polymer reinforced with natural fillers has been considered a good alternative for obtaining ecofriendly materials for several applications, including the automotive industry. This review explores the use of natural fillers (natural fibers, cellulose nanocrystals, and nanofibrillated cellulose) as reinforcement in polymer composites for the automotive industry323172016/09588-9; 2016/09588-9; 2016/09588-9CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal e Nível SuperiorCNPQ - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paul

Sweet Sorghum Establishment after Application of Residual Herbicides

Imazethapyr, sulfentrazone, clomazone, diclosulam, trifloxysulfuron-sodium and trifluralin are residual herbicides commonly used for weed control in soybean or sugarcane crops. The sorghum crop implanted succeeding sugarcane, can be affected by the carryover effect of these herbicides. In this context, we aim with this work to evaluate the minimum period between application of herbicides with residual effect (imazethapyr, sulfentrazone, clomazone, diclosulam, trifluralin and trifloxysulfuron-sodium) and the planting of sorghum so that there is no impairment in growth and establishment of this crop due to the herbicide carryover effect. The experiment was installed in randomized blocks design with four replications, under field conditions. The herbicides were applied to the previously tillaged soil, with sorghum being planted 0, 14, 28, 42, 56 and 70 days after herbicide application (DAA). The percentage of germination was evaluated daily from planting, and 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after emergence (DAE) of each planting, the phytotoxicity was evaluated. Thirty five DAE of each planting season, ten plants were collected per plot for measurement of leaf area, fresh and dry mass of plants, leaves and stems. The minimum time interval for planting sorghum after application of these herbicides varies, but imazethapyr is highlighted by causing high and durable toxicity to sorghum even when planting sorghum after 70 days of its application

Early transplantation of human immature dental pulp stem cells from baby teeth to golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs: Local or systemic?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs represent the best available animal model for therapeutic trials aiming at the future treatment of human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We have obtained a rare litter of six GRMD dogs (3 males and 3 females) born from an affected male and a carrier female which were submitted to a therapeutic trial with adult human stem cells to investigate their capacity to engraft into dogs muscles by local as compared to systemic injection without any immunosuppression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human Immature Dental Pulp Stem Cells (hIDPSC) were transplanted into 4 littermate dogs aged 28 to 40 days by either arterial or muscular injections. Two non-injected dogs were kept as controls. Clinical translation effects were analyzed since immune reactions by blood exams and physical scores capacity of each dog. Samples from biopsies were checked by immunohistochemistry (dystrophin markers) and FISH for human probes.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>We analyzed the cells' ability in respect to migrate, engraftment, and myogenic potential, and the expression of human dystrophin in affected muscles. Additionally, the efficiency of single and consecutive early transplantation was compared. Chimeric muscle fibers were detected by immunofluorescence and fluorescent <it>in situ </it>hybridisation (FISH) using human antibodies and X and Y DNA probes. No signs of immune rejection were observed and these results suggested that hIDPSC cell transplantation may be done without immunosuppression. We showed that hIDPSC presented significant engraftment in GRMD dog muscles, although human dystrophin expression was modest and limited to several muscle fibers. Better clinical condition was also observed in the dog, which received monthly arterial injections and is still clinically stable at 25 months of age.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data suggested that systemic multiple deliveries seemed more effective than local injections. These findings open important avenues for further researches.</p

Curcumin encapsulation in nanostructures for cancer therapy: a 10-year overview

Journal pre-proofsCurcumin (CUR) is a phenolic compound present in some herbs, including Curcuma longa Linn. (turmeric rhizome), with a high bioactive capacity and characteristic yellow color. It is mainly used as a spice, although it has been found that CUR has interesting pharmaceutical properties, acting as a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumoral agent. Nonetheless, CUR is a hydrophobic compound with low water solubility, poor chemical stability, and fast metabolism, limiting its use as a pharmacological compound. Smart drug delivery systems (DDS) have been used to overcome its low bioavailability and improve its stability. The current work overviews the literature from the past 10 years on the encapsulation of CUR in nanostructured systems, such as micelles, liposomes, niosomes, nanoemulsions, hydrogels, and nanocomplexes, emphasizing its use and ability in cancer therapy. The studies highlighted in this review have shown that these nanoformulations achieved higher solubility, improved tumor cytotoxicity, prolonged CUR release, and reduced side effects, among other interesting advantages.This study was funded by the Coordination for Higher Level Graduate Improvements (CAPES/Brazil, finance code 001), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil, PIBIC process #123483/2020-4), State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP/Brazil, processes #2017/10789-1, #2018/10799-0, #2018/06475-4, #2018/07707-6, #2019/08549-8, and #2020/03727-2). This work was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and the project AgriFood XXI (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Our Figures were created with BioRenderinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Agricultura e biodiversidade nas ciências sociais brasileiras: alimentando a comunicação entre ciência e políticas públicas.

O presente artigo decorre de uma reflexão sustentada em dois pressupostos: a) que as ciências e, em particular, as sociais, podem contribuir para informar as tomadas de decisão e a formulação de políticas públicas visando a melhoria da vida das pessoas no planeta e b) que o papel da agricultura na conservação da biodiversidade é uma questão atual de extrema relevância e que merece ser aprofundada. A relação entre a agricultura e a biodiversidade tem sido objeto de questionamentos recentes na sociedade e no campo das políticas públicas. Contudo, se os estudos relacionados à biodiversidade e à agricultura, separadamente, têm observado um considerável crescimento no Brasil, poucos são os investimentos de pesquisa sobre a relação entre esses dois grandes temas. A partir dessas considerações, seguimos dois objetivos principais: 1) investigar como o papel da agricultura familiar na preservação da biodiversidade tem sido abordado pelas Ciências Sociais no Brasil, particularmente nos artigos publicados em periódicos brasileiros nos últimos 20 anos; 2) testar uma metodologia de revisão bibliográfica, criteriosa, que possa ser útil aos tomadores de decisão em políticas públicas e demais interessados