Biological and social aspects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) related to oral health

The expansion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) throughout the world has alarmed all health professionals. Especially in dentistry, there is a growing concern due to it’s high virulence and routes of transmission through saliva aerosols. The virus keeps viable on air for at least 3 hours and on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces up to 72 hours. In this sense, dental offices, both in the public and private sectors, are high-risk settings of cross infection among patients, dentists and health professionals in the clinical environment (including hospital’s intensive dental care facilities). This manuscript aims to compile current available evidence on prevention strategies for dental professionals. Besides, we briefly describe promising treatment strategies recognized until this moment. The purpose is to clarify dental practitioners about the virus history and microbiology, besides guiding on how to proceed during emergency consultations based on international documents. Dentists should consider that a substantial number of individuals (including children) who do not show any signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may be infected and can disseminate the virus. Currently, there is no effective treatment and fast diagnosis is still a challenge. All elective dental treatments and non-essential procedures should be postponed, keeping only urgent and emergency visits to the dental office. The use of teledentistry (phone calls, text messages) is a very promising tool to keep contact with the patient without being at risk of infection

Analytical approaches for flexural analysis of RC slabs strengthened with prestressed or non-prestressed CFRP laminates

The 15th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymers for Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-15) & The 8th Asia-Pacific Conference on FRP in Structures (APFIS-2022), 10-14 December 2022, Shenzhen, China.Analytical approaches are developed for predicting the flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates applied according to (i) near-surface mounted (NSM) and (ii) externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) as non-prestressed strengthening techniques, as well as according to the EBR with (iii) mechanical anchorage (MA) and with (iii) gradient anchorage (GA) systems as prestressed strengthening techniques. The approaches are based on a trilinear relationship of force-deflection curve, in which the formulations depend on the type of failure mode, strengthening type, and initial concrete and CFRP strains. In order to predict the ultimate load, different formulations existing in the literature for the calculation of the CFRP failure strain are applied and compared. Experimental results previously published by the authors are compared with the results from the developed analytical approaches and a good agreement is found.This work was carried out in scope of the project FRPLongDur POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016900 (FCT PTDC/ECM-EST/1282/2014) and Durable-FRP (PTDC/ECI-EGC/4609/2020) funded by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and co-financed by the European Fund of the Regional Development (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and the Lisbon Regional Operational Program. This work was partly financed by FCT / MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020. This work is financed by national funds through FCT under grant agreement [DFA/BD/08403/2021] attributed to the first author

Inferior alveolar nerve transposition with involvement of the mental foramen for implant placement

Inferior Alveolar Nerve (IAN) transposition is an option for prosthetic rehabilitation in cases of moderate or even severe bone reabsorption for patients that do not tolerate removable dentures. The aim of the present report is to describe an inferior alveolar nerve transposition with involvement of the mental foramen for implant placement. The surgical procedure was performed under local anesthesia, by the inferior alveolar, lingual and buccal nerve blocking technique. Centripetal osteotomy was performed, and bone tissue was removed, leaving the nerve tissue free in the foramen area. After that, transsection of the incisor nerve was performed, and lateral osteotomy was started from the buccal direction, toward the trajectory of the IAN. The procedure was concluded, by making use of a delicate resin spatula to manipulate the vascular-nervous bundle. The drilling sequence for placing the dental implants was performed, and autogenous bone was harvested using a bone collector attached to the surgical suction appliance. After the implants were placed, the bone tissue previously collected during the osteotomies and drilling processes was placed in order to protect the IAN from contact with the implants. The surgical protocol for inferior alveolar nerve transposition, followed by implant placement presented excellent results, with complete recovery of the sensitivity, seven months after the surgical procedure

Mastication and swallowing: influence of fluid addition to foods

INTRODUCTION: The production of sufficient saliva is indispensable for good chewing. Recent research has demonstrated that salivary flow rate has little influence on the swallowing threshold. OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis examined in the present study was that adding fluids to foods will influence chewing physiology. Materials and METHODS: Twenty subjects chewed on melba toast, cake, carrot, peanut and Gouda cheese. They also chewed on these foods after addition of different volumes of water or alpha-amylase solution. Jaw muscle activity, number of chewing cycles until swallowing and chewing cycle duration were measured. Repeated measures analysis of variance was applied to test the null hypothesis that there would be no statistically significant difference among the results obtained for the various food types and fluids. Subsequently, contrasts were determined to study the levels of intra-subjects factors (food type and fluid volume). Linear regression was used to determine the changes in muscle activity and cycle duration as a function of the chewing cycles. RESULTS: Fluid addition significantly decreased muscle activity and swallowing threshold for melba, cake and peanut (p;0.05). Doubling the volume of tap water had a greater effect. CONCLUSIONS: Fluid addition facilitated chewing of dry foods (melba, cake), but did not influence the chewing of fatty (cheese) and wet products (carrot). This study is relevant to improve patients' life quality and the management of chewing and feeding disorders caused by hyposalivation

Mastication and swallowing: influence of fluid addition to foods

INTRODUCTION: The production of sufficient saliva is indispensable for good chewing. Recent research has demonstrated that salivary flow rate has little influence on the swallowing threshold. OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis examined in the present study was that adding fluids to foods will influence chewing physiology. Materials and METHODS: Twenty subjects chewed on melba toast, cake, carrot, peanut and Gouda cheese. They also chewed on these foods after addition of different volumes of water or alpha-amylase solution. Jaw muscle activity, number of chewing cycles until swallowing and chewing cycle duration were measured. Repeated measures analysis of variance was applied to test the null hypothesis that there would be no statistically significant difference among the results obtained for the various food types and fluids. Subsequently, contrasts were determined to study the levels of intra-subjects factors (food type and fluid volume). Linear regression was used to determine the changes in muscle activity and cycle duration as a function of the chewing cycles. RESULTS: Fluid addition significantly decreased muscle activity and swallowing threshold for melba, cake and peanut (p;0.05). Doubling the volume of tap water had a greater effect. CONCLUSIONS: Fluid addition facilitated chewing of dry foods (melba, cake), but did not influence the chewing of fatty (cheese) and wet products (carrot). This study is relevant to improve patients' life quality and the management of chewing and feeding disorders caused by hyposalivation

Movimentos mandibulares em crianças portadoras ou não de sinais e sintomas de disfunção temporomandibular

This research aimed to evaluate mandibular movements in children with and without signs and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction. The sample taken consisted of 99 children aged 3 to 5 years distributed in two groups: I - Absence of signs and/or symptoms of TMD (25 girls/40 boys); II - Presence of signs and symptoms of TMD (16 girls/18 boys). The symptoms were evaluated through an anamnesis questionnaire answered by the child's parents/caretakers. The clinical signs were evaluated through intra- and extraoral examination. Maximum mouth opening and left/right lateral movements were measured using a digital caliper. The maximum protrusive movement was measured using a millimeter ruler. The means and standard deviations for maximum mouth opening in Group I and Group II were 40.82mm±4.18 and 40.46mm±6.66, respectively. The values found for the left lateral movement were 6.96mm±1.66 for Group I and 6.74mm±1.55 for Group II, while for the right lateral movement they were 6.46mm±1.53 and 6.74mm±1.77. The maximum protrusion movements were 5.67mm±1.76 and 6.12mm±1.92, in Groups I and II, respectively. The mandibular movement ranges neither differed statistically between groups nor between genders. FAPESP Process 96/0714-6.O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a amplitude dos movimentos mandibulares em crianças portadoras ou não de sinais e sintomas de disfunção temporomandibular. A amostra consistiu de 99 crianças entre 3 e 5 anos distribuídas em 2 grupos: I - Ausência de sinais e sintomas de DTM (25 meninas/40 meninos) II - Presença de sinais e sintomas de DTM (16 meninas/18 meninos). Os sintomas foram avaliados através de um questionário respondido pelos pais ou responsáveis das crianças. Os sinais clínicos foram avaliados através de exame intra e extra-oral por dois examinadores calibrados. Os movimentos de abertura máxima e lateralidade direita e esquerda foram mensurados com o auxílio de um paquímetro digital. Para o movimento de protrusão foi utilizada régua milimetrada. A média e o desvio padrão para abertura bucal máxima para o grupo I foi de 40,82mm±4,18 e para o grupo II 40,46mm±6,66. Os valores encontrados para a lateralidade esquerda foram 6,96mm±1,66 para o grupo I e 6,74mm±1,55 para o grupo II e, para a direita, foram 6,46mm±1,53 e de 6,74mm±1,77, respectivamente. Durante a protrusão foram encontrados valores de 5,67mm±1,76 para o grupo I e 6,12mm±1,92 para grupo II. Pode-se concluir que na amostra avaliada a amplitude dos movimentos mandibulares não diferiu estatisticamente entre os grupos, bem como entre os gêneros. FAPESP Processo 96/0714-6

Necessity of immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in trauma emergency

The ability to respond quickly and effectively to a cardiac arrest situation rests on nurses being competent in the emergency life-saving procedure of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the types of trauma and survival of patients that require immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in trauma emergencies. A total of 13301 patients treated as accident victims between July 2004 and December 2006 were evaluated in a prospective study. Patients requiring immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation at admission were identified. The type of injury and the survival of these patients were evaluated

Rupture of vesicourethral anastomosis following radical retropubic prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE: Rupture of vesicourethral anastomosis following radical retropubic prostatectomy is a complication that requires immediate management. We evaluated the morbidity of this rare complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively 5 cases of disruption of vesicourethral anastomosis during post-operative period in a consecutive series of 1,600 radical retropubic prostatectomies, performed by a single surgeon. RESULTS: It occurred in a ratio of 1:320 prostatectomies (0,3%). Management was conservative in all the cases with an average catheter permanence time of 28 days, being its removal preceded by cystography. Two cases were secondary to bleeding, 1 followed the change of vesical catheter and 2 by unknown causes after removing the Foley catheter. Only one patient evolved with urethral stenosis, in the period ranging from 6 to 120 months. CONCLUSION: Rupture of vesicourethral anastomosis is not related to the surgeon's experience, and conservative treatment has shown to be effective.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM) Department of UrologyUNIFESP, EPM, Department of UrologySciEL

Avaliação de desempenho aplicada a empresas enxutas

O objetivo deste trabalho é propor um sistema de avaliação de desempenho que utilize indicadores próprios à Produção Enxuta e os relacione aos objetivos estratégicos de uma empresa. Há a necessidade de se avaliar o alinhamento entre o sistema produtivo enxuto e a estratégia adotada por uma empresa. O sistema de avaliação de desempenho proposto neste trabalho permite uma análise mais precisa dos benefícios trazidos por este sistema produtivo, assim como seu alinhamento ao foco estratégico da empresa. Desta forma, ações que envolvam melhorias de processos, treinamento e motivação do pessoal e adoção de novas tecnologias podem ser mais bem planejadas e implementadas. Trata-se de uma pesquisa aplicada quanto à natureza, por se propor a gerar conhecimentos dirigidos à solução de problemas específicos, qualitativa quanto à abordagem, por lidar com dados qualitativos, análises de textos, comparações e abordagens não numéricas