Impact of Seniors Centers on oral health-related quality of life of older adults

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of older adults participating or not in Seniors Centers (SC). METHODS: Two independent samples were compared: older adults who participate in SC (n = 124) and older adults who visited Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) and do not participate in SC (n = 164). The data collected consisted of sociodemographic (sex, age, educational level, marital status, family income) and psychosocial characteristics—Sense of Coherence (SOC), anxiety and depression using HADS, happiness—, and oral clinical evaluation—use and need of dental prosthesis and decayed (D), missing (M), or filled (F) teeth. The resulting OHRQoL was evaluated using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the associations between the independent variables and the OHIP-14. Poisson regression models were also used in the analyses (α=0.05). RESULTS: In the PHC, of the 270 individuals invited to participate in the study, 164 (60.7%) were interviewed and clinically examined; while in the SC, of the 166 individuals invited to participate in the study, 124 (74.7%) were interviewed and clinically examined. After adjustments for sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical factors, we found that the impact on OHRQoL was 2.8 times higher (95%CI 2.0–4.2) for older adults who did not participate in SC. CONCLUSION: Older adults who participated in SC showed better perception on OHRQoL, independently of sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical factors

Retaining eucalyptus harvest residues promotes different pathways for particulate and mineral-associated organic matter

Eucalyptus plantations have replaced other (agro)ecosystems over 5.6 Mha in Brazil. While these plantations rapidly accumulate carbon (C) in their biomass, the C storage in living forest biomass is transient, and thus, longer-term sustainability relies on sustaining soil organic matter (SOM) stocks. A significant amount of harvest residues (HR) is generated every rotation and can yield SOM if retained in the field. Yet, there is little information on how managing eucalyptus HR changes SOM dynamics. We used isotopic and molecular approaches in a 3-yr field decomposition experiment where a native grassland has been replaced by eucalyptus plantations to assess how HR management practices influence content and chemistry of two distinct SOM fractions [particulate (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM)] at two soil depths (0–1 and 1–5 cm). The management practices investigated were HR removal (−R), only bark removal (−B), and retention of all HR (including bark, +B), combined with two levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization [0 (−N) and 200 (+N) kg/ha]. N fertilization inhibited HR decomposition (P = 0.0409), while bark retention had little effect (P = 0.1164). Retaining HR, especially with bark, increased POM-C and MAOM-C content (2.1- and 1.2-fold, respectively), decreased POM-δ13C (1.2-fold), and increased inorganic N retention (1.7-fold) compared with plots where HR had been removed. Inorganic N applications, however, diminished the positive impacts of bark retention. Although the influence of HR management was most pronounced in POM, retaining HR reduced potential soil C mineralization by up to 20%. POM and MAOM chemistry shifted over time and revealed distinct influence of HR on the formation of these fractions. We demonstrate that HR management alters SOM dynamics and that retaining HR, particularly including bark, enhances SOM retention. With continuing conversion of native grassland ecosystems to eucalyptus, long-term sustainability will require careful HR and fertilizer management to balance total biomass harvest with sustaining belowground SOM concentrations

Dinâmica populacional e transformações socioespaciais: uma análise a partir da região do Vale do Taquari/RS

Este trabalho objetiva analisar a dinâmica populacional e as transformações socioespaciais que ocorreram na região do Vale do Taquari/RS, a partir da mobilidade rural-urbana e intrarregional. Para tal, foram analisados os dados da população, do Valor Bruto Adicionado e feitas análises cartográficas da região. Dentre as principais características verificadas na região, tem-se: a passagem de uma região essencialmente rural para urbana, tanto em relação à distribuição da população quanto às atividades econômicas; um processo de envelhecimento mais acelerado do que o RS; uma diversificação produtiva, mas com o predomínio do setor de serviços na maioria dos municípios; a concentração da população urbana e da geração da riqueza em torno da cidade polo, Lajeado; e o vínculo da região com a região metropolitana de Porto Alegre

Incidental Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer in a 17-year-old Patient

AbstractBladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among males and the ninth most common cause of cancer death. Bladder cancer can occur at any age. This paper reports the incidental diagnosis of bladder cancer in a 17-year-old female patient. Data on bladder cancer at this age are uncommon in the literature

Efeito de tratamentos químicos nas propriedades de superfície de fibras de carbono via cromatografia gasosa inversa

Em aplicações aeroespaciais emprega-se o conjunto resina epóxi e fibras de carbono. Essa fibra apresenta baixa afinidade com diversos polímeros, resultando em pouca molhabilidade pelas resinas. Entretanto, pode-se utilizar tratamentos de superfície para introduzir grupos funcionais e/ou aumentar sua área superficial. Um método recente e pouco explorado para caracterizar a superfície de fibras de carbono é a cromatografia gasosa inversa (CGI). Quando comparada à cromatografia gasosa convencional, na CGI a superfície do substrato é o material a ser investigado, enquanto a fase móvel apresenta propriedades bem definidas. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar o efeito de diversos agentes de tratamento químicos nas propriedades de superfície de fibras de carbono base PAN comerciais. As fibras foram pré-tratadas com acetona, para removem sua encimagem, e posteriormente tratadas com ácidos (HCl, HNO3, H2SO4 ou CH3COOH), NH4OH ou H2O2. Tais agentes de tratamento se mostraram eficazes para a modificação de superfície das fibras de carbono, em termos de promover distintos graus de interações físicas e ácido-base.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Activation of leukocyte rolling by the cysteine-rich domain and the hyper-variable region of HF3, a snake venom hemorrhagic metalloproteinase

AbstractThe functionality of the disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich domains of snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) has been shown to reside in the cysteine-rich region, which can interact with VWA-containing proteins. Recently, the hyper-variable region (HVR) of the cysteine-rich domain was suggested to constitute a potential protein–protein adhesive interface. Here we show that recombinant proteins of HF3, a hemorrhagic P-III SVMP, containing the cysteine-rich domain (disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich and cysteine-rich proteins) but not the disintegrin-like protein were able to significantly increase leukocyte rolling in the microcirculation. Peptides from the HVR also promoted leukocyte rolling and this activity was inhibited by anti-alphaM/beta2 antibodies. These results show, for the first time, that the cysteine-rich domain and its HVR play a role in triggering pro-inflammatory effects mediated by integrins

Fractional Distillation of Bio-Oil Produced by Pyrolysis of Açaí (Euterpe oleracea) Seeds

In this work, the seeds of açaí (Euterpe oleracea, Mart), a rich lignin-cellulose residue, has been submitted to pyrolysis to produce a bio-oil-like fossil fuels. The pyrolysis carried out in a reactor of 143 L, 450°C, and 1.0 atm. The morphology of Açaí seeds in nature and after pyrolysis is characterized by SEM, EDX, and XRD. The experiments show that bio-oil, gas, and coke yields were 4.38, 30.56, and 35.67% (wt.), respectively. The bio-oil characterized by AOCS, ASTM, and ABNT/NBR methods for density, kinematic viscosity, and acid value. The bio-oil density, viscosity, and acid value were 1.0468 g/cm3, 68.34 mm2/s, and 70.26 KOH/g, respectively. The chemical composition and chemical functions of bio-oil are determined by GC-MS and FT-IR. The GC-MS identified in bio-oil 21.52% (wt.) hydrocarbons and 78.48% (wt.) oxygenates (4.06% esters, 8.52% carboxylic acids, 3.53% ketones, 35.16% phenols, 20.52% cresols, 5.75% furans, and 0.91% (wt.) aldehydes), making it possible to apply fractional distillation to obtain fossil fuel-like fractions rich in hydrocarbons. The distillation of bio-oil is carried out in a laboratory-scale column, according to the boiling temperature of fossil fuels. The distillation of bio-oil yielded fossil fuel-like fractions (gasoline, kerosene, and light diesel) of 4.70, 28.21, and 22.35% (wt.), respectively