Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreatic: evaluation of clinical, radiological and surgical profiles.

Objective: To describe the clinical, radiological and surgical features of solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study evaluating the multi-institutional clinical, radiological and surgical patients with a diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas undergoing surgical treatment.

Results: We identified eight patients in three hospitals in the state of Amazonas, seven females, six under the age of 30.

Molecular characterization of Rhodnius prolixus' embryonic cuticle.

The embryonic cuticle (EC) of Rhodnius prolixus envelopes the entire body of the embryo during hatching and provides physical protection, allowing the embryo to pass through a narrow chorionic border. Most of the knowledge about the EC of insects is derived from studies on ultrastructure and secretion processes during embryonic development, and little is known about the molecular composition of this structure. We performed a comprehensive molecular characterization of the major components extracted from the EC of R.

An insight into the transcriptome of the digestive tract of the bloodsucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus.

The bloodsucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is a vector of Chagas' disease, which affects 7-8 million people today in Latin America. In contrast to other hematophagous insects, the triatomine gut is compartmentalized into three segments that perform different functions during blood digestion. Here we report analysis of transcriptomes for each of the segments using pyrosequencing technology.

Effects of chitin synthase double-stranded RNA on molting and oogenesis in the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius prolixus.

In this study, we provided the demonstration of the presence of a single CHS gene in the Rhodnius prolixus (a blood-sucking insect) genome that is expressed in adults (integument and ovary) and in the integument of nymphs during development. This CHS gene appears to be essential for epidermal integrity and egg formation in R. prolixus.

Lower molar uprighting with miniscrew anchorage: direct and indirect anchorage.

Lower molar uprighting has been increasingly indicated in clinical orthodontics, mainly because of adult patients with rehabilitation needs. The aim of this study was to determine the success rate of miniscrew use for lower molar uprighting and to compare the use of direct and indirect anchorage. One hundred and eighty-one miniscrews were inserted in 102 rehabilitation patients, with a mean age of 42.

Factors related to orthodontic treatment time in adult patients.

Introduction: The length of time that it takes an orthodontist to treat adult patients varies widely.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate how different variables influence treatment time.

Methods: Seventy clinical case reports of successfully treated adult patients were examined.

Plaster body wrap: effects on abdominal fat.

Background: Abdominal fat is associated with metabolic disorders, leading to cardiovascular risk factors and numerous diseases. This study aimed to analyze the effect of plaster body wrap in combination with aerobic exercise on abdominal fat.

Methods: Nineteen female volunteers were randomly divided into intervention group (IG;  = 10) performing aerobic exercise with plaster body wrap, and control group (CG;  = 9) performing only exercise.

Quantifying lipid-protein interaction by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS).

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful method to investigate molecular interactions based on the variation of diffusion properties at the single-molecule level. This technique allows studying quantitatively the interaction of fluorescently labeled proteins/peptides with lipid vesicles. Here, we describe how to acquire and analyze FCS partition data in order to accurately determine the protein/peptide partition coefficients between the aqueous and lipid phases.

Hirschsprung's disease: the importance of early diagnosis.

Congenital intestinal aganglionosis, also called Hirschsprung disease (HD), is defined as the absence of ganglionic cells in the myenteric (Auerbach) and submucosal (Meissner) plexus, due to a failure in the enteric nervous system development. The extent of intestinal involvement may vary according to the age of embryo development in which this failure occurs. It is not unusual for other malformations to be present, as well as chromosomal trisomies, manly trisomy 21.

Correlates of HIV infection among patients with mental illness in Brazil.

People living with mental illness are at increased risk for HIV. There are scarce data on correlates and prevalence of HIV infection, and none with a nationally representative sample. We report on correlates of HIV infection from a cross-sectional national sample of adults receiving care in 26 publicly funded mental health treatment settings throughout Brazil.

Anxiety behavior is reduced, and physical growth is improved in the progeny of rat dams that consumed lipids from goat milk: an elevated plus maze analysis.

The goat milk contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which can influence physical growth and brain development. This study investigated the impact of a diet containing goat milk fat (GMF) on physical parameters of gestating (G) and/or lactating (L) rat dams, and their progeny's physical growth, and anxiety behavior. In the dams, body weight was evaluated during gestation and lactation.

Dental fluorescence: potential forensic use.

In cases of identification of bones, skeletal segments or isolated bones, searching for biotypologic diagnostic data to estimate an individual's age enables comparing these data with those of missing individuals. Enamel, dentin and pulp undergo remarkable changes during an individual's life. The enamel becomes more mineralized, smoother and thinner, and deteriorates because of physiological and pathological factors.

The bc:caa3 supercomplexes from the Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis respiratory chain: a megacomplex organization?

The respiratory chain of some prokaryotes was shown to be organized in supercomplexes. This association has been proposed to improve enzyme stability and the overall efficiency of the oxidative phosphorylation process. Here, we have revisited recent data on the supercomplexes of Bacillus subtilis respiratory chain, by means of 1D and 2D-BN-PAGE, sucrose gradient fractionation of solubilized membranes, and mass spectrometry analysis of BN-PAGE bands detected in gel for succinate and cytochrome c oxidoreductase activities.

The formate:oxygen oxidoreductase supercomplex of Escherichia coli aerobic respiratory chain.

The Escherichia coli formate:oxygen oxidoreductase supercomplex (FdOx) was investigated with respect to function and composition. Formate oxidoreductase activity was detected in blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) resolved membranes of E. coli, which were also capable of cyanide sensitive formate:oxygen oxidoreductase activity.

Determinants of neonatal death with emphasis on health care during pregnancy, childbirth and reproductive history.

Objective: To identify risk factors for neonatal mortality, focusing on factors related to assistance care during the prenatal period, childbirth, and maternal reproductive history.

Methods: This was a case-control study conducted in Maceió, Northeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of 136 cases and 272 controls selected from official Brazilian databases.

Characteristics and factors associated with health care in children younger than 1 year with very low birth weight.

Objectives: To identify the characteristics of health care in infants with very low birth weight during the first year of life and the factors associated with this care.

Methods: This was a descriptive study with an analytical component conducted in the city of Maceió, Northeastern Brazil, with a sample of 53 children with a median age of five months at the time of the interview, and their mothers. The mothers were interviewed at home regarding socioeconomic and demographic data and health care provided for the child.

Fluorescence detection of lipid-induced oligomeric intermediates involved in lysozyme "amyloid-like" fiber formation driven by anionic membranes.

Recent findings implicate that "amyloid-like" fiber formation by several non-amyloidogenic proteins/peptides can be triggered by negatively charged lipid membranes. In order to elucidate the factors that govern the formation of these structures, the interaction of lysozyme with phosphatidylserine-containing lipid vesicles was studied by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Three consecutive stages in the interaction of Alexa488-fluorescently labeled lysozyme (Lz-A488) with acidic lipid vesicles were identified in ensemble average measurements.

Hepatitis C among patients with mental illness in Brazil: an analysis of associated factors.

Objective: The objective was to assess factors associated with previous exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Brazilian adults in mental health centers.

Method: A cross-sectional national multicenter study of 2087 psychiatric patients randomly selected from 26 public mental health services was conducted between 2005 and 2007 in Brazil. An interview was conducted for obtaining sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral data.

The novel NhaE-type Na(+)/H (+) antiporter of the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.

Neisseria meningitidis is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for meningitis. The mechanisms underlying the control of Na(+) transmembrane movement, presumably important to pathogenicity, have been barely addressed. To elucidate the function of the components of the Na(+) transport system in N.

Analysis of the bacterial seal at the implant-abutment interface in external-hexagon and Morse taper-connection implants: an in vitro study using a new methodology.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare, in vitro, external-hexagon and Morse taper implant systems with respect to bacterial sealing between implants and abutments using a new methodology.

Materials And Methods: Two groups of implants were tested. Group 1 implants had an external-hexagon implant-abutment interface (Neodent) and group 2 implants featured a Morse taper (Neodent) interface.

Formation of DNA strand breaks in peripheral lymphocytes of rats after exposure to natural sunlight.

Objective: This paper aims to evaluate the genotoxicity in peripheral blood lymphocytes of rats after exposure to sunlight at different time points of day in a tropical region of Brazil (5 degrees S, 42 degrees W).

Materials And Methods: Thirty Wistar-Hannover rats, three months old, were randomly divided into three groups of 10 animals each: Group I [control, without exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation], Group II (exposed to sunlight during 08:00 a.m.

Keratinases and sulfide from Bacillus subtilis SLC to recycle feather waste.

The aim of this study is to investigate the culture conditions of chicken feather degradation and keratinolytic enzyme production by the recently isolated Bacillus subtilis SLC and to evaluate the potential of the SLC strain to recycle feather waste discarded by the poultry industry. The SLC strain was isolated from the agroindustrial waste of a poultry farm in Brazil and was confirmed to belong to Bacillus subtilis by rDNA gene analysis. There was high keratinase production when the medium was at pH 8 (280 U ml(-1)).

The aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli: from genes to supercomplexes.

In spite of the large number of reports on the aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli, from gene transcription regulation to enzyme kinetics and structural studies, an integrative perspective of this pathway is yet to be produced. Here, a multi-level analysis of the aerobic respiratory chain of E. coli was performed to find correlations between gene transcription, enzyme activity, growth dynamics, and supercomplex formation and composition.

Oxidative stress modulates the nitric oxide defense promoted by Escherichia coli flavorubredoxin.

Mammalian cells of innate immunity respond to pathogen invasion by activating proteins that generate a burst of oxidative and nitrosative stress. Pathogens defend themselves from the toxic compounds by triggering a variety of detoxifying enzymes. Escherichia coli flavorubredoxin is a nitric oxide reductase that is expressed under nitrosative stress conditions.