Changes in Root Canal Length Determined during Mechanical Preparation Stages and Their Relationship with the Accuracy of Root ZX II.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the variations in root canal length (RCL) occurring during endodontic treatment stages (initial, preflared, and concluded) and correlate them with the accuracy of Root ZX II (RZX).

Methods: After coronal access, 26 mandibular molars had the apical foramen of the 52 mesial canals standardized (250 μm) and their respective initial RCL was recorded (RCL1 = initial) by using a clinical microscope (×16) and manual K-file instruments. By using the alginate model, sequential electronic measurements were taken with the RZX.

EphA4-mediated signaling regulates the aggressive phenotype of irradiation survivor colorectal cancer cells.

Radiotherapy is widely used for advanced rectal tumors. However, tumor recurrence after this treatment tends to be more aggressive and is associated with a poor prognosis. Uncovering the molecular mechanism that controls this recurrence is essential for developing new therapeutic applications.

Higher incidence of Zika in adult women than adult men in Rio de Janeiro suggests a significant contribution of sexual transmission from men to women.

Objectives: The recent emergence of Zika in Brazil and its association with an increased rate of congenital malformations has raised concerns over its impact on the birth rate in the country. Using data on the incidence of Zika in 2015-2016 and dengue in 2013 and 2015-2016 for the city of Rio de Janeiro (population 6.4 million), a massive increase of Zika in women compared to men was documented.

Development, validation and application of an UFLC-DAD-ESI-MS method for determination of carbonyl compounds in soybean oil during continuous heating.

A method was developed for the extraction and UFLC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis of carbonyl compounds (CCs) in oils heated to 180°C. Different parameters were evaluated, and the best results were 1.5ml of acetonitrile as the extraction solvent, manual stirring for 3min and 30min of sonication time.

Assessment of the impact of changes in temperature in Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818) melanic and albino variants infected with Schistosoma mansoni (Sambon, 1907).

Fluctuations in population density of planorbid hosts of S. mansoni are influenced by climatic factors. The knowledge about interference from changes in water temperature in these populations is an important aspect of the epidemiology of schistosomiasis.

Host-parasite relationship between Biomphalaria amazonica (Paraense, 1966) and Schistosoma mansoni (Sambon, 1907).

Biomphalaria amazonica is a planorbid species considered a potential host of Schistosoma mansoni. It is widely distributed in the Neotropical zone, particularly in the North and Centre-West of Brazil and in the North of Bolivia. The aim of the present study was to determine the host-parasite relationship between B.

["Hormone bomb": risks of emergency contraception from the perspective of pharmacy attendants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].

This study focused on views towards emergency contraception among pharmacy attendants in Greater Metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The empirical material came from a socio-anthropological study with 20 semi-structured interviews of pharmacy attendants of both sexes (8 females and 12 males). The interviews showed negative views of emergency contraception, emphasizing its potential health risks.

Integrated assessment of biomarker responses and microbiological analysis of oysters from São Luís Island, Brazil.

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of biochemical biomarkers and microbiological analysis to identify levels of oyster contamination at different ports in São Luís Island (Maranhão), Brazil. Oysters were analyzed for total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas spp. In addition, tissue was removed from the digestive gland to determine the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activity.

Factors associated with overweight: are the conclusions influenced by choice of the regression method?

Background: Different analytical techniques have been used to study the determinants of overweight. However, certain commonly used techniques may be limited by the continuous nature and skewed distribution of body mass index (BMI) data. In this article, different regression models are compared to identify the best approach for analysing predictors of BMI.

Epidemiological characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility among carbapenem-resistant non-fermenting bacteria in Brazil.

Introduction: Non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii are widespread in the environment and are increasingly associated with nosocomial infections. Extensive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in hospitals has contributed to an increased number of infections caused by these microorganisms, that are resistant to a wide variety of antimicrobials, including β-lactams. This study aimed to isolate and identify carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp.

Toxoplasma gondii-Derived Synthetic Peptides Containing B- and T-Cell Epitopes from GRA2 Protein Are Able to Enhance Mice Survival in a Model of Experimental Toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis distributed all over the world, which the etiologic agent is an intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. This disease may cause abortions and severe diseases in many warm-blood hosts, including humans, particularly the immunocompromised patients. The parasite specialized secretory organelles, as micronemes, rhoptries and dense granules, are critical for the successful parasitism.

Zika is not a reason for missing the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro: response to the open letter of Dr Attaran and colleagues to Dr Margaret Chan, Director - General, WHO, on the Zika threat to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Attaran and colleagues in an open letter to WHO expressed their concern about the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the threat posed by the Zika epidemic (Attaran 2016). We agree that Zika virus is of great public health concern and much remains to be known about this disease. Care should be taken to reduce the risk of infection, especially to pregnant women.

The Rapid Test Based on Leishmania infantum Chimeric rK28 Protein Improves the Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis by Reducing the Detection of False-Positive Dogs.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) has spread to many urban centers worldwide. Dogs are considered the main reservoir of VL, because canine cases often precede the occurrence of human cases. Detection and euthanasia of serologically positive dogs is one of the primary VL control measures utilized in some countries, including Brazil.

Virtual screening, docking, and dynamics of potential new inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from Yersinia pestis.

In the present work, we propose to design drugs that target the enzyme dihydrofolate redutase (DHFR) as a means of a novel drug therapy against plague. Potential inhibitors of DHFR from Yersinia pestis (YpDHFR) were selected by virtual screening and subjected to docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method, in order to evaluate their interactions in the active sites of YpDHFR and human DHFR (HssDHFR). The results suggested selectivity for three compounds that were further used to propose the structures of six new potential selective inhibitors for YpDHFR.

Transmembrane TNF-α is sufficient for articular inflammation and hypernociception in a mouse model of gout.

Gout manifests as recurrent episodes of acute joint inflammation and pain due to the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals within the affected tissue in a process dependent on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The synthesis, activation, and release of IL-1β are crucial for MSU-induced inflammation. The current study evaluated the mechanism by which TNF-α contributed to MSU-induced inflammation.

Effects of age and cognition on a cross-cultural paediatric adaptation of the Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test.

Objectives: To study the effects of age and cognition on the performance of children aged 3 to 18 years on a culturally adapted version of the 16 item smell identification test from Sniffin' Sticks (SS16).

Methods: A series of pilots were conducted on 29 children aged 3 to 18 years old and 23 adults to produce an adapted version of the SS16 suitable for Brazilian children (SS16-Child). A final version was applied to 51 children alongside a picture identification test (PIT-SS16-Child) to access cognitive abilities involved in the smell identification task.

PTEN Overexpression Cooperates With Lithium to Reduce the Malignancy and to Increase Cell Death by Apoptosis via PI3K/Akt Suppression in Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Lithium is a well-established non-competitive inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), a kinase that is involved in several cellular processes related to cancer progression. GSK-3β is regulated upstream by PI3K/Akt, which is negatively modulated by PTEN. The role that lithium plays in cancer is controversial because lithium can activate or inhibit survival signaling pathways depending on the cell type.

Clinical Findings and Natural History in Ten Unrelated Families with Juvenile and Adult GM1 Gangliosidosis.

We describe 12 subjects of ten unrelated families from the region of Campinas and the southern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, who presented with juvenile (n = 4) and adult (n = 8) GM1 gangliosidosis. Data includes clinical history, physical examination, and ancillary exam findings. Six subjects presented initially with skeletal deformities, while the remaining six had neurological manifestations at onset.

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on the Saliva of Patients with Morbid Obesity.

Background: The oral condition of obese patients may change following bariatric surgery owing to adverse effects that cause alterations in the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery on the saliva of patients with morbid obesity.

Methods: Whole saliva samples were collected from 27 patients with morbid obesity (BMI >40 kg/m(2)), prior to and 6 months after bariatric surgery.

A multibiomarker evaluation of urban, industrial, and agricultural exposure of small characins in a large freshwater basin in southern Brazil.

Iguaçu River is the second most polluted river of Brazil. It receives agrochemicals and contaminants of urban and industrial sources along its course. A multibiomarker approach was employed here to evaluate the health of a small characin (Astyanax spp.

Neonatal care in Brazil: hospital structure and adequacy according to newborn obstetric risk.

Background: In Brazil, hospital birth care is available to all, but there are important differences between hospitals in the public and private sectors, geographical regions and capitals/inland cities, resulting in inequalities of infant health.

Aims: To assess the hospital structure for birth care in Brazil and analyze hospital adequacy to care for newborns according to levels of risk.

Methods: Data were collected as part of a nationwide hospital-based cohort study, 'Birth in Brazil'.

Obtaining adjusted prevalence ratios from logistic regression models in cross-sectional studies.

In the last decades, the use of the epidemiological prevalence ratio (PR) instead of the odds ratio has been debated as a measure of association in cross-sectional studies. This article addresses the main difficulties in the use of statistical models for the calculation of PR: convergence problems, availability of tools and inappropriate assumptions. We implement the direct approach to estimate the PR from binary regression models based on two methods proposed by Wilcosky & Chambless and compare with different methods.

Activities of 2-phthalimidethyl nitrate and 2-phthalimidethanol in the models of nociceptive response and edema induced by formaldehyde in mice and preliminary investigation of the underlying mechanisms.

The activities of 2-phthalimidethyl nitrate (PTD-NO) and 2-phthalimidethanol (PTD-OH) were recently demonstrated in models of pain and inflammation. We expanded our investigation by evaluating their activities in models of nociceptive and inflammatory pain and inflammatory edema, the preliminary pharmacokinetic parameter for PTD-NO and the role of opioid and cannabinoid pathways in the activity of analogs. Per os (p.

Microtensile bond strength of silorane-based composite specific adhesive system using different bonding strategies.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-etching on the bond strength of silorane-based composite specific adhesive system to dentin.

Materials And Methods: Thirty human molars were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the different bonding strategies. For teeth restored with silorane-based composite (Filtek Silorane, 3M ESPE), the specific self-etching adhesive system (Adhesive System P90, 3M ESPE) was used with and without pre-etching (Pre-etching/Silorane and Silorane groups).