Inflammatory markers in prepubertal children and their associations with abdominal fat.

Objective: To evaluate the association between inflammatory markers and abdominal fat assessed by ultrasound in prepubertal children with and without excess weight.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 241 prepubertal children, 156 with obesity, 37 with overweight, and 48 with normal weight, aged five to ten years, who were followed at a research unit on Childhood Obesity from a teaching hospital belonging to a public health system. The concentration of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein were assessed and regression analyses, considering outcome variables such as abdominal wall and intra-abdominal fat thickness measured by ultrasound, were performed.

Clinical and laboratory features of African-Brazilian patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: African-Brazilians comprise a group of blacks and "pardos." As racial differences can be associated with distinct presentations, we evaluated the clinical and serological associations of African-Brazilians with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Sera from 260 adult SSc patients (203 whites and 57 African-Brazilians) were evaluated.

Laminated Veneers with Stratified Feldspathic Ceramics.

Currently, there has been a growing demand for restorations of anterior teeth in the routine of doctors in dental offices. With advances in adhesive technology and good properties of the available ceramics, the use of ceramic veneers has been offered as a treatment option for cases where teeth have minor color changes and shape and position changes. Through careful treatment planning, it is possible to conservatively use ceramic veneers in the treatments, applying techniques with minimal wear of the teeth and obtaining excellent aesthetic results with mechanical stability and biocompatibility with the periodontal tissues and clinical longevity.

Profile of Brazilian smokers in the National Program for Tobacco Control.

Objective: The treatment of tobacco addiction in Brazil has expanded in recent years; however, we must increase knowledge about the characteristics of individuals who adhere to cessation programs in order to adjust treatments to specific characteristics of the target population that favor success. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of smokers who present to Brazilian public health units seeking help to quit smoking based on the experience of a primary health care unit that covers a poor community in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Methods: Data were collected at a Teaching Health Center from January 03 2012 to January 03 2014.