Cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument: MNSI-Brazil.

Since 1994, the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center proposed an instrument to measure neuropathies not yet adapted to use in Brazil. Then, this study aimed to adapt cross-culturally the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) into Brazilian Portuguese, verifying its reliability. Thirty diabetic patients were initially evaluated with the adapted version after completed the essential steps to accomplish the cross-cultural adaptation.

High oxygen extraction and slow recovery of muscle deoxygenation kinetics after neuromuscular electrical stimulation in COPD patients.

Purpose: It was hypothesized that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would exhibit a slow muscle deoxygenation (HHb) recovery time when compared with sedentary controls.

Methods: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES 40 and 50 mA, 50 Hz, 400 µs) was employed to induce isometric contraction of the quadriceps. Microvascular oxygen extraction (µO2EF) and HHb were estimated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Glytube: a conical tube and parafilm M-based method as a simplified device to artificially blood-feed the dengue vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue virus, requires a blood meal to produce eggs. Although live animals are still the main blood source for laboratory colonies, many artificial feeders are available. These feeders are also the best method for experimental oral infection of Ae.

Electronic structure and optical properties of an alternated fluorene-benzothiadiazole copolymer: interplay between experimental and theoretical data.

The donor-acceptor copolymer containing benzothiadiazole (electron acceptor), linked to functionalized fluorene (electron donor), [poly[9,9-bis(3'-(tert-butyl propanoate))fluorene-co-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (LaPPS40), was synthesized through the Suzuki route. The polymer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, gel permeation chromatography, NMR, thermal analysis, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrometry, and photophysical measurements. Theoretical calculations (density functional theory and semiempirical methodologies) used to simulate the geometry of some oligomers and the dipole moments of molecular orbitals involved were in excellent agreement with experimental results.