On EMG signal compression with recurrent patterns.

In this paper, the multidimensional multiscale parser (MMP) is employed for encoding electromyographic signals. The experiments were carried out with real signals acquired in laboratory and show that the proposed scheme is effective, outperforming even wavelet-based state-of-the-art schemes present in the literature in terms of percent root mean square difference x compression ratio.

Skeletal age of individuals with Down syndrome.

The aim of this study was to assess the skeletal age of Brazilian individuals with Down syndrome (DS) using the method of Greulich and Pyle. Forty subjects with DS between the ages of 6 and 16 years were studied and compared to a control sample of children without DS. The statistical analysis showed that at the age of 7 years the skeletal age (SA) of the individuals with DS was delayed in relation to their chronological age (CA) (SA < CA).

An overview of mannan structure and mannan-degrading enzyme systems.

Hemicellulose is a complex group of heterogeneous polymers and represents one of the major sources of renewable organic matter. Mannan is one of the major constituent groups of hemicellulose in the wall of higher plants. It comprises linear or branched polymers derived from sugars such as D-mannose, D-galactose, and D-glucose.

Enhanced visualization of histological samples with an adjustable RGB contrast system with application for tissue used in photodynamic therapy.

The analysis of histological sections has long been a valuable tool in the pathological studies. The interpretation of tissue conditions, however, relies directly on visual evaluation of tissue slides, which may be difficult to interpret because of poor contrast or poor color differentiation. The Chromatic Contrast Visualization System (CCV) combines an optical microscope with electronically controlled light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to generate adjustable intensities of RGB channels for sample illumination.

Peptaibols of trichoderma.

The fungal genus Trichoderma has various applications in industry and in medicine, and several species have economic importance as sources of enzymes, antibiotics, plant growth promoters, decomposers of xenobiotics, and as commercial biofungicides. Peptaibiotics and peptaibols are a class of linear peptides synthesized by such fungi, and more than 300 have been described to date. Of this class, those compounds exhibiting antimicrobial activity are referred to as antibiotic peptides.

Common bile duct investigation in patients with mild biliary pancreatitis. when and how? A prospective analysis of 48 patients.

Background/aims: To define how and when patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis must have their biliary tree investigated.

Methodology: We analyzed 48 patients' files with mild biliary pancreatitis between 1995 and 2004. After clinical treatment, magnetic resonance or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and then surgery was performed.

Laparoscopic management of intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoar.

Phytobezoars are a rare cause of small-bowel obstruction and an accurate preoperative diagnosis is very difficult. After diagnosis, the majority of patients in this study underwent surgery. The conventional management of small-bowel obstruction is done by laparotomy.

Identification of two novel xylanase-encoding genes (xyn5 and xyn6) from Acrophialophora nainiana and heterologous expression of xyn6 in Trichoderma reesei.

Two novel genes, xyn5 and xyn6, coding for family 11 xylanases, were isolated from the thermotolerant filamentous fungus, Acrophialophora nainiana, by PCR using degenerate primers. The xyn6 gene was further expressed in Trichoderma reesei. DNA sequence analysis of xyn6 revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 708 bp, interrupted by an intron of 58 bp.

Inhibition of photophosphorylation and electron transport chain in thylakoids by lasiodiplodin, a natural product from Botryosphaeria rhodina.

Four natural products were isolated from the fungus Botryosphaeria rhodina, and their effects on photosynthesis were tested. Only lasiodiplodin (1) inhibited ATP synthesis and electron flow from water to methylviologen; therefore, it acts as a Hill reaction inhibitor in freshly lysed spinach thylakoids. Photosystem I and II and partial reactions as well as ATPase were measured in the presence of 1.

Adenoviruses associated with acute gastroenteritis in hospitalized and community children up to 5 years old in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Brazil.

Acute gastroenteritis is a major source of morbidity and mortality among young children in developed and developing countries. Human adenoviruses (HAdVs), and in particular species F, are related to childhood diarrhoea worldwide. This study presents the results obtained during an investigation of HAdVs causing acute gastroenteritis in children hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, from April 1996 to September 2003, as well as in children with diarrhoea living in the slums of Salvador, BA, Brazil, from October 2001 to September 2003.

Agarose gel electrophoresis of cerebrospinal fluid proteins of dogs after sample concentration using a membrane microconcentrator technique.

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced in the cerebral ventricles through ultrafiltration of plasma and active transport mechanisms. Evaluation of proteins in CSF may provide important information about the production of immunoglobulins within the central nervous system as well as possible disturbances in the blood-brain barrier.

Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the concentration and fractions of protein in CSF samples using a membrane microconcentrator technique followed by electrophoresis, and to compare the protein fractions obtained with those in serum.

Thermally managed eclipse Z-scan.

We report a new variation of the conventional Z-scan method to characterize the third-order optical nonlinearity of photonic materials. By exploiting the combination of the eclipse Z-scan with a thermal nonlinearity management technique, we demonstrate an improvement in sensitivity and flexibility of the method to simultaneously characterize the thermal and nonthermal nonlinearity of optical materials. The method is demonstrated by measuring the nonlinear refractive index in CS(2), SiO(2) and H(2)O, standard materials, and also in a biomaterial, the amino acid Tryptophan in water solution, using a femtosecond Ti-Sapphire laser operating at 76MHz repetition rate.

Diabetes and coronary artery disease impose similar cardiovascular morbidity and mortality on renal transplant candidates.

Background: In renal transplant candidates (RTC), diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) are commonly observed. However, whether diabetes imparts a cardiovascular risk equivalent to that of CAD and whether CAD adds to the cardiovascular risk associated with diabetes is unknown.

Methods: To assess the interplay between diabetes and CAD as a determinant of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), 288 high-risk RTC (56.

Factors leading to long-term hospitalization after laparoscopic appendectomy.

Background: Randomized studies demonstrate that laparoscopic appendectomy yields better results compared with open techniques. We sought to identify factors that determine an extended hospital stay among patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy.

Methods: This was a prospective study including 669 patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy.

First record of Sinoxylon conigerum Gerstäcker (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in Brazil.

This is the first register of Sinoxylon conigerum attacking timber of teak (Tectona grandis L.f.), mango tree (Mangifera indica L.

Cleidocranial dysplasia: importance of radiographic images in diagnosis of the condition.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare syndrome usually caused by an autosomal dominant gene, although 40% of cases of CCD appear spontaneously with no apparent genetic cause. This condition is characterized by several cranial malformations and underdevelopment, absence of the clavicles, and multiple supernumerary and impacted permanent teeth. The diagnosis of this condition is usually based on the presence of the main features (supernumerary teeth, partial or total absence of one or both the clavicles, and bony malformations) and on clinical and familial evidence.

High selective leishmanicidal activity of 3-hydroxy-2-methylene-3-(4-bromophenyl)propanenitrile and analogous compounds.

Sixteen not new aromatic compounds were prepared by one-pot reaction i.e. through Baylis-Hillman reaction and were the first time evaluated against promastigote Leishmania amazonensis and infected mammalian cells.

Pharmacokinetic and toxicity investigations of a new intraocular lens with a dexamethasone drug delivery system: a pilot study.

Aim: To investigate the short-term safety and pharmacokinetic behavior of a new intraocular lens containing a dexamethasone drug delivery system (IOL-DDS) in rabbit eyes.

Methods: A modified polymethylmethacrylate IOL containing a biodegradable dexamethasone DDS was implanted into the posterior chamber of the right eyes of 9 New Zealand white rabbits. Serial slitlamp and indirect ophthalmoscopic examinations (including grading of intraocular inflammation) were performed.

Purification and characterization of a novel pectinase from Acrophialophora nainiana with emphasis on its physicochemical properties.

An extracellular pectinase (PECI) was purified to apparent homogeneity from liquid state cultures of the thermophilic fungus Acrophialophora nainiana by ultrafiltration and a combination of gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatographic procedures. The molecular masses of PECI were 35,500 and 30,749 Da, as determined by SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry, respectively. It was more active at 60 degrees C and pH 8.

Moment-based texture segmentation of luminal contour in intravascular ultrasound images.

Purpose: A system for luminal contour segmentation in intravascular ultrasound images is proposed.

Methods: Moment-based texture features are used for clustering of the pixels in the input image. After the clustering, morphological smoothing and a boundary detection process are applied and the final image is obtained.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by Brazilian oncologists.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is frequently employed by patients with cancer. An extensive survey was conducted among Brazilian cancer physicians to understand their attitude towards CAM. A questionnaire was sent to all 655 members of the Brazilian Cancer Society asking what is their opinion regarding CAM and if they would prescribe any CAM modality for their patients.

Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and antimutagenicity of hexane extracts of Agaricus blazei determined in vitro by the comet assay and CHO/HGPRT gene mutation assay.

Agaricus blazei Murrill ss. Heinem, known as the sun mushroom or himematsutake, is a basidiomycete native to Brazil, which is popular for its medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to test hexane extracts (one fraction and its four sub-fractions) of A.

Tenoxicam exerts a neuroprotective action after cerebral ischemia in rats.

In this study we investigated the effects of Tenoxicam, a type 2 cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitor, on brain damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion. Male Wistar rats (18-month old average) were anesthetized and submitted to ischemia occlusion of both common carotid arteries (BCAO) for 45 min. After 24 h of reperfusion, rats were decapitated and hippocampi removed for further assays.