Light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) before matches prevents increase in creatine kinase with a light dose response in volleyball players.

Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) has been applied over skeletal muscles before intense exercise (muscular pre-conditioning) in order to reduce fatigue and muscle damage (measured by creatine kinase, CK) in clinical trials. However, previous exercise protocols do not exactly simulate the real muscle demand required in sports. For this reason, the aim of this randomized and double-blind placebo-controlled trial was to investigate whether light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) applied over the quadriceps femoris muscles, hamstrings, and triceps surae of volleyball players before official matches could prevent muscle damage (CK) with a dose response, establishing a therapeutic window.

Clinical and demographic profile of chromoblastomycosis in a referral service in the midwest of São Paulo state (Brazil).

Chromoblastomycosis is one of the most frequent deep mycoses found in rural populations. This cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study was conducted with cases of chromoblastomycosis diagnosed throughout 20 years. A higher prevalence was observed among White male rural workers, with an average age of 59.

Oxidative Damage in the Aging Heart: an Experimental Rat Model.

Introduction: Several theories have been proposed to explain the cause of 'aging'; however, the factors that affect this complex process are still poorly understood. Of these theories, the accumulation of oxidative damage over time is among the most accepted. Particularly, the heart is one of the most affected organs by oxidative stress.

Pentoxifylline associated to hypertonic saline solution attenuates inflammatory process and apoptosis after intestinal ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

Purpose: To evaluate intestinal inflammatory and apoptotic processes after intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury, modulated by pentoxifylline and hypertonic saline.

Methods: It was allocated into four groups (n=6), 24 male Wistar rats (200 to 250 g) and submitted to intestinal ischemia for 40 min and reperfusion for 80 min: IR (did not receive any treatment); HS group (Hypertonic Saline, 4 ml/kg-IV); PTX group (Pentoxifylline, 30 mg/kg-IV); HS+PTX group (Hypertonic Saline and Pentoxifylline). All animals were heparinized (100 U/kg).

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: report of two cases.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum is a rare inherited multisystem disorder that is characterized by a pathological mineralization of the elastic connective tissue, which involves predominantly the skin, eyes and cardiovascular system. Its cause lies on mutations in the ABCC6 gene, which lead to reduction or absence of the transmembrane transport ADP dependent protein (MRP6), causing an accumulation of extracellular material and subsequent deposition of calcium and other minerals in the elastic tissue. The authors report two cases of pseudoxanthoma elasticum, emphasizing its major clinical features and the importance of early diagnosis of the disorder, aiming for adequate therapeutic management of associated complications.

Influence of culture medium growth variables on Ganoderma lucidum exopolysaccharides structural features.

In this work the effect of carbon and nitrogen levels and initial pH of the wheat extract culture medium of submerged culture of Ganoderma lucidum on the amount, purity and structural features of exopolysaccharides (EPS) were studied. A low peptone level (1.65 g L(-1)) favored mycelium biomass, EPS purity, but a higher supply of peptone (4.

Incontinentia pigmenti or Bloch-Sulzberger syndrome: a rare X-linked genodermatosis.

Incontinentia pigmenti is a rare X-linked genodermatosis that affects mainly female neonates. The first manifestation occurs in the early neonatal period and progresses through four stages: vesicular, verruciform, hyperpigmented and hypopigmented. Clinical features also manifest themselves through changes in the teeth, eyes, hair, central nervous system, bone structures, skeletal musculature and immune system.

Inflammatory activity modulation by hypertonic saline and pentoxifylline in a rat model of strangulated closed loop small bowel obstruction.

Background: Intestinal obstruction is an abdominal disease associated to mortality, especially if complicated with sepsis. Resuscitation increases survival, although controversies remain concerning to therapeutic strategy.

Methods: To assess the effects of hypertonic saline and pentoxifylline on the inflammatory response and oxidative stress, Wistar rats underwent a laparotomy loop intestinal obstruction and ischemia.

Intrahepatic lymphatic invasion but not vascular invasion is a major prognostic factor after resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Background: Despite advances in diagnosis and surgical strategies, up to 70% of patients will develop recurrence of the disease after resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of four different mechanisms of intrahepatic dissemination, and to evaluate the impact of each mechanism on patient outcomes.

Methods: The medical records of 118 patients who underwent a first resection of CRCLM during the period between 2000 and 2010 were reviewed.

Clinical and radiographic medium-term evaluation on patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip, who were submitted to open reduction, capsuloplasty and Salter osteotomy.

Objective: to evaluate the clinical and radiographic medium-term results from surgical treatment of developmental dysplasia through open reduction, Salter et al.'s osteotomy and capsuloplasty.

Methods: 13 patients were evaluated, 13 hips treated surgically by the proposed technique between 2004 and 2011.

[Public drinking water supply and egg laying by Aedes aegypti].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the quality of publicly supplied water in domestic water tanks on egg laying by female Aedes aegypti.

Methods: Laboratory study on immature Ae. aegypti, collected from water-tanks in the municipality of Potim, SP, Southeastern Brazil.

Effects of AlGaAs cladding layers on the luminescence of GaAs/GaAs1-xBix/GaAs heterostructures.

The structural and optical properties of GaAs1-xBix quantum wells (QWs) symmetrically clad by GaAs barriers with and without additional confining AlGaAs layers are studied. It is shown that a GaAs/GaAs1-xBix/GaAs QW with x ~ 4% and well width of ~ 4 nm grown by molecular beam epitaxy demonstrates efficient photoluminescence (PL) that becomes significantly more thermally stable when a cladding AlGaAs layer is added to the QW structure. The PL behavior for temperatures between 10 and 300 K and for excitation intensities varying by seven orders of magnitude can be well described in terms of the dynamics of excitons including carrier capture in the QW layer, thermal emission and diffusion into the cladding barriers.

Acute kidney injury in patients infected by H1N1: clinical histological correlation in a series of cases.

Introduction: Influenza A (H1N1) virus was first reported on April 2009 and, since then, several studies have reported the characteristics concerning the clinical presentation and pulmonary involvement. However, accurate information about the acute kidney injury (AKI) and kidney histopathological findings in these patients remain scarce.

Objective: To describe the kidney histopathological findings of 6 patients with H1N1 who developed AKI and underwent kidney biopsy, correlating them with clinical features.

Antifungal activity of 3-(heteroaryl-2-ylmethyl)thiazolidinone derivatives.

Thiazolidinones, synthesized from multicomponent reactions of 2-heteroarylmethylamine, arenealdehydes and mercaptoacetic acid, have been tested against six yeasts, namely Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. guilliermondii, Cryptococcus laurentii, Trichosporon asahii and Rhodotorula spp.

Hepatic steatosis assessment: a comparative study between surgeon evaluation and forward histopathologic findings.

Context: Liver transplantation is one of the last viable resources for patients with end-stage liver disease. Many strategies are been used to improve the number of available organs and overcome waiting list delay. However, hepatic steatosis is one of the mainly concerns when organs are consider to transplantation due to it is importance as a risk factor for primary dysfunction.

Synthesis, antifungal and cytotoxic activities of 2-aryl-3-((piperidin-1-yl)ethyl)thiazolidinones.

A series of sixteen novel thiazolidinone derivatives were synthesized from the efficient one-pot reaction of 2-(piperidin-1-yl)ethylamine, arenealdehydes and mercaptoacetic acid in good yields. Identification and characterization of products were achieved by NMR and GC-MS techniques. The in vitro antifungal activities of all synthesized compounds were evaluated against seven fungi: Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida guilliermondii, Cryptococcus laurentii, Geotrichum sp, Trichosporon asahii and Rhodotorula sp.

Matrix structure selection in the microparticles of essential oil oregano produced by spray dryer.

The goal of this work was to select the best combination of encapsulants for the microencapsulation of oregano essential oil by spray dryer with the addition of Arabic gum (AG), modified starch (MS) and maltodextrin (MA). The simplex-centroid method was used to obtain an optimal objective function with three variables. Analytical methods for carvacrol quantification, water activity, moisture content, wettability, solubility, encapsulation efficiency (ME) and oil retention (RT) were used to evaluate the best combination of encapsulants.

A study of GJB2 and delGJB6-D13S1830 mutations in Brazilian non-syndromic deaf children from the Amazon region.

Unlabelled: Hearing impairment affects about 1 in 1000 newborns. Mutations in the connexin 26 (GJB2) gene rank among the most frequent causes of non-syndromic deafness in different populations, while delGJB6-D13S1830 mutation located in the DFNB30 locus is known to cause sensorineural hearing loss. Despite the many studies on the involvement of GJB2 mutations in hearing impairment in different populations, there is little information on genetic deafness in Brazil, especially in the Amazon region.

Structural characterization of lignin isolated from coconut (Cocos nucifera) coir fibers.

The structure of the isolated milled "wood" lignin from coconut coir has been characterized using different analytical methods, including Py-GC/MS, 2D NMR, DFRC, and thioacidolysis. The analyses demonstrated that it is a p-hydroxyphenyl-guaiacyl-syringyl (H-G-S) lignin, with a predominance of G units (S/G ratio 0.23) and considerable amounts of associated p-hydroxybenzoates.

Boletus edulis biologically active biopolymers induce cell cycle arrest in human colon adenocarcinoma cells.

The use of biologically active compounds isolated from edible mushrooms against cancer raises global interest. Anticancer properties are mainly attributed to biopolymers including mainly polysaccharides, polysaccharopeptides, polysaccharide proteins, glycoproteins and proteins. In spite of the fact that Boletus edulis is one of the widely occurring and most consumed edible mushrooms, antitumor biopolymers isolated from it have not been exactly defined and studied so far.

[Users' perceptions of urgency and reasons for using the mobile pre-hospital care service].

The Mobile Emergency Care Services handle urgent situations of various types, and demand for this service occurs according to the perception of the user regarding what is urgent. The aim of the study was to analyze the perceptions of urgency by users who demand care from a Mobile Emergency Care Service in Porto Alegre and to identify the reasons for these requests. In this explomratory-descriptive study, with qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted by telephone, during theperiod from February to April 2009.

Spin injection in n-type resonant tunneling diodes.

We have studied the polarized resolved photoluminescence of n-type GaAs/AlAs/GaAlAs resonant tunneling diodes under magnetic field parallel to the tunnel current. Under resonant tunneling conditions, we have observed two emission lines attributed to neutral (X) and negatively charged excitons (X-). We have observed a voltage-controlled circular polarization degree from the quantum well emission for both lines, with values up to -88% at 15 T at low voltages which are ascribed to an efficient spin injection from the 2D gases formed at the accumulation layers.

Voltage-driven ring confinement in a graphene sheet: assessing conditions for bound state solutions.

We have systematically studied the single-particle states in quantum rings produced by a set of concentric circular gates over a graphene sheet placed on a substrate. The resulting potential profiles and the interaction between the graphene layer and the substrate are considered within the Dirac Hamiltonian in the framework of the envelope function approximation. Our simulations allow microscopic mapping of the character of the electron and hole quasi-particle solutions according to the applied voltage.

Use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate adhesive in rat liver induced lesion.

Purpose: To evaluate the healing process of rat traumatic liver lesion corrected with the use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate adhesive, compared to the use of biologically absorbable chromed catgut thread suture.

Methods: Thirty mail adult rats were divided into two groups (15 per group) according to the used method for liver lesion correction as follows: adhesive group (AG), and catgut group (CG); each group being divided into three subsets of five animals (7th, 14th, and 21st day), respectively, according to post-surgery evaluation. All animals were submitted to homogeneous lesion applying synthetic bonding to AG and using chromed catgut suture to CG for lesion correction.