Genetic variation of the Fc gamma receptor 3B gene and association with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) play a crucial role in immunity by linking IgG antibody-mediated responses with cellular effector and regulatory functions. Genetic variants in these receptors have been previously identified as risk factors for several chronic inflammatory conditions. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of copy number variations (CNVs) in the FCGR3B gene and its potential association with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Hydroelectric reservoir inundation (Rio Madeira Basin, Amazon) and changes in traditional lifestyle: impact on growth and neurodevelopment of pre-school children.

Objective: To assess the dependence on fish consumption of families and its impact on nutritional status and neurodevelopment of pre-school children.

Design: Cross-sectional study that measured children's hair mercury (HHg) as an indicator of family fish consumption, growth (anthropometric Z-scores, WHO standards) and neurological (Gesell developmental scores (GDS)) development.

Setting: Traditional living conditions among families residing in the area adjacent to the Samuel Dam (Western Amazon) hydroelectric reservoir.

Validation of ACB in vitro and in vivo as a biomagnetic method for measuring stomach contraction.

Background: The aim of this study was to validate a biomagnetic method (alternate current biosusceptometry, ACB) for monitoring gastric wall contractions in rats.

Methods: In vitro data were obtained to establish the relationship between ACB and the strain-gauge (SG) signal amplitude. In vivo experiments were performed in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats with SG and magnetic markers previously implanted under the gastric serosa or after ingestion of magnetic material.

Effects of electropolishing surface treatment on the cyclic fatigue resistance of BioRace nickel-titanium rotary instruments.

Introduction: This study evaluated the influence of electropolishing surface treatment on the number of cycles to fracture of BioRace rotary nickel-titanium endodontic instruments.

Methods: BioRace size BR5C instruments with or without electropolishing surface treatment were used in an artificial curved canal under rotational speed of 300 rpm until fracture. Fractured surfaces and the helical shafts of fractured instruments were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

A simple and rapid method for isolation of caliciviruses from liver of infected rabbits.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV), a member of the Caliciviridae family, is the etiologic agent of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD); this viral disease is highly contagious and kills more than 90% of infected adult rabbits. Research on experimental calicivirus infection uses inocula obtained from livers of rabbits dying from calicivirus infection. This implies that caliciviruses have to be purified from liver homogenates.

Biological treatment of propanil and 3,4-dichloroaniline: kinetic and microbiological characterisation.

Propanil (3,4-dichloropropionanilide) is a widely used herbicide, applied worldwide in rice paddies. Propanil is primarily transformed in nature to 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA), which is more slowly biodegradable. Both compounds have adverse health and ecotoxicity effects.

Fishnet metamaterials--rules for refraction and limits of homogenization.

The perfectly conducting stacked fishnet metamaterial is studied in this paper. The analysis is based on a combination of the mode matching method together with the generalized eigenvalue problem, and takes into account wave propagation along all three Cartesian axes. The analysis has been developed for a fishnet of square lateral periodicity and for two particular polarizations, namely TE and TM, corresponding to the two most common excitations.

Early acute depletion of lymphocytes in calicivirus-infected adult rabbits.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) is a lethal infection caused by calicivirus that kills 90% of the infected adult rabbits within 3 days. The calicivirus replicates in the liver and causes a fulminant hepatitis. Most studies on the pathology of RHD have been focused on the fulminant liver disease.

Does performance evaluation help public managers? A Balanced Scorecard approach in urban waste services.

The urban waste market has evolved significantly in the past decades, which among other changes, has led to the creation of new utilities and new business models. However, very few things have changed for the users. Urban waste collection remains mainly under the responsibility of local authorities and the charges paid by the users in most countries are very low compared to the provision costs.

Pupal development of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) at different moisture values in four soil types.

This study aimed to evaluate adult emergence and duration of the pupal stage of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and emergence of the fruit fly parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), under different moisture conditions in four soil types, using soil water matric potential. Pupal stage duration in C. capitata was influenced differently for males and females.

Design and evaluation in mice of a broadly protective meningococcal group B native outer membrane vesicle vaccine.

A vaccine based on native outer membrane vesicles (NOMV) that has potential to provide safe, broad based protection against group B strains of Neisseria meningitidis has been developed. Three antigenically diverse group B strains of N. meningitidis were chosen and genetically modified to improve safety and expression of desirable antigens.

Repeated stress reduces mucociliary clearance in animals with chronic allergic airway inflammation.

We evaluated if repeated stress modulates mucociliary clearance and inflammatory responses in airways of guinea pigs (GP) with chronic inflammation. The GP received seven exposures of ovalbumin or saline 0.9%.

Immunohistochemical analysis of urokinase plasminogen activator and its prognostic value in canine mammary tumours.

Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) has been associated with aggressive behaviour and poor prognosis in human breast cancer, but there is no information on its expression in canine mammary tumours (CMT). uPA immunohistochemical expression was studied in 119 CMT (24 benign, 95 malignant) to investigate its relationship with clinical and histopathological parameters. Dogs with malignant mammary tumours (MMT) underwent a 2-year follow-up evaluation.

Automated speciation of mercury in the hair of breastfed infants exposed to ethylmercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines.

A simplified thiourea-based chromatography method, originally developed for methyl and inorganic mercury, was adapted to separate methylmercury (MeHg), ethylmercury (EtHg), and inorganic mercury (Hg(II)) in infants' hair. Samples were weighed and leached with an acidic thiourea solution. Leachates were concentrated on a polymeric resin prior to analysis by Hg-thiourea liquid chromatography/cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

Analytical theory of extraordinary optical transmission through realistic metallic screens.

An analytical theory of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through realistic metallic screens perforated by a periodic array of subwavelength holes is presented. The theory is based on our previous work on EOT through perfect conducting screens and on the surface impedance concept. The proposed theory is valid for the complete frequency range where EOT has been reported, including microwaves and optics.

Fat mass ratio: an objective tool to define lipodystrophy in hiv-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been associated with lipodystrophy. Different clinical methodologies have been used to define the syndrome. The aim of this study was to propose gender-specific reference values using objective measurements for defining lipodystrophy in HIV-infected patients.

Antinociceptive effect of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. (Rutaceae) in models of acute pain in rodents.

Aim Of The Study: Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. (Rutaceae) is locally known as "mamica de cadela", and its bark is popularly used for toothache and earache. The objective of this study was to investigate the antinociceptive effect of the ethanolic extract from this species' stem bark (EtOH), its fractions of partition (hexane-HEX, ethyl acetate-AcOEt, aqueous-AQ) and lupeol (a triterpene obtained from HEX) in models of acute pain.

TRAF1/C5 polymorphism is not associated with increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: two large longitudinal studies.

Introduction: Recently an association between a genetic variation in TRAF1/C5 and mortality from sepsis or cancer was found in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The most prevalent cause of death, cardiovascular disease, may have been missed in that study, since patients were enrolled at an advanced disease stage. Therefore, we used an inception cohort of RA patients to investigate the association between TRAF1/C5 and cardiovascular mortality, and replicate the findings on all-cause mortality.

Artificial magnetism and left-handed media from dielectric rings and rods.

It is shown that artificial magnetism with relatively large frequency bandwidth can be obtained from periodic arrangements of dielectric rings. Combined with dielectric rods, dielectric rings can provide 3D isotropic left-handed metamaterials which are an advantageous alternative to metallic split ring resonators (SRRs) and/or metallic wires when undetectability by low frequency external magnetic fields is desired. Furthermore it is shown that, unlike conventional SRRs, dielectric rings can also be combined with natural plasma-like media to obtain a left-handed metamaterial.

Regulatory structures and operational environment in the Portuguese waste sector.

This research computes the influence of the operational environment on the efficiency of the Portuguese urban solid waste services. A sample of 29 solid waste utilities encompassing the whole continental country was used for this purpose. Particularly, we apply the non-parametric double bootstrap model to estimate the effect of various explanatory factors on robust data envelopment analysis estimates.

On the applications of micror=-1 metamaterial lenses for magnetic resonance imaging.

In this work some possible applications of negative permeability magnetic metamaterial lenses for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are analyzed. It is shown that using magnetic metamaterials lenses it is possible to manipulate the spatial distribution of the radio-frequency (RF) field used in MR systems and, under some circumstances, improve the sensitivity of surface coils. Furthermore a collimation of the RF field, phenomenon that may find application in parallel imaging, is presented.

Infants' exposure to aluminum from vaccines and breast milk during the first 6 months.

The success of vaccination programs in reducing and eliminating infectious diseases has contributed to an ever-increasing number of vaccines given at earlier ages (newborns and infants). Exposure to low levels of environmental toxic substances (including metals) at an early age raises plausible concerns over increasingly lower neuro-cognitive rates. Current immunization schedules with vaccines containing aluminum (as adjuvant) are given to infants, but thimerosal (as preservative) is found mostly in vaccines used in non-industrialized countries.

The ACB technique: a biomagentic tool for monitoring gastrointestinal contraction directly from smooth muscle in dogs.

The aim of this paper was to verify whether AC biosusceptometry (ACB) is suitable for monitoring gastrointestinal (GI) contraction directly from smooth muscle in dogs, comparing with electrical recordings simultaneously. All experiments were performed in dogs with magnetic markers implanted under the serosa of the right colon and distal stomach, and their movements were recorded by ACB. Monopolar electrodes were implanted close to the magnetic markers and their electric potentials were recorded by electromyography (EMG).

Thimerosal exposure (from tetanus-diphtheria vaccine) during pregnancy and neurodevelopment of breastfed infants at 6 months.

Aim: We studied the effect on neurodevelopment of infants who are exposed to thimerosal in tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccines during pregnancy.

Methods: We compared Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) of exclusive breastfed infants at 6 months born to mothers who received Td (1 to 3 doses) against those who were born to mothers who did not take such vaccines.

Results: Compared with the group of infants not exposed to ethylmercury in utero, the infants of exposed mothers showed no significant difference in neurodevelopment delays.