Emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacter spp. in patients with bacteremia in a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil.

Background: Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are increasingly prevalent in Enterobacter spp., posing a challenge to the treatment of infections caused by this microorganism. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of inpatients with bacteremia caused by ESBL and non ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp.

Phylogenetic and functional diversity of metagenomic libraries of phenol degrading sludge from petroleum refinery wastewater treatment system.

In petrochemical refinery wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), different concentrations of pollutant compounds are received daily in the influent stream, including significant amounts of phenolic compounds, creating propitious conditions for the development of particular microorganisms that can rapidly adapt to such environment. In the present work, the microbial sludge from a refinery WWTP was enriched for phenol, cloned into fosmid vectors and pyrosequenced. The fosmid libraries yielded 13,200 clones and a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the sequence data set revealed a complex and diverse bacterial community in the phenol degrading sludge.

Anatomic study of the mandibular foramen, lingula and antilingula in dry mandibles, and its statistical relationship between the true lingula and the antilingula.

The authors verified the anatomical location of the mandibular foramen, lingula and antilingula in dry mandibles, aiming to obtain information that could be used when performing mandibular osteotomies. Forty-four mandibles (88 sides) were evaluated. The distances were measured using a sliding calliper, with the mandibles fixed in a reproducible position.

Ex vivo expansion of CD56+ NK and NKT-like lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with ovarian neoplasia.

Methods for ex vivo expansion of natural killer (NK) cells have allowed obtaining enough numbers of human NK cells for clinical trials. However, the evaluation of these methods has been mostly limited to haematological malignancies. This study aimed at evaluating a method for selective expansion of NK cells when applied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with ovarian neoplasia.

Investigation of bacterial diversity in membrane bioreactor and conventional activated sludge processes from petroleum refineries using phylogenetic and statistical approaches.

Bacterial diversity of two distinct wastewater treatment systems, conventional activated sludge (CAS) and membrane bioreactor (MBR), of petroleum refineries were investigated through 16S rRNA gene libraries. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the bacterial community composition of sludge samples was distinct between the two wastewater treatment systems. MBR clones belonged predominantly to Class Betaproteobacteria, represented mainly by genera Thiobacillus and Thauera, whereas CAS clones were mostly related to Class Alphaproteobacteria, represented by uncultured bacteria related to Order Parvularculales.

Monitoring the bacterial community dynamics in a petroleum refinery wastewater membrane bioreactor fed with a high phenolic load.

The phenolic compounds are a major contaminant class often found in industrial wastewaters and the biological treatment is an alternative tool commonly employed for their removal. In this sense, monitoring microbial community dynamics is crucial for a successful wastewater treatment. This work aimed to monitor the structure and activity of the bacterial community during the operation of a laboratory-scale continuous submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR), using PCR and RT-PCR followed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA libraries.

Determination of Force Coresponding to Maximal Lactate Steady State in Tethered Swimming.

The main aim of the present investigation was to verify if the aerobic capacity (AC) measured in tethered swimming corresponds to the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and its correlation with 30 min and 400m free style swimming. Twenty-five swimmers were submitted to an incremental tethered swimming test (ITS) with an initial load of 20N and increments of 10N each 3min. After each stage of 3min, the athletes had 30s of interval to blood sample collections that were used to measure blood lactate concentrations ([La]).

Effect of congenital blindness on EMG activity of the facial muscles.

The aim of this work was to analyze electromyographically the facial muscles: orbicularis oris (upper and lower fascicles), orbicularis oculi (right and left lateral portions) and frontal, in blind and clinically normal (control) individuals, in various clinical conditions. Electromyographic averages of all data collected were normalized by maximal voluntary contraction of the studied muscles and statistical analysis was performed by Student's t test, using "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" software--SPSS 12.0 (Chicago, IL).

Millimeter marks and probe tip diameter standardisation from commercially available periodontal probes. A comparative study.

The periodontal probe is still the most important tool for a correct and reproducible periodontal diagnosis. The aim of this study was to verify the standardisation from millimeter marks and tip diameter of four currently marketed periodontal probes. 129 new probes were randomly acquired in the market: 9 Williams-Hu Friedy (group A), 50 Williams-Golgran (group B), 35 Williams-Neumar (group C) and 35 WHO-Hu Friedy (group D).

Premenstrual seizure increase: influence of age, duration of disease, seizure frequency, previous complaint of perimenstrual accentuation, EEG and CT scan findings.

Unlabelled: We selected prospectively 80 mentally healthy women at menacme age, with chronic epilepsy and at least one seizure in the month preceding this study. They underwent four EEGs weekly. CT scan of the skull was done in 57 patients (71.