Chiral asymmetry detected in a 2D array of permalloy square nanomagnets using circularly polarized x-ray resonant magnetic scattering.

The sensitivity of circularly polarized x-ray resonant magnetic scattering (CXRMS) to chiral asymmetry has been demonstrated. The study was performed on a 2D array of Permalloy (Py) square nanomagnets of 700 nm lateral size arranged in a chess pattern, in a square lattice of 1000 nm lattice parameter. Previous x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy (XMCD-PEEM) images on this sample showed the formation of vortices at remanence and a preference in their chiral state. The magnetic hysteresis loops of the array along the diagonal axis of the squares indicate a non-negligible and anisotropic interaction between vortices. The intensity of the magnetic scattering using circularly polarized light along one of the diagonal axes of the square magnets becomes asymmetric in intensity in the direction transversal to the incident plane at fields where the vortex states are formed. The asymmetry sign is inverted when the direction of the applied magnetic field is inverted. The result is the expected in the presence of an unbalanced chiral distribution. The effect is observed by CXRMS due to the interference between the charge scattering and the magnetic scattering.

Milk saturated fatty acids, odd- and branched-chain fatty acids, and isomers of C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3n-3 according to their duodenal flows in dairy cows: A meta-analysis approach.

We sought to establish predictive response models of milk fatty acid (FA) yields or concentrations from their respective duodenal flow, rumen digestive parameters, or diet characteristics in dairy cows, with a special focus on cis and trans isomers of C18:1, C18:2, odd- and branched FA, and mammary de novo synthesized FA. This meta-analysis was carried out using data from trials with nature of forage, percentage of concentrate, supplementation of diets with vegetable oils or seeds, and marine products' animal fats as experimental factors. The data set included 34 published papers representing 50 experiments with 142 treatments. Increasing duodenal C18 FA flow induced a quadratic increase in milk total C18 yield and a linear decrease in milk C4:0 to C14:0 concentration. Intra-experimental predictive response models of individual milk cis C18:1 isomers (Δ 11 to 15 position) from their respective duodenal flows had coefficients of determination (R2) ranging from 0.74 to 0.99, with root mean square error varying from 0.19 to 0.96 g/d, 0.02 to 0.10% of total FA, and 0.03 to 0.29% of C18 FA. Models predicting milk trans C18:1 isomer yields or concentrations had R2 greater than 0.90 (except for trans-4 and trans-10 C18:1) with root mean square error varying from less than 0.1 to 5.2 g/d. Linear regressions for C18:2n-6, trans-10,cis-12 CLA, and trans-11,trans-13 CLA were calculated according to their respective duodenal flows. Quadratic models of milk C18:3n-3 yield or concentration from its duodenal flow had R2 values above 0.97. Models of amounts desaturated from C18:0 into cis-9 C18:1 and trans-11 C18:1 into cis-9,trans-11 CLA indicated that the contribution of C18:0 and trans-11 C18:1 desaturation to respective cis-9 C18:1 and cis-9,trans-11 CLA yields in milk fat was 83.8% (±0.75) and 86.8% (±2.8). Furthermore, when cows were fed marine products, our results could indicate a lower mammary uptake of C18:0 and trans-11 C18:1 in proportion to their respective duodenal flow, with no associated change in mammary Δ9-desaturase activity. Yields or concentrations of C15:0, C17:0, iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0, anteiso-C15:0, and anteiso-C17:0 were dependent on their respective duodenal flow or concentration at duodenum, but synthesis of these FA from C3 units for linear-chain odd FA, and from C2 units for branched-chain FA was suggested, respectively. Several milk C18 FA concentrations were closely related to their duodenal concentrations with slopes of the linear models close to the bisector; this could reflect a priority for the use of these duodenal C18 FA by the mammary gland to favor their high concentration in plasma triglycerides and nonesterified FA, which are preferentially taken up by the mammary gland.

Incisional hernia recurrence after open elective repair: expertise in abdominal wall surgery matters.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence after incisional hernia repair is one of the major problems related with this operation. Our objective is to analyze the influence of abdominal wall surgery expertise in the results of the open elective repair of incisional hernia. METHODS: We have compiled the data of a cohort of patients who received surgery for an incisional hernia from July 2012 to December 2015 in a University Hospital. Data were collected prospectively and registered in the Spanish Register of Incisional Hernia (EVEREG). The short- and long-term complications between the groups of patients operated on by the Abdominal Wall Surgery (AWS) unit and groups operated on by surgeons outside of the specialized abdominal wall group (GS) were compared. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 237 patients were operated on by the open approach (114 AWS; 123 GS). One hundred seventy-five patients completed a median follow-up of 36.6 months [standard deviation (SD) = 6]. Groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, and complexity of hernia. Complications were similar in both groups. Patients in the AWS group presented fewer recurrences (12.0% vs. 28.9%; P = 0.005). The cumulative incidence of recurrence was higher in the GS group [log rank 13.370; P < 0.001; odds ratio (OR) = 37.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 30.3-45.4]. In the multivariate analysis, surgery performed by the AWS unit was related to fewer recurrences (OR = 0.19; 95%CI = 0.07-0.58; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Incisional hernia surgery is associated with better results in terms of recurrence when it is performed in a specialized abdominal wall unit.

Effect of ultrasonic activation on the reduction of bacteria and endotoxins in root canals: a randomized clinical trial.

AIM: This randomized clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of ultrasonic activation with that of nonactivated irrigation on the removal of bacteria and endotoxin from root canals. METHODOLOGY: Fifty patients with necrotic pulps and asymptomatic apical periodontitis were randomly allocated into two groups according to the final irrigation protocol after root canal preparation: Group UI - ultrasonic irrigation (n = 25) and Group NI - needle irrigation (n = 25). The root canals were medicated with calcium hydroxide for 14 days. Microbiological sampling was performed before (S1) and after the root canal preparation (S2), after the irrigation protocols (S3) and after the removal of the intracanal medication (S4). Total bacteria counts were determined by qPCR and the endotoxin levels by the limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Intragroup analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon test for related samples, whereas intergroup analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: All S1 samples were positive for bacteria, with median numbers of 1.49 × 106 and 8.55 × 105 bacterial cells for the UI and NI groups, respectively. This number significantly decreased in S2 samples (UI: 1.41 × 104 ; NI: 3.53 × 104 ; both with P < 0.001). After final irrigation protocols, there was a significant decrease in bacterial load from S2 to S3 samples in both groups (UI: 4.29 × 103 ; NI: 1.08 × 104 ; P < 0.01). Intergroup analysis revealed a significant difference between irrigation methods regarding bacterial counts in S3 samples (P < 0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between groups for endotoxin levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic activation was more effective than nonactivated irrigation for reducing the number of bacteria but not the endotoxin levels in root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis.

Unravelling the tunable exchange bias-like effect in magnetostatically-coupled two dimensional hybrid (hard/soft) composites.

Hybrid 2D hard-soft composites have been fabricated by combining soft (Co73Si27) and hard (NdCo5) magnetic materials with in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic anisotropies, respectively. They have been microstructured in a square lattice of CoSi anti-dots with NdCo dots within the holes. The magnetic properties of the dots allow us to introduce a magnetostatic stray field that can be controlled in direction and sense by their last saturating magnetic field. The magnetostatic interactions between dot and anti-dot layers induce a completely tunable exchange bias-like shift in the system's hysteresis loops. Two different regimes for this shift are present depending on the lattice parameter of the microstructures. For large parameters, dipolar magnetostatic decay is observed, while for the smaller one, the interaction between the adjacent anti-dot's characteristic closure domain structures enhances the exchange bias-like effect as clarified by micromagnetic simulations.

Selected anthropometric variables and aerobic fitness as predictors of cardiovascular disease risk in children.

The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and aerobic fitness as predictors of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 290 school boys and girls from 6 to 10 years old, randomly selected. Blood was collected after a 12-hour fasting period. Blood pressure, waist circumference (WC), height and weight were evaluated according to international standards. Aerobic fitness (AF) was assessed by the 20-metre shuttle-run test. Clustering was considered when three of these factors were present: high systolic or diastolic blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, high plasma glucose, high insulin concentrations and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. A ROC curve identified the cut-off points of body mass index (BMI), WC, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and AF as predictors of risk factor clustering. BMI, WC and WHR resulted in significant areas under the ROC curves, which was not observed for AF. The anthropometric variables were good predictors of cardiovascular risk factor clustering in both sexes, whereas aerobic fitness should not be used to identify cardiovascular risk factor clustering in these children.

Topological defects and misfit strain in magnetic stripe domains of lateral multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

Stripe domains are studied in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy films nanostructured with a periodic thickness modulation that induces the lateral modulation of both stripe periods and in-plane magnetization. The resulting system is the 2D equivalent of a strained superlattice with properties controlled by interfacial misfit strain within the magnetic stripe structure and shape anisotropy. This allows us to observe, experimentally for the first time, the continuous structural transformation of a grain boundary in this 2D magnetic crystal in the whole angular range. The magnetization reversal process can be tailored through the effect of misfit strain due to the coupling between disclinations in the magnetic stripe pattern and domain walls in the in-plane magnetization configuration.

[Analysis of eating habits among the main health care agents in health promotion (physicians and nurses) of emergency services in times of COVID-19]. / Análisis de los hábitos nutricionales entre los principales agentes sanitarios en promoción de la salud (médicos/as y enfermeros/as) de los servicios de urgencias en tiempos de la COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Determination of nutrititional habits of health care professionals in hospital emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Longitudinal descriptive study (follow-up period: 28 days), based on the use of a Smartphone application (e-12HR), carried out in a tertiary hospital, Andalusia, Spain. RESULTS: 44 health care professionals from hospital emergency services completed the study: mean age=47.7 years, predominance of women (52.3%); average BMI=25.2kg/m2; majority of non-smokers (86.4%); high percentage of participants with moderate/intense physical activities≥150min/week (84.1%); 54.5% were nursing personnel and 45.5% were medical personnel. The mean value of the indicator of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was 5.98 points (maximum 15), with 20.5% of the participants with a value of the indicator≥8. According to strata, adherence to the Mediterranean diet in nursing personnel was significantly higher than in medical personnel. CONCLUSIONS: The diet of health care professionals in hospital emergency services was characterized, in the overall sample, by low adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern and, according to strata, especially among medical professionals. The characterization of the diet in health care professionals in hospital emergency services can provide public health authorities with a starting point for the design and implementation of health promotion interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating habits during successive COVID-19 waves expected in the short and medium term.

Factors associated with lesion detection in colonoscopy among different indications.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Different factors may influence colonoscopy performance measures. We aimed to analyze procedure- and endoscopist-related factors associated with detection of colorectal lesions and whether these factors have a similar influence in the context of different colonoscopy indications: positive fecal immunochemical test (+FIT) and post-polypectomy surveillance colonoscopies. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study included adults aged 40-80 years. Endoscopists (N = 96) who had performed ≥50 examinations were assessed for physician-related factors. Adenoma detection rate (ADR), adenomas per colonoscopy rate (APCR), advanced ADR, serrated polyp detection (SDR), and serrated polyps per colonoscopy rate (SPPCR) were calculated. RESULTS: We included 12,932 procedures, with 4810 carried out after a positive FIT and 1967 for surveillance. Of the 96 endoscopists evaluated, 43.8% were women, and the mean age was 41.9 years. The ADR, advanced ADR, and SDR were 39.7%, 17.7%, and 12.8%, respectively. Adenoma detection rate was higher in colonoscopies after a +FIT (50.3%) with a more than doubled advanced ADR compared to non-FIT procedures (27.6% vs. 13.0%) and similar results in serrated lesions (14.7% vs. 13.5%). Among all the detection indicators analyzed, withdrawal time was the only factor independently related to improvement (p < 0.001). Regarding FIT-positive and surveillance procedures, for both indications, withdrawal time was also the only factor associated with a higher detection of adenomas and serrated polyps (p < 0.001). Endoscopist-related factors (i.e., weekly hours dedicated to endoscopy, annual colonoscopy volume and lifetime number of colonoscopies performed) had also impact on lesion detection (APCR, advanced ADR and SPPCR). CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal time was the factor most commonly associated with improved detection of colonic lesions globally and in endoscopies for + FIT and post-polypectomy surveillance. Physician-related factors may help to address strategies to support training and service provision. Our results can be used for establishing future benchmarking and quality improvement in different colonoscopy indications.

Maximal lactate steady state is altered in the heat.

The aim of this study was to compare the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and ventilatory threshold (VT) under different environments (TEMP: 22°C; and HOT: 40°C; 50% RH). 8 male subjects (age 23.9±2.4 years, body mass 75.9±7.3 kg and VO2(max) 47.8±4.9 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) performed a series of tests to determine the peak workload (W(peak)), VT and MLSS on a cycle ergometer. W(peak) was higher in the TEMP as compared to the HOT condition (225±9 W vs. 195±8 W, respectively; p<0.05). The workload at MLSS was higher at 22°C (180±11 W) than 40°C (148±11 W; p<0.05), as well as VT at 22°C (156±9 W) was higher than 40°C (128±6 W). Likewise, the blood lactate concentration at MLSS was higher at 22°C (5.60±0.26 mM) than 40°C (4.22±0.48 mM; p<0.05). The mean of heart rate (HR) was not statistically different between TEMP (168±3 bpm) and HOT (173±3 bpm) at MLSS, despite being different at trials between the 25(th) and the 30(th) min of exercise. The HR at VT was significantly higher in HOT (153±4 bpm) as compared to the TEMP (145±2 bpm). Our results suggest that environmental conditions may influence the determination of MLSS and VT. Moreover, VT was appropriate for estimation of the workload at MLSS in the HOT.

Head hair reduces sweat rate during exercise under the sun.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of human head hair on thermoregulation during exercise carried out under solar radiation. 10 healthy male subjects (mean±SD: 25.1±2.5 yr; height: 176.2±4.0 cm; weight: 73.7±6.7 kg; VO(2max) 56.2±5.3 mLO(2)·kg (-1)·min (-1)) took part in 2 1 h-long trials of continuous exercise on a treadmill at 50% VO2(max) under solar radiation that were separated by at least 2 days. Whereas for the first trial they retained their natural head hair (HAIR), in the second trial their hair was totally shaved (NOHAIR). Several properties were measured, including environmental heat stress (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index - WBGT, °C), heart rate, rectal temperature, skin temperature, head temperature, and global sweat rate. The main findings were that whereas there was a lower sweat rate in the HAIR condition (HAIR: 7.08±0.79 vs. NOHAIR: 7.67±0.79 g·m (-2)·min (-1); p=0.03), there were no significant differences in any of the other variables between the HAIR and NOHAIR trials. In conclusion, the presence of head hair resulted in a lower sweat rate.

Revealing 3D magnetization of thin films with soft X-ray tomography: magnetic singularities and topological charges.

The knowledge of how magnetization looks inside a ferromagnet is often hindered by the limitations of the available experimental methods which are sensitive only to the surface regions or limited in spatial resolution. Here we report a vector tomographic reconstruction based on soft X-ray transmission microscopy and magnetic dichroism data, which has allowed visualizing the three-dimensional magnetization in a ferromagnetic thin film heterostructure. Different non-trivial topological textures have been resolved and the determination of their topological charge has allowed us to identify a Bloch point and a meron-like texture. Our method relies only on experimental data and might be of wide application and interest in 3D nanomagnetism.

[Development of animal experimental model for bacterial peritonitis]. / Desarrollo de modelo experimental animal de peritonitis bacteriana.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to develop a model of abdominal sepsis in the experimental animal. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley male rats of 5 weeks (N=39) were used. Initially, a pilot study (N = 9) was performed and distributed in 3 groups with 1cc inoculum of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 intraperitoneally at concentrations of 10E8, 10E9 and 10E10 CFU. Subsequently, concentrations of 10E10 CFU are used in two groups of 3 rats with dilutions of 10 cc and 15 cc of distilled water respectively. Finally, a randomized trial of 24 rats was started in three treatment groups after intraperitoneal infection: Group I with physiological serum (N = 6), Group II with ceftriaxone (N = 9), Group III with ceftriaxone plus allicin (N = 9). Microbiological samples of blood and peritoneal fluid were made, as well as histopathological study of intraperitoneal organs (liver, diaphragm and peritoneum). RESULTS: Death of 100% of the rats infected with 10E10 E. coli UFC concentration with the dilution of 15 ml of distilled water and without antibiotic was oberved. The blood culture and peritoneal fluid culture was positive for the same strain in all of them. The formation of abscesses on the liver surface and polymorphonuclear infiltration in tissues were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The lethal dose of E. coli is 10E10 CFU diluted in 15 cc distilled water by intraperitoneal injection.

Predicting duodenal flows and absorption of fatty acids from dietary characteristics in ovine and bovine species: a meta-analysis approach.

Dietary and ruminal factors modify the ruminal biohydrogenation (RBH) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA), with duodenal FA flows being quantitatively and qualitatively different from FA intake. Using a meta-analysis approach from a database on duodenal flows of FA in ruminants, this study aimed to determine predictive equations for duodenal and absorbed flows of saturated FA, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 isomers, odd- and branched-chain FA (OBCFA), C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 and to quantify the effects of dietary and digestive factors on those equations. The database was divided into four subsets: forage, seed, vegetable oils or animal fats (oil/fat), and fish products (fish) subsets. Models of duodenal and absorbed FA flows were obtained through variance-covariance analysis. Effects of potential interfering factors (conservation mode and botanical families of forages, lipid source, technological processing of lipid supplements, diet composition and animal characteristics) were analysed. We obtained 83 models for duodenal FA flows as a function of FA intake for saturated FA (C14:0, C16:0 and C18:0), C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 isomers and seven other models for OBCFA. For the seed/oil/fat subset, intakes of total C18:3, C18:2 and starch content increased the duodenal t11-C18:1 flow with 0.08, 0.16 and 0.005 g/kg of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively, whereas intake level [(DMI×100)/BW] decreased it. The c9c12c15-C18:3 RBH was higher for oil/fat than seed (96.7% v. 94.8%) and a protective effect of Leguminosae v. Gramineae against RBH for that FA appeared in the forage subset. The duodenal C17:0 flow increased with starch content and decreased with ruminal pH, respectively, whereas duodenal iso-C16:0 flow decreased with dietary NDF content for the seed/oil/fat subset. The duodenal C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 flows depended on their respective intake and the inhibitory effect of C22:6n-3 on duodenal C18:0 flow was quantified. Thirteen models of absorbed FA flows were performed depending on their respective duodenal flows. This study determined the effects of different qualitative and quantitative dietary and digestive factors, allowing for improved predictions of duodenal and absorbed FA flows.

Magnetic order and disorder in nanomagnets probed by superconducting vortices.

We have studied two nanomagnet systems with strong (Co/Pd multilayers) and weak (NdCo alloy films) stray magnetic fields by probing the out-of-plane magnetic states with superconducting vortices. The hybrid samples are made of array of nanomagnets embedded in superconducting Nb thin films. The vortex motion detects relevant magnetic state features, since superconducting vortices are able to discriminate between different magnetic stray field strengths and directions. The usual matching effect between the superconducting vortex lattice and the periodic pinning array can be quenched by means of disorder magnetic potentials with strong stray fields at random. Ordered stray fields retrieve the matching effect and yield asymmetry and shift in the vortex dissipation signal. Furthermore vortices can discriminate the sizes of the nanomagnet magnetic domains, detecting magnetic domain sizes as small as 70 nm. In addition, we observe that the vortex cores play the crucial role instead of the supercurrents around the vortex.

Alternative sample preparation method for photochemical studies based on solid phase microextraction: synthetic pyrethroid photochemistry.

An alternative sample preparation method for photochemical studies, which overcomes all the disadvantages associated with classical approaches, is proposed. The method is based on Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and can be considered as being within the scope of "green photochemistry", especially when it is combined with sunlight irradiation. To demonstrate the potential of the procedure, photochemical studies of synthetic pyrethroids were carried out. Photodegradation pathways for five dihalogenovinyl-substituted pyrethroid pesticides: permethrin, deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, are proposed, and kinetic curves and parameters provided. This information, obtained by rapidly carried out, green experiments, allows us to corroborate photoproducts reported by other authors and to identify the photoproducts proposed for the first time in the present study.

Orthodontic and orthopaedic treatment for anterior open bite in children.

BACKGROUND: Anterior open bite occurs when there is a lack of vertical overlap of the upper and lower incisors. The aetiology is multifactorial including: oral habits, unfavourable growth patterns, enlarged lymphatic tissue with mouth breathing. Several treatments have been proposed to correct this malocclusion, but interventions are not supported by strong scientific evidence. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate orthodontic and orthopaedic treatments to correct anterior open bite in children. SEARCH STRATEGY: Search strategies were developed for MEDLINE and revised appropriately for the following databases: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register; CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2005, Issue 4); PubMed (1966 to December 2005); EMBASE (1980 to February 2006); Lilacs (1982 to December 2005); Brazilian Bibliography of Odontology (BBO) (1986 to December 2005); and SciELO (1997 to December 2005). Chinese journals were handsearched and the bibliographies of papers were retrieved. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of orthodontic or orthopaedic treatments or both to correct anterior open bite in children. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed the eligibility of all reports identified. Risk ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for dichotomous data. The continuous data were expressed as described by the author. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-eight trials were potentially eligible, but only three randomised controlled trials were included comparing: effects of Frankel's function regulator-4 (FR-4) with lip-seal training versus no treatment; repelling-magnet splints versus bite-blocks; and palatal crib associated with high-pull chincup versus no treatment. The study comparing repelling-magnet splints versus bite-blocks could not be analysed because the authors interrupted the treatment earlier than planned due to side effects in four of ten patients.FR-4 associated with lip-seal training (RR = 0.02 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.38)) and removable palatal crib associated with high-pull chincup (RR = 0.23 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.48)) were able to correct anterior open bite.No study described: randomisation process, sample size calculation, there was not blinding in the cephalometric analysis and the two studies evaluated two interventions at the same time. These results should be therefore viewed with caution. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: :There is weak evidence that the interventions FR-4 with lip-seal training and palatal crib associated with high-pull chincup are able to correct anterior open bite. Given that the trials included have potential bias, these results must be viewed with caution. Recommendations for clinical practice cannot be made based only on the results of these trials. More randomised controlled trials are needed to elucidate the interventions for treating anterior open bite.

Oral appliances and functional orthopaedic appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea in children.

BACKGROUND: Apnoea is a breathing disorder marked by the absence of airflow at the nose or mouth. In children, risk factors include adenotonsillar hypertrophy, obesity, neuromuscular disorders and craniofacial anomalies. The most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) in childhood is adenotonsillectomy. This approach is limited by its surgical risks, mostly in children with comorbities and, in some patients, by recurrence that can be associated with craniofacial problems. Oral appliances and functional orthopaedic appliances have been used for patients who have OSAS and craniofacial anomalies because they change the mandible posture forwards and potentially enlarge the upper airway and increase the upper airspace, improving the respiratory function. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of oral appliances or functional orthopaedic appliances for OSAS in children. SEARCH STRATEGY: A sensitive search was developed for the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2005, Issue 3); PubMed (January 1966 to September 2005); EMBASE (1980 to September 2005); Lilacs (1982 to September 2005); BBO-Bibliografia Brasileira de Odontologia (1986 to September 2005); and SciELO (1997 to September 2005). There was no restriction of language or source of information. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing all types of oral and functional orthopaedic appliances with placebo or no treatment, in children 15 years old or younger. PRIMARY OUTCOME: reduction of apnoea to less than one episode per hour. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: dental and skeletal relationship, sleep parameters improvement, cognitive and phonoaudiologic function, behavioural problems, drop outs and withdrawals, quality of life, side effects (tolerability), economic evaluation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were independently extracted by two review authors. Authors were contacted for additional information. Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all important dichotomous outcomes. MAIN RESULTS: The initial search identified 384 trials. One of them, reporting results from a total of 23 patients, was suitable for inclusion in the review. Data provided in the published report did not answer all the questions from this review, but some of them were, and the presented results favour treatment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: At present there is no sufficient evidence to state that oral appliances or functional orthopaedic appliances are effective in the treatment of OSAS in children. Oral appliances or functional orthopaedic appliances may be helpful in the treatment of children with craniofacial anomalies which are risk factors for apnoea.

Behavioral Analysis and Ethogram of Mating in the Wasp Sphex latreillei (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae).

The present study reevaluates mating in Sphex latreillei (Lepeletier) based on the analysis of 69 filmed reproductive interactions from a population in central Chile. Behaviors recorded before, during, and after copulation were analyzed through Markov chains, identifying statistically significant behavioral transitions that are summarized in a mating ethogram. The results suggest that females exercise choice either during copulation by the means of an internal courtship, or via a post-copulation selection. Both types of inter-sexual selection proposed would explain, in both female and male, the dynamics of a sexual behavior crucial for a reproductive success.