Mortality due to visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil by municipalities, 2001-2018: a spatial-temporal analysis of estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study.

OBJECTIVES: In the American regions, Brazil accounts for 97% of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases, with a case fatality rate of approximately 10%. This study aimed to investigate the VL mortality distribution in Brazil and identify high-priority and high-risk areas for intervention strategies. STUDY DESIGN: This was an ecological study that analysed the spatial-temporal patterns of VL mortality in Brazilian municipalities. METHODS: Age-standardised VL mortality rates from the Global Burden of Disease study from 2001 to 2018 were used. The distribution of mortality in the municipalities was assessed, and subsequently the Local Index of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA) analysis was conducted to identify contiguous areas with high mortality rates. Scan analysis identified clusters of high spatial-temporal risks. RESULTS: The highest mortality rates and clusters were in municipalities located in the Northeast region and in the states of Tocantins and Roraima (North region), Mato Grosso do Sul (Central-West region), and Minas Gerais (Southeast region). According to LISA, there was an increase in the number of municipalities classified as high priority from the first 3-year period (n = 434) to the last 3-year period (n = 644). The spatio-temporal analysis identified 21 high-risk clusters for VL mortality. CONCLUSION: Areas with a high risk of VL mortality should prioritise preventing transmission, invest in early diagnosis and treatment, and promote the training of healthcare professionals.

Deletion of Tbc1d4/As160 abrogates cardiac glucose uptake and increases myocardial damage after ischemia/reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with poor outcome after myocardial infarction (MI). In T2DM, cardiac metabolic flexibility, i.e. the switch between carbohydrates and lipids as energy source, is disturbed. The RabGTPase-activating protein TBC1D4 represents a crucial regulator of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle by controlling glucose transporter GLUT4 translocation. A human loss-of-function mutation in TBC1D4 is associated with impaired glycemic control and elevated T2DM risk. The study's aim was to investigate TBC1D4 function in cardiac substrate metabolism and adaptation to MI. METHODS: Cardiac glucose metabolism of male Tbc1d4-deficient (D4KO) and wild type (WT) mice was characterized using in vivo [18F]-FDG PET imaging after glucose injection and ex vivo basal/insulin-stimulated [3H]-2-deoxyglucose uptake in left ventricular (LV) papillary muscle. Mice were subjected to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Heart structure and function were analyzed until 3 weeks post-MI using echocardiography, morphometric and ultrastructural analysis of heart sections, complemented by whole heart transcriptome and protein measurements. RESULTS: Tbc1d4-knockout abolished insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in ex vivo LV papillary muscle and in vivo cardiac glucose uptake after glucose injection, accompanied by a marked reduction of GLUT4. Basal cardiac glucose uptake and GLUT1 abundance were not changed compared to WT controls. D4KO mice showed mild impairments in glycemia but normal cardiac function. However, after I/R D4KO mice showed progressively increased LV endsystolic volume and substantially increased infarction area compared to WT controls. Cardiac transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of the unfolded protein response via ATF4/eIF2α in D4KO mice at baseline. Transmission electron microscopy revealed largely increased extracellular matrix (ECM) area, in line with decreased cardiac expression of matrix metalloproteinases of D4KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: TBC1D4 is essential for insulin-stimulated cardiac glucose uptake and metabolic flexibility. Tbc1d4-deficiency results in elevated cardiac endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress response, increased deposition of ECM and aggravated cardiac damage following MI. Hence, impaired TBC1D4 signaling contributes to poor outcome after MI.

Precision technologies for predictive diagnosis and study of the allometric growth of broiler chickens with breast myopathies.

1. An experiment was carried out to validate techniques as predictive diagnostic tools for breast myopathies and to study the allometric growth of distinct parts of the body and meat quality of broilers.2. Infrared thermography was performed at 35 d of age. The surface temperatures of breasts of 300 birds were recorded, followed by ultrasound imaging.3. The birds were slaughtered and the cuts were made to weigh the body parts. Then, the breasts were evaluated as for the presence and severity of myopathies, from which nine treatments were established represented by the associated degrees of the myopathies white striping and wooden breast and breasts classified as normal.4. There was no difference in surface temperatures and echogenicity values between normal breasts and breasts affected by myopathies. At 35 d of age few fillets classified as normal were found.5. The breast showed late growth in relation to the body, regardless of characteristic lesions of myopathies. The most severe score of wooden breast affected meat quality variables.

Polymeric formulations of liquid inoculants with rhizobia exopolysaccharides increase the survival and symbiotic efficiency of elite Bradyrhizobium strains.

We studied the survival of four elite strains of Bradyrhizobium in liquid inoculants with three formulations with exopolysaccharides extracted from other rhizobia genera, and the symbiotic efficiency of these elite strains with soybean and cowpea in a greenhouse. For that purpose, we verified the effectiveness of formulations for maintaining the cell viability of strains by counting the colony-forming units (CFU) per milliliter of the liquid inoculants with formulations after 90 days. For survival of the soybean inoculant strains, 29W and CPAC15, the largest number of CFU (> 1010 mL-1) after 90 days was observed in the PEPS formulation. For the cowpea inoculant strains, INPA3-11B and UFLA3-84, the REPS1 formulation had the largest number of CFU (> 1010 mL-1) after 90 days. The symbiotic efficiency of the PEPS formulation, followed by REPS2, was higher than that shown by the commercial inoculant in soybean. For cowpea, the three formulations with EPS, especially REPS1, showed symbiotic efficiency better than that of the commercial inoculant.

Maternal protein restriction affects cardiovascular, but not respiratory response to L-glutamate microinjection into the NTS of conscious rats.

Purpose: Dysregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission (GN) is linked to sympathetic-respiratory overactivity and hypertension. We investigated whether maternal protein restriction is able to alter GN into the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in adult offspring.Methods: Wistar rat dams were fed with control (NP; 17% protein) or low-protein (LP; 8% protein) diet during pregnancy and lactation, and their offspring were evaluated at 70-90d old. Direct measurements of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), respiratory frequency (RF) and respiratory (RV) and cardiac (CV) variabilities were assessed in consciousness. The evaluation of GN into NTS over cardiovascular system were assessed by microinjections of unilateral glutamate (L-glu 0.5 nmol/100nL) and bilateral kynurenic acid (Kyn 2.5 nmol/50nL). The NP and LP groups were compared using unpaired Student's t-test where p < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: The LP exhibited higher MAP at rest (p = 0.03) and after L-glu microinjection (p = 0.04), as well as an increase over HR after Kyn microinjection when compared to the NP (p = 0.049). In the RV, the LP group showed an increase of the component-standard deviation 1 (p = 0.037) at rest. In the CV, the LP presented an increase of the low frequency (LF) component of the pulse interval (PI) (p = 0.034), a decrease of high frequency (HF) of the PI (p = 0.034), beyond an increased LF/HF ratio of the PI (p = 0.027) when compared to the NP. The kynurenic acid microinjection did not produce changes in RV or CV (p > 0.05).Conclusions: Altered GN into the NTS may contribute to augmented blood pressure in protein-restricted offspring.

Histomorphometric and immunohistochemical study shows that tricalcium silicate cement associated with zirconium oxide or niobium oxide is a promising material in the periodontal tissue repair of rat molars with perforated pulp chamber floors.

AIM: To evaluate the periodontium response to tricalcium silicate (TCS) with zirconium oxide (ZrO2 ) or niobium oxide (Nb2 O5 ) used in the sealing of perforated pulp chamber floors in rat maxillary molars. METHODOLOGY: In eighty rats, the perforations in right maxillary molars were filled with either TCS + ZrO2 , TCS + Nb2 O5 , White MTA (used as a gold standard material) or no repair material was placed (Sham Group, SG); the left molars of SG, were used as controls (CG). Sections of maxillary fragments following 7, 15, 30 and 60 days were used to evaluate the volume densities of inflammatory cells (VvIC) and fibroblasts (VvFb), width of the periodontal space, amount of collagen, number of osteoclasts and number of IL-6-immunostained cells. The data were subjected to two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: At all periods, significant differences in VvIC were not detected among TCS + ZrO2, TCS + Nb2 O5 and MTA groups, which had values significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the SG. Significant differences in the number of IL-6-immunolabelled cells were not observed among TCS + ZrO2 , TCS + Nb2 O5 and MTA groups (P > 0.05) at 15, 30 and 60 days. At 7, 15 and 30 days, the number of osteoclast was significantly greater in TCS + ZrO2, TCS + Nb2 O5 and MTA (P < 0.05) than in the CG; no significant difference was detected after 60 days (P > 0.05). The width of the periodontal space and amount of collagen in TCS + ZrO2 and TCS + Nb2 O5 groups were similar to the CG at 30 and 60 days while SG specimens had a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the amount of collagen and significant increase (P < 0.05) in the width of the periodontal space. CONCLUSIONS: TCS + ZrO2 and TCS + Nb2 O5 were associated with periodontium repair since these materials allowed the reestablishment of periodontal space width and collagen formation when used in the filling of uninfected perforations in the pulp chamber floor of maxillary rat molars. Furthermore, the significant reduction in the periodontal space of TCS + ZrO2 and TCS + Nb2 O5 specimens after 60 days confirmed that the experimental materials were associated with a more rapid recovery of the injured tissues than MTA.

Mandibular incisive canal-related prevalence, morphometric parameters, and implant placement implications: a multicenter study of 847 CBCT scans.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the epidemiological and morphological features of the mandibular incisive canal (MIC) using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a significant sample of subjects in Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter study assessed 847 CBCT scans performed at four oral imaging centers. The sample comprised CBCT images acquired from dentate individuals who presented at least from tooth 35 to tooth 45 in the anterior mandible region. Data regarding patient sex and age, and MIC linear measurements (length and diameter in mm), anatomical distances (to the alveolar, buccal and lingual cortexes, inferior border of the mandible, and adjacent teeth apexes), and location were obtained. RESULTS: The MIC was more prevalent in women (76.3% [p<0.001]) between the fourth and sixth decades of life (p<0.001). It was present bilaterally (p<0.001) and exhibited a mean length of 7.7 mm (standard deviation [SD]=3.7 mm). Spearman correlation and logistic regression analysis revealed collinearity between age and linear measurements (p<0.05). The mean distances varied from the initial to the final portion of the MIC, respectively, in relation to the buccal cortex (mean=2.6 mm, SD=1.27; mean=3.96 mm; SD=1.43), to lingual cortex (mean=5.13 mm; SD=1.7; mean=4.61 mm, SD = 1.65), and to the inferior mandibular border (mean = 9.32 mm, SD=1.92; mean=8.76 mm, SD=2.07 mm). The difference in the proximity of the MIC to the apex of the inferior lateral incisor was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study revealed a high prevalence of MIC with a bilateral pattern in women who were between the fourth and sixth decades of life. Both the distance between the MIC and the lingual cortex of the mandibular alveolar bone, and the diameter of the MIC, decreased as its trajectory assumed a more anterior position.

Effects of pre- or post-exercise whey protein supplementation on body fat and metabolic and inflammatory profile in pre-conditioned older women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Protein supplementation and resistance training (RT) are interventions that may counteract decline in muscle mass and increase in fat mass, thus reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases during the aging process. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of whey protein (WP) pre- or post-RT on metabolic and inflammatory profile in pre-conditioned older women. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy older women participated in this investigation and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: WP pre-RT and placebo post-RT (WP-PLA, n = 24), placebo pre-RT and WP post-RT (PLA-WP, n = 23) and placebo pre and post-RT (PLA-PLA, n = 23). Each group ingested 35 g of PLA or WP pre- and post-RT. RT was carried out over 12 weeks (three times/week; 3 x 8-12 repetition maximum). Body composition, blood pressure, blood samples and dietary intake were assessed pre- and post-intervention. After the intervention, WP groups showed greater improvements in appendicular lean soft tissue (ALST: WP-PLA, 3.1%; PLA-WP, 3.9%; PLA-PLA, 1.8%) and total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C: WP-PLA, -12.11%; PLA-WP, -13.2%; PLA-PLA, -0.7) when compared with PLA-PLA. WP post-RT also showed improvements (P < 0.05) in ALST/appendicular fat mass ratio (PLA-WP, 5.8%; PLA-PLA, 1.3%), total body fat (PLA-WP, -3.8%; PLA-PLA: -0.1) and trunk fat mass (PLA-WP, -3.1%; PLA-PLA, -0.3%) when compared with PLA-PLA. CONCLUSION: WP pre- or post- RT promotes improvements in ALST and TC/HDL-C ratio in pre-conditioned older women. WP administered after RT was more effective in improving metabolic health Z-score and in reducing body fat compared to placebo group.

Aged rats are more vulnerable than adolescents to "ecstasy"-induced toxicity.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") is a widespread drug of abuse with known neurotoxic properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the differential toxic effects of MDMA in adolescent and aged Wistar rats, using doses pharmacologically comparable to humans. Adolescent (post-natal day 40) (3 × 5 mg/kg, 2 h apart) and aged (mean 20 months old) (2 × 5 mg/kg, 2 h apart) rats received MDMA intraperitoneally. Animals were killed 7 days later, and the frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum brain areas were dissected, and heart, liver and kidneys were collected. MDMA caused hyperthermia in both treated groups, but aged rats had a more dramatic temperature elevation. MDMA promoted serotonergic neurotoxicity only in the hippocampus of aged, but not in the adolescents' brain, and did not change the levels of dopamine or serotonin metabolite in the striatum of both groups. Differential responses according to age were also seen regarding brain p-Tau levels, a hallmark of a degenerative brain, since only aged animals had significant increases. MDMA evoked brain oxidative stress in the hippocampus and striatum of aged, and in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and striatum brain areas of adolescents according to protein carbonylation, but only decreased GSH levels in the hippocampus of aged animals. The brain maturational stage seems crucial for MDMA-evoked serotonergic neurotoxicity. Aged animals were more susceptible to MDMA-induced tissue damage in the heart and kidneys, and both ages had an increase in liver fibrotic tissue content. In conclusion, age is a determinant factor for the toxic events promoted by "ecstasy". This work demonstrated special susceptibility of aged hippocampus to MDMA neurotoxicity, as well as impressive damage to the heart and kidney tissue following "ecstasy".

Correlations between resistance training-induced changes on phase angle and biochemical markers in older women.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) on phase angle (PhA), inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, and to evaluate whether these RT-induced adaptations are related to PhA changes. Fifty-one older women (70.6 ± 5.1 years; 26.9 ± 4.2 kg/m2 ) were randomly allocated into a training group (TG) that performed 12-week RT or a nonexercising control group (CG). The PhA (Xitron), body composition (DXA), and blood sample measurements (after a 12 hours fast) were performed before and after the intervention. The TG showed a significant (P < .05) increase in PhA (TG: +7.4±5.9% vs CG: -3.6 ± 8.8%), and interleukin-10 (IL-10; TG: +51.8 ± 71.1% vs CG: -46.6 ± 38.0%), and a decrease in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α; TG: -15.2 ± 11.1% vs CG: +6.9±17.7%), interleukin-6 (IL-6; TG: -17.9 ± 17.8% vs CG: +6.1 ± 24.8%), and C-reactive protein (CRP; TG: -24.1 ± 19.9% vs CG: +43.8 ± 31.1%). Moreover, TG upregulated catalase (TG: +11.4 ± 15.0% vs CG: -6.7 ± 10.2%). Changes in TNF-α (r = -.71), CRP (r = -.65), lower advanced oxidation protein products (r = -.55), and catalase (r = +.73) after RT were correlated with changes in PhA (P < .05). These results suggest that RT improves PhA, inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, and the changes in inflammatory and oxidative damage markers are correlated with changes in PhA.

Can Bradyrhizobium strains inoculation reduce water deficit effects on peanuts?

Drought is one of the environmental factors that most affects peanut cultivation in semi-arid regions, resulting in economic losses to growers. However, growth promoting bacteria are able to reduce water deficit damage in some plant species. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the interaction of Bradyrhizobium strains reducing water stress effects on peanut genotypes by antioxidant enzymes activities, leaf gas exchanges and vegetative growth, as well as to determine the taxonomic positioning of strain ESA 123. The 16S rRNA gene of ESA 123 was amplified by PCR and sequenced by dideoxy Sanger sequencing method. An experiment was performed in greenhouse with three peanut genotypes (BRS Havana, CNPA 76 AM and 2012-4), two Bradyrhizobium strains (SEMIA 6144 and ESA 123), a mineral source of N and an absolute control (without N) under two water regimes (with and without irrigation). Seeds of peanut were sown and the plants were grown until 30 days after emergence. On the 20th day, the water deficit plants group had their irrigation suspended for 10 days. At in silico analyzes, ESA 123 presented 98.97% similarity with the type strain of B. kavangense. Leaf gas exchange was affected by water deficit; as well as alteration of antioxidant activities and reduction of vegetative growth variables. However, some plants inoculated with SEMIA 6144 and ESA 123 strains presented lower reductions and increment of some evaluated variables, mainly the ones inoculated with the ESA 123 strain, Bradyrhizobium sp. from the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. This data suggests beneficial effects of the peanut-Bradyrhizobium interaction in a water stress condition, specially with the ESA 123 strain.

Preemptive analgesia-related gene and protein expression in third molar surgeries under non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug protocols: A PROSPERO-registered systematic review of clinical studies.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to review trans lational studies focusing on third molar removal surgeries through a systematic analytical approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A PROSPERO-registered systematic review (CRD42017060455) was conducted following the PRISMA statement to summarize current knowledge on gene expression in third molar surgeries. A search was performed in PubMed's Medline and Scopus databases, without date or language restrictions, using the logical expression {[(Third molar) OR (preemptive) OR (cyclooxygenase inhibitors) OR (acute inflammation) AND (gene expression)]}. RESULTS: All studies included in the analysis evaluated gene expression in a third molar extraction model, using the preemptive analgesia methodology in seven investigations. The sample analyzed was obtained from gingival tissue biopsy (n=4), blood (n=1), transudate (n=1) and gingival tissue biopsy/transudate (n=1). There were differences with respect to evaluated genes, drug protocol, sample studied, and method for evaluating gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: Third molar surgeries were found to be associated with different COX-related gene expression patterns. Although inflammatory events following the surgical procedure are associated with COX isoforms, data from preemptive analgesia studies are scarce, especially from studies correlating gene expression and clinical parameters. In the future, from a clinical perspective, identifying the molecular targets of a drug based on individual gene expression may be helpful to delineate specific third molar, surgery-related, preemptive analgesia protocols.

Antifungal activity of tyrosol and farnesol used in combination against Candida species in the planktonic state or forming biofilms.

AIM: This study examined the antifungal activity of the combination of tyrosol and farnesol against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata in the planktonic state or forming biofilms. METHODS AND RESULTS: The effect of drug association against Candida planktonic cells was assessed by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. Mono- and dual-species biofilms were developed during 24 h and then treated with the compounds for 3 days, with two daily treatments of 1 min each. After, the total biomass, metabolic activity and the number of cultivable cells were quantified. Planktonic cells of the two species showed a similar susceptibility to the drug combination, however, a synergistic effect was only verified for C. glabrata. Regarding biofilm susceptibility, significant reductions in C. glabrata biomass, metabolism of C. albicans and mixed biofilms, and cultivable cells of single biofilms were verified for the drug combination, indicating an additive effect. For all other experiments, the effects were classified as indifferent. CONCLUSION: The combined use of tyrosol and farnesol was advantageous for some of the analysed parameters against Candida species. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These findings may contribute to the development of oral care products containing tyrosol and farnesol to combat oral infections caused by Candida species.

Differential effects of the combination of tyrosol with chlorhexidine gluconate on oral biofilms.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effect of tyrosol and chlorhexidine gluconate in combination against Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Streptococcus mutans in the planktonic state or forming biofilms in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Checkerboard assays were performed for determination of minimum inhibitory concentration. Biofilms were cultivated during 24 h on specimens of acrylic resin and hydroxyapatite and treated with the drugs alone or in combination twice a day for 1 min, during 3 days. The antibiofilm effect was determined by quantification of the metabolic activity and cultivable cells. The drug combination was also applied on C. albicans to investigate its action on the number of hyphae. Data were statistically examined by two-way ANOVA and Holm-Sidak test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The effect of drug combination on planktonic cells was classified as antagonistic for C. albicans and indifferent for the other strains. Also, the drugs were ineffective against the tested biofilms. However, the drug combination showed a synergistic effect in reducing the number of hyphae by C. albicans. CONCLUSION: The combination of tyrosol with chlorhexidine gluconate was only effective in reducing the number of hyphae by C. albicans, a relevant virulence factor of this species.

Powdered coconut water as a storage medium to preserve the viability of periodontal ligament cells: a laboratory study.

AIM: To investigate the ability of newly developed powdered coconut water formulas (ACP) with different osmolarities to maintain the viability of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells over time compared with other solutions. METHODOLOGY: Dogs teeth were extracted and stored for two periods, 3 h or 24 h, in the following media: long-shelf life CW (CW), pH-adjusted long-shelf life CW (pH-CW) and powdered CW that was pH and osmolality adjusted (ACP-404-I, 250 mOsm kg-1 H2 O; pH 7.0; ACP-404-II, 372 mOsm kg-1 H2 O; pH 7.0; ACP-404-III, 300 mOsm kg-1 H2 O; pH 7.4). The positive control group (Pc) corresponded to immediate measurement after tooth extraction, and two negative controls (Nc) corresponded to 3 h and 24 h of dry time. PDL cells were extracted, and cell viability analysed by Trypan blue exclusion. Data were analysed statistically using two-way anova followed by the Tukey test and one-way anova followed by the Dunnett test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: At 3 h and 24 h, ACP-404-I had a performance similar to those of ACP-404-II and pH-CW, with significantly higher (P = 0.004) percentages of viable cells than ACP-404-III and CW. The positive control group had a significantly higher (P = 0.002) percentage of viable cells than the negative control groups, CW and ACP-404-III, irrespective of the period evaluated. CONCLUSION: Powdered coconut water formulas, ACP-404-I and ACP-404-II, preserved viability for up to 24 h.

Semi-automatic outlining of levator hiatus.

OBJECTIVE: To create a semi-automated outlining tool for the levator hiatus, to reduce interobserver variability and and speed up analysis. METHODS: The proposed automated hiatus segmentation (AHS) algorithm takes a C-plane image, in the plane of minimal hiatal dimensions, and manually defined vertical hiatal limits as input. The AHS then creates an initial outline by fitting predefined templates on an intensity-invariant edge map, which is further refined using the B-spline explicit active surfaces framework. The AHS was tested using 91 representative C-plane images. Reference hiatal outlines were obtained manually and compared with the AHS outlines by three independent observers. The mean absolute distance (MAD), Hausdorff distance and Dice and Jaccard coefficients were used to quantify segmentation accuracy. Each of these metrics was calculated both for computer-observer differences (COD) and for interobserver differences. The Williams index was used to test the null hypothesis that the automated method would agree with the operators at least as well as the operators agreed with each other. Agreement between the two methods was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: The AHS contours matched well with the manual ones (median COD, 2.10 (interquartile range (IQR), 1.54) mm for MAD). The Williams index was greater than or close to 1 for all quality metrics, indicating that the algorithm performed at least as well as did the manual references in terms of interrater variability. The interobserver differences using each of the metrics were significantly lower, and a higher ICC was achieved (0.93), when obtaining outlines using the AHS compared with manually. The Bland-Altman plots showed negligible bias between the two methods. Using the AHS took a median time of 7.07 (IQR, 3.49) s, while manual outlining took 21.31 (IQR, 5.43) s, thus being almost three-fold faster. Using the AHS, in general, the hiatus could be outlined completely using only three points, two for initialization and one for manual adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: We present a method for tracing the levator hiatal outline with minimal user input. The AHS is fast, robust and reliable and improves interrater agreement. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Activity of tyrosol against single and mixed-species oral biofilms.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tyrosol on the formation of single and mixed biofilms of Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida glabrata ATCC 90030 and Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175 formed on acrylic resin (AR) and hydroxyapatite (HA) surfaces. METHODS AND RESULTS: Single and mixed biofilms were formed on AR and HA in the presence of tyrosol at 50, 100 and 200 mmol l(-1), during 48 h. Next, antimicrobial activity was assessed through metabolic activity (XTT reduction assay) and the number of colony-forming units (CFUs). Scanning electron microscopy observations were performed in order to analyse biofilm structure. Tyrosol, mainly at 200 mmol l(-1), significantly decreased the metabolic activity and number of CFUs for all single and mixed-species biofilms formed on both surfaces. SEM images suggested cell damage caused by tyrosol. CONCLUSION: Tyrosol showed inhibitory effects against biofilms formed by important oral pathogens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first study showing the antibiofilm effect of tyrosol on Candida species and Strep. mutans in single and mixed cultures. These results may be useful in the development of topical therapies focused on preventing biofilm-associated oral diseases, such as denture stomatitis and dental caries.

In vitro neurotoxicity evaluation of piperazine designer drugs in differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

Abuse of synthetic drugs is widespread worldwide. Studies indicate that piperazine designer drugs act as substrates at dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors and/or transporters in the brain. This work aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of N-benzylpiperazine, 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine, 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)piperazine and 1-(3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl)piperazine in the differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Cytotoxicity was evaluated after 24 h incubations through the MTT reduction and neutral red uptake assays. Oxidative stress (reactive oxygen and nitrogen species production and glutathione content) and energetic (ATP content) parameters, as well as intracellular Ca(2+), mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA damage (comet assay) and cell death mode were also evaluated. Complete cytotoxicity curves were obtained after 24 h incubations with each drug. A significant decrease in intracellular total glutathione content was noted for all the tested drugs. All drugs caused a significant increase of intracellular free Ca(2+) levels, accompanied by mitochondrial hyperpolarization. However, ATP levels remained unchanged. The investigation of cell death mode revealed a predominance of early apoptotic cells. No genotoxicity was found in the comet assay. Among the tested drugs, 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine was the most cytotoxic. Overall, piperazine designer drugs are potentially neurotoxic, supporting concerns on risks associated with the abuse of these drugs.

Host preference, population growth and injuries assessment of Polyphagotarsonemus latus (banks) (ACARI: Tarsonemidae) on Capsicum annuum L. Genotypes.

Despite the continued efforts on the search for different genotypes, Capsicum annuum (L.) is quite susceptible to attack by pest arthropods, especially the broad mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks. Thus, the host preference, population growth and the injuries assessment of P. latus was studied on six C. annuum genotypes used in Brazil (Atlantis, California Wonder, Impact, Palloma, Rubia and Tendence). Host preference was accessed in choice tests, pairing the several genotypes, and the population growth was observed through non-choice tests in laboratory. The injuries assessments were evaluated in the greenhouse, comparing the injury level among the six genotypes. The results indicate that California Wonder and Palloma genotypes were more preferred by P. latus, and Impact and Tendence were less preferred. P. latus presented positive population growth rates (ri) on all the genotypes, however, Palloma and California Wonder showed the highest values of population growth rate (ri = 0.344 and ri = 0.340, respectively), while Impact had the lowest value (ri = 0.281). All the evaluated C. annuum genotypes showed low tolerance to P. latus and exhibited several injuries, but there was no statistical difference between them. California Wonder had the highest average number of mites/leaf (57.15), while Impact and Tendence obtained the lowest values (36.67 and 35.12, respectively) at the end of the evaluation period. The total average of injuries notes at the end of the bioassay did not differ between the genotypes. The number of mites/leaf was growing for the injury scale to the note 3.0, but when the injury scale approached the note 4.0, there was observed a decrease in the number of mites/leaf for all the genotypes.

Assessment of genetic divergence among coffee genotypes by Ward-MLM procedure in association with mixed models.

Mixed linear models have been used for the analysis of the genetic diversity and provided further accurate results in crops such as eucalyptus, castor, and sugarcane. However, to date, research that combined this analysis with Ward-MLM procedure has not been reported. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify divergent coffee genotypes by Ward-MLM procedure, in association with the mixed-decision models. The experiment was initiated in February 2007, in the northwestern Rio de Janeiro State. The 25 evaluated genotypes were grown with a spacing of 2.5 x 0.8 m, in a randomized block design, with 5 replications, containing 8 plants each. The following agronomic traits were evaluated: plant height, stem diameter, plagiotropic branch number, and productivity. Four measurements were performed for each character from 2009 to 2012, between May and July. Data were analyzed using REML/BLUP analysis and Ward- MLM procedure. The Ward-MLM procedure in association with mixed linear models demonstrated the genetic variability among the studied coffee genotypes. We identified two groups of most divergent coffee genotypes, which can be combined by crossings and selections in order to obtain genotypes with high productivity and variability.