Functional analysis of airway remodeling is related with fibrotic mediators in asthmatic children.

BACKGROUND: Asthmatic children present variable degrees of airway inflammation, remodeling, and resistance, which correlate with disease control and severity. The chronic inflammatory process of the airway triggers airway remodeling, which reflects the degree of airway resistance. Pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators are centrally involved in this process. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the levels of pulmonary and systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators present a correlation with the resistance of the respiratory system and of the proximal and distal airways. METHODS: 39 Asthmatic children (persistent mild and moderate) and 39 non-asthmatic children (both between 6 and 13 years old) were evaluated for anthropometric characteristics, lung function and mechanics, and pulmonary and systemic immune responses. RESULTS: Asthmatic children showed an increased number of blood eosinophils (p < 0.04), basophils (p < 0.04), monocytes (p < 0.002) and lymphocytes (p < 0.03). In addition, asthmatic children showed impaired lung function, as demonstrated by FEV1 (p < 0.0005) and FEV1/FVC (p < 0.004), decreased total resistance of the respiratory system (R5Hz; p < 0.009), increased resistance of the proximal airways (R20Hz; p < 0.02), increased elastance (Z5Hz; p < 0.02) and increased reactance (X5Hz; p < 0.002) compared to non-asthmatic children. Moreover, the following inflammatory factors were significantly higher in asthmatic than non-asthmatic children: GM-CSF in the breath condensate (BC) (p < 0.0001) and in the serum (p < 0.0001); TGF-beta in the BC (p < 0.0001) and in the serum (p < 0.004); IL-5 in the BC (p < 0.02) and in the serum (p < 0.01); IL-4 in the serum (p < 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Impulse oscillometry is a sensitive method to detect airway resistance in persistent mild and moderate asthmatic children, an event followed by increased levels of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators.

Analysis of commonly used batch adsorption kinetic models derived from mass transfer-based modelling.

Modelling of liquid-solid batch adsorption based on mass transfer and conservation equations results in differential equations that may have or not an analytical solution. Even when analytical solutions are available, several simplified models can be considered for evaluating kinetic data of batch adsorption experiments. However, these simplified models are commonly used regardless of the premises considered in its development, and the analysis of the kinetic experiments based on these simplified models may be severely compromised. For this reason, this work presents a detailed development of the phenomenological models, and the hypotheses considered in its development are clearly stated. Typical simplified models derived from the phenomenological ones are obtained, and the conditions considered in the simplification are critically assessed. It was observed that the simplified models fail mainly for considering the concentration of the bulk phase constant over time or considering a linear adsorption isotherm. It must be emphasised that even when phenomenological models must be solved through numerical procedures, its use must be preferred, since the agreement with model premises and experimental conditions are closer, ensuring the quality of the kinetic data analysis.

MR imaging in deep pelvic endometriosis: a pictorial essay.

Deep pelvic endometriosis is an important gynecologic disorder that is responsible for severe pelvic pain and is defined as subperitoneal invasion that exceeds 5 mm in depth. Deep pelvic endometriosis can affect the retrocervical region, uterosacral ligaments, rectum, rectovaginal septum, vagina, urinary tract, and other extraperitoneal pelvic sites. It is commonly associated with dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, urinary tract symptoms, and infertility. Because surgery remains the best therapeutic option for affected patients, the accurate preoperative assessment of the extension of endometriotic disease is extremely important. Pelvic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a noninvasive method with high spatial resolution that allows multiplanar evaluation of deep pelvic endometriosis and good tissue characterization, but without the use of ionizing radiation or iodinated contrast agents. MR imaging yields important findings that help grade the disease and identify subperitoneal lesion extension and other associated disease entities, thereby facilitating accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment. Radiologists should be familiar with the MR imaging findings of deep infiltrating endometriosis in various anatomic locations so that they can provide information that allows adequate presurgical counseling.

Síndrome do impacto do tornozelo na ressonância magnética: ensaio iconográfico / Magnetic resonance imaging of ankle impingement syndrome: iconographic essay

A síndrome do impacto do tornozelo é uma condição dolorosa causada por atrito de tecidos articulares, que é tanto causa quanto consequência de uma biomecânica alterada desta articulação. A sua principal causa são as lesões pós-traumáticas, principalmente lesões ligamentares, resultando em dor crônica no tornozelo. Do ponto de vista anatômico e clínico, estas síndromes são classificadas em: ântero-lateral, anterior, ântero-medial, póstero-medial e posterior. A ressonância magnética é um ótimo método diagnóstico para demonstrar as alterações ósseas e as partes moles dos vários tipos de impacto do tornozelo, fornecendo dados que auxiliam não só na comprovação desse diagnóstico, como na diferenciação com outras causas de dor articular. Os autores objetivam ilustrar os principais achados de ressonância magnética na síndrome do impacto do tornozelo.

Ankle impingement syndrome is a painful condition resulting from friction of joint tissues that is both cause and effect of an altered joint biomechanics. The leading causes of such condition are post-traumatic lesions, particularly the ligamentous ones, resulting in chronic ankle pain. From an anatomic and clinical point of view, these syndromes may be classified as anterolateral, anterior, anteromedial, posteromedial, and posterior. Magnetic resonance imaging is an excellent diagnostic method for demonstrating bone and soft tissue abnormalities resulting from different types of ankle impingement, providing useful data to confirm the diagnosis as well as to rule out other possible causes of joint pain. The present essay is aimed at illustrating the main magnetic resonance imaging findings in ankle impingement syndrome.

Ressonância magnética na endometriose do trato urinário baixo: ensaio iconográfico / Magnetic resonance imaging in lower urinary tract endometriosis: iconographic essay

Endometriose é definida como a presença de tecido endometrial funcionante fora da cavidade endometrial e do miométrio. É uma doença comum, de causas multifatoriais, porém o envolvimento do trato urinário baixo é raro. A ressonância magnética tem elevada sensibilidade, especificidade e acurácia no diagnóstico da endometriose do trato geniturinário baixo, principalmente por permitir a identificação das lesões de permeio a aderências e a avaliação da extensão das lesões subperitoneais. Neste estudo são ilustrados, sob a forma de ensaio iconográfico, os principais achados à ressonância magnética do envolvimento por endometriose do trato urinário baixo.

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of functional endometrial tissue outside the endometrial cavity and myometrium. Although this is a frequent disease with multifactorial causes, involvement of the lower urinary tract is rare. Magnetic resonance imaging is highly sensitive, specific and accurate in the diagnosis of endometriosis in the lower urinary tract, especially for allowing the identification of lesions obscured by adhesions or with subperitoneal extension. The present iconographic essay presents the main magnetic resonance imaging findings of the lower urinary tract involvement by endometriosis.

Ressonância magnética na endometriose pélvica profunda: ensaio iconográfico / Magnetic resonance imaging in deep pelvic endometriosis: iconographic essay

A endometriose caracteriza-se pela presença de tecido endometrial funcionante heterotópico. Em pacientes com endometriose pélvica profunda pode haver acometimento dos ligamentos útero-sacros, reto, septo retovaginal, vagina ou bexiga. Os sintomas podem ser variados e incluem dor pélvica, dismenorréia, dispareunia, sintomas urinários e infertilidade. O padrão-ouro para o tratamento é a ressecção completa dessas lesões. Assim, é muito importante a avaliação pré-operatória dessas pacientes, sendo esta avaliação, em geral, limitada em relação aos dados clínicos e ultra-sonográficos. A ressonância magnética tem grande importância no diagnóstico da endometriose, principalmente por permitir a identificação das lesões de permeio a aderências e a avaliação da extensão das lesões subperitoneais. Neste estudo são ilustrados, na forma de ensaio iconográfico, os principais achados da endometriose pélvica profunda à ressonância magnética.

Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of normal endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. In patients with deep pelvic endometriosis, uterosacral ligaments, rectum, rectovaginal septum, vagina or bladder may be involved. Clinical manifestations may be variable, including pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, urinary symptoms and infertility. Complete surgical excision is the gold standard for treating this disease, and hence the importance of the preoperative work-up that usually is limited to an evaluation of sonographic and clinical data. Magnetic resonance imaging is of paramount importance in the diagnosis of endometriosis, considering its high accuracy in the identification of lesions intermingled with adhesions, and in the determination of peritoneal lesions extent. The present pictorial review describes the main magnetic resonance imaging findings in deep pelvic endometriosis.