Decreased respiratory performance of children and adolescents with myelomeningocele who use a wheelchair - preliminary data.

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a neural tube defect that often causes spinal cord injury at the thoracolumbar region, as well as sensory and motor paralysis in the lower limbs. This leads to continuous use of a wheelchair and, consequently, a sedentary lifestyle, predisposition to muscle weakness, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, obesity, and structural alterations in the spine. We assessed the respiratory function and shoulder strength of MMC participants who were wheelchair-users and had no respiratory complaints and compared them to healthy children and adolescents. MMC (n=10) and healthy (n=25) participants of both genders with a mean age of 12.45 years (SD=2.1) were assessed for weight, height, respiratory performance, and isometric peak for shoulder flexors, extensors, abductors, and adductors, using an isokinetic dynamometer. Medullary lesion, functional levels, and abnormal curvatures of the spine were assessed for MMC participants. The level of spinal cord injury for the majority of the MMC participants was high lumbar and they had scoliosis. MMC showed lower values for forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume at the first second, forced expiratory flow (25-75%), maximal voluntary ventilation, and isometric peak for shoulder flexors and adductors compared to healthy participants. This indicated a decreased vital capacity, respiratory muscle endurance, and shoulder muscle strength.

Decreased respiratory performance of children and adolescents with myelomeningocele who use a wheelchair - preliminary data

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a neural tube defect that often causes spinal cord injury at the thoracolumbar region, as well as sensory and motor paralysis in the lower limbs. This leads to continuous use of a wheelchair and, consequently, a sedentary lifestyle, predisposition to muscle weakness, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, obesity, and structural alterations in the spine. We assessed the respiratory function and shoulder strength of MMC participants who were wheelchair-users and had no respiratory complaints and compared them to healthy children and adolescents. MMC (n=10) and healthy (n=25) participants of both genders with a mean age of 12.45 years (SD=2.1) were assessed for weight, height, respiratory performance, and isometric peak for shoulder flexors, extensors, abductors, and adductors, using an isokinetic dynamometer. Medullary lesion, functional levels, and abnormal curvatures of the spine were assessed for MMC participants. The level of spinal cord injury for the majority of the MMC participants was high lumbar and they had scoliosis. MMC showed lower values for forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume at the first second, forced expiratory flow (25-75%), maximal voluntary ventilation, and isometric peak for shoulder flexors and adductors compared to healthy participants. This indicated a decreased vital capacity, respiratory muscle endurance, and shoulder muscle strength.

Development of UV cross-linked gelatin coated electrospun poly(caprolactone) fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among industrialized countries. Vascular grafts are often required for the surgical treatments. Considering the limitations associated with the use of autografts and with the currently available synthetic materials, a growing demand in tissue engineered vascular grafts has been registered. During the work here described, electrospinning technique was used to prepared fibrous matrices to be applied as vascular implants. For that purpose, electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous mats were produced and afterwards coated with different hydrogel formulations based in photocrosslinkable gelatin (GelMA) and the macromers poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate (PEGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). These were further photocrosslinked under UV irradiation using Irgacure® 2959 (by BASF) as the photoinitiator. The suitability of the coated scaffolds for the intended application, was evaluated by assessing their chemical/physical properties as well as their interaction with blood and endothelial cells.

Lung cancer in Northern Portugal: A hospital-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide. In Portugal, the disease remains the main cause of cancer death in males. AIM: This study aims to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients diagnosed and treated in northern Portugal hospitals from 2000 to 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve hospitals in the north of Portugal contributed to this study. The demographic and clinic characteristics of the patients registered in each hospital from 2000 to 2010 and the patterns of their occurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: During an 11-year period (2000-2010), 9767 lung cancer patients were registered in the participating hospitals. Comparing the number of the patients registered in the year 2000 to those registered during 2010, there was a significant increase in lung cancer cases. Females represent only 20% of the total registered lung cancer cases; however, during the study period, the number of female patients increased by 30%. A significant number of the patients, 3117 (48.6%), had poor performance status at presentation. The adenocarcinoma histology became more preponderant over the study period. Most of the patients were diagnosed as stages IIIB or IV: 7206 of 9267 (77.8%). Chemotherapy was the treatment of choice for 3529 (40.4%) patients, whereas surgical treatment was achieved in 1301 (14.9%) cases. CONCLUSION: A significant number of lung cancer patients have been diagnosed and treated in hospitals in northern Portugal, and the incidence of the disease among females has been increasing. The overwhelming majority of the tumors were diagnosed in advanced stage; nevertheless, surgical treatment was possible in 14.9% of the patients.

Cervical, mandibular, and parotid lymph nodes of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum: a histopathologic and immunohistochemistry study and its correlation with facial skin lesions.

The parasite load in cervical, mandibular, and parotid lymph nodes and in the skin of the nose and the pinna from dogs infected with Leishmania infantum were investigated by histologic and immunohistochemical studies. Twenty-two infected dogs with and without signs of infection were examined to demonstrate correlation of signs with parasite load and the correlation of facial skin lesions with parasites in regional lymph nodes. Chronic inflammation of the skin was demonstrated in infected dogs that had no gross skin lesions, confirming that normal-appearing skin can harbor the parasite, likely playing a role in transmission. Dogs with facial skin lesions showed a higher parasite load in parotid lymph nodes than dogs without lesions of the facial skin, based on Leishman-Donovan unit analysis. Based on immunohistochemical analysis, parasite load in parotid and cervical nodes was correlated with that of skin of the nose and pinna, as was the parasite load in mandibular lymph nodes and skin of the external nose. We demonstrated a logical involvement of the lymphatic vessels and their specific anatomic draining sites.

Structural analysis of dextran-based hydrogels obtained chemoenzymatically.

This work reports the results of structural analysis in novel dextran-acrylate (dexT70-VA) hydrogels generated chemoenzymatically. Porous structure as well as hydrogel surface and interior morphologies were evaluated by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), nitrogen adsorption (NA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses, as a function of the degree of substitution (DS), and initial water content used in the preparation of the hydrogel. MIP analysis showed that the overall networks were clearly macroporous with pore sizes ranging from 0.065 to 10 microm. As expected, the average pore size decreased as DS increased and as initial water content decreased. Moreover, the porosity values ranged from 75 up 90%, which shows that these hydrogels present an interconnected pore structure. Nitrogen adsorption analyses showed that the specific surface area of dexT70-VA hydrogels increased either by increasing the DS or by decreasing the initial water content of the hydrogel. SEM results revealed that the surface of hydrogels with lower DS presented either a porous structure or a polymeric "skin" covering the pores, whereas hydrogels with higher DS were totally porous. Furthermore, the interior morphology varied according to the DS and the initial water content of the hydrogels. Finally, the average pore size was also determined from the swelling of hydrogel using a theoretical model developed by Flory-Rehner. The comparison of the SEM and MIP results with the ones obtained by the equilibrium swelling theory of Flory-Rehner shows that this approach highly underestimates the average pore size.