Correlation Between Cervical Spine Sagittal Alignment and Clinical Outcome After Standalone Intersomatic Titanium Cage CeSPACE for Cervical Anterior Discectomy and Fusion in Cervical Degenerative Disk Diseases.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between cervical spine sagittal alignment and clinical outcomes after using a standalone intersomatic titanium cage CeSPACE for anterior cervical discectomy and arthrodesis. We present our clinical experience in a group of 180 patients with a mean follow-up for at least 2 years. Patients were evaluated by clinical and radiological assessment preoperatively, immediately after surgery and at regular follow-up. There were 97 male and 83 female patients (average age: 56.6 years) who were preoperatively affected by cervical radiculomyelopathy that was due to spondylosis or cervical disk herniation and who underwent surgical treatment. All patients underwent an anterior discectomy and interbody fusion through the positioning of one or more levels of the CeSPACE device. Compared with the preoperative scores, improvement was seen in postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores and Neck Disability Index (NDI) values. The standalone intersomatic titanium cage CeSPACE for anterior cervical discectomy and arthrodesis improved radiculomyelopathy and increased the probability of cervical kyphotic alignment. However, cervical sagittal alignment after surgery was not significantly associated with clinical outcomes in terms of postoperative improvement in VAS scores and NDI values. Similarly, the change in cervical sagittal alignment was not related to visual analog scale scores or Neck Disability Index values.

Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Apoptotic Effects of Thymol and 24-Epibrassinolide in Zebrafish Larvae.

Thymol (THY) and 24-epibrassinolide (24-EPI) are two examples of plant-based products with promising therapeutic effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects of the THY and 24-EPI. We used zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae transgenic line (Tg(mpxGFP)i114) to evaluate the recruitment of neutrophils as an inflammatory marker to the site of injury after tail fin amputation. In another experiment, wild-type AB larvae were exposed to a well known pro-inflammatory substance, copper (CuSO4), and then exposed for 4 h to THY, 24-EPI or diclofenac (DIC), a known anti-inflammatory drug. In this model, the antioxidant (levels of reactive oxygen species-ROS) and anti-apoptotic (cell death) effects were evaluated in vivo, as well as biochemical parameters such as the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase), the biotransformation activity of glutathione-S-transferase, the levels of glutathione reduced and oxidated, lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase activity, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and levels of nitric acid (NO). Both compounds decreased the recruitment of neutrophils in Tg(mpxGFP)i114, as well as showed in vivo antioxidant effects by reducing ROS production and anti-apoptotic effects in addition to a decrease in NO compared to CuSO4. The observed data substantiate the potential of the natural compounds THY and 24-EPI as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents in this species. These results support the need for further research to understand the molecular pathways involved, particularly their effect on NO.

Does the presence of third molars during sagittal split mandibular ramus osteotomy favour complications? Systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess whether the presence of inferior third molars during sagittal split mandibular ramus osteotomy increases the risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications. The PRISMA protocol was followed in this study, and the review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020147642). A search was conducted in the MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Scopus databases on November 1, 2021. Nineteen articles were included, and the variables analysed were unfavourable fractures, infection, neurosensory disturbance, removal of osteosynthesis material, and duration of surgery. Meta-analyses were performed for the variables unfavourable fractures (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-1.57, P = 0.84), infection (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.48-1.18, P = 0.21), and neurosensory disturbance (RR 1.55, 95% CI 0.61-3.91, P = 0.35); no statistically significant difference in the risk of these variables was found between the groups with and without third molars. The third molars did not increase the need to remove fixation material, but increased the surgery time. The presence of the third molar during sagittal split mandibular ramus osteotomy appears not to increase the risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications. The results presented here must be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity presented by the observational studies included.

Evaluation of the developmental effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide complexed with copper, zinc, and manganese metals in zebrafish.

The use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) has increased dramatically, being currently the most used herbicides worldwide. Glyphosate acts as a chelating agent, capable of chelate metals. The synergistic effects of metals and agrochemicals may pose an environmental problem as they have been shown to induce neurological abnormalities and behavioural changes in aquatic species. However, as their ecotoxicity effects are poorly understood, evaluating the impacts of GBH complexed with metals is an ecological priority. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the potentially toxic effects caused by exposure to a GBH (1 µg a.i. mL-1), alone or complexed with metals (Copper, Manganese, and Zinc (100 µg L-1)), at environmentally relevant concentrations, during the early period of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo development (96 h post-fertilization), a promising model for in vivo developmental studies. To clarify the mechanisms of toxicity involved, lethal and sublethal development endpoints were assessed. At the end of the exposure, biochemical and cell death parameters were evaluated and, 24 h later, different behavioural responses were assessed. The results showed that metals induced higher levels of toxicity. Copper caused high mortality, low hatching, malformations, and changes in biochemical parameters, such as decreased Catalase (CAT) activity, increased Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Glutathione S-Transferase (GST), reduced Glutathione (GSH) and decreased Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, also inducing apoptosis and changes in larval behaviour. Manganese increased the activity of SODs enzymes. Zinc increased mortality, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, superoxide dismutase activity (SODs) and caused a decrease in AChE activity. Embryos/larvae exposed to the combination of GBH/Metal also showed teratogenic effects during their development but in smaller proportions than the metal alone. Although more studies are needed, the results suggest that GBH may interfere with the mechanisms of metal toxicity at the biochemical, physiological, and behavioural levels of zebrafish.

The use of Enzymes in Meat Quail Diets Containing Sunflower Seed Cake.

We examined the effects of including sunflower cake (SC) associated with an enzyme complex (EC) in the diet of meat quails on nutrient metabolism, performance, carcass characteristics, bone parameters and economic viability. In total, 432 meat quails (7 to 42 days old) were assigned to six treatments in a completely randomised design with 6 replicates with 12 birds each. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was adopted (two levels of SC: 10 and 20%; three diet formulation strategies: normal, reduction in the nutrient and energy matrix considering the enzymatic contribution and reduced diet with EC). No interaction effect was observed. The increased levels of SC from 10% to 20% promoted in decrease in the metabolisability coefficients of dry matter and gross energy and in the value of AMEn and increased relative weight of gizzard. The addition of EC in diets containing SC allows a better metabolization of nitrogen and energy, equalize to the normal diet. The best breast yield was obtained in the birds fed the reduced diet with EC, in relation to normal diet. The reduced diet and the reduced diet with EC provided the lowest cost of food and the best economic efficiency index. Up to 20% of the sunflower cake can be included in the diet of cut quail, with or without enzyme supplementation. However, the use of the enzyme complex composed of carbohydrases, proteases and phytase can favor the metabolization of nitrogen and energy from the diet containing sunflower cake.

Production and Upgrading of Recovered Carbon Black from the Pyrolysis of End-of-Life Tires.

Increasing awareness regarding fossil fuel dependence, waste valorization, and greenhouse gas emissions have prompted the emergence of new solutions for numerous markets over the last decades. The tire industry is no exception to this, with a global production of more than 1.5 billion tires per year raising environmental concerns about their end-of-life recycling or disposal. Pyrolysis enables the recovery of both energy and material from end-of-life tires, yielding valuable gas, liquid, and solid fractions. The latter, known as recovered carbon black (rCB), has been extensively researched in the last few years to ensure its quality for market applications. These studies have shown that rCB quality depends on the feedstock composition and pyrolysis conditions such as type of reactor, temperature range, heating rate, and residence time. Recent developments of activation and demineralization techniques target the production of rCB with specific chemical, physical, and morphological properties for singular applications. The automotive industry, which is the highest consumer of carbon black, has set specific targets to incorporate recycled materials (such as rCB) following the principles of sustainability and a circular economy. This review summarizes the pyrolysis of end-of-life tires for the production of syngas, oil, and rCB, focusing on the process conditions and product yield and composition. A further analysis of the characteristics of the solid material is performed, including their influence on the rCB application as a substitute of commercial CB in the tire industry. Purification and modification post-treatment processes for rCB upgrading are also inspected.

Calcium anacardate as source of anacardic acid in laying Japanese quail diet.

Anacardic acid is naturally found in various parts of the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale L.) and marketed as calcium anacardate. This product has antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity, and has been used in humans in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and tumors. In meat and egg production systems, anacardic acid is used as a substitute for growth-promoting antibiotics. The study objective was to evaluate effects of adding calcium anacardate as source of anacardic acid in laying Japanese quail diet on bird performance and eggs quality. A total of 252 Japanese quail with 22 week-old were studied, using a completely randomized design composed of six treatments with six replicates and seven quails per experimental unit. Treatments applied were: diet without growth promoter; diet with 0,1% growth promoter; and four diets without growth promoter and addition of 0.25; 0.50; 0.75 and 1.0% calcium anacardate (CA), respectively. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and treatment means compared with a SNK test (5%). The data from treatments containing CA were submitted to regression analysis. Treatments did not influence feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg volume, feed conversion ratio and eggs quality parameters. The addition up to 1% of calcium anacardate in laying Japanese quail diet, does not influence their performance and egg quality.

Ethanol extracts of mango seeds added to the diet of pigs increases antioxidant capacity of processed pork.

Synthetic antioxidants (e.g.butylhydroxytoluene, BHT) are routinely used for to restrict oxidative processes of meat products, but they are implicated as harmful to the health of humans. Therefore natural alternatives, such as plant antioxidants, have been sought as replacements. Plant antioxidants when added to the diet can be incorporated into meat and reduce the need for the addition of synthetic antioxidants during processing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ethanol extracts of mango seeds (EEMS) in the diet of pigs on qualitative parameters and total antioxidant capacity of mortadella produced from these animals. Thirty-two pigs with an average 60 days of age were distributed among four treatments: control=no antioxidant; BHT=200ppm BHT; EEMS200=200ppm of EEMS and EEMS400=400ppm of EEMS. At 145 days of age the animals were slaughtered and loin was removed for the preparation of mortadella, which was analyzed during 90 days of storage at 4°C. A higher content of polyphenolic compounds and, total antioxidant capacity in mortadellas processed with meat of animals which consumed the EEMS400 ration after 60 and 90 days of storage was observed. EEMS polyphenolic antioxidants incorporated into pork through the diet results in an increase of total antioxidant capacity in the processed product.

Analysis of ovarian cancer cell secretome during epithelial to mesenchymal transition reveals a protein signature associated with advanced stages of ovarian tumors.

Ovarian cancer (OvCA) is the most lethal neoplasia among gynecologic malignancies and faces high rates of new cases particularly in South America. In special, the High Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma (HGSC) presents very poor prognosis with deaths caused mainly by metastasis. Among several mechanisms involved in metastasis, the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) molecular reprogramming represents a model for latest stages of cancer progression. EMT promotes important cellular changes in cellular adhesion and cell-cell communication, which particularly depends on the paracrine signaling from neighbor cells. Considering the importance of cellular communication during EMT and metastasis, here we analyzed the changes in the secretome of the ovarian cancer cell line Caov-3 induced to EMT by Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF). Using a combination of GEL-LC-MS/MS and stable isotopic metabolic labelling (SILAC), we identified up-regulated candidates during EMT as a starting point to identify relevant proteins for HGSC. Based on public databases, our candidate proteins were validated and prioritized for further analysis. Importantly, several of the protein candidates were associated with cellular vesicles, which are important to the cell-cell communication and metastasis. Furthermore, the association of candidate proteins with gene expression data uncovered a subset of proteins correlated with the mesenchymal subtype of ovarian cancer. Based on this relevant molecular signature for aggressive ovarian cancer, supported by protein and gene expression data, we developed a targeted proteomic method to evaluate individual OvCA clinical samples. The quantitative information obtained for 33 peptides, representative of 18 proteins, was able to segregate HGSC from other tumor types. Our study highlighted the richness of the secretome and EMT to reveal relevant proteins for HGSC, which could be used in further studies and larger patient cohorts as a potential stratification signature for ovarian cancer tumor that could guide clinical conduct for patient treatment.

Biomechanical analysis in mandibular advancement and occlusal plane rotation with finite element analysis.

We used finite element analysis to assess stress on the cortical bone and plate fixation system, as well as mandibular resistance after sagittal split ramus osteotomy with different mandibular advancements and rotations of the occlusal plane. Three-dimensional mandibular models were obtained, and 6mm and 12mm advancements were planned associated with linear, clockwise, and counter-clockwise rotation of the angle of the occlusal plane. Each model was then fixed with one or two 2.0mm system plates and secured with four monocortical screws. A total of 12 models were built and subjected to a vertical load in the lower central incisor ranging from 50N to 500N in 50N increments. Results showed that the 12mm advancement was associated with higher stress on the bone and plate surface. Additionally, the models fixed with two plates exhibited lower plate stress than those fixed with a single plate. Counter-clockwise rotation of the angle of the mandibular plane in the 6mm advancement caused more plate stress, which did not occur in the 12mm advancement. This analysis has shown that change in the occlusal plane in large mandibular advancements does not act as an additional stress factor. These findings can help to better understand the tensions on bone and plate surfaces in patients who need large mandibular advancements that are associated with a change in the occlusal plane, and will aid better surgical planning.

Consensus statement from the international consensus meeting on post-traumatic cranioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Due to the lack of high-quality evidence which has hindered the development of evidence-based guidelines, there is a need to provide general guidance on cranioplasty (CP) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as identify areas of ongoing uncertainty via a consensus-based approach. METHODS: The international consensus meeting on post-traumatic CP was held during the International Conference on Recent Advances in Neurotraumatology (ICRAN), in Naples, Italy, in June 2018. This meeting was endorsed by the Neurotrauma Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Neurotrauma, and several other neurotrauma organizations. Discussions and voting were organized around 5 pre-specified themes: (1) indications and technique, (2) materials, (3) timing, (4) hydrocephalus, and (5) paediatric CP. RESULTS: The participants discussed published evidence on each topic and proposed consensus statements, which were subject to ratification using anonymous real-time voting. Statements required an agreement threshold of more than 70% for inclusion in the final recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: This document is the first set of practical consensus-based clinical recommendations on post-traumatic CP, focusing on timing, materials, complications, and surgical procedures. Future research directions are also presented.

Behavioural toxicity of environmental relevant concentrations of a glyphosate commercial formulation - RoundUp® UltraMax - During zebrafish embryogenesis.

The use of herbicides with glyphosate as an active ingredient (a.i.) has increased dramatically in recent years, with its residues often being found in either soil or water. Nevertheless, concerns have arisen about its harmful side effects for both ecosystems and wildlife health. Therefore, the objective of this work was to assess the effects of a commercial formulation of glyphosate (RoundUp® UltraMax), at environmentally relevant concentrations on zebrafish embryos through a set of behavioural patterns. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0, 1, 2 and 5 µg a.i. mL-1 concentrations of the glyphosate formulation for 72 h (from 2.5 to 75 h post-fertilization (hpf)). After exposure, larvae were washed and allowed to develop until 144 hpf. At this point, the larvae behaviour was evaluated using a battery of tests to assess the general exploratory motility, escape-like responses, anxiety-related behaviours and social interactions. In addition, cortisol levels were assessed. No significant changes were observed relative to the exploratory behaviour in the standard open field. The anxiety-related behaviours were similar among groups, and no social interference was observed following exposure to these glyphosate concentrations. Likewise, cortisol levels remained similar among treatments. Still, the larvae exposed to 5 µg a.i. mL-1 did not react to the presence of an aversive stimulus, supporting glyphosate-induced changes in the sensory-motor coordination during development. In general, these results indicate a possible neurotoxic effect of this glyphosate-based formulation that should be further evaluated. In addition, the results obtained could impose a risk for wildlife sensitive species that should not be neglected.

Vancomycin population pharmacokinetics for adult patients with sepsis or septic shock: are current dosing regimens sufficient?

PURPOSE: Vancomycin is commonly used for the management of severe infections; however, vancomycin dosing may be challenging in critically ill patients. This observational study aims to describe the population pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in adult patients with sepsis or septic shock. METHODS: A single-centre retrospective review of adult patients with sepsis or septic shock receiving vancomycin with therapeutic drug monitoring was undertaken. Blood samples taken 1 h after the vancomycin infusion cessation and 30 min prior to the next dose were assayed using the Vitros Crea Slide method. Vancomycin concentrations determined on different days were included. A pharmacokinetic model was developed using Pmetrics for R. Monte Carlo dosing simulations were performed using the final model. RESULTS: Vancomycin concentrations were available for 27 adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit with sepsis or septic shock. A one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with inter-occasion variability of clearance and volume of distribution before and after 72 h adequately described the data. Creatinine clearance normalized to body surface area was included as a covariate on vancomycin clearance. The clearance and volume of distribution within 72 h of admission were 7.29 L/h and 54.20 L, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations suggested that for patients with a creatinine clearance of ≥ 80 mL/min/1.73 m2, vancomycin doses of ≥ 2 g every 8 h are required to consistently achieve key therapeutic targets. CONCLUSIONS: Vancomycin doses ≥ 2 g every 8 h in adult patients with sepsis or septic shock with a creatinine clearance ≥ 80 mL/min/1.73 m2 are likely needed to achieve an optimal therapeutic exposure.

Exploring the action of endoglucanases on bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp as potential catalyst for isolation of cellulose nanocrystals.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is a high-value and emerging bionanomaterial with an increasing number of applications. The action of endoglucanases (EGs) from fungal and bacterial sources belonging to three glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families were investigated on bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp as potential catalysts to prepare CNC. Fungal GH7EG was the most efficient in hydrolysis and fiber fragmentation without altering crystallinity and crystallite size. Fiber fragmentation promoted by fungal GH45EG was similar to that observed for GH7EG, although it released a smaller amount of sugar. Bacterial GH5EG resulted in very low hydrolysis yield and practically did not fragment the fibers, resulting in a hydrolysis residue with characteristics very similar to the initial material. GH45EG was the only EG that affected the crystallinity and crystallite size and also the only enzyme capable of isolating nanoparticles. The isolated nanoparticles had very narrow width distribution range of 6-10 nm and length distribution range of 400-600 nm. Supplementation of ß-glucosidase and conventional mechanical refining as a pretreatment did not improve the release of nanoparticles. Despite catalyzing the same biochemical reaction, different EGs displayed very distinct action during hydrolysis. The reported strong binding of GH45EG's CBM to the cellulose and the lack of increased accessibility of the enzyme to new substrate likely allowed continuous hydrolysis of the few fibers available, resulting in the isolation of cellulose nanoparticles.

Dose-dependent effects of a glyphosate commercial formulation - Roundup® UltraMax - on the early zebrafish embryogenesis.

The use of herbicides with glyphosate as an active ingredient, the so-called glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH), has increased dramatically in recent years currently being the most widely used in the world. Therefore, glyphosate residues have been detected in water and soils near the application sites. Recent studies indicate that GBH may cause adverse effects on vertebrates although these have been attributed to the presence of adjuvants in the commercial formulations rather than to the sole compound. Accordingly, the objective of this work was to investigate the lethal and sub-lethal developmental effects, neurotoxic potential and oxidative stress responses of zebrafish embryos to Roundup® Ultramax (RU) exposure. Embryos were exposed during 72 h to 0, 2, 5, 8.5 µg a.i. mL-1 of RU. Increased mortality was observed in embryos exposed to concentrations above 8.5 µg a.i. mL-1 as well as increased number of malformations. Decreased heart rate and hatchability were also observed. By contrast, exposure to concentrations that do not evoke teratogenic outcomes induced a dose-dependent decrease of heart rate although not inducing significant developmental changes. However, histological changes were not observed in the larvae exposed to these concentrations. Moreover, the generation of reactive oxygen species, the antioxidant enzymes activities (SOD and CAT), the GST biotransformation activity, the glutathione levels (GSH and GSSG), the oxidative damage (MDA) and the acetylcholinesterase and lactate dehydrogenase were similar among groups following exposure. Overall, available evidence suggests a dose-dependent toxicological effect of this formulation at concentrations that are not routinely detected in the environment. However, additional studies should be performed to better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms in favor of this formulation.

Effect of Syzygium cumini leaves on laying hens performance and egg quality.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Syzygium cumini leaves (SCL) in laying hens diets on productive performance, egg quality and lipid oxidation of yolk. A total of 108 Hysex White laying hens were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments and six replicates of six birds each. The treatments consisted of SCL inclusion at dietary levels of 0, 5 and 10 g/kg. There was no significant effect of SCL inclusion on feed intake, laying percentage, weight and egg mass, feed conversion ratio, Haugh units, specific gravity, percentage of yolk, albumen and egg shells and shell thickness. However, the inclusion of SCL significantly influenced the yolk color and yolk lipid oxidation measured by TBARS values. Yolk color increased and TBARS values ​​decreased with the inclusion of SCL. The inclusion of SCL in laying hens diets improves pigmentation and lipid stability of yolk.

Beef tallow and emulsifier in growing-finishing pig diets

ABSTRACT Two trials were aimed to evaluate beef tallow in diets with and without emulsifier on performance of pigs at growing-finishing phases. In the first trial, 15 barrows (22.03±0.62 kg) were distributed among three treatments: reference diet; test diet 1 (5% beef tallow) and test diet 2 (10% beef tallow). Beef tallow presented average value of 7130.97 kcal ME/kg. For the performance trail, 30 barrows (24.85±1.18 kg) were distributed among five treatments: T1 - diet with soybean oil and 3230 kcal ME /kg; T2 - diet with beef tallow and 3230 kcal ME/kg; T3 - diet with beef tallow and 3080 kcal ME/kg; T4 - diet with beef tallow, 3080 kcal/kg and 0.1% emulsifier; T5 - diet with beef tallow, 2930 kcal ME/kg and 0.1% emulsifier. Feed conversion was worse in animals fed diet with 3080 kcal ME/kg containing beef tallow and with 2930 kcal ME/kg with beef tallow and emulsifier. For economic availability, animals fed diet with beef tallow and 3230 kcal ME/kg and those fed diet with 3080 kcal ME/kg containing beef tallow and emulsifier, did not differ from animals fed diet with soybean oil, which enables the reduction up to 150 kcal ME/kg be compensated by emulsifier addition.

Effect of Syzygium cumini leaves on laying hens performance and egg quality

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Syzygium cumini leaves (SCL) in laying hens diets on productive performance, egg quality and lipid oxidation of yolk. A total of 108 Hysex White laying hens were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments and six replicates of six birds each. The treatments consisted of SCL inclusion at dietary levels of 0, 5 and 10 g/kg. There was no significant effect of SCL inclusion on feed intake, laying percentage, weight and egg mass, feed conversion ratio, Haugh units, specific gravity, percentage of yolk, albumen and egg shells and shell thickness. However, the inclusion of SCL significantly influenced the yolk color and yolk lipid oxidation measured by TBARS values. Yolk color increased and TBARS values ​​decreased with the inclusion of SCL. The inclusion of SCL in laying hens diets improves pigmentation and lipid stability of yolk.

Evaluation of patients undergoing placement of zygomatic implants using sinus slot technique.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate patients undergoing placement of zygomatic implants by Stella and Warner's technique, considering the survival rate of conventional and zygomatic implants, and assess the health of the maxillary sinuses and the level of patient satisfaction. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, 28 patients had received a combination of conventional and zygomatic implants (group I) and 14 were rehabilitated with only conventional implants (group II). RESULTS: The results showed that Stella and Warner's technique, thought to minimize the presence of the implant into the maxillary sinus, improving the emergence of the implant, proved to be effective, allowing a high survival rate of conventional and zygomatic implants (100 %). The follow-up period ranged from a minimum of 15 months to a maximum of 53 months after prosthetic rehabilitation (average of 34 months). No pathological changes were found on the periimplant tissues. Radiographs showed satisfactory bone levels in conventional implants of oral rehabilitation with zygomatic implants and a good positioning of the apex of the zygomatic implants in relation to the zygomatic bone. The tomographic findings revealed no characteristics of sinus disease. There were no cases of obstruction of the maxillary sinus ostium. CONCLUSIONS: The placement of zygomatic implants by Stella and Warner's technique proved to be a predictable technique with high implant survival rate in patients with atrophic maxilla and was not associated with sinus disease in the sample analyzed. However, a long-term follow-up is necessary to confirm the initial findings of this study.

Assessment of heavy metal residues in Brazilian poultry and swine tissue / Avaliação de resíduos de metais pesados em tecidos de aves e suínos

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of arsenic, lead and cadmium residues in samples of liver, kidney and muscle of poultry and swine during the years from 2002 to 2008. A total of 1978 samples were analyzed: 1031 of poultry and 947 of swine from Brazilian slaughterhouses. The samples were analyzed at the National Agricultural Laboratory using the atomic absorption spectrometry technique. In poultry, the arsenic residues were detected in 53.6% of liver samples, although no results have exceeded the MRL. In kidneys, 39.7% of the samples showed measurable residues and there was no violation of the limits. Regarding lead, there were 5 contaminated liver samples and 24 contaminated kidney samples (1.5 and 3.6% respectively). In muscle tissue there was only one sample with residues...

Objetivou-se investigar a presença de resíduos de arsênico, chumbo e cádmio em amostras de fígado, rins e músculo de aves e suínos, durante os anos de 2002 a 2008. Um total de 1.978 amostras foi analisado: 1031 de aves e 947 de suínos provenientes de matadouros brasileiros. As amostras foram analisadas no Laboratório Nacional Agropecuário (Lanagro), sendo utilizada a técnica de espectrometria de absorção atômica. Em aves, os resíduos de arsênico foram detectados em 53,6% das amostras de fígado, embora sem exceder o LMR. Nos rins, 39,7% das amostras mostraram resíduos mensuráveis e não houve violação dos limites. Em relação ao chumbo, cinco amostras de fígado e 24 de amostras de rins estavam contaminadas (1,5 e 3,6%, respectivamente). No tecido muscular, houve apenas uma amostra com resíduos. Para o cádmio, 3,8% das amostras apresentavam valores abaixo do LMR. Resíduos de cádmio foram encontrados em 110 amostras de rins (16,3% testados), mas apenas uma ultrapassou o limite máximo permitido pela legislação nacional. Em suínos, resíduos de arsênico foram detectados em 15,3% das amostras de fígado, sem exceder o LMR. Nos rins, 14,2% das amostras apresentaram resíduos mensuráveis...