Stroke: An electromyographic approach to the masseter and temporal muscles, orofacial soft tissue pressure, and occlusal force.

Stroke is a cerebrovascular disease that triggers changes in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and can compromise human body function. This cross-sectional observational study aimed to analyze the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter and temporal muscles, orofacial soft tissue pressure, and strength of occlusal contacts in patients who had suffered a stroke. Twenty-four patients were divided into two groups: stroke (n = 12) and control (n = 12). The EMG of the masseter and temporal muscles was evaluated during mandibular rest, protrusion, right laterality, left laterality, and maximal voluntary contraction. The Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument (IOPI) was used to measure pressure from the tongue, lips, and buccinator muscles. A computerized system for occlusal analysis (T-Scan III) was used to measure the occlusal contact points of the right and left hemiarches (upper and lower) and the upper and lower first molars. Data were subjected to Student's t-test (p < 0.05). The stroke group had lower normalized electromyographic activity, with a significant difference in the left temporal muscle during rest (p = 0.03) when compared to the control group. There was a significant difference between the groups in tongue pressure (p = 0.004) with a lower mean value in the stroke group. There was a significant difference between the groups in the evaluation of the occlusal contact points of the first permanent molars, with a lower mean percentage in the stroke group. The results indicate that stroke negatively affects functional performance of the stomatognathic system.

Fidedignidade da Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure em crianças e adolescentes com paralisia cerebral / Confiabilidad de Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure para niños y adolescentes con parálisis cerebral / Reliability of Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

RESUMO A paralisia cerebral é a causa mais frequente de deficiência física na infância devido às desordens permanentes do desenvolvimento do movimento e da postura e aos problemas musculoesqueléticos secundários. Para avaliar desvios posturais e a extensibilidade do tronco, é possível utilizar a Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM). Com o objetivo de aferir a fidedignidade da SAROMM e validar seu uso na prática clínica, realizou-se um estudo transversal com amostra de conveniência. Participaram 50 crianças na Etapa 1 (avaliação por vídeo, sem e com o uso do manual de instrução) e 25 crianças na Etapa 2 (avaliação presencial). Na Etapa 1, a confiabilidade intraexaminador apresentou concordância quase perfeita em todos os domínios (κ entre 0,98 e 1,0), exceto tornozelo, que apresentou concordância moderada (κ=0,62). A confiabilidade interexaminadores sem uso do manual não apresentou concordância (κ entre −0,00 e 0,10) e, com uso do manual, concordância fraca em todos os domínios (κ entre 0,41 e 0,59), exceto tornozelo, que apresentou concordância mínima (κ=0,20). Na Etapa 2, a confiabilidade interexaminadores apresentou concordância quase perfeita em todos os domínios (κ entre 0,93 e 0,97). A SAROMM possui excelente confiabilidade intra e interexaminador, sendo importante haver uma avaliação presencial com uso do manual de instruções.

RESUMEN La parálisis cerebral es la causa más frecuente de discapacidad física en la infancia debido a los trastornos permanentes en el desarrollo del movimiento y la postura y a los problemas musculoesqueléticos secundarios. Para evaluar las desviaciones posturales y la extensibilidad del tronco, se puede utilizar Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM). Con el fin de evaluar la confiabilidad de SAROMM y validar su uso en la práctica clínica, se realizó un estudio transversal con una muestra de conveniencia. Participaron 50 niños en la Etapa 1 (vídeo evaluación, con y sin uso de la guía instructiva) y 25 niños en la Etapa 2 (evaluación presencial). En la Etapa 1, la confiabilidad intraexaminador mostró concordancia casi total en todos los criterios (κ entre 0,98 y 1,0), excepto tobillo que mostró una concordancia moderada (κ=0,62). La confiabilidad interexaminadores sin uso de la guía no mostró una concordancia (k entre -0,00 y 0,10), con el uso de la guía tuvo una concordancia débil en todos los criterios (κ entre 0,41 y 0,59), excepto tobillo que mostró mínima concordancia (κ=0,20). En la Etapa 2, la confiabilidad interevaluadores mostró una concordancia casi total en todos los criterios (κ entre 0,93 y 0,97). SAROMM tuvo como resultado una excelente confiabilidad intra- e interexaminador, y es importante hacer una evaluación presencial basándose en la guía de instrucciones.

ABSTRACT Cerebral palsy is the most frequent cause of physical disability in childhood due to permanent movement and posture development disorders and secondary musculoskeletal problems. The Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM) assess postural deviations and trunk extensibility. This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample to evaluate the reliability of SAROMM and to validate its use in clinical practice. In total, 50 children participated in Stage 1 (video evaluation, with and without the instruction manual), and 25 children participated in Stage 2 (in-person evaluation). In Stage 1, the intra-examiner reliability showed almost perfect agreement in all domains (κ ranging from 0.98 to 1.0), except ankle, with a moderate agreement (κ=0.62). Inter-examiner reliability without using the manual showed no agreement (κ ranging from −0.00 to 0.10); with the use of the manual showed weak agreement in all domains (κ from 0.41 to 0.59), except ankle, which showed a minimal agreement (κ=0.20). In Stage 2, inter-examiner reliability showed almost perfect agreement in all domains (κ ranging from 0.93 to 0.97). SAROMM has excellent intra- and inter-examiner reliability, and in-person assessment with the instructions manual is essential.

Impact of Hemorrhagic Stroke on Molar Bite Force: A Prospective Study.

Stroke is a neurological deficit of cerebrovascular origin that promotes physical impairments of adult individuals. The present study is aimed to demonstrate whether hemorrhagic stroke affects the maximum molar bite force. The prospective study carried in Centro Universitario Claretiano de Batatais, Brazil, determined the distribution of the sample into two groups: hemorrhagic stroke group (n=18, median age, 62.5 years) and disease-free group (n=18, median age, 62.0 years), with 10 men and 8 women in each group. Subjects were paired one-to-one (age and body mass index). The dynamometer was used to measure the maximum molar bite force (right and left). All analyses were performed with a significance level of 5% (Student's t-test). Differences were found on the right (p=0.048) and left (p=0.042) molar bite force, with lower bite force (both sides) in hemorrhagic stroke group. The study suggests that hemorrhagic stroke negatively affects the maximum molar bite force and necessitates changes in food intake to nutritious and softer consistency foods.

Bioherbicidal potential of plant species with allelopathic effects on the weed Bidens bipinnata L.

Plant species with allelopathic effects against weeds have emerged as a potential strategy for the development of ecologically friendly bioherbicides. In this study, the allelopathic effects of the plant species Dipteryx lacunifera Ducke, Ricinus communis L., Piper tuberculatum Jacq., and Jatropha gossypiifolia L. on the weed Bidens bipinnata L. were investigated. In vitro bioassays revealed that aqueous extracts of selected plant species were able to inhibit seed germination and seedling growth of B. bipinnata, highlighting the strongest allelopathic effect evidenced by R. communis. The phytotoxicity of the aqueous extracts was evaluated in pot experiments, which indicated that the foliar application of R. communis and P. tuberculatum extracts on B. bipinnata plants caused yellowing of leaves, affecting the chlorophyll content and reducing growth. The discrimination of the plant extracts by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform mid-infrared (ATR FT-MIR) spectroscopy combined with principal component analysis (PCA) indicated the presence of allelochemical compounds, such as phenolics and terpenoids, which may be associated with allelopathic activity. Overall, this study provides valuable information about the substantial allelopathic inhibitory effects of the plant species R. communis and P. tuberculatum on the weed B. bipinnata, which may be used for the development of eco-friendly bioherbicides.

BepFAMN: A Method for Linear B-Cell Epitope Predictions Based on Fuzzy-ARTMAP Artificial Neural Network.

The public health system is extremely dependent on the use of vaccines to immunize the population from a series of infectious and dangerous diseases, preventing the system from collapsing and millions of people dying every year. However, to develop these vaccines and effectively monitor these diseases, it is necessary to use accurate diagnostic methods capable of identifying highly immunogenic regions within a given pathogenic protein. Existing experimental methods are expensive, time-consuming, and require arduous laboratory work, as they require the screening of a large number of potential candidate epitopes, making the methods extremely laborious, especially for application to larger microorganisms. In the last decades, researchers have developed in silico prediction methods, based on machine learning, to identify these markers, to drastically reduce the list of potential candidate epitopes for experimental tests, and, consequently, to reduce the laborious task associated with their mapping. Despite these efforts, the tools and methods still have low accuracy, slow diagnosis, and offline training. Thus, we develop a method to predict B-cell linear epitopes which are based on a Fuzzy-ARTMAP neural network architecture, called BepFAMN (B Epitope Prediction Fuzzy ARTMAP Artificial Neural Network). This was trained using a linear averaging scheme on 15 properties that include an amino acid ratio scale and a set of 14 physicochemical scales. The database used was obtained from the IEDB website, from which the amino acid sequences with the annotations of their positive and negative epitopes were taken. To train and validate the knowledge models, five-fold cross-validation and competition techniques were used. The BepiPred-2.0 database, an independent database, was used for the tests. In our experiment, the validation dataset reached sensitivity = 91.50%, specificity = 91.49%, accuracy = 91.49%, MCC = 0.83, and an area under the curve (AUC) ROC of approximately 0.9289. The result in the testing dataset achieves a significant improvement, with sensitivity = 81.87%, specificity = 74.75%, accuracy = 78.27%, MCC = 0.56, and AOC = 0.7831. These achieved values demonstrate that BepFAMN outperforms all other linear B-cell epitope prediction tools currently used. In addition, the architecture provides mechanisms for online training, which allow the user to find a new B-cell linear epitope, and to improve the model without need to re-train itself with the whole dataset. This fact contributes to a considerable reduction in the number of potential linear epitopes to be experimentally validated, reducing laboratory time and accelerating the development of diagnostic tests, vaccines, and immunotherapeutic approaches.

Bite Force, Thickness, and Thermographic Patterns of Masticatory Muscles Post-Hemorrhagic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Stroke is a neurological deficit of cerebrovascular origin, considered a 21st-century epidemic that causes functional changes in the human body. This study aimed to evaluate the stomatognathic system of patients after hemorrhagic stroke through the bite force, thickness, and skin temperature in the region of the masseter and temporalis muscles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four subjects were divided into groups: post-hemorrhagic stroke; with right side of the affected body (n = 12) and without the neurological disorder (n = 12). Maximum molar bite force was verified using a digital dynamometer. Muscle thickness was measured using ultrasound images obtained at rest and during maximal voluntary contraction of the masseter and temporalis muscles. Thermographic camera was used to record the thermographic patterns of the masseter and temporalis muscles. Data were subjected to Student's t-test (P < .05). RESULTS: The maximum molar bite force showed significant differences in the right (P = .04) and left (P = .03) sides, with a reduction in force in the post-hemorrhagic stroke group on the affected and unaffected sides. There was a significant difference (P < .05) in the thickness of the left temporal muscle at mandibular rest (P = .01) between groups. The post-hemorrhagic stroke group clinically presented greater muscle thickness in almost 100% of the muscles evaluated in both clinical conditions. There were no significant differences in skin temperature in the masseter and temporal muscles between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest functional changes in the stomatognathic system of subjects after a hemorrhagic stroke, especially concerning molar bite force and masticatory muscle thickness in the temporal muscle (unaffected side).

TipMT: Identification of PCR-based taxon-specific markers.

BACKGROUND: Molecular genetic markers are one of the most informative and widely used genome features in clinical and environmental diagnostic studies. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular marker is very attractive because it is suitable to high throughput automation and confers high specificity. However, the design of taxon-specific primers may be difficult and time consuming due to the need to identify appropriate genomic regions for annealing primers and to evaluate primer specificity. RESULTS: Here, we report the development of a Tool for Identification of Primers for Multiple Taxa (TipMT), which is a web application to search and design primers for genotyping based on genomic data. The tool identifies and targets single sequence repeats (SSR) or orthologous/taxa-specific genes for genotyping using Multiplex PCR. This pipeline was applied to the genomes of four species of Leishmania (L. amazonensis, L. braziliensis, L. infantum and L. major) and validated by PCR using artificial genomic DNA mixtures of the Leishmania species as templates. This experimental validation demonstrates the reliability of TipMT because amplification profiles showed discrimination of genomic DNA samples from Leishmania species. CONCLUSIONS: The TipMT web tool allows for large-scale identification and design of taxon-specific primers and is freely available to the scientific community at http://200.131.37.155/tipMT/ .

Avaliação do alinhamento postural e extensibilidade muscular pela escala SAROMM em crianças com paralisia cerebral após fisioterapia aquática / Evaluation of postural alignment and muscle extensibility with SAROMM scale in cerebral palsy after aquatic physiotherapy

A paralisia cerebral (PC) é a causa mais prevalente de desordens motoras em crianças no período de maturação estrutural e funcional do sistema nervoso central. A fisioterapia aquática é uma alternativa de tratamento que possibilita a aquisição de funcionalidade na PC de acordo com as capacidades físicas e cognitivas da criança. O estudo teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos da fisioterapia aquática sobre o alinhamento postural e extensibilidade muscular em crianças com diagnóstico de PC. Participaram do estudo quatro crianças com diagnóstico de PC (duas espásticas e duas atetóicas). Foi realizado um protocolo com 10 sessões de Fisioterapia Aquática, incluindo exercícios de fortalecimento de tronco e de membros inferiores (MMII) e de flexibilidade articular, e as crianças foram avaliadas pré e pós-tratamento utilizando a escala Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM). Os quatro sujeitos apresentaram melhora na extensibilidade de MMII, porém não houve melhora no alinhamento de tronco. A fisioterapia aquática apresentou efeitos benéficos sobre extensibilidade muscular de MMII em crianças com PC. (AU)

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent cause of motor disorders in children in the structural and functional maturation of the central nervous system period. The aquatic physical therapy is an alternative treatment which enables the acquisition functionality in the PC according to the physical and cognitive skills of the child. The study aimed to analyze the effects of aquatic physical therapy on postural alignment and muscle extensibility in children with CP diagnosis. The study included four children with diagnosis of CP (two spastic and two athetosis). It carried out a protocol with 10 sessions of Aquatic Physical Therapy, including trunk strengthening exercises and lower limbs (LL) and joint flexibility, and the children were evaluated before and after treatment using the Spinal Scale Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM). The four subjects showed improved extensibility of the lower limbs, but there was no improvement in the trunk alignment. The aquatic therapy showed beneficial effects on muscle extensibility lower limbs in children with CP. (AU)

Identification of snake bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs)-simile sequences in rat brain--Potential BPP-like precursor protein?

Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs) from the South American pit viper snake venom were the first natural inhibitors of the human angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) described. The pioneer characterization of the BPPs precursor from the snake venom glands by our group showed for the first time the presence of the C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in this same viper precursor protein. The confirmation of the BPP/CNP expression in snake brain regions correlated with neuroendocrine functions stimulated us to pursue the physiological correlates of these vasoactive peptides in mammals. Notably, several snake toxins were shown to have endogenous physiological correlates in mammals. In the present work, we expressed in bacteria the BPPs domain of the snake venom gland precursor protein, and this purified recombinant protein was used to raise specific polyclonal anti-BPPs antibodies. The correspondent single protein band immune-recognized in adult rat brain cytosol was isolated by 2D-SDS/PAGE and/or HPLC, before characterization by MS fingerprint analysis, which identified this protein as superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), a classically known enzyme with antioxidant activity and important roles in the blood pressure modulation. In silico analysis showed the exposition of the BPP-like peptide sequences on the surface of the 3D structure of rat SOD. These peptides were chemically synthesized to show the BPP-like biological activities in ex vivo and in vivo pharmacological bioassays. Taken together, our data suggest that SOD protein have the potential to be a source for putative BPP-like bioactive peptides, which once released may contribute to the blood pressure control in mammals.

ProGeRF: proteome and genome repeat finder utilizing a fast parallel hash function.

Repetitive element sequences are adjacent, repeating patterns, also called motifs, and can be of different lengths; repetitions can involve their exact or approximate copies. They have been widely used as molecular markers in population biology. Given the sizes of sequenced genomes, various bioinformatics tools have been developed for the extraction of repetitive elements from DNA sequences. However, currently available tools do not provide options for identifying repetitive elements in the genome or proteome, displaying a user-friendly web interface, and performing-exhaustive searches. ProGeRF is a web site for extracting repetitive regions from genome and proteome sequences. It was designed to be efficient, fast, and accurate and primarily user-friendly web tool allowing many ways to view and analyse the results. ProGeRF (Proteome and Genome Repeat Finder) is freely available as a stand-alone program, from which the users can download the source code, and as a web tool. It was developed using the hash table approach to extract perfect and imperfect repetitive regions in a (multi)FASTA file, while allowing a linear time complexity.

Peptides that activate the 20S proteasome by gate opening increased oxidized protein removal and reduced protein aggregation.

The proteasome is a multicatalytic protease that is responsible for the degradation of the majority of intracellular proteins. Its role is correlated with several major regulatory pathways that are involved in cell cycle control, signaling, and antigen presentation, as well as in the removal of oxidatively damaged proteins. Although several proteasomal catalytic inhibitors have been described, very few activators have been reported to date. Some reports in the literature highlight the cellular protective effects of proteasome activation against oxidative stress and its effect on increased life span. In this work, we describe a peptide named proteasome-activating peptide 1 (PAP1), which increases the chymotrypsin-like proteasomal catalytic activity and, consequently, proteolytic rates both in vitro and in culture. PAP1 proteasomal activation is mediated by the opening of the proteasomal catalytic chamber. We also demonstrate that the observed proteasomal activation protected cells from oxidative stress; further, PAP1 prevented protein aggregation in a cellular model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The role of 20SPT gate opening underlying protection against oxidative stress was also explored in yeast cells. The present data indicate the importance of proteasomal activators as potential drugs for the treatment of pathologies associated with the impaired removal of damaged proteins, which is observed in many neurodegenerative diseases.

Application of bioinformatics in chronobiology research.

Bioinformatics and other well-established sciences, such as molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry, provide a scientific approach for the analysis of data generated through "omics" projects that may be used in studies of chronobiology. The results of studies that apply these techniques demonstrate how they significantly aided the understanding of chronobiology. However, bioinformatics tools alone cannot eliminate the need for an understanding of the field of research or the data to be considered, nor can such tools replace analysts and researchers. It is often necessary to conduct an evaluation of the results of a data mining effort to determine the degree of reliability. To this end, familiarity with the field of investigation is necessary. It is evident that the knowledge that has been accumulated through chronobiology and the use of tools derived from bioinformatics has contributed to the recognition and understanding of the patterns and biological rhythms found in living organisms. The current work aims to develop new and important applications in the near future through chronobiology research.

The action of fish peptide Orpotrin analogs on microcirculation.

In order to investigate the relationship between the primary structure of Orpotrin, a vasoactive peptide previously isolated from the freshwater stingray Potamotrygon gr. orbignyi, and its microcirculatory effects, three Orpotrin analogs were synthesized. The analogs have a truncated N-terminal with a His residue deletion and two substituted amino acid residues, where one Nle is substituted for one internal Lys residue and the third analog has a substitution of a Pro for an Ala (Orp-desH(1) , Orp-Nle and Orp-Pro/Ala, respectively). Only Orp-desH(1) could induce a lower vasoconstriction effect compared with the natural Orpotrin, indicating that besides the N-terminal, the positive charge of Lys and the Pro residues located at the center of the amino acid chain is crucial for this vasoconstriction effect. Importantly, the suggestions made with bioactive peptides were based on the molecular modeling and dynamics of peptides, the presence of key amino acids and shared activity in microcirculation, characterized by intravital microscopy. Moreover, this study has demonstrated that even subtle changes in the primary structure of Orpotrin alter the biological effects of this native peptide significantly, which could be of interest for biotechnological applications.

The action of fish peptide Orpotrin analogs on microcirculation

In order to investigate the relationshipbetween theprimary structure of Orpotrin, a vasoactive peptidepreviously isolated from the freshwater stingray Potamotrygon gr. orbignyi, and its microcirculatory effects, three Orpotrin analogs were synthesized. The analogs have a truncated N-terminal with a His residue deletion and two substituted amino acid residues, where one Nle is substituted for one internal Lys residue and the third analog has a substitution of a Pro for an Ala (Orp-desH1, Orp- Nle and Orp-Pro/Ala, respectively). Only Orp-desH1 could induce a lower vasoconstriction effect compared with the natural Orpotrin, indicating that besides the N-terminal, the positive charge of Lys and the Pro residues located at the center of the amino acid chain is crucial for this vasoconstriction effect. Importantly, the suggestions made with bioactive peptides were based on the molecular modeling and dynamics of peptides, the presence of key amino acids and shared activity in microcirculation, characterized by intravital microscopy. Moreover, this study has demonstrated that even subtle changes in the primary structure of Orpotrin alter the biological effects of this native peptide significantly, which could be of interest for biotechnological applications.