Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare chronic autoimmune disease characterized by vascular abnormalities and connective tissue disorders. In 2021, the multidisciplinary team of the university hospital ...recognized a demand for oral health information among SSc patients. This study aims to describe the development of an SSc oral health booklet and its validation by people with SSc.
For the development of the booklet, the project creators employed the action research methodology involving ten stages. SSc patients evaluated the material by filling out a digital form.
One hundred and thirty-one people with SSc evaluated the booklet. It received an average score of 9.73 (SD: 0.80) in relevance, 9.82 (SD: 0.47) in explicitness, and 9.49 (SD: 0.93) in aesthetics. The final version was emailed to the participants and posted on social media.
This is the first booklet that deeply addresses these issues in Portuguese and constitutes a soft technology to instruct and assist patients with SSc.
The production of high-quality educational materials on oral health for patients with SSc is necessary. The online distribution increased its reach and had great importance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
•Systemic sclerosis orofacial abnormalities impose challenges to health professionals.•Health education enables patients to self-manage systemic sclerosis.•Educational booklets must use simple language and illustrations to improve patients' understanding.•Patients' suggestions are essential to improve educational booklets.•The online distribution of educational materials improves their reach.
Mo-CBP3 is a chitin-binding protein purified from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds that displays inhibitory activity against phytopathogenic fungi. This study investigated the structural properties and ...the antifungal mode of action of this protein. To this end, circular dichroism spectroscopy, antifungal assays, measurements of the production of reactive oxygen species and microscopic analyses were utilized. Mo-CBP3 is composed of 30.3% α-helices, 16.3% β-sheets, 22.3% turns and 30.4% unordered forms. The Mo-CBP3 structure is highly stable and retains its antifungal activity regardless of temperature and pH. Fusarium solani was used as a model organism for studying the mechanisms by which this protein acts as an antifungal agent. Mo-CBP3 significantly inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth at 0.05 mg.mL-1. Mo-CBP3 has both fungistatic and fungicidal effects, depending on the concentration used. Binding of Mo-CBP3 to the fungal cell surface is achieved, at least in part, via electrostatic interactions, as salt was able to reduce its inhibitory effect. Mo-CBP3 induced the production of ROS and caused disorganization of both the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane in F. solani cells. Based on its high stability and specific toxicity, with broad-spectrum efficacy against important phytopathogenic fungi at low inhibitory concentrations but not to human cells, Mo-CBP3 has great potential for the development of new antifungal drugs or transgenic crops with enhanced resistance to phytopathogens.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Three of the most important objectives of the Federal Road Police (Patrol) when managing the traffic on federal roads in Brazil are to ensure that there is an efficient movement of traffic under ...stable conditions and minimal traffic congestion problems that the federal highways are safe and that accidents do not occur. Therefore, multiple matters are relevant for road safety and user security, such as prompt maintenance of these highways, regular monitoring of their state of conservation and their characteristics; controlling the traffic; and preventing and combatting criminal activities on the highways. However, considering the vast network and different conditions of roads, the different types of traffic accidents and their consequences, and different levels of violence on federal roads, it is essential that these roads undergo regular maintenance and regular inspections, are constantly patrolled, and are subject to continuous improvements. Therefore, defining the prioritization and criticality of roads takes on the characteristics of a multicriteria decision, given the multidimensional aspects of the risks inherent in them. Thus, this paper presents a multicriteria decision model for prioritizing road sections, based on their criticality and the risks that users face. The model was applied using the FITradeoff method, due to its flexibility and due to it requiring less cognitive effort from the decision-maker with regard to providing information regarding his/her preferences. A case study was undertaken on a set of the federal roads of the state of Pernambuco (Brazil), covering 22 different sections with different characteristics. As a result, it was possible to rank and identify the most critical sections of a highway. The use of FITradeoff gave support to decision-making on ordering the sections and also let a general analysis of the data be undertaken.
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•TMJ disorders limit daily activities and lead to pain-related disability.•There have been growing interests in alternative therapies for TMJ disorders.•AEL has been used to treat ...inflammatory and painful conditions.•AEL reduced the inflammatory parameters in this study.•AEL efficacy depended on the opioid system activation.
Abelmoschus esculentus is largely cultivated in Northeastern Brazil for medicinal purposes, e.g. inflammatory conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Abelmoschus esculentus lectin (AEL) in reducing formalin-induced temporomandibular joint inflammatory hypernociception in rats. The behavioral experiments were performed in male Wistar rats (180–240 g). Rats were pre-treated (i.v.) with AEL (0.001, 0.01 or 0.1 mg/kg) 30 min before formalin injection (i.art.). To analyze the possible effect of opioid pathways on AEL efficacy, animals were pre-treated with naloxone or CTOP (μ opioid receptor antagonist), naltrindole (δ opioid receptor antagonist) or nor-binaltorphimine (κ opioid receptor antagonist) (i.t.) 15 min before AEL administration followed by intra-TMJ injection of 1.5% formalin. Animals were monitored for a 45-min observation period. TMJ tissue, trigeminal ganglion, and subnucleus caudalis were collected for TNF-α dosage (ELISA). In addition, the vascular permeability was evaluated by Evans Blue extravasation. AEL significantly reduced formalin-induced TMJ inflammatory hypernociception and decreased Evans blue extravasation. It decreased TNF-α levels in the TMJ tissue, trigeminal ganglion, and subnucleus caudalis. AEL antinociceptive effects were not observed in the presence of naltrindole or nor-binaltorphimine, suggesting that AEL efficacy depends on TNF-α inhibition and the activation of δ and κ opioid receptors. AEL has provided prominent analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in this pre-clinical model of TMJ, supporting its possible use as a pharmacological tool for the management of painful conditions.
Mo-CBP.sub.3 is a chitin-binding protein purified from Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds that displays inhibitory activity against phytopathogenic fungi. This study investigated the structural properties ...and the antifungal mode of action of this protein. To this end, circular dichroism spectroscopy, antifungal assays, measurements of the production of reactive oxygen species and microscopic analyses were utilized. Mo-CBP.sub.3 is composed of 30.3% alpha-helices, 16.3% beta-sheets, 22.3% turns and 30.4% unordered forms. The Mo-CBP.sub.3 structure is highly stable and retains its antifungal activity regardless of temperature and pH. Fusarium solani was used as a model organism for studying the mechanisms by which this protein acts as an antifungal agent. Mo-CBP.sub.3 significantly inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth at 0.05 mg.mL.sup.-1 . Mo-CBP.sub.3 has both fungistatic and fungicidal effects, depending on the concentration used. Binding of Mo-CBP.sub.3 to the fungal cell surface is achieved, at least in part, via electrostatic interactions, as salt was able to reduce its inhibitory effect. Mo-CBP.sub.3 induced the production of ROS and caused disorganization of both the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane in F. solani cells. Based on its high stability and specific toxicity, with broad-spectrum efficacy against important phytopathogenic fungi at low inhibitory concentrations but not to human cells, Mo-CBP.sub.3 has great potential for the development of new antifungal drugs or transgenic crops with enhanced resistance to phytopathogens.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fuzzy System for Obstacle Detection and Avoidance for Mobile Robot Andrade, Alexsandra; Almeida Silva, Tharcio Thalles; Pacheco Gomes, Iago ...
2019 Latin American Robotics Symposium (LARS), 2019 Brazilian Symposium on Robotics (SBR) and 2019 Workshop on Robotics in Education (WRE),
2019-Oct.
Conference Proceeding
We propose a system for detection and avoidance of obstacles based on the use of fuzzy logic. Basically, data coming from a ZED stereo camera are used for the decision making based on fuzzy ...predicates. Validation and testing of the algorithms are provided under the ROS (Robot Operating System), which runs together with Gazebo 7. The developed tool is an important step towards solving problems related to the techniques and methods or algorithms that can be used in mobile robots for detection and avoidance of obstacles and other objects on their way. The proposed system proved to be very robust in the tests carried out in the simulated environment.
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