Avaliou-se, mensalmente, a influência dos sistemas plantio direto (PD) e convencional (PC), mata nativa (MN) e campo nativo (CN) sobre a densidade populacional e biomassa do Oligochaeta gênero Amynthas spp., na região dos Campos Gerais (PR), no período de fevereiro de 1993 a janeiro de 1994. No PC e PD, as áreas foram cultivadas com milho, triticale e soja, enquanto, no campo nativo, a vegetação era composta de estepes de gramíneas baixas e de matas de galerias subtropicais para a mata nativa. A densidade populacional foi determinada pelo método do formol a 0,22% e a biomassa pela pesagem direta em balança analítica. A densidade populacional e a biomassa foram superiores no plantio direto e mata nativa, comparadas às do plantio convencional, enquanto, no campo nativo, não ocorreu a presença do gênero estudado. Os valores mais expressivos de densidade populacional e biomassa nos ecossistemas plantio direto e mata nativa foram observados no verão e primavera.

Este estudo relata a prevalência e o impacto na escolaridade da fobia social em uma amostra de adolescentes da cidade de São Paulo, SP, Brasil. O Inventário de Fobia Social (SPIN) foi administrado em 116 estudantes adolescentes de 5ª, 6ª, 7ª e 8ª séries de ambos os sexos. A prevalência da fobia social foi de 7,8% na amostra de adolescentes, com maior incidência entre estudantes do sexo feminino, com idade entre 12 e 15. O impacto negativo na escolaridade foi grande, aproximadamente 89% dos adolescentes com fobia social repetiram o ano na escola ao menos uma vez.

A ocorrência simultânea de duas neoplasias malignas primárias é uma condição pouco frequente, predisposta por fatores ambientais e genéticos. Descrevemos o caso clínico de uma mulher de 50 anos, fumadora, com diagnóstico de linfoma linfocítico/ leucemia linfocítica crónica (LLC). Após a deteção de um nódulo no lobo superior do pulmão direito e de múltiplas adenopatias mediastínicas, foi efetuada broncofibroscopia com citologia aspirativa transbrônquica por agulha fina guiada por ecografia endobrônquica dirigida aos gânglios linfáticos mediastínicos. Na amostra citológica identificaram-se células epiteliais malignas, que expressavam a proteína Fator de Transcrição da Tiroide 1 (TTF1) por imunocitoquímica, e uma população monomórfica de linfócitos cuja análise por citometria de fluxo caracterizou como linfoma linfocítico. Concluímos a existência de duas neoplasias no mesmo grupo adenopático: linfoma linfocítico e metástase de adenocarcinoma do pulmão. Este caso confirma os dados da literatura, que recomendam que o follow-up dos doentes com LLC deve contemplar a procura de tumores sólidos, dado estes doentes terem maior probabilidade de os desenvolver, nomeadamente tumores primários do pulmão, sendo o adenocarcinoma o mais frequente.

Intraoperative hemostatic suture to treat a bleeding duodenal ulcer is sometimes difficult when there is massive hemorrhage. The aims of this paper are: (1) to describe a practical and easy intraoperative procedure which quickly decreases a massively bleeding duodenal ulcer, allowing the surgeon to identify the bleeding site clearly and obtain definitive hemostasis by suturing the involved vessels with a low risk of common bile duct lesion; and (2) to study in cadavers the anatomical basis of this surgical procedure already successfully performed on patients. Fourteen patients with massive duodenal ulcer bleeding, after unsuccessful endoscopic hemostasis, were operated on and included in this study. After surgical anterior gastroduodenotomy, the surgeon introduced a finger in a downward and forward direction in the bursa omentalis vestibule through the omental foramen. This simple and quick procedure decreased hemorrhage by compressing the gastroduodenal artery against the first part of the posterior surface of the duodenum. Twenty-four fresh blocks of normal tissue were removed from cadavers and were injected with silicone rubber through the common hepatic artery. The distance between the gastroduodenal artery and the omental foramen was measured. With this maneuver the surgeon can clearly see the exact bleeding site and perform an adequate suture with a minor risk of common bile duct lesion.

Intraoperative hemostatic suture to treat a bleeding duodenal ulcer is sometimes difficult when there is massive hemorrhage. The aims of this paper are: (1) to describe a practical and easy intraoperative procedure which quickly decreases a massively bleeding duodenal ulcer, allowing the surgeon to identify the bleeding site clearly and obtain definitive hemostasis by suturing the involved vessels with a low risk of common bile duct lesion; and (2) to study in cadavers the anatomical basis of this surgical procedure already successfully performed on patients. Fourteen patients with massive duodenal ulcer bleeding, after unsuccessful endoscopic hemostasis, were operated on and included in this study. After surgical anterior gastroduodenotomy, the surgeon introduced a finger in a downward and forward direction in the bursa omentalis vestibule through the omental foramen. This simple and quick procedure decreased hemorrhage by compressing the gastroduodenal artery against the first part of the posterior surface of the duodenum. Twenty-four fresh blocks of normal tissue were removed from cadavers and were injected with silicone rubber through the common hepatic artery. The distance between the gastroduodenal artery and the omental foramen was measured. With this maneuver the surgeon can clearly see the exact bleeding site and perform an adequate suture with a minor risk of common bile duct lesion.

Introduction and objectives: There is a lack of information regarding bronchoscopy practice in adults in Portugal. Our objective was to obtain an overview of the characteristics, resources, techniques and behaviors in national interventional pulmonology (IP) units, before and after SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Materials and Methods: An online survey was developed by an expert panel with a total of 46 questions comprising the specifications of each unit, namely physical space, equipment, staff, procedure planning, monitoring, technical differentiation, and numbers pre- and post-COVID-19. Forty-one interventional pulmonology centers were invited to participate between April and May 2021. Results: 37 units (90.2%) responded to the survey. The majority (64.9%) have a fully dedicated space with a weekly presence of ≥3 chest physicians (82.1%) and support of an anesthesiologist on specific days (48.6%). There is marked heterogeneity in the IP unit's equipment, and 56.8% acquired disposable bronchoscopes after COVID-19 pandemics. Pre-bronchoscopy hemogram, platelet count and coagulation tests are regularly asked by more than 90% of the units, even when deep sedation or biopsies are not planned. In 97.3% of cases, topical anesthesia and midazolam are utilized. Propofol (21.6%) and fentanyl (29.7%) are occasionally employed in some institutions. Most units use ancillary sampling techniques to diagnose central or peripheral lesions, with radial EBUS being used for guidance of distal procedures in 37.8% of centers, linear EBUS and EUS-B-FNA for mediastinal diagnosis and/or staging in 45.9% and 27.0% of units, respectively. Cryobiopsies are used by 21.6% of respondents to diagnose diffuse lung diseases. Rigid bronchoscopy is performed in 37.8% of centers. There was a decrease in the number of flexible (p < 0.001) and rigid (p = 0.005) bronchoscopies and an upscale of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: IP units have variable bronchoscopic practices, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, they complied with most international recommendations, as elective procedures were postponed and PPE levels increased.

Abstract: Among the bluntnose knifefish of the Hypopomidae family, Brachyhypopomus is the most specious genus, with 28 species widespread in hydrographic watersheds of South America. It is considered a monophyletic clade; however, some groups remain species complex and require taxonomic revision. In this study, Brachyhypopomus cf. draco and Brachyhypopomus gauderio were analyzed through cytogenetics to identify species-specific markers and propose evolutionary trends of the genus. Brachyhypopomus cf. draco had 2n = 26 (2m + 24a) and 18S terminal rDNA sites on pair 23. Brachyhypopomus gauderio exhibited a multiple sex chromosomes system, females had 2n = 42 (X1X1X2X2) and males had 2n = 41 (X1X2Y), both revealing a multiple nucleolus organizer regions system. The two species presented a similar heterochromatic pattern: pericentromeric, interstitial, and terminal blocks coincident with the nucleolus organizer regions. ChromEvol software evidenced 2n = 44 as a plesiomorphic characteristic of Brachyhypopomus. The karyotype evolution of this group is a dynamic process based on Robertsonian translocations, pericentric inversions, and intense reorganization of the heterochromatic elements.

Recent years saw a rise in the application of bonding techniques in the engineering industry. This fact is due to the various advantages of this technique when compared to traditional joining methods, such as riveting or bolting. The growth of bonding methods demands faster and more powerful tools to analyze the behavior of products. For that reason, adhesive joints have been the subject of intensive investigation over the past few years. Recently, a fracture mechanics based approach emerged with great potential to evaluate joint behavior, called Intesity of Singular Stress Fields (ISSF), similar to the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) concept. However, it allows the study of multi-material corners and does not require an initial crack. This approach was not yet tested with meshless methods. The present work intends to fill this gap, resorting to the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM). With this purpose, adhesive joints with four different overlap lengths (LO) bonded with a brittle adhesive were studied. The interface corner's stresses were also evaluated. The predicted strengths were compared with the experimental data to assess the accuracy of the applied methods. In conclusion, the ISSF criterion proved to be applicable to meshless methods, namely the RPIM.

Adhesives are an exceptionally well-suited method for joining composites. Unlike other methods, such as bolting or riveting, adhesives do not introduce holes in their joining material. This is a significant advantage in the case of composites because the holes required by bolting or riveting induce stress concentrations and can also lead to tears, burrs or delamination. A point of concern in adhesive joints is the adhesive/adherend interface corner where a stress singularity occurs, and failure usually initiates. Thus, it is crucial to study this stress singularity to better understand adhesive joints’ mechanical behaviour. The goal of this work is to validate the application of the Intensity of Singular Stress Fields (ISSF) criterion to meshless methods, in this case, the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM). With this purpose, eight overlap lengths (LO) in single-lap joints (SLJ) composed of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and bonded with a brittle adhesive were experimentally and numerically tested. Furthermore, an extrapolation based method is implemented to determine the critical stress singularity components (Hc) necessary for the strength predictions. In the end, the experimental and numerical results are compared to assess the suitability of the method. It was found that the ISSF criterion can be accurately applied to meshless methods and composite materials successfully, given the simplicity of the method applied.

One of the major current goals is to obtain clean energy sources and to replace petroleum-derived fuel by biodiesel, which is made from biodegradable and renewable biomass such as vegetable oils. In particular, olive oil contains large amounts of oleic acid (OA), which is a monounsaturated fatty acid used for energy production and also for biosensors, nutritional products, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Since oleic acid is particularly abundant in olive oil, large concentrations of this fatty acid may exist in the effluents of olive mill production units, which need to be treated in order to avoid water contaminations and undesirable effects in the ecosystem. Indeed, this type of organic waste, which is potentially useful in the production of biodiesel, in excess may be toxic and cause neurodegeneration, through the production of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The effect of 10–100 μM of oleic acid on neuronal ROS production was evaluated in brain slices incubated with the permeant fluorescent ROS indicator H2DCFDA. The experiments revealed that the amplitude of the ROS signals, corrected for the autofluorescence, increased slightly for the OA concentrations in the range 60–100 μM.