Epidemiology And Outcome Assessment Of Hand Burns: A 3-Year Retrospective Analysis In A Burn Unit

A great number of burns affect the hands, either as part of a more extensive burn or as an isolated injury. These injuries can lead to physical, social and psychological consequences that may reduce quality of life and make difficult the return to work. The goal of this study was to investigate the main epidemiologic characteristics of adult patients with hand burns admitted to a dedicated burn centre, evaluate the outcomes of the treatment, and identify the predictors associated with the worst outcomes. This study found that a considerable amount of burn victims admitted had hand burns (41.5%). Males are more likely to be injured in general, but females are more prevalent in burns by hot liquids. The most common comorbidity was hypertension, followed by dyslipidemia and type II diabetes. Cooking is the activity associated with more accidental victims. Most injuries did not require surgical intervention. Approximately two-thirds of the patients did not have any important sequelae. The most common complications were scar disturbances (26%) and scar contractures (14%). The need for surgery, a higher number of surgeries and higher surface area burn were associated with the worst outcomes. It is imperative to establish a burn prevention education program nationwide, encompassing water temperature control in households, the use of anti-burn equipment, and the replacement of old electrical/ heating equipment.

Bilateral third-degree burn of the legs: lower limb salvage with dermal regenerative matrix

Third-degree burns of the lower extremities are among the most difficult burn injuries to treat as they frequently expose bone, tendons or articular surfaces. Coverage with a flap is the ideal treatment, but local tissue is often unavailable, and free flaps require sophisticated equipment and perfect microsurgical technique. We demonstrate a treatment option to obtain a stable cutaneous coverage for this kind of injury, consisting in an association of skin grafts, amniotic membrane and bilaminar dermal matrix templates. This combined treatment proved to be an excellent option to cover a wide area of tibial exposure with low donor site morbidity and good functional and aesthetic results. This shows that artificial dermis is a good alternative for treating bone exposure, especially in patients for whom a classic flap reconstruction is not suitable.

Extracting Information from Interval Data Using Symbolic Principal Component Analysis

We introduce generic definitions of symbolic variance and covariance for random interval-valued variables, that lead to a unified and insightful interpretation of four known symbolic principal component estimation methods: CPCA, VPCA, CIPCA, and SymCovPCA. Moreover, we propose the use of truncated versions of symbolic principal components, that use a strict subset of the original symbolic variables, as a way to improve the interpretation of symbolic principal components. Furthermore, the analysis of a real dataset leads to a meaningful characterization of Internet traffic applications, while highligting similarities between the symbolic principal component estimation methods considered in the paper.

SELETIVIDADE DE ACARICIDAS UTILIZADOS EM CAFEEIRO PARA PRÉ-PUPAS E ADULTOS DE CHRYSOPERLA EXTERNA (HAGEN, 1861) (NEUROPTERA: CHRYSOPIDAE)

RESUMO Os ácaros Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor, 1917) (Tetranychidae) e Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes, 1939) (Tenuipalpidae) causam prejuízos econômicos ao cafeeiro e seu controle é feito geralmente por meio do método químico. Dentre os inimigos naturais que regulam as densidades populacionais desses artrópodes-praga, destacam-se os crisopídeos, os quais devem ser preservados por meio do uso de compostos seletivos. Desta forma, objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos de espirodiclofeno (0,12 g i.a./L), fenpropatrina (0,15 e 0,30 g i.a./L), enxofre (4,0 e 8,0 g i.a./L) e abamectina (0,0067 e 0,0225 g i.a./L) sobre as fases de pré-pupa e adulta de Chrysoperla externa. As pulverizações dos compostos foram realizadas diretamente sobre pré-pupas e adultos do crisopídeo por meio de torre de Potter. Em seguida, as pré-pupas foram transferidas para tubos de vidro (2 x 8 cm) e os adultos para gaiolas de PVC (10 x 10 cm), sendo mantidos em sala climatizada (25 ± 2o C, UR de 70 ± 10% e fotofase de 12h). Os compostos foram classificados de acordo com o efeito total no desenvolvimento do predador, seguindo recomendações da IOBC. Constatou-se que espirodiclofeno, fenpropatrina e abamectina foram moderadamente nocivos para C. externa quando aplicados sobre a fase de pré-pupa e enxofre foi levemente nocivo. Quando aplicados sobre adultos, fenpropatrina foi nocivo, espirodiclofeno, abamectina e enxofre na maior dose (8,0 g i.a./L) foram moderadamente nocivos, enquanto que enxofre na menor dose (4,0 g i.a./L) mostrou-se levemente nocivo.

AÇÃO RESIDUAL DE INSETICIDAS PARA LARVAS E ADULTOS DO PREDADOR CYCLONEDA SANGUINEA LINNAEUS, 1763 (COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE)

RESUMO A ação residual dos inseticidas imidacloprido/Beta-ciflutrina, clotianidina e clorfenapir foi avaliada para larvas de terceiro ínstar e adultos do predador Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus). Sementes de algodão da cultivar BRS IPÊ foram semeadas em vasos de PVC e as plantas foram mantidas em casa de vegetação. Ao atingirem 25 dias de idade, as plantas foram pulverizadas com os produtos nas menores dosagens recomendadas pelos fabricantes, utilizando-se pulverizador manual. As concentrações foram em g i.a.L-1 de água: imidacloprido/Beta-ciflutrina (100/12,5 SC -0,25/0,03), clotianidina (500 PM – 0,33) e clorfenapir (240 SC – 0,80). Água destilada foi utilizada como testemunha. Folhas previamente marcadas em cada planta, de cada tratamento, foram retiradas e levadas ao laboratório e colocadas em placas de Petri contendo solução de ágar bacteriológico. Ovos de Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) foram colocados sobre as folhas de algodoeiro e, em seguida, liberou-se um espécime por placa. As liberações ocorreram após 1, 12, 23 e 35 dias da pulverização dos compostos. Cada placa de Petri foi imediatamente vedada com filme de plástico PVC. O delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado com quatro tratamentos e doze repetições sendo que, para os testes com larvas, cada parcela foi formada por três espécimes e, para aqueles com adultos, cada repetição correspondeu a um casal. As avaliações de mortalidade foram feitas após 12, 24 e 48 horas das liberações. Os produtos foram classificados de acordo com o proposto pela Organização Internacional para Controle Biológico (IOBC). Todos os produtos foram enquadrados na classe 4 = persistentes, visto que mesmo a partir do trigésimo dia após sua aplicação causaram mais de 30,0% de mortalidade dos predadores.

Physical and in silico approaches identify DNA-PK in a Tax DNA-damage response interactome

Background

We have initiated an effort to exhaustively map interactions between HTLV-1 Tax and host cellular proteins. The resulting Tax interactome will have significant utility toward defining new and understanding known activities of this important viral protein. In addition, the completion of a full Tax interactome will also help shed light upon the functional consequences of these myriad Tax activities. The physical mapping process involved the affinity isolation of Tax complexes followed by sequence identification using tandem mass spectrometry. To date we have mapped 250 cellular components within this interactome. Here we present our approach to prioritizing these interactions via an in silico culling process.

Results

We first constructed an in silico Tax interactome comprised of 46 literature-confirmed protein-protein interactions. This number was then reduced to four Tax-interactions suspected to play a role in DNA damage response (Rad51, TOP1, Chk2, 53BP1). The first-neighbor and second-neighbor interactions of these four proteins were assembled from available human protein interaction databases. Through an analysis of betweenness and closeness centrality measures, and numbers of interactions, we ranked proteins in the first neighborhood. When this rank list was compared to the list of physical Tax-binding proteins, DNA-PK was the highest ranked protein common to both lists. An overlapping clustering of the Tax-specific second-neighborhood protein network showed DNA-PK to be one of three bridge proteins that link multiple clusters in the DNA damage response network.

Conclusion

The interaction of Tax with DNA-PK represents an important biological paradigm as suggested via consensus findings in vivo and in silico. We present this methodology as an approach to discovery and as a means of validating components of a consensus Tax interactome.

[Haloperidol or droperidol with dexamethasone for antiemetic prophylaxis in laparoscopic cholecystectomy]

OBJECTIVES

To compare haloperidol to droperidol, both with dexamethasone, for antiemetic prophylaxis in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Prospective, randomized double-blind trial enrolling 75 ASA 1-2 patients who received anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. After induction, 8 mg of intravenous dexamethasone was administered. After surgery, depending on group assignment, patients received 10 microg x kg(-1) of intravenous haloperidol (n = 25), 10 microg x kg(-1) of droperidol (n = 25), or physiologic saline solution (n = 25). Outcomes recorded were episodes of nausea or vomiting in the postoperative period (first 6 hours and/or 6-24 hours), requirement for antiemetic agents, morphine consumption, pain assessed on a visual analog scale, level of sedation, and adverse effects.

RESULTS

Five patients in the haloperidol group, 6 in the droperidol group, and 13 in the control group experienced an episode of nausea or vomiting in the 24-hour postoperative period (P < .05 between the active treatment groups and the control group). One patient in the haloperidol group, 6 in the droperidol group, and 8 in the control group reported nausea in the first 6 hours (P < .05). Three patients in the haloperidol group, 1 in the droperidol group, and 8 in the control group reported nausea in the later postoperative period (6-24 hours) (P < .05, droperidol vs control). Three patients in the haloperidol group, 1 in the droperidol group, and 7 in the control group experienced late vomiting (P < .05, droperidol vs control).

CONCLUSIONS

Either haloperidol or droperidol in combination with dexamethasone is more effective than dexamethasone alone for antiemetic prophylaxis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Loratadine Exerts Estrogen-Like Effects and Disrupts Penile Development in the Mouse

PURPOSE

Hypospadias is a developmental anomaly of the penis and urethra that can be steroid mediated. It is characterized by a urethral opening occurring below the normal location at the tip of the penis. The link between loratadine, the active ingredient in a common over-the-counter antihistamine, and hypospadias, the most common congenital abnormality, has been the subject of controversy. We examined the effect of in utero exposure to an over-the-counter loratadine syrup on urethral development, and expression of androgen and estrogen receptors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We orally gavaged pregnant dams with the equivalent of a daily dose of loratadine syrup, with 3 times that dose or with a corn oil gavage control from GD 12 through GD 17. Using gross and histological assessment and 3D reconstruction, we looked for urethral abnormalities in fetal GTs at E 19. We also used real-time quantitative PCR to characterize the expression levels of steroid receptor mRNA in the GT at E 19, a critical stage for completion of urethral and penile development in this species.

RESULTS

Loratadine syrup disrupted normal urethral development in the mouse, based on gross morphology and histological assessment, and also disrupted steroid receptor expression, producing an expression profile similar to that resulting from in utero exposure to ethinyl estradiol.

CONCLUSIONS

In utero exposure to over-the-counter loratadine syrup can result in hypospadias in this model, and creates changes in the steroid receptor mRNA expression profile similar to those elicited by a synthetic estrogen.

State-of-strain evaluation with fiber Bragg grating rosettes: application to discrimination between strain and temperature effects in fiber sensors

An optical rosette that incorporates fiber Bragg gratings as strain gauges has been designed, fabricated, and tested. We investigated it by measuring the state of strain of a thin plate as the test structure submitted to an increasing load in a four-point bending configuration and for various angular orientations. This device has also been successfully investigated as a self-temperature-compensated in situ uniaxial strain sensor without any angular dependence and with high accuracy in recovery analysis, leading us to expect many industrial applications. Printed circuit processes or integrated optics on polymers would provide a means for accuracy, reproducibility, and integration in a mass-produced process.