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Objective: The optimal time for a neck ultrasound (US) in the follow-up of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) after the first year is undetermined. We aimed to verify the utility of routine neck US in the surveillance of patients diagnosed with low- and intermediate-risk PTC with no evidence of disease at the one-year assessment. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of patients with low- and intermediate-risk PTC with normal neck US, unstimulated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) < 1 ng/mL and negative anti-Tg antibodies at the one-year follow-up. Patients were divided into group 1 [undetectable Tg (

Type 1 diabetes mellitus affects 45 million people worldwide and its prevalence is rapidly increasing. It derives from a lack of insulin production by the pancreas, which leads to elevated blood sugar levels. Current treatments rely on the administration of exogenous insulin, but they do not replicate the precise control of glycemia by the pancreas. Whole pancreas and pancreatic islet transplantation restore endogenous insulin secretion in response to blood glucose levels. However, both are limited by the lack of donors and the need for immunosuppressive therapy. Pluripotent stem cells are a virtually unlimited cell source and can be differentiated to the desired cell types. Moreover, induced pluripotent stem cells may be derived from the patient's cells, which could prevent graft rejection. Several protocols report the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing cells that, after transplantation, can restore glycemic control. Such protocols are based on the embryonic development of the pancreas, highlighting the importance of understanding the different stages and signaling pathways involved in this process. Once the main hurdles to stem cell-based therapies are overcome, translation to clinical practice will greatly improve the quality of life of people with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Oral processing of two milk chocolates, identical in composition and viscosity, was investigated to understand the textural behaviour. Previous studies had shown differences in mouthcoating and related attributes such as time of clearance from the oral cavity to be most discriminating between the samples. Properties of panellists' saliva, with regard to protein concentration and profile before and after eating the two chocolates, were included in the analysis but did not reveal any correlation with texture perception. The microstructure of the chocolate samples following oral processing, which resembled an emulsion as the chocolate phase inverts in-mouth, was clearly different and the sample that was found to be more mouthcoating appeared less flocculated after 20 chews. The differences in flocculation behaviour were mirrored in the volume based particle size distributions acquired with a laser diffraction particle size analyser. The less mouthcoating and more flocculated sample showed a clear bimodal size distribution with peaks at around 40 and 500 μm, for 10 and 20 chews, compared to a smaller and then diminishing second peak for the other sample following 10 and 20 chews, respectively. The corresponding mean particle diameters after 20 chews were 184 ± 23 and 141 ± 10 μm for the less and more mouthcoating samples, respectively. Also, more of the mouthcoating sample had melted after both 10 and 20 chews (80 ± 8% compared to 72 ± 10% for 20 chews). Finally, the friction behaviour between a soft and hard surface (elastopolymer/steel) and at in-mouth temperature was investigated using a commercial tribology attachment on a rotational rheometer. Complex material behaviour was revealed. Observations included an unusual increase in friction coefficient at very low sliding speeds, initially overlapping for both samples, to a threefold higher value for the more mouthcoating sample. This was followed by a commonly observed decrease in friction coefficient with increasing sliding speed (mixed and elasto-hydrodynamic regime), steeper in the case of the more mouthcoating sample until the differences between the two samples became negligible at a sliding speed of ≈0.2 mm s(-1). The stark differences in the tribological behaviour in these regimes begin to allow correlation of data from sensory and physical measurements based on insight into the underlying material behaviour. The complex picture also included comparable behaviour of both samples in the late stages of the elasto-hydrodynamic regime and the early stages of the hydrodynamic regime, until a change of slope was observed and then, at higher sliding speeds, the less mouthcoating sample showed higher friction coefficients. In conclusion, this research uncovered novel correlations of a complex food composite between the sensory behaviour and the physical material properties relating to melting and friction behaviour.

To review treatment recommendations for UC in non-pregnant women up to menopause, using the scale Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT).Medline, UpToDate, Cochrane, Bandolier, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, National Guideline Clearinghouse, Guidelines Finder and the website of the Portuguese Urology Association.Research of systematic reviews (SR), meta-analyses (MA), randomized controlled trials (RCT) and guidelines, published in english and portuguese, between 2000 and 2008.Two MA, two SR, four RCT and six Guidelines were included. Three-day treatments are preferable to those of seven to ten days, mainly because of higher compliance and lower cost and incidence of adverse effects (A). Longer regimens are acceptable for bacterial eradication. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is the option where resistance levels are lower than 10-20% (A). As a clinical and microbiological alternative, evidence seems to point out the Fluoroquinolones (FQ) (C) which are equally efficient among themselves, although showing different safety profiles.In case of allergy or high resistance to TMP/SMX, FQ are the most efficacious alternative, both prescriptions recommended for three days. However, due to the risk of worsening resistance to FQ, the options consist on nitrofurantoin and fosfomicine.