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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different loading conditions on the mechanical behavior and stress distribution of a leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic. Plate-shaped ceramic specimens were obtained from leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic (1.5 × 8.4 × 8.3 mm) and adhesively cemented to a dentin analog substrate. Monotonic and cyclic contact fatigue tests were performed to simulate sphere-to-flat contact, using a 6 mm diameter spherical piston; and flat-to-flat contact, using a 3 mm diameter flat piston. For the monotonic test (n=20), a gradual compressive load (0.5 mm/min) was applied to the specimen using a universal testing machine. Failure load data were analyzed with Weibull statistics. The cyclic contact fatigue test was performed using protocols (load and a number of cycles) defined by the boundary technique (n=30). Fatigue data were analyzed using an inverse power law relationship and Weibull-lifetime distribution. The stress distribution was investigated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The monotonic and the fatigue Weibull modulus were similar among the two contact conditions. In fatigue, the slow crack growth exponent was greater for sphere-to-flat contact, which indicates that the load level had a greater effect on the specimen’s probability of failure. In conclusion, FEA showed different stress distribution for the tested loading conditions. The stress distribution and probability of fatigue failure of specimens tested in sphere-to-flat contact showed greater dependency to load level.

Os objetivos principais deste artigo são: entender o incentivo da leitura desde cedo e o papel do professor como mediador de conhecimento e formador de leitores. A leitura é cada vez mais necessária para a vivência social, ela ocorre quando há interação entre leitor e autor. A escola tem a função de trabalhar em suas diversas disciplinas, ter atividades recreativas e lúdicas para que haja a participação dos alunos e eles se sintam motivados para fazerem uma leitura prazerosa.

A triagem neonatal da fibrose cística (FC) é realizada por meio da quantificação da tripsina imunorreativa. O objetivo desse estudo foi validar o kit AutoDELFIA® Neonatal immunoreactive trypsinogen. Realizou-se um estudo comparativo entre dois equipamentos. Como resultado, encontrou-se o erro aleatório = 26,6%, erro sistemático = 4,9% e erro total = 31,5%. Diversos fatores contribuem para a variação dos ensaios em papel filtro, como efeito cromatográfico, efeito do hematócrito e efeito do volume total de sangue. Esses fatores devem sem considerados na avaliação dos resultados da validação. O proposto kit pode ser implantado na rotina de triagem neonatal para FC. Neonatal screening programs for cystic fibrosis (CF) usually consist of an immunoreactive trypsinogen assay. The objective of this study was to validate the AutoDELFIA® Neonatal immunoreactive trypsinogen kit. We carried out a comparative study between two equipments. The following results were yielded: random error = 26.6%, systematic error = 4.95% and analytical error = 31.5%. Several factors contributed to the assay variations in dried blood spot, namely chromatographic, hematocrit and total blood volume effects. These factors should be taken into account in the assessment of validation results. The studied kit can be deployed in neonatal screening routine.

Goiter is more common in women, suggesting that estrogen could be involved in its physiopathology. The presence of classical estrogen receptors (ERαand ERβ) has been described in thyroid tissue, suggesting a direct effect of estrogen on the gland. A nonclassic estrogen receptor, the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER1), has been described recently in several tissues. However, in goiter, the presence of this receptor has not been studied yet. We investigated GPER1 gene and protein expressions in normal thyroid and goiter using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot, respectively. In normal thyroid (n=16) and goiter (n=19), GPER1 gene was expressed in all samples, while GPER1 protein was expressed in all samples of normal thyroid (n=15) but in only 72% of goiter samples (n=13). When comparing GPER1 gene and protein levels in both conditions, gene expression and protein levels were higher in normal thyroid than in goiter, suggesting a role of this receptor in this condition. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of GPER1 in normal thyroid and goiter.

Alternaria sp. MG1, an endophytic fungus isolated from Vitis vinifera, can independently produce resveratrol, indicating that this species contains the key genes for resveratrol biosynthesis. Identification of these key genes is essential to understand the resveratrol biosynthesis pathway in this strain, which is currently unknown in microorganisms. qRT-PCR is an efficient and widely used method to identify the key genes related to unknown pathways at the level of gene expression. Verification of stable reference genes in this strain is essential for qRT-PCR data normalization, although results have been reported for other Alternaria sp. strains. In this study, nine candidate reference genes including TUBA, EF1, EF2, UBC, UFD, RPS5, RPS24, ACTB and 18S were evaluated for expression stability in a diverse set of six samples representing different growth periods. We compared cell culture conditions and an optimized condition for resveratrol production. The comparison of the results was performed using four statistical softwares. A combination of TUBA and EF1 was found to be suitable for normalization of Alternaria sp. MG1 in different developmental stages, and 18S was found to be the least stable. The reference genes verified in this study will facilitate further research to explore gene expression and molecular mechanisms as well as the improvement of secondary metabolite yields in Alternaria sp. MG1. To our knowledge, this is the first validation of reference genes in Alternaria with the capability to produce resveratrol. Additionally, these results provide useful guidelines for the selection of reference genes in other Alternaria species.

The collection of dried blood spots (DBSs) on filter paper has been a powerful tool in newborn screening (NBS) programs and in other fields. However, filter paper has been associated with some level of imprecision due to the filter paper matrix effect. In order to minimize measurement variations, these interferences should be evaluated by NBS assays. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of genetic screening processor (GSP) equipment in comparison with a widely used AutoDELFIA and to discuss the limitations and advantages of this new technology in NBS. We evaluated the performance of 3 NBS assays in DBS using GSP in comparison with AutoDELFIA. To determine the inaccuracy and the intra-assay precision, a comparative study and a replication experiment were performed. In the comparative study, human thyroid-stimulating hormone (hTSH) assay showed the highest correlation coefficient, followed by 17α-OH-progesterone and immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) assays. The results of the present study suggest that the GSP equipment and kits are suitable for implementation and have acceptable performance for NBS routine. Genetic screening processor assay tends to underestimate hTSH and IRT concentrations in the clinically relevant range when compared to AutoDELFIA assays. More studies are necessary to reevaluate cutoff values. Furthermore, the equipment has advantages when compared with AutoDELFIA, such as methodology with more specificity, reduction in the processing time, and randomized routine. This helps promoting faster dynamic technical processes and faster report generation.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked disorder which causes neonatal jaundice in most cases, and in association with intake of drugs or certain foods (for example fava) can cause haemolytic crises. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of G6PD deficiency in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost state of Brazil. We tested 2799 newborn blood samples. A commercial kit was used for the quantitative measurement of G6PD activity. Of the 2799 samples, 39 (1.4%) exhibited total deficiency, 178 (6.4%) exhibited intermediate deficiency and 2582 (92.2%) were normal. We found no correlation between G6PD deficiency and ethnic origin, but a high prevalence of patients with partial deficiency could be associated with the type of colonization of RS. The combined prevalence for both types of deficiency (complete and partial) was 7.9% among the newborn population. This finding is important as both types of deficiency must receive same kind of preventive care.

Fujimoto et al. (1) reported that the stability of galactose 1-phosphate in dried blood spots for neonatal screening was adversely affected by humidity and temperature, especially when low-value samples are evaluated. We extend these findings to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD; EC 1.1.1.49) activity, deficiency of which is by far the most common genetic disease worldwide (2) and accounts for more than one-half of the cases of severe jaundice among male newborns in Greece, China, and in Sephardic Jewish groups (3). Tests for G-6-PD deficiency are thus included in newborn screening programs in some regions. We collected whole-blood specimens from …

Introduction: In recent years, target therapies to specific molecular alterations in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been identified and have shown superior efficacy compared to non-targeted treatments. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is one of the therapeutic targets; nevertheless, ALK diagnosis is not performed in all NSCLC patients in Spain. The objective of this study is to estimate in monetary terms the benefit for the Spanish society of ALK diagnosis in advanced NSCLC patients. Methods: A cost-benefit analysis of ALK diagnosis vs. non-diagnosis in advanced NSCLC patients was carried out from the Spanish social perspective, with a time horizon of 5 years. Costs, benefits and the cost-benefit ratio weremeasured. The analysis has considered the overall survival in advanced NSCLC patients treated with the ALKtyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) alectinib. The natural history of NSCLC was simulated using a Markov model. A 3% discount rate was applied to both costs and benefits. The result was tested using a deterministic sensitivity analysis. Results: The cost of ALK diagnosis vs. non-diagnosis in the base case would be €10.19 million, generating benefits of €11.71 million. The cost-benefit ratio would be €1.15. In the sensitivity analysis, the cost-benefit ratio could range from €0.89 to €2.10. Conclusions: The results justify the universal application of ALK diagnosis in advanced NSCLC, which generates a benefit for Spanish society that outweighs its costs and allows optimal treatment with targeted therapies for these patients.