Abstract This systematic review aimed to investigate if there is a better interceptive treatment for palatally displaced canines (PDC) in the mixed dentition stage. The PubMed/MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Scopus, and EMBASE databases were searched for randomized clinical trials related to the research topic. The gray literature and reference lists were also assessed. Network meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of different approaches on PDC eruption. The surface under the cumulative ranking area was calculated to rank the treatments. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Of the 892 eligible studies, 18 were selected for full-text analysis and 9 for meta-analysis, involving 506 participants and 730 PDC, to compare 9 approaches. The proportion of erupted PDC was significantly higher for all interceptive treatments compared with control (no intervention). Furthermore, the proportion of erupted PDC was higher in patients subjected to rapid maxillary expansion (RME) than those who underwent double extraction of primary canine and primary molar (relative risk (RR) = 2.68 ICr95%: 1.12–9.35). A higher proportion of erupted PDC was found for RME (RR = 3.07 ICr95%: 1.31–10.67), RME plus use of transpalatal arch (TA) plus extraction of primary canine(s) (EC) (RR = 1.43 ICr95%: 1.09–1.95), EC plus use of cervical pull headgear (RR = 1.38 ICr95%: 1.11–1.79), and EC plus use of TA (RR = 1.36 ICr95%: 1.00–1.9) than for EC. RME was most likely to be considered as the best interceptive treatment. Overall, the certainty of the evidence was considered low due to imprecision and indirectness. In conclusion, no intervention in the mixed dentition stage is the worst choice for PDC.

ABSTRACT The distributions of species of Fabaceae are strongly related to the soil. Their presence can alter restrictive conditions and favour the establishment of other species. However, it is still not known how the relationship between species of Fabaceae and edaphic factors interact in structuring woody Chaco vegetation. In this context, we aimed to test the hypothesis that restrictive edaphic conditions can explain the difference in floristic patterns of two types of vegetation through their species representativeness of Fabaceae. We analysed floristic consistency between wooded and forested Chaco to address how spatial and environment components might explain differences between them along with the effects of the interaction between Fabaceae and the soil. We observed that the association between environmental and spatial variables was more important than any individual factor in explaining the structuring of the communities. Both the percentage of species of Fabaceae present and the soil influence the structure of the two types of vegetation. Species of Fabaceae have greater potential as indicators in the wooded Chaco. Therefore, we suggest the interaction between soil types and species of Fabaceae plays a role during the structuring of the communities through the establishment of these species in more restrictive soils.

Resumen Este estudio cuantifica la concentración de metales pesados (cobre, zinc, cadmio, plomo y níquel) en la biomasa de dos especies de hormigas, Camponotus atriceps y Dorymyrmex brunneus de bosques y cultivos, respectivamente, localizadas en Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Para el muestreo de hormigas se utilizaron trampas en ambas áreas, y las concentraciones de metales presentes en la biomasa se obtuvieron por espectrometría de absorción atómica. Las dos especies se seleccionaron porque fueron las más abundantes en cada tipo de uso de la tierra, teniendo en cuenta el volumen requerido de biomasa necesaria para el análisis químico. Los resultados mostraron que, con la excepción del cobre, los metales pesados tuvieron más altas concentraciones en D. brunneus en áreas de cultivo que en C. atriceps procedentes de los bosques nativos. Los resultados se asocian con el hecho de que las áreas de cultivo recibieron alta entrada de insumos de agroquímicos a través del manejo de cultivos de maíz y soja. Por lo tanto, las hormigas son buenos indicadores de la contaminación y polución ambiental en las regiones tropicales y, como se esperaba, la mayor concentración de metales pesados se presentó en las zonas de cultivo en relación con la superficie forestal adyacente.

Abstract This study quantified the concentration of heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and nickel) in the biomass of two ant species, Camponotus atriceps and Dorymyrmex brunneus, which are dominant in forests and crop areas, respectively, in Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Ant sampling pitfall traps were used in both land use types, and metal concentrations in the biomass were obtained by means of atomic absorption spectrometry. The two species were selected because they were the most abundant in each land use type, considering the volume of biomass necessary for the chemical analysis. The results showed that with the exception of copper, heavy metals revealed higher concentrations in D. brunneus from crop areas than in C. atriceps from native forests. Such results are associated with the fact that the crop areas received high inputs of agrochemicals through the management of corn and soybean crops. Thus, ants are good indicators of contamination and environmental pollution in tropical regions, as the highest concentration of heavy metals was expected in the crop areas in relation to the adjacent forest area.

Although the protease inhibitors have revolutionized the therapy of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the concomitant use of pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) is associated to a high rate of adverse effects. In this study, we evaluated the consequences of PEG-IFN and RBV and their relationship with mortality in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Medical records of CHC who underwent treatment with PEG-IFN and RBV in a public hospital in Brazil were evaluated. All the patients with cirrhosis were selected, and their clinical and laboratory characteristics, response to treatment, side effects and mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: From the 1,059 patients with CHC, 257 cirrhotic patients were evaluated. Of these, 45 (17.5%) achieved sustained viral response (SVR). Early discontinuation of therapy occurred in 105 (40.8%) patients, of which 39 (15.2%) were due to serious adverse effects. The mortality rate among the 257 cirrhotic patients was 4.3%, occurring in 06/242 (2.4%) of the Child-A, and in 05/15 (33.3%) of the Child-B patients. In conclusion, the treatment of patients with cirrhosis due to HCV with PEG-IFN and RBV shows a low SVR rate and a high mortality, especially in patients with liver dysfunction.

A análise de Escherichia coli, considerada bactéria indicadora de contaminação fecal, é utilizada na verificação do controle de processos de abate. Porém, poucos trabalhos foram publicados acerca da ocorrência desse micro-organismo nas indústrias de abate brasileiras. Assim, o presente estudo determinou a ocorrência de E. coli genérica em carcaças bovinas em um estabelecimento sob inspeção federal, habilitado à exportação, identificando as possíveis variações no ano de 2010. Foram coletadas 1111 amostras de suabe de superfície de meias carcaças bovinas e analisadas pela metodologia Petrifilm™. A ocorrência encontrada foi de 4,4% (IC95%=3,3%; 5,7%), com uma média de contagem de 4,08UFC cm-2, não sendo significativamente afetada pelas estações de seca e chuva. As maiores ocorrências foram observadas nos meses de setembro (8,7%) e outubro (16,7%), no qual também foi detectada a maior média de contagem (14,06UFC cm-2). A diferença nos valores observada nesses períodos pode estar relacionada com o sistema de criação dos animais. A ocorrência foi significativamente maior no primeiro turno de abate (6,2%), em comparação com o segundo (1,6%), indicando uma possível relação entre a presença do micro-organismo e a realização de procedimentos operacionais. Interpretando-se os resultados encontrados, conclui-se que há necessidade da determinação de um perfil para a ocorrência de E. coli genérica em cada estabelecimento, considerando os fatores que a alteram, para orientar e tornar mais efetivas as medidas preventivas e corretivas de controle dos processos de abate e reduzir a contaminação microbiana das carcaças.

Escherichia coli testing are used to verify slaughter process control and it is regarded as an indicator of fecal contamination. However, there are few reports about E. coli occurrence in Brazilian slaughter establishments. The present study evaluated the occurrence of generic E. coli in 1111 swab samples of beef carcasses collected at an exporter slaughterhouse, under federal inspection, in different periods of 2010 and analyzed by Petrifilm™ method. E. coli was detected on 4.4% of carcasses (95% CI, 3.3% to 5.7%) and its occurrence was not significantly affected by the dry or rainy season. The mean of generic E. coli recovered from sampled cattle carcasses was 4.08CFU cm-2. The higher incidence was observed in September (8.7%) and October (16.7%); in October the E. coli mean attained the highest value (14.06CFU cm-2). The observed increase may have been related to feedlot systems. The E. coli isolation occurred more frequently in the first shift (6.2%) than in the second shift (1.6%), indicating a possible relationship with the operating procedures. The results obtained in this study showed that an occurrence profile of generic E. coli should be determined in each establishment to guide and improve preventive measures and corrective actions of slaughter process control and reduce microbiological contamination on carcasses.