Abstract Objective This study aims to analyze outcomes and clinical and epidemiological data of infected tibial pseudarthrosis using the Ilizarov method and the Orr dressing. Methods Data from n = 43 patients diagnosed with infected tibial pseudarthrosis were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods. In addition, Paley's assessment criteria evaluated bone and functional outcomes. Qualitative variables were presented as the distribution of absolute and relative frequencies. The presentation of quantitative variables followed the D'Agostino-Pearson test. Results Thirty-seven (86.04%) subjects were males, and six (13.95%) were females. The most frequent age group among patients was 50 to 59 years old (25.6%), with a p-value = 0.8610. The treatment time was longer for the trifocal treatment (23.8 months) when compared to the bifocal treatment (15.6 months), with a p-value = 0.0010* (highly significant). Excellent bone outcomes represented 72.09% of the sample; 23.25% of outcomes were good. Functional outcomes were excellent in 55.81%, good in 6.97%, and regular in 27.90% of subjects. The Orr dressing (using Vaseline gauze) proved effective, achieving wound healing with soft tissue coverage in all patients evaluated. Conclusions The Ilizarov method resulted in a substantial change in the treatment of bone infections, especially infected pseudarthrosis. The versatility of this method has turned it into an effective tool, allowing the healing of the infectious process and the correction of potential deformities and shortening.

Resumo Objetivo Analisar os resultados e os dados clínicos e epidemiológicos do tratamento das pseudoartroses infectadas da tíbia pelo método de Ilizarov associado ao curativo de Orr. Métodos Para analisar os dados de n = 43 pacientes com diagnóstico de pseudoartrose infectada da tíbia foram aplicados métodos estatísticos descritivos e inferenciais e os resultados ósseos e funcionais foram avaliados de acordo com os critérios de avaliação de Paley. As variáveis qualitativas foram apresentadas por distribuição de frequências absolutas e relativas. As variáveis quantitativas foram apresentadas pelo teste de DAgostino-Pearson. Resultados Foi encontrado que 37 (86,04%) eram do sexo masculino, 6 (13,95%) femininos. A faixa etária mais frequente entre os pacientes foi de 50 a 59 anos (25.6%), p-valor = 0.8610. O tempo de tratamento é maior no tratamento trifocal (23.8 meses) quando comparado com o Bifocal (15.6 meses), p-valor =0.0010* (altamente significante). Os resultados ósseos excelentes representaram 72,09%, 23,25% foram de resultados considerados bons. Os resultados funcionais considerados excelentes foram 55,81%, os resultados bons foram 6,97%, resultados regulares foram 27,90. O curativo com gaze vaselinada (curativo de Orr) mostrou-se eficaz, alcançando assim a cicatrização das feridas com cobertura de partes moles em todos os pacientes avaliados. Conclusões O método de Ilizarov proporcionou uma mudança substancial no tratamentos das infecções ósseas, especialmente das pseudoartroses infectadas. A versatilidade deste método se transformou em uma ferramenta eficaz, permitindo a cura do processo infeccioso, bem como correção das possíveis deformidades e do encurtamento.

Abstract Alpinia zerumbet is a plant popularly used to treat hypertension and anxiety. Studies with Alpinia zerumbet demonstrate antihypertensive and vasodilator effects, among others. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of essential oil of Alpinia zerumbet (EOAz) on cardiovascular and autonomic function in rats with isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction. Male Wistar rats (n=32) were equally allocated into four groups: Control, ISO (150mg/kg, subcutaneous), EOAz (100mg/kg by gavage), ISO+EOAz. The rats were evaluated for cardiovascular and, autonomic parameters, electrocardiogram, and infarct size. EOAz was not able to reduce the electrocardiographic variations induced by ISO. Heart rate variability showed a decrease in sympathetic modulation on the heart in the groups treated with EOAz. The cardiopulmonary reflex induced by serotonin invoked a superior blood pressure variation at the 2 µg/kg dose in the EOAz treated groups, while the heart rate variation was significantly higher at the 16 µg/kg dose, when compared to other doses, in all groups, except EOAz+ISO. The sympathetic vagal index was higher in ISO group than in control. EOAz did not reduce the infarct size. We conclude that pretreatment with EOAz does not reverse the hemodynamic and electrocardiographic damage caused by isoproterenol but does reduce sympathetic modulation.

Abstract The Pilates Method has been considered an exercise system that aims to improve flexibility, physical endurance, strength, balance and motor coordination. In this way, many people have sought the Method in search of improving or maintaining health. The aim of the study was to verify the effect of pre-pilates exercise training in the execution of the Hundred exercise by means of surface electromyography in Pilates practitioners. Pilates Practitioners (N= 29) of both gender (average age of 44.31± 12.807 years) were evaluated. This is a quantitative, analytical and cross-sectional study. A protocol was carried out with pre-pilates exercises (fundamentals) and a Hundred exercise. Surface Electromyographic activation analysis were made in the muscles rectus abdominis, transverse abdominal/internal oblique, external oblique and multifidus. The rate of perceived exertion was assessed using the Borg scale, part (36.6%) of the volunteers rated Hundred without pre-pilates lighter than Hundred with pre-Pilates. The smallest part (13.3%) considered Hundred with pre-pilates lighter than without pre-Pilates. The results of the electromyographic analysis did not prove the increase in the electrical activation of the evaluated muscles when performing the Hundred exercise with pre-Pilates in relation to the Hundred without pre-Pilates in practitioners.

RESUMO O Método Pilates tem sido considerado um sistema de exercícios que visa melhorar a flexibilidade, resistência física, força, equilíbrio e coordenação motora. Dessa forma, muitas pessoas têm buscado o Método para melhorar ou manter a saúde. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar o efeito do treinamento de exercícios de pré-pilates na execução do exercício Hundred por meio da eletromiografia de superfície em praticantes de Pilates. Foram avaliados praticantes de Pilates (N=29) de ambos os sexos (idade média de 44,31±12,807 anos). Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, analítico e transversal. Foi realizado um protocolo com exercícios pré-pilates e exercícios Hundred. Cem. Foram feitas análises de ativação eletromiográfica de superfície nos músculos reto abdominal, transverso abdominal/oblíquo interno, oblíquo externo e multífido. A percepção subjetiva de esforço foi avaliada por meio da escala de Borg, uma parcela (36,6%) dos voluntários classificou Hundred sem pré-pilates como mais leve que Hundred com pré-pilates. A menor parte (13,3%) considerou Hunderd com pré-pilates mais leve do que sem pré-pilates. Os resultados da análise eletromográfica não comprovaram o aumento da ativação elétrica dos músculos avaliados ao realizar o exercício Hundred com pré-Pilates em relação ao Hunded sem pré-pilates em praticantes.

Resumo Este artigo analisa a relação entre taxa de investimento e estrutura de propriedade do capital em empresas brasileiras não financeiras de capital aberto no período 2003–2013. O modelo empírico estimado utiliza características financeiras e de governança das firmas como variáveis explicativas, e define cinco categorias de propriedade do capital: estatal, privada, familiar, acordo entre acionistas e estrangeira. No Brasil, são usuais acordos entre acionistas nos quais há a participação do Estado, seja por meio de bancos, empresas públicas ou fundos de pensão de seus funcionários. Os resultados sugerem que as categorias acordo entre acionistas e estrangeira apresentam relação positiva e significativa com investimento e que as firmas não sofrem restrição financeira, sendo o investimento financiado sobretudo por meio de endividamento.

Abstract Aim: This study aims to evaluate the additional acute effect of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) when associated with balance exercises in balance outcomes in non-disabled individuals. Methods: Thirty individuals were randomized into two groups: balance exercise group (GBE; n = 15); and virtual reality + balance exercise group (GVR + BE; n = 15). The individuals were evaluated by static and dynamic balance using the tandem test (TT), single-leg stance (SLS), and Fukuda stepping test (FST). Both groups performed 30 min of balance exercises. The GVR + BE performed 8 additional minutes of virtual reality prior to balance exercises. A roller coaster application was used for the HMD. The Mann-Whitney test was used for intra-group and differences of inter-group analysis, considering a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: In the GBE group analysis, there was observed an increase of time in TT with closed eyes (p = 0.025) and SLS with closed eyes (p = 0.003). In the same way, the GVR + BE group increase TT with closed eyes (p = 0.003) and SLS with closed eyes (p = 0.002) after the intervention. In the intergroup analysis, the increase in the SLS with closed eyes was superior in the GVR + BE group when compared with GBE (p = 0.006; d = 1.67). Conclusion: The use of HMD in combination with balance exercise has an acute effect on increasing static balance in non-disabled individuals.

Herein, we describe the detection of a SARS-CoV-2 genome through metatranscriptome next-generation sequencing directly from the nasopharyngeal swab of a suspected case of local transmission of Covid-19, in Brazil. Depletion of human ribosomal RNA and use of an optimized in-house developed bioinformatics strategy contributed to successful detection of the virus.

ABSTRACT The organic extracts from stems, roots and leaves of Tephrosia egregia Sandwith, Fabaceae, provided a new flavone, 5-hydroxy-8-(1",2"-epoxy-3"-hydroxy-3"-methylbutyl)-7-methoxyflavone (1), in addition to eleven known compounds: pongaflavone (2), praecansone B (3), 12a-hydroxyrotenone (4), praecansone A, 2',6'-dimethoxy-4',5'-(2",2"-dimethyl)-pyranochalcone, pongachalcone, maackiain, β-sistosterol and its glucoside, p-cumaric acid and cinnamic acid. The structures of all compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods, mainly 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, involving comparison with literature data. Cytotoxicity of compounds 1–4 was evaluated against AGP-01 (cancerous ascitic fluid), HCT-116 (colon adenocarcinoma), HL-60 (leukemia), PC-3 (prostate carcinoma), SF-295 (glioblastoma) and SKMEL 28 (melanoma) cell lines.

Cell cycle control genes are frequently mutated in cancer cells, which usually display higher rates of proliferation than normal cells. Dysregulated mitosis leads to genomic instability, which contributes to tumor progression and aggressiveness. Many drugs that disrupt mitosis have been studied because they induce cell cycle arrest and tumor cell death. These antitumor compounds are referred to as antimitotics. Vinca alkaloids and taxanes are natural products that target microtubules and inhibit mitosis, and their derivatives are among the most commonly used drugs in cancer therapy worldwide. However, severe adverse effects such as neuropathies are frequently observed during treatment with microtubule-targeting agents. Many efforts have been directed at developing improved antimitotics with increased specificity and decreased likelihood of inducing side effects. These new drugs generally target specific components of mitotic regulation that are mainly or exclusively expressed during cell division, such as kinases, motor proteins and multiprotein complexes. Such small molecules are now in preclinical studies and clinical trials, and many are products or derivatives from natural sources. In this review, we focused on the most promising targets for the development of antimitotics and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these targets. We also highlighted the novel natural antimitotic agents under investigation by our research group, including combretastatins, withanolides and pterocarpans, which show the potential to circumvent the main issues in antimitotic therapy.

Five new diterpenes derivatives named as ornatin A, B, C, D and E, in addition to six known related diterpenes were isolated from the aerial parts of cultivated specimens of Plectranthus ornatus. The structures were elucidated using a combination of 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and comparison with published NMR data of analogous compounds. All isolated compounds were assayed against four human cancer cell lines, and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains. None of them showed any cytotoxic activity, but ornatin C, D, E and three related diterpenes displayed marginal bactericidal or bacteriostatic effects against the Gram-positive strains.

One new alkaloid, 2α-10bα-dihydroxy-9-O-demethylhomolycorine, in addition to seven others known alkaloids, and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, piscidic acid and eucomic acid, were isolated from the bulbs of Hippeastrum solandriflorum. The structures of all compounds were determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques: 1H NMR and 13C NMR, heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY), and also the high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EI-HRMS). The cytotoxic activity of all alkaloids was evaluated against three human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, HL-60, OVCAR8 and SF-295) showing IC50 values ranging from 0.01 to 35.7 µM.

O artigo analisa a economia política do processo de internacionalização de empresas privadas brasileiras ocorrido durante o governo Lula (2003-2010). A partir de 2005, verificou-se uma expansão do investimento direto brasileiro no exterior, resultado de uma política do governo federal destinada a formar grandes empresas transnacionais capazes de concorrer internacionalmente. Grandes fusões, aquisições e projetos de investimentos no exterior foram financiados por recursos públicos, no âmbito da política industrial operada pelo Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), principal banco estatal de fomento ao setor privado no país. Uma característica importante desse movimento foi a concentração em setores nos quais o Brasil já é competitivo, como os intensivos em trabalho e recursos naturais, em contradição com diretrizes originalmente estabelecidas pela própria política industrial do governo Lula, que preconizava o incentivo a indústrias mais intensivas em tecnologia. A partir da análise empírica de casos de internacionalização, argumenta-se que isso ocorreu porque a política pautou-se por demandas de curto prazo de grupos econômicos privados. Utilizando a abordagem institucional das "variedades de capitalismo", conclui-se que a ação do BNDES foi path dependent, no sentido de que dependeu de projetos de viabilidade imediata. Depreende-se do resultado que características institucionais mais gerais da economia brasileira deixam a política industrial do governo federal sujeitas a demandas de curto prazo do setor privado.

This paper analyzes the political economy of the internationalization process of Brazilian private companies occurred during Lula administration (2003-2010). Since 2005, there was an expansion of Brazilian foreign direct investment abroad, as a result of a federal government policy intended to form large corporations able to compete internationally. Major mergers, acquisitions and investment projects abroad were financed by public funds under the industrial policy operated by National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES), the main state bank to support the private sector in the country. An important feature of this movement was the focus on sectors in which Brazil is already competitive, as the labor and natural resources intensives sectors, in conflict with guidelines established by the same industrial policy of the Lula government, which advocated the support of more technology intensive industries. From the empirical analysis of internationalization cases, it is argued that this occurred because the internationalization policy was guided by short-term demands of private economic groups. Using the institutional approach of "varieties of capitalism", it is concluded that the action of the BNDES was path dependent, in the sense that depended on projects of immediate viability. It is inferred from the result that wider institutional characteristics of the Brazilian economy leave the industrial policy of the federal government subject to short-term demands of the private sector.

A utilização de fontes renováveis de energia, como o biodiesel, pode coibir o uso dos combustíveis fósseis empregados na geração de potência e no transporte rural. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se o impacto operacional da aplicação do biodiesel de mamona em um motor diesel automotivo e em um motor diesel estacionário de médio porte, estudando-se as alterações provenientes da utilização deste biocombustível puro preaquecido e, como misturas, B10 e B20. Observou-se em bancada a viabilidade de aplicação das misturas B10 e B20, tanto em mobilidade quanto em geração de trabalho elétrico, pois as mesmas obtiveram desempenho similar ou superior ao do diesel mineral. Contudo, resultados inferiores de torque de frenagem e um aumento no consumo específico foram obtidos com o biodiesel de mamona preaquecido B100 com relação ao óleo diesel.

The use of renewable fuels, such as the biodiesel, can ease the demand of fossil fuel for the power generation and transportation fields in rural area. In this work, the performance impact of the application of castor oil biodiesel is evaluated with an automotive and a stationary diesel engine. The application of B20 and B10 biodiesel blends and pre-heated net biodiesel is considered. The viability of the employment of B10 and B20 blends to mobility and power generation was observed from dynamometric bench tests, where this blends performed similar to fossil diesel. With the pre-heated net biodiesel, however, a brake torque loss and a specific consumption increase were observed with relation to diesel fuel.

O presente estudo descreve a acentuada atividade citotóxica da nor-β-lapachona, seus derivados arilamino substituídos, naftoquinonas iodadas e metilada, além de nor-β-lapachonas 1,2,3-triazólicas, contra quatro linhagens de células de leucemia humana (HL-60, K562, Molt-4 e Jurkat). Nor-β-lapachonas arilamino substituídas foram identificadas com potente atividade, revelando-se como potenciais protótipos contra as linhagens tumorais descritas. Estudos utilizando o ensaio cometa evidenciaram danos ao ácido desoxirribonucleico (ADN) causado pelos derivados arilamino substituídos devido o aumento dos níveis intracelulares de espécies reativas de oxigênio (ERO's). Células de HL-60 foram selecionadas para a continuidade dos estudos de mecanismos moleculares subjacentes e apoptose induzida pelos derivados quinoidais foi observada por análise de citometria de fluxo. Cepas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae foram utilizadas para uma investigação preliminar sobre o mecanismo de ação em topoisomerases de ADN. Os estudos sugerem que, aparentemente, a citotoxidade dos compostos não envolve a inibição de topoisomerases, mas que o tratamento prejudica a atividade de reparação do ADN, provocando assim a morte celular. A capacidade em induzir apoptose e aberrações cromossômicas em fibroblastos de pulmão de hamster chinês (células V79) também foi investigada. Núcleos apoptóticos foram observados e nossos estudos indicam uma correlação entre dano ao ADN e apoptose.

The current study describes that nor-β-lapachone and its arylamino derivatives, iodinated and methylated naphthoquinones and nor-β-lapachone-based 1,2,3-triazoles exhibited pronounced cytotoxic effects against four human leukemia cell lines (HL-60, K562, Molt-4 and Jurkat). Nor-β-lapachones arylamino substituted with potent activity were identified, revealing themselves as potential prototypes against tumor cell lines. Moreover, cells treated with these compounds showed DNA damage according to the standard comet assay, a finding that was, at least in part, due to increased intracellular levels of ROS. HL-60 cells were chosen to study the underlying molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity. Drug-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells was observed by flow cytometry analyses. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used for a preliminary investigation into the mechanism of drug action on DNA topoisomerases. These results suggested that the cytotoxicity of these compounds apparently does not involve topoisomerase inhibition, but that treatment impairs DNA repair activity, thus triggering cell death. Considering their pro-oxidant properties, we investigated the ability of these compounds to induce apoptosis and chromosomal aberrations as micronuclei in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79 cells). Morphological apoptotic nuclei and micronuclei induction following drug treatment were observed, suggesting a correlation between DNA damage and apoptosis.