BackgroundThe Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (Portuguese acronym, “ERICA”) is a multicenter, school-based country-wide cross-sectional study funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which aims at estimating the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, including those included in the definition of the metabolic syndrome, in a random sample of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in Brazilian cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Approximately 85,000 students were assessed in public and private schools. Brazil is a continental country with a heterogeneous population of 190 million living in its five main geographic regions (North, Northeast, Midwest, South and Southeast). ERICA is a pioneering study that will assess the prevalence rates of cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilian adolescents using a sample with national and regional representativeness. This paper describes the rationale, design and procedures of ERICA.Methods/DesignParticipants answered a self-administered questionnaire using an electronic device, in order to obtain information on demographic and lifestyle characteristics, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, sleeping hours, common mental disorders and reproductive and oral health. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall. Anthropometric measures (weight, height and waist circumference) and blood pressure were also be measured. Blood was collected from a subsample of approximately 44,000 adolescents for measurements of fasting glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin.DiscussionThe study findings will be instrumental to the development of public policies aiming at the prevention of obesity, atherosclerotic diseases and diabetes in an adolescent population.

Oxidative stress is a metabolic dysfunction that favors the oxidation of biomolecules, contributing to the oxidative damage of cells and tissues. This consequently contributes to the development of several chronic diseases. In particular, zinc is one of the most relevant minerals to human health, because of its antioxidant properties. This review aims to provide updated information about the mechanisms involved in the protective role of zinc against oxidative stress. Zinc acts as a co-factor for important enzymes involved in the proper functioning of the antioxidant defense system. In addition, zinc protects cells against oxidative damage, acts in the stabilization of membranes and inhibits the enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH-Oxidase). Zinc also induces the synthesis of metallothioneins, which are proteins effective in reducing hydroxyl radicals and sequestering reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in stressful situations, such as in type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Literature provides strong evidence for the role of zinc in the protection against oxidative stress in several diseases.

Around the world, there is a growing increase in biofuels consumption, mainly ethanol and biodiesel as well as their blends with diesel that reduce the cost impact of biofuels while retaining some of the advantages of the biofuels. This increase is due to several factors like decreasing the dependence on imported petroleum; providing a market for the excess production of vegetable oils and animal fats; using renewable and biodegradable fuels; reducing global warming due to its closed carbon cycle by CO2 recycling; increasing lubricity; and reducing substantially the exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and particulate emissions from diesel engines. However, there are major drawbacks in the use of biofuel blends as NOx tends to be higher, the intervals of motor parts replacement such as fuel filters are reduced and degradation by chronic exposure of varnish deposits in fuel tanks and fuel lines, paint, concrete, and paving occurs as some materials are incompatible. Here, fuel additives become indispensable tools not only to decrease these drawbacks but also to produce specified products that meet international and regional standards like EN 14214, ASTM D 6751, and DIN EN 14214, allowing the fuels trade to take place. Additives improve ignition and combustion efficiency, stabilize fuel mixtures, protect the motor from abrasion and wax deposition, and reduce pollutant emissions, among other features. Two basic trends are becoming more relevant:  the progressive reduction of sulfur content and the increased use of biofuels. Several additives' compositions may be used as long as they keep the basic chemical functions that are active.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and obesity and the population attributable fraction of hypertension that is due to obesity in Brazilian adolescents.METHODS Data from participants in the Brazilian Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), which was the first national school-based, cross-section study performed in Brazil were evaluated. The sample was divided into 32 geographical strata and clusters from 32 schools and classes, with regional and national representation. Obesity was classified using the body mass index according to age and sex. Arterial hypertension was defined when the average systolic or diastolic blood pressure was greater than or equal to the 95th percentile of the reference curve. Prevalences and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of arterial hypertension and obesity, both on a national basis and in the macro-regions of Brazil, were estimated by sex and age group, as were the fractions of hypertension attributable to obesity in the population.RESULTS We evaluated 73,399 students, 55.4% female, with an average age of 14.7 years (SD = 1.6). The prevalence of hypertension was 9.6% (95%CI 9.0-10.3); with the lowest being in the North, 8.4% (95%CI 7.7-9.2) and Northeast regions, 8.4% (95%CI 7.6-9.2), and the highest being in the South, 12.5% (95%CI 11.0-14.2). The prevalence of obesity was 8.4% (95%CI 7.9-8.9), which was lower in the North region and higher in the South region. The prevalences of arterial hypertension and obesity were higher in males. Obese adolescents presented a higher prevalence of hypertension, 28.4% (95%CI 25.5-31.2), than overweight adolescents, 15.4% (95%CI 17.0-13.8), or eutrophic adolescents, 6.3% (95%CI 5.6-7.0). The fraction of hypertension attributable to obesity was 17.8%.CONCLUSIONS ERICA was the first nationally representative Brazilian study providing prevalence estimates of hypertension in adolescents. Regional and sex differences were observed. The study indicates that the control of obesity would lower the prevalence of hypertension among Brazilian adolescents by 1/5.

Objective-To evaluate reliability in 3D landmark identification using Cone-Beam CT.Study Design-Twelve pre-surgery CBCTs were randomly selected from 159 orthognathic surgery patients. Three observers independently repeated three times the identification of 30 landmarks in the sagittal, coronal, and axial slices. A mixed effects ANOVA model estimated the Intraclass Correlations (ICC) and assessed systematic bias.Results-The ICC was >0.9 for 86% of intra-observer assessments and 66% of inter-observer assessments. Only 1% of intra-observer and 3% of inter-observer coefficients were <0.45. The systematic difference among observers was greater in X and Z than in Y dimensions, but the maximum mean difference was quite small. Conclusion-Overall, the intra-and inter-observer reliability was excellent. 3D landmark identification using CBCT can offer consistent and reproducible data, if a protocol for operator training and calibration is followed. This is particularly important for landmarks not easily specified in all three planes of space.Three-dimensional cephalometry has long been proposed as the ideal for orthodontic diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up of the patients. 1 Diagnosis, treatment planning, and assessment of change over time have been routinely based on landmark based analysis in 2D cephalometry. 1 CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Lucia H.S. Cevidanes, DDS, MS, PhD, UNC School of Dentistry, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, 201 Brauer Hall, UNC School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7450, Phone: (919) 3578603, Email: cevidanl@dentistry.unc.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. The use of Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) in dentistry offers great potential for 3D diagnosis and treatment planning compared to CT. 5-16 However, the development of three-dimensional landmark-based cephalometric analysis requires definition of 3D landmarks on complex curving structures, which is not a trivial problem. As Bookstein 16 noted, there is a lack of literature about suitable operational definitions for the landmarks in the 3 planes of space (coronal, sagittal, and axial). Practical considerations of identification errors, coupled with an essential need for biological relevance and a balanced representation of components of the craniofacial form, limit the number and nature of landmarks available for analysis. Historically landmarks, such as Articulare, were used because of the ease in landmark location on the 2D cephalometric projections, but these projected superimposed structures do not exist in the actual 3D facial structure. For these reasons, the...

Zinc nitrate precipitated with NaOH solution at room temperature under double-jet conditions produced micrometric zinc oxide particles with ellipsoid or starlike morphology separated by only a slight variation of pH (9.5 and 10.5, respectively). The formation kinetics of starlike particles was followed by SEM observations, suggesting that they result from a solid-state transformation of the hydroxide matrix. This mechanism involved the nucleation of 30-nm ZnO particles inside the matrix, followed by their aggregation into starlike particles. The introduction of sodium sulfate or sodium dodecyl sulfate in the bath before precipitation led to a drastic size reduction and to a diversity of particle shapes (from half-ellipsoids to full ellipsoids). The presence of these additives provided important hints on particle formation and confirmed that submicronic particles resulted from nanocrystals oriented aggregation.

Background: Uncovering the operating principles underlying cellular processes by using 'omics' data is often a difficult task due to the high-dimensionality of the solution space that spans all interactions among the bio-molecules under consideration. A rational way to overcome this problem is to use the topology of bio-molecular interaction networks in order to constrain the solution space. Such approaches systematically integrate the existing biological knowledge with the 'omics' data.

HOMA-IR values above or equal to 2.0 or 2.5 show enhanced diagnostic value in distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease carriers from control group individuals.