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M Alves

Publications and source records attributed to M Alves.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Evaluation of healing with use of an internal matrix to repair furcation perforations.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate healing responses following repair of furcation perforations, with and without an internal matrix. Two matrix materials, HAPSET (65% non-resorbable hydroxyapatite and 35% plaster of paris) and hydroxyapatite were compared. METHODOLOGY: Four adult female baboons (Papio anubis) served as experimental models. Furcation perforations were made in the molar and premolar teeth, which were then randomly assigned to one of the five groups, according to the method of perforation repair: 1 Experimental group 1 (16 teeth): The matrix material was HAPSET and the sealing material, amalgam. 2 Experimental group 2 (16 teeth): The matrix material was hydroxyapatite and the sealing material, amalgam. 3 Experimental group 3 (16 teeth): No matrix was placed. The sealing material was amalgam. 4 Positive control group (16 teeth): The perforation was not sealed. 5 Negative control group (16 teeth): No perforation was made. The animals were sacrificed at 1 week and 1, 3 and 7 months. Specimens were prepared for examination with light microscopy. RESULTS: The data revealed that when amalgam was used alone without a matrix, there was marked extrusion of the material into the underlying bone with an associated severe inflammatory response, which continued throughout the observational period. When an internal matrix was used, there was an initial acute inflammatory response that diminished with time such that at 7 months, 75% of these specimens were free of inflammation. There was no difference in the tissue response to the different matrix materials. HAPSET and hydroxyapatite underwent connective tissue encapsulation in the early stages followed by new bone deposition in direct contact with the materials. CONCLUSIONS: Within this animal model healing responses are better when an internal matrix, whether HAPSET or hydroxyapatite, is used in the repair of furcation perforations.

Alveolar Process↗
PubMed2001

Accuracy of diagnoses of HIV-related oral lesions by medical clinicians. Findings from the Women's Interagency HIV Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if medical clinicians are as accurate as dental clinicians in recognizing diagnostic characteristics of HIV-related oral lesions. METHODS: In 355 HIV-infected participants at five Women's Interagency HIV Study sites, we paired oral examinations conducted within 7 days of each other by dental and medical clinicians. We used the former as a gold standard against which to evaluate the accuracy of the latter. We assessed the accuracy of the medical clinicians' findings based both on their observations of abnormalities and on their descriptions of these abnormalities. RESULTS: Dental clinicians diagnosed some oral abnormality in 38% of participants. When "abnormality" was used as the medical clinicians' outcome, sensitivities were 75% for pseudomembranous candidiasis and 58% for erythematous candidiasis, but only 40% for hairy leukoplakia. When a precise description of the abnormality was used as their outcome, sensitivities were 19%, 12% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Medical clinicians recognize that HIV-related oral abnormalities are present in 40-75% of cases, but less often describe them accurately. Low sensitivity implies that the true associations of specific oral lesions with other HIV phenomena, such as time until AIDS, must be stronger than the literature suggests.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2001

Hydraulic characteristics of an anoxic rotating biological contactor: influence of biofilm.

The hydraulic characteristics of an anoxic rotating biological contactor were studied under different flow rates. The experiments were carried out with the reactor clean (without biomass) and containing denitrifying biofilm (Alcaligenes denitrificans) covering the disks. Residence Time Distribution (RTD) experiments were performed by the stimulus-response technique using lithium chloride as tracer. Experiments without biomass revealed the existence of hydraulic dead volumes (around 40% for hydraulic residence time of 0.94 and 2 hours) that occur in corners, where stagnant eddies form. When in normal operation, with the disks covered by biofilm and with biogas production, these values decreased significantly. For hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 2 hours a minimum dead volume was observed, being appropriate to run the reactor under this condition, from the hydraulic viewpoint. The Dispersion number decreased with increasing HRT from 0.94 h on, for both types of experiment, without, and in the presence of biomass. For this HRT the dispersion number was maximal in both situations. A considerable diffusion of tracer into the biofilm was detected, being faster in the more hydrated biofilm, and Justifying the long tails observed in the RTD experimental curves.

Biofilms↗
PubMed2000

Synthesis and enzyme inhibitory activities of a series of lipidic diamine and aminoalcohol derivatives on cytosolic and secretory phospholipases A2.

We have synthesised some lipidic diamines and aminoalcohols and examined their behaviour as inhibitors of secretory and cytosolic PLA2. Some structure-activity relationships considerations have been deduced. Compound 14 was a potent and selective inhibitor of cPLA2 and compound 4 showed a dual inhibitory profile against both types of PLA2 while no cytotoxicity at 10 microM on human neutrophils or on murine macrophage line was observed for both.

Amino Alcohols↗
PubMed2000

Salivary gland disease in human immunodeficiency virus-positive women from the WIHS study. Women's Interagency HIV Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of enlargement, tenderness, and absence of saliva on palpation as indicators of salivary gland disease in women who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive. STUDY DESIGN: The study subjects are participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a multicenter study examining HIV-seropositive women and at-risk HIV-seronegative women. A total of 576 HIV-positive women and 152 HIV-negative women were examined at their baseline oral visit for clinical markers of salivary gland disease. Viral load levels, CD4 counts, and CD8 counts were obtained as part of the related core study. RESULTS: HIV-positive women had higher rates of salivary gland enlargement (4.3%), tenderness (6.9%), and absence of saliva on palpation (26.6%) compared with HIV-negative women, who had rates of 1.3%, 4.6%, and 13.2%, respectively. Absence of saliva was significantly different (P =. 001) between the 2 groups. When 2 of the 3 clinical findings were combined, comparisons between the HIV-positive women and HIV-negative women became significant at the P <.05 level for every combination, except for enlargement/tenderness for the submandibular/sublingual gland. For the HIV-positive women, the viral load was significantly related to enlargement (P =.019) and enlargement/absence of saliva on palpation (P =.037) for the parotids and enlargement (P =.046), absence of saliva (P =.043), and enlargement/absence of saliva (P =.022) for the submandibular/sublingual glands. Significant linear trends were found for increasing viral load and enlargement (P =.013) and enlargement/tenderness (P =.024) for the submandibular/sublingual glands. Significance was present for submandibular/sublingual absence of saliva and tenderness/absence of saliva for CD4 and CD8 medians. CONCLUSIONS: Serostatus is related to salivary gland disease as assessed by glandular enlargement, tenderness, and absence of saliva on palpation. Furthermore, our findings indicate that a multidimensional approach to gland assessment may provide a more complete and perhaps more adequate description of glandular involvement with HIV infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Can amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with respiratory insufficiency exercise?

The authors have shown in a recent paper that survival with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be increased by the use of non-invasive methods of assisted ventilation (Bipap). However, the progression of muscle weakness was not affected and the quality of life was not positively enhanced. In ALS, reduced physical activity may partially be secondary to alveolar hypoventilation syndrome. This leads to deconditioning of ALS/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND) patients. The authors decided to investigate the possibility of reducing motor decline by exercising these patients to the anaerobic threshold, but simultaneously compensating the respiratory insufficiency with the Bipap STD. We conducted a controlled single blind study, exercising eight consecutive ALS/MND patients and used a control group of 12 ALS/MND patients. The patients were all evaluated during a 1 year period. Respiratory function tests (RFT) were performed at entry and then at 6 month intervals. Barthel, Functional Independent Mobility scale (FIM) and Spinal and Bulbar Norris scores were recorded every 3 months. There was a significant difference between the two groups with respect to FIM scores (P<0.03), but not Barthel scores (P<0.8). A slower clinical course (Spinal Norris score P<0.02) and a significant difference in the slope of the RFT (P<0.008) were observed in the treated group, suggesting that exercise may be beneficial in ALS patients once Bipap is used to control peripheral and muscle oxygenation.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Foundation of integral care/Sofia Feldman Hospital: an experience of flexible management?].

The purpose of the present study was to verify the correspondence between the administrative experience of the Hospital "Sofia Feldman" and the theory on flexible management proposed by MOTTA (1991) and MEDICI & SILVA (1993). It also described innovation elements for institutional integration with the community, such as the substitute mother, ombudsman and systematic voluntary work, done by Community Association of Friends and Users of Sofia Feldman Hospital. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview, applied to employees of different sectors, aiming at knowing their perception about the administrative model used. The flexible administration characteristics of the hospital were evidenced, however authors found elements of classical administration.

Brazil↗
PubMed1997

Neurophysiological evaluation of sexual dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy--Portuguese type.

Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP)--Portuguese type, is an autosomal dominant polyneuropathy related with an abnormal transthyrretin (TTR Met 30). In males, the first complaint can be sexual dysfunction. Fifteen FAP patients, mean age 37 +/- 7.7 years, mean disease duration 5.2 +/- 2.2 years, all males, complaining of sexual dysfunction were studied with pudendal evoked potentials (PEP), bulbocavernous reflex (BCR) and sympathetic skin response (SSR). PEP and BCR reflect the central somatosensory pathways and sacral arch functioning; SSR relates with autonomic pathways. The aims of this study were: to correlate clinical and EMG scores with somatic and autonomic fibres involvement; to evaluate the timing of somatic and autonomic nerves lesion in disease evolution. Results showed: that PEP and BCR abnormalities have a statistically significant correlation with clinical and EMG scores; abnormal SSR in the plant precede other clinical or EMG abnormalities in the present study.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Glutathione S-transferase mu polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer in the Portuguese population.

Epidemiological studies have led to the suggestion that a genetic basis may exist in the individual variation in predisposition to cancer. Interindividual differences in human toxicological response to carcinogenic exposure have been attributed to heritable polymorphisms in metabolism, namely glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) coding for enzymes that are known to be detoxifiers of carcinogens. Within the human GST mu class, there is a specific isozyme that is frequently lacking. To check whether or not this association exists in the Portuguese population with lung cancer, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping to examine GSTM1 polymorphism (nulled and non-nulled) in 84 individuals as a control healthy population and a group of 98 lung cancer patients. In this study we were able to find a frequency of the GSTM1 phenotype among our healthy control subjects consistent with earlier genotyping studies in other Caucasoid populations. For the group of individuals with lung cancer as a whole, or in subsets of histological subtypes, our data for the Portuguese population did not show a positive correlation between the null allele and this neoplasm. In contrast, we found a slight increase in the frequency of the wild-type allele in our lung cancer group.

Carcinoma, Small Cell↗
PubMed1996

[Division of labor in nursing and a global view of care].

The objective of this study was evaluate the knowledge of nursing assistants about the patient's clinical evolution and global care in a public hospital. The results showed that nursing assistants do not have a global knowledge on planned care of patients, their clinical evolution and complications.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1995

Somatosensory evoked potentials in the differential diagnosis between spinal cord compression and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Spinal cord compression (SCC) often presents a similar clinical picture to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). An early differential diagnosis is important because SCC is a potentially treatable clinical disorder. We carried out a longitudinal study of 43 patients with an initial diagnosis of ALS, in order to ascertain the percentage of patients with SCC, and to evaluate the usefulness of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in early diagnosis. Thirty-three patients had a final diagnosis of ALS and 8 of SCC. SEPs central conduction was abnormal in 3 ALS and 7 SCC patients, respectively (Fisher exact test, p < 0.05). We concluded that SEPs investigation is useful in the differential diagnosis between ALS and SCC patients with pure motor signs.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Prejudices and traditions in nursing].

The authors try to identify the prejudices and traditions in nursing, thinking about the maintenance of the myths, stigmas and stereotypes throughout its history, facing the GADAMER's ideas.

Female↗
PubMed1995

[Lumbar spinal stenosis. Significance of neurophysiologic tests].

The authors review Lumbar Spinal Stenosis discussing the diagnostic criteria, the etiopathogenesis, and clinical manifestations. Imaging and neurophysiological investigations are also discussed. EMG, Sensory Evoked Potencials and Motor Stimulation are described stressing their role in differential diagnosis. The therapeutic approach is briefly commented.

Diagnosis, Differential↗