Universidade de Pernambuco

About: Universidade de Pernambuco is a education organization based out in Recife, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 6147 authors who have published 6948 publications receiving 73648 citations.

Sedentary Behavior and Light Physical Activity Are Associated with Brachial and Central Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract: Background Physical activity is recommended as a part of a comprehensive lifestyle approach in the treatment of hypertension, but there is a lack of data about the relationship between different intensities of physical activity and cardiovascular parameters in hypertensive patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the time spent in physical activities of different intensities and blood pressure levels, arterial stiffness and autonomic modulation in hypertensive patients.

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during the summer and its relationship with sun exposure and skin phototype in elderly men living in the tropics

Abstract: Objective The aim of the study reported here was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among elderly men and its association with sun exposure and skin phototypes Subjects and methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study, which involved 284 men aged 60 years or over, randomly recruited from a basic care unit in the city of Recife (Brazil) Measurements Serum levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), sun index, and skin phototypes were evaluated Results The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 315% and 667% when cut points of less than 20 and 30 ng/mL, respectively, were used Mean serum 25(OH)D was 2786 ± 1352 standard deviation (SD) ng/mL There was no difference (P = 0113) in 25(OH) D (2398 ± 1466 SD vs 2988 ± 1378 SD) between individuals in the lowest quartile (Q) of the sun index (Q1: 196) compared with those in the highest (Q4: 786) When considering a cutoff of 20 ng/mL, the sun index was different in the two groups (P = 0006), but there was no difference when cutoffs of 25 and 30 ng/mL were used After adjustment, sun index and body mass index were associated positively and negatively, respectively with serum 25(OH)D independently Most subjects (667%) had Fitzpatrick's skin phototypes IV, V, and VI Low calcium intake was observed in 72% There was no difference in serum 25(OH)D levels between patients with low intake and those with intermediate and high intakes Only 25% were taking a vitamin supplement Conclusion We found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among elderly men despite their high sun exposure during the summer months

Epidemiological study of 534 biopsies of oral mucosal lesions in elderly Brazilian patients.

Abstract: Gerodontology 2010;00; doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2010.00370.x Epidemiological study of 534 biopsies of oral mucosal lesions in elderly Brazilian patients Background: The number of elderly people in Brazil has increased during the last few decades. Oral lesions are very common in this age group, but few studies have examined the prevalence of these conditions worldwide and, particularly, in Brazil. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of oral lesions in an elderly Brazilian population. Materials and methods: A total of 534 cases of oral lesions retrieved from the files of the Oral Pathology Laboratory of the School of Dentistry, University of Pernambuco, between 1991 and 2008, were descriptively and qualitatively evaluated. Results: In this study, the oral mucosal lesions cases preferentially affected women (n = 357; 66.8%), white persons (n = 253; 47.3%), in the seventh decade of life (n = 361; 67.6%), and with lesions predominantly located on the gingival/alveolar ridge (n = 102; 19.1%). The non-neoplastic lesions (n = 353; 66.1%) were more prevalent than benign neoplasms (n = 85; 15.9%), oral cancers (n = 56; 10.4%) and potentially malignant lesions (n = 40; 7.4%). The five most predominant diseases were fibrous hyperplasia, non-specific chronic inflammatory processes, oral squamous cell carcinoma, non-specified odontogenic cysts and epithelial dysplasia. Conclusions: Our results may be helpful in understanding the distribution of oral diseases in this very specific age group that requires special attention.

Asymmetric Decentralized Flocks

Abstract: This paper analyzes the transient dynamics of one dimensional flocks, platoons, i.e., a finite collection of identical vehicles moving on the line, with a single leader with independent motion. We show for a class of platoon control laws that if the information flow is asymmetric then a motion change of the leader will cause system transients with amplitudes that grow at an exponential rate as the length of the platoon increases. With suitable choice of the control parameters the system is asymptotically stable and in steady state all vehicles move at the same velocity as the leader and at the required separation. When the leader changes velocity, over very long time scales the vehicles in the platoon tend to the steady state dictated by the leader's new velocity. The transient dynamics in the intermediary regime can however appear quite unstable, where the trailing vehicle can undergo oscillatory motion with amplitudes that grow exponentially large with the number of cars N in the platoon, or may be irresponsive over an exponentially long time to the change in the motion of the leader. In this paper we prove that if the control law is asymmetric then such transient errors, measured in terms of displacement between the leader and the trailing car, grow at an exponential rate in N, the length of the platoon. This contrasts sharply with the symmetric (bidirectional) case when such transient errors grow only linearly in the length of the platoon, the theoretical minimum for decentralized linear time-invariant platoon control systems with a constant vehicle spacing policy. These results suggest that symmetry of the information flow is an important design parameter for safe control laws for platoons.