Universidade Estadual de Londrina

About: Universidade Estadual de Londrina is a education organization based out in Londrina, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Toxoplasma gondii. The organization has 13052 authors who have published 19291 publications receiving 212123 citations.

Muscle Contraction Velocity: A Suitable Approach to Analyze the Functional Adaptations in Elite Soccer Players

Abstract: Tensiomyography (TMG) has been used as a simple and non-invasive tool to assess the mechanical properties of skeletal muscles. The TMG-derived velocity of contraction (Vc), which can be calculated from the ratio between maximal radial displacement and the sum of contraction time and delay time, has been proposed for evaluating athletes. However, its sensitivity to training effects and possible relation with changes in soccer players' neuromuscular performance have not yet been addressed. To test this possibility, twenty-two male Brazilian elite soccer players were assessed using TMG-derived Vc, unloaded squat jump, countermovement jump and drop jump at 45 cm, loaded jump squat and linear (20 m) and change of direction (COD) sprint tests, prior to and after an 8-week period, between two consecutive official tournaments, during which the concurrency between endurance and strength-power training commonly impairs neuromuscular capacities. Magnitude-based inference was used to detect meaningful training effects. From pre- to post-tests, it was observed likely to almost certainly improvements in all modes of jumping tests. In addition, we could verify decrements in the 20-m and COD sprint performances, which were rated as very likely and almost certainly, respectively. Finally, both rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles presented a likely reduction in Vc. Therefore, chronic decreases in sprinting speed are possibly accompanied by a reduced TMG-derived Vc. From a practical standpoint, the TMG-derived Vc can be used to monitor negative specific-soccer training effects related to potential impairments in maximum speed.

Procedimentos analíticos para identificação de antocianinas presentes em extratos naturais

Abstract: Anthocyanins are among the most important plant pigments. Due to their potential benefits for human health, there is considerable interest in these natural pigments. Nonetheless, there is great difficulty in finding a technique that could provide the identification of structurally similar compounds and estimate the number and concentration of the species present. A lot of techniques have been tried to find the best methodology to extract information from these systems. In this paper, a review of the most important procedures is given, from the extraction to the identification of anthocyanins in natural extracts.

Symbiotic effectiveness of fast-growing rhizobial strains isolated from soybean nodules in Brazil

Abstract: The symbiotic effectiveness of 30 fast-growing rhizobial strains (doubling times of 85–225 min and acid reaction in yeast mannitol medium) isolated from soybean nodules in Brazil and of Sinorhizobium fredii reference strains was evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions Most Brazilian fast-growing strains were genetically related to the Rhizobium tropici-Rhizobium genomic species Q-Agrobacterium spp branch and five to the Bradyrhizobium japonicum and B elkanii species Under axenic conditions, some of the fast-growing strains fixed as much N2 as the B japonicum/B elkanii strains carried in Brazilian commercial inocula However, in a co-inoculation experiment, very few strains were able to compete against B elkanii strain SEMIA 5019 Although isolated from acid soils (pH 30–51), the competitiveness of Brazilian fast growers and of S fredii reference strains against B japonicum/B elkanii was low under acid conditions (pH 51 and pH 54), but increased when the pH was raised to 68 and 79 Therefore, as the great majority of Brazilian soils are acidic and show a very high population of naturalized B japonicum/B elkanii, the low competitiveness of S fredii and of the Brazilian rhizobial strains investigated in this study, under the given conditions, limits, at this time, their recommendation for use in commercial inocula

Effects of light emitting diode (LED) therapy at 940 nm on inflammatory root resorption in rats.

Abstract: The effects of LED therapy at 940 nmonperiodon- tal healing, inflammatory cell infiltration, and root resorption were analyzed in an experimental model of orthodontic tooth movement in rats. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were allocated into four experimental groups: Control animals (Co, n05), Controls + LED therapy (CoLED, n06), animals submitted to orthodontic force (RR, n07) and submitted to orthodontic force + LED therapy (RRLED, n07). All procedures were approved by the Committee for Ethics in Animal Experimentation of the Universidade Estadual de Londrina (protocol CEEA 5/2010 37359). A force of 50 gw as applied to the right upper molars of RR and RRLED groups. On days 2, 3, and 4 after orthodontic treatment, the CoLED and RRLED groups received LED irradiation (940 nm, 4 J/cm 2 ). The animals were killed on day 7 for histological analysis. An increased number of root resorption lacunae was found only in the RR group (p<0.05). The RR group also presented more osteoclasts (p<0.005) and inflammatory cell infiltration (p<0.005) than the control group. The RRLED group presented fewer osteoclasts (p<0.005) and inflammatory cells (p<0.005) in the periodontal ligament than the RR group. The CoLED and RRLED groups presented more periodontal fibroblasts (p<0.005) than non-irradiated groups. RRLED presented more blood vessels (p<0.01) in the periodontal ligament than the RR group. In con- clusion, the results suggest that LED therapy improved periodontal tissue repair and decreased inflammation and root resorption after the application of orthodontic force.