Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

About: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais is a education organization based out in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 41631 authors who have published 75688 publications receiving 1249905 citations.

Changing patterns of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis and septic arthritis: emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: An increase in the incidence and severity of acute osteoarticular infections in children was perceived after the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our community. This study was performed to describe changes in the epidemiology and clinical features of acute osteoarticular infections. METHODS: The records of patients discharged from Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center with a diagnosis of acute osteoarticular infection between 2000 and 2004 were reviewed. Data regarding signs and symptoms, diagnostic testing, therapeutics, surgery, and hospital course were collected. RESULTS: There were 158 cases of acute osteoarticular infection. The incidence increased from 2.6 to 6.0 per 1000 admissions between 2000 and 2004. The proportion of infections caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) remained constant (10%-13%) and that caused by MRSA rose from 4% to 40%. There was no difference between MRSA and MSSA patients in the duration of fever or pain before diagnosis. Seventy-one percent of patients with MRSA had subperiosteal abscesses compared with 38% with MSSA (P = 0.02). Ninety-one percent of MRSA patients required a surgical procedure compared with 62% of MSSA patients (P < 0.001). Median hospital stay was 7 days for MSSA patients and 10 days for MRSA patients (P = 0.0001). Three patients developed chronic osteomyelitis, 2 with MRSA. There was no association between a delay in institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy and presence of subperiosteal abscess (P = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increase in the incidence and severity of acute osteoarticular infections in Memphis. Patients with community-associated MRSA infections are at higher risk of subperiosteal abscess requiring surgical intervention.

Toward an old-growth concept for grasslands, savannas, and woodlands

Abstract: We expand the concept of “old growth” to encompass the distinct ecologies and conservation values of the world's ancient grass-dominated biomes. Biologically rich grasslands, savannas, and open-canopy woodlands suffer from an image problem among scientists, policy makers, land managers, and the general public, that fosters alarming rates of ecosystem destruction and degradation. These biomes have for too long been misrepresented as the result of deforestation followed by arrested succession. We now know that grassy biomes originated millions of years ago, long before humans began deforesting. We present a consensus view from diverse geographic regions on the ecological characteristics needed to identify old-growth grasslands and to distinguish them from recently formed anthropogenic vegetation. If widely adopted, the old-growth grassland concept has the potential to improve scientific understanding, conservation policies, and ecosystem management.

Chemokines in Oral Inflammatory Diseases: Apical Periodontitis and Periodontal Disease

Abstract: The inflammatory oral diseases are characterized by the persistent migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, plasma and mast cells, and osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In the last decade, there has been a great interest in the mediators responsible for the selective recruitment and activation of these cell types at inflammatory sites. Of these mediators, the chemokines have received particular attention in recent years. Chemokine messages are decoded by specific receptors that initiate signal transduction events, leading to a multitude of cellular responses, including chemotaxis and activation of inflammatory and bone cells. However, little is known about their role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory oral diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize the findings regarding the role of chemokines in periapical and periodontal tissue inflammation, and the integration, into experimental models, of the information about the role of chemokines in human diseases.

Letramento e alfabetização: as muitas facetas

Abstract: Busca recuperar a evolucao dos conceitos de letramento e alfabetizacao ao longo das duas ultimas decadas, identificando, nesse periodo, um movimento de progressiva invencao da palavra e do conceito de letramento e concomitante desinvencao da alfabetizacao, entendida como a perda de especificidade desse processo, o que vem tendo como consequencia uma nova modalidade de fracasso escolar: o precario nivel de dominio da lingua escrita em ciclos ou series em que esse dominio ja deveria ter sido alcancado. Discutem-se as causas dessa perda de especificidade do processo de alfabetizacao, e propoe-se uma distincao entre alfabetizacao e letramento que preserve a peculiaridade de cada um desses processos, ao mesmo tempo em que se afirma sua indissociabilidade e interdependencia. Caracteriza-se o momento atual como sendo de tentativas de reinvencao da alfabetizacao, considerada necessaria desde que entendida nao como a volta a paradigmas do passado, mas como recuperacao da especificidade da alfabetizacao em suas multiplas facetas, e sua integracao com o processo de letramento.