Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa

The use of biopotential enhancers in seed treatment can improve germination rates and initial plant development under field conditions, especially when using low-vigor seeds. In this context, this study was conducted to evaluate the emergence and initial growth of soybean seedlings in response to the application of doses of the Crop Evo® biopotential enhancer to seeds with low and high vigor levels. The experimental design used was completely randomized, and the treatments were arranged in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments consisted of using two seed vigor levels (high and low) and applying five doses of biopotential enhancer (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mL kg–1 of seed) to the seeds. Fourteen days after sowing, the percentage of emergence, emergence speed index, mean emergence time, shoot length, and root dry matter production of the seedlings were evaluated. The results showed that the application of a biopotential enhancer (Crop Evo®) in seed treatment improved the emergence and emergence speed of soybean seedlings from low-vigor seeds. However, the application of the biopotential enhancer had no effect on the emergence process of soybean seedlings from high-vigor seeds. The application of the biopotential enhancer in seed treatment stimulated the growth and dry matter production of soybean seedlings, regardless of whether low- or high-vigor seeds were used. The optimal dose of biopotential enhancer to be applied in soybean seed treatment to stimulate initial seedling growth can vary from 10 to 15 mL kg–1 of seed.

Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma revisão bibliométrica da produção científica associada aos Hospitais Universitários da Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa – Hospital Geral (HU-UEPG) e Hospital Universitário Materno Infantil (HUMAI), no período de 2010 a março de 2025. Utilizou-se a metodologia Methodi Ordinatio 2.0, com buscas realizadas nas bases Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, Science Direct, Google Acadêmico, Academic Search Premier e Redalyc. Foram identificados 4.074 registros, dos quais 145 artigos compuseram o portfólio final. Houve crescimento acentuado da produção a partir de 2016, com pico em 2021. As pesquisas se concentraram em estudos observacionais transversais (n=142) com predominância dos primeiros autores das áreas de Enfermagem (n = 61), Medicina (n = 22), Odontologia (n = 20) e Fisioterapia (n = 19). Os resultados evidenciam o potencial dos hospitais como centros de pesquisa científica e inovação em saúde, mas indicam a necessidade de fortalecer a qualificação editorial, padronizar afiliações e ampliar a internacionalização da produção científica institucional.

Although universal adhesives have been widely used, the role of silane in their formulations, especially regarding its chemical stability and interaction with functional monomers like 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP), and how these factors affect zirconia bonding remains unclear. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of universal adhesives (UAs) on the microshear bond strength (μSBS) and chemical interaction to zirconia immediately (IM) and after thermal aging (TC). Zirconia polycrystals were sectioned into blocks (n=96), cut into segments, and sintered. The segments were randomly assigned to 7 experimental groups (n=10) according to the following independent variables: adhesive treatment, categorized by the presence of silane, as follows: silane-free adhesives: Ambar (AMB) and Adper Single Bond 2 (SB2); silane/MDP containing adhesives: Ambar Universal APS (AMU), Scotchbond Universal (SBU); Ambar Universal APS Plus (AMU+), and Scotchbond Universal Plus (SBU+); and time: immediate (24hours) or after 10 000 TC. Alloy Primer, a 10-MDP containing zirconia primer, was used as the positive control group. Additionally, 26 zirconia slices were subjected to micro-Raman spectroscopy to assess the chemical interaction after bonding procedures. After surface treatment, cylindrical molds were filled with resin cement and polymerized. All specimens were tested for μSBS at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (α=.05). At the immediate time, AMU, SBU, AMU+, and SBU+ exhibited μSBS values statistically comparable with those of Alloy Primer (P>.05), whereas AMB and SB2 showed significantly lower μSBS (P<.05). After TC, all groups demonstrated a significant decrease in μSBS (P<.001). Nevertheless, AMU, AMU+, SBU, and SBU+ preserved higher residual μSBS than the control group, while AMB and SB2 dropped to 0MPa. Raman analysis confirmed chemical interaction between the adhesives (AMU, AMU+, SBU, and SBU+) and the zirconia surface. The use of 10-MDP-containing universal adhesives was effective for zirconia bonding, enhancing the immediate performance and improving long-term durability. However, the inclusion of silane in these adhesives did not significantly influence the bond strength to zirconia.

The primary objective was to propose and internally assess an Oral Health Index (OHI) which integrates multiple clinically assessed oral health variables. The secondary objective was to investigate its association with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and common clinical cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors. This observational study included 191 participants. Seven parameters (tooth loss, periodontal disease, endodontic involvement, residual roots, extractions due to periodontitis, inflammatory oral mucosal diseases, and dental maintenance and rehabilitation status) were combined using Z-scores to compute the OHI, with higher scores indicating poorer oral health. CVR factors included age/sex thresholds, education level, BMI, smoking status, diabetes, hypertension, pulse pressure, and lung function. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile. Higher OHI scores were associated with poor oral health-related quality of life. Participants with cardiovascular risk factors had significantly higher OHI scores. The analysis demonstrated that the OHI was directly associated with worse oral health-related quality of life and a greater cardiovascular risk burden, independent of age, sex, and comorbidities. This study proposed and internally assessed the Oral Health Index, designed to integrate multiple clinical parameters into a single standardized measure of oral health. The OHI demonstrated moderate internal consistency and showed consistent associations with poorer oral health conditions, reduced oral health-related quality of life, and a greater cardiovascular risk burden.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) continues to pose a significant clinical and biotechnological challenge, primarily driven by antimicrobial resistance and frequent recurrence. Emerging strategies are shifting the therapeutic focus from pathobiont eradication to virulence suppression, achieved by targeting the key metabolic and regulatory networks that underpin C. difficile pathogenicity in the gut. This review synthesizes multi-omic data demonstrating that a synergistic approach-restoring secondary bile acid metabolism (through the bai operon), boosting short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and disrupting quorum-sensing systems (e.g., luxS, agr)-can collectively suppress toxin expression, biofilm formation, and spore germination. We further examine how synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are paving the way for next-generation solutions, including engineered probiotics, designer microbial consortia, and live biotherapeutic products endowed with programmable quorum quenching capabilities and optimized metabolic outputs. The integration of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, with computational modeling, now enables the predictive design and industrially scalable production of these microbiome-based interventions. Together, these advances mark a pivotal transition from empirical probiotic use to the era of precision, mechanism-driven microbiome therapeutics designed to achieve durable control of CDI recurrence.

Wind energy has gained significant attention as a clean, renewable resource due to fossil fuels' environmental impact. Accurate wind speed forecasting is essential to address variability and intermittency challenges. Current forecasting difficulties arise from wind speed's high susceptibility to meteorological conditions. This study proposes a GA-based ensemble framework that combines forecasting models using genetic algorithms. We systematically compared 14 models: linear models (AR, ARMA), advanced neural networks (MLP, RBF), hybrid models, and ensembles. Models were evaluated using minute-by-minute data from five major Brazilian cities: Brasília, Florianópolis, Petrolina, Natal, and São Luís. Key findings include: I) Superior Performance: The proposed framework achieved MSE values from 0.0802 to 0.9020 and MAE values from 0.1970 to 0.6140 across all datasets; II) Robust Prediction: values ranged from 0.7139 to 0.8723, demonstrating strong predictive capability; III) Statistical Validation: Friedman test ( ) confirmed significant differences with perfect rank stability across all locations; IV) High Scalability: Runtimes ranged from 58,077.3 to 77,815.7 s, determined by the base model combination; and V) Computational Efficiency: One-step-ahead forecasting requires only 0.0003 s for weighting and combination.

Timomodulina (TMD) é um extrato polipeptídico do timo de vitelo com ação imunomoduladora, porém seu uso clínico é limitado pela necessidade de administração parenteral prolongada. Neste trabalho, desenvolveram-se micropartículas poliméricas mucoadesivas contendo TMD, como alternativa de liberação modificada, visando melhorar a adesão ao tratamento. Formulações com 5%, 10% e 20% de TMD foram preparadas por secagem por aspersão (spray-drying) usando hidroxipropilmetilcelulose (HPMC) e poloxâmero 188. As micropartículas obtidas apresentaram morfologia predominantemente esférica/distorcida, superfície lisa a rugosa, e tamanho médio em torno de 10 µm. O método colorimétrico (Lowry) empregado para quantificação de TMD foi seletivo e linear, revelando eficiências de encapsulamento elevadas (84,4–98,6%). A difração de raios X indicou que o TMD se encontra majoritariamente disperso amorfamente na matriz polimérica. Espectros de FTIR confirmaram a ausência de interações químicas entre fármaco e polímeros. Análises térmicas (TG e DSC) evidenciaram que a incorporação em matriz polimérica conferiu proteção térmica ao TMD, reduzindo eventos de degradação. Em tampão fosfato pH 6,8, as formulações com 10% e 20% de TMD apresentaram liberação in vitro lenta e sustentada, liberando cerca de 23% do fármaco em 3 horas (eficiências de dissolução ~7,7%). Os resultados demonstram que as micropartículas de TMD obtidas por spray-drying constituem uma estratégia promissora para novas formas farmacêuticas de liberação prolongada do imunomodulador.

A classificação radiográfica da posição de terceiros molares é uma ferramenta utilizada para a mensuração da dificuldade pré-operatória em extrações. As classificações de Pell e Gregory, e Winter são as mais difundidas e se baseiam em parâmetros radiográficos. Objetivo: avaliar a prevalência das posições de terceiros molares inferiores em pacientes atendidos no projeto de extensão (Projeto Siso), que ocorre na Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, considerando tais classificações. Metodologia: foi procedido um levantamento de 81 radiografias panorâmicas no período de 2023 a 2024, além de dados como sexo e idade. Posteriormente, todas as radiografias foram analisadas por três observadores, que classificaram 162 sisos inferiores. Resultados: a posição Vertical (41,5%), o grau A (59,2%) e a classe I (53,4%) tiveram a maior prevalência segundo a média geral dos observadores, tendo maior participação de pacientes do sexo feminino (73%), na faixa etária de 21 a 25 anos (48%). Conclusão: maior participação por pacientes do sexo feminino e jovem, sendo que a maioria dos elementos se encontram com angulação vertical, considerada a terceira em facilidade de remoção.