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Cheese bread (pão de queijo) is a traditional Brazilian product that is consumed widely in Brazil. There is also currently a trend towards exportation to foreign markets. Cheese bread dough is gluten-free and consequently it represents an alternative for people suffering from celiac disease. The aim of this study was to develop cheese breads with added guar gum and xanthan gum as partial fat substitutes to produce low-calorie bread, with reduced up to 55% of soybean oil and to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of frozen and baked cheese bread. Xanthan gum, guar gum, and a mixture of both gums in various proportions (0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%), as well as reduced soybean oil of standard, were added. The analysis of the moisture, pH, specific volume and density of the frozen and baked cheese bread dough was performed. The addition of xanthan gum resulted in better characteristics than guar gum or a mixture of both gums. The formulations containing xanthan gum had higher moisture retention and better texture in the frozen dough, as well as higher volume and lower density, which are desirable characteristics in baked bread. The treatments with the addition of xanthan gum and 55% reduction of partial fat (soybean oil) provided better moisture, density and specific volume to the baked bread and offer the possibility of developing low-calorie bread with much of the fat content of standard commercial formulations replaced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this research was to test, in an animal model, the nerve regeneration technique with a hypoallergenic acellular dermal matrix used to wrap the microsurgical neural suture., Materials and Methods: Two groups of rats received the cut of limb right median nerves. The regeneration technique considers for both groups an end-to-end nerve suture. In the experimental group (A) was used also a wrapping protocol by a conduit of collagen matrix currently used in oral surgery. The animals underwent functional grasping tests (at 1, 3, 5, and 7 months) and a histological and quantitative analysis of distal nerve was performed at the end of experimental time., Result: After seven months, the grasping test reveals functional recovery in each tested animal; this improvement is more evident in Group A. The fibers appear well organized with restored myelin sheaths in both groups. Group A showed a great quantity of connective tissue surrounding the nerve. The quantitative morphology analysis in both groups shows a similar fibers density, fiber diameter, and myelin thickness. The differences between the groups in axon mean diameter are significant. In Group A M/d, D/d, and g-ratio is significantly higher compared to control group., Conclusions: Histological and functional assessments show a functional recovery of the injured nerve in the test groups, stressed by the results of the grasping tests and the meaningful increasing in fiber diameter and higher g-ratio. Moreover, a connective tissue cuff distinguishes the distal portion of the injured nerve. Considering the easy availability and handling of the material used in this study we can conclude that this experimental technique can be considered as a valid alternative to protect nerves in nerve wrap surgery.

Nerve fibers are attracted by sutureless end-to-side nerve coaptation into the recipient nerve. Opening a window in the epineurium enhances axon attraction and myelination. The authors analyze the features of nerve repair by end-to-side coaptation. They highlight the known mechanisms of axon sprouting and different hypotheses of start up signals (presence or absence of an epineurial window, role of Schwann cells, signaling from the distal trunk). The clinical literature is also presented and differences between experimental and clinical applications are pointed out. The authors propose their point of view and perspectives deriving from recent experimental and clinical experiences., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None declared.

End-to-side nerve coaptation brings regenerating axons from the donor to the recipient nerve. Several techniques have been used to perform coaptation: microsurgical sutures with and without opening a window into the epi(peri)neurial connective tissue; among these, window techniques have been proven more effective in inducing axonal regeneration. The authors developed a sutureless model of end-to-side coaptation in the rat upper limb. In 19 adult Wistar rats, the median and the ulnar nerves of the left arm were approached from the axillary region, the median nerve transected and the proximal stump sutured to the pectoral muscle to prevent regeneration. Animals were then randomly divided in two experimental groups (7 animals each, 5 animals acting as control): Group 1: the distal stump of the transected median nerve was fixed to the ulnar nerve by applying cyanoacrylate solution; Group 2: a small epineurial window was opened into the epineurium of the ulnar nerve, caring to avoid damage to the nerve fibres; the distal stump of the transected median nerve was then fixed to the ulnar nerve by applying cyanoacrylate solution. The grasping test for functional evaluation was repeated every 10-11 weeks starting from week-15, up to the sacrifice (week 36). At week 36, the animals were sacrificed and the regenerated nerves harvested and processed for morphological investigations (high-resolution light microscopy as well as stereological and morphometrical analysis). This study shows that a) cyanoacrylate in end-to-side coaptation produces scarless axon regeneration without toxic effects; b) axonal regeneration and myelination occur even without opening an epineurial window, but c) the window is related to a larger number of regenerating fibres, especially myelinated and mature, and better functional outcomes.

The need for the continuous research of new tools for improving motor function recovery after nerve injury is justified by the still often unsatisfactory clinical outcome in these patients. It has been previously shown that the combined use of two reconstructive techniques, namely end-to-side neurorrhaphy and direct muscle neurotization in the rat hindlimb model, can lead to good results in terms of skeletal muscle reinnervation. Here we show that, in the rat forelimb model, the combined use of direct muscle neurotization with either end-to-end or end-to-side neurorrhaphy to reinnervate the denervated flexor digitorum muscles, leads to muscle atrophy prevention over a long postoperative time lapse (10 months). By contrast, very little motor recovery (in case of end-to-end neurorrhaphy) and almost no motor recovery (in case of end-to-side neurorrhaphy) were observed in the grasping activity controlled by flexor digitorum muscles. It can thus be concluded that, at least in the rat, direct muscle neurotization after both end-to-end and end-to-side neurorrhaphy represents a good strategy for preventing denervation-related muscle atrophy but not for regaining the lost motor function.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin cancer in humans. Because the incidence of metastasis from SCC of the skin is rare, regional lymphadenectomy is generally not recommended for the patients with clinically node-negative disease. However, in patients with an intermediate and high risk of metastasis, evaluation of the lymph nodes to detect the absence of metastatic nodal disease is a difficult task., Patients and Methods: The authors reviewed the pertinent demographic and surgical data in a consecutive series of six patients with squamous cell carcinoma who underwent sentinel lymph node staging. The tumour size was greater than 2 cm (T2) and the patients had clinically non-palpable regional lymph nodes (N0). All nodes were examined using haematoxylin-eosin staining. Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) and Selective Lymphadenectomy (SL) using preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative radiolymphoscintigraphy and vital dye injections was used to identify the sentinel lymph node avoiding complete axillary node dissection., Results: No false-negative results were observed. At a median follow-up of 10 months (mean 15 months), neither local or regional recurrences in sentinel node-negative basins have been noted., Conclusions: Sentinel node biopsy is a minimally invasive staging procedure useful in identifying occult regional lymph node disease in selected patients with squamous cutaneous malignancies of the arm. Furthermore sentinel lymph node histology is possibly the most important negative predictor of early recurrence and survival in patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I and II squamous cell carcinoma. Although sentinel node-negative patients are a prognostically favourable group, this small series of patients demonstrates that further studies to verify these findings and develop formal guidelines are indicated

Aim of the Study: The superior pedicle mammaplasty is a technique frequently employed in the treatment of breast ptosis, associated or not with hypertrophy of the gland, followed by satisfactory results. This technique is normally not indicated in severe breast ptosis (pendulous breast) because of the excessive length of the pedicle supplying nipple-areola-complex (NAC), with the risk of ischemia. In these cases the standard technique is the free-nipple-graft mammaplasty. However, the deepen knowledge about vascular anatomy of the breast and the aptitude to perform superior pedicle mammaplasty, induced the authors to indicate this technique even in these cases improving the aesthetic and functional outcomes., Material and Methods: The authors present a series of 30 patient with pendulous breasts, with sternal notch-nipple distance equal or superior to 32 cm (45 cm maximum; mean value 35.1), treated with the superior pedicle mammaplasty with inverted "T" scar. The results confirm the reliability of superior pedicle for the nipple-areolar complex blood supply, associated with satisfactory aesthetic results due especially to the good breast projection., Conclusions: They conclude that superior pedicle technique mammaplasty, even if normally not indicated in these cases, is instead suitable for the treatment of pendulous breasts with great sternal notch-nipple distance, permitting to take advantages of this technique.