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This research work mainly deals with the application of confocal Raman spectroscopic technique to study in vivo human skin penetration of sunscreen products, as there are a lot of controversies associated with their skin penetration. Healthy human volunteers were tested for penetration of two commercial sunscreen products into their volar forearm skin for a period of 2 h. Measurements were taken before and after application of these sunscreen products. All the confocal Raman spectra were pre-processed and then subjected to multivariate two-dimensional principal component analysis and classical least squares analysis to determine the skin penetration of these sunscreens in comparison to the "sunscreen product spectrum" which was considered as the control. Score plots of principal component analysis of confocal Raman spectra indicated clear separation between the spectra before and after application of sunscreen products. Loading plots showed the maximum differences in the spectral region from 1590 to 1626 cm -1 where the characteristic peak of the pure sunscreen products was observed. Classical least squares analysis has shown a significant penetration to a depth of 10 μm in the volar forearm skin of healthy human volunteers for both these sunscreen products. The results confirm that the penetration of these tested sunscreen products was restricted to stratum corneum and also prove that confocal Raman spectroscopy is a simple, fast, nondestructive, and noninvasive semi-quantitative analytical technique for these studies.

The urban suburbs of Brazilian cities have grown without an adequate sanitation infrastructure. Different social groups try to overcome these shortcomings seeking local sanitation alternatives at individual or community levels, contrasting with the universal model of sewage networks. This study was developed in the suburban neighborhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in order to analyze the installation process of the sewage system under a territorial approach. Data facilitated the construction of territorial schemes related to conflicts during the implementation of sewage networks in this neighborhood, where middle class groups and favela residents coexist with environmental preservation areas, beaches and commercial activities. This work revealed the need for contextualized sanitation information made available by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and state sewage collection company, which conceal these conflicts or the representation of residents about their sanitation problems. Overlapping territorial managing functions should be considered as one of the factors responsible for the conflicts identified in the neighborhood. Further studies are suggested as methodological complementation and data update.

Background: In vivo confocal Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive method to assess either the epidermis or the dermis composition. Few studies have focused on dermis collagen alterations through intrinsic aging and photoaging., Objective: This study evaluated the in vivo Raman spectra from the dermis of a photoexposed site versus a non-photoexposed region in different age groups, and evaluated the correlation between peak intensities and age, photoaging score and the amount of collagen assessed with histology and high frequency ultrasound (HFUS)., Methods: Fifteen volunteers aged 28-82 years were divided into three groups according to forearm photoaging degree. In vivo Raman spectra from the dermis were collected on the dorsal forearm (chronically photoexposed skin) and on the proximal medial arm (non-photoexposed skin). Cross-sectional images of the skin were obtained using a 20MHz ultrasound unit exactly on the same sites, which were further submitted to punch biopsies for histologic study (collagen I immunohistochemistry, picrosirius red staining and Verhoeff). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were taken in the spectral region of 796cm -1 -996cm -1 to determine its potential to discriminate between different groups. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient of individual peak intensities and ratios with age, clinical score and the amount of collagen assessed by ultrasound and histology were calculated., Results: PCA of pairs of groups and OPLS-DA could discriminate the intrinsically from the photoaged skin and the young group from the elderly one, with important contribution of the 938cm -1 and 855cm -1 peaks intensities. The intensity of the peaks in 855cm -1 and/or 938cm -1 presented moderate correlation with age (rho=0.579, p=0.049) and moderate to high inverse correlation with HFUS echogenicity (rho=-0.710, p=0.010) and collagen I immunohistochemistry (rho=-0.833, p=0.005) in the non-photoexposed region. The I 1275 /I 1450 intensities ratio presented moderate to high correlation coefficients with age (rho=-0.730, p=0.007), photoaging score (rho=-0.594, p=0.042), HFUS echogenicity (rho=0.760, p<0.001) and histology (collagen I immunohistochemistry (rho=0.643, p=0.024), picrosirius (rho=0.773, p=0.005) and Verhoeff (rho=-0.727, p=0.011)) in the photoexposed site., Conclusion: The wavenumber region between 798 and 994cm -1 is useful for the analysis of dermal collagen alterations through the intrinsic aging process, while photoaging is better assessed by the I 1275 /I 1450 intensities ratio. This is the first skin aging study to show a correlation between Raman peaks and the amount of collagen assessed by HFUS and histology., (Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this study was to verify the agreement of urine, body mass variations and plasma parameters to determine the hydration status of 14 male runners (29±4 years and 54.3±5.5 mLO2/kg/min) in an official 21.1 km road race., Methods: The mean dry-bulb temperature and air relative humidity during the road race were 25.1±2.1 °C and 54.7±2.2%, respectively. The volume of water ingested by the runners was monitored using marked volumetric plastic bottles provided at the hydration stations located at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.5, 14.0, 16.0 and 18.5 km from the starting line. Hydration status was assessed using urine specific gravity (USG), urine osmolality (UOSM) and plasma osmolality (POSM). Furthermore, body mass variation (∆BM) was assessed by comparing body mass (BM) immediately prior and after the race. Total sweat was estimated by ∆BM, added water volume ingested and deducted blood volume collected. The sweat rate was calculated through total sweat and total exercise time., Results: The mean water intake was 0.82±0.40 L, and the mean sweat rate and total sweating were 1440.11±182.13 mL/h and 2.67±0.23 L. After the race, the BM reduced by 1.7±0.4 kg. The ∆BM was -2.41±0.47%, and the plasma volume variation was -9.79±4.6% between pre- and post-running measurements. Despite the POSM increased post-race compared to pre-race, the UOSM and USG did not change. No significant correlations were found between POSM variation with UOSM variation (r=-0.08; P=0.71), USG variation (r=-0.11; P=0.78) or ∆BM (r=0.09; P=0.77)., Conclusions: In conclusion, this study shows that both ∆BM and ∆POSM indicated a hypohydration state after exercise even though the ∆BM did not correlate significantly with ∆POSM. These results demonstrate that ∆BM is a practical method and can be sufficiently sensitive to evaluate the hydration state, but it should be utilized with caution.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the acute autonomic response of obese and eutrophic prepubertal boys to an exergame (EXG) session., Materials and Method: Nine eutrophic (8.89 ± 2.71 years of age and 16.42% ± 6.30% body fat) and nine obese boys (8.70 ± 1.16 years of age and 40.76% ± 4.2% body fat) participated. Nutritional state was determined using World Health Organization guidelines. Variables were collected at rest, immediately post (IP), and 60 minutes after a 20 minutes EXG session. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity was assessed using heart rate variability in time and frequency domains, and data were analyzed using Shapiro-Wilk and ANOVA tests with Tukey post hoc., Results: The obese group demonstrated an increased sympathetic activity at rest when compared with the eutrophic group (P < 0.05). The obese group also demonstrated an increased parasympathetic activity 60 minutes after the EXG session when compared with the eutrophic group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: We concluded that an acute session of EXG promoted ANS super compensation. We encourage research on chronic ANS response to EXG.

The analysis of biological systems by spectroscopic techniques involves the evaluation of hundreds to thousands of variables. Hence, different statistical approaches are used to elucidate regions that discriminate classes of samples and to propose new vibrational markers for explaining various phenomena like disease monitoring, mechanisms of action of drugs, food, and so on. However, the technical statistics are not always widely discussed in applied sciences. In this context, this work presents a detailed discussion including the various steps necessary for proper statistical analysis. It includes univariate parametric and nonparametric tests, as well as multivariate unsupervised and supervised approaches. The main objective of this study is to promote proper understanding of the application of various statistical tools in these spectroscopic methods used for the analysis of biological samples. The discussion of these methods is performed on a set of in vivo confocal Raman spectra of human skin analysis that aims to identify skin aging markers. In the Appendix, a complete routine of data analysis is executed in a free software that can be used by the scientific community involved in these studies.

Background: The aim of the present study was to compare the power output at the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) with the power output at the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT) and at the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) in both temperate (TEMP) (22 °C) and hot (HOT) (40 °C) climates., Methods: Eight young active male (23.9±2.4 yr, 75.9±7.3 kg and 47.8±4.9 mL/kg/min) were evaluated on a cycle ergometer and performed a progressive exercise test until fatigue to determine the IAT and OBLA and two to five 30-min exercise tests at constant intensities for determine MLSS at both temperatures. An ANOVA with repeated measures and Dunnett's post-hoc test was performed to compare results of IAT and OBLA to the variables at the MLSS in both climates with MLSS being considered as the standard., Results: At TEMP there was no difference between the power output at MLSS and IAT (180±11 W and 182±13 W, respectively), however, the intensity of the OBLA (154±11 W) was lower than MLSS (P<0.05). At HOT there was no difference between the power output at MLSS, IAT, and OBLA (148±11 W, 155±12 W and 144±11 W, respectively)., Conclusions: These results showed that IAT is sensitive enough to estimate MLSS in both TEMP and HOT climate.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 6-week aerobic training period on the time to fatigue (t lim) during exercise performed at the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS). Thirteen untrained male subjects (TG; age 22.5 ± 2.4 years, body mass 72.9 ± 6.7 kg and VO2max 44.9 ± 4.8 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) performed a cycle ergometer test until fatigue at the MLSS power output before and after 6 weeks of aerobic training. A group of eight control subjects (CG; age 25.1 ± 2.4 years, body mass 70.1 ± 9.8 kg and VO2max 45.2 ± 4.1 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) also performed the two tests but did not train during the 6-week period. There were no differences between the groups with respect to the VO2max or MLSS power output (MLSSw) before the treatment period. The VO2max and the MLSSw of the TG increased by 11.2 ± 7.2 % (pre-treatment = 44.9 ± 4.8 vs. post-treatment = 49.8 ± 4.5 mL kg(-1) min(-1)) and 14.7 ± 8.9 % (pre-treatment = 150 ± 27 vs. post-treatment = 171 ± 26 W), respectively, after 6 weeks of training. The results of the CG were unchanged. There were no differences in t lim between the groups or within groups before and after training. Six weeks of aerobic training increases MLSSw and VO2max, but it does not alter the t lim at the MLSS.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis, plays a significant role as a cofactor in the process of tumorigenesis, and has consistently been associated with a variety of malignancies especially in immunocompromised patients. Forty-four children and adolescents (21 liver transplant patients, 7 heart transplant, 5 AIDS, 3 autoimmune hepatitis, 2 nephritic syndromes, 2 medullar aplasia, 2 primary immunodeficiency disorder patients, 1 thrombocytopenic purpura and 1 systemic lupus erythematosus) presenting with chronic active EBV infection (VCA-IgM persistently positive; VCA-IgG > 20 AU/mL and positive IgG &#95; EBNA) had peripheral blood samples obtained during clinically characterized EBV reactivation episodes. DNA samples were amplified in order to detect and type EBV on the basis of the EBNA-2 sequence (EBNA2 protein is essential for EBV-driven immortalization of B lymphocytes). Although we have found a predominance of type 1 EBNA-2 virus (33/44; 75%), 10 patients (22.73%) carried type 2 EBNA-2, and one liver transplant patient (2.27%) a mixture of the two types, the higher proportion of type 2 EBV, as well as the finding of one patient bearing the two types is in agreement with other reports held on lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) patients, which analyzed tumor biopsies. We conclude that EBNA-2 detection and typing can be performed in peripheral blood samples, and the high prevalence of type 2 in our casuistic indicates that this population is actually at risk of developing LPD, and should be monitored.