Browsing by Author "Clemente, M. Pais"
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- Down syndrome: otolaryngological effects of rapid maxillary expansionPublication . Moura, C. Pinto de; Andrade, D.; Cunha, L. M.; Tavares, M. J.; Gonçalves, Maria João; Vaz, P.; Barros, H.; Pueschel, S. M.; Clemente, M. PaisPhenotypical Down syndrome includes pharyngeal and maxillary hypoplasia and, frequently, constricted maxillary arch with nasal obstruction. This clinical trial assessed the effects of rapid maxillary expansion on ENT disorders in 24 children with Down syndrome randomly allocated to receive either rapid maxillary expansion or not. Each group received ENT and speech therapy assessments before expansion and after the device had been removed. In the rapid maxillary expansion group, the yearly ENT infection rate was reduced when assessed after device removal (p < 0.01). The parents of rapid maxillary expansion children reported a reduction in respiratory obstruction symptoms. Audiological assessment revealed improvements in the rapid maxillary expansion group (p < 0.01). Cephalometry showed increased maxillary width in the rapid maxillary expansion group. Rapid maxillary expansion resulted in a reduction in hearing loss, yearly rate of ENT infections and parentally assessed symptoms of upper airway obstruction, compared with no treatment. These findings are probably related to expanded oronasal space, due to rapid maxillary expansion.
- Rat muscle opacity decrease due to the osmosis of a simple mixturePublication . Oliveira, Luís; Lage, Armindo; Clemente, M. Pais; Tuchin, Valery V.It is known that the fibrous structure of muscle causes light scattering. This phenomenon occurs due to the refractive index discontinuities located between muscle fibers and interstitial fluid. To study the possibility of reducing light scattering inside muscle, we consider its spectral transmittance evolution during an immersion treatment with an optical clearing solution containing ethanol, glycerol, and distilled water. Our methodology consists of registering spectral transmittance of muscle samples while immersed in that solution. With the spectral data collected, we represent the transmittance evolution for some wavelengths during the treatment applied. Additionally, we study the variations that the treatment has caused on the samples regarding tissue refractive index and mass. By analyzing microscopic photographs of tissue cross section, we can also verify changes in the internal arrangement of muscle fibers caused by the immersion treatment. Due to a mathematical model that we develop, we can explain the variations observed in the studied parameters and estimate the amount of optical clearing agent that has diffused into the tissue samples during the immersion treatment. At the end of the study, we observe and explain the improvement in tissue spectral transmittance, which is approximately 65% after 20 min.