The objective of this paper is to point out the positive and negative aspects of female sterilization as seen by two groups of sterilized women in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, based on a sociological discussion of their present health status, evaluating the associations that they generally make with the fact that they have been sterilized. The first group included mostly housewives fr...

Silicone is a polymer widely used for medical purposes, including breast implants. The aim of this work is to verify the occurrence of silicone gel diffusion through the lining membrane (bleed) of gel breast implants with smooth, textured, and polyurethane foam coated surfaces, sterilized by dry heat and ethylene oxide. The results enable us to conclude that there is significant difference for ...

Under stationary and anaerobic conditions, greater cell yields of Lactobacillus brevis were obtained from autoclaved than from filter-sterilized glucose media. Fructose, tentatively identified as a product generated by the heating process, served as an excellent catalyst for inducing growth. The addition of micromolar quantities of pentoses or potential pentose precursors to the filter-steriliz...