Seroprevalence of anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies in rural dogs from the city of Monte Negro, State of Rondonia, Brazil

The present study assessed the prevalence of anti-Leishmania spp antibodies in dogs from the city of Monte Negro, State of Rondonia, Brazil ELISA (NE >= 3) and IFAT (>= 1 40) were used to evaluate 161 serum samples collected from rural dogs from Monte Negro Forty-five (27 9%) dogs were positive by ELISA tests and five (3 1%) were positive by IFAT The present study showed for the first time the frequency of exposure to Leishmania spp in dogs in the State of Rondonia, Amazon Region

HOST-MEDIATED INDUCTION OF alpha-AMYLASES BY LARVAE OF THE MEXICAN BEAN WEEVIL Zabrotes subfasciatus (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE: BRUCHINAE) IS IRREVERSIBLE AND OBSERVED FROM THE INITIATION OF THE FEEDING PERIOD

Larvae of Zabrotes subfasciatus secrete alpha-amylases that are insensitive to the alpha-amylase inhibitor found in seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris. By analyzing amylase activities during larval development on P. vulgaris, we detected activity of the constitutive amylase and the two inducible amylase isoforms at all stages. When larvae were transferred from the non alpha-amylase inhibitor containing seeds of Vigna unguiculata to P. vulgaris, the inducible alpha-amylases were expressed at the same level as in control larvae fed on P. vulgaris. Interestingly, when larvae were transferred from seeds of P. vulgaris to those of V. unguiculata, inducible alpha-amylases continued to be expressed at a level similar to that found in control larvae fed P. vulgaris continuously. When 10-day-old larvae were removed from seeds of V. unguiculata and transferred into capsules containing flour of P. vulgaris cotyledons, and thus maintained until completing 17 days ( age when the larvae stopped feeding), we could detect higher activity of the inducible alpha-amylases. However, when larvae of the same age were transferred from P. vulgaris into capsules containing flour of V. unguiculata, the inducible alpha-amylases remained up-regulated. These results suggest that the larvae of Z. subfasciatus have the ability to induce insensitive amylases early in their development. A short period of feeding on P. vulgaris cotyledon flour was sufficient to irreversibly induce the inducible alpha-amylase isoforms. Incubations of brush border membrane vesicles with the alpha-amylase inhibitor 1 from P. vulgaris suggest that the inhibitor is recognized by putative receptors found in the midgut microvillar membranes. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of a pre-Columbian funerary gold mask from the Museum of Sican, Peru

A funerary gold mask from the Museum of Sican, Ferranafe, Peru was analyzed in 30 different areas using a portable equipment using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. It was deduced from the measurements that the main sheet of the mask and the majority of the pendants have a similar composition and are made of tumbaga, which means a poor gold alloy enriched at the surface by depletion gilding, and have a similar `equivalent` gilding thickness of about 5 mu m. The nose, also on tumbaga, has different composition and a thickness of about 8 mu m. The clamps are on gilded or on silvered copper. The red pigment dispersed on the surface of the mask is cinnabar. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dating archeological ceramics from the Valley of Vitor, Arequipa by the TL method

The age of some ancient pottery from the Valley of Vitor in the region of Arequipa, Peru, is determined by the thermoluminescence (TL) method. For dating, a 325 degrees C TL peak was used and irradiation with -dose from 5 to 50Gy was carried out for the additive method, and from 0.4 to 5Gy for the regeneration method. For these dose values, the TL intensity is observed to grow linearly, obtaining an accumulated dose of 1.62 +/- 0.09Gy and 1.36 +/- 0.03Gy for the additive and regeneration methods, respectively. The age (A) of the sample was calculated by the two methods, being A=867 +/- 195 years after Christ (AC) for the additive method and A=1050 +/- 157 years AC for the regeneration method. Both results are within 800-1200 years AC, which is the period of the Wari culture.

Chondrichthyans from the base of the Irati Formation (Early Permian, Parana Basin), Sao Paulo, Brazil

Three species of chondrichthyans are reported from conglomeratic sandstone at the base of the Lower Permian (Artinskian) Irati Formation (Parana Basin) near Rio Claro, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The fossils include: 1) dispersed teeth of the petalodont ltapyrodus punctatus Silva Santos 1990, first described from the Permian (Artinskian) Pedra do Fogo Formation, Parnaiba Basin, Northeast Brazil; 2) a new species of tooth of the Order Orodontiformes; and 3) a new species of finspine of the Order Ctenacanthiformes. These fossils occur in an allochthonous assemblage of vertebrate remains including other Chondrichthyes, Xenacanthiformes and cladodonts, paleonisciform bony fish, and tetrapods. This discovery is a significant contribution to the sparse record of South American Chondrichthyes from the Early Permian and raises questions regarding the paleoenvironmental adaptations among these fish within Paleozoic basins of Brazil at this time. (C) 2010 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Purification, characterization and sequencing of the major beta-1,3-glucanase from the midgut of Tenebrio molitor larvae

The major beta-1,3-glucanase from Tenebrio molitor (TLam) was purified to homogeneity (yield, 6%; enrichment, 113 fold; specific activity, 4.4 U/mg). TLam has a molecular weight of 50 kDa and a pH optimum of 6. It is an encloglucanase that hydrolyzes beta-1,3-glucans as laminarin and yeast beta-1,3-1,6-glucan, but is inactive toward other polysaccharides (as unbranched beta-1,3-glucans or mixed beta-1,3-1,4-glucan from cereals) or disaccharides. The enzyme is not inhibited by high substrate concentrations and has low processivity (0.6). TLam has two ionizable groups involved in catalysis, and His, Tyr and Arg residues plus a divalent ion at the active site. A Cys residue important for TLam activity is exposed after laminarin binding. The cDNA coding for this enzyme was cloned and sequenced. It belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 16, and is related to other insect glucanases and glucan-binding proteins. Sequence analysis and homology modeling allowed the identification of some residues (E174, E179, H204, Y304, R127 and R181) at the active site of the enzyme, which may be important for TLam activity. TLam efficiently lyses fungal cells, suggesting a role in making available walls and cell contents to digestion and in protecting the midgut from pathogen infections. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of cadmium and lead in cetacean Dolphinidae tissue from the coast of Bahia state in Brazil by GFAAS

In the present study, cadmium and lead in the muscle, lung, liver and kidney of dolphins (Sotalia guianensis and Stenella clymene) of the Bahia coast in the northwest of Brazil were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Samples were digested using a diluted oxidant mixture (HNO(3) + H(2)O(2)) with a microwave heating program performed in five steps. The optimized temperatures and chemical modifier for the pyrolysis and atomization were 700 degrees C, 1400 degrees C and Pd plus Mg for Cd, and 900 degrees C, 1800 degrees C and NH(4)H(2)PO(4) for Pb, respectively. Characteristic masses and limits of detections (n = 20, 3 sigma) for Cd and Pb were 1.6 and 9.0 pg and 0.82 ng g(-1) and 0.50 ng g(-1), respectively. Repeatability ranged from 0.87 to 8.22% for Cd and 4.31 to 8.09% for Pb. The found concentrations presented no statistical differences at the 95% confidence level when compared with the ICP OES methods. Addition and recovery tests were also performed and the results ranged between 87 and 112% for both elements. Samples of cetacean Dolphinidae (S. guianensis and S. clymene) were analyzed, and the higher concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 46.2 mu g g(-1) for Cd and 0.04 to 0.47 mu g g(-1) for Pb in liver, and from 0.133 to 277 mu g g(-1) for Cd in the kidney. (C) 2010 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.

Solvation in Pure Liquids: What Can Be Learned from the Use of Pairs of Indicators?

The solvation of six solvatochromic probes in a large number of solvents (33-68) was examined at 25 degrees C. The probes employed were the following: 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium-1-yl) phenolate (RB); 4-[(E)2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePM; 1-methylquinolinium-8-olate, QB; 2-bromo-4-[(E)-2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePMBr, 2,6-dichloro-4-(2,4,6-triphenyl pyridinium-1-yl) phenolate (WB); and 2,6-dibromo-4-[(E)-2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePMBr(2), respectively. Of these, MePMBr is a novel compound. They can be grouped in three pairs, each with similar pK(a) in water but with different molecular properties, for example, lipophilicity and dipole moment. These pairs are formed by RB and MePM; QB and MePMBr; WB and MePMBr(2), respectively. Theoretical calculations were carried out in order to calculate their physicochemical properties including bond lengths, dihedral angles, dipole moments, and wavelength of absorption of the intramolecular charge-transfer band in four solvents, water, methanol, acetone, and DMSO, respectively. The data calculated were in excellent agreement with available experimental data, for example, bond length and dihedral angles. This gives credence to the use of the calculated properties in explaining the solvatochromic behaviors observed. The dependence of an empirical solvent polarity scale E(T)(probe) in kcal/mol on the physicochemical properties of the solvent (acidity, basicity, and dipolarity/polarizability) and those of the probes (pK(a), and dipole moment) was analyzed by using known multiparameter solvation equations. For each pair of probes, values of E(T)(probe) (for example, E(T)(MePM) versus E(T)(RB)) were found to be linearly correlated with correlation coefficients, r, between 0.9548 and 0.9860. For the mercyanine series, the values of E(T)(probe) also correlated linearly, with (r) of 0.9772 (MePMBr versus MePM) and 0.9919 (MePMBr(2) versus MePM). The response of each pair of probes (of similar pK(a)) to solvent acidity is the same, provided that solute-solvent hydrogen-bonding is not seriously affected by steric crowding (as in case of RB). We show, for the first time, that the response to solvent dipolarity/polarizability is linearly correlated to the dipole moment of the probes. The successive introduction of bromine atoms in MePM (to give MePMBr, then MePMBr(2)) leads to the following linear decrease: pK(a) in water, length of the phenolate oxygen-carbon bond, length of the central ethylenic bond, susceptibility to solvent acidity, and susceptibility to solvent dipolarity/polarizability. Thus studying the solvation of probes whose molecular structures are varied systematically produces a wealth of information on the effect of solute structure on its solvation. The results of solvation of the present probes were employed in order to test the goodness of fit of two independent sets of solvent solvatochromic parameters.

Alkaloids from the Bark of Guatteria hispida and Their Evaluation as Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agents

Phytochemical investigation of the bark of Guatteria hispida afforded three new alkaloids, 9-methoxy-O-methylmoschatoline (1), 9-methoxyisomoschatoline (2), and isocerasonine (3), along with 10 known alkaloids, 8-oxopseudopalmatine (4), O-methylmoschatoline (5), lysicamine (6), liriodenine (7), 10-methoxyliriodenine (8), nornuciferine (9), anonaine (10), xylopine (11), coreximine (12), and isocoreximine (13). The major compounds, 2, 6, 12, and 13, showed significant antioxidant capacity in the ORAC(FL), assay. Compounds 5, 6, and 7 were active against S. epidermidis and C. dubliniensis, with MIC values in the range 12.5-100 mu g mL(-1).

Characterization and Identification of Proteolytic Bacteria From the Gut of the Velvetbean Caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The characterization and identification of proteolytic bacteria from the gut of the velvetbean caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis) were the objectives of this study. Twelve aerobic and anaerobic isolates of proteolytic bacteria were obtained from the caterpillar gut in calcium caseinate agar. The number of colony forming units (CFUs) of proteolytic bacteria was higher when the bacteria were extracted from caterpillars reared on artificial diet rather than on soybean leaves (1.73 +/- 0.35 X 10(3) and 0.55 +/- 0.22 X 10(3) CFU/mg gut, respectively). The isolated bacteria were divided into five distinct groups, according to their polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment-length polymorphism profiles. After molecular analysis, biochemical tests and fatty acid profile determination, the bacteria were identified as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus gallinarum, Enterococcus mundtii, and Staphylococcus xylosus. Bacterial proteolytic activity was assessed through in vitro colorimetric assays for (general) proteases, serine proteases, and cysteine proteases. The isolated bacteria were able of hydrolyzing all tested substrates, except Staphylococcus xylosus, which did not exhibit serine protease activity. This study provides support for the hypothesis that gut proteases from velvetbean caterpillar are not exclusively secreted by the insect cells but also by their symbiotic gut bacteria. The proteolytic activity from gut symbionts of the velvetbean caterpillar is suggestive of their potential role minimizing the potentially harmful consequences of protease inhibitors from some of this insect host plants, such as soybean, with implications for the management of this insect pest species.

A three-dimensional network constructed from the assembly of 1,3-diaminopropane-copper(II) and tetracyanopalladate(II) moieties

The coordination polymer [Cu(Pd(CN)(4))(pn)](n) (pn = 1,3-diaminopropane) has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure showed that three cyano groups of each [Pd(CN)(4)] unit bridge Cu(II) centers leading to the formation of a three-dimensional network. A series of bifurcated hydrogen bonds between the amino groups of the diamine and the nonbridging cyano groups of the cyanometallate result in the organization of suprarnolecular chains and rings along the polymer. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical analysis of the essential oil extracted from the seeds of Licaria puchury-major

The essential oil from seeds of Licaria puchury-major was isolated by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the oil was analyzed by GC and GUMS. Sixteen compounds were identified, representing 91.4% of the total oil. The major components were safrole (58.4%), dodecanoic acid (13.7%) and alpha-terpineol (8.4%). Oxygenated monoterpenoids were the main group of compounds.