Bothrops jararaca Peptide with Anti-Hypertensive Action Normalizes Endothelium Dysfunction Involved in Physiopathology of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension, proteinuria and edema, is a major cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Bj-PRO-10c, a proline-rich peptide isolated from Bothrops jararaca venom, has been attributed with potent anti-hypertensive effects. Recently, we have shown that Bj-PRO-10c-induced anti-hypertensive actions involved NO production in spontaneous hypertensive rats. Using in vitro studies we now show that Bj-PRO-10c was able to increase NO production in human umbilical vein endothelial cells from hypertensive pregnant women (HUVEC-PE) to levels observed in HUVEC of normotensive women. Moreover, in the presence of the peptide, eNOS expression as well as argininosuccinate synthase activity, the key rate-limiting enzyme of the citrulline-NO cycle, were enhanced. In addition, excessive superoxide production due to NO deficiency, one of the major deleterious effects of the disease, was inhibited by Bj-PRO-10c. Bj-PRO-10c induced intracellular calcium fluxes in both, HUVEC-PE and HUVEC, which, however, led to activation of eNOS expression only in HUVEC-PE. Since Bj-PRO-10c promoted biological effects in HUVEC from patients suffering from the disorder and not in normotensive pregnant women, we hypothesize that Bj-PRO-10c induces its anti-hypertensive effect in mothers with preeclampsia. Such properties may initiate the development of novel therapeutics for treating preeclampsia.

Phase equilibria of lysozyme precipitation with the volatile salt ammonium carbamate

Lysozyme precipitation induced by the addition of the volatile salt ammonium carbamate was studied through cloud-point measurements and precipitation assays. Phase equilibrium experiments were carried out at 5.0, 15.0 and 25.0 degrees C and the compositions of the coexisting phases were determined. A complete separation of the coexisting liquid and solid phases could not be achieved. Nevertheless it was possible to determine the composition of the solid precipitate through the extensions of experimental tie lines. The same precipitate was found at all temperatures. Lysozyme enzymatic activities of the supernatant and precipitate phases were also determined. The activity balance suggests that ammonium carbamate preserves lysozyme activity after the salting-out precipitation. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis Primarily Affecting the Spine Treated With Anti-TNF Therapy

Study Design. A case report describing chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) with initial presentation limited to spine, successfully treated by anti-TNF-alpha therapy after failure of conventional treatment methods. Objective. To describe an unusual manifestation and treatment of a rare disease. Summary of Background Data. CRMO is a rare inflammatory bone disease that should be differentiated from bacterial osteomyelitis. Rarely, it can affect the spine and in this case the most important differential diagnosis is infectious spondylodiscitis. The disease has an unpredictable course with exacerbations and spontaneous remissions. Although the majority of cases remit spontaneously (or after the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]), some progressive and resistant cases have been reported. Methods. We describe a case of CRMO with an unusual clinical presentation emphasizing the importance of this finding as a differential diagnosis of spondylodiscitis and comment on the available treatment alternatives. Results. A 17-year-old man presented with debilitating dorsal spine pain. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed bone lesions at multiple vertebral levels. After failure of antibiotic treatment, the diagnosis of CRMO was suggested. An initial good response to NSAIDs was followed by a recurrent course and involvement of peripheral joints besides the use of corticosteroids and other drugs. The introduction of infliximab was followed by complete remission of the disease. Conclusion. Our observation highlights the need of awareness for the differential diagnosis in suspected cases of osteomyelitis not responding to antibiotics. Anti-TNF-alpha agents should be considered in CRMO refractory cases.

Cutaneous vasculitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: association with anti-ribosomal P protein antibody and Raynaud phenomenon

Ninety-one consecutive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (American College of Rheumatology criteria) with a history of cutaneous vasculitis were compared to 163 SLE controls without this clinical manifestation from July to December 2007 in order to determine the possible clinical and serological association of this manifestation. Data were obtained in an ongoing electronic database protocol and autoantibodies to anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-La/SS-B, and anticardiolipin and ribosomal P protein antibody (anti-P) were detected by standard techniques. Exclusion criteria were the presence of anti-phospholipid syndrome or antibodies, Sjogren syndrome, and a history of thrombosis. The mean age (38.5 +/- 11.5 vs. 37.8 +/- 11.6 years, p = 0.635), disease duration (12.5 +/- 7.8 vs. 11.8 +/- 7.9 years, p = 0.501), and frequency of white race (71.4% vs. 70.5%, p = 0.872) and female sex (96.8% vs. 93.7%, p = 0.272) were comparable in both groups. The vasculitis group had a higher frequency of malar rash (97.9% vs. 87.4%, p = 0.004), photosensitivity (91.4% vs. 81.6%, p = 0.030), and Raynaud phenomenon (RP; 27.7% vs. 7.5%, p < 0.001), whereas all other clinical manifestation including renal and central nervous system involvements were similar to the control group. Laboratorial data revealed that only anti-P (35.1% vs. 12.1%, p < 0.001) was more frequent in patients with vasculitis. In a multivariate logistic regression model, cutaneous vasculitis was associated to the presence of RP (OR = 3.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.73-8.00) and anti-P (OR = 3.42; 95% CI = 1.76-6.66). In summary, SLE cutaneous vasculitis characterizes a subgroup of patients with more RP and anti-P antibodies but not accompanied by a higher frequency of renal and central nervous system involvements.

Hepatoportal Sclerosis and Extrahepatic Portal Venous Obstruction Associated with Anti-phospholipid Antibody Syndrome in Child

We report a 2-year-old child with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction, hepatoportal sclerosis and pulmonary thromboembolism whose sole hypercoagulability factor was the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies.

Stability of wet versus dry bonding with different solvent-based adhesives

Objective. To evaluate the effects of surface moisture (wet or dry) and storage (24h or 3 months) on the microtensile bond strength (BS) of resin/dentin bonds mediated by two water/ethanol based adhesives Single Bond, 3M-ESPE, (SB) and Opti Bond Solo Plus, Kerr, (OB), and two acetone-based adhesives, One Step, Bisco, (OS) and Prime&Bond NT, Caulk/Dentsply, (PB). Materials and methods. Flat dentin surfaces were polished with 600-grit SiC paper, etched with 35% phosphoric acid for 15 s and rinsed for 20 s. Half the surface was maintained moist and the other half was air-dried for 30 s. Each adhesive was applied simultaneously to both halves, left undisturbed for 30 s and light-cured. Four-mm resin build-ups were constructed incrementally. After storage in water at 37 degrees C for 24h, slabs were produced by transversal sectioning and trimmed to an hourglass shape (0.8 mm 2). Half of the specimens were tested in tension at 0.6 mm/min immediately after trimming and the other half after 3 months of water storage. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and SNK for each material. Results. Both moisture and storage affected BS to dentin, and was material- dependent. Dry, bonding affected mostly the acetone-based adhesives. Larger reductions in bond strength were associated with dry bonding after 3 months of water storage. Significance. Wet bonding resulted in more stable bonds over 3 months of water storage for most of the materials tested. (C) 2007 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solubility of Epiphany Endodontic Sealer Prepared with Resinous Solvent

Purpose: To evaluate in vitro the solubility of the Epiphany endodontic filling material Epiphany (Pentron Clinical Technologies, Wallingford, CT) prepared with its resinous solvent. Methods: The specimens were prepared in the following experimental conditions: (1) GI, epiphany without photoactivation; (2) GII, Epiphany prepared with resinous solvent without photoactivation; (3) Gill, Epiphany followed by photoactivation; and (4) GIV, Epiphany prepared with resinous solvent followed by photoactivation. Ten specimens of each group were obtained from Teflon molds with 80% reduction in volume of the specimen`s dimensions based on American National Standard Institute/American Dental Association (ANSI/ADA) Specification No. 57. The samples were weighted and immersed in distilled water for 7 days. After this period, they were removed, dried, and weighed again. Solubility was calculated by using samples weight loss (%). The immersion liquid was evaluated through atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: The sealers without photoactivation were statistically similar (p > 0.05) between themselves (GI = 6.93% and GII = 6.39%) and different from the uncured sealers, which were statistically different between themselves (p < 0.05) (GIII = 3.56% and GIV = 0.47%). Only the Epiphany sealer prepared with resinous solvent followed by photoactivation presented solubility values within ANSI/ADA requirements, liberating the following amounts of ions: 114.43 mu g of Ca(2+)/mL, 2.4 mu g of Mg(2+)/mL, 0.33 mu g of Fe(2+)/mL, 0.11 mu 4g of Zn(2+)/mL, 1.31 mu g of Ni(2+)/mL, and 7.1 mu g of Na(+)/mL. Conclusion: The association of resinous solvent to the Epiphany sealer followed by photoactivation resulted in a filling material with low solubility and expressive liberation of calcium ions. (J Endod 2009;35:715-718)

Bond Strength of Epiphany Sealer Prepared with Resinous Solvent

This study evaluated in vitro the bond strength of Epiphany sealer prepared with resinous solvent of Epiphany system (Thinning resin) by using a push-out test. Forty maxillary canines were sectioned transversally below the cementoenamel junction to provide 4-mm-thick dentin disks that were centered in aluminum rings and embedded in acrylic resin. Root canals were prepared with tapered diamond bur. Intraradicular dentin was treated with 1% NaOCl for 30 minutes, 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid for 5 minutes, and flushed with distilled water for 1 minute. The specimens were randomly distributed into 4 groups (n = 10) according to the filling material: GI, Epiphany without photoactivation; GII, Epiphany prepared with solvent without photoactivation; Gill, Epiphany followed by photoactivation; and GIV, Epiphany prepared with solvent followed by photoactivation. After the setting time, the specimens were submitted to the push-out test. The highest mean value (14.91 +/- 2.82 MPa) was obtained with Epiphany prepared with solvent followed by photoactivation (GIV), which was statistically different (P < .01) from the other groups. Groups I (8.15 +/- 2.47 MPa), II (9.46 +/- 2.38 MPa), and III (9.80 +/- 2.51 MPa) had inferior bond strength values and were statistically similar among themselves (P > .01). The resinous solvent of Epiphany system increased the bond strength of Epiphany sealer to dentin walls when followed by photoactivation. (J Endod 2009;35: 251-255)

A combined X-ray and theoretical study of flavonoid compounds with anti-inflammatory activity

The structure of 7,4`-dimethoxy-3`-acetylflavone (tithonin-Ac) has been determined by X-ray diffraction and its geometry is compared with optimized geometrical parameters obtained by means of density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of calculation. in addition, vertical ionization potential (IPv) and acidity for tithonin-Ac and two derivatives have been also calculated. Calculations of spin densities were also performed for the radical formed by the electron abstraction of other flavones. The unpaired electron is located on C3 carbon atom (21-25%). (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Precipitation of Porcine Insulin With Carbon Dioxide

Recent works have pointed to the use of volatile electrolytes such as carbon dioxide (CO(2)) dissolved in aqueous solutions as a promising alternative to the precipitating agents conventionally used for protein recovery in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this work we investigated experimental and theoretical aspects of the precipitation of porcine insulin, a biomolecule of pharmaceutical interest, using CO(2) as an acid- precipitating agent. The Solubility of porcine insulin in NaHCO(3) solutions in pressurized CO(2) was determined as a function of temperature and pressure, with a minimum being observed close to the protein isoclectric point. A thermodynamic model was developed and successfully utilized to correlate the experimental data. Insulin was considered a polyelectrolyte in the model and its self-association reactions were also taken into account. The biological activity of insulin was maintained after precipitation With CO(2), although some activity can be lost if foam is formed in the depressurization step. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 909-919. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cellulose swelling by protic solvents: which properties of the biopolymer and the solvent matter?

The question posed in the title has been addressed by studying the swelling of celluloses at 20 C by twenty protic solvents, including water; linear- and branched-chain aliphatic alcohols; unsaturated aliphatic alcohols, and alkoxyalcohols. The biopolymers investigated included microcrystalline cellulose, MC, native and never-dried mercerized cotton cellulose, cotton and M-cotton, and native and never-dried mercerized eucalyptus cellulose, eucalyptus and M-eucalyptus, respectively. In most cases, better correlations with the physico-chemical properties of the solvents were obtained when the swelling was expressed as number of moles of solvent/anhydroglucose unit, nSw, rather than as % increase in sample weight. The descriptors employed in these correlations included, where available, Hildebrand`s solubility parameters, Gutmann`s acceptor and donor numbers, solvent molar volume, V(S), as well as solvatochromic parameters. The latter, employed for the first time for correlating the swelling of biopolymers, included empirical solvent polarity, E(T)(30), solvent ""acidity"", alpha(S), ""basicity"", beta(S), and dipolarity/polarizability, pi(S)*, respectively. Small regression coefficients and large sums of the squares of the residues were obtained when values of nSw were correlated with two solvent parameters. Much better correlations were obtained with three solvent parameters. The most statistically significant descriptor in the correlation equation depends on the cellulose, being pi(S)* for MC, cotton, and eucalyptus, and V(S) for M-cotton and M-eucalyptus. The best correlations were obtained with the same set of four parameters for all celluloses, namely, solvent pKa (or alpha(S)) beta(S), pi(S)*, and V(S), respectively. These results indicate that the supra-molecular structure of the biopolymer, in particular the average sizes of crystallites and micro-pores, and the presence of its chains in parallel (cellulose I) or anti-parallel (cellulose II) arrangements control its swelling. At least for the present biopolymer/solvent systems, use of solvatochromic parameters is a superior alternative to Hildebrand`s solubility parameters and/or Gutmann`s acceptor and donor numbers. The relevance of these results to the accessibility of the hydroxyl groups of cellulose, hence to its reactivity, is briefly discussed.

Design, construction and evaluation of a simple pressurized solvent extraction system

This work describes the construction and testing of a simple pressurized solvent extraction (PSE) system. A mixture of acetone:water (80:20), 80 ºC and 103.5 bar, was used to extract two herbicides (Diuron and Bromacil) from a sample of polluted soil, followed by identification and quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The system was also used to extract soybean oil (70 ºC and 69 bar) using pentane. The extracted oil was weighed and characterized through the fatty acid methyl ester analysis (myristic (< 0.3%), palmitic (16.3%), stearic (2.8%), oleic (24.5%), linoleic (46.3%), linolenic (9.6%), araquidic (0.3%), gadoleic (< 0.3%), and behenic (0.3%) acids) using high-resolution gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HRGC-FID). PSE results were compared with those obtained using classical procedures: Soxhlet extraction for the soybean oil and solid-liquid extraction followed by solid-phase extraction (SLE-SPE) for the herbicides. The results showed: 21.25 ± 0.36% (m/m) of oil in the soybeans using the PSE system and 21.55 ± 0.65% (m/m) using the soxhlet extraction system; extraction efficiency (recovery) of herbicides Diuron and Bromacil of 88.7 ± 4.5% and 106.6 ± 8.1%, respectively, using the PSE system, and 96.8 ± 1.0% and 94.2 ± 3.9%, respectively, with the SLP-SPE system; limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for Diuron of 0.012 mg kg-1 and 0.040 mg kg-1, respectively; LOD and LOQ for Bromacil of 0.025 mg kg-1 and 0.083 mg kg-1, respectively. The linearity used ranged from 0.04 to 1.50 mg L-1 for Diuron and from 0.08 to 1.50 mg L-1 for Bromacil. In conclusion, using the PSE system, due to high pressure and temperature, it is possible to make efficient, fast extractions with reduced solvent consumption in an inert atmosphere, which prevents sample and analyte decomposition.

A convenient method for lecithin purification from fresh eggs

The increasing demand for fatty acid-free lecithin required modifications in existing purification methods. In this technical note we describe a purification procedure with the following steps: a) homogenization and extraction of yolks obtained from fresh eggs with acetone, b) solubilization with ethanol and solvent elimination and c) repeated solubilization/precipitation with petroleum ether/acetone. This crude extract was chromatographed on neutral alumina, which was exhaustively washed with chloroform before elution with chloroform:methanol, allowing the sequential separation of fatty acids and lecithin. Chromatographic behavior and mass spectra of the product are presented. This fast procedure yields fatty acid-free lecithin at a competitive cost.

Influence of alpha-tocopherol on the levels of serum anti-oxLDL antibodies

Purpose - This paper aims to evaluate the association between the a-tocopherol with the levels of serum anti-oxLDL autoantibodies and the risk markers for cardiovascular disease. Design/methodology/approach - A normolipidemic control group (n=30) and a hypercholesterolemic group (n=33) were used. Plasma lipid profile (colorimetric method), anti-oxLDL autoantibodies (ELISA) and a-tocopherol (HPLC) were analysed. Findings - The a-tocopherol (ß=-0.714; p=0.001) is negatively associated with anti-oxLDL autoantibodies in serum and with other risk markers for cardiovascular disease (BMI, WC, total cholesterol, LDL-c) and positively associated with HDL-c. Originality/value - Oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and their autoantibodies are increased in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. The a-tocopherol can influence the levels of serum anti-oxLDL autoantibodies

Sand bioconsolidation through the precipitation of calcium carbonate by two ureolytic bacteria

Two ureolytic strains, B. sphaericus LMG 22257 and Bacillus sp (I-001), were tested for their ability to consolidate sand by submitting them to two days` treatment using 10(7) viable cell concentrations of inocula and medium precipitation with calcium ions. The results showed that B. sphaericus LMG 22257 induced greater calcium carbonate formation. Both strains produced calcite and were able to consolidate sand. Tensile strength of consolidated sand was not a function of the amount of precipitated CaCO(3) but a linear function of the ratio bioconsolidation index (BC) defined as the ratio of CaCO(3) volume to initial sand porosity. A simple model to estimate the engineering benefits of consolidation is proposed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.