Radioactivity studies in Porto urban area: gamma radiation of Paranhos sector

A set of radiation measurements were carried out in several public and private institutions. These were selected with basis on the people affluence and passage to these sites. These measurements were registration formed either indoor, outdoor or underground and were compiled in three Case Studies. Radiation doses measurements were also made, surface and underground locations, and compiled in other two Case Studies. There were sampled, at the same time, humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure and relevant construction materials at sampling locations. They were collected and registration formed to analyse if there is any relation or contribution for the measured value in each specific place. Geostatistical models were used to elaborate maps of the results both for radiation values and for doses. Preliminary relations were established among the measured parameters.

Preparation and characterization of beta-lactam antibiotic as Ionic liquids and salts

With the increase of bacterial resistance a large number of therapeutic strategies have been used to fight different kind of infections. In recent years ionic liquids (ILs) have been increasing the popularity and the number of applications. First ionic liquids were used mainly as solvent in organic synthesis, but now they are used in analytical chemistry, separation chemistry and material science among others. Additional to significant developments in their chemical properties and applications, ionic liquids are now bringing unexpected opportunities at the interface of chemistry with the life sciences Ionic liquids (ILs) are currently defined as salts that are composed solely of cations and anions which melt below 100ºC. Our goal in this work is to explore the dual activity of the ionic liquids, due to the presence of two different ions, an ion with bacterial activity as a beta-lactam antibiotic and different kinds of cations. In this work the anions of ILs and salts were derived from three different antibiotics: ampicillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. The cations were derived from substituted ammonium, phosphonium pyridinium and methylimidazolium salts, such as: tetraethyl ammonium, trihexiltetradecilphosphonium, cetylpyridinium, choline (an essential nutrient), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, and 1-ethanol-3-methyl imidazolium structures. Commercial ammonium and phosponium halogen salts were first transformed into hydroxides. on ionic exchange column (Amberlite IRA-400) in methanol. The prepared hydroxides were then neutralized with beta-lactam antibiotics. After crystallization we obtained pure ILs and salts containing beta-lactam antibiotics. This work presents a novel method for preparation of new salts of antibiotics with low melting point and their characterization.

Assessment of the environmental radiation by in situ gamma ray spectrometry

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) under certain conditions can reach hazardous radiological levels contributing to an additional exposure dose to ionizing radiation. Most environmental concerns are associated with uranium mining and milling sites, but the same concerns should be addressed to natural near surface occurrences of uranium as well as man-made sources such as technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) resulting from phosphates industry, ceramic industry and energy production activities, in particular from coal-fired power plants which is one of the major sources of increased exposure to man from enhanced naturally occurring materials. This work describes the methodology developed to assess the environmental radiation by in situ gamma spectrometry in the vicinity of a Portuguese coal fired power plant. The current investigation is part of a research project that is undergoing in the vicinity of Sines Coal-Fired Power Plant (south of Portugal) until the end of 2013.

Microencapsulation of herbicide MCPA with native beta-cyclodextrin and its methyl and hydroxypropyl derivatives: An experimental and theoretical investigation

When a pesticide is released into the environment, most of it is lost before it reaches its target. An effective way to reduce environmental losses of pesticides is by using controlled release technology. Microencapsulation becomes a promising technique for the production of controlled release agricultural formulations. In this work, the microencapsulation of chlorophenoxy herbicide MCPA with native b-cyclodextrin and its methyl and hydroxypropyl derivatives was investigated. The phase solubility study showed that both native and b-CD derivatives increased the water solubility of the herbicide and inclusion complexes are formed in a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1. The stability constants describing the extent of formation of the complexes have been determined by phase solubility studies. 1H NMR experiments were also accomplished for the prepared solid systems and the data gathered confirm the formation of the inclusion complexes. 1H NMR data obtained for the MCPA/CDs complexes disclosed noticeable proton shift displacements for OCH2 group and H6 aromatic proton of MCPA provided clear evidence of inclusion complexation process, suggesting that the phenyl moiety of the herbicide was included in the hydrophobic cavity of CDs. Free energy molecular mechanics calculations confirm all these findings. The gathered results can be regarded as an essential step to the development of controlled release agricultural formulations containing herbicide MCPA.

Evolution of Drug Resistance: Insight on TEM -Lactamases Structure and Activity and Beta-Lactam Antibiotics

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) prevalence was studied in the north of Portugal, among 193 clinical isolates belonging to citizens in a district in the boundaries between this country and Spain from a total of 7529 clinical strains. In the present study we recovered some members of Enterobacteriaceae family, producing ESBL enzymes, including Escherichia coli (67.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (30.6%), Klebsiella oxytoca (0.5%), Enterobacter aerogenes (0.5%), and Citrobacter freundii (0.5%). β-lactamases genes blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing approaches. TEM enzymes were among the most prevalent types (40.9%) followed by CTX-M (37.3%) and SHV (23.3%). Among our sample of 193 ESBL-producing strains 99.0% were resistant to the fourth-generation cephalosporin cefepime. Of the 193 isolates 81.3% presented transferable plasmids harboring genes. Clonal studies were performed by PCR for the enterobacterial repetitive intragenic consensus (ERIC) sequences. This study reports a high diversity of genetic patterns. Ten clusters were found for E. coli isolates and five clusters for K. pneumoniae strains by means of ERIC analysis. In conclusion, in this country, the most prevalent type is still the TEM-type, but CTX-M is growing rapidly.

Optimização e Validação da Produção de [13n]-Nh3 para Estudos Clínicos de Tomografia por Emissão de Positrões na Avaliação da Perfusão Miocárdica

A par das patologias oncológicas, as doenças do foro cardíaco, em particular a doença arterial coronária, são uma das principais causas de morte nos países industrializados, devido sobretudo, à grande incidência de enfartes do miocárdio. Uma das formas de diagnóstico e avaliação desta condição passa pela obtenção de imagens de perfusão miocárdica com radionuclídeos, realizada por Tomografia por Emissão de Positrões (PET). As soluções injectáveis de [15O]-H2O, [82Rb] e [13N]-NH3 são as mais utilizadas neste tipo de exame clínico. No Instituto de Ciências Nucleares Aplicadas à Saúde (ICNAS), a existência de um ciclotrão tem permitido a produção de uma variedade de radiofármacos, com aplicações em neurologia, oncologia e cardiologia. Recentemente, surgiu a oportunidade de iniciar exames clínicos com [13N]-NH3 para avaliação da perfusão miocárdica. É neste âmbito que surge a oportunidade do presente trabalho, pois antes da sua utilização clínica é necessário realizar a optimização da produção e a validação de todo o processo segundo as normas de Boas Práticas Radiofarmacêuticas. Após uma fase de optimização do processo, procedeu-se à avaliação dos parâmetros físico-químicos e biológicos da preparação de [13N]-NH3, de acordo com as indicações da Farmacopeia Europeia (Ph. Eur.) 8.2. De acordo com as normas farmacêuticas, foram realizados 3 lotes de produção consecutivos para validação da produção de [13N]-NH3. Os resultados mostraram um produto final límpido e ausente de cor, com valores de pH dentro do limite especificado, isto é, entre 4,5 e 8,5. A pureza química das amostras foi verificada, uma vez que relativamente ao teste colorimétrico, a tonalidade da cor da solução de [13N]-NH3 não era mais intensa que a solução de referência. As preparações foram identificadas como sendo [13N]-NH3, através dos resultados obtidos por cromatografia iónica, espectrometria de radiação gama e tempo de semi-vida. Por examinação do cromatograma obtido com a solução a ser testada, observou-se que o pico principal possuia um tempo de retenção aproximadamente igual ao pico do cromatograma obtido para a solução de referência. Além disso, o espectro de radiação gama mostrou um pico de energia 0,511 MeV e um outro adicional de 1,022 MeV para os fotões gama, característico de radionuclídeos emissores de positrões. O tempo de semi-vida manteve-se dentro do intervalo indicado, entre 9 e 11 minutos. Verificou-se, igualmente, a pureza radioquímica das amostras, correspondendo um mínimo de 99% da radioactividade total ao [13N], bem como a pureza radionuclídica, observando-se uma percentagem de impurezas inferiores a 1%, 2h após o fim da síntese. Os testes realizados para verificação da esterilidade e determinação da presença de endotoxinas bacterianas nas preparações de [13N]-NH3 apresentaram-se negativos.Os resultados obtidos contribuem, assim, para a validação do método para a produção de [13N]-NH3, uma vez que cumprem os requisitos especificados nas normas europeias, indicando a obtenção de um produto seguro e com a qualidade necessária para ser administrado em pacientes para avaliação da perfusão cardíaca por PET.