Influência da esplenectomia na biodistribuição do ácido dimercaptosuccínico-tecnécio-99m (99mTc-DMSA) em ratos Wistar

A esplenectomia é indicada em doenças hematológicas, hiperesplenismo grave, traumas e tem sido causa de importantes alterações metabólicas e imunológicas. O objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar se a retirada do baço altera a biodistribuição do radiofármaco DMSA Tc99m em ratos Wistar e se há correlação com possíveis alterações da função renal. Foram usados dois grupos: esplenectomia (n=6) e controle (n=6) animais não operados. Após 15 dias, foi administrado 0,1 ml de DMSA-Tc99m via plexo orbital (0,66 MBq). Trinta minutos depois, foram retiradas amostras do rim, coração, pulmão, tireóide, estômago, bexiga, fêmur, sangue. Após pesadas as amostras, foi determinado o percentual de radioatividade/g (% ATI/g) em cada uma delas, com o Wizard Gama Counter Perkin-Elmer . Dosadas uréia e creatinina sérica, hematócrito, plaquetas e leucócitos. Estatística pelo teste t, com significância 0,05. Foi observada redução significante no %ATI/g no rim e sangue (p<0,05) dos animais esplenectomizados, aumento significante (p<0,05) da uréia (88,8±18,6mg/dL) e creatinina (0,56±0,08), comparado aos controles (51,5±1,6 e 0,37±0,02mg/dL, respectivamente) assim como leucocitose, aumento de plaquetas e redução de hematócrito. Em conclusão, a esplenectomia provocou comprometimento da função renal, repercutindo na alteração da captação de DMSA 99mTc pelo rim de ratos. Uma parceria entre a Unidade de Medicina Nuclear da Liga Norteriograndense Contra o Câncer e o Núcleo de Cirurgia Experimental da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande doNorte tornou possível a realização deste trabalho, que contou com a participação de profissionais de diferentes áreas como: Biologia, Biomedicina, Medicina Nuclear, Cirurgia Geral, Bioquímica e Estatística, atestando dessa forma o caráter multidisciplinar do trabalho

Desenvolvimento de protótipo de coletor automático destinado à coleta de amostras de água em corpos aquáticos para análise em laboratório

The aim of this approach is to describe the design and construction of a low-cost automated water sampler prototype. In recent years, there is an increasing need on the use of automated equipments for hydro climatic variables to be use in urban and rural environments. Such devices are always used to provide measured information which is of crucial importance on the development of water resources strategies at watershed scale. Actually, many research and water public institutions have been using these kinds of equipments. In most of the cases, automated equipments are expensive and need to be imported, generating a situation of technologic dependency. The prototype is based on an electronic system which controls a peristaltic pump functioning, five solenoid valves and an ultrasonic sensor connected to a datalloger. An interface with the user allows communication with a PC, when the equipment functioning parameters can be provided. The equipment has a hydraulic module composed by a 12V peristaltic pump connected to a distribution circuit composed by five solenoid valves, one of them being used to clean the circuit before each sampling procedure. Samples are collected by four 1.95 polyethylene bottles. The sampler body was made of acrylic material, with a cylindrical shape, and dimensions 0.72 m and 0.38 m height and diameter, respectively. The weight of the equipment without samples is approximately 15 kg, which infers to its portability. The prototype development total cost budget was approximately US$ 1,560.00. Laboratory tests aimed to evaluate the equipment performance and functioning demonstrated satisfactory results

Estudo sistemático de estrelas variáveis na era dos grandes surveys

The interest in the systematic analysis of astronomical time series data, as well as development in astronomical instrumentation and automation over the past two decades has given rise to several questions of how to analyze and synthesize the growing amount of data. These data have led to many discoveries in the areas of modern astronomy asteroseismology, exoplanets and stellar evolution. However, treatment methods and data analysis have failed to follow the development of the instruments themselves, although much effort has been done. In present thesis, we propose new methods of data analysis and two catalogs of the variable stars that allowed the study of rotational modulation and stellar variability. Were analyzed the photometric databases fromtwo distinctmissions: CoRoT (Convection Rotation and planetary Transits) and WFCAM (Wide Field Camera). Furthermore the present work describes several methods for the analysis of photometric data besides propose and refine selection techniques of data using indices of variability. Preliminary results show that variability indices have an efficiency greater than the indices most often used in the literature. An efficient selection of variable stars is essential to improve the efficiency of all subsequent steps. Fromthese analyses were obtained two catalogs; first, fromtheWFCAMdatabase we achieve a catalog with 319 variable stars observed in the photometric bands Y ZJHK. These stars show periods ranging between ∼ 0, 2 to ∼ 560 days whose the variability signatures present RR-Lyrae, Cepheids , LPVs, cataclysmic variables, among many others. Second, from the CoRoT database we selected 4, 206 stars with typical signatures of rotationalmodulation, using a supervised process. These stars show periods ranging between ∼ 0, 33 to ∼ 92 days, amplitude variability between ∼ 0, 001 to ∼ 0, 5 mag, color index (J - H) between ∼ 0, 0 to ∼ 1, 4 mag and spectral type CoRoT FGKM. The WFCAM variable stars catalog is being used to compose a database of light curves to be used as template in an automatic classifier for variable stars observed by the project VVV (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) moreover it are a fundamental start point to study different scientific cases. For example, a set of 12 young stars who are in a star formation region and the study of RR Lyrae-whose properties are not well established in the infrared. Based on CoRoT results we were able to show, for the first time, the rotational modulation evolution for an wide homogeneous sample of field stars. The results are inagreement with those expected by the stellar evolution theory. Furthermore, we identified 4 solar-type stars ( with color indices, spectral type, luminosity class and rotation period close to the Sun) besides 400 M-giant stars that we have a special interest to forthcoming studies. From the solar-type stars we can describe the future and past of the Sun while properties of M-stars are not well known. Our results allow concluded that there is a high dependence of the color-period diagram with the reddening in which increase the uncertainties of the age-period realized by previous works using CoRoT data. This thesis provides a large data-set for different scientific works, such as; magnetic activity, cataclysmic variables, brown dwarfs, RR-Lyrae, solar analogous, giant stars, among others. For instance, these data will allow us to study the relationship of magnetic activitywith stellar evolution. Besides these aspects, this thesis presents an improved classification for a significant number of stars in the CoRoT database and introduces a new set of tools that can be used to improve the entire process of the photometric databases analysis

Aplicação das técnicas eletroanalíticas (voltametria cíclica e de pulso diferencial) usando o eletrodo de diamante dopado com boro para o estudo da isoniazida, etambutol, rifampicina e pirazinamida

In this work a study was done using electrochemical cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry for isoniazida (INH), ethambutol (EMB), rifampicina (RIF) and pyrazinamide (PZA) using the electrode boron-doped diamond (BDD) as working electrode. It also verified the applicability of the technique of differential pulse voltammetry in the quantification of the active compounds used in the treatment of tuberculosis, subsequently applying in samples of pharmaceutical formulation. Among the four active compounds studied, isoniazid showed the best results for the detection and quantification using differential pulse voltammetry. At pH 4 and pH 8, for the calibration curves to INH showed good linearity, with quantification limits of 6.15 mmol L-1 (0,844 ppm) and 4.08 mmol L-1 (0.560 ppm) for the respective pH. The proposed method can be used to determine drug isoniazid, for recovery values were obtained in approximately 100%