Dimensão fractal na quantificação do grau de rejeição celular miocárdica pós-transplante cardíaco

INTRODUÇÃO: O termo fractal é derivado do latim fractus, que significa irregular ou quebrado, considerando a estrutura observada como tendo uma dimensão não-inteira. Há muitos estudos que empregaram a Dimensão Fractal (DF) como uma ferramenta de diagnóstico. Um dos métodos mais comuns para o seu estudo é a Box-plot counting (Método de contagem de caixas). OBJETIVO: O objetivo do estudo foi tentar estabelecer a contribuição da DF na quantificação da rejeição celular miocárdica após o transplante cardíaco. MÉTODOS: Imagens microscópicas digitalizadas foram capturadas na resolução 800x600 (aumento de 100x). A DF foi calculada com auxílio do software ImageJ, com adaptações. A classificação dos graus de rejeição foi de acordo com a Sociedade Internacional de Transplante Cardíaco e Pulmonar (ISHLT 2004). O relatório final do grau de rejeição foi confirmado e redefinido após exaustiva revisão das lâminas por um patologista experiente externo. No total, 658 lâminas foram avaliadas, com a seguinte distribuição entre os graus de rejeição (R): 335 (0R), 214 (1R), 70 (2R), 39 (3R). Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente com os testes Kruskal-Wallis e curvas ROC sendo considerados significantes valores de P < 0,05. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença estatística significativa entre os diferentes graus de rejeição com exceção da 3R versus 2R. A mesma tendência foi observada na aplicação da curva ROC. CONCLUSÃO: ADF pode contribuir para a avaliação da rejeição celular do miocárdio. Os valores mais elevados estiveram diretamente associados com graus progressivamente maiores de rejeição. Isso pode ajudar na tomada de decisão em casos duvidosos e naqueles que possam necessitar de intensificação da medicação imunossupressora.

Efeito da solução aquosa de fenol, ácido acético e glicerina sobre o tumor ascítico de Ehrlich: estudo experimental in vitro

OBJETIVO: Verificar o efeito da solução composta por fenol, ácido acético e glicerina sobre o tumor ascítico de Ehrlich. MÉTODOS: Após a coleta do líquido ascítico de três camundongos procedeu-se a incubação, a 37° C, do mesmo com diferentes doses da solução teste (0,50, 0,25, 0,10 e 0,05 ml) e com solução salina (0,50 ml como controle; estudou-se a viabilidade celular pela técnica de exclusão do azul tripan). RESULTADOS: Observou-se que ao final de 15 minutos todas as células tumorais encontravam-se inviáveis com as diferentes doses da solução teste. CONCLUSÃO: A solução proposta, causa, in vitro, a morte das células tumorais ao foral de 15 minutos.

Avaliação de fontes de amônia para o tratamento de fenos de gramíneas tropicais. 1. Constituintes da parede celular, poder tampão e atividade ureática

Avaliaram-se as alterações da fração fibrosa e as características químicas dos fenos de braquiária decumbens (Brachiaria decumbnes Stapf) e jaraguá (Hyparrhenia rufa Ness Stapf) não-tratados, tratados com uréia (U-5,4% da MS), uréia (UL-5,4% da MS) mais labe-labe (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet, cv. Highworth-3,0% da MS) ou amônia anidra (NH3 -3,0% da MS). O tratamento químico com uréia ou NH3 aumentou o pH e a digestibilidade in vitro verdadeira dos fenos. A amonização não alterou os teores de fibra em detergente ácido e celulose, mas diminuiu os de fibra em detergente neutro, hemicelulose e lignina. O uso do labe-labe como fonte adicional de urease não aumentou a eficiência da uréia no tratamento dos volumosos. As avaliações do conteúdo de umidade, do poder tampão e da atividade ureática são técnicas que podem auxiliar na previsão das respostas dos volumosos à amonização com o uso de uréia.

Perfil químico da parede celular e suas implicações na digestibilidade de Brachiaria brizantha e Brachiaria humidicola

No presente trabalho foram determinadas a composição química e a digestibilidade de diversas frações de Brachiaria brizantha e Brachiaria humidicola, após 70 dias de crescimento. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com cinco repetições para cada espécie. As plantas coletadas foram subdivididas nas frações apical, mediana e basal para as folhas e mediana e basilar para caules, de acordo com sua localização. Foram determinadas as concentrações de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN), proteína bruta (PB), lignina, ácido p_cumárico, ácido ferúlico e açúcares neutros (glicose, xilose e arabinose) e a digestibilidade in situ após 48 horas de período de incubação ruminal. As diferentes frações das espécies estudadas apresentam distinta composição química, cujos efeitos são observados na digestibilidade. A B. brizantha apresentou maiores concentrações de FDN no caule e PB nas folhas. Isto resultou em coeficientes de digestibilidade maiores em relação à B. humidicola. A diferença de digestibilidade entre caule e folhas e nas frações mais velhas pode estar relacionada ao tipo de condensação da lignina presente nos tecidos. Evidências na concentração e na proporção dos ácidos p_cumárico e ferúlico sugerem esta relação. A concentração de ácidos fenólicos esteve relacionada com a digestibilidade da matéria seca e a lignina com a digestibilidade da FDN. A análise dos ácidos fenólicos pode se constituir em importante ferramenta para avaliar o grau de condensação da lignina na parede celular dos diferentes tecidos das plantas forrageiras. A concentração de açúcares neutros não apresentou um padrão definido na composição dos diferentes tecidos. A arabinose foi o único açúcar que apresentou relações com a digestibilidade da matéria seca e com a concentração de ácidos fenólicos.

Representação da morte feminina em L`Orfeo e Il Combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda de Claudio Monteverdi

This paper refers to issues related to the harmonic language of Claudio Monteverdi, its harmonic procedures and resulting melodic movements, its use as a dramaturgical resource and its potential allegorical meanings, based on theories and classifications of modes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. At first, it approaches the matter of the multiple names and meanings of the modes and their potential allegorical references according to different authors. Secondly, it presents the analysis of two examples from his operas that deal with the representation of the death of Euridice and Clorinda (Orfeo & Il combattimento de Tancredi e Clorinda, respectively), correlating their harmonic procedures to the corresponding dramaturgical situations.

Aspectos legais da morte

The present work intends to clarify and to enhance the legal aspects of the death for the physician. Physicians, as a result of normative attribution, and of the practical circumstances, normally, certify the death in proper document. The legal consequences of the death are focused, with its importance and correlation with the medical declaration of the death. The physician must be more conscientious of his professional act, and, therefore, be more diligent and always zealous with his practices, because of its effects.

eIF5A: Uma proteína essencial para a viabilidade celular cuja função permanece obscura

The putative translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) is a highly abundant and conserved protein in all eukaryotes and archaebacteria. This factor is essential for cell viability and is the only cellular protein known to contain the unusual amino acid residue hypusine. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae eIF5A is expressed in aerobic conditions by the gene TIF51A. Although eIF5A has been known for almost 30 years, the biological role of this protein is still obscure. This article reviews the research on the function of eIF5A, discussing the evidence for its involvement in various steps of mRNA metabolism, including translation initiation, nucleocytoplasmic transport and mRNA decay. Moreover, it indicates other studies that have associated eIF5A with cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Finally, this review presents recent results obtained in our laboratory that reemphasize the role of eIF5A in the translation scenario. Further experiments will be necessary to define the role played by eIF5A in the translational machinery.

Contribuição ao entendimento da patogenia da sepse

The most frequent cause of vasodilatory shockis outcome from sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response to infection, characterized by hypotension, hyporeactivity to the catecholamines and disseminated intravascular coagulation. The commonest cause of sepsis has reported to be infection with Gram-negative bacteria, typically E. coli, resulting in the release of lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) from the bacterial outer membrane during autolysis or death of these microorganisms, with the involvement of many mediators, including nitric oxide. Later it was found that plasma levels of vasopressin in sepsis patients were abnormally low and observed that some patients with advanced septic shock were extremely sensitive to the activity actions of exogenous vasopressin.

Proliferação celular nos linfomas caninos

Lymphoma studies deals with morphological classification and immunophenotypic features and they have to be amplified for cellular kinetics evaluation. This evaluation can only be safely made, when the proliferative index are evaluated. In men the proliferation index have, most of the time, important influence in the neoplasia prognosis and treatment In this work it was used 40 canine lymphomas that were classified according to Kiel methods and immunophenotype was achieved with CD3 (T lymphocyte) and CD79a (B lymphocyte). Cellular proliferation was evaluated by AgNORs and Ki-67 (MIB-1) According to Kiel classification system, high grade lymphomas were more frequent and T and B lymphoma showed the same frequency.When cellular proliferation was evaluated, there was a significant difference between high grade and low grade lymphomas by AgNOR and Ki-67 (MIB-1) methods, but did not differ when comparing immunophenotype. Among high grade malignancy lymphomas the NORs medium number per cell nucleoli was 1.37± 0.32 and in low grade was 0.98± 0.36, concerning Ki-67 the positive cellular percentual was 43.19% ± 19.01, e 14.09% ± 11.74 in high and low grade, respectively.

Polissacarídeos de parede celular fúngica: purificação e caracterização

The cell wall is a rigid structure essential for the survival of fungi. A knowledge of its composition is therefore useful for the development of novel anti-fungal drugs. In this context, polysaccharides as main components of the fungal cell wall have been the subject of intense scientific study over the years. The information gained from the knowledge of the structure of these macrobiomolecules could therefore be valuable in elucidating the mechanisms of their biosynthesis in the cell walls of pathogenic fungi infecting plants and animals alike. Determination of the chemical structures of these polysaccharides (endo) is preceded by their extraction and purification. The extractions, generally lead to neutral and/ or alkaline soluble biopolymers in groups according to their solubilities. Mixtures of polysaccharides in these extracts can then be purified by a combination of chemical and chromatographic methods. Following purification, the polysaccharides, considered homogeneous, can be characterized structurally using conventional techniques of carbohydrate chemistry, such as hydrolysis, methylation analysis, and FT-IR, 13C- and 1H- NMR spectroscopy. This review surveys the main scientific literature that characterizes polysaccharides constituting the fungal cell wall.

Lipoperoxidação, perda de viabilidade celular e diminuição da liberação de IL-8 de neutrófilos humanos na presença de corpos cetônicos

Type-1 diabetes patients suffer from frequent episodes of acidosis caused by an increased fatty acid metabolism and consequently increased plasma level of acetoacetate (AcAc) and β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HOB). This article describes a study of the effects of pathological concentrations of AcAc and β-HOB on lipoperoxidation, cell viability and the release of the CXCL8 (IL-8) cytokine by activated neutrophils. Neutrophils from healthy donors were isolated by density gradient (Histopaque® 1077/1119) and incubated with the ketone bodies. Lipoperoxidation was determined as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The cell viability was evaluated by the release of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase. The release of CXCL8 was measured by ELISA in a 24-h culture of opsonized zymosan-stimulated neutrophils. AcAc, but not β-HOB, provoked a dose-dependent increase in the neutrophil membrane lipoperoxidation (p<0.05; r =0.9915). In the cytotoxicity assay, a dose-dependent release of LDH was observed when the neutrophils were incubated with AcAc in concentrations up to 40 mM (p<0.05). β-HOB was devoid of effect. The release of CXCL8 was inhibited by AcAc and β-HOB in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, these results suggest that the accumulation of ketone bodies in diabetic patients could be involved in their usually increased susceptibility to infection.

Organização celular dos testículos em Hylidae e leptodactylidae, no Pantanal (Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil)

The objective of this work was to make a comparative analysis of germ cell organization at different stages of cellular differentiation in adult males of Dendropsophus nanus (Boulenger, 1889), Pseudis limellum (Cope, 1862), P. paradoxa (Linnaeus, 1758), and Scinax acuminatus (Cope, 1862), belonging to the family Hylidae; and Leptodactylus chaquensis (Cei, 1950) and L. podicipinus (Cope, 1862), belonging to the family Leptodactylidae, collected in the Pantanal and in Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The testes were removed and fixed, dehydrated in a graded series of ethanol and embedded in methacrylate glycol resin (Historesin Leica®). The sections were stained by 1% toluidine blue and observed under light microscope. It was detected that all individual of the Hylidae family show, throughout the year, the presence of all germ cell types of spermatogenesis. However, all Leptodactylidae family individuals only show the presence of all germ cell types during the rainy season. The variations of characteristics in seminiferous epithelium organization, as well as the evident difference in the amount of spermatozoa inside the tubules, are evidence that the anurans in this work show different forms of spermatogenesis development throughout the year: the cycle is continuous for the Hylidae family, and discontinuous with explosive release of spermatozoa for the Leptodactylidae family.

Representação da morte feminina em L'Orfeo e Il combattimento di tancredi et Clorinda de Claudio Monteverdi

This paper refers to issues related to the harmonic language of Claudio Monteverdi, its harmonic procedures and resulting melodic movements, its use as a dramaturgical resource and its potential allegorical meanings, based on theories and classifications of modes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. At first, it approaches the matter of the multiple names and meanings of the modes and their potential allegorical references according to different authors. Secondly, it presents the analysis of two examples from his operas that deal with the representation of the death of Euridice and Clorinda (Orfeo & Il combattimento de Tancredi e Clorinda, respectively), correlating their harmonic procedures to the corresponding dramaturgical situations.