Electrochemical reduction and voltammetric determination of diloxanide furoate in non-aqueous medium

The electrochemical reduction of diloxanide furoate (DF) in acetonitrile on glassy carbon electrode was studied in this work. It was observed that DF is reduced after a reversible one-electron transfer followed by an irreversible chemical reaction, diagnosed as C-Cl bond cleavage. Its reduction was followed by linear (LSV), differential pulse (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Analytical curves were obtained for DF determination using all the investigated voltammetric techniques. For LSV was obtained a linear range (LR) from 5.0 × 10-4 to 1.0 × 10-2 mol L-1, with detection limit (DL) of 1.5 × 10-4 mol L-1 and sensitivity (S) of 2.1 × 104 μA mol-1 L. The analytical parameters obtained by DPV were: LR = 5.0 × 10-4 to 2.2 × 10-3 mol L-1, DL = 7.8 × 10-5 mol L-1, S = 3.7 × 104 μA mol-1 L. For SWV were obtained a LR = 7.5 × 10-6 to 1.2 × 10 -3 mol L-1, DL = 5.5 × 10-6 mol L -1 and S = 2.8 × 105 μA mol-1 L. Thus, the SWV was the most sensible technique, which can be used for DF determination at low concentration levels. Statistics methods were used to evaluate the analytical procedure, where recovery around to 100% was obtained for all voltammetric techniques. Relative standard deviations were lower than 5.0% (N=5). The obtained t values evaluating all the three voltammetric methods were less than the tabulated ones, indicating that there are no evidences of systematic error. ©2005 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Location of single line-to-ground faults on distribution feeders using voltage measurements

This paper proposes a dedicated algorithm for lation of single line-to-ground faults in distribution systems. The proposed algorithm uses voltage and current phasors measured at the substation level, voltage magnitudes measured at some buses of the feeder, a database containing electrical, operational and topological parameters of the distribution networks, and fault simulation. Voltage measurements can be obtained using power quality devices already installed on the feeders or using voltage measurement devices dedicated for fault location. Using the proposed algorithm, likely faulted points that are located on feeder laterals geographically far from the actual faulted point are excluded from the results. Assessment of the algorithm efficiency was carried out using a 238 buses real-life distribution feeder. The results show that the proposed algorithm is robust for performing fast and efficient fault location for sustained single line-to-ground faults requiring less than 5% of the feeder buses to be covered by voltage measurement devices. © 2006 IEEE.

Risk factors for low birth weight in Botucatu city, SP state, Brazil: A study conducted in the public health system from 2004 to 2008

Background: Low birth weight (LBW), defined as birth weight less than 2500 g, has a complex etiology and may be a result of premature interruption of pregnancy or intrauterine growth restriction. The objective of this study was to provide information on determinants of LBW and contribute to the understanding of the problem in Brazil. Methods. A case-control study was conducted in Botucatu city, SP state, Brazil. The study population consisted of 2 groups with 860 newborns in each group as follows: low weight newborns (LWNB) and a control group (weight ≤ 2500 g). Secondary data from 2004 to 2008 were collected using the Live Birth Certificate (LBC) and records from medical charts of pregnant women in Basic Health Units (BHU) and in the Public University Hospital (UH). Variables were as follows: maternal socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy and birth conditions including quality of prenatal care according to 3 criteria. They were based on parameters established by the Ministry of Health (MH), one of them, the modified Kessner Index. The multivariable analysis by logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between variables and LBW. Results: According to the analysis, the factors associated with LBW were as follows: prematurity (OR = 56.98, 95% CI 29.52-109.95), twin pregnancy (OR = 20.00, 95% CI 6.25-100.00), maternal smoking (OR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.33-3.45), maternal malnourishment (OR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.08-5.00), maternal obesity (OR = 2.30, 95% IC 1.18-4.48), weight gain during pregnancy less than 5 kg (OR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.35-5.00) and weight gain during pregnancy more than 15 kg (OR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.16-4.41). Adequacy of prenatal care visits adjusted to gestational age was less frequent in the LBW group than in the control group (68.7% vs. 80.5%, x 2 p < 0.001). According to the modified Kessner Index, 64.4% of prenatal visits in the LWNB group were adequate. Conclusion: LWNB are a quite heterogeneous group of infants concerning their determinants and prevention actions against LBW and the follow-up of these infants have also been very complex. Therefore, improvement in the quality of care provided should be given priority through concrete actions for prevention of LBW. © 2012 Fonseca et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Surface study of vitreous carbon obtained from glassy carbon powder

This work presents a surface study of monolithic vitreous (or glassy) carbon - MVC - obtained from vitreous carbon powder. Defective MVC pieces are crushed in a ball mill and size classified by sifting. The MVC powder is mixed with furfuryl-alcohol resin and compacted in a mould using a hydraulic press. Samples with different powder granulometries are produced in this way and carbonized in a furnace under nitrogen atmosphere. Complete carbonization of the powder is achieved in only one day and losses due to breakage of the pieces is less than 5%. These results compare very favorably with respect to traditional MVC production methods where full carbonization may require up to seven days and losses due to breakage can be as high as 70%. After carbonization, samples are sanded and polished. Surface roughness and microstructure are characterized by light microscopy. Porosity is quantified from micrographs using ImageJ software and nanometric height variations are measured by atomic force microscopy. © 2012 Materials Research Society.

Long-term outcome of patients followed by nephrologists after an acute tubular necrosis episode

Aims of our study were to describe the long-term survival in patients surviving an acute tubular necrosis (ATN) episode and determine factors associated with late mortality. We performed a prospective cohort study that evaluated the long-term outcome of 212 patients surviving an ATN episode. Mortality at the end of followup was 24.5%, and the probability of these patients being alive 5 years after discharge was 55%. During the followup, 4.7% of patients needed chronic dialysis. Univariate analysis showed that previous CKD (P = 0.0079), cardiovascular disease (P = 0.019), age greater than 60 years (P < 0.0001), and higher SCr baseline (P = 0.001), after 12 months (P = 0.0015) and 36 months (P = 0.004), were predictors of long-term mortality. In multivariate analysis, older age (HR = 6.4, CI 95% = 1.2-34.5, P = 0.02) and higher SCr after 12 months (HR = 2.1, 95% CI 95% = 1.14-4.1, P = 0.017) were identified as risk factors associated with late mortality. In conclusion, 55% of patients surviving an ATN episode were still alive, and less than 5% required chronic dialysis 60 months later; older age and increased Scr after 12 months were identified as risk factors associated with late death. © 2012 G. A. Brito et al.

Efeito do tratamento da obesidade sobre a glicemia e insulinemia de gatos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Reação de cultivares de alface do grupo americano a Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica e M. enterolobii

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Proteção de Plantas) - FCA

Determinação de enxofre em amostras agroindustriais por espectrometria de absorção molecular com fonte contínua e alta resolução

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Uso subconjuntival de lipossomas com rapamicina e tacrolimus tópico no tratamento de ceratoconjuntivite seca em cães

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Results of screening for cervical cancer among pregnant and non-pregnant women in Brazil

Objective: To compare cervical cytology test results among pregnant and non-pregnant women, and to assess associations with age, screening history, and onset of sexual intercourse. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of cervical smears obtained from women aged 18-34 years in the Campinas region of Brazil between January 2000 and December 2009. Eligible participants had not undergone cytological screening within the previous year and had no history of precursor lesions or cervical cancer. Multinomial logistic regression was performed for different age groups, with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) as the endpoint. Results: Overall, 3072 (0.4%) of 861 353 non-pregnant women and 135 (0.4%) of 37 568 pregnant women had HSILs. Odds of HSIL among pregnant and non-pregnant women did not differ in any age group. An increased age at first sexual intercourse among pregnant women reduced odds of HSILs in all age groups (odds ratio 0.9 [95% confidence interval 0.8-0.9] for all). Among women aged 21-24 years, 25-29 years, and 30-34 years, some associations were identified between an interval of less than 5 years since previous screening and reduced odds of HSILs. Conclusion: Mandatory cervical cytology screening does not seem to be necessary for pregnant women; protocols in place for non-pregnant women should be followed. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Multilayer adsorption of Cu(II) and Cd(II) over Brazilian Orchid Tree (Pata-de-vaca) and its adsorptive properties

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

O exercício físico é capaz de melhorar expressão de AMPK e GLUT4 em músculo esquelético de ratos alcoolistas e/ou tabagistas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estudo das propriedades ópticas de pós cerâmicos à base de Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: X% Cr3+ (X = 0 ; 0,5 ; 0,75 ; 1,0)

Ceramic powders based on Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: Cr3+ X% (X = 0.0; 0.5; 0.75; 1.0) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The gallium-zinc germanate doped with chromium presents an interesting property of phosphorescence, that means, it is capable of emitting light when excited by a source of radiation, and such emission remains for some time after stopping the source. For this reason, these materials can be widely applied in night-vision surveillance, (through the use of solar energy, for example), electronic devices screen, emergency routes signals, control panels indicators in dark environments, etc. In this job were considered different amounts of dopant in order to perform a comparison of structural and photoluminescent properties. For that, some analyses were performed on samples, such as XRD, FT-Raman, SEM, UV-vis and photoluminescence measurements (PL). Such analysis allowed to infer that the presence of chromium results in no phase transformation, so that the four compositions have the same set of phases: cubic, rhombohedral and hexagonal. Although the structure was not changed, chromium influences other properties / characteristics of these materials. Examples are: increase of band-gap, decrease of average particle size, small changes in binding energy checked by Raman and especially the increase of photoluminescent property. The chromium ions have great ease in replacing gallium ions in octahedral sites, resulting in emission of light with a wavelength of about 700 nm (infrared region), which is justified by the spin-forbidden 2E 4A2 transition. In other words, chromium is a favorable luminescent center, acting as a trap in the crystal structure, since it imprisons the excitation energy easily and releases it gradually, allowing the phosphorescence. It was observed that the composition ... (Complete abastract click electronic access below)

Proteínas ligantes do insulin-like growth factor (IGFBPs) e dominância folicular em vacas Bos taurus indicus puras e cruzadas

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar um marcador bioquímico de folículos bovinos com diâmetro maior do que 10 mm, o qual poderia ser utilizado para identificar folículos dominantes nesta espécie. Líquido folicular era aspirado de folículos com diâmetros menores do que 5 mm, entre 5 e 10 mm e maiores do que 10 mm, provenientes de ovários de 37 fêmeas bovinas abatidas. Após aspiração, o líquido folicular (LF) era acondicionado em ependorfs etiquetados e congelados. Os padrões eletroforéticos em SDS-PAGE das proteínas do LF foram determinados e verificou-se que os folículos com diâmetro maior do que 10 mm apresentaram um polipeptídeo com PM entre 39 e 43 KDa identificado como a proteína ligante de IGF-3 (IGFBP-3), o qual não foi observado em folículos com diâmetro menor do que 5 mm e entre 5 e 10 mm. Este estudo sugere que este polipeptídeo possa ser utilizado como marcador bioquímico de folículos maiores do que 10 mm.