Physicochemical and bioactive properties of Hymenaea courbaril L. pulp and seed lipid fraction

This study aimed to assess the nutritional composition of the fruit and the physicochemical and bioactive properties of jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril L.) pulp and seed oils. The lipid content of both fractions was below 6%. There was a significant presence of minerals, especially, sodium, potassium and phosphorus. The main macronutrient in pulp and seed was crude fiber, and considerable amounts of Vitamin C, 51.87 and 121.45. mg/100. g respectively, were found. The physicochemical properties demonstrated the good quality of the oils. The oxidative stability index was influenced by the composition of fatty acids reaching a value of 45.97. h for the jatoba pulp oil. The most abundant bioactive compounds were α-tocopherol (886.37 and 993.63. mg/kg) and β-sitosterol (61.83 and 91.09. mg/kg) for pulp and seed oils, respectively. Among the unsaturated fatty acids in the pulp, the oleic (46.09%) and linolenic acid (14.54%) stood out. The pulp and seed oils can be considered a valuable source for new industrial, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Histologic and biomechanical evaluation of 2 resorbable-blasting media implant surfaces at early implantation times

This study evaluated 3 implant surfaces in a dog model: (1) resorbable-blasting media + acid-etched (RBMa), alumina-blasting + acid-etching (AB/AE), and AB/AE + RBMa (hybrid). All of the surfaces were minimally rough, and Ca and P were present for the RBMa and hybrid surfaces. Following 2 weeks in vivo, no significant differences were observed for torque, bone-to-implant contact, and bone-area fraction occupied measurements. Newly formed woven bone was observed in proximity with all surfaces.

Increased osseointegration effect of bone morphogenetic protein 2 on dental implants: An in vivo study

Application of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) to implant surfaces has been of great interest due to its osteoinductive potential. However, the optimal coating methodology has not been clarified. The objective of the study was to determine whether the application of rhBMP-2 onto plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite implant surfaces by immersion in protein solution before implant installation would result in significantly improved bone apposition. Using a sheep iliac model, titanium (Ti) and plasma-sprayed calcium-phosphate (PSCaP)-coated implants uncoated and coated with rhBMP-2 were assessed for their osteogenic effects in the peri-implant area over time in terms of osseointegration and de novo bone formation. After 3 and 6 weeks postoperatively, the samples were retrieved and were subjected to bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone area fraction occupancy (BAFO) evaluation. When rhBMP-2 was applied to the PSCaP surface, significant increases in BIC and BAFO were observed at 3 weeks in vivo, whereas when adsorbed directly onto the titanium implant surface, rhBMP-2 did not as effectively improve the bone response (although significantly higher than control Ti). The outcomes of the present study suggested that the combination of plasma-sprayed calcium-phosphate surface and rhBMP-2 coating significantly enhanced osseointegration, which validated the postulated hypothesis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Diastolic function is associated with quality of life and exercise capacity in stable heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction

Exercise capacity and quality of life (QOL) are important outcome predictors in patients with systolic heart failure (HF), independent of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF). LV diastolic function has been shown to be a better predictor of aerobic exercise capacity in patients with systolic dysfunction and a New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification >II. We hypothesized that the currently used index of diastolic function E/e' is associated with exercise capacity and QOL, even in optimally treated HF patients with reduced LVEF. This prospective study included 44 consecutive patients aged 55±11 years (27 men and 17 women), with LVEF,0.50 and NYHA functional class I-III, receiving optimal pharmacological treatment and in a stable clinical condition, as shown by the absence of dyspnea exacerbation for at least 3 months. All patients had conventional transthoracic echocardiography and answered the Minnesota Living with HF Questionnaire, followed by the 6-min walk test (6MWT). In a multivariable model with 6MWT as the dependent variable, age and E/e' explained 27% of the walked distance in 6MWT (P=0.002; multivariate regression analysis). No association was found between walk distance and LVEF or mitral annulus systolic velocity. Only normalized left atrium volume, a sensitive index of diastolic function, was associated with decreased QOL. Despite the small number of patients included, this study offers evidence that diastolic function is associated with physical capacity and QOL and should be considered along with ejection fraction in patients with compensated systolic HF.

Measurement of the Bs0→μ+μ- branching fraction and search for B0→μ+μ- with the CMS experiment

Results are presented from a search for the rare decays Bs0→μ+μ- and B0→μ+μ - in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV, with data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of 5 and 20 fb-1, respectively, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. An unbinned maximum-likelihood fit to the dimuon invariant mass distribution gives a branching fraction B(Bs0→μ+μ-)=(3.0-0.9+1.0) ×10-9, where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. An excess of Bs0→μ+μ- events with respect to background is observed with a significance of 4.3 standard deviations. For the decay B0→μ+μ- an upper limit of B(B0→μ+μ-)<1.1×10 -9 at the 95% confidence level is determined. Both results are in agreement with the expectations from the standard model. © 2013 CERN. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the.

Influência dos diferentes cátions metálicos (Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ ) na formação do hidrogel bentonita – poli (vinil álcool)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

'ZN IND.7'SB IND. 2'O IND. 12' contendo Ce(III), Pr(III) ou Eu(III): investigação de suas propriedades estruturais e ópticas para potencial aplicação como cintilador

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Unravelling the Neospora caninum secretome through the secreted fraction (ESA) and quantification of the discharged tachyzoite using high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomics

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

Angular analysis and branching fraction measurement of the decay B-0 -> K*(0)mu(+)mu(-)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Study of double parton scattering using W+2-jet events in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Impaired acuity of the approximate number system in 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cardiomyopathy and cell therapy: ejection fraction improvement and cardiac muscle mass increasing, after a year of bone marrow stem cells transplantation, by magnetic resonance image

The idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) is one of the major public health problems in the western world. Patients with IDC in functional class IV (New York Health Association - NYHA), even after therapeutic optimization, have high mortality. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential therapeutic option for cell death-related heart diseases and several positive effects were assigned to cell therapy in cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was identify short-term result of cell transplantation in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy patients (IDC) who were treated by transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC). Intracoronary injections of autologous BMMC were performed in eight patients with severe ventricle dysfunction (mean of left ventricle ejection fraction – LEVF=20.03%), cardiac mass muscle around 156.2 g and NYHA between III and IV grades, other 8 IDC patients received placebo. The IDCs were followed - up for one and two years, by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results after one year showed significant improvement in LVEF (mean=181.4) and muscle mass increasing (mean=181.4 g), after two years the LVEF continued improving, reaching a mean of 32.69% and the cardiac muscle mass kept stable (mean=179.4 g). Excepted for one patient, all the other had improvement in the NYHA functional class. The placebo group did not show any improvement. We believe that BMMC implant may be a beneficial therapeutic option for IDC patients.

Effects of ropivacaine combined with morphine at 0.15 and 0.2 mg kg-1 in bitches undergoing epidural anesthesia

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A new heterologous fibrin sealant as scaffold to recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and natural latex proteins for the repair of tibial bone defects

Tissue engineering has special interest in bone tissue aiming at future medical applications Studies have focused on recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and natural latex proteins due to the osteogenic properties of rhBMP-2 and the angiogenic characteristic of fraction 1 protein (P-1) extracted from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. Furthermore, heterologous fibrin sealant (FS) has been shown as a promising alternative in regenerative therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate these substances for the repair of bone defects in rats. A bone defect measuring 3 mm in diameter was created in the proximal metaphysis of the left tibia of 60 rats and was implanted with rhBMP-2 or P-1 in combination with a new heterologous FS derived from snake venom. The animals were divided into six groups: control (unfilled bone defect), rhBMP-2 (defect filled with 5 mu g rhBMP-2), P-1 (defect filled with 5 mu g P-1), FS (defect filled with 8 mu g FS), FS/rhBMP-2 (defect filled with 8 mu g FS and 5 mu g rhBMP-2), FS/P-1 (defect filled with 8 mu g FS and 5 mu g P-1). The animals were sacrificed 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. The newly formed bone projected from the margins of the original bone and exhibited trabecular morphology and a disorganized arrangement of osteocyte lacunae. Immunohistochemical analysis showed intense expression of osteocalcin in all groups. Histometric analysis revealed a significant difference in all groups after 2 weeks (p < 0.05), except for the rhBMP-2 and FS/rhBMP-2 groups (p > 0.05). A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in all groups after 6 weeks in relation to the volume of newly formed bone in the surgical area. In conclusion, the new heterologous fibrin sealant was found to be biocompatible and the combination with rhBMP-2 showed the highest osteogenic and osteoconductive capacity for bone healing. These findings suggest a promising application of this combination in the regeneration surgery.

Renal and vascular effects of Crotalus durissus cumanensis venom and its crotoxin fraction

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)