Humoral and cellular immune response generated by different vaccine programs before and after Salmonella Enteritidis challenge in chickens

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

EFFICIENCY of PNEUMATIC and HORIZONTAL PERFORATED DISK METER MECHANISM IN CORN NO-TILLAGE SEEDERS IN SOIL WITH DIFFERENT MOBILIZATION REPORTS

This work objectified to evaluate the efficiency of two meter mechanism of corn seeds when submitted to different forward speed and soil management system during the non-tillage seeding. It was used a factorial design in randomized blocks. The factors whose effects were examined were related to the seeders with pneumatic and horizontal disk meter mechanisms for the distribution of the seeds, to the set tractor-seeder forward speeds (4.4; 8.0 and 9.8 km h(-1)), and to the soil management system considering the corn no-tillage seeding over minimum tillage with chisel plow and the no-tillage system for the seeding of oat culture (Avena strigosa Schreb). It was verified that the forward speed didn't influence the initial and final stands of plants but it interfered in the regularity of longitudinal distribution of plants. The smallest speed provided the largest percentile of normal spacing between plants. The pneumatic meter mechanism presented better performance than the horizontal disk perforated in the longitudinal distribution of plants. About corn productivity aspect it's indifferent the recommendation of use for pneumatic and perforated horizontal disk meter mechanism of seeds.

Eucalyptus ESTs involved in mechanisms against plant pathogens and environmental stresses

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Durability of adhesives based on different epoxy/aliphatic amine networks

The mechanical and adhesives properties of epoxy formulations based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A cured with various aliphatic amines were evaluated in the glass state. Impact tests were used to determine the impact energy. The adhesive properties have been evaluated in terms single lap shear using steel adherends. Its durability in water at ambient temperature (24 degrees C) and at 80 degrees C has also been analyzed. The fracture mechanisms were determined by optical microscopy. It was observed a strong participation of the cohesive fracture mechanisms in all epoxy system studied. The 1-(2-aminoethyl)piperazine epoxy adhesive and piperidine epoxy adhesive presents the best adhesive strength and the largest impact energy. The durability in water causes less damage to piperidine epoxy networks. This behavior appears to be associated with the lower water uptake tendency of homopolymerised resins due to its lower hydroxyl group concentration. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DSC studies on crystallization mechanisms of tellurite glasses

The purpose of this work is to study the 20Li(2)O-80TeO(2) glass using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques in order to understand the crystallization kinetics on this glass matrix. To study the glass by DSC, screened samples with different particle sizes to resolve the observed asymmetrical crystallization peak were used. DSC curves for particles smaller than 38 mum in size show two distinct crystallization peaks, associated to distinct phase transformation in this glass, leading to activation energies at 301 and 488 kJ mol(-1). XRD analysis reveals that the first crystallization peak is attributed to TeO2 crystalline phase while the second one to the alpha-TeO3 and an unidentified phase.(C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Serotonergic mechanisms of the lateral parabrachial nucleus on DOCA-induced sodium intake

It has been shown that the serotonergic mechanisms of the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) inhibit NaCl intake in different models of angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent NaCl intake in rats. However, there is no information about the involvement of LPBN serotonergic mechanisms on NaCl intake in a model of NaCl intake not dependent on ANG II like deoxycorticosterone (DOCA)-induced NaCl intake. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of bilateral injections of serotonergic agonist and antagonist into the LPBN on DOCA-induced 1.8% NaCl intake in rats. Male Holtzman rats were treated with s.c. DOCA (10 mg/rat each every 3 days). After a period of training, in which the rats had access to 1.8% NaCI during 2 h for several days, the rats were implanted with stainless steel cannulas bilaterally into the LPBN. Bilateral injections of the serotonergic receptor antagonist methysergide (4 mug/0.2 mul each site) in the LPBN increased 1.8% NaCI intake (32.2+/-3.9 versus vehicle: 15.0+/-1.6 ml/2 h, n = 10) and water intake (11.5+/-3.5 versus vehicle: 3.2+/-1.0 ml/2 h). Injections of the serotonergic 5HT(2A/2C) receptor agonist DOI (5 mug/0,2 mul each site) in the LPBN reduced 1.8% NaCl intake (6.8+/-1.7 versus saline: 12.4+/-1.9 ml/2 h, n = 10) and water intake (2.2+/-0.8 versus saline: 4.4+/-1.0 ml/2 h). Besides the previously demonstrated importance for the control of ANG II-dependent water and NaCl intake, the data show that the serotonergic inhibitory mechanisms of the LPBN are also involved in the control of DOCA-induced NaCl intake. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Serotonergic receptor blockade in the lateral parabrachial nucleus: Different effects on hypertonic and isotonic NaCl intake

Hypertonic NaCl intake is produced by serotonin receptor antagonism in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) of dehydrated rats or in rats pretreated with a mineralocorticoid, for example deoxycorticosterone (DOCA), that receive an intracerebroventricular injection (icv) of angiotensin II (ang II). The objective of the present work was to find out whether these two mechanisms are also involved with isotonic NaCl intake. Serotonin receptor blockade by methysergide in the LPBN (4 mu g/0.2 mu l bilaterally) had no effect on 0.15 M NaCl (methysergide: 19.3 +/- 5.2 ml/60 min; vehicle: 19.3 +/- 4.2 ml/60 min; n=7) or water (methysergide: 3.4 +/- 1.4 ml/ 60 min; vehicle 2.2 +/- 0.6 ml/60 min) intake induced by systemic diuretic furosemide combined with low dose of captopril (Furo/Cap). Methysergide treatment 4 days later in the same animals produced the expected enhancement in the 0.3 M NaCl intake induced by Furo/Cap (methysergide: 16.6 +/- 3.5 ml/60 min; vehicle: 6.6 +/- 1.5 ml/60 min). Similar result was obtained when another group was tested first with 0.3 M NaCl and later with 0.15 M NaCl. Isotonic NaCl intake induced by icv ang II was however enhanced by prior DOCA treatment. A de novo hypertonic NaCl intake was produced in another group by the same combined treatment. The results suggest that a facilitatory mechanism like the mineralocorticoid/ang II synergy may enhance NaCl solution intake at different levels of tonicity, while the action of an inhibitory mechanism, like the LPBN serotonergic system, is restricted to the ingestion at hypertonic levels. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential effect of plant lectins on mast cells of different origins

Histamine release induced by plant lectins was studied with emphasis on the carbohydrate specificity, external calcium requirement, metal binding sites, and mast cell heterogeneity and on the importance of antibodies bound to the mast cell membrane to the lectin effect. Peritoneal mast cells were obtained by direct lavage of the rat peritoneal cavity and guinea pig intestine and hamster cheek pouch mast cells were obtained by dispersion with collagenase type IA. Histamine release was induced with concanavalin A (Con A), lectins from Canavalia brasiliensis, mannose-specific Cymbosema roseum, Maackia amurensis, Parkia platycephala, Triticum vulgaris (WGA), and demetallized Con A and C. brasiliensis, using 1-300 µg/ml lectin concentrations applied to Wistar rat peritoneal mast cells, peaking on 26.9, 21.0, 29.1, 24.9, 17.2, 10.7, 19.9, and 41.5%, respectively. This effect was inhibited in the absence of extracellular calcium. The lectins were also active on hamster cheek pouch mast cells (except demetallized Con A) and on Rowett nude rat (animal free of immunoglobulins) peritoneal mast cells (except for mannose-specific C. roseum, P. platycephala and WGA). No effect was observed in guinea pig intestine mast cells. Glucose-saturated Con A and C. brasiliensis also released histamine from Wistar rat peritoneal mast cells. These results suggest that histamine release induced by lectins is influenced by the heterogeneity of mast cells and depends on extracellular calcium. The results also suggest that this histamine release might occur by alternative mechanisms, because the usual mechanism of lectins is related to their binding properties to metals from which depend the binding to sugars, which would be their sites to bind to immunoglobulins. In the present study, we show that the histamine release by lectins was also induced by demetallized lectins and by sugar-saturated lectins (which would avoid their binding to other sugars). Additionally, the lectins also released histamine from Rowett nude mast cells that are free of immunoglobulins.

Cordia verbenacea and secretion of mast cells in different animal species

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Healing, Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Properties of Indigofera truxillensis in Different Models of Gastric Ulcer in Rats

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

Evaluation of antimutagenic activity and mechanisms of action of beta-glucan from barley, in CHO-k1 and HTC cell lines using the micronucleus test

Due to the need to identify new antimutagenic agents and to determine their mechanism of action, the present study examined the mechanism of action of the P-glucan with regard to antimutagenicity using the micronucleus assay in CHO-kl and HTC cell lines. The mutagenicity experiments were performed with three different concentrations of P-glucan (5, 10, and 20 mu g/mL), in wich only the highest dose showed mutagenic activity. In the antimutagenicity experiments, the same concentrations of P-glucan were combined with a mutagenic agent, methylmethane sulfonate, or 2-aminoanthracene, using four different treatment protocols: pre-treatment, simultaneous treatment (simple and with pre-incubation), and post-treatment. The results indicate that the CHO-kl cell line treated with MMS presented a chemopreventive activity for all the doses of P-glucan in the different treatment protocols, except for the lowest dose in post-treatment. When HTC cell line treated with MMS is analysed, a chemopreventive activity can be verified for the highest dose in both pre- and post-treatment. For the simple simultaneous treatment, the three doses demonstrated efficacy, while for the simultaneous treatment with pre-incubation only the intermediate concentration was effective. In HTC treated with 2AA both the lowest dose in the pre-treatment protocol and the post-treatment protocol did not show efficacy in preventing DNA damage. The evaluation of the different protocols and the damage decrease percentages observed suggest that P-glucan has both desmutagenic and bioantimutagenic activity. It is necessary, however, to note that efficacy and mechanism of action are subject to variation when compared the two cell lines, since in HTC, representing a drug-metabolizing system, this substance can show a diminished chemopreventive capacity. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Androgen receptor in the Mongolian gerbil ventral prostate: Evaluation during different phases of postnatal development and following androgen blockage

The normal growth, differentiation and maintenance of the morphofunctional integrity of the prostate gland are dependent on the interaction of constant levels of androgens with their receptors. The need to study the responses to hormones under several conditions and the effect of their blockage is due to the fact that the human prostate is the site of a great number of age-related diseases, and the ones with a major medical importance are prostate cancer (Cap) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which can both be treated with androgen suppression. Seventy-five male gerbils were divided, randomly, into 3 groups of 25 animals each, where each group corresponded to one phase of postnatal development. In each phase, it was possible to morphologically and stereologically analyze the compartments of prostatic ventral lobe, as well as to immunohistochemically analyze the degree of expression of androgen receptors (ARs) after the androgen blockage therapies. In addition, it was possible to establish the hormonal dosage of serum testosterone levels given the comparative approach of the expression of androgen receptors. There is a pattern of AR distribution in the prostatic ventral lobe throughout postnatal development, in which the younger the animal is the higher, the interaction of circulating androgens that stimulate the AR expression in both the epithelial and stromal compartments. The androgen blockage therapies decreased AR expression in the prostatic compartments, but the androgen reposition after these blockages was not sufficient to recover the glandular structure or stimulate the AR expression up to normal physiological conditions. Both the regulation and distribution of androgen receptors along the gerbil prostatic tissues are complex mechanisms that are likely to be genetically regulated by androgens prenatally or by other factors that are still unknown. This rodent species seems to be a valuable model in the attempt to improve the understanding of the morphophysiological and pathological behavior of this important gland in humans throughout aging and to stimulate new therapeutic ideas to fight prostate cancer. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term inhibition of 5-alpha reductase and aromatase changes the cellular and extracellular compartments in gerbil ventral prostate at different postnatal ages

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

Role of enthalpy and entropy in moisture sorption behavior of pineapple pulp powder produced by different drying methods

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

Light intensity can trigger different agonistic responses in juveniles of three cichlid species

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