Use of grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idella) as a biological control agent for submerged aquatic macrophytes

This study aimed to evaluate feed preference and control efficacy of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) on the aquatic macrophytes Ceratophyllum demersum, Egeria densa and Egeria najas. An experiment was carried out at mesocosms conditions with 2,000 liters capacity and water residence time of 2.8 days. C. demersum, E. densa e E. najas biomasses were offered individually with sixty g and coupled in similar quantities of 30 g of each species, evaluated during 81 days, envolving 6 treatments. (1 - C. demersum, 2 - E. najas, 3 - E. densa, 4 - C. demersum + E. najas, 5 - C. demersum + E. densa and 6 - E. najas + E. densa). When offered individually, E. najas and C. demersum presented the same predation rate by grass carp, which was higher than E. densa predation rate. When plants were tested in pairs, the order of feed preference was C. demersum > E. najas > E. densa. E. najas and C. demersum percentage control ranged from 73 to 83%. No relation between biomass consumption and grass carp body weight gain was observed, probably due to differences in nutritional quality among macrophyte species according to fish necessities. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of grass carp is one excellent technique to control submersed macrophytes in Brazil.

Influence of the quantity of coloring agent in bleaching gels activated with LED/laser appliances on bleaching efficiency

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the quantity of coloring agent on the bleaching efficiency of gels containing 35% H2O2. Sixty human third molars were sectioned mesiodistally, darkened in a coffee solution and sectioned in the occlusal-cervical direction, resulting in mesial (not bleached) and distal halves (bleached). They were distributed into three groups: Whiteness HP, Total Bleach, and Whiteform Perox Red Gel; and subdivided into four sub-groups: no coloring agent, manufacturer's standard, double the standard, and triple the standard. The gels were activated with light-ermitting diode/laser appliances. The images were analyzed with the Adobe Photoshop program (deltaEL*a*b*). The variation was submitted to the ANOVA test (two factors: type of gel and quantity of coloring agent) and Tukey test. Differences were observed for the quantity of coloring agent. The mean (+/-SD) was determined for each quantity of coloring used: no coloring agent -6.85 (+/-2.26)a, manufacturer's standard -794 (+/-2.55)ab, double the standard -8.65 (+/-2.47)b, triple the standard -9.05 (+/-2.72)b. In conclusion, the standard quantity of coloring agent did not provide significantly more intense bleaching than when it was completely absent. The use of double and triple the amount provided greater bleaching than that observed for the gel without coloring agent. No significant differences were observed between the tested gels.

Ac2-26 mimetic peptide of annexin A1 inhibits local and systemic inflammatory processes induced by bothrops moojeni venom and the lys-49 phospholipase A2 in a rat model

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

Structure-activity relationship of mastoparan analogs: effects of the number and positioning of Lys residues on secondary structure, interaction with membrane-mimetic systems and biological activity

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