Kinetics of rabies antibodies as a strategy for canine active immunization

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

Determinants of baseline seroreactivity to human papillomavirus type 16 in the Ludwig-McGill cohort study

Background: Immunity plays an important role in controlling human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and associated lesions. Unlike infections caused by other viruses, natural HPV infection does not always result in a protective antibody response. Therefore, HPV antibodies are also considered markers of cumulative exposure. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of HPV16 seroreactivity at enrollment among women from the Ludwig-McGill cohort, a natural history study of HPV infection and risk of cervical neoplasia.Methods: HPV16 serology was assessed by ELISA for L1 and L2 capsid antigens, while HPV typing and viral load measurements were performed by PCR-based methods. The associations were analyzed by unconditional logistic regression.Results: Of 2049 subjects, 425 (20.7%) were strongly seropositive for HPV16. In multivariate analysis, seroreactivity was positively correlated with age, lifetime number of sexual partners, frequency of sex, and HPV16 viral load, and negatively associated with duration of smoking.Conclusions: HPV16 seroreactivity is determined by factors that reflect viral exposure.

Production and Characterization of Composite Material Useful as a Protective Barrier in Electronic Applications

This work describes the production and characterization of a selective membrane useful for electronic devices. The membrane was a composite made by a thin film of plasma-polymerized HFE (methyl nonafluoro(iso)butyl ether) immersed in plasma-polymerized HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) film, a third phase being 5 µm starch particles included in this matrix. The film was deposited on silicon substrates and its physical, chemical and adsorption characteristics were determined. Infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed fluorine and carboxyl groups on the bulk and the surface, respectively. SEM results indicate the film is conformal even if starch is present. Optical microscopy analysis showed good resistance toward acid and base solutions. Quartz crystal microbalance indicated adsorption of polar organic compounds on ppm range. This thin film is environment-friendly and can be used as a protective layer or in electronic devices due to adsorption of volatile organic compounds.

Protective effect of sodium ascorbate on odontoblast-like cells MDPC-23 exposed to a bleaching agent

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

Effect of protective solutions and hydroxyethyl starch in the attenuation of the injuries of ischemia and reperfusion of splanchnic organs

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

Balancing immunity and tolerance: genetic footprint of natural selection in the transcriptional regulatory region of HLA-G

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Protective effect of bixin on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Background: The liver is an important organ for its ability to transform xenobiotics, making the liver tissue a prime target for toxic substances. The carotenoid bixin present in annatto is an antioxidant that can protect cells and tissues against the deleterious effects of free radicals. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of bixin on liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats.Results: The animals were divided into four groups with six rats in each group. CCl4 (0.125 mL kg(-1) body wt.) was injected intraperitoneally, and bixin (5.0 mg kg(-1) body wt.) was given by gavage 7 days before the CCl4 injection. Bixin prevented the liver damage caused by CCl4, as noted by the significant decrease in serum aminotransferases release. Bixin protected the liver against the oxidizing effects of CCl4 by preventing a decrease in glutathione reductase activity and the levels of reduced glutathione and NADPH. The peroxidation of membrane lipids and histopathological damage of the liver was significantly prevented by bixin treatment.Conclusion: Therefore, we can conclude that the protective effect of bixin against hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 is related to the antioxidant activity of the compound.

Artifactual oxidation of cholesterol during the analysis of cholesterol oxidation products: protective effect of antioxidants

To study the influence of the addition of various antioxidants and their combinations on the artifactual oxidation of cholesterol during analysis, 2 factorial experiments were performed in duplicate. In the first experiment, 2 amounts of the following antioxidants were assayed: ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) disodium salt (0 and 1 mg), pyrogallol (0 and 600 microg), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT; 0 and 600 microg); in the second, EDTA disodium salt (0 and 1 mg), ascorbyl palmitate (0 and 600 microg), and BHT (0 and 600 microg). Under low oxidative conditions of dim light, evaporation of solvents at low temperatures, and cold saponification in darkness under nitrogen atmosphere, the addition of antioxidants showed no further protective effect. Furthermore, the presence of ascorbyl palmitate significantly increased the formation of cholesterol-5beta,6beta-epoxide, and 7beta-hydroxycholesterol.

Protective effects of the galectin-1 protein on in vivo and in vitro models of ocular inflammation

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

Mechanisms involved in reproductive damage caused by gossypol in rats and protective effects of vitamin E

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

Própolis na dieta de abelhas Apis mellifera L. e seu efeito no sistema imune, expressão de genes após o desafio bacteriano e detoxificação frente ao agroquímico fipronil

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FMVZ

Protective efficacy of psidium cattleianum (Sabine) and myracrodruon urundeuva (Allemao) leaf extracts against caries development in rats

This study evaluated the influence of Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Myrtaceae) and Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão (Anacardiaceae) aqueous extracts on S. mutans counts and dental enamel micro-hardness of rats submitted to a cariogenic challenge. Sixty Wistar rats were distributed in three groups and received water (control) or aqueous extracts of Psidium cattleianum or Myracrodruon urundeuva as hydration solution. Initially the animals had their sublingual and submandibular salivary glands surgically removed and the parotid ducts ligated. Then the rats were inoculated with 106 CFU of Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35668 and were fed with a cariogenic diet. To detect and quantify the presence of S. mutans, oral biofilms were sampled and microbial DNA was extracted and submitted to amplification by means of real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). After seven weeks the animals were sacrificed and enamel demineralization was analyzed by cross-sectional micro-hardness. Both extracts produced a significant reduction on S. mutans counts and decreased the enamel demineralization. It can be concluded that the extracts tested had a significant effect on S. mutans in oral biofilm of the rats, decreasing S. mutans accumulation and enamel demineralization.

Prone positioning attenuates TNF-alpha production in rabbits with lung injury under protective conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV)

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

Vitamin A affects haematology, growth and immune response of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, L.), but has no protective effect against bacterial challenge or cold-induced stress

Vitamin A (vitA) is an essential nutrient that acts as an endocrine regulator of several metabolic pathways, modulating normal growth and health status of animals. Although the importance of vitA for normal haematology and immune response is well documented for higher vertebrates, there is limited information on the physiological effects of vitA on fish. Therefore, we designed a 130-day feeding trial to evaluate the effect of vitA supplementation on growth, haematology, immune function and resistance to experimental infection with Aeromonas hydrophila and cold-induced stress. A group of 320 Nile tilapia fingerlings 7.49 ± 0.19 g weight (mean ± SD) were randomly stocked into 40 250 L-aquaria and fed practical diets containing graded levels of vitA (0, 0.06, 0.12, 0.24, 0.48, 0.96, 1.92, 3.84 mg retinol (ROH) kg−1 diet. Growth, haematology, plasma protein profile and immune response were significantly affected by vitA supplementation; however, no clear protective effect of vitA supplementation on disease and cold stress resistance were observed in this study. Clinical signs of vitA deficiency were: resting and abnormal swimming behaviour, exophthalmia, haemorrhages at the base of fins and on skin, serous fluids in abdominal cavity, neutropenia, reduction in red blood cell count, haematocrit and haemoglobin evolving to high mortality rates in a short period of time. A dietary level of vitA around 1.2 mg ROH kg−1 may be required to prevent gross deficiency signs and promote proper growth and health status of Nile tilapia. VitA does not seem to have a pronounced effect on leucocyte differentiation, but clearly plays an important role on maintaining normal erythropoiesis.