Coordinate and time-dependent diffusion dynamics in protein folding

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Treatment of developmental defect of upper lip with carbon dioxide laser radiation (CO2): First surgical time

With the exception of the cleft lip, developmental defects (DD) of the lip are rare. The upper lip originates from the ectomesenchyme and is formed by the merging of the nasal medial and lateral processes with the maxillary process. Disturbances during this formation period can cause DD with functional and/or esthetic repercussions. We present a case of DD of the upper lip in a patient with a history of progressive growth of the left lateral portion of the upper lip that occurred from the time of birth until the age of 22 years. Clinical examination revealed hypertrophy of the area from the left philtral columns to the left commissure of the lip, extending the portion of the surface mucosa creating a flaccid and asymptomatic tissue mass. All other buccal structures appeared to be within normal limits and without any evidence of defects or deformities. In the surgical planning we decided to carry out corrective surgery in two phases. The first phase accomplished a conservative excision of the total abnormal labial tissue mass with a CO2 laser radiation (5 W in continuous mode, bunch diameter φ = 0.6 mm with a power density of 768 W/cm2 and fluency of 0.231 J/cm2) being careful to preserve the vermilion portion of the lip. Postsurgical clinical evaluations were done every three days until the skin sutures were removed and then every seven days until two months post surgery. While the entire mass of excessive tissue could not be completely removed, the removal of the excessive mucosal tissue produced a very good outcome relative to lip function, with a good esthetic result without scarring, and good tissue mobility. The results showed that the CO2 laser is an extremely useful instrument that can provide excellent control of the surgical field and allow for healing that produces excellent functional and esthetic results. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

Statistics and kinetics of single-molecule electron transfer dynamics in complex environments: A simulation model study

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

Probing the kinetics of single molecule protein folding

We propose an approach to integrate the theory, simulations, and experiments in protein-folding kinetics. This is realized by measuring the mean and high-order moments of the first-passage time and its associated distribution. The full kinetics is revealed in the current theoretical framework through these measurements. In the experiments, information about the statistical properties of first-passage times can be obtained from the kinetic folding trajectories of single molecule experiments ( for example, fluorescence). Theoretical/simulation and experimental approaches can be directly related. We study in particular the temperature-varying kinetics to probe the underlying structure of the folding energy landscape. At high temperatures, exponential kinetics is observed; there are multiple parallel kinetic paths leading to the native state. At intermediate temperatures, nonexponential kinetics appears, revealing the nature of the distribution of local traps on the landscape and, as a result, discrete kinetic paths emerge. At very low temperatures, exponential kinetics is again observed; the dynamics on the underlying landscape is dominated by a single barrier. The ratio between first-passage-time moments is proposed to be a good variable to quantitatively probe these kinetic changes. The temperature-dependent kinetics is consistent with the strange kinetics found in folding dynamics experiments. The potential applications of the current results to single-molecule protein folding are discussed.

Dinâmica de modelos minimalistas de solvente em reações de transferência de elétrons: aplicação à experimentos de única molécula

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Orchidopexy restores morphometric-stereologic changes in the caput epididymis and daily sperm production in cryptorchidic mice, although sperm transit time and fertility parameters remain impaired

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

Caracterização, criopreservação e diferenciação in vitro de células tronco, derivadas de amniótica e gelatina de Wharton canina, visando a formação de um banco de células tronco

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia Animal - FMVZ

Culture of osteogenic cells from human alveolar bone: A useful source of alkaline phosphatase

The aim of this study was to obtain membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase from osteoblastic-like cells of human alveolar bone. Cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion and maintained in primary culture in osteogenic medium until subconfluence. First passage cells were cultured in the same medium and at 7, 14, and 21 days, total protein content, collagen content, and alkaline phosphatase activity were evaluated. Bone-like nodule formation was evaluated at 21 days. Cells in primary culture at day 14 were washed with Tris-HCl buffer, and used to extract the membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase. Cells expressed osteoblastic phenotype. The apparent optimum pH for PNPP hydrolysis by the enzyme was pH 10.0. This enzyme also hydrolyzes ATP, ADP, fructose-1-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate, pyrophosphate and beta-glycerophosphate. PNPPase activity was reduced by typical inhibitors of alkaline phosphatase. SDS-PAGE of membrane fraction showed a single band with activity of similar to 120 kDa that could be solubilized by phospholipase C or Polidocanol. (c) 2007 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Produção e qualidade do milheto semeado em duas épocas e adubado com nitrogênio

O trabalho foi conduzido na FCAV-UNESP, câmpus de Jaboticabal, com o objetivo de avaliar as características fisiológicas de crescimento, produção de matéria seca (MS) e teores de proteína bruta (PB), fibra em detergente ácido (FDA) e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS) de dois genótipos de milheto (Pennisetum americanum) cultivar Comum e CMS 02/Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), semeados em duas épocas (23/11/94 e 10/3/95) e submetidos a quatro doses de N (0; 75; 150 e 225 kg ha-1). O delineamento experimental adotado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com parcelas subdivididas, e três repetições. Na primeira época de semeadura, a cv. Comum apresentou produção de MS total significativamente superior (6.995 kg ha-1) à do genótipo CMS 02 (6.177 kg ha-1), e a aplicação de 150 kg ha-1 foi a dose mais adequada nesse período. Na segunda época de semeadura, a produção de MS total dos genótipos foi, em média, de 2.799 kg ha-1, e a adubação nitrogenada não revelou efeito significativo. Plantas da primeira época de semeadura apresentaram, nos dois primeiros cortes, alta produção de folhas, cujos teores de PB foram superiores a 20%, e os valores de DIVMS em torno de 70%.

Época de sobressemeadura de gramíneas anuais de inverno e de verão no capim-Tifton 85: produção e composição botânica

The experiment was conducted at UNESP-Jaboticabal during the 2001-2002 winter-spring-summer periods to evaluate the herbage mass, botanical composition, dry matter production of mix pastures, and leaf: sheat-stem ration of Tifton 85 or overseeding with annual winter or summer species. The treatments were: pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) plus bristeal oat (Avena strigosa Schreb); sorghum sudan grass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf) (SS AG2501 C) plus bristeal oat, overseeded on Tifton 85 area on 06/19/02/04, or 07/02/02, and Tifton 85, conducted in a randomized block design. The AG2501 contributed with a small participation in the botanical composition and the presence of millet in the experiment was not observed. Highest herbage mass at first and second evaluations related to first seeding time was 63% higher compared to the second seeding time. The herbage mass were similar he production in the other evaluations were similar. on the second seeding time, it was observed highest oat species in relation to the first seeding time. The leaf: sheat-stem ration decreased during the experiment due to the pasture botanical composition changes.

Single molecule electron transfer dynamics in complex environments

We propose a new theoretical approach to study the kinetics of the electron transfer (ET) under the dynamical influence of the complex environments with the first passage times (FPT) of the reaction events. By measuring the mean and high order moments of FPT and their ratios, the full kinetics of ET, especially the dynamical transitions across different temperature zones, is revealed. The potential applications of the current results to single molecule electron transfer are discussed.

Differential seed germination of a keystone palm (Euterpe edulis) dispersed by avian frugivores

The effectiveness of seed dispersal by vertebrates has been analysed by examining both quantitative and qualitative components (Jordano & Schupp 2000, Schupp et al. 2010). While the quantitative component is relatively easily assessed in the field (e.g. visitation rate, number of fruits eaten per visit), the qualitative component (e.g. fate of dispersed seeds, seed treatment in the digestive system of the disperser) is rarely studied under natural conditions, because it is difficult to measure the effects on seeds once ingested by the dispersers (Cortes et al. 2009). © Cambridge University Press 2012.

Análise química da folha d de abacaxizeiro cv. smooth cayenne antes e após a indução floral em função de doses e parcelamentos de nitrogênio

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phenotypic and metabolic aspects of prostatic epithelial cells in aged gerbils after antisteroidal therapy: Turnover in the state of chromatin condensation and androgen-independent cell replacement

The gerbil is a rodent considered a good model for studies of prostatic morphophysiology under different experimental conditions. Studies involving castration and steroidal blockers of aged gerbils showed that the glandular epithelium persists after long-term therapy, preventing the organ atrophy. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic characteristics and behavior of prostatic epithelial cells that remained after different periods of hormone ablation in aged gerbils. The identification of elements that influenced the survival of this cell type was performed by morphometric, nuclear phenotypes, ultrastructural and immune histochemical analysis. The most significant responses to treatment, by analyzing morphometric features, were observed during the first three time points (day 1, day 3, and day 7), after which there appeared to be an adjustment of the gland to the hormone ablation. All treatments led to changes in the state of chromatin condensation, DNA methylation pattern and phenotypic changes indicated cell senescence. Additionally, an increase in the basal cells seemed to guarantee self-renewal properties to the epithelium. These data indicate that changes occur at many levels, including gene expression and nuclear architecture in the epithelial cells, when aging and steroidal blockade are associated. These aspects are important when considering castration-resistant prostate cancer, a malignant tumor posing difficult therapeutic intervention. © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Reducing the conservatism of LMI-based stabilisation conditions for TS fuzzy systems using fuzzy Lyapunov functions

In this article, the fuzzy Lyapunov function approach is considered for stabilising continuous-time Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems. Previous linear matrix inequality (LMI) stability conditions are relaxed by exploring further the properties of the time derivatives of premise membership functions and by introducing slack LMI variables into the problem formulation. The relaxation conditions given can also be used with a class of fuzzy Lyapunov functions which also depends on the membership function first-order time-derivative. The stability results are thus extended to systems with large number of rules under membership function order relations and used to design parallel-distributed compensation (PDC) fuzzy controllers which are also solved in terms of LMIs. Numerical examples illustrate the efficiency of the new stabilising conditions presented. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.