Correlation between total nitrite/nitrate concentrations and monoamine oxidase (types A and B) and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase enzymatic activities in human mesenteric arteries from non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic patients

The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between total nitrite/nitrate concentrations (NOx) and the kinetic parameters of monoamine oxidase enzymes (MAO-A and MAO-B) and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) in human mesenteric arteries. Arteries were from non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic patients with sigmoid or rectum carcinoma for whom surgery was the first option and who were not exposed to neo-adjuvant therapy. Segments of human inferior mesenteric arteries from non-diabetic (61.1 ± 8.9 years old, 7 males and 5 females, N = 12) and type 2 diabetic patients (65.8 ± 6.2 years old, 8 males and 4 females, N = 12) were used to determine NOx concentrations and the kinetic parameters of MAO-A, MAO-B and SSAO by the Griess reaction and by radiochemical assay, respectively. The NOx concentrations in arteries from diabetic patients did not differ significantly from those of the non-diabetic group (10.28 ± 4.61 vs 10.71 ± 4.32 nmol/mg protein, respectively). In the non-diabetic group, there was a positive correlation between NOx concentrations and MAO-B parameters: Km (r = 0.612, P = 0.034) and Vmax (r = 0.593, P = 0.042), and a negative correlation with the SSAO parameters: Km (r = -0.625, P = 0.029) and Vmax (r = -0.754, P = 0.005). However, in the diabetic group no correlation was found between NOx concentrations and the three kinetic parameters of the enzymes. These results suggest an important function of sympathetic nerves and vascular NOx concentrations in arteries of non-diabetic patients. Thus, these results confirm the importance of a balance between oxidants and antioxidants in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis to prevent oxidative stress.

CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL, ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL, AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF Talinum paniculatum

SUMMARY In this study, the bioactivity of Talinum paniculatum was evaluated, a plant widely used in folk medicine. The extract from the T. paniculatum leaves (LE) was obtained by percolation with ethanol-water and then subjecting it to liquid-liquid partitions, yielding hexane (HX), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), butanol (BuOH), and aqueous (Aq) fractions. Screening for antimicrobial activity of the LE and its fractions was evaluated in vitro through broth microdilution method, against thirteen pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms, and the antimycobacterial activity was performed through agar diffusion assay. The cytotoxic concentrations (CC90) for LE, HX, and EtOAc were obtained on BHK-21 cells by using MTT reduction assay. The LE showed activity against Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of 250 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, HX demonstrated outstanding activity against Micrococcus luteus and Candida albicans with a MIC of 31.2 µg/mL in both cases. The MIC for EtOAc also was 31.2 µg/mL against Escherichia coli. Conversely, BuOH and Aq were inactive against all tested microorganisms and LE proved inactive against Mycobacterium tuberculosisand Mycobacterium bovisas well. Campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol were the proposed structures as main compounds present in the EF and HX/EtOAc fractions, evidenced by mass spectrometry. Therefore, LE, HX, and EtOAc from T. paniculatumshowed potential as possible sources of antimicrobial compounds, mainly HX, for presenting low toxicity on BHK-21 cells with excellent Selectivity Index (SI = CC90/MIC) of 17.72 against C. albicans.

Isokinetic dynamometry of knee flexors and extensors: comparative study among non-athletes, jumper athletes and runner athletes

Participation in intensive sports activities leads to muscular specializations that may generate alterations in involved articular forces and cause static (posture) and dynamic changes (alterations of articular stability, coordination, etc.). Prevention of injury requires specific functional muscular evaluation in all athletes and for any kind of sport. OBJECTIVE: To dynamically evaluate, through isokinetic tests, the peak torque, total work, and average power of the knee flexor and extensor muscles of jumper and runner athletes and compare them to those of a non-athletic population, evaluating dominance and balance between agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups. RESULTS: In the non-athlete group, we noted a higher asymmetry between the dominant and nondominant members. The jumpers had the highest values of the evaluated parameters of all groups, whereas parameters for the runners were intermediate between non-athletes and jumpers.

The Office International des Epizooties ad hoc Group on Non Tsetse Animal Trypanosomoses: Its Origin, Scope and Perspectives

A summary of the goals and activities of the ad hoc group on Non Tsetse Transmitted Animal Trypanosomosis belonging to the Office International des Epizooties is presented.

Saponins from Swartzia langsdorffii: biological activities

The presence of saponins and the molluscicidal activity of the roots, leaves, seeds and fruits of Swartzia langsdorffii Raddi (Leguminosae) against Biomphalaria glabrata adults and eggs were investigated. The roots, seeds and fruits were macerated in 95% ethanol. These extracts exerted a significant molluscicidal activity against B. glabrata, up to a dilution of 100 mg/l. Four mixtures (A2, B2, C and D) of triterpenoid oleanane type saponins were chromatographically isolated from the seed and fruit extracts. Two known saponins (1 and 2) were identified as beta-D-glucopyranosyl-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1->3)- beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-(1->3)]-3beta-hydroxyolean-12-ene-28 -oate, and beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-(1 ->3)]-3beta-hydroxyolean-12-ene-28-oate, respectively. These two saponins were present in all the mixtures, together with other triterpenoid oleane type saponins, which were shown to be less polar, by reversed-phase HPLC. The saponin identifications were based on spectral evidence, including ¹H-¹H two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy, nuclear Overhauser and exchange spectroscopy, heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence, and heteronuclear multiple-bond connectivity experiments. The toxicity of S. langsdorffii saponins to non-target organisms was prescreened by the brine shrimp lethality test.

Laboratory evaluation of methanolic extract of Atlantia monophylla (Family: Rutaceae) against immature stages of mosquitoes and non-target organisms

Methanolic extracts of the leaves of Atlantia monophylla (Rutaceae) were evaluated for mosquitocidal activity against immature stages of three mosquito species, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi, and Aedes aegypti in the laboratory.Larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus and pupae of An. stephensi were found more susceptible, with LC50 values of 0.14 mg/l and 0.05 mg/l, respectively. Insect growth regulating activity of this extract was more pronounced against Ae. aegypti, with EI50 value 0.002 mg/l. The extract was found safe to aquatic mosquito predators Gambusia affinis, Poecilia reticulata, and Diplonychus indicus, with the respective LC50 values of 23.4, 21.3, and 5.7 mg/l. The results indicate that the mosquitocidal effects of the extract of this plant were comparable to neem extract and certain synthetic chemical larvicides like fenthion, methoprene, etc.

Non-formal education for schistosomiasis prevention: the experience of the Museu Arqueológico de Central, Bahia, Brazil

The activities described here form part of an extensive programme in place in the Região Arqueológica de Central, state of Bahia, Brazil. After malacological and socio-environmental surveys in the area, a strategy comprising formal and non-formal education with an emphasis on schistosomiasis prevention was developed, introduced, and evaluated. Interviews were conducted of 142 students and 11 teachers, totalling 11 classes at six primary schools. On the basis of those interviews, four display cases and seven panels were prepared. In addition a table was set up where students could participate directly on the subject, drawing and recognising the factors involved in the schistosomiasis cycle. The exhibition was held at the Museu Arqueológico de Central. The endeavours of this paper underline the importance of health education as well as exhibitions to disease prevention activities.

Aspartic protease activities of schistosomes cleave mammalian hemoglobins in a host-specific manner

We examined the efficiency of digestion of hemoglobin from four mammalian species, human, cow, sheep, and horse by acidic extracts of mixed sex adults of Schistosoma japonicum and S. mansoni. Activity ascribable to aspartic protease(s) from S. japonicum and S. mansoni cleaved human hemoglobin. In addition, aspartic protease activities from S. japonicum cleaved hemoglobin from bovine, sheep, and horse blood more efficiently than did the activity from extracts of S. mansoni. These findings support the hypothesis that substrate specificity of hemoglobin-degrading proteases employed by blood feeding helminth parasites influences parasite host species range; differences in amino acid sequences in key sites of the parasite proteases interact less or more efficiently with the hemoglobins of permissive or non-permissive hosts.

Evolution of insecticide resistance in non-target black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Argentina

Black flies, a non-target species of the insecticides used in fruit production, represent a severe medical and veterinary problem. Large increases in the level of resistance to the pyrethroids fenvalerate (more than 355-fold) and deltamethrin (162-fold) and a small increase in resistance to the organophosphate azinphos methyl (2-fold) were observed between 1996-2008 in black fly larvae under insecticide pressure. Eventually, no change or a slight variation in insecticide resistance was followed by a subsequent increase in resistance. The evolution of pesticide resistance in a field population is a complex and stepwise process that is influenced by several factors, the most significant of which is the insecticide selection pressure, such as the dose and frequency of application. The variation in insecticide susceptibility within a black fly population in the productive area may be related to changes in fruit-pest control. The frequency of individuals with esterase activities higher than the maximum value determined in the susceptible population increased consistently over the sampling period. However, the insecticide resistance was not attributed to glutathione S-transferase activity. In conclusion, esterase activity in black flies from the productive area is one mechanism underlying the high levels of resistance to pyrethroids, which have been recently used infrequently. These enzymes may be reselected by currently used pesticides and enhance the resistance to these insecticides.

Phosphatase activity in sandy soil influenced by mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal cover crops

Cover crops may difffer in the way they affect rhizosphere microbiota nutrient dynamics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal cover crops on soil phosphatase activity and its persistence in subsequent crops. A three-year experiment was carried out with a Typic Quartzipsamment. Treatments were winter species, either mycorrhizal black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) or the non-mycorrhizal species oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus Metzg) and corn spurry (Spergula arvensis L.). The control treatment consisted of resident vegetation (fallow in the winter season). In the summer, a mixture of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum L.) with sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) or with soybean (Glycine max L.) was sown in all plots. Soil cores (0-10 cm) and root samples were collected in six growing seasons (winter and summer of each year). Microbial biomass P was determined by the fumigation-extraction method and phosphatase activity using p-nitrophenyl-phosphate as enzyme substrate. During the flowering stage of the winter cover crops, acid phosphatase activity was 30-35 % higher in soils with the non-mycorrhizal species oilseed radish, than in the control plots, regardless of the amount of P immobilized in microbial biomass. The values of enzyme activity were intermediate in the plots with corn spurry and black oat. Alkaline phosphatase activity was 10-fold lower and less sensitive to the treatments, despite the significant relationship between the two phosphatase activities. The effect of plant species on the soil enzyme profile continued in the subsequent periods, during the growth of mycorrhizal summer crops, after completion of the life cycle of the cover crops.

Behavioral correlates of the activity of serotonergic and non-serotonergic neurons in caudal raphe nuclei

We investigated the behavioral correlates of the activity of serotonergic and non-serotonergic neurons in the nucleus raphe pallidus (NRP) and nucleus raphe obscurus (NRO) of unanesthetized and unrestrained cats. The animals were implanted with electrodes for recording single unit activity, parietal oscillographic activity, and splenius, digastric and masseter electromyographic activities. They were tested along the waking-sleep cycle, during sensory stimulation and during drinking behavior. The discharge of the serotonergic neurons decreased progressively from quiet waking to slow wave sleep and to fast wave sleep. Ten different patterns of relative discharge across the three states were observed for the non-serotonergic neurons. Several non-serotonergic neurons showed cyclic discharge fluctuations related to respiration during one, two or all three states. While serotonergic neurons were usually unresponsive to the sensory stimuli used, many non-serotonergic neurons responded to these stimuli. Several non-serotonergic neurons showed a phasic relationship with splenius muscle activity during auditory stimulation. One serotonergic neuron showed a tonic relationship with digastric muscle activity during drinking behavior. A few non-serotonergic neurons exhibited a tonic relationship with digastric and/or masseter muscle activity during this behavior. Many non-serotonergic neurons exhibited a phasic relationship with these muscle activities, also during this behavior. These results suggest that the serotonergic neurons in the NRP and NRO constitute a relatively homogeneous population from a functional point of view, while the non-serotonergic neurons form groups with considerable functional specificity. The data support the idea that the NRP and NRO are implicated in the control of somatic motor output.

In vitro anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of boesenbergin A, a chalcone isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) (fingerroot)

The current in vitro study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of boesenbergin A (BA), a chalcone derivative of known structure isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), non-small cell lung cancer (A549), prostate adenocarcinoma (PC3), and normal hepatic cells (WRL-68) were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of BA using the MTT assay. The antioxidant activity of BA was assessed by the ORAC assay and compared to quercetin as a standard reference antioxidant. ORAC results are reported as the equivalent concentration of Trolox that produces the same level of antioxidant activity as the sample tested at 20 µg/mL. The toxic effect of BA on different cell types, reported as IC50, yielded 20.22 ± 3.15, 10.69 ± 2.64, 20.31 ± 1.34, 94.10 ± 1.19, and 9.324 ± 0.24 µg/mL for A549, PC3, HepG2, HT-29, and WRL-68, respectively. BA displayed considerable antioxidant activity, when the results of ORAC assay were reported as Trolox equivalents. BA (20 µg/mL) and quercetin (5 µg/mL) were equivalent to a Trolox concentration of 11.91 ± 0.23 and 160.32 ± 2.75 µM, respectively. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of BA was significant at 12.5 to 50 µM and without any significant cytotoxicity for the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 at 50 µM. The significant biological activities observed in this study indicated that BA may be one of the agents responsible for the reported biological activities of B. rotunda crude extract.

Feeding non-preference by Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera eridania on tomato genotypes

Larvae of the genus Spodoptera spp. are highly polyphagous and can cause economical losses in several agricultural crops. Given their growing importance in the tomato crop, especially for industry, this work aimed to evaluate the feeding non-preference by larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) and Spodoptera eridania (Cramer, 1782) on tomato genotypes and classify them by the levels of resistance. The commercial cultivar Santa Clara was set as the susceptible standard and line PI 134417 as the resistant standard to evaluate the lines PI 134418, PI 126931, LA 462 and LA 716. Feeding non-preference tests were performed under non-choice and free-choice conditions to evaluate the genotype attractiveness to larvae at predetermined times after their release, as well as the leaf area consumed. Overall, the genotypes LA 716 and PI 126931 were the least attractive to S. frugiperda, whereas Santa Clara was the most attractive and consumed. For S. eridania, the genotypes PI 126931, LA 462, LA 716 and PI 134418 were the least preferred for feeding, and Santa Clara and PI 134417 were the most attractive and consumed. The genotypes LA 716 and PI 126931 are moderately resistant to S. frugiperda and S. eridania; PI 134418 and LA 462 are moderately resistant to S. eridania; PI 134417 is susceptible to S. frugiperda and S. eridania; and Santa Clara is highly susceptible to both S. frugiperda and S. eridania.

Sponsoring, brand value and social media

The increasing involvement of individuals in social media over the past decade has enabled firms to pursue new avenues in communication and sponsoring activities. Besides general research on either social media or sponsoring, questions regarding the consequences of a joint activity (sponsoring activities in social media) remain unexplored. Hence, the present study analyses whether the perceived image of the brand and the celebrity endorser credibility of a top sports team influence the perceived brand value of the sponsoring firm in a social media setting. Moreover, these effects are compared between existing customers and non-customers of the sponsoring firm. Interestingly, perceived celebrity endorser credibility plays no role in forming brand value perceptions in the case of the existing customers. Implications for marketing theory and practice are derived.