Hepatitis D virus infection in the Western Brazilian Amazon - far from a vanishing disease

INTRODUCTION: A decline in hepatitis D virus (HDV) occurrence was described in Europe and Asia. We estimated HDV prevalence in the Brazilian Amazon following hepatitis B vaccination. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey of HDV measured by total antibodies to HDV (anti-HD T). RESULTS: HDV prevalence was 41.9% whiting HBsAg carries and was associated with age (PR = 1.96; 95% CI 1.12-3.42; p = 0.01), hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (PR = 4.38; 95% CI 3.12-6.13; p < 0.001), and clinical hepatitis (PR =1.44; 95% CI 1.03-2.00; p = 0.03). Risk factors were related to HDV biology, clinical or demographic aspects such as underlying HBV infection, clinical hepatitis and age. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that HDV infection continues to be an important health issue in the Brazilian Amazon and that the implementation of the HBV vaccination in rural Lábrea had little or no impact on the spread of HDV. This shows that HDV has not yet disappeared from HBV hyperendemic areas and reminding that it is far from being a vanishing disease in the Amazon basin.

PROPAGAÇÃO ASSEXUADA DO CAMU-CAMU (Myrciaria d&#250;bia) ATRAVÉS DE ENXERTIAS DO TIPO GARFAGEM

O camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (H.B.K.) McVaugh), espécie nativa da Amazônia, cujos frutos apresentam elevado teor de vitamina C, normalmente é propagado através da semente o que não garante a reprodução de bons caracteres. Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar a multiplicação do camu-camu por meio de diferentes métodos de enxertias do tipo garfagem, visando a produção de material selecionado na região de Manaus, AM. As enxertias foram realizadas quando as mudas alcançaram um ano de idade com, em média, diâmetro do colo de 6 mm e altura de 80 cm, em viveiro coberto com tela de sombrite de 50 % de luminosidade. A enxertia do tipo garfagem com fenda lateral (65 %), seguida da garfagem lateral simples (52 %), foi o método que apresentou o melhor resultado na propagação assexuada do camu-camu. As garfagens de topo com fenda cheia (34 %) e fenda a cavalo (9 %) foram os métodos que registraram os mais baixos índices de pegamentos, embora a primeira não tenha diferido significativamente dos métodos que apresentaram os melhores resultados.

ESTRUTURA DO SOLO SOB FEIJÃO IRRIGADO E DIFERENTES MANEJO DO SOLO

O manejo agrícola influencia a estrutura do solo, modificando os atributos físicos e o comportamento hídrico do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da semeadura direta (SD) e do preparo convencional (PC) sobre a estrutura do solo, por meio de atributos físicos e da distribuição dos poros, utilizando imagens digitais 2-D. O estudo foi realizado em um Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico com delineamento de blocos casualizados. A densidade do solo, macroporosidade, diâmetro médio ponderado (DMP), condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado (Kfs) e análise de imagens digitais 2-D (resolução de 156,25 μm2) foram avaliadas nas profundidades de 0-0,20 e 0,20-0,40 m. Os manejos não diferiram para a densidade e macroporosidade do solo. A SD revelou maior DMP e Kfs em relação ao PC. O PC apresentou maior área total de poros na profundidade de 0-0,20 m em relação ao SD, ocorrendo o inverso na profundidade de 0,20-0,40 m. A SD apresentou maior quantidade de poros complexos de tamanho grande (>0,156 mm2) na camada de 0,20-0,40 m em relação ao PC, que evidenciou predomínio de poros arredondados. A SD demonstrou melhorias na estrutura do solo em relação ao PC, com maior estabilidade dos agregados, condutividade hidráulica e área total de poros, contribuindo para a conservação do solo e da água em sistemas produtivos.

Reações de carbociclização radicalar de orto-iodoaliloxibenzoatos derivados de d-glicose e d-galactose e comparação com as reações de seus análogos benzamidas

Two ortho-iodoallyloxybenzoates, methyl 4-O-allyl-2,3-di-O-benzyl-6-O-(2-iodobenzoyl)- alpha-D-glucopyranoside (3) and methyl 4-O-allyl-2,3-di-O-benzyl-6-O-(2-iodobenzoyl)- alpha-D-galactopyranoside (4) were synthesized in seven conventional steps from methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside and methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside, respectively. Bu3SnH-mediated aryl radical cyclization of 3 provided exclusively the hydrogenolysis product 12. The reaction of 4 gave the reduced uncyclized product 13 and only traces of 4A, resulting from 11-endo aryl radical cyclization. In previous papers we described that in similar Bu3SnH-mediated radical reaction of ortho-iodoallyloxybenzamides, analogs of 3 and 4, we obtained macrolactams resulting from 11-endo cyclization. An hypothesis to explain the differences is presented. It was assumed that in the aryl radical formed from iodobenzamides there is a suitable conformation to cyclization, which is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond.

Síntese de aliloxi-orto-iodobenzamida derivada de d-glicose e reação de ciclização radicalar mediada por hidreto de tri-n-butilestanho

Methyl 6-O-allyl-2,3-di-O-benzyl-4-deoxy-4-(2 -iodobenzoylamine)-alpha-D-glucopyranoside was synthesized in nine conventional steps from methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside. Its Bu3SnH-mediated aryl radical cyclization provided a benzomacrolactam, resulting from 11-endo aryl radical cyclization and the reduced uncyclized product methyl 6-O-allyl-4-benzoylamine-2,3-di-O-benzyl-4-deoxy- alpha-D-glucopyranoside. The structures of the three new products were supported by ¹H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and DEPT, COSY and HMQC experiments.

HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of oxidized di-caffeoylquinic acids generated by metalloporphyrin-catalyzed reactions

This paper reports an HPLC-ESI-MS/MS investigation on the oxidation of 3,5- and 4,5- dicaffeoylquinic acid using iron(III) tetraphenylporphyrin chloride as catalyst. Two major mono-oxidised products of the quinic acid moiety have been identified for both compounds. However, only the 4,5-derivative afforded two different tri-oxo products. Thus, it seems that the oxidation pattern depends on the number and positions of the caffeic acid moieties present in caffeoylquinic acid molecules.

Polarizabilidades e primeira hiperpolarizabilidades elétricas dipolares de ésteres E-4-amino-trans-1,3-butadienil-(1',2'-di-hidroxibenzeno) de boro, alumínio e gálio

Static electric dipole polarizabilities and first hyperpolarizabilites have been calculated for the title molecules and their 3' and 4'-nitro derivatives at ab-initio Hartree- Fock/6-31G(d, p) level. The influence of the pivotal p vacant 3A elements (B, Al or Ga) substitution on the electrical properties of these molecules is detailed. The axial vector components of the first hyperpolarizabilities β(0) of the push-pull 4'-nitro derivatives, -18.2×10-32 esu (B), -21.1×10-32 esu (Al) and -20.8×10-32 esu (Ga) are calculated to be as much as fourfold larger then that calculated for the p-nitroaniline, a reference organic molecule for comparison for this type of molecular property.

Síntese de 2-iodobenzamidas e 3-(iodoacetamido)benzamidas ligadas à D-galactose e suas reações de carbociclização radicalar mediadas por hidreto de tri-n-butilestanho

Starting from methyl 6-O-allyl-4-azido-2,3-di-O-benzyl-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside, four new derivatives containing 2-iodobenzamido and 3-(iodoacetamido)benzamido groups were synthesized. These four compounds were submitted to tri-n-butyltin hydride mediated radical cyclization reactions, resulting in two macrolactams from 11- and 15-endo aryl radical cyclization. The corresponding four hydrogenolysis products were also obtained. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by ¹H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, DEPT, COSY, HMQC and HMBC experiments.

Síntese e caracterização de copolímeros de cadeia lateral derivados de acrilatos de 4,5-di-hidroisoxazol e do (-)-mentol

Five monomers 5-[4-(5-cyano-4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)phenoxy]undecyl acrylate (7a); n-alkyl 3-{4-[5-(acryloyloxyundecyl)oxyphenyl]}-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-5-carboxylate (7b,c for n-butyl and n-hexyl, respectively); 3-{4-[5-(acryloyloxyundecyl) oxyphenyl]}-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-5-carboxylic acid (7d) and (1R,2S,5R)-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexyl acrylate (9) and the corresponding copolymers 10a-d,11 and homopolymers 12 from 7a and 13 from 9 were designed and synthesized. Except for acrylate 9 which is derived from (-)-menthol, all of the monomers belong to the series containing the isoxazoline ring linked to the acrylate unit by a flexible spacer chain of eleven methylene units. They presented low glass temperature and despite birefringence behavior, these copolymers showed no mesomorphic properties.

DI-HIDROCUCURBITACINA B: SEMI-SÍNTESE DE NOVOS DERIVADOS GLICOSILADOS

In the last ten years, the interest in natural and semi-synthetic cucurbitacin derivatives has increased, primarily due their cytotoxic and anti-tumoral activities. However, the isolation of glycosylated cucurbitacins has been difficult due the presence of β-glucosidase enzyme. With the aim of obtaining new glycosylated derivatives, the glycosylation of dihydrocucurbitacin B under Köenigs-Knorr and imidate reaction conditions was studied. Novel glycoside derivatives 16-(1,2-orthoacetate-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-dihydrocucurbitacin B (2), 2-O-β-D-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-galactopyranosyl dihydrocucurbitacin B (3) and 2-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl dihydrocucurbitacin B (4) were synthesized for the first time in 17% (2 and 3) and 48% (4) yields.

SYNTHESIS AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF PALMITIC ACID-BASED NEOGLYCOLIPIDS RELATED TO PAPULACANDIN D

A series of six new palmitic acid-based neoglycolipids related to Papulacandin D were synthesized in five steps, resulting in good yields, and they were evaluated against Candida spp. All twelve synthetic intermediates were also evaluated. The synthesis involved the initial glycosylation of two phenols (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde and 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde) via their reaction with peracetylated glucosyl bromide. This was followed by deacetylation with potassium methoxide/metanol solution and the protection of two hydroxyls (C4 and C6 positions) of the saccharide unit as benzilidene acetals (10-11). The next step involved the acylation of the acetal derivatives with palmitic acid, thereby affording a mixture of two isomers mono-acylated at the C2 and C3 positions and a di-acylated product (12-17). After being isolated, each compound was subjected to the removal of the acetal protecting group to yield the papulacandin D analogues 18-23. Three compounds showed low antifungal activity against two species: C. albicans (compounds 7 and 23) and C. tropicalis (compound 17) at 200 µg mL−1.

Spectrophotometric determination of arsenic in soil samples using 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-di-ethylaminophenol (Br-PADAP)

In this paper, a new, simple and sensitive method for arsenic determination in soil is proposed. This is based on the reduction of silver (I) and iron (III) ions by arsine followed by a complexation reaction of iron (II) with the spectrophotometric reagent Br-PADAP 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-di-ethylaminophenol. Arsenic determination with a Sandell's sensitivity of 3.1 10-4 cm-2, linear range from 0.1 µg ml-1 to 2.0 µg ml-1 (r560 = 0.9995), molar absorptivity of 2.45 10(5) l mol-1 cm-1 and a concentration detection limit of 1.4 ng ml-1 (3s) were obtained using a 10 ml sample volume. Selectivity was increased with the use of EDTA as a masking agent. The proposed method was applied for arsenic determination in the presence of several ions amounts in digested soil samples. The results revealed that antimony (III), mercury (II), germanium (IV), platinum (IV) interferes at all analyzed proportions. The interferences can be easily removed by the use of EDTA. Precision and accuracy obtained were satisfactory with a R.S.D. < 5 %. Recovery of arsenic in soil samples varied from 95.55 to 102.70 % with a mean of 99.63 %. These results demonstrated that the proposed method is applicable for arsenic analysis in different soil samples.

Di-And Tri-Hydroxylated Kaurane Derivatives From Microbial Transformation Of Ent-Kaur-16-En-19-Ol By Cephalosporium Aphidicola And Their Allelopathic Activity On Lactuca Sativa (Lettuce)

The use of microorganisms to induce chemical modifications in organic molecules is a very useful tool in organic synthesis, to obtain biologically active substances. The fungus Cephalosporium aphidicola is known by its ability to hydroxylate several skeleton positions of many classes of organic compounds. In this work, the microbial transformation of ent-kaur-16-en-19-ol (1) by C. aphidicola, afforded two hydroxylated compounds, ent-kauran-16β,19-diol (2) and ent-kauran-16β,17,19-triol (3). Their structures were established by 1D and 2D-NMR studies. Both compounds were tested for their action on the growth of radical and shoot of Lactuca sativa.

The association of ACE gene D/I polymorphism with cardiovascular risk factors in a population from Rio de Janeiro

Our aim was to determine the frequencies of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene alleles D and I and any associations to cardiovascular risk factors in a population sample from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eighty-four adults were selected consecutively during a 6-month period from a cohort subgroup of a previous large cross-sectional survey in Rio de Janeiro. Anthropometric data and blood pressure measurements, echocardiogram, albuminuria, glycemia, lipid profile, and ACE genotype and serum enzyme activity were determined. The frequency of the ACE*D and I alleles in the population under study, determined by PCR, was 0.59 and 0.41, respectively, and the frequencies of the DD, DI, and II genotypes were 0.33, 0.51, and 0.16, respectively. No association between hypertension and genotype was detected using the Kruskal-Wallis method. Mean plasma ACE activity (U/mL) in the DD (N = 28), DI (N = 45) and II (N = 13) groups was 43 (in males) and 52 (in females), 37 and 39, and 22 and 27, respectively; mean microalbuminuria (mg/dL) was 1.41 and 1.6, 0.85 and 0.9, and 0.6 and 0.63, respectively; mean HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) was 40 and 43, 37 and 45, and 41 and 49, respectively, and mean glucose (mg/dL) was 93 and 108, 107 and 98, and 85 and 124, respectively. A high level of ACE activity and albuminuria, and a low level of HDL cholesterol and glucose, were found to be associated with the DD genotype. Finally, the II genotype was found to be associated with variables related to glucose intolerance.

La classificazione aristotelica delle scienze in Pietro d&#39;Abano

La classificazione delle scienze di Pietro d&#39;Abano costituisce un'interessante riformulazione della classificazione analoga, proposta da Aristotele in Metaph. VI, e della teoria degli abiti dianoetici, proposta da Aristotele in Eth. Nic. VI. Come risulta dal Conciliator per quanto concerne la medicina e dal Lucidator per quanto concerne l'astronomia, Pietro segue la classificazione aristotelica e le interpretazioni che di essa erano state date nel medioevo (dottrina dei tre gradi di astrazione e distinzione tra methodus compositiva e methodus resolutiva), aggiungendovi come contributo originale l'introduzione di una parte pratica sia nella medicina che nell'astronomia (astronomia iudicialis), dove quest'ultima deriva da Tolomeo e dagli Arabi.