DOT-ELISA for detection of anti-Cysticercus cellulosae antibodies in human cerebrospinal fluid using a new solid-phase (resin-treated polyester fabrics): preliminary report

A dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DOT-ELISA) was developed to detect specific antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for human neurocysticercosis immunodiagnosis, with Cysticercus cellulosae antigen dotted on a new solid-phase. This was represented by sheets of a synthetic polyester fabric impregnated with a polymerized resin (N-methylol-acrylamide). A very stable preparation was thus obtained, the antigen being covalently bound by cross-linking with free N-methylol groups on the resin. Since robust, no special care was necessary for handling the solid-phase. The test could be performed at room-temperature. From 30 CSF samples assayed, 14 were positive, from a group of 15 cases of neurocysticercosis, with titers from 1 to 128; 15 other samples, from normals or other neurological diseases, were all negative. Test characteristics seem to indicate it as adequate for epidemiological surveys. A more detailed study on sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility and the use in serum samples is being conducted.

Effectiveness of house dust mite acaricide tri-n-butyl tin maleate on carpets, fabrics and mattress foam: a standardization of methodology

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the acaricide tri-n-butyl tin maleate, industrially applied to samples of carpets, mattress foam, and fabrics used for furniture upholstery, soft toys and shoe uppers. Approximately 100 adult house dust mites of the species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were inoculated into a Petri dish containing the sample (a piece of carpet, mattress foam, or fabric), treated with the acaricide, randomly collected. Mite-maintenance culture medium was added on top of each sample. After one, two, three, seven and 30 days of incubation at 25 ºC and 75% relative humidity, each dish was examined using a 40X stereoscopic microscope (40X). One hundred percent acaricide effectiveness was obtained in treated materials by the end of the 30th-day postinoculation period, under optimal conditions for mite maintenance.

Corantes têxteis

A dye is a colored substance used to impart permanent color to other substances. Its most important use is in coloring textile fibers and fabrics. The removal of colour from dyehouse waste waters is currently a major problem in the textile sector. This paper provides an overview of the treatment technologies that can currently be used by the textile processor and the developments over the past decade with respect to the toxicological and ecotoxicological properties of synthetic organic dyes.

A rota dos estudos sobre a cochonilha em Portugal e no Brasil no século XIX: caminhos desencontrados

For imparting an intense and long-lasting red to fabrics, cochineal remained in high demand during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This period witnessed, accordingly, several initiatives aimed at producing the precious dye: publication of specialized texts, cultivation of the cactus and the insect from which the dye is extracted, and, also, attempts to obtain the secrets of production through espionage. The present paper analyses certain aspects of the measures adopted by the Portuguese government towards Brazil in this field. The work shows how people sought to take part in the network of cochineal production (yet they were unsuccessful most of the time).

Reutilização de efluente de tingimentos de fibras acrílicas pós-tratamento fotoeletroquímico

On a laboratory scale effluents were produced from bichromic dyeing of acrylic fabrics with the basic dyes Blue Astrazon FGGL 300% and Yellow Gold Astrazon GL 200%. The residual dyeing baths were subjected to a photoelectrochemical treatment and reused in a second dyeing process. In the reutilization study, dyeings with treated effluent were compared with standard dyeings with distilled water. The results of dyeings using 100% of treated effluent were unsatisfactory, but the substitution of 10 to 30% of the treated effluent by distilled water resulted in reduced and more acceptable values for difference in colour intensity (ΔE) between 1.86 and 0.3.