Pathogenesis of Schistosoma mansoni infection

In this paper a discussin is made on the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis mansoni in mice, presented from the perspectives of "processes", "mediators", "strategies for study" and vasculitis are discussed. The role of mediators, including cells, antibodies and immune complexes, cytokines and distal mediators is commented as related to the pathological processes occuring in schistosomiasis. Finally, strategies for study are presented, followed by a discussion on the etiopathogenesis of the different clinical stages and pathologic manifestations of schistosomiasis mansoni.

Reciclagem do lixo de informática: uma oportunidade para a química

Recycling and sustainable development are increasing in importance around the world. In Brazil, the new National Policy on Solid Wastes has prompted discussion on the future of electronic waste (e-waste). Brazil generates the greatest amount of e-waste among Latin American countries. Nevertheless complete recycling, including end processing of e-waste, does not occur in Brazil. This paper discusses the physical and chemical technologies currently used worldwide and in Brazil for printed circuit board recycling, with emphasis on metal recovery and plastic processing. The goal is to put in evidence the important role that chemistry can play in developing cheaper processes to recycle e-waste.

Química verde: a evolução de um conceito

The topic "Green Chemistry" has gained great importance over recent years, being quoted in an increasing number of publications. This fact shows how concern over developing "greener" processes has played a prominent role in the scientific community. In this context, the scope of this work encompasses an analysis of the evolution of the theme since its conception to the present. This analysis elucidates how bibliographic output on "Green Chemistry" is distributed worldwide. Moreover, the main journals on the subject were listed and ranked, according to impact factor.

Vitrification of bovine preantral follicles with dimethylsulfoxide and sucrose plus α-tocopherol

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the vitrification of bovine preantral follicles with dimethylsulfoxide (D) and sucrose (S) plus α-tocopherol 5mmol/L (T5) or 10mmol/L (T10) and, evaluate the thawed with minimal essential medium (m) with or without sucrose (s). Ovaries of cows were collected from slaughterhouse for the experiment I (n=66) and II (n=51). In the laboratory ovarian fragments were randomly assigned either to fresh control and 8 vitrification treatments (Controle and Dm; Dms, DSm; DSms; DST5m; DST5ms; DST10m; DST10ms). Ovarian fragments were placed in vitrification solution (5 min) and immersed in liquid nitrogen (-196°C), after a week, the fragments were thawed and analyzed. In the experiments I, preantral follicles were morphologically observed for histological evaluation, (normal; degenerated and developing of stage). In the experiment II, preantral follicles were mechanically isolated from ovarian tissue and examined with trypan blue, where dead and live corresponded to stained or non-stained. The treatments DSm, DSms and DST10m were effective in preserving the morphology in situ. However, the viability of isolated preantral follicles after vitrification remained high only in treatment DST10m. Thus, DST10m preserves survival rates and morphological integrity during vitrification of bovine preantral follicles.

Effect of castration on renal glycosaminoglycans and their urinary excretion in male and female rats with chronic renal failure

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) participate in a variety of processes in the kidney, and evidence suggests that gender-related hormones participate in renal function. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship of GAGs, gender, and proteinuria in male and female rats with chronic renal failure (CRF). GAGs were analyzed in total kidney tissue and 24-h urine of castrated (c), male (M), and female (F) Wistar control (C) rats (CM, CMc, CF, CFc) and after 30 days of CRF induced by 5/6 nephrectomy (CRFM, CRFMc, CRFF, CRFFc). Total GAG quantification and composition were determined using agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively. Renal GAGs were higher in CF compared to CM. CRFM presented an increase in renal GAGs, heparan sulfate (HS), and proteinuria, while castration reduced these parameters. However, CRFF and CRFFc groups showed a decrease in renal GAGs concomitant with an increase in proteinuria. Our results suggest that, in CRFM, sex hormones quantitatively alter GAGs, mainly HS, and possibly the glomerular filtration barrier, leading to proteinuria. The lack of this response in CRFMc, where HS did not increase, corroborates this theory. This pattern was not observed in females. Further studies of CRF are needed to clarify gender-dependent differences in HS synthesis.

Determinação das exigências térmicas de Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera, Muscidae), em condições de laboratório

The biology immature stage of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) was studied in the laboratory under four constant temperature. The study was carried out in biological incubators at 20, 25, 30 and 35-C; 65 ñ 10% relative humidity and 14 hours of photophase. The most favorable temperature for developing eggs, larval and pupal was 25-C, while 35-C proved to be harmful for a normal developing of S. calcitrans in larval stage. The incubation periods for egg were 69.90, 42.58, 26.10, 21.78 hours and 2.91, 1.77, 1.08, 0.90 days at 20, 25, 30, 35-C, respectively . The larval stage was 18.40, 11.63, 8.55 days and, the pupal stage, 8.60, 4.54, 3.60 days at 20, 25, 30-C, respectively. Threshold temperatures for males were a little higher than for females, however, this difference was lesser than 1-C. On the other hand, the quantity of energy (GD) for developing females was a little higher than for males. No difference was observed between the two methods used for calculating the above mentioned biological parameters of S. calcitrans.

Degradação de fármacos residuais por processos oxidativos avançados

The concern about aquatic ecosystems and the potential risk of drinking water contamination by pharmaceuticals have stimulated the study of processes for the efficient degradation of these contaminants, since the conventional treatment have been inefficient on that purpose. The advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) appear as viable alternatives due to their efficiency on the degradation of different classes of organic contaminants. This review presents an overview of the main AOP (O3, H2O2/UV, TiO2/UV, Fenton and photo-Fenton) which have been applied to the degradation of different pharmaceuticals. The main results obtained, intermediates identified and toxicity data are presented.

Aproveitamento sustentável de biomassa e de recursos naturais na inovação química

Increased production of biomass is currently the only immediately accessible alternative for large-scale carbon sequestration and it can produce large amounts of food, fuel and raw materials for the chemical industry that can in turn growingly replace oil as a source of organic building blocks and also of hydrogen and sulfur. Development of processes for biomass and abundant minerals transformation into chemical raw materials should now benefit from large inputs from nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, information and micro-reactor technologies. Success in R&D&Innovation along this line can yield new products and processes needed to perform desirable functions within a sustainable development paradigm.

A gestão do conhecimento aplicada à reciclagem de componentes automotivos através do tratamento das informações contidas em documentos de patentes

This article evaluates the technologies adopted for recycling and reuse of automobile components, through the analysis of patents documents. The automobile batteries recycling is the main topic, followed by the automatic disassembly of vehicles, tires recycling and polyurethane recycling. None document approached recycling of steel and aluminum or ceramics products. The reduced number of technologies for the recycling of the polymeric compounds (including polyurethane) indicates that a bigger number of research and inventions must be elaborated in the next years, aiming at to the reduction of costs of processes and adequacy to the more restricted environmental legislation.

Lipase and esterase: to what extent can this classification be applied accurately?

Enzyme technology is an ever-growing field of knowledge and, in recent years, this technology has raised renewed interest, due to the search for new paradigms in several productive processes. Lipases, esterases and cutinases are enzymes used in a wide range of processes involving synthesis and hydrolysis reactions. The objective of this work was to investigate and compare the specific lipase and esterase activities of five enzymes - four already classified as lipases and one classified as cutinase - in the presence of natural and synthetic substrates. All tested enzymes presented both esterase and lipase specific activities. The highest specific esterase activity was observed for Aspergillus 1068 lipase in natural substrate and for F. oxysporum cutinase in synthetic substrate, while the highest specific lipase activity was observed for Geotrichum sp. lipase in natural substrate and for F. oxysporum cutinase in synthetic substrate. These results display some interface-independent lipolytic activity for all lipases tested. This is in accordance with the rationale that a new and broader definition of lipases may be necessary.