HMDSO plasma polymerization and thin film optical properties

Thin films were deposited from hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) in a glow discharge supplied with radiofrequency (rf) power. Actino-metric optical emission spectroscopy was used to follow trends in the plasma concentrations of the species SiH (414.2 nm), CH (431.4 nm), CO (520.0 nm), and H (656.3 nm) as a function of the applied rf power (range 5 to 35 W). Transmission infrared spectroscopy (IRS) was employed to characterize the molecular structure of the polymer, showing the presence of Si-H, Si-O-Si, Si-O-C and C-H groups. The deposition rate, determined by optical interferometry, ranged from 60 to 130 nm/min. Optical properties were determined from transmission ultra violet-visible spectroscopy (UVS) data. The absorption coefficient α, the refractive index n, and the optical gap E04 of the polymer films were calculated as a function of the applied power. The refractive index at a photon energy of 1 eV varied from 1.45 to 1.55, depending on the rf power used for the deposition. The absorption coefficient showed an absorption edge similar to other non-crystalline materials, amorphous hydrogenated carbon, and semiconductors. For our samples, we define as an optical gap, the photon energy E04 corresponding to the energy at an absorption of 104 cm-1. The values of E04 decreased from 5.3 to 4.6 as the rf power was increased from 5 to 35 W. © 1995.

Physical factors affecting plasmid DNA compaction in stearylamine-containing nanoemulsions intended for gene delivery

Cationic lipids have been used in the development of non-viral gene delivery systems as lipoplexes. Stearylamine, a cationic lipid that presents a primary amine group when in solution, is able to compact genetic material by electrostatic interactions. In dispersed systems such as nanoemulsions this lipid anchors on the oil/water interface confering a positive charge to them. The aim of this work was to evaluate factors that influence DNA compaction in cationic nanoemulsions containing stearylamine. The influence of the stearylamine incorporation phase (water or oil), time of complexation, and different incubation temperatures were studied. The complexation rate was assessed by electrophoresis migration on agarose gel 0.7%, and nanoemulsion and lipoplex characterization was done by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results demonstrate that the best DNA compaction process occurs after 120 min of complexation, at low temperature (4 ± 1 °C), and after incorporation of the cationic lipid into the aqueous phase. Although the zeta potential of lipoplexes was lower than the results found for basic nanoemulsions, the granulometry did not change. Moreover, it was demonstrated that lipoplexes are suitable vehicles for gene delivery. © 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Nietzsche e a inflexão filosofica rumo ao mundo mítico: leituras de Heráclito

Pós-graduação em Filosofia - FFC

Ironia e subjetividade em Kierkegaard

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cuidado de si e a educação matemática: perspectivas, reflexões e práticas de atores sociais (1925-1945)

Pós-graduação em Educação Matemática - IGCE

Surfactant-cosurfactant interactions and process parameters involved in the formulation of stable and small droplet-sized benznidazole-loaded soybean O/W emulsions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Development and characterization of biocompatible isotropic and anisotropic oil-in-water colloidal dispersions as a new delivery system for methyl dihydrojasmonate antitumor drug

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influence of the Freeze-Drying Process on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Pre-heated Amphotericin B Micellar Systems

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Producing xylan/Eudragit (R) S100-based microparticles by chemical and physico-mechanical approaches as carriers for 5-aminosalicylic acid

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Chemical Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity Evaluation of Natural Oil Nanostructured Emulsions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Oil-in-water biocompatible microemulsion as a carrier for the antitumor drug compound methyl dihydrojasmonate

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influence of HLA-DRB-1 alleles on the production of antibody against CSP, MSP-1, AMA-1, and DBP in Brazilian individuals naturally infected with Plasmodium vivax

We evaluated the influence of allelic frequency of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -DRB1 on the acquisition of antibody response against malaria sporozoite and merozoite peptides in patients with Plasmodium vivax malaria acquired in endemic areas of Brazil. IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against four peptides of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) (amino, carboxyl, and VK210 and VK247 repeats) and peptides of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1), apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), and Duffy-binding protein (DBP). We found an association between HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR5 alleles and lack of antibody response to CSP amino terminal, as well as an association between HILA-DR3 and the highest antibody response to MSP1 (Pv200L). In conclusion, we suggest a potential regulatory role of the H1A-DRB1 alleles in the production of antibodies to a conserved region of P. vivax CSP and MSP1 in Brazilian population exposed to malaria. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of circuit-based exercise programs on the body composition of elderly obese women

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of circuit-based exercise on the body composition in obese older women by focusing on physical exercise and body weight (BW) gain control in older people. Methods: Seventy older women (>60 years old) voluntarily took part in the study. Participants were randomized into six different groups according to body mass index (BMI): appropriate weight (AW) control (AWC) and trained (AWT) groups, overweight (OW) control (OWC) and trained (OWT) groups, and obesity (O) control (OC) and trained (OT) groups. The exercise program consisted of 50 minutes of exercise three times per week for 12 weeks. The exercises were alternated between upper and lower body using rest between sets for 40 seconds with intensity controlled by heart rate (70% of work). The contraction time established was 5 seconds to eccentric and concentric muscular action phase. The following anthropometric parameters were evaluated: height (m), body weight (BW, kg), body fat (BF, %), fat mass (FM, kg), lean mass (LM, kg), and BMI (kg/m(2)). Results: The values (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]) of relative changes to BW (-8.0% +/- 0.8%), BF (-21.4% +/- 2.1%), LM (3.0% +/- 0.3%), and FM (-31.2% +/- 3.0%) to the OT group were higher (P < .05) than in the AWT (BW: -2.0% +/- 1.1%; BF: -4.6% +/- 1.8%; FM: -7.0% +/- 2.8%; LM: 0.2% +/- 1.1%) and OWT (BW: -4.5% +/- 1.0%; BF: -11.0% +/- 2.2%; FM: -16.1% +/- 3.2%; LM: -0.2% +/- 1.0%) groups; additionally, no differences were found for C groups. While reduction (P < .03) in BMI according to absolute values was observed for all trained groups (AWT: 22 +/- 1 versus 21 +/- 1; OWT: 27 +/- 1 versus 25 +/- 1, OT: 34 +/- 1 versus 30 +/- 1) after training, no differences were found for C groups. Conclusion: In summary, circuit-based exercise is an effective method for promoting reduction in anthropometrics parameters in obese older women.

Assessing malaria transmission in a low endemicity area of north-western Peru

Background Where malaria endemicity is low, control programmes need increasingly sensitive tools for monitoring malaria transmission intensity (MTI) and to better define health priorities. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a low endemicity area of the Peruvian north-western coast to assess the MTI using both molecular and serological tools. Methods Epidemiological, parasitological and serological data were collected from 2,667 individuals in three settlements of Bellavista district, in May 2010. Parasite infection was detected using microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibodies to Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-119 (PvMSP119) and to Plasmodium falciparum glutamate-rich protein (PfGLURP) were detected by ELISA. Risk factors for exposure to malaria (seropositivity) were assessed by multivariate survey logistic regression models. Age-specific antibody prevalence of both P. falciparum and P. vivax were analysed using a previously published catalytic conversion model based on maximum likelihood for generating seroconversion rates (SCR). Results The overall parasite prevalence by microscopy and PCR were extremely low: 0.3 and 0.9%, respectively for P. vivax, and 0 and 0.04%, respectively for P. falciparum, while seroprevalence was much higher, 13.6% for P. vivax and 9.8% for P. falciparum. Settlement, age and occupation as moto-taxi driver during previous year were significantly associated with P. falciparum exposure, while age and distance to the water drain were associated with P. vivax exposure. Likelihood ratio tests supported age seroprevalence curves with two SCR for both P. vivax and P. falciparum indicating significant changes in the MTI over time. The SCR for PfGLURP was 19-fold lower after 2002 as compared to before (λ1 = 0.022 versus λ2 = 0.431), and the SCR for PvMSP119 was four-fold higher after 2006 as compared to before (λ1 = 0.024 versus λ2 = 0.006). Conclusion Combining molecular and serological tools considerably enhanced the capacity of detecting current and past exposure to malaria infections and related risks factors in this very low endemicity area. This allowed for an improved characterization of the current human reservoir of infections, largely hidden and heterogeneous, as well as providing insights into recent changes in species specific MTIs. This approach will be of key importance for evaluating and monitoring future malaria elimination strategies.

Upplevelsen av motivationsarbete – en studie ur klienters och kontaktpersoners perspektiv på Frösö LVM-hem

Studien undersöker hur klienter och kontaktpersoner upplever motivationsarbetet på Frösö LVM-hem. I studien tillämpades både kvalitativ och kvantitativ metod. I ett första skede genomfördes intervjuer med avdelningsföreståndare på samtliga tre avdelningar på institutionen. Detta intervjumaterial användes för utformandet av enkäter som besvarades separat av klienter och kontaktpersoner. Enkäten mäter upplevelsen av motivationsarbete genom skattning av hur viktiga olika insatser och faktorer är för att klienten skall utveckla motivation till fortsatt frivillig vård, hur dessa insatser och faktorer fungerar på Frösö LVM-hem och i vilken omfattning insatserna tillämpas, samt slutligen klientens egen motivation att fortsätta i frivillig vård. Klientenkäten innehöll dessutom instrumentet SOCRATES, som skattar motivation såsom faser i förändringsprocess. Resultatet visar att båda grupperna är mest tillfredsställda med framtidsplanering och aktiviteter, däremot är de mest otillfredsställda på områdena som handlar om kontaktpersonernas utredningsinsatser och klimatet på avdelningen. Detta kan tyda på att kraftfullare insatser efterfrågas på sistnämnda områden. Den generella värderingen av hela arbetet vid institutionen ges också en positiv bedömning. Studien innehåller också fördjupade analyser t.ex. parvis mellan klient och kontaktperson, och i förhållande till utfallet motivation. Kontaktpersonens förhållningssätt och relationen mellan klient och kontaktperson har det största sambandet med utfallet motivation. Resultaten kan användas i ett pågående utvecklingsarbete vid Frösö LVM-hem om motivationsarbetet.