Influenza virus vaccination in kidney transplant recipients: serum antibody response to different immunosuppressive drugs

Introduction: This study prospectively accessed the immune response to the inactivated influenza vaccine in renal transplant recipients receiving either azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Side effects were investigated. Methods: Sixty-nine patients received one dose of inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine. Antihemagglutinin (HI) antibody response against each strain was measured before and one to six months after vaccination. Results: Geometric mean HI antibody titers for H1N1 and H3N2 strains increased from 2.57 and 2.44 to 13.45 (p = 0.001) and 7.20 (p < 0.001), respectively. Pre- and post-vaccination protection rates for H1N1 and H3N2 increased from 8.7% to 49.3% (p < 0.001); and 36.3% (p < 0.001) and seroconversion rates were 36% and 25.3%, respectively. There was no response to influenza B. The use of MMF reduced the H1N1 and H3N2 protection rates and the seroconversion rate for the H1N1 strain when compared with the use of azathioprine, and subjects transplanted less than 87 months also had inferior antibody response. Adverse events were mild and there were no change on renal function post-vaccination. Conclusion: Renal transplant patients vaccinated against influenza responded with antibody production for in. uenza A virus strains, but not for in. uenza B. Use of MMF and shorter time from transplantation decreased the immune response to the vaccine.

Thermoluminescence and synchrotron radiation studies on the persistent luminescence of BaAl(2)O(4)/Eu(2+),Dy(3+)

The persistent luminescence materials, barium aluminates doped with Eu(2+) and Dy(3+) (BaAl(2)O(4): Eu(2+),Dy(3+)), were prepared with the combustion synthesis at temperatures between 400 and 600 degrees C as well as with the solid state reaction at 1500 degrees C. The concentrations of Eu(2+)/Dy(3+) (in mol% of the Ba amount) ranged from 0.1/0.1 to 1.0/3.0. The electronic and defect energy level structures were studied with thermoluminescence (TL) and synchrotron radiation (SR) spectroscopies: UV-VUV excitation and emission, as well as with X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) methods. Theoretical calculations using the density functional theory (DFT) were carried out in order to compare with the experimental data. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Antitumor 2-Formylpyridine Thiosemicarbazones Derivatives as Inhibitors of Ribonucleotide Reductase

In order to extend previous SAR and QSAR studies, 3D-QSAR analysis has been performed using CoMFA and CoMSIA approaches applied to a set of 39 alpha-(N)-heterocyclic carboxaldehydes thiosemicarbazones with their inhibitory activity values (IC(50)) evaluated against ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) of H.Ep.-2 cells (human epidermoid carcinoma), taken from selected literature. Both rigid and field alignment methods, taking the unsubstituted 2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone in its syn conformation as template, have been used to generate multiple predictive CoMFA and CoMSIA models derived from training sets and validated with the corresponding test sets. Acceptable predictive correlation coefficients (Q(cv)(2) from 0.360 to 0.609 for CoMFA and Q(cv)(2) from 0.394 to 0.580 for CoMSIA models) with high fitted correlation coefficients (r` from 0.881 to 0.981 for CoMFA and r(2) from 0.938 to 0.993 for CoMSIA models) and low standard errors (s from 0.135 to 0.383 for CoMFA and s from 0.098 to 0.240 for CoMSIA models) were obtained. More precise CoMFA and CoMSIA models have been derived considering the subset of thiosemicarbazones (TSC) substituted only at 5-position of the pyridine ring (n=22). Reasonable predictive correlation coefficients (Q(cv)(2) from 0.486 to 0.683 for CoMFA and Q(cv)(2) from 0.565 to 0.791 for CoMSIA models) with high fitted correlation coefficients (r(2) from 0.896 to 0.997 for CoMFA and r(2) from 0.991 to 0.998 for CoMSIA models) and very low standard errors (s from 0.040 to 0.179 for CoMFA and s from 0.029 to 0.068 for CoMSIA models) were obtained. The stability of each CoMFA and CoMSIA models was further assessed by performing bootstrapping analysis. For the two sets the generated CoMSIA models showed, in general, better statistics than the corresponding CoMFA models. The analysis of CoMFA and CoMSIA contour maps suggest that a hydrogen bond acceptor near the nitrogen of the pyridine ring can enhance inhibitory activity values. This observation agrees with literature data, which suggests that the nitrogen pyridine lone pairs can complex with the iron ion leading to species that inhibits RNR. The derived CoMFA and CoMSIA models contribute to understand the structural features of this class of TSC as antitumor agents in terms of steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor fields as well as to the rational design of this key enzyme inhibitors.

Lysozyme binding to poly(4-vinyl-N-alkylpyridinium bromide)

The adsorption behavior of polycations at ionic strengths (1) ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 onto silicon wafers was studied by means of ellipsometry, contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Polycations chosen were bromide salts of poly(4-vinylpyridine) N-alkyl quaternized with linear aliphatic chains of 2 and 5 carbon atoms, QPVP-C2 and QPVP-C5, respectively. Under 1 0.001 the reduction of screening effects led to low adsorbed amounts of QPVP-C2 or QPVP-C5 (1.0 +/- 0.1 mg/m(2)), arising from the adsorption of extended chains. Upon increasing l to 0.1, screening effects led to conformational changes of polyelectrolyte chains ill Solution and to higher adsorbed amount values (1.9 +/- 0.2 mg/m(2)). Advancing contact angle theta(a) measurements performed with water drops onto QPVP-C2 and QPVP-C5 adsorbed layers varied from (45 +/- 2)degrees to (50 +/- 5)degrees, evidencing the exposure of both hydrophobic alkyl groups and charged moieties. The adsorption of lysozyme (LYZ) molecules to QPVP-C5 layers was more pronounced than to QPVP-C2 films. Antimicrobial effect of LYZ bound to QPVP-C2 or QPVP-C5 layers or to Si wafers was evaluated with enzymatic assays using Micrococcus luteus as Substrates. The adsorption behavior of QPVP-C2 and QPVP-C5 at the water-air interface was studied by means Of surface tension measurements. Only QPVP-C5 was able to reduce water Surface tension. Mixtures of LYZ and QPVP-C5 were more efficient in reducing Surface tension than pure LYZ solution, evidencing co-adsorption at liquid-air interface. Moreover, antimicrobial action observed for mixtures of LYZ and QPVP-C5 was more pronounced than that measured for pure LYZ. Hydrophobic interaction between LYZ and QPVP-C5 ill Solution seems to drive the binding and to preserve LYZ secondary structure. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast batch injection analysis of H(2)O(2) using an array of Pt-modified gold microelectrodes obtained from split electronic chips

A fast and robust analytical method for amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) based on batch injection analysis (BIA) on an array of gold microelectrodes modified with platinum is proposed. The gold microelectrode array (n = 14) was obtained from electronic chips developed for surface mounted device technology (SMD), whose size offers advantages to adapt them in batch cells. The effect of the dispensing rate, volume injected, distance between the platinum microelectrodes and the pipette tip, as well as the volume of solution in the cell on the analytical response were evaluated. The method allows the H(2)O(2) amperometric determination in the concentration range from 0.8 mu mol L(-1) to 100 mu mol L(-1). The analytical frequency can attain 300 determinations per hour and the detection limit was estimated in 0.34 mu mol L(-1) (3 sigma). The anodic current peaks obtained after a series of 23 successive injections of 50 mu L of 25 mu mol L(-1) H(2)O(2) showed an RSD < 0.9%. To ensure the good selectivity to detect H(2)O(2), its determination was performed in a differential mode, with selective destruction of the H(2)O(2) with catalase in 10 mmol L(-1) phosphate buffer solution. Practical application of the analytical procedure involved H(2)O(2) determination in rainwater of Sao Paulo City. A comparison of the results obtained by the proposed ampermetric method with another one which combines flow injection analysis (FIA) with spectrophotometric detection showed good agreement. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perpendicularly self-oriented and shape-controlled L1(0)-FePt nanorods directly synthesized by a temperature-modulated process

The synthesis and self-assembly of tetragonal phase-containing L1(0)-Fe(55)Pt(45) nanorods with high coercive field is described. The experimental procedure resulted in a tetragonal/cubic phase ratio close to 1:1 for the as-synthesized nanoparticles. Using different surfactant/solvent proportions in the process allowed control of particle morphology from nanospheres to nanowires. Monodisperse nanorods with lengths of 60 +/- 5 nm and diameters of 2-3 nm were self-assembled in a perpendicular oriented array onto a substrate surface using hexadecylamine as organic spacer. Magnetic alignment and properties assigned, respectively, to the shape anisotropy and the tetragonal phase suggest that the self-assembled materials are a strong candidate to solve the problem of random magnetic alignment observed in FePt nanospheres leading to applications in ultrahigh magnetic recording (UHMR) systems capable of achieving a performance of the order of terabits/in(2).

Níveis de julgamento de alunos de 1., 2. e 3. graus de ensino

Os níveis de julgamen to dos alunos de 1 2 , 22 e ,:3 2 graus de ensino da Rede de E'sco las Particulares e da ~~ndação Universitária da cidade de Lages - Santa Catari ~a -, é um estudo teórico e de investigação prática, que -pretende verificar e discutir as relações entre a quali~ . dade ou maturidade de julgamento .. ' . e as var~ave~s idade grau de escolaridade, capacidade intelectual e nível só- --ci.o-econômico dos alunos ,sujeitos da pesquisa. A amostra foi sorteada aleatoriamente entre to- dos os alunos da 8! série do 12 grau, 2~' série do 29 grau e 3! série do 3 2 grau, num percentual aproximado de 20% da população total visada. Constituiu-se, assim, uma amos tra de 152 sujeitos, extTa{da de uma população de 898 a~ . . lunos. Os objetivos específicos que orientaram o estu- , ." ... . .' ,.., . do resumem-se na anal~se e discussao das relaçoes entreo nível de julgamento e as demais variáveis, isto é, ida~ de, grau de escolaridade, capacidade intelectual e nível sócio-econômico dos ,alunos pesquisados. Os resultados indicam que: 1) a maioria absolu- , ta dos sujeitos tanto de 12 e 22 graus qcinnto os de .j2 grau não alcançou'os níveis de julgamento mais maduros - ou seja - julgamento imaginativo-explicativo e imaginati vo-explicati vo-compreensi vo.· .2) Os sujei tos revelam -a- centuada dificuldade de raciocínio e julgamento' em ,rela ção ao texto-teste de estrutura lógica. 3) As variáveis' ~dade, grau de escolaridade, nível 56cio~ecortômico rela- ',c~onam-se,. em geral, positivamente com o nível de julga- ~mento, embora, no caso desta pesquisa, essa relação seja :fraca, possivelmente em função da pou.ca dispersão ougra!! de homog'eneic.ade' dos escores obtidos pelos sujeitos. Es- -sa homogeneidade de resultados levanta problemas que me- receriam novos estudos para maiores esclarecimentos sobre as condiç;es de desenvolvimento do processo de julga- mento, sejam internas ou externas à escola. são levantadas questões relativas, principalmen- te, à ação da escola, aos livros textos nela utilizados às condições precárias dos professores, à concepção tradi ciônal de educação e sobre o sistema ou contexto social a tual dentro do qual a escola é um sub-sistema. são sugeridas, no final do trabalho, pesquisas e estudos que visem amplioar o c onhecimento a raspei to do d~ senvolvimento do processo de julgar, bem como, pesquisas que procurem relacionar o nível sócio-econômico do profes sor e a quantidade e qualidade de leituras feitas por ele com o desempenho dos alunos.

Antenas de microfita com patch quase-fractal para aplicações em Redes WPAN/WLAN

The microstrip antennas are in constant evidence in current researches due to several advantages that it presents. Fractal geometry coupled with good performance and convenience of the planar structures are an excellent combination for design and analysis of structures with ever smaller features and multi-resonant and broadband. This geometry has been applied in such patch microstrip antennas to reduce its size and highlight its multi-band behavior. Compared with the conventional microstrip antennas, the quasifractal patch antennas have lower frequencies of resonance, enabling the manufacture of more compact antennas. The aim of this work is the design of quasi-fractal patch antennas through the use of Koch and Minkowski fractal curves applied to radiating and nonradiating antenna s edges of conventional rectangular patch fed by microstrip inset-fed line, initially designed for the frequency of 2.45 GHz. The inset-fed technique is investigated for the impedance matching of fractal antennas, which are fed through lines of microstrip. The efficiency of this technique is investigated experimentally and compared with simulations carried out by commercial software Ansoft Designer used for precise analysis of the electromagnetic behavior of antennas by the method of moments and the neural model proposed. In this dissertation a study of literature on theory of microstrip antennas is done, the same study is performed on the fractal geometry, giving more emphasis to its various forms, techniques for generation of fractals and its applicability. This work also presents a study on artificial neural networks, showing the types/architecture of networks used and their characteristics as well as the training algorithms that were used for their implementation. The equations of settings of the parameters for networks used in this study were derived from the gradient method. It will also be carried out research with emphasis on miniaturization of the proposed new structures, showing how an antenna designed with contours fractals is capable of a miniaturized antenna conventional rectangular patch. The study also consists of a modeling through artificial neural networks of the various parameters of the electromagnetic near-fractal antennas. The presented results demonstrate the excellent capacity of modeling techniques for neural microstrip antennas and all algorithms used in this work in achieving the proposed models were implemented in commercial software simulation of Matlab 7. In order to validate the results, several prototypes of antennas were built, measured on a vector network analyzer and simulated in software for comparison

Análise e projeto de superfícies seletivas de frequência com elementos pré-fractais para aplicações em comunicações indoor

In this thesis, a frequency selective surface (FSS) consists of a two-dimensional periodic structure mounted on a dielectric substrate, which is capable of selecting signals in one or more frequency bands of interest. In search of better performance, more compact dimensions, low cost manufacturing, among other characteristics, these periodic structures have been continually optimized over time. Due to its spectral characteristics, which are similar to band-stop or band-pass filters, the FSSs have been studied and used in several applications for more than four decades. The design of an FSS with a periodic structure composed by pre-fractal elements facilitates the tuning of these spatial filters and the adjustment of its electromagnetic parameters, enabling a compact design which generally has a stable frequency response and superior performance relative to its euclidean counterpart. The unique properties of geometric fractals have shown to be useful, mainly in the production of antennas and frequency selective surfaces, enabling innovative solutions and commercial applications in microwave range. In recent applications, the FSSs modify the indoor propagation environments (emerging concept called wireless building ). In this context, the use of pre-fractal elements has also shown promising results, allowing a more effective filtering of more than one frequency band with a single-layer structure. This thesis approaches the design of FSSs using pre-fractal elements based on Vicsek, Peano and teragons geometries, which act as band-stop spatial filters. The transmission properties of the periodic surfaces are analyzed to design compact and efficient devices with stable frequency responses, applicable to microwave frequency range and suitable for use in indoor communications. The results are discussed in terms of the electromagnetic effect resulting from the variation of parameters such as: fractal iteration number (or fractal level), scale factor, fractal dimension and periodicity of FSS, according the pre-fractal element applied on the surface. The analysis of the fractal dimension s influence on the resonant properties of a FSS is a new contribution in relation to researches about microwave devices that use fractal geometry. Due to its own characteristics and the geometric shape of the Peano pre-fractal elements, the reconfiguration possibility of these structures is also investigated and discussed. This thesis also approaches, the construction of efficient selective filters with new configurations of teragons pre-fractal patches, proposed to control the WLAN coverage in indoor environments by rejecting the signals in the bands of 2.4~2.5 GHz (IEEE 802.11 b) and 5.0~6.0 GHz (IEEE 802.11a). The FSSs are initially analyzed through simulations performed by commercial software s: Ansoft DesignerTM and HFSSTM. The fractal design methodology is validated by experimental characterization of the built prototypes, using alternatively, different measurement setups, with commercial horn antennas and microstrip monopoles fabricated for low cost measurements

Melanoma anorretal: relato de 2 casos e revisão da literatura

Os tumores malignos do canal anal e do anus são muito raros, não ultrapassam 2% de todos os tumores do colo, reto e anus; segundo os principais levantamentos os melanomas não ultrapassam a incidência de 0,1 a 1,2% dos tumores malignos. Os autores descrevem 2 casos de melanoma, discutindo os principais dados da literatura, enfocando os aspectos diagnósticos, tratamento, evolução e prognostico. Os indicies de cura s são baixos e com elevados índices de mortalidade a curto prazo.

Influence of fluid volume variations on the calculated value of the left ventricular mass measured by echocardiogram in patients submitted to hemodialysis

The left ventricular mass (LVM) measurement is of major importance for renal patients, as ventricular hypertrophy is an important prognostic index. The echo-cardiogram of the ventricular mass is larger before than it is after hemodialysis, which can confuse data interpretation. The aim of this work is to study the influence of alterations in fluid volume on the variations in measurements of ventricular mass observed during the course of a hemodialysis. Sixteen patients with chronic renal insufficiency in hemodialysis were evaluated at the Dialysis Unit of the University Hospital-UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo State. The left ventricular mass was calculated from echocardiograms taken before and after hemodialysis and simultaneous ultra-filtration (12 patients: UF GROUP) and before and after hemodialysis isovolemic phase with sequential ultra-filtration (10 patients: ISO GROUP). Six of these patients were submitted to measurements of left ventricular mass before and after hemodialysis in both isovolemic and simultaneous ultra-filtration procedures. In the UF group, there was significant reduction in the following parameters before and after dialysis: diastolic diameter from 54.0 +/- 6.0 mm to 45.6 +/- 7.6 mm; left ventricular mass from 342 +/- 114 g to 265 +/- 117 g; and its respective index (IMVE) from 214 +/- 68 g/m(2) to 168 +/- 71 g/m(2). The ISO group showed no statistically significant variation. The behavior of the variables of six patients submitted to both observations confirm these results. In conclusion, the variations in echocardiogram measurements of the left ventricular mass relating to hemodialysis appear to be induced by alterations of the volemic condition.

Changes in apoptosis and Bcl-2 expression in human hyperglycemic, term placental trophoblast

Apoptosis and its associated regulatory mechanisms are physiological events crucial to the maintenance of placental homeostasis; imbalance of these processes, however, such as occurs under various pathological conditions, may compromise placenta function and, consequently, pregnancy success. Increased apoptosis occurs in the placentas of pregnant women with several developmental disabilities, while increased Bcl-2 expression is generally associated with pregnancy-associated tumors. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that apoptosis-associated disturbs might be involved in the placental physiopathology subjected to different maternal hyperglycemic conditions.Thus, in the present study we investigated and compared the incidence of apoptosis using TUNEL reaction and Bcl-2 expression, in term-placentas of normoglycemic, diabetic and daily hyperglycemic patients. Tissue samples were collected from 37 placentas, being 15 from healthy mothers with normally delivered healthy babies, and 22 from mothers with glucose disturbances. From these latter 22 patients, 10 showed maternal daily hyperglycemia and 12 were clinically diabetics. Both Bcl-2 expression and apoptotic DNA fragmentation were established and quantified in the trophoblasts of healthy mothers. Compared to these reference values, a higher apoptosis index and lower Bcl-2 expression were disclosed in the placentas of the diabetic women, while in the daily hyperglycemic group, values were intermediate between the diabetic and normoglycemic patients. The TUNEL/Bcl-2 index ratio in the placentas varied from 0.02 to 0.09 for pregnant normoglycemic and diabetic women, respectively, revealing a predominance of apoptosis in the diabetic group. Our findings suggest that hyperglycemia may be a key factor evoking apoptosis in the placental trophoblast, and therefore, is relevant to diabetic placenta function. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Elevated progesterone concentrations enhance prostaglandin F-2 alpha synthesis in dairy cows

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The effect of an experimental 4% TiF(4) varnish compared to NaF varnishes and 4% TiF(4) solution on dental erosion in vitro

This in vitro study assessed the effect of an experimental 4% TiF(4) varnish compared to commercial NaF and NaF/CaF(2) varnishes and 4% TiF(4) solution on enamel erosion. For this, 72 bovine enamel specimens were randomly allocated to the following treatments: NaF varnish (2.26% F), NaF/CaF(2) varnish (5.63% F), 4% TiF(4) varnish (2.45% F), F-free placebo varnish, 4% TiF(4) solution (2.45% F) and control (not treated). The varnishes were applied in a thin layer and removed after 6 h. The solution was applied to the enamel surface for 1 min. Then, the specimens were alternately de- and remineralized (6 times/day) in an artificial mouth for 5 days at 37 degrees C. Demineralization was performed with the beverage Sprite (1 min, 3 ml/min) and remineralization with artificial saliva (day: 59 min, 0.5 ml/min; during the night: 0.1 ml/min). The mean daily increment of erosion and the cumulative erosion data were tested using ANOVA and ANCOVA, respectively, followed by Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05). The mean daily erosion increments and cumulative erosion (micrometers) were significantly less for the TiF(4) varnish (0.30 +/- 0.11/0.65 +/- 0.75) than for the NaF varnish (0.58 +/- 0.11/1.47 +/- 1.07) or the NaF/CaF(2) varnish (0.62 +/- 0.10/1.68 +/- 1.17), which in turn showed significantly less erosion than the placebo varnish (0.78 +/- 0.12/2.05 +/- 1.43), TiF(4) solution (0.86 +/- 0.11/2.05 +/- 1.49) and control (0.77 +/- 0.16/2.06 +/- 1.49). In conclusion, the TiF(4) varnish seems to be a promising treatment to reduce enamel loss under mild erosive conditions. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Antiviral activities of plants occurring in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: Part 2. Screening Bignoniaceae species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)