P-I class metalloproteinase from Bothrops moojeni venom is a post-proline cleaving peptidase with kininogenase activity: Insights into substrate selectivity and kinetic behavior

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Structure of the polypeptide crotamine from the Brazilian rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus

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

Recent advances in the understanding of brown spider venoms: From the biology of spiders to the molecular mechanisms of toxins

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Characterization of a Hexameric Exo-Acting GH51 alpha-l-Arabinofuranosidase from the Mesophilic Bacillus subtilis

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

Ovarian blood vessel occlusion as a surgical sterilization method in rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Expectativas prévias ao implante coclear e avaliação pós implante em adolescentes

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

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of an L-amino-acid oxidase from Lachesis muta venom

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

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a novel sphingomyelinase D from Loxosceles gaucho venom

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização físico-química e microbiológica de diferentes amostras de uma precipitação coletada e armazenada após passagem por telhado

The decreasing availability of drinking water is a problem that has existed for a long time and continues to be aggravated, especially by the increase in population and pollution of water resources. Due to the need to find alternatives in order to ensure water supplies in sufficient quantity and quality for consumption by populations, rainwater collection arises as an alternative. The present study was developed in Ipeúna-SP, consisting of an experimental system of collection and storage of rainwater on the roofs of buildings. Samples of the same precipitation, differentiated through the initial disposal and treatment of the collected water, were stored during a period of six months and monitored through physical, chemical and microbiological analyses. With the results, the qualitative characteristics of the stored precipitation were found, the main differences among the samples were identified and the needs of treatment were studied.

Meiotic behavior of 18 species from eight families of terrestrial Heteroptera

Insects of the suborder Heteroptera are known for their odor, for being pests, or for being disease carriers. To gain better insight into the cytogenetic characteristics of heteropterans, 18 species of terrestrial Heteroptera belonging to eight families were studied. The presence of heteropycnotic corpuscles during prophase I, terminal or interstitial chiasmas, telomeric associations between chromosomes, ring disposals of autosomes during metaphase, and late migrations of the sex chromosomes during anaphase were analyzed. These features showed identical patterns to other species of Heteroptera previously described in the literature. Another studied characteristic was chromosome complements. The male chromosome complements observed were 2n = 12 chromosomes [10A + XY, Galgupha sidae (Amyot & Serville) (Corimelaenidae) and Pachycoris torridus (Scopoli) (Scutelleridae)]; 2n = 13 [10A + 2m + X0, Harmostes serratus (Fabricius), Harmostes apicatus (Stål), Jadera haematoloma (Herrich-Schaeffer), Jadera sanguinolenta (Fabricius), Jadera sp. (Rhopalidae)], and Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood) (Alydidae); 2n = 13 [12A + X0, Stenocoris furcifera (Westwood) (Alydidae); 2n = 14 [12A + XY, Dictyla monotropidia (Stål) (Tingidae)]; 2n = 19 [18A + X0, Acanonicus hahni (Stål) (Coreidae)]; 2n = 21 [18A + 2m + X0, Acanthocephala sp. (Dallas) (Coreidae)]; 2n = 27 [24A + 2m + X0, Anisoscelis foliacea marginella (Dallas) (Coreidae)]; 2n = 18 [16A + XY, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas) (Lygaeidae)]; 2n = 17 [14A + X1X2Y, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Costa) (Lygaeidae)]; 2n = 16 [12A + 2m + XY, Pachybrachius bilobatus (Say) (Lygaeidae)]; 2n = 26 [24A + XY, Atopozelus opsinus (Elkins) (Reduviidae)]; and 2n = 27 [24A + X1X2Y, Doldina carinulata (Stål) (Reduviidae)]. The diversity of the cytogenetic characteristics of Heteroptera was reflected in the 18 studied species. Thus, this study extends the knowledge of these characteristics, such as the variations related to chromosome complements, sex chromosome systems, and meiotic behavior.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) withMycobacterium tuberculosis

This paper describes the in vivo Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)technique by endoscopy in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) with clinicalsigns of tuberculosis. The technique was performed in two tapirs, male and female,from Curitiba Zoo, Paraná, Brazil. A flexible endoscope and a polyethylene catheterwere used after the chemical restraint of the animals. For BAL technique, 60mL ofsaline 0.9% were infused with a polyethylene catheter, introduced by the endoscope'working channel, and 15mL of BAL were recovered, analyzed and submitted tocytocentrifugation. Slides were stained by Papanicolaou, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)and Ziehl-Neelsen methods contained high quantity of inflammatory cells on lightmicroscopy (macrophages 27.5%, lymphocytes 0.5%, neutrophis 67% and eosinophis 5%).BAL samples were submitted to culture, bacilloscopy and PCR and were negative forboth animals. Based on this study, it was concluded that the bronchoalveolar lavagetechnique in tapirs is feasible, simple, noninvasive, practical and fast, providingan important clinical information in vivo regarding the functionalstatus of the lower respiratory tract.

How pH Modulates the Dimer-Decamer Interconversion of 2-Cys Peroxiredoxins from the Prx1 Subfamily

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

The Cuticular Hydrocarbons Profiles in the Colonial Recognition of the Neotropical Eusocial Wasp, Mischocyttarus cassununga (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Meiotic behavior of 18 species from eight families of terrestrial heteroptera

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

Structural insights into substrate binding of brown spider venom class II phospholipases D

Phospholipases D (PLDs), the major dermonecrotic factors from brown spider venoms, trigger a range of biological reactions both in vitro and in vivo. Despite their clinical relevance in loxoscelism, structural data is restricted to the apo-form of these enzymes, which has been instrumental in understanding the functional differences between the class I and II spider PLDs. The crystal structures of the native class II PLD from Loxosceles intermedia complexed with myo-inositol 1-phosphate and the inactive mutant H12A complexed with fatty acids indicate the existence of a strong ligand-dependent conformation change of the highly conserved aromatic residues, Tyr 223 and Trp225 indicating their roles in substrate binding. These results provided insights into the structural determinants for substrate recognition and binding by class II PLDs.