Both alpha(1)- and beta(1)-adrenoceptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis are involved in the expression of conditioned contextual fear

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

Ionizing radiation induced degradation of poly (2-methoxy-5-(2 '-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) in solution

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

2-Bromo-1,4-naphthoquinone: a potentially improved substitute of menadione in Apatone therapy

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Thermal studies on solid 1,4-bis(3-carboxy-3-oxo-prop-1-enyl) benzene of lighter trivalent lanthanides

Solid-state compounds of general formula Ln(2)L(3)center dot nH(2)O, where L represents 1,4-bis(3-carboxy-3-oxo-prop-1-enyl)benzene and Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, were synthesized. Complexometric titrations with EDTA, thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffractometry, elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy have been employed to characterize and to study the thermal behavior of these compounds in dynamic air atmosphere. The results led to information about the composition, dehydration, crystallinity, and thermal decomposition of the synthesized compounds.

Initial structural analysis of an alpha(4)beta(4) C-type lectin from the venom of Crotalus durissus terrificus

Convulxin, an alphabeta C-type lectin, is a potent platelet activator isolated from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. It is a 26.5 kDa alphabeta heterodimer consisting of two homologous disulfide-linked chains. The crystals belong to space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 131.61, c = 121.85 Angstrom, and diffraction data were collected to 2.7 Angstrom. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and the asymmetric unit contains two alphabeta heterodimers, each of which forms a disulfide-linked cyclic alpha(4)beta(4) tetramer in the unit cell. These alpha(4)beta(4) tetramers are stacked to form a large solvent channel.

Crystal structure of the platelet activator convulxin, a disulfide-linked alpha(4)beta(4) cyclic tetramer from the venom of Crotalus durissus terrificus

Convulxin (CVX), a C-type lectin, isolated from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, causes cardiovascular and respiratory disturbances and is a potent platelet activator which hinds to platelet glycoprotein GPVI. The structure of CVX has been solved at 2.4 Angstrom resolution to a crystallographic residual of 18.6% (R-free =26.4%). CVX is a disulfide linked heterodimer consisting of homologous alpha and beta chains. The heterodimers are additionally linked by disulfide bridges to form cyclic alpha(4)beta(4)heterotetramers. These domains exhibit significant homology to the carbohydrate-binding domains of C-type lectins, to the factor IX-binding protein (IX-bp), and to flavocetin-A (Fl-A) but sequence and Structural differences are observed in both the domains in the putative Ca2+ and carbohydrate binding regions. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nature of potential barrier in (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 polycrystalline perovskite

The nonohmic electrical features of (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite ceramics, which have very strong gigantic dielectric is believed originate from potential barriers at the grain boundaries. In the present study, we used the admittance and impedance spectroscopy technique to investigate (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite ceramics with low nonohmic electrical properties. The study was conducted under two different conditions: on as-sintered ceramics and on ceramics thermally treated in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The results confirm that thermal treatment in oxygen-rich atmospheres influence the nonohmic properties. Annealing at oxygen-rich atmospheres improve the nonohmic behavior and annealing at oxygen-poor atmospheres decrease the nonohmic properties, a behavior already reported for common metal oxide nonohmic devices and here firstly evidenced for the (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite related materials. The results show that oxygen also influences the capacitance values at low frequencies, a behavior that is indicative of the Schottky-type nature of the potential barrier. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estudo do comportamento térmico dos compostos de Ag+ e Pb2+ com o ligante 1,4-bis(3-carbóxi-3-oxo-prop-1-enil)benzeno

Este trabalho reporta o estudo de compostos binários do dicarboxilato 1,4-bis(3-carbóxi-3-oxo-prop-1-enil)benzeno, C6H4(-CH=CH-CO-COO-)2 , com os cátions metálicos Ag+ e Pb2+, obtidos a partir de soluções aquosas do ligante e dos nitratos dos cátions metálicos, em proporções estequiométricas. Para a caracterização e o estudo do processo de decomposição térmica desses compostos foram empregadas Espectrofotometria de Absorção na Região do Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier (FT-IR), Análise Elementar (C, H), Complexometria com EDTA, Termogravimetria (TG) e Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial (DSC).

Xilanase e β-glucanase na digestibilidade aparente de nutrientes do triticale pela Tilápia-do-nilo

Avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes níveis do composto enzimático Natugrain Blend L®, que contém endo-xilanase e endo-beta-glucanase, sobre a digestibilidade dos nutrientes e a energia do triticale pela tilápia-do-nilo. O método para a determinação da digestibilidade foi o indireto, utilizando-se o óxido de crômio III (0,10%). O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos e três repetições. O nível de substituição da dieta-referência foi 50,0% pelo triticale. Os tratamentos foram 0,0; 150,0; 300,0; 450,0 e 600,0mg kg-1 de Natugrain Blend L, que contém 800 unidades g-1 de endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase (BGU) e 36.600 unidades g-1 de endo-1,4-β-xylanase (EXU). Os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente foram: da matéria seca, 76,42; 74,01; 83,39; 82,97 e 78,34%; da proteína bruta 88,19; 88,39; 90,52; 92,05 e 88,34%, da energia bruta 75,93; 71,31; 81,78; 80,27 e 78,62%, respectivamente, para os níveis de inclusão na dieta 0,0; 150,0; 300,0; 450,0 e 600,0mg kg-1 de Natugrain Blend L.Os resultados demonstram que 300mg kg-1 do complexo de enzimas foi suficiente para aumentar o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca. O composto de enzimas pode ser utilizado para aumentar a eficiência de aproveitamento dos nutrientes do triticale.

Electrosynthesis of binuclear ruthenium complexes from [RuCl3(dppb)(L)] precursors [L = pyridine, 4-methylpyridine or dimethyl sulfoxide; dppb=1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane]

Electrolysis has been examined as a method of synthesis for [(L)(dppb)Ru(mu-Cl)(3)RuCl(dppb)] complexes, where dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane and L = pyridine (py), 4-methylpyridine (4-pic) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), by using [RuCl3(dppb)(L)] as precursors. The products of the electrolysis were characterized by P-31-{H-1} NMR, cyclic voltammetry and near infrared spectroscopy. The presence of the [Ru2Cl5(dppb)(2)] complex in the electrochemical cell suggests a mechanism by which the starting original species from the bulk solution reacts with the reduced form [RuCl2(dppb)(L)] generated at the surface of the electrode. The crystal structure of the precursor mer-[RuCl3(dppb)(4-pic)] was determined by X-ray diffraction.

Influence of ionic interactions on the photoinduced Birefringence of poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4 hydroxyphenylazo) benzene sulfonamido]-1 2-ethanediyl, sodium salt] films

Electrostatic interactions govern most properties of polyelectrolyte films, as in the photoinduced bire-fringence of azo-containing polymers. In this paper we report a systematic investigation of optical storage characteristics of cast and layer-by-layer (LbL) films of poly[1 -[4-(3-carboxy-4 hydroxypheny-lazo) benzene sulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt] (PAZO). Birefringence was photoinduced faster in PAZO cast films prepared at high pHs, with the characteristic writing times decreasing almost linearly with the pH in the range between 4 and 9. This was attributed to an increased free volume for the azochromophores with the enhanced electrostatic repulsion in PAZO charged to a greater extent. In contrast, in LbL films of PAZO alternated with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), the electrostatic interactions between the oppositely charged polymers hampered photoisomerization and molecular rearrangement, thus leading to a slower writing kinetics for highly charged PAH or PAZO.

Synthesis and characterization of the mer-[RuCl3(NO)(dppb)] isomer. X-ray structures of fac-[RuCl3(NO)(dppm)], cis-[RuCl2(dppm)2] and mer-[RuCl3(NO)(dppb)] [dppm=1,2-Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane and dppb=1,4-Bis(diphenylphosphino)butane]

The fac-[RuCl3(NO)(dppm)] (1) and cis-[RuCl2(dppm)2] (2) complexes were obtained with co-crystallization in the solid state from the reaction of RuCl3(NO) with the diphosphine in dichloromethane. mer-[RuCl3(NO)(dppb)] (3) was obtained from [RuCl3(dppb)(H2O)] by bubbling NO for 30 min in the same solvent. The crystal and molecular structures of these three compounds have been determined from X-ray studies. © Elsevier Science Ltd.

Sistemas para liberação colônica: Uma alternativa para a veiculação de fármacos para efeito local ou sistêmico

Problems related to the systemic administration of drugs, such as biodistribution, difficulty of targeting, necessity of high doses to achieve adequate levels of the drug in specific sites, toxicity, and undesirable side effects have lead to the development of systems able to direct the drug to specific sites in the body. Among the possible organs to the targeting of drugs, the colon can be used for local and systemic therapies. By developing such systems some models have been tested, using pH dependent release, release controlled by enzymatic degradation, time controlled release systems and pressure controlled release systems. This review presents an overview of the colonic release of drugs and the strategies used to achieve such targeting.