Screening of Brazilian plants for antimicrobial and dnadamaging activities: I. Atlantic rain forest . Ecological station juréia-itatins

(Triagem de plantas nativas do Brasil para atividades antimicrobiana e de Danos no DNA I. Mata Atlântica . Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins). Oitenta e oito espécies nativas do estado de São Paulo foram coletadas numa região de Mata Atlântica e ensaiadas quanto a sua atividade antimicrobiana e capacidade de causar danos no DNA. Dos 114 extratos submetidos aos ensaios para atividade antibacteriana, apenas os extratos de folhas e galhos de Aspidosperma ramiflorum (Apocynaceae) apresentaram uma atividade fraca contra Escherichia coli. No ensaio antifúngico com Candida albicans, não foram observados extratos ativos. Por outro lado, no ensaio de bioautografia com Cladosporium sphaerospermum e C. cladosporioides 12% dos extratos apresentaram atividade. Contudo, nesse ensaio, somente o extrato dos ramos de Psychotria mapoureoides (Rubiaceae) inibiu fortemente o crescimento de ambas espécies do fungo. O ensaio para danos no DNA com cepas mutantes de Saccharomyces cerevisiae apresentou 17.5 % de extratos ativos. A maioria dos extratos ativos (55 %) apresentou resultados seletivos para danos dependentes da topoisomerase II como mecanismo de reparo do DNA e somente 20 % foram seletivos para o mecanismo da topoisomerase I.

Screening of melon populations for resistance to Didymella bryoniae in greenhouse and plastic tunnel conditions

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of maltodextrin on the freezing point and thermal conductivity of uvaia pulp (Eugenia piriformis Cambess)

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

Response of the pulp of dogs to capping with mineral trioxide aggregate or a calcium hydroxide cement

This study was conducted to observe the response of dogs' dental pulp to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and a calcium hydroxide cement when used as pulp capping materials. After the pulps of 30 teeth were exposed, they were capped with either MTA or a calcium hydroxide cement. Histological analysis was performed 2 months after treatment. Results showed a healing process with complete tubular dentin bridge formation and no inflammation in any of the pulps capped with MTA. on the other hand, only five specimens from the calcium hydroxide cement group formed a complete dentin bridge. In this experimental group, pulp inflammation was observed in all but three cases. In conclusion, MTA exhibited better results than the calcium hydroxide cement for the capping of the pulp in dogs.

Influence of age on the behavior of dental pulp of dog teeth after capping with an adhesive system or calcium hydroxide

This study evaluated histomorphologically the influence of chronological age of the dog on the dental pulp-healing process after capping with the All Bond 2 system or with calcium hydroxide paste. The animals were divided according to age into young and adult groups. Class 5-type cavities were prepared, and the pulp was submitted to an exposure of a diameter of 0.5 mm. The pulp of the teeth was then protected with the adhesive system or with a calcium hydroxide paste. Sixty days after treatment, the results obtained with the adhesive system in the young group were significantly better than those in the adult group. With calcium hydroxide, the results were similar for both groups. The pulp treated with calcium hydroxide exhibited a complete hard tissue bridge and a pulp without inflammatory reaction, a fact not observed when the adhesive system was used. In conclusion, the chronological age of the pulp influenced the comparative results only for the adhesive system (P = 0.1), and the total results were better with calcium hydroxide than with the All Bond 2 system (P = 0.01).

Screening of supports for the immobilization of pectinmethylesterase from acerola (Malpighia glabra L)

A partially purified extract of pectinmethylesterase (PME) from acerola fruit was immobilized on various supports: glass, celite, chrysotile, agarose, concanavalin A Sepharose 4B, egg shell, polyacrylamide and gelatin. In addition, reticulation with glutaraldehyde was assessed, as well as the use of gelatin in the presence of celite, glass and silica. The highest immobilization yields were obtained when the pectinmethylesterase was immobilized in concanavalin A Sepharose 4B (81.7%) and in gelatin-water (78.0%). (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of mechanical cycling on the push-out bond strength of fiber posts adhesively bonded to human root dentin

This study evaluated the effect of mechanical cycling on the bond strength of fiber posts bonded to root dentin. The hypotheses examined were that bond strength is not changed after fatigue testing and bond strength does not present vast variations according to the type of fiber post. Sixty crownless, single-rooted human teeth were endodontically treated, with the space prepared at 12 mm. Thirty specimens received a quartz fiber post (Q-FRC (DT Light-Post), and the remaining 30 specimens received a glass fiber post (G-FRC) (FRC Postec Plus). All the posts were resin luted (All Bond+Duolink), and each specimen was embedded in a cylinder with epoxy resin. The specimens were divided into six groups: G1-Q-FRC+no cycling, G2- Q-FRC+20,000 cycles (load: 50N, angle of 45 degrees; frequency: 8Hz); G3- Q-FRC+2,000,000 cycles; G4- G-FRC+no cycling; G5- G-FRC+20,000 cycles; G6- GFRC+2,000,000 cycles. The specimens were cut perpendicular to their long axis, forming 2-mm thick disc-samples, which were submitted to the push-out test. ANOVA (alpha=.05) revealed that: (a) QFRC (7.1 +/- 2.2MPa) and G-FRC (6.9 +/- 2.1MPa) were statistically similar (p=0.665); (b) the no cycling groups (7.0 +/- 2.4MPa), 20,000 cycles groups (7.0 +/- 2.1MPa) and 2,000,000 cycles groups (7.0 +/- 2.0MPa) were statistically similar (p=0.996). It concluded that mechanical cycling did not affect the bond strength of two fiber posts bonded to dentin.

Effect of mechanical loading on the I-c degradation behavior of Bi-2223 tapes

During the winding process of HTS coils the tapes of Bi-2223 are subjected to the influence of bending strain, axial strain, compressive force and torsional deformation resulting in I-c degradation. In the literature the effects of the individual strain components are separately analyzed in spite of during coil winding and energizing the strain-stress effects are combined. In this work using commercial tapes of Bi-2223 Ag/AgMg with and without stainless steel reinforcement several samples were wound on cylindrical FRP G-10 holder in which different combined strains are applied. Measurements of I - V characteristic curves are done to determine the degree of critical current degradation and the operational limits. The results are compared with the I, values of short samples and other specimens subjected to deformation generated by loading types such as tensile and bending strain.

Effect of apparent viscosity on fluidized bed drying process parameters of guava pulp

Pressure drop and minimum fluidization velocity were experimentally studied in a vibro-fluidized bed of inert particles subjected to different vibration intensities during drying of guava pulp. Maltodextrin was added to the pulp in order to prevent stickiness between particles and the consequent bed collapse. Pulps were initially concentrated, resulting in pastes with different soluble solids content, and a constant fraction of maltodextrin was guaranteed in the final pulp samples. The pulp rheological behavior as affected by temperature and total soluble solids content, including maltodextrin, was evaluated and the effect of pulp apparent viscosity on pressure drop and minimum vibro-fluidization velocity were investigated. Two types of inert particles -3.6 mm glass beads and 3 mm Teflon cylinders were tested and, due to lower pressure drop presented by Teflon cylinders during operation of the dry vibro-fluidized bed, these particles were adopted for pulp drying process. Increasing pulp apparent viscosity caused a considerable increase in the vibro-fluidized bed pressure drop during pulp drying and, as a consequence resulted in a larger value of minimum vibro-fluidization velocity. on the other hand, the negative effect of increasing apparent viscosity could be attenuated by increasing the fluidized bed vibration intensity, which could prevent stickiness between particles. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.