Screening of culture condition for xylanase production by filamentous fungi

The objective of this research was to investigate xylanase production by filamentous fungi (Trichoderma viride) to determine the best cultivation conditions in the process, aiming toward optimization of enzyme production. The best temperature, as well as the best carbon source, for biomass production was determined through an automated turbidimetric method (Bioscreen-C). The enzyme activity of this fungus was separately evaluated in two solid substrates (wheat and soybean bran) and in Vogel medium, pure and by adding other carbon sources. Temperature effects, cultivation time, and spore concentrations were also tested. The best temperature and carbon source for enzyme and biomass production was 25 C and sorbitol, respectively. Maximum xylanase activity was achieved when the fungus was cultivated in wheat bran along with sorbitol (1%, w/v), using a spore concentration of 2 x 10(6) spores. mL(-1), pH 5.0, for 144 h cultivation. The study demonstrated not only the importance of the nature of the substrate in obtaining a system resistant to catabolic repression, but also the importance of the culture conditions for biosynthesis of this enzyme. T. viride showed a high potential for xylanase production under the conditions presented in these assays.

Performance of body fat and body mass index cutoffs in elevated blood pressure screening among male children and adolescents

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Molecular screening of Plasmodium sp. asymptomatic carriers among transfusion centers from Brazilian Amazon region

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic fingerprinting of commercial gasoline: Pattern-recognition analyses for screening quality control purposes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Screening Brazilian commercial gasoline quality by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic fingerprintings and pattern-recognition multivariate chemometric analysis

The identification of gasoline adulteration by organic solvents is not an easy task, because compounds that constitute the solvents are already in gasoline composition. In this work, the combination of Hydrogen Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopic fingerprintings with pattern-recognition multivariate Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) chemometric analysis provides an original and alternative approach to screening Brazilian commercial gasoline quality in a Monitoring Program for Quality Control of Automotive Fuels. SIMCA was performed on spectroscopic fingerprints to classify the quality of representative commercial gasoline samples selected by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and collected over a 6-month period from different gas stations in the São Paulo state, Brazil. Following optimized the (1)H NMR-SIMCA algorithm, it was possible to correctly classify 92.0% of commercial gasoline samples, which is considered acceptable. The chemometric method is recommended for routine applications in Quality-Control Monitoring Programs, since its measurements are fast and can be easily automated. Also, police laboratories could employ this method for rapid screening analysis to discourage adulteration practices. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Screening Brazilian Commercial Gasoline Quality by ASTM D6733 GC and Pattern-Recognition Multivariate SIMCA Chemometric Analysis

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Screening Brazilian automotive gasoline quality through quantification of saturated hydrocarbons and anhydrous ethanol by gas chromatography and exploratory data analysis

In this paper a set of Brazilian commercial gasoline representative samples from São Paulo State, selected by HCA, plus six samples obtained directly from refineries were analysed by a high-sensitive gas chromatographic (GC) method ASTM D6733. The levels of saturated hydrocarbons and anhydrous ethanol obtained by GC were correlated with the quality obtained from Brazilian Government Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) specifications through exploratory analysis (HCA and PCA). This correlation showed that the GC method, together with HCA and PCA, could be employed as a screening technique to determine compliance with the prescribed legal standards of Brazilian gasoline.

Screening and characterization of mutations in isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in Brazil

We investigated mutations in the genes katG, inhA (regulatory and structural regions), and kasA and the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region of 97 isoniazid (INH)-resistant and 60 INH-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in two states in Brazil: São Paulo and Parana. PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) was evaluated for screening mutations in regions of prevalence, including codons 315 and 463 of katG, the regulatory region and codons 16 and 94 of inhA, kasA, and the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region. DNA sequencing of PCR amplicons was performed for all isolates with altered PCR-SSCP profiles. Mutations in katG were found in 83 (85.6%) of the 97 INH-resistant isolates, including mutations in codon 315 that occurred in 60 (61.9%) of the INH-resistant isolates and 23 previously unreported katG mutations. Mutations in the inhA promoter region occurred in 25 (25.8%) of the INH-resistant isolates; 6.2% of the isolates had inhA structural gene mutations, and 10.3% had mutations in the oxyR-ahpC intergenic region (one, nucleotide -48, previously unreported). Polymorphisms in the kasA gene occurred in both INH-resistant and INH-susceptible isolates. The most frequent polymorphism encoded a G(269)A substitution. Although KatG(315) substitutions are predominant, novel mutations also appear to be responsible for INH resistance in the two states in Brazil. Since ca. 90.7% of the INH-resistant isolates had mutations identified by SSCP electrophoresis, this method may be a useful genotypic screen for INH resistance.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) detection and typing by PCR: a contribution to diagnostic screening of EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) microspheres loaded with atrazine herbicide: screening of conditions for preparation, physico-chemical characterization, and in vitro release studies

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

Use of Aspiration Method for Collecting Brain Samples for Rabies Diagnosis in Small Wild Animals

P>In developing countries such as Brazil, where canine rabies is still a considerable problem, samples from wildlife species are infrequently collected and submitted for screening for rabies. A collaborative study was established involving environmental biologists and veterinarians for rabies epidemiological research in a specific ecological area located at the São Paulo State, Brazil. The wild animals' brains are required to be collected without skull damage because the skull's measurements are important in the identification of the captured animal species. For this purpose, samples from bats and small mammals were collected using an aspiration method by inserting a plastic pipette into the brain through the magnum foramen. While there is a progressive increase in the use of the plastic pipette technique in various studies undertaken, it is also appreciated that this method could foster collaborative research between wildlife scientists and rabies epidemiologists thus improving rabies surveillance.

Induced variational method from supersymmetric quantum mechanics and the screened Coulomb potential

The formalism of supersymmetric quantum mechanics supplies a trial wave function to be used in the variational method. The screened Coulomb potential is analyzed within this approach. Numerical and exact results for energy eigenvalues are compared.

Multiple minima hypersurfaces procedures for biomimetic ligands screening

In this work the interaction of the pesticide carbaryl with two groups of biomimetic ligands, peptides and MIPs was screened by multiple minima hypersurfaces (MMH) procedures, through the AM1 semiempirical method. Data related to the properties of the molecular association of the complex biomimetic ligand-pesticide were obtained and compared with another molecular modeling algorithm named Leapfrog, as included in the Sybyl software package, and experimental results from the literature, remarking good correlation between them. All important MMH program parameters (cells number, box size, conformers) were studied and optimized with the aim of getting the minimum computation time without losing the correlation with experimental data. The data demonstrated that MMH approach can be used as a fast biomimetic ligand screening tool for MIPs. In the case of peptides the computation time was not comparable with the molecular dynamics methods conventionally used for this approach. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Use of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in molecular screening of Newcastle disease virus in poultry and free-living bird populations

The aim of this study was to evaluate a simple molecular method of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to differentiate Newcastle disease virus strains according to their pathogenicity, in order to use it in molecular screening of Newcastle disease virus in poultry and free-living bird populations. Specific primers were developed to differentiate LaSota-LS-(vaccine strain) and Sao Joao do Meriti-SJM-strain (highly pathogenic strain). Chickens and pigeons were experimentally vaccinated/infected for an in vivo study to determine virus shedding in feces. Validation of sensitivity and specificity of the primers (SJM and LS) by experimental models used in the present study and results obtained in the molecular analysis of the primers by BLAST made it possible to generalize results. The development of primers that differentiate the level of pathogenicity of NDV stains is very important, mainly in countries where real-time RT-PCR is still not used as a routine test. These primers were able to determine the presence of the agent and to differentiate it according to its pathogenicity. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Validation of an alternative analytical method for the quantification of antioxidant activity in plant extracts

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)