Sensor for diuron quantitation based on the P450 biomimetic catalyst nickel(II) 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine

A biomimetic sensor based on a carbon paste electrode modified with the nickel(II) 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octabutoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine complex was developed as a reliable alternative technique for the sensitive and selective analysis of the herbicide diuron in environmental media. The sensor was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and amperometric techniques. The best amperometric responses were obtained at 750 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (KClsat), using 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer solution at pH 8.0. Under these conditions, the sensor showed a linear response for diuron concentrations between 9.9 × 10-6 and 1.5 × 10-4 mol L -1, a sensitivity of 22817 (±261) μA L mol-1, and detection and quantification limits of 6.14 × 10-6 and 2 × 10-5 mol L-1, respectively. The presence of the nickel complex in the carbon paste improved selectivity, stability, and sensitivity (which increased 700%), compared to unmodified paste. The applicability of the sensor was demonstrated using enriched environmental samples (river water and soil). © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the interactions of DNA with the textile dyes Disperse Orange 1 and Disperse Red 1 and their electrolysis products using an electrochemical biosensor

A disposable pencil graphite electrode modified with dsDNA was used in combination with square wave voltammetry in order to evaluate the interaction of DNA with the textile dyes Disperse Orange 1 (DO1) and Disperse Red 1 (DR1), and with the products of their electrolysis. Significant changes in the characteristic oxidation peaks of the guanine and adenine moieties of immobilized dsDNA were observed after incubation of the modified electrode for 180 s in solutions of the dyes in their original forms. The same was observed using the electrolysis products obtained by oxidation and reduction conversions. The oxidation peak currents of the guanine and adenine moieties decreased when the concentrations of DO1 and DR1 were increased up to 5.0 × 10 -6 and 1.0 × 10-6 mol L-1, respectively; the signal decreases were more pronounced after interaction with the oxidized dyes, compared to the reduced compounds. The interactions between DNA and DO1, DR1, and the electrolyzed dyes were further investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometry in solution, and different effects such as hypochromism and hyperchromism were observed in the resulting DNA spectra. The investigated interactions showed clear evidence of changes in the DNA structure, and suggested a predominant intercalation mode leading to damage in the biomolecule. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Informe del Octavo Período de Sesiones del Comité de Desarrollo y Cooperación del Caribe, Puerto Príncipe, Haití, 6 al 12 de junio de 1984 = Report of the Eighth Session of the Caribbean Development and Co-operation Committee, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 6-12 June 1984

Presenta la organizacion de la reunion, el resumen de los debates, conclusiones y recomendaciones sobre los temas: ejecucion del programa de trabajo del CDCC desde el 7o periodo de sesiones; proyecto de programa de trabajo para el bienio 1986-1987; accion sobre resoluciones aprobadas en el 6o y 7o periodo de sesiones del CDCC; resoluciones de CEPAL que tienen consecuencias para el CDCC; y admision de las Islas Virgenes Britanicas y las Islas Virgenes de Estados Unidos como miembros asociados del CDCC.

Carta geoambiental (1:50.000) e trilhas interpretativas da zona turística do Vale do Pati, Chapada Diamantina-BA

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação da qualidade de vida de pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus tipo 1: dados do primeiro estudo multicêntrico no Brasil

O Diabetes Mellitus tipo 1 (DM1) é a endocrinopatia mais comum da infância e adolescência e impacta negativamente na qualidade de vida (QV). O EuroQol é um instrumento que afere o estado de saúde e vem sendo utilizado na grande maioria dos estudos multicêntricos mundiais em diabetes e tem se mostrado uma ferramenta extremamente útil e confiável. O objetivo desse estudo é avaliar a QV de pacientes com DM1 do Brasil, país de proporções continentais, por meio da análise do EuroQol. Para isso, realizou-se estudo retrospectivo e transversal, no qual foram analisados questionários de pacientes com DM1, respondidos no período de dezembro de 2008 a dezembro de 2010, em 28 centros de pesquisa de 20 cidades das quatro regiões do país (sudeste, norte/nordeste, sul e centro-oeste). Foram também coletados dados sobre complicações crônicas micro e macrovasculares e perfil lipídico. A avaliação da qualidade de vida pelo EuroQol mostra que a nota média atribuída ao estado geral de saúde é nitidamente menor que a encontrada em dois outros estudos populacionais com DM1 realizados na Europa (EQ-VAS da Alemanha, Holanda e Brasil foram de 82,1 ± 14; 81 ± 15 e 72 ± 22, respectivamente). O EuroQol demonstra que a região Norte-Nordeste apresenta melhor índice na avaliação do estado geral de saúde quando comparada a região Sudeste e menor frequência de ansiedade-depressão autorreferidas, quando comparada às demais regiões do país (Norte-Nordeste = 1,53 ± 0,6, Sudeste = 1,65 ± 0,7, Sul = 1,72 ± 0,7 e Centro-Oeste = 1,67 ± 0,7; p <0,05). Adicionalmente, diversas variáveis conhecidas (idade, duração do DM, prática de atividade física, HbA1c, glicemia de jejum e presença de complicações crônicas se correlacionaram com a QV (r = -0,1, p <0,05; r = -0,1, p <0,05; r = -0,1, p <0,05; r = -0,2, p <0,05; r = -0,1, p <0,05 e r= -0,1, p <0,05, respectivamente). Esse é o primeiro estudo a avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes com DM1 a nível populacional no hemisfério sul. Nossos dados indicam uma pior qualidade de vida dos pacientes com DM 1 no Brasil quando comparado a dados de países europeus. Apesar de ter sido encontrado uma inferior duração do DM e menor presença de complicações microvasculares na região Norte/ Nordeste, quando comparada à outras regiões, nossos dados sugerem a existência de elementos adicionais responsáveis pela melhor QV e menor presença de ansiedade/depressão encontradas nesta região. Novos estudos são necessários para identificar esses possíveis fatores.

Cardiovascular and autonomic alterations in rats with parkinsonism induced by 6-OHDA and treated with L-DOPA

Evaluate the effects caused by L-DOPA on cardiovascular and autonomic parameters in an animal model of Parkinsonism induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA).Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to bilateral microinfusion of 6-OHDA or saline (sham group) in the substantia nigra, and treated by gavage with L-DOPA or water for 7days after surgery. On the 6th day the rats were subjected to femoral artery catheterization for cardiovascular recording. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were evaluated at baseline and during head up tilt (HUT) protocol. Spectral analysis of cardiovascular variability was performed using the V2.4 CardioSeries software v2.4. The lesion was quantified by dopamine levels in the striatum.Dopamine levels in the striatum were decreased in 6-OHDA rats (sham: 4.79±0.49ng/mg; 6-OHDA: 1.99±0.68ng/mg) and were not recovered by Prolopa treatment. Baseline values of MAP and HR were not different between groups. HUT induced an increase in MAP and HR (ΔMAP: 17±1mmHg, ΔHR: 39±4bpm) that were attenuated in 6-OHDA and in Prolopa treated animals. At baseline, the systolic arterial pressure (SAP) variance was lower in the 6-OHDA and sham Prolopa groups. Spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity was higher at baseline in the 6-OHDA group as compared to all studied groups.Our data suggest that treatment with Prolopa did not interfere with cardiovascular variables at baseline. However, during HUT, the 6-OHDA and Prolopa control animals presented a lower cardiovascular compensation, suggesting a possible autonomic impairment in Parkinsonism induced by 6-OHDA.

Type-II super-Backlund transformation and integrable defects for the N=1 super sinh-Gordon model

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

Directed search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 with initial LIGO data

We present results of a search for continuously emitted gravitational radiation, directed at the brightest low-mass x-ray binary, Scorpius X-1. Our semicoherent analysis covers 10 days of LIGO S5 data ranging from 50-550 Hz, and performs an incoherent sum of coherent F-statistic power distributed amongst frequency-modulated orbital sidebands. All candidates not removed at the veto stage were found to be consistent with noise at a 1% false alarm rate. We present Bayesian 95% confidence upper limits on gravitational-wave strain amplitude using two different prior distributions: a standard one, with no a priori assumptions about the orientation of Scorpius X-1; and an angle-restricted one, using a prior derived from electromagnetic observations. Median strain upper limits of 1.3 x 10(-24) and 8 x 10(-25) are reported at 150 Hz for the standard and angle-restricted searches respectively. This proof-of-principle analysis was limited to a short observation time by unknown effects of accretion on the intrinsic spin frequency of the neutron star, but improves upon previous upper limits by factors of similar to 1.4 for the standard, and 2.3 for the angle-restricted search at the sensitive region of the detector.

Dual descriptions of massive spin-3 particles in D=2+1 via Noether gauge embedment

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Questing mass dimension 1 spinor fields

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Farmacocinética pré-clínica e avaliação toxicológica do novo composto α2-adrenérgico 3-(2-cloro-6-fluorobenzil)-imidazolidina-2,4-diona - PT-31 GIRSUPAN

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Whole-genome sequencing of the efficient industrial fuel-ethanol fermentative Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain CAT-1

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains widely used for industrial fuel-ethanol production have been developed by selection, but their underlying beneficial genetic polymorphisms remain unknown. Here, we report the draft whole-genome sequence of the S. cerevisiae strain CAT-1, which is a dominant fuel-ethanol fermentative strain from the sugarcane industry in Brazil. Our results indicate that strain CAT-1 is a highly heterozygous diploid yeast strain, and the similar to 12-Mb genome of CAT-1, when compared with the reference S228c genome, contains similar to 36,000 homozygous and similar to 30,000 heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms, exhibiting an uneven distribution among chromosomes due to large genomic regions of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). In total, 58 % of the 6,652 predicted protein-coding genes of the CAT-1 genome constitute different alleles when compared with the genes present in the reference S288c genome. The CAT-1 genome contains a reduced number of transposable elements, as well as several gene deletions and duplications, especially at telomeric regions, some correlated with several of the physiological characteristics of this industrial fuel-ethanol strain. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that some genes were likely associated with traits important for bioethanol production. Identifying and characterizing the allelic variations controlling traits relevant to industrial fermentation should provide the basis for a forward genetics approach for developing better fermenting yeast strains.

alpha-6 Integrin Expression in Bovine Spermatogonial Cells Purified by Discontinuous Percoll Density Gradient

The study of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) provides a model to better understand adult stem cell biology. Besides the biomedical potential to perform studies of infertility in many species, SSCs hold a promising application at animal transgenesis. Because stem cells are thought to be associated with basement membranes, expression of alpha-6 integrin has been investigated as a marker of type A spermatogonial cells, which are considered SSCs because of their undifferentiated status and self-renewal ability. In this manner, the aim of this study was to isolate type A SSCs from adult bulls by a two-step enzymatic procedure followed by a discontinuous Percoll density gradient purification and verify the expression of alpha-6 integrin by flow cytometry and real-time RT-PCR before and after Percoll purification. Spermatogonial cells were successfully obtained using the two-step enzymatic digestion. An average of 1 x 10(5) viable cells per gram of testis was isolated. However, the discontinuous Percoll did not purify isolated cells regarding alpha-6 integrin expression. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated no differences in the alpha-6 integrin expression between cell samples before and after Percoll purification (p = 0.5636). The same was observed in the real-time PCR analysis (p > 0.05). In addition to alpha-6 integrin, the expression of GFR alpha-1 and PGP9.5, known bovine SSCs markers, was detected in all samples studied. Considering that Percoll can reduce cell viability, it is possible to conclude that Percoll density gradient is not suitable to purify bovine SSC, according to alpha-6 integrin expression.

Characterization of selectivity and pharmacophores of type 1 sea anemone toxins by screening seven Na-v sodium channel isoforms

During their evolution, animals have developed a set of cysteine-rich peptides capable of binding various extracellular sites of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC). Sea anemone toxins that target VGSCs delay their inactivation process, but little is known about their selectivities. Here we report the investigation of three native type 1 toxins (CGTX-II, delta-AITX-Bcg1a and delta-AITX-Bcg1b) purified from the venom of Bunodosoma cangicum. Both delta-AITX-Bcg1a and delta-AITX-Bcg1b toxins were fully sequenced. The three peptides were evaluated by patch-clamp technique among Nav1.1-1.7 isoforms expressed in mammalian cell lines, and their preferential targets are Na(v)1.5 > 1.6 > 1.1. We also evaluated the role of some supposedly critical residues in the toxins which would interact with the channels, and observed that some substitutions are not critical as expected. In addition, CGTX-II and delta-AITX-Bcg1a evoke different shifts in activation/inactivation Boltzmann curves in Nav1.1 and 1.6. Moreover, our results suggest that the interaction region between toxins and VGSCs is not restricted to the supposed site 3 (S3-54 linker of domain IV), and this may be a consequence of distinct surface of contact of each peptide vs. targeted channel. Our data suggest that the contact surfaces of each peptide may be related to their surface charges, as CGTX-II is more positive than delta-AITX-Bcg1a and delta-AITX-Bcg1b. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preoperative 6-min walking distance does not predict pulmonary complications in upper abdominal surgery

Background and objective: Field exercise tests have been increasingly used for pulmonary risk assessment. The 6-min walking distance (6MWD) is a field test commonly employed in clinical practice; however, there is limited evidence supporting its use as a risk assessment method in abdominal surgery. The aim was to assess if the 6MWD can predict the development of post-operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients having upper abdominal surgery (UAS). Methods: This prospective cohort study included 137 consecutive subjects undergoing elective UAS. Subjects performed the 6MWD on the day prior to surgery, and their performance were compared with predicted values of 6MWD (p6MWD) using a previously validated formula. PPCs (including pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, atelectasis with clinical repercussions, bronchospasm and acute respiratory failure) were assessed daily by a pulmonologist blinded to the 6MWD results. 6MWD and p6MWD were compared between subjects who developed PPC (PPC group) and those who did not (no PPC group) using Student's t-test. Results: Ten subjects experienced PPC (7.2%) and no significant difference was observed between the 6MWD obtained in the PPC group and no PPC group (466.0 +/- 97.0 m vs 485.3 +/- 107.1 m; P = 0.57, respectively). There was also no significant difference observed between groups for the p6MWD (100.7 +/- 29.1% vs 90.6 -/+ 20.9%; P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that the 6-min walking test is not a useful tool to identify subjects with increased risk of developing PPC following UAS.