Effect of a spray formulation on the reproductive parameters of a susceptible population of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

The number of studies emphasizing the possible damage that acaricidal spray formulations can cause on engorged female ticks'reproductive parameters is small. The present study evaluated the deleterious effects of a spray formulation (dichlorvos 60% + chlorpyrifos 20%) on the reproductive parameters of a susceptible population of Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus females, using the Stall Test. The ticks were allocated randomly to treatments according to the mean numbers of females detached from each cow on days -3, -2 and -1 and the cattle pen location. The numbers of engorged female ticks that naturally detached from the cattle were counted daily from day 1 to day 30. For each group, 20 detached engorged female ticks or the available number collected daily were evaluated regarding reproductive parameters. Associations of organophosphates demonstrated elevated acaricidal efficacy, as well as deleterious effects on the reproductive parameters of R. (B.) microplus females. The engorged female weight (days 1 to 7), weight of egg masses (days 5 to 10) and larval hatching percentage (days 5 to 19) were decreased (P <= 0.05). It is possible that a formulation can lead to deleterious effects on R. (B.) microplus females when the tick population analyzed shows elevated sensitivity towards a particular formulation. However, further studies need to be conducted.

Hamiltonian formulation of anomaly free chiral bosons

Starting out with an anomaly free lagrangian formulation for chiral scalars, which includes a Wess-Zumino term (to cancel the anomaly), we formulate the corresponding hamiltonian problem. Then we use the (quantum) Siegel invariance to choose a particular solution, which turns out to coincide with the one obtained by Floreanini and Jackiw. © 1988.

Endectocide activity of a pour-on formulation containing 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin in cattle

The present work aimed to evaluate, through ten different studies, the therapeutic efficacy of a new pour-on formulation, containing 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, against parasites of cattle. Results obtained on trials against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus showed that the pour-on combination of 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin obtained superior efficacy indexes against this ectoparasite, when compared with formulations containing 0.5 per cent ivermectin, 1 per cent ivermectin and the combination of 1 per cent abamectin +20 per cent levamisole. The results of efficacy of the ivermectin+abamectin and the 0.5 per cent ivermectin against Haematobia irritans were similar. Against Cochliomyia hominivorax larvae, all pour-on formulations tested (1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin), as well as 1 per cent doramectin administered subcutaneously, were considered ineffective. Cattle medicated with 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, pour-on, remained free from parasitism by Dermatobia hominis larvae during 42 days (96 per cent efficacy), while values superior to 90 per cent were obtained by 0.5 per cent ivermectin (92 per cent) and 0.5 per cent abamectin (93 per cent) until the 42nd and 35th days post treatment, respectively. Against Haemonchus placei and Oesophagostomum radiatum, the pour-on of ivermectin+abamectin showed better efficacy than the 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin. As to Cooperia punctata, there was no difference regarding efficacy results obtained by the avermectins combination and abamectin. The pour-on combination of 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin obtained high efficacy against R. (B.) microplus, D. hominis and some species of cattle gastrointestinal helminths when compared with formulations of 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin administered through the same route.

Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of two hair dyes used in the formulation of black color

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), some hair dyes are considered mutagenic and carcinogenic in in vitro assays and exposed human populations. Epidemiological studies indicate that hairdressers occupationally exposed to hair dyes have a higher risk of developing bladder cancer. In Brazil, 26% of the adults use hair dye. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of two hair dyes, Basic Red 51 (BR51) and Basic Brown 17 (BB17), which are temporary dyes of the azo group (R-N=N-R'), used in the composition of the black hair dye. To this end, MTT and trypan blue assays (cytotoxicity), comet and micronucleus assay (genotoxicity) were applied, with HepG2 cells. For cytotoxic assessment, dyes were tested in serial dilutions, being the highest concentrations those used in the commercial formula for hair dyes. For genotoxic assessment concentrations were selected according to cell viability. Results showed that both dyes induced significant cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in the cells, in concentrations much lower than those used in the commercial formula. Genotoxic effects could be related to the azo structure present in the composition of the dyes, which is known as mutagenic and carcinogenic. These results point to the hazard of the hair dye exposure to human health.

Diet formulation techniques and lysine requirements of 1-to 22-day-old broilers

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

The use of nonlinear programming as a tool for maximum profit feed formulation of broilers

The purpose of this study was to compare linear and nonlinear programming models for feed formulation, for maximum profit, considering the real variation in the prices of the corn, soybean meal and broilers during the period from January of 2008 to October of 2009, in the São Paulo State, Brazil. For the nonlinear formulation model, it was considered the following scenarios of prices: a) the minimum broiler price and the maximum prices of the corn and soybean meal during the period, b) the mean prices of the broiler, corn and soybean meal in the period and c) the maximum broiler price and the minimum prices of the corn and soybean meal, in the considered period; while for the linear formulation model, it was considered just the prices of the corn and the soybean. It was used the Practical Program for Feed Formulation 2.0 for the diets establishment. A total of 300 Cobb male chicks were randomly assigned to the 4 dietary treatments with 5 replicate pens of 15 chicks each. The birds were fed with a starter diet until 21 d and a grower diet from 22 to 42 d of age, and they had ad libitum access to feed and water, on floor with wood shavings as litter. The broilers were raised in an environmentally-controlled house. Body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and profitability (related to the prices variation of the broilers and ingredients) were obtained at 42 d of age. It was found that the broilers fed with the diet formulated with the linear model presented the lowest feed intake and feed conversion ratio as compared with the broilers fed with diets from nonlinear formulation models. There were no significant differences in body weight and body weight gain among the treatments. Nevertheless, the profitabilities of the diets from the nonlinear model were significantly higher than that one from the linear formulation model, when the corn and soybean meal prices were near or below their average values for the studied period, for any broiler chicken price.

Supersymmetric quantum mechanics on the lattice: I. Loop formulation

Simulations of supersymmetric field theories on the lattice with (spontaneously) broken supersymmetry suffer from a fermion sign problem related to the vanishing of the Witten index. We propose a novel approach which solves this problem in low dimensions by formulating the path integral on the lattice in terms of fermion loops. For N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics the loop formulation becomes particularly simple and in this paper – the first in a series of three – we discuss in detail the reformulation of this model in terms of fermionic and bosonic bonds for various lattice discretisations including one which is Q-exact.

Alginate-coated chitosan nanogels differentially modulate class-A and class-B CpG-ODN targeting of dendritic cells and intracellular delivery.

UNLABELLED CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs) interact with dendritic cells (DCs), but evidence is less clear for CpG-ODN admixed with or incorporated into vaccine delivery vehicles. We loaded alginate-coated chitosan-nanogels (Ng) with class-A or class-B CpG-ODN, and compared with the same CpG-ODNs free or admixed with empty Ng. Experiments were performed on both porcine and human blood DC subpopulations. Encapsulation of class-A CpG-ODN (loading into Ng) strongly reduced the CpG-ODN uptake and intracellular trafficking in the cytosol; this was associated with a marked deficiency in IFN-α induction. In contrast, encapsulation of class-B CpG-ODN increased its uptake and did not influence consistently intracellular trafficking into the nucleus. The choice of CpG-ODN class as adjuvant is thus critical in terms of how it will behave with nanoparticulate vaccine delivery vehicles. The latter can have distinctive modulatory influences on the CpG-ODN, which would require definition for different CpG-ODN and delivery vehicles prior to vaccine formulation. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR This basic science study investigates the role of class-A and class-B CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides loaded into alginate-coated chitosan nanogels, demonstrating differential effects between the two classes as related to the use of these nanoformulations as vaccine delivery vehicles.

Boundary element formulation for elastoplastic analysis of axisymmetric bodies

The complete formulation of B.E.M. applied to the analysis of axisymmetric bodies acting in the plastic range is presented in this paper. The concept of derivative of a singular integral given by Mikhlin has been used in order to calculate the stresses in internal points. Also a semianalytical approach is proposed to compute the matrix coefficients, presenting the way in which it can be done and the results obtained.

B.I.E.M.in 3-D elasto-plastic problems

In this paper we present the application of BIEM to elastoplastic axysimetric problems. After a brief presentation of the basic integral formulation we introduce the discretizing and iterative process for its resolution. Simple problems are compared in order to test the possibilities of the method and we finish commenting on future research needs.

B.I.E.M. in solid mechanics

In solid mechanics the weak formulation produces an integral equation ready for a discretization and with less restrictive requiremets than the standard field equations. Fundamentally the weak formulation is a expresion of a green formula. An alternative is to choose another green formula materializing a reciprocity relationship between the basis unknowns and an auxiliary family of functions. The degree of smoothness requiered to practice the discretization is then translated to the auxiliar functions. The subsequent discretization (constant, linear etc.)produces a set of equations on the boundary of the domain. For linear 3-D problems the BIEM appears then as a powerful alternative to FEM, because of the reduction to 2-D thanks to the features previously described.

CpG DNA can induce strong Th1 humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against hepatitis B surface antigen in young mice

Successful neonatal immunization of humans has proven difficult. We have evaluated CpG-containing oligonucleotides as an adjuvant for immunization of young mice (1–14 days old) against hepatitis B virus surface antigen. The protein-alum-CpG formulation, like the DNA vaccine, produced seroconversion of the majority of mice immunized at 3 or 7 days of age, compared with 0–10% with the protein-alum or protein-CpG formulations. All animals, from neonates to adults, immunized with the protein-alum vaccine exhibited strong T helper (Th)2-like responses [predominantly IgG1, weak or absent cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)]. Th2-type responses also were induced in young mice with protein-CpG (in 1-, 3-, and 7-day-old mice) and protein-alum-CpG (in 1- and 3-day-old mice) but immunization carried out at older ages gave mixed Th1/Th2 (Th0) responses. DNA vaccines gave Th0-like responses when administered at 1 and 7 days of age and Th1-like (predominantly IgG2a and CTL) responses with 14-day-old or adult mice. Surprisingly, the protein-alum-CpG formulation was better than the DNA vaccine for percentage of seroconversion, speed of appearance, and peak titer of the antibody response, as well as prevalence and strength of CTL. These findings may have important implications for immunization of human infants.

Resposta imune do antígeno de superfície de hepatite B administrado via nasal em nanopartículas de quitosana liofilizadas

A nanotecnologia tornou possível estruturar nanopartículas (NPs), utilizando-se polímeros biodegradáveis e atóxicos, como a quitosana (QS) - capaz de carrear e disponibilizar antígenos para a mucosa, devido sua propriedade mucoadesiva. Uma vacina liofilizada, em comparação a uma formulação líquida, possui inúmeras vantagens, tais como melhora na estabilidade do produto e melhor resistência às variações de temperatura, aumentando sua vida de prateleira e possibilitando melhor logística do produto aos locais onde o acesso à rede refrigerada é difícil; ademais, um produto liofilizado tem sua mucoadesividade aumentada, possibilitando maior tempo de permanência na mucosa. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo observar a resposta imune, em camundongos, de uma vacina desenvolvida por um mecanismo de entrega intranasal do HBsAg (Antígeno de superfície da Hepatite B) encapsulado pelo método de incorporação em nanopartículas de quitosana (NPs) liofilizadas. A formação das NPs foi realizada pela interação eletroestática da quitosana e do TPP (tripolifosfato de sódio), utilizando método de geleificação iônica. Formulações de NPs com glicina 5% apresentaram boas características após reconstituição, umidade residual inferior a 1% e processo de liofilização de 13 horas. Foi avaliada a imunogenicidade da inoculação do HBsAg em formulações de NPs de quitosana líquida e liofilizada, verificando-se que a forma líquida produziu anticorpos IgG contra HBsAg.

Emprego do ultra-som modo B e com efeito Doppler, termômetro infravermelho e medidas antropométricas na avaliação de uma formulação cosmética anticelulítica contendo extrato hidroglicólico de Trichilia catigua e Ptychopetalum olacoides Bentham

Hidrolipodistrofia ginóide (H.L.D.G.), a celulite, é comumente tratada com cosméticos contendo extratos vegetais. O estudo realizado foi: ultra-sonografia na avaliação da espessura da hipoderme e a microcirculação cutânea; uso de termômetro infravermelho na medida da temperatura e análise das medidas antropométricas da uma formulação cosmética anticelulítica contendo extrato hidroglicólico de Trichilia catigua e Ptychopetalum olacoides Bentham (catuaba e marapuama). Foram realizadas medidas iniciais e após aplicação da formulação. Os resultados apresentaram alterações estatisticamente significativas para a temperatura cutânea e medidas antropométricas. Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas nas medidas da hipoderme e microcirculação. Considerando os resultados, a formulação avaliada possui potencial ação coadjuvante na redução da hidrolipodistrofia ginóide. As técnicas podem ser associadas em conjunto com a avaliação sensorial e apreciabilidade cosmética. Os requisitos chaves para a reprodutibilidade das técnicas incluem ambiente controlado, monitoramento e climatização dos voluntários, procedimentos de medidas padronizados, protocolos de aplicação realístico e operadores qualificados.

Evaluation of the pathogenicity of multiple isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) on Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) for the assessment of a solid formulation under simulated field conditions

A solid state formulation of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin has been developed for biological control of the Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790). Two kinds of bioassays (dry conidia and dipping) using 10 isolates from several coleopterans in Mediterranean environments, identified 2 RPW derived isolates (193 and 203) as most pathogenic to RPW larvae and adults (zero survival within first 4–5 d for dry conidia, and 14 and 23 d for dipping bioassays). Isolate 203 (5.1 × 108 ± 1.9 × 108 conidia g-1) was formulated with fragmented date seed into solid granules and tested in palms infested with RPW under semi-field conditions in Feb, Apr/May and Jun of both 2007 and 2008. Beauveria bassiana significantly reduced RPW adult survival with respect to controls in May 2007 and in the Apr/Jun 2008 experiments. Total RPW adult mortality was achieved within 30 days for all B. bassiana treatments, and was associated with increasing numbers of insects with signs of mycosis in 2008 experiments. Beauveria bassiana formulation reduced RPW multiplication in artificially infested palms compared to controls, and a positive correlation between numbers of larvae and time post-infestation was recorded. The suppression of RPW adult populations by B. bassiana persisted for at least 3 months under semi-field conditions. The Beauveria bassiana solid formulation, which induces great adult mortality and persistence in the field, could be applied as a preventive as well as a curative treatment for the integrated management of RPW.