Innovative low temperature plasma approach for deposition of alumina films

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

Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) contributes to Dectin-1-induced TNF-alpha production and complexes with caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9 (CARD9), spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), and Dectin-1

Background: Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) syndrome is a complex immunologic disease caused by mutation of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Autoimmunity in patients with APECED syndrome has been shown to result from deficiency of AIRE function in transcriptional regulation of thymic peripheral tissue antigens, which leads to defective T-cell negative selection. Candidal susceptibility in patients with APECED syndrome is thought to result from aberrant adaptive immunity. Objective: To determine whether AIRE could function in anticandidal innate immune signaling, we investigated an extrathymic role for AIRE in the immune recognition of beta-glucan through the Dectin-1 pathway, which is required for defense against Candida species. Methods: Innate immune signaling through the Dectin-1 pathway was assessed in both PBMCs from patients with APECED syndrome and a monocytic cell line. Subcellular localization of AIRE was assessed by using confocal microscopy. Results: PBMCs from patients with APECED syndrome had reduced TNF-alpha responses after Dectin-1 ligation but in part used a Raf-1-mediated pathway to preserve function. In the THP-1 human monocytic cell line, reducing AIRE expression resulted in significantly decreased TNF-a release after Dectin-1 ligation. AIRE formed a transient complex with the known Dectin-1 pathway components phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase and caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9 after receptor ligation and localized with Dectin-1 at the cell membrane. Conclusion: AIRE can participate in the Dectin-1 signaling pathway, indicating a novel extrathymic role for AIRE and a defect that likely contributes to fungal susceptibility in patients with APECED syndrome. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;129:464-72.)

Comparative study of the proton beam effects between the conventional and Circular-Gate MOSFETs

The study of ionizing radiation effects on semiconductor devices is of great relevance for the global technological development and is a necessity in some strategic areas in Brazil. This work presents preliminary results of radiation effects in MOSFETs that were exposed to 3.2 Grad radiation dose produced by a 2.6-MeV proton beam. The focus of this work was to electrically characterize a Rectangular-Gate MOSFET (RGT) and a Circular-Gate MOSFET (CGT), manufactured with the On Semiconductor 0.5 mu m standard CMOS fabrication process and to verify a suitable geometry for space applications. During the experiment, I-DS x V-GS curves were measured. After irradiation, the RGT off-state current (I-OFF) increased approximately two orders of magnitude reaching practically the same value of the I-OFF in the CGT, which only doubled its value. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of electronic devices submitted to X-rays and high energy proton beams

In this work we have studied the radiation effects on MOSFET electronic devices. The integrated circuits were exposed to 10 key X-ray radiation and 2.6 MeV energy proton beam. We have irradiated MOSFET devices with two different geometries: rectangular-gate transistor and circular-gate transistor. We have observed the cumulative dose provokes shifts on the threshold voltage and increases or decreases the transistor's off-state and leakage current. The position of the trapped charges in modern CMOS technology devices depends on radiation type, dose rate, total dose, applied bias and is a function of device geometry. We concluded the circular-gate transistor is more tolerant to radiation than the rectangular-gate transistor. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ANTI-TRYPANOSOMAL ACTIVITY OF 1,2,3,4,6-PENTA-O-GALLOYL-beta-D-GLUCOSE ISOLATED FROM Plectranthus barbatus Andrews (Lamiaceae)

MeOH extract from the leaves of Plectranthus barbatus Andrews (Lamiaceae), showed in vitro anti-trypanosomal activity. The bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of a gallic acid derivative, identified as 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG), after thorough NMR and MS spectral analysis. Finally, this compound was tested against trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi and displayed an EC50 value of 67 mu M, at least 6.6-fold more effective than the standard drug benznidazole. This is the first occurrence of PGG in the Plectranthus genus and the first anti-parasitic activity described for PGG in the literature.

Postoperative evaluation of surgery for craniosynostosis based on image registration techniques

Craniosynostosis consists of a premature fusion of the sutures in an infant skull, which restricts the skull and brain growth. During the last decades there has been a rapid increase of fundamentally diverse surgical treatment methods. At present, the surgical outcome has been assessed using global variables such as cephalic index, head circumerence and intracranial volume. However, the variables have failed in describing the local deformations and morphological changes, which are proposed to more likely induce neurological disorders.

Feature-invariant image registration method for quantification of surgical outcomes in patients with craniosynostosis: a preliminary study

Craniosynostosis consists of a premature fusion of the sutures in an infant skull that restricts skull and brain growth. During the last decades, there has been a rapid increase of fundamentally diverse surgical treatment methods. At present, the surgical outcome has been assessed using global variables such as cephalic index, head circumference, and intracranial volume. However, these variables have failed in describing the local deformations and morphological changes that may have a role in the neurologic disorders observed in the patients. This report describes a rigid image registration-based method to evaluate outcomes of craniosynostosis surgical treatments, local quantification of head growth, and indirect intracranial volume change measurements. The developed semiautomatic analysis method was applied to computed tomography data sets of a 5-month-old boy with sagittal craniosynostosis who underwent expansion of the posterior skull with cranioplasty. Quantification of the local changes between pre- and postoperative images was quantified by mapping the minimum distance of individual points from the preoperative to the postoperative surface meshes, and indirect intracranial volume changes were estimated. The proposed methodology can provide the surgeon a tool for the quantitative evaluation of surgical procedures and detection of abnormalities of the infant skull and its development.

Retrograde Transport from the Pre-Golgi Intermediate Compartment and the Golgi Complex Is Affected by the Vacuolar H+-ATPase Inhibitor Bafilomycin A1

The effect of the vacuolar H+-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1) on the localization of pre-Golgi intermediate compartment (IC) and Golgi marker proteins was used to study the role of acidification in the function of early secretory compartments. Baf A1 inhibited both brefeldin A- and nocodazole-induced retrograde transport of Golgi proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas anterograde ER-to-Golgi transport remained largely unaffected. Furthermore, p58/ERGIC-53, which normally cycles between the ER, IC, and cis-Golgi, was arrested in pre-Golgi tubules and vacuoles, and the number of p58-positive ∼80-nm Golgi (coatomer protein I) vesicles was reduced, suggesting that the drug inhibits the retrieval of the protein from post-ER compartments. In parallel, redistribution of β-coatomer protein from the Golgi to peripheral pre-Golgi structures took place. The small GTPase rab1p was detected in short pre-Golgi tubules in control cells and was efficiently recruited to the tubules accumulating in the presence of Baf A1. In contrast, these tubules showed no enrichment of newly synthesized, anterogradely transported proteins, indicating that they participate in retrograde transport. These results suggest that the pre-Golgi structures contain an active H+-ATPase that regulates retrograde transport at the ER–Golgi boundary. Interestingly, although Baf A1 had distinct effects on peripheral pre-Golgi structures, only more central, p58-containing elements accumulated detectable amounts of 3-(2,4-dinitroanilino)-3′-amino-N-methyldipropylamine (DAMP), a marker for acidic compartments, raising the possibility that the lumenal pH of the pre-Golgi structures gradually changes in parallel with their translocation to the Golgi region.

Magnus den Godes, Harald Haardraades og hans sønners sagaer;

Mode of access: Internet.