FGF10 inhibits dominant follicle growth and estradiol secretion in vivo in cattle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Inibição da ação do etileno retarda o desenvolvimento de injúrias de frio em tangor 'Murcott'

O bloqueio de eventos dependentes da sinalização do etileno pode afetar de maneira positiva ou negativa a qualidade de frutos tropicais após o armazenamento refrigerado. Dessa forma, os objetivos do presente trabalho foram estudar o envolvimento do etileno no desenvolvimento de injúrias de frio em tangor 'Murcott' e avaliar as respostas envolvidas no processo de resistência às injúrias. Os frutos foram expostos a 500nL L-1 de 1-metilciclopropeno (1-MCP) durante 12 horas ou imersos em soluções contendo 2000nL L-1 de ethephon ou ácido salicílico durante cinco minutos antes de serem armazenados a 1°C, por 90 dias. Como controle, parte dos frutos foi armazenada a 1°C. O tratamento de frutos com ethephon ou ácido salicílico antecipou e intensificou as injúrias de frio. Por outro lado, a inibição do etileno pelo 1-MCP retardou o surgimento dos sintomas e resultou em menor índice de injúrias e percentual de frutos podres ao final do armazenamento. A atividade da superóxido dismutase (SOD) foi intensificada aos 45 dias, contudo em menor intensidade nos frutos tratados com ácido salicílico. Nas avaliações subsequentes, houve decréscimo na atividade da SOD em todos os tratamentos, porém aos 90 dias a intensidade manteve-se levemente superior à observada nos primeiros 30 dias de armazenamento. Os teores de putrescina (Put) e espermina (Spm), no flavedo dos frutos, não sofreram significativa alteração durante o armazenamento. em contrapartida, os teores de espermidina (Spd) foram mais afetados pelo estresse ocasionado pelo frio.

Endurance training improves responsiveness to insulin and modulates insulin signal transduction through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-1 pathway

Background: Endurance training increases insulin-stimulated muscle glucose transport and leads to improved metabolic control in diabetic patients.Objective: To analyze the effects of endurance training on the early steps of insulin action in muscle of rats. Design: Male rats submitted to daily swimming for 6 weeks were compared with sedentary controls. At the end of the training period, anesthetized animals received an intravenous (i.v.) injection of insulin and had a fragment of their gastrocnemius muscle excised for the experiments.Methods: Associations between insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrates (IRS)-1 and -2 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) were analyzed by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. Akt-1 serine phosphorylation and specific protein quantification were detected by immunoblotting of total extracts, and IRS-1/IRS-2-associated PI3-kinase activity were determined by thin-layer chromatography.Results: Insulin-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1 and IRS-2 increased respectively by 1.8-fold (P < 0.05) and 1.5-fold (P < 0.05), whereas their association with PI3-kinase increased by 2.3-fold (P < 0.05) and 1.9-fold (P < 0.05) in trained rats as compared with sedentary controls, respectively. The activity of PI3-kinase associated with IRS-1 and IRS-2 increased by 1.8-fold (P < 0.05) and 1.7-fold (P < 0.05) respectively, in trained rats as compared with their untrained counterparts. Serine phosphorylation of Akt-1/PKB increased 1.7-fold (P < 0.05) in trained rats in response to insulin. These findings were accompanied by increased responsiveness to insulin as demonstrated by a reduced area under the curve for insulin during an i.v. glucose tolerance test, by increased glucose disappearance rate during an insulin tolerance test, and by increased expression of glucose transporter-4.Conclusions: the increased responsiveness to insulin induced by chronic exercise in rat skeletal muscle may result, at least in part, from the modulation of the insulin signaling pathway at different molecular levels.

Influence of Hydrothermal Synthesis Conditions and Device Configuration on the Photoresponse of UV Sensors Based on ZnO Nanorods

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

Expression of fibroblast growth factor-8 and regulation of cognate receptors, fibroblast growth factor receptor-3c and-4, in bovine antral follicles

Paracrine cell signaling is believed to be important for ovarian follicle development, and a role for some members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family has been suggested. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that FGF-8 and its cognate receptors (FGFR3c and FGFR4) are expressed in bovine antral follicles. RT-PCR was used to analyze bovine Fgf8, Fgfr3c and Fgfr4 mRNA levels in oocytes, and granulosa and theca cells. Fgf8 expression was detected in oocytes and in granulosa and theca cells; this expression pattern differs from that reported in rodents. Granulosa and theca cells, but not oocytes, expressed Fgfr3c, and expression in granulosa cells increased significantly with follicle estradiol content, a major indicator of follicle health. Fgfr4 expression was restricted to theca cells in the follicle, and decreased significantly with increasing follicle size. To investigate the potential regulation of Fgfr3c expression in the bovine granulosa, cells were cultured in serum-free medium with FSH or IGF-I; gene expression was upregulated by FSH but not by IGF-I. The FSH-responsive and developmentally regulated patterns of Fgfr3c mRNA expression suggest that this receptor is a potential mediator of paracrine signaling to granulosa cells during antral follicle growth in cattle.

A new potentiometric ibuprofenate ion sensor immobilized in a graphite matrix for determination of ibuprofen in tablets

The characteristics, performance, and application of an electrode, namely, Pt vertical bar Hg vertical bar Hg-2(IBP)(2)vertical bar Graphite, where IBP stands for ibuprofenate ion, are described. This electrode responds to IBP with sensitivity of (58.6 +/- 0.9) mV decade 1 over the range 5.0 x 10(-5)-1.0 x 10(-1) mol L-1 at pH 6.0-9.0 and a detection limit of 3.8 x 10(-5) mol L-1. The electrode is easily constructed at a relatively low cost with fast response time (within 1530 s) and can be used for a period of 5 months without any considerable divergence in potentials. The proposed sensor displayed good selectivity for ibuprofen in the presence of several substances, especially concerning carboxylate and inorganic anions. It was used for the direct assay of ibuprofen in commercial tablets by means of the standard additions method. The analytical results obtained by using this electrode are in good agreement with those given by the United States Pharmacopeia procedure. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of synthesis and processing on supersaturated rare earth-doped nanometric SnO2 powders

This paper presents and discusses some of the results of the effects of processing on rare earth-doped nanosize SnO2. Several relevant factors that may influence the characteristics of the final product are studied. The influence of two preparation routes and two heat-treatment conditions on the incorporation of dopants is investigated. The route whereby a soluble salt is used as the dopant source is found to provide the highest degree of dopant incorporation, even under the least favorable heat-treatment conditions.

A fuzzy inference system for identification of crossflow filtration processes

The crossflow filtration process differs of the conventional filtration by presenting the circulation flow tangentially to the filtration surface. The conventional mathematical models used to represent the process have some limitations in relation to the identification and generalization of the system behavior. In this paper, a system based on fuzzy logic systems is developed to overcome the problems usually found in the conventional mathematical models. Imprecisions and uncertainties associated with the measurements made on the system are automatically incorporated in the fuzzy approach. Simulation results are presented to justify the validity of the proposed approach.

Surveillance for zoonotic vector-borne infections using sick dogs from southeastern Brazil

For many vector-borne organisms, dogs can be used as sentinels to estimate the risk of human infection. The objective of this study was to use dogs as sentinels for multiple vector-borne organisms in order to evaluate the potential for human infection with these agents in southeastern Brazil. Blood from 198 sick dogs with clinicopathological abnormalities consistent with tick-borne infections were selected at the São Paulo State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Botucatu and tested for DNA and/or antibodies against specific vector-borne pathogens. At least one organism was detected in 88% of the dogs, and Ehrlichia canis DNA was amplified from 78% of the blood samples. Bartonella spp. seroreactivity was found in 3.6%. Leishmania chagasi antibodies were detected in 1% of the dogs. There was no serological or polymerase chain reaction evidence of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and Rickettsia rickettsii. The full E. canis 16S rRNA gene sequence of one of the Brazilian strains obtained in this study was identical to the causative agent of human ehrlichiosis in Venezuela. Ehrlichia canis may pose a human health hazard and may be undiagnosed in southeastern Brazil, whereas exposure to the other organisms examined in this study is presumably infrequent.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the room-temperature photoluminescence of amorphized Pb(ZrTi)O-3

Ultrafine PbZr0.20Ti0.80O3 was omorphized through high-energy mechanical milling. The structural evolution through the omorphization process was accompanied by various characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed IR spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. A strong photoluminescence was measured at room temperature for amorphized PbZr0.20Ti0.80O3, and interpreted by means of high-level quantum mechanical calculations in the density functional theory frame-work. Three periodic models were used to represent the crystalline and amorphized PbZr0.20Ti0.80O3, and they allowed the calculation of electronic properties that are consistent with the experimental data and that explain the appearance of photoluminescence.

Cell detection at far ranges: supporting T(b) - Z relationships

The Bauru radar detects inner cores of deep convective storm cells at long range, but relevant cell areas are left undetected. A procedure is in development to generate a more complete three-dimensional representation of the cell structure for cost-beneficial hydrological use at larger distances. A set of satellite microwave brightness temperature (T(b)) - radar reflectivity (Z) relationships, basic to the retrieval procedure, has been derived. Copyright (C) 2005 Royal Meteorological Society

Training courses for teachers through the distance learning: practice reports used virtual environment TELEDUC

This paper describes the experiences of long-distance courses, it focused on the continuing education of basic education teachers in all Brazilian territory. Such courses were offered by CECEMCA (Center for Continuing Education in Mathematics Education, Science and Environment), linked to the Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho - Campus de Rio Claro during 15/01/2009 to 30/11/2009. The subjects report to the theme of Education, Geography and Environment, it was organized in four courses: "Introduction to Cartography," Environment and climate change - thinking a new paradigm of sustainable green planet "," Remote Sensing in environmental studies Environment "and" Methodological Alternatives for Inclusive Classroom: Experimenting with visual and hearing impairments". So, we show here, the feasibility and importance of distance learning tools for education, specifically teacher training, based on the results obtained in these courses.

Electrochemical Behavior of Cu-9% Al-5% Ni-2% Mn Alloy in Chloride Media

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of three systems of classification in predicting the outcome of diabetic foot ulcers in a Brazilian population

Objective: The aim was to compare there ulcer classification systems as predictors of the outcome of diabetic foot ulcers; the Wagner, the University of Texas (UT) and the size (area, depth), sepsis, arteriopathy, denervation system (S(AD)SAD) systems in specialist clinic in Brazil.Methods: Ulcer area, depth, appearance, infection and associated ischaemia and neuropathy were recorded in a consecutive series of 94 subjects. A novel score, the S(AD)SAD score, was derived from the sum of individual items of the S(AD)SAD system, and was evaluated. Follow-up was for at least 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of healing.Results: Mean age was 57.6 years; 57 (60.6%) were made. Forty-eight ulcers (51.1%) healed without surgery; 11 (12.2%) subjects underwent minor amputation. Significant differences in terms of healing were observed for depth (P = 0.002), infection (P = 0.006) and denervation (P = 0.002) using the S(AD)SAD system, for UT grade (P = 0.002) and stage (P = 0.032) and for Wagner grades (P = 0.002). Ulcers with an S(AD)SAD score of <= 9 (total possible 15) were 7.6 times more likely to heal than scores >= 10 (P < 0.001).Conclusions: All three systems predicted ulcer outcome. The S(AD)SAD score of ulcer severity could represent a useful addition to routine clinical practice. The association between outcome and ulcer depth confirms earlier reports. The association with infection was stronger than that reported from the centres in Europe or North America. The very strong association with neuropathy has only previously been observed in Tanzania. Studies designed to compare the outcome in different countries should adopt systems of classification, which are valid for the populations studied.