Evaluation of blood compatibility of plasma deposited heparin-like films and SF6 plasma treated surfaces

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Subluxation of the crystalline lens: A no-ring approach

Purpose: To report the surgical technique and outcomes of a no-ring approach to posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children and young adults with subluxation of the crystalline lens. Methods: A three-piece 5.5-mm hydrophobic acrylic IOL was implanted in which the optic and one haptic were inside the capsular bag and the other haptic was in the ciliary sulcus. The implantations were done in 13 eyes of 10 patients with lens subluxation. One haptic was fixated in the ciliary sulcus by passing it through an operculum-shaped opening in the capsular bag edge, made between 2 and 3 clock hours, clockwise from the middle point of the subluxated area. Results: The mean age of the 10 patients was 12.61 ± 8.04 years and the mean follow-up was 21.38 ± 11.29 months. The mean preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 1.15 ± 0.58 and 0.37 ± 0.17 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, respectively, in 11 measured eyes. The postoperative BCVA was 20/40 or better in 4 eyes (36.36%), between 20/40 and 20/60 in 6 eyes (54.54%), and between 20/80 and 20/100 in 1 eye (9.09%). The BCVA improved in all eyes. Postoperative IOL decentration between 1.0 and 1.5 mm occurred in 3 of 13 eyes (23.08%). Conclusion: The results indicate that the no-ring technique allows centration of an IOL implanted into a subluxated capsular bag without using capsule tension rings. © SLACK Incorporated.

Sensory profile and preference mapping of orange cakes with addition of prebiotics inulin and oligofructose

Orange cakes with addition of inulin and oligofructose to justify a prebiotic claim (minimum of 3 g of fructans in a 60 g serving of cake) were investigated regarding sensory aspects. The sensory profile of cakes with inulin, with inulin/oligofructose and without prebiotics (standard cake) was evaluated using descriptive quantitative analysis. Preference mapping was assessed using multidimensional scaling on data obtained through an acceptability test with a nine-point hedonic scale. The cakes with prebiotics presented greater crust brownness, dough beigeness, hardness and stickiness than the standard cake and lower crumbliness. Principal Component Analysis (69.5 and 10.7% of explanation to the first and second principal components, respectively) showed that crust brownness, dough beigeness, hardness and stickiness contributed to distinguish the cakes with prebiotics from standard cakes. The sensory acceptability was similar for the three cakes and higher when compared to three commercial cakes, but the preference mapping showed that cakes with prebiotics were preferred to commercial cakes. Addition of prebiotics in orange cakes is feasible, based on the sensory results, which may facilitate marketing of this functional food with sensorial qualities equivalent to conventional products. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of ricinoleic acid esters from castor oil (Ricinus communis) on the oocyte yolk components of the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae)

Rhipicephalus sanguineus are bloodsucking ectoparasites, whose main host is the domestic dog, thus being present in urban areas and closely located to people. Eventually, this tick species parasitize humans and can become a potential vector of infectious diseases. Methods to control this type of pest have been the focus of many research groups worldwide. The use of natural products is increasingly considered nowadays, due to the low toxicity levels to the host and low waste generation to the environment. This study tested the effect of ricinoleic acid esters from castor oil (as an potential acaricide) on the reproductive system of R sanguineus females, more specifically on the vitellogenesis process. For this, two groups were established: the control group (CG) and the treatment group (TG) with five rabbits in each (New Zealand White), used as hosts. NaCl and ester were added to rabbits' food and offered to the hosts. After full engorgement, the females were collected and had their ovaries extracted. The ticks ovaries were submitted to histochemical techniques so the effects of esters could be observed over polysaccharides, proteins and lipids yolk. Changes in the deposition of yolk components were observed. This caused modifications on elements of polysaccharide origin and on glycoprotein compounds, interfering in the final yolk synthesis and compromising the development of the future embryo. © 2012.

Effect of drying technique on some physical properties of cross-linked high amylose/pectin mixtures

Polymers mixtures as well as cross-linking reactions are approaches that have been used successfully to modulate the polymers characteristics in order to improve the control over drug release rate. High amylose and pectin are polysaccharides frequently used to prepare drug delivery systems. Since the drying technique can strongly influence the properties of such systems, the aim of this work was to characterize high amylose/pectin mixtures cross-linked with sodium trimetaphosphate and dried by different techniques-oven and lyophilization. The results showed that samples dried by lyophilization presented reduced particle size, higher porosity and higher swelling ability than the samples dried in oven. Besides, lower thermal stability and different diffraction patterns showed by the former particles should reflect the structural changes as a function of drying technique. © 2013 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

The ovarian cycle histochemistry and its relationship with hepatopancreas weight in the blue crab Callinectes danae (Crustacea: Portunidae)

Zara, F.J., Gaeta, H.H., Costa, T.M., Toyama, M.H. and Caetano, F.H. 2011. The ovarian cycle histochemistry and its relationship with hepatopancreas weight in the blue crab Callinectes danae (Crustacea: Portunidae). -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00:1-13. Several studies use macroscopic patterns of the ovarian development in crustaceans. Here, we examined the relationship between ovary histochemistry, changes in gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices against the macroscopic pattern of the ovarian development in Callinectes danae. Animals were collected in the south coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. Ovaries were macroscopically classified as juvenile, rudimentary, developing, intermediary, mature, and rudimentary ovigerous. Samples were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, processed for historesin, and stained with HE, protein, and neutral and acid polysaccharides detection. The juvenile oocytes are not enclosed by follicular cells and have fewer yolk nuclei being less intense in PAS reactivity than rudimentary oocytes. Developing oocytes show yolk granules and thick follicular cells. Yolk granules were positive for proteins and neutral polysaccharides. The intermediary stage is marked by a qualitative increase in yolk granules and the onset of chorion formation. In mature oocytes, cytoplasm is completely filled by yolk granules and the chorion is completely formed. Ovigerous ovaries have several atretic follicles and large quantities of hemocytes in the process of tissue reorganization. In C. danae, the changes in cell, goandosomatic and hepatosomatic indices coinciding with macroscopic observations and any combination of different macroscopic stages in a single pattern should be avoided. © 2011 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Ovarian morphology and oogenesis of Leptodesmus dentellus (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Chelodesmidae)

This study presents the ovarian morphology and the dynamics of the vitellogenesis process in the oocytes of the diplopod Leptodesmus dentellus. The oocytes are arranged in clusters called ovisacs which are distributed in pairs along the midline of the body forming the ovary. Regions similar to the germarium appear paired in the anterior region of the ovary; however, the development of the oocytes of this species does not follow a regionalisation in the reproductive organ. Cells in three developmental stages are found throughout the length of the ovary. Calcium, proteins, lipids and neutral polysaccharides were detected in the oocytes of L. dentellus. The polysaccharides and the proteins found in the oocytes have a double origin: endogenous, with the participation of the germinative vesicle, and exogenous, from follicular epithelium. The origin of the lipids is exogenous, i.e., they are incorporated into the oocytes, probably derived from the perivisceral fat body, which are highly developed in this region. The deposition of calcium is pre-vitellogenic and probably functions as a reserve during the juvenile stages. © 2012 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.

Intriguing thigmonastic (sensitive) stamens in the Plains Prickly Pear Opuntia polyacantha (Cactaceae)

The movement of sensitive stamens in flowers of the Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha) is described in detail along with the external and internal filament anatomy. The goals of this investigation were: (1) to provide a synthesis of floral phenology and determine whether this rather unique stamen movement is nastic or a tropism and (2) to conduct macro- and micro-morphological analyses of filaments to determine if there are anatomical traits associated with this movement. To better understand the internal and external structure in sensitive filaments of O. polyacantha, we performed comparative anatomical analyses in two additional species from the Opuntioideae with stamens lacking such sensitivity. The consistent unidirectional movement of stamens, independent of the area stimulated, indicates a thigmonastic response. This movement serves multiple purposes, from enhancing pollen presentation to facilitating cross-pollination, protecting pollen and preventing insects from robbing pollen. Anatomically, the sensitive and non-sensitive filaments exhibit different tissue organization. Cuticle thickness, presence of capsular structures, two layers of curved cells, and more and larger intercellular spaces are characteristic of sensitive filaments. A thin unicellular epidermal layer is characteristic in sensitive filaments versus 2-3 epidermal layers in non-sensitive filaments. Another striking feature in sensitive filaments is the presence of papillae and capsular structures. We believe that these elements are related to water mobility with subsequent contraction during the thigmonastic response. Capsular structures might have a role in fluid mobility according to the stimulus of the filaments. We hypothesize that the thigmonastic response is controlled by cells with elastic properties, as evidenced by the plasmolyzed curved and contracted cells in the filaments and the fact that the movement is activated by changes in cell turgor followed by contraction as a result of plasmolysis. © 2013 Elsevier GmbH.

Enzyme use in kibble diets formulated with wheat bran for dogs: Effects on processing and digestibility

Recently, there is an interest in technologies that favour the use of coproducts for animal nutrition. The effect of adding two enzyme mixtures in diets for dogs formulated with wheat bran (WB) was evaluated. Two foods with similar compositions were formulated: negative control (NC; without WB) and test diet (25% of WB). The test diet was divided into four treatments: without enzyme (positive control), enzyme mixture 1 (ENZ1; added before extrusion β-glucanase, xylanase, cellulase, glucoamylase, phytase); enzyme mixture 2 (ENZ2; added before extrusion the ENZ1 more α-amylase); enzyme mixture 2 added after the extrusion (ENZ2ex). ENZ1 and ENZ2 were used to evaluate the enzyme effect on extruder pre-conditioner (processing additive) and ENZ2ex to evaluate the effect of enzyme supplementation for the animal. Digestibility was measured through total collection of faeces and urine. The experiment followed a randomized block design with five treatments (diets) and six dogs per diet, totalling 30 dogs (7.0 ± 1.2 years old and 11.0 ± 2.2 kg of body weight). Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means compared by Tukey's test and orthogonal contrasts (p < 0.05). Reducing sugars showed an important reduction after extrusion, suggesting the formation of carbohydrate complexes. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, acid-hydrolysed fat and energy was higher in NC than in diets with WB (p < 0.001), without effects of enzyme additions. WB diets resulted in higher faecal production and concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and reduced pH and ammonia concentration (p < 0.01), with no effect of enzyme addition. The enzyme addition did not result in improved digestibility of a diet high in non-starch polysaccharides; however, only ATTD was measured and nutrient fermentation in the large intestine may have interfered with the results obtained. WB modified fermentation product formation in the colon of dogs. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The action of aminoguanidine on the liver of trained diabetic rats

Background: This study evaluated the effect of aminoguanidine on liver of diabetic rats subject to physical exercises using histological and histochemical techniques.Methods: The rats used in this study were divided into five groups: sedentary control, sedentary diabetic, trained diabetic, sedentary diabetic and treated with aminoguanidine, trained diabetic and treated with aminoguanidine.Results: The results showed no effect of aminoguanidine on the liver tissue, although there was improvement with exercise training showing cytological, morpho-histological and histochemical alterations in liver cells of animals from groups trained diabetic and/or treated diabetic compared to those individuals in the sedentary control and sedentary diabetic. These changes included: hepatocytes hypertrophy, presence and distribution of polysaccharides in the hepatocytes cytoplasm and, especially, congestion of the liver blood vessels.Conclusion: Our results suggest that aminoguanidine is not hepatotoxic, when used at dosage of 1 g/L for the treatment of diabetes complications, and confirmed that the practice of moderate physical exercise assuaged the damage caused by diabetes without the use of insulin. © 2013 e Nico et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Biomass-to-bio-products application of feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus clavatus

The structural polysaccharides contained in plant cell walls have been pointed to as a promising renewable alternative to petroleum and natural gas. Ferulic acid is a ubiquitous component of plant polysaccharides, which is found in either monomeric or dimeric forms and is covalently linked to arabinosyl residues. Ferulic acid has several commercial applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. The study herein introduces a novel feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus clavatus (AcFAE). Along with a comprehensive functional and biophysical characterization, the low-resolution structure of this enzyme was also determined by small-angle X-ray scattering. In addition, we described the production of phenolic compounds with antioxidant capacity from wheat arabinoxylan and sugarcane bagasse using AcFAE. The ability to specifically cleave ester linkages in hemicellulose is useful in several biotechnological applications, including improved accessibility to lignocellulosic enzymes for biofuel production. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Histochemical study of the hepatopancreas in adult females of the pink-shrimp Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis Latreille, 1817

This study provides histochemical data of the hepatopancreatic cells of adult female pink-shrimp (Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis) at two different developmental stages (those with developed gonads and those with exhausted gonads). The F. brasiliensis females were collected in seawater off the Guarapari coast, Espirito Santo, Brazil. Five cell types were identified in this digestive gland: B (vesicular), E (embryonic), F (fibrillar), M (basal) and R (resorptive). The digestive gland was stained with the following techniques: PAS/Alcian blue (for polysaccharides), bromophenol blue (for protein), von Kossa (for bound calcium) and Baker (for lipids). Acid glycoconjugates were found inside vacuoles in the R cells, while neutral polysaccharides were present in the B cells and near to the microvilli. In females with exhausted gonads polysaccharides were also seen in the intertubular spaces and inside the lumina of the tubules. The F and M cells were the most marked by the presence of large amounts of proteins observed in R cells and also inside the vacuoles of B cells. The bound calcium was mainly found in the F and M cells. The F cells showed strong positive staining for lipid while the R cell only stained weakly. The E cells did not react to any of the applied staining techniques. The similarities in the histochemical composition of these hepatopancreatic cells in females with developed gonads, compared to exhausted ones, is justified by the fact that transfer of these elements to the oocytes occurs, in significant quantity, only during the initial stages of gonadal development in F. brasiliensis. Also, they may be more related to the molt stage, as in the case of calcium salts. © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The enzymatic recalcitrance of internodes of sugar cane hybrids with contrasting lignin contents

The recalcitrance in grasses varies according to cell type and maturation. The origin of the recalcitrance in different regions from sugar cane internodes with varied lignin contents was evaluated. The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis was correlated with the chemical, micromorphological and microspectrophotometric characteristics of the samples. The internodes of three sugar cane hybrids were dissected into four different fractions. The outermost fraction and the rind were the most recalcitrant regions, whereas the pith-rind interface and the pith were less recalcitrant. Cellulose conversion reached 86% after 72h of enzymatic digestion of the pith from the hybrid with the lowest lignin content. There was an inversely proportional correlation between the area occupied by vascular bundles and the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis. High cellulose and low lignin or hemicellulose contents enhanced the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of the polysaccharides. The critical evaluation of the results permitted to propose an empirical parameter for predicting cellulose conversion levels that accounts for the positive effect of high cellulose and low lignin plus hemicellulose and the detrimental effect of abundant vascular bundles. The cellulose conversion levels fit well to this calculated parameter, following a second order polynomial with an r2 value of 0.96. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Caracterização estrutural e biofísica de duas proteínas relacionadas: β-1,3-1,4-glicanase de Bacillus subtilis 168 e α-L-arabinofuranosidase termoestável de Thermotoga petrophila RKU-1

Pós-graduação em Biofísica Molecular - IBILCE

Estudo morfofisiológico de órgãos isolados de ratos diabéticos submetidos a exercício físico e a aminoguanidina

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)