Health consultation : Des Moines (Ex) Ordnance Site Landfill and Lagoon Complex Prairie Trail Development Site [Ankeny] (2012)

The Prairie Trail Development Area is located in the southern portion of Ankeny, Iowa. This development area is located in an area that was formally occupied by the Des Moines Ordnance Plant. The Des Moines Ordnance Plant was constructed for the production and testing of small arms munitions for use during World War II. The Landfill and Lagoon Complex was utilized for disposal of wastes from the ordnance plant and also from various entities that utilized the site property until 1991. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is verseeing the cleanup of the Landfill and Lagoon Complex. A portion of the remainder of the site property had been used for burning of scrap explosives, the storage and disposal of chemicals, a disposal pond, testing of products, and various munitions manufacturing activities. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is overseeing the cleanup of this remaining portion of the site property. The Iowa Department of Public Health has been contacted by residents within the Prairie Trail Development Area and by individuals that have an interest in relocating to the Prairie Trail Development Area. These residents are concerned with any environmental contamination that will be left after site remedial activities are completed. These residents want to know if any remaining environmental contamination will adversely impact their health or the health of their families.

Variability of the radius growth at 25 years old Pinus uncinata Miller ex Mirbel in the North-East Spanish Pyrenees

It has been studied the variability of stem radial growth in four radius orientations at the age of 25 years old trees. The species was Pinus uncinata. The sampling sites, located in the North East Spanish Pyrenees belong to different plant communities. An ANOVA analysis was performed in order to find out which factors, the radio orientation, plant community of the site and tree itself are significative or have some kind of influence on the tree radial growth.

Long-term monitoring of post-stroke plasticity after transient cerebral ischemia in mice using in vivo and ex vivo diffusion tensor MRI.

WE USED A MURINE MODEL OF TRANSIENT FOCAL CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA TO STUDY: 1) in vivo DTI long-term temporal evolution of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and diffusion fractional anisotropy (FA) at days 4, 10, 15 and 21 after stroke 2) ex vivo distribution of a plasticity-related protein (GAP-43) and its relationship with the ex vivo DTI characteristics of the striato-thalamic pathway (21 days). All animals recovered motor function. In vivo ADC within the infarct was significantly increased after stroke. In the stroke group, GAP-43 expression and FA values were significantly higher in the ipsilateral (IL) striatum and contralateral (CL) hippocampus compared to the shams. DTI tractography showed fiber trajectories connecting the CL striatum to the stroke region, where increased GAP43 and FA were observed and fiber tracts from the CL striatum terminating in the IL hippocampus.Our data demonstrate that DTI changes parallel histological remodeling and recovery of function.

Circulating Tumor-reactive CD8(+) T cells in melanoma patients contain a CD45RA(+)CCR7(-) effector subset exerting ex vivo tumor-specific cytolytic activity.

To defend the host from malignancies, the immune system can spontaneously raise CD8(+) T-cell responses against tumor antigens. Investigating the functional state of tumor-reactive cytolytic T cells in cancer patients is a key step for understanding the role of these cells in tumor immunosurveillance and for evaluating the potential of immunotherapeutic approaches of vaccination against cancer. In this study we identified a subset of circulating tumor-reactive CD8(+) T lymphocytes, which specifically secreted IFN-gamma after exposition to autologous tumor cell lines in stage IV metastatic melanoma patients. Additional phenotypic characterization using multicolor flow cytometry revealed that a significant fraction of these cells were CD45RA(+)CCR7(-), a phenotype that has been proposed recently to characterize cytolytic effectors potentially able to home into inflamed tissues. In the case of an HLA-A2-expressing patient, the antigen specificity of this population was identified by using HLA-A2/peptide multimers incorporating a tyrosinase-derived peptide. Consistently with their phenotypic characteristics, A2/tyrosinase peptide multimer(+) CD8(+) T cells, isolated by cell sorting, were directly lytic ex vivo and able to specifically recognize tyrosinase-expressing tumor cells. Overall, these results provide the first evidence that a proportion of melanoma patients have circulating tumor-reactive T cells, which are lytic effectors cells.

Antigenicity and immunogenicity of Melan-A/MART-1 derived peptides as targets for tumor reactive CTL in human melanoma.

Some cancer patients mount spontaneous T- and B-cell responses against their tumor cells. Autologous tumor reactive CD8 cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) and CD4 T-cell clones as well as antibodies from these patients have been used for the identification of genes encoding the target antigens. This knowledge opened the way for new approaches to the immunotherapy of cancer. In this review, we describe the characterization of the structure-function properties of the melanocyte/melanoma tumor antigen Melan-A/MART-1, the assessment of the T-cell repertoire available against this antigen in healthy individuals, and the analysis of naturally acquired and/or vaccine-induced CTL responses to this antigen in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Manitol para a conservação ex situ de coqueiro por crescimento mínimo

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a concentração de manitol para a germinação e crescimento mínimo in vitro do coqueiro (Cocos nucifera). Os seguintes acessos foram utilizados: Anão-vermelho-do brasil-de-gramame (BRDG), Anão-amarelo-da-malásia (MYD), Gigante-do-brasil-praia-do-forte (BRA), Gigante-da-polinésia (PYT) e Gigante-de-rennel (RIT). Os embriões foram colocados em meio de cultura Y3 a diferentes concentrações de manitol (0, 0,1, 0,2, 0,3 e 0,4 mol L-1). Verificou-se inibição do crescimento da parte aérea na presença de 0,1, 0,2 e 0,3 mol L-1, para MYD e BRDG, e de 0,1 e 0,2 mol L-1, para PYT, BRA e RIT. O uso do manitol é uma estratégia promissora para a conservação por crescimento mínimo.

1.° Opus magisterii : authore Arnaldo de Villanova ; subjecta varia experimenta chymica. — 2.° Rosae, sive liber perfecti magisterii : authore Rhasi, Philosopho. — 3.° Anonymus de origine metallorum. — 4.° Tractatus cujus titulus : opes Galeni alchimiae. — 5.° Varia experimenta chymica, ex variis authoribus excerpta. — 6.° Semita recta ; sive liber de alkimia : authore Alberto Magno. — 7.° Alia experimenta chymica. — 8.° Alkimia minor Alberti Magni, episcopi Ratisponensis. — 9.° Liber de practica roris Madii, datus Bonifacio Papae VIII. — 10.° Thesaurus secretus naturalium operationum : authore Arnaldo de Villanova. — 11.° Alia experimenta chymica. — 12.° Practica alchymiae ; gallico idiomate : ibi reperias indicem claviculae, ut vocant, Salomonis, Regis Israël.

Bigotianus

ENRAIZAMENTO EX VITRO E ACLIMATIZAÇÃO DO PORTA-ENXERTO DE MACIEIRA M.9

A micropropagação pode ser utilizada para a produção deste porta-enxerto; no entanto, o enraizamento e a aclimatização são pontos de estrangulamento para o uso comercial desta tecnologia. O presente trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar diferentes níveis de ácido indolbutírico (AIB) no enraizamento ex vitro e aclimatização simultânea do porta-enxerto de macieira 'M.9'. As bases das miniestacas oriundas do processo de multiplicação in vitro, com 2,5 a 3 cm de altura e dois pares de folhas, foram imersas em AIB nas concentrações de 0; 500; 1000 e 1500 mg.L-1, por 10 segundos. Após, foram transferidas para bandejas de isopor com células contendo 50mL do substrato casca de arroz carbonizada + vermiculita (1:1, v/v). As bandejas foram mantidas durante 30 dias em caixas plásticas cobertas com tampas de vidro para manter o ambiente com alta umidade. Os melhores resultados para a percentagem de enraizamento (82 e 84%) foram obtidos nos tratamentos com 500 e 1000 mg.L-1 , respectivamente. O comprimento das raízes não foi afetado pelos tratamentos aplicados, apresentando média de 4,2 cm. As concentrações maiores de AIB determinaram acréscimos lineares no número de raízes emitidas. Para avaliar a aclimatização, as plantas foram transferidas para casa de vegetação, em bandejas de isopor com alvéolos maiores, contendo o substrato Plantmax® (Eucatex, São Paulo, BR) durante 45 dias. Os maiores índices de sobrevivência das mudas após o transplante para embalagens comerciais (95%) foram obtidos com 500 mg.L-1 de AIB; no entanto, as concentrações de AIB empregadas na indução à rizogênese não modificaram o número e comprimento das raízes, número de folhas e altura das plantas.

Nano-particle vaccination combined with TLR-7 and -9 ligands triggers memory and effector CD8⁺ T-cell responses in melanoma patients.

Optimal vaccine strategies must be identified for improving T-cell vaccination against infectious and malignant diseases. MelQbG10 is a virus-like nano-particle loaded with A-type CpG-oligonucleotides (CpG-ODN) and coupled to peptide(16-35) derived from Melan-A/MART-1. In this phase IIa clinical study, four groups of stage III-IV melanoma patients were vaccinated with MelQbG10, given (i) with IFA (Montanide) s.c.; (ii) with IFA s.c. and topical Imiquimod; (iii) i.d. with topical Imiquimod; or (iv) as intralymph node injection. In total, 16/21 (76%) patients generated ex vivo detectable Melan-A/MART-1-specific T-cell responses. T-cell frequencies were significantly higher when IFA was used as adjuvant, resulting in detectable T-cell responses in all (11/11) patients, with predominant generation of effector-memory-phenotype cells. In turn, Imiquimod induced higher proportions of central-memory-phenotype cells and increased percentages of CD127(+) (IL-7R) T cells. Direct injection of MelQbG10 into lymph nodes resulted in lower T-cell frequencies, associated with lower proportions of memory and effector-phenotype T cells. Swelling of vaccine site draining lymph nodes, and increased glucose uptake at PET/CT was observed in 13/15 (87%) of evaluable patients, reflecting vaccine triggered immune reactions in lymph nodes. We conclude that the simultaneous use of both Imiquimod and CpG-ODN induced combined memory and effector CD8(+) T-cell responses.

OBTENÇÃO DE BEBIDA A PARTIR DE SUCO DE CAJU (Anacardium occidentale, L.) E EXTRATO DE GUARANÁ (Paullinia cupana sorbilis Mart. Ducke)

A partir do extrato de semente de guaraná com 0,96% de cafeína, foram testadas várias formulações para obtenção de uma bebida, utilizando-se de suco de caju clarificado e concentrado, caramelo, aromatizantes artificiais de caju e guaraná e acidulante, tendo também como variável os diversos graus de doçura (ºBrix). As melhores formulações foram selecionadas de acordo com os resultados da avaliação sensorial, onde se utilizou o teste de ordenação. A formulação selecionada foi processada e envasada em embalagens de vidro. Para determinar a aceitabilidade, o produto final foi submetido a análises físico-químicas e sensoriais.