Caracaterização do núcleo pré-geniculado do sagüi (Callithrix jacchus) :projeção retiniana, neuroquímica e atividade celular (expressão de FOS)

In rodents, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) are the main components of the circadian system. The SCN is considerate the site of an endogenous biological clock because can to generate rhythm and to synchronize to the environmental cues (zeitgebers) and IGL has been related as one of the main areas that modulate the action of SCN. Both receive projections of ganglion cells of retina and this projection to SCN is called retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). Moreover, the IGL is connected with SCN through of geniculohypothalamic tract (GHT). In primates (include humans) was not still demonstrated the presence of a homologous structure to the IGL. It is believed that the pregeniculate nucleus (PGN) can be the answer, but nothing it was still proven. Trying to answer that question, the objective of our study is to do a comparative analysis among PGN and IGL through of techniques immunohystochemicals, neural tracers and FOS expression after dark pulses. For this, we used as experimental model a primate of the new world, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Ours results may contribute to the elucidation of this lacuna in the circadian system once that the IGL is responsible for the transmission of nonphotic information to SCN and participate in the integration between photic and nonphotic stimulus to adjust the function of the SCN. In this way to find a same structure in primates represent an important achieve in the understanding of the biological rhythms in those animals

A influência do status social no forrageio de itens camuflados e avermelhados em sagüis (Callithrix jacchus) cativos

Seeing colors can be advantageous, because they are an important signal for providing information about the environment, such as the location of food. However, not every animals sees these chromatic signals in the same way. In primates, the group of Plathyrrhini has polymorphic sex-linked vision with males always dichromats and dichromats or trichromats females. Studies indicate that trichromats during foraging would benefit by seeing better than dichromats ripe fruits against the green foliage background. On the other hand, dichromats appear to distinguish camouflaged insects better than trichromats. The marmoset (Callihtrix jacchus) is a neotropical primate species that have color vision polymorphism. This species establishes family groups with highly reproductive bias, with breeding females often having preferential access to food. This work aims to study whether the social context influences the foraging ability of camouflaged and red items in groups of C. jacchus. Four groups of captive marmosets were presented to four food tasks, involving difficult, easy, reddish and camouflaged food targets. Foods were presented in a concentrated and dispersed manner, to check whether there was monopolization of the resources by the dominant subjects and if this would affect the ability of individuals to find the food targets. Success was measured by latency to food acquisition and number of targets consumed. Males and females differed in their foraging success for camouflaged and reddish items, although this difference has not appeared in all situations and experimental conditions. In general males were more successful for detecting camouflaged items while females succeeded more in identifying reddish items. There were no differences in foraging success between individuals of different social status, however, there were differences in the success of consumption of food items for different situations when food was concentrate compared with dispersed food. Taken as a role, there was a greater difficulty in detecting food items when they were presented in concentrated arrangement, which is supposed to be related to a higher difficulty to approach and stay near the food. Although it appears that there was no direct competition seems to have group's indirect influence on the detection of food items and foraging success of individuals, affecting mainly those items more difficult to detect

Estudo do equilíbrio e cinética de adsorção de um corante aniônico em quitosana

The phenomenon of adsorption is of fundamental importance for the treatment of textile effluents and removal of dyes. Chitosan is characterized as an excellent adsorbent material, not only for its adsorption capacity but also the low cost production. Equilibrium and kinetic studies were developed in this study to describe the mechanism of adsorption of the anionic azo dye Orange G in chitosan, with the isotherms obtained from the variation of the concentration of dye in the continuous phase. The kinetics of the process was analyzed based on models involving the adsorption of molecules of the dye in nonpolar and polar sites. Adsorption experiments were carried out in water and in saline media with different NaCl concentrations, both for the determination of the equilibrium time as isotherms for making kinetic curves in which the amount of dye adsorbed measured indirectly varied with time. The experiments revealed the opening of the biopolymer structure with increasing concentration of Orange G, accompanied by high pH values and change on the type of interaction between the dye and the adsorbent surface, suggesting behavior advocated by the Langmuir equation in a certain range of concentration of the adsorbate and following the Henry's Law at higher concentrations, from the increased number of sites available for adsorption. The studies conducted showed that the saline medium reduces the chitosan s adsorption capacity according to a certain concentration, the occurrence of the cooperative adsorption process steps kinetic mechanism suggested as a new alternative for the interpretation of the phenomenon

Hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos no meio ambiente: diferenciação de fontes em sedimentos e metabólitos em bile de peixes

Many studies on environmental ecosystems quality related to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have been carried out routinely due to their ubiquotus presence worldwide and to their potential toxicity after its biotransformation. PAH may be introduced into the environmet by natural and anthropogenic processes from direct runoff and discharges and indirect atmospheric deposition. Sources of naturally occurring PAHs include natural fires, natural oil seepage and recent biological or diagenetic processes. Anthropogenic sources of PAHs, acute or chronic, are combustion of organic matter (petroleum, coal, wood), waste and releases/spills of petroleum and derivatives (river runoff, sewage outfalls, maritime transport, pipelines). Besides the co-existence of multiples sources of PAH in the environmental samples, these compounds are subject to many processes that lead to geochemical fates (physical-chemical transformation, biodegradation and photo-oxidation), which leads to an alteration of their composition. All these facts make the identification of the hydrocarbons sources, if petrogenic, pyrolytic or natural, a challenge. One of the objectives of this study is to establish tools to identify the origin of hydrocarbons in environmental samples. PAH diagnostic ratios and PAH principal component analysis were tested on a critical area: Guanabara Bay sediments. Guanabara Bay is located in a complex urban area of Rio de Janeiro with a high anthropogenic influence, being an endpoint of chronic pollution from the Greater Rio and it was the scenario of an acute event of oil release in January 2000. It were quantified 38 compounds, parental and alkylated PAH, in 21 sediment samples collected in two surveys: 2000 and 2003. The PAH levels varied from 400 to 58439 ng g-1. Both tested techniques for origin identification of hydrocarbons have shown their applicability, being able to discriminate the PAH sources for the majority of the samples analysed. The bay sediments were separated into two big clusters: sediments with a clear pattern of petrogenic introduction of hydrocarbons (from intertidal area) and sediments with combustion characteristics (from subtidal region). Only a minority of the samples could not display a clear contribution of petrogenic or pyrolytic input. The diagnostic ratios that have exhibited high ability to distinguish combustion- and petroleum-derived PAH inputs for Guanabara Bay sediments were Phenanthrene+Anthracene/(Phenanthrene+Anthracene+C1Phenanthrene); Fluorantene/(Fluorantene+Pyrene); Σ (other 3-6 ring PAHs)/ Σ (5 alkylated PAH series). The PCA results prooved to be a useful tool for PAH source identification in the environment, corroborating the diagnostic indexes. In relation to the temporal evaluation carried out in this study, it was not verified significant changes on the class of predominant source of the samples. This result indicates that the hydrocarbons present in the Guanabara Bay sediments are mainly related to the long-term anthropogenic input and not directly related to acute events such as the oil spill of January 2000. This findings were similar to various international estuarine sites. Finally, this work had a complementary objective of evaluating the level of hydrocarbons exposure of the aquatic organisms of Guanabara Bay. It was a preliminary study in which a quantification of 12 individual biliar metabolites of PAH was performed in four demersal fish representing three different families. The analysed metabolites were 1-hydroxynaphtalene, 2-hidroxinaphtalene, 1hydroxyphenanthrene, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 2-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1hydroxypyrene, 3-hidroxibiphenil, 3- hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxychrysene, 9hydroxyfluorene, 4-hydroxyphenanthrene, 3-hydroxybenz(a)pyrene. The metabolites concentrations were found to be high, ranging from 13 to 177 µg g-1, however they were similar to worldwide regions under high anthropogenic input. Besides the metabolites established by the used protocol, it was possible to verified high concentrations of three other compounds not yet reported in the literature. They were related to pyrolytic PAH contribution to Guanabara Bay aquatic biota: 1-hydroxypyrine and 3-hydroxybenz(a)pyrine isomers

Teor de clorofila e produtividade do feijoeiro em razão da adubação nitrogenada

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

Análise da relação causal entre imagem de destinos, qualidade, satisfação e fidelidade: um estudo de acordo com a percepção do turista nacional no destino turístico Natal

This dissertation aims to analyze the causal relationship between the quality of tourist services, satisfaction with the attributes and globally, fidelity and image of tourist destinations. Therefore, it was conducted an exploratory, descriptive research with quantitative analytical approach. Data collection was performed by a questionnaire addressed to tourists at the Augusto Severo International Airport and Bus station of Natal, the main points of entry and exit of tourists. The composition was simple random sampling by reaching the final number of 400 tourists interviewed. Among the main results, is an assessment of the quality of the components of the destination. It was noted that nine are the dimensions of perceived quality of tourism products and services of ―Sun and Sand‖ segment, that is, Beaches and Facilities, Public Equipment, Catering Services, Transportation, Hotel Equipment, Hotel Services, Entertainment & Attractions, Access to the Hotel and Hospitality. Moreover, it was concluded that the Preview Tourism Destination Image has little direct influence in the Consumer Satisfaction, and only indirectly in the Post-Purchase Behavior. While the Complex Tourism Destination Image exerts strong and direct influence on both factors, in the Customer Satisfaction Process and Loyalty, the dimensions of quality also claimed to be strongly influences both factors

Métodos de diagnóstico não-invasivos para avaliação da insuficiência venosa dos membros inferiores

A avaliação clínica dos membros inferiores na insuficiência venosa por si só não identifica os sistemas envolvidos ou os níveis anatômicos, sendo necessários exames complementares. Esses exames podem ser invasivos ou não-invasivos. Os invasivos, como flebografia e pressão venosa ambulatória, apesar de terem boa acurácia, trazem desconforto e complicações. Dentre os não-invasivos, destacam-se: Doppler ultra-som de ondas contínuas, fotopletismografia, pletismografia a ar e mapeamento dúplex. O Doppler ultra-som avalia a velocidade do fluxo sangüíneo de maneira indireta. A fotopletismografia avalia o tempo de reenchimento venoso, fornecendo um parâmetro objetivo de quantificação do refluxo venoso. A pletismografia a ar permite quantificar a redução ou não da capacitância, o refluxo e o desempenho da bomba muscular da panturrilha. O dúplex é considerado padrão-ouro dentre os não-invasivos, porque permite uma avaliação quantitativa e qualitativa, fornecendo informações anatômicas e funcionais, dando avaliação mais completa e detalhada dos sistemas venosos profundo e superficial.

Cell and humoral immunity in endemic pemphigus foliaceus

Foram avaliados dezesseis doentes portadores de pênfigo foliáceo endêmico, dez com a forma localizada da doença (Grupo G1) e seis com a forma disseminada (Grupo G2), com os objetivos de correlacionar o quadro clínico e laboratorial desses pacientes com o perfil imunológico dos mesmos, e verificar a relação dos títulos dos anticorpos antiepiderme circulantes, identificados pela imunofluorescência indireta, com intensidade da lesão e com a evolução das lesões em tratamento. Foram realizados: hemograma completo, quantificação de subpopulação de células mononucleares por anticorpos monoclonais e estudo da transformação blástica de linfócitos e quantificação de anticorpos circulantes por meio da reação de imunofluorescência indireta. Observou-se leucocitose principalmente no grupo G2, diminuição dos valores relativos das subpopulações de linfócitos CD3+ e CD4+ e tendência à diminuição dos valores relativos da subpopulação CD8+ nos doentes (Grupos G1 e G2). Os índices de transformação blástica de linfócitos frente à fitohemaglutinina revelaram níveis mais elevados nos doentes (Grupos G1 + G2), que nos controles. A reação de imunofluorescência indireta foi positiva em 100% dos doentes do grupo G2 e em 80% do grupo G1 A mediana dos valores dos títulos foi maior no grupo G2, quando comparado com o grupo G1. A análise global dos resultados permite concluir que a imunidade celular está preservada, e que existe uma relação entre os títulos de anticorpos obtidos à reação de imunofluorescência indireta e extensão da lesão cutânea.

Avaliação do Tratamento da Paracoccidioidomicose Com O Ketoconazol

Foram, tratados 12 doentes atendidos na Disciplina de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu com diagnóstico etiológico de paracoccidioidomicose que apresentavam lesões orgânicas múltiplas e evolução prolongada. O tratamento foi realizado por 18 meses, com o ketoconazol, pela via oral, nas doses diárias de 400 mg no primeiro mês e de 200 mg nos meses seguintes. Todos os doentes foram acompanhados durante o tratamento e, em média 4 meses e meio após o mesmo, clínica, radiológica e sorologicamente pelas reações de imunofluorescência indireta, precipitinas e imunodifusão em gel. A competência imunitária foi avaliada em todos os doentes antes do tratamento e repetida em quatro, no final do mesmo. Os resultados mostraram que houve recaída em 5 doentes. A droga foi bem tolerada e a imunodifusão em gel e a hemossedimentação foram as provas que mostraram maior paralelismo com a evolução clínica.

Soroprevalência da infecção chagásica em moradores de municípios da região de Botucatu, Estado de São Paulo

O objetivo deste estudo foi o de procurar evidências da transmissão vetorial da doença de Chagas, nos domicílios e peridomicílios de indivíduos residentes em municípios da região de Botucatu, que tiveram xenodiagnóstico positivos. Foram estudados 58 indivíduos e foi coletada amostra do sangue para a realização de exames laboratoriais. Os resultados deste estudo mostraram que os indivíduos, de ambos os grupos, tinham baixa escolaridade e exerciam profissões que não exigiam qualificações técnicas. Houve discreto predomínio de indivíduos do sexo feminino. Quando comparadas às condições anteriores, verificou-se que houve discreta melhora nas condições de habitação, por outro lado, houve aumento de moradores em zona rural. Os indivíduos nascidos antes de 1983, apresentaram conhecimento e contato com triatomídeo estaticamente mais elevado quando comparado com os nascidos a partir 1983. A análise e comparação dos resultados das sorologias, referentes aos hemaglutinação passiva indireta, imunofluorescência indireta e ensaio imunoenzimático, mostrou que o ELISA apresentou maior sensibilidade. Os resultados deste estudo mostram que a população nascida a partir de 1983 não conhecia o vetor transmissor da doença de Chagas.

Estudo do potencial da técnica de nanossísmica para o monitoramento de hidrofraturamento em reservatórios de hidrocarbonetos

Hydraulic fracturing is an operation in which pressurised fluid is injected in the geological formation surrounding the producing well to create new permeable paths for hydrocarbons. The injection of such fluids in the reservoir induces seismic events. The measurement of this reservoir stimulation can be made by location these induced microseismic events. However, microseismic monitoring is an expensive operation because the acquisition and data interpretation system using in this monitoring rely on high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). In general, the sensors are deployed in a monitoring well near the treated well and can make a microseismic monitoring quite an expensive operation. In this dissertation we propose the application of a new method for recording and location of microseismic events called nanoseismic monitoring (Joswig, 2006). In this new method, a continuous recording is performed and the interpreter can separate events from noise using sonograms. This new method also allows the location of seismic sources even when P and S phases onsets are not clear like in situations of 0 dB SNR. The clear technical advantage of this new method is also economically advantageous since the sensors can potentially be installed on the surface rather than in observation well. In this dissertation field tests with controlled sources were made. In the first test small explosives using fire works at 28 m (slant distances) were detected yealding magnitudes between -2.4 ≤ ML ≤ -1.6.. In a second test, we monitored perforation shots in a producing oil field. In this second test, one perforation shot was located with slant distances of 861 m and magnitude 2.4 ML. Data from the tests allow us to say that the method has potential to be used in the oil industry to monitor hydrofracture

Arborização urbana e percepção ambiental: uma análise descritiva em dois bairros de Natal / RN.

The current paper aims to check the environmental population perception of the two east side districts of Natal / RN (Rocas and Petrópolis) on its afforestation. The issues related to the environmental perception and afforestation of cities are gaining prominence in the many different areas of knowledge. However, the approaches and methodologies that are following an analytical perspective that by the rule aimed an policy of spatial planning not always responds to the aspirations and needs of the urban population. The research has been consisted of a preliminary survey, collecting data through the representative population of the neighborhoods in Petrópolis and Rocas, which were applied 210 forms (with the households), 130 in the neighborhood of Rocas and 80 in Petrópolis, which corresponds to 5% of the total households of the two districts, using as indicators, among many others, the income, the level of education and the environmental characteristics of the neighborhood. Through analysis sample was possible to verify that Petrópolis neighborhood that, 68% of interviewee believes their lives in the neighborhood where good and only 2% consider bad, in Rocas neighborhood, 57% considered life in his neighborhood good and only 5% consider bad. When asked about the main characteristics that remind the neighborhood Petrópolis, 90% of residents mentioned that one of its main advantages are the means of transport available, followed by 82% who quoted the ventilation as one of the main benefits of the neighborhood. In Rocas neighborhood, items mentioned by residents, were the ventilation with 47% of all interviewee and 32% said that peace is one of the most positive point of the neighborhood. From the description of some of the environmental needs of the neighborhoods Petrópolis and Rocas, it is possible to infer that environmental issues in general, and afforestation are always present in the speech of the residents, even indirect way, it shows that regardless of the education degree or the income, environmental quality is present as one of the basic needs of urban areas with implications both in the personal and social life as of its inhabitants.

A comparative study of the immunoantigenicity of eight Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates

Para se detectar diferenças imuno-antigênicas entre 8 amostras de P. brasiliensis isoladas de diferentes áreas endêmicas (Botucatu: Pb 1, 2 e 3; São Paulo: Pb: 18, 192 e 265; Venezuela: Pb 9 e 73), esutdaram-se: 1. A reatividade antigênica de cada amostra nas reações de imunofluorescência indireta (II) e de imunodifusão dupla em gel de agar (ID) contra painel de 20 soros controles positivos para paracoccidioidomicose; 2. A capacidade de induzir resposta imune humoral (medida por imunodifusão) e celular (medida pelo teste de coxim plantar) em camundongos imunizados com an-tígenos de cada amostra. Observamos: 1. As amostras Pb 265 e Pb 9 mostraram-se mais reativas na II; 2. Os antígenos das amostras Pb 192 e Pb 73 foram significativamente mais reativas na ID; 3. Estes dados demonstram diferenças de antigenicidade entre estas amostras; 4. A amostra Pb 18 mostrou baixo poder indutor de resposta imune celular e alta capacidade de indução de resposta imune humoral em camundongos imunizados, revelando dissociação de sua imunogenicidade. Estas diferenças podem indicar a existência de cepas distintas do fungo ou refletir modificações do parasita no hospedeiro ou du rante seu cultivo.

Hiperoxalúria primária com insuficiência renal crônica terminal em lactente

Objetivo: descrever caso clínico de um lactente com insuficiência renal crônica terminal, causada por hiperoxalúria primária.Método: após revisão da literatura, verifica-se a raridade da doença; na França, a prevalência é de 1,05/milhão, com taxa de incidência de 0,12/milhão/ano. Pesquisa abordando centros especializados mundiais detectou, em 1999, 78 casos em lactentes; destes, em 14% o quadro inicial foi de uremia. A gravidade e a raridade da doença sugerem o relato deste caso.Resultados: criança de sexo feminino, com quadro de vômitos e baixo ganho de peso desde os primeiros meses de vida, desenvolveu insuficiência renal terminal aos 6 meses de idade, sendo mantida em tratamento dialítico desde então. Aos 8 meses, foi encaminhada para esclarecimento diagnóstico, apresentando déficit pôndero-estatural grave e os seguintes exames laboratoriais: uréia= 69 mg/dl, creatinina=2,2 mg/dl e clearance de creatinina= 12,5 ml/min/1.73m²SC. O exame de urina foi normal, a ultra-sonografia renal revelou tamanho normal e hiperecogenicidade de ambos os rins. A dosagem de oxalato urinário foi de 9,2mg/kg/dia ou 0,55 mmol/1.73m²SC, e a relação oxalato:creatinina, de 0,42. A biópsia renal diagnosticou presença de grande quantidade de depósitos de cristais de oxalato de cálcio no parênquima renal. A radiografia de ossos longos evidenciou sinais sugestivos de osteopatia oxalótica, e a fundoscopia indireta, sinais de retinopatia por oxalato. A criança foi mantida em diálise peritoneal ambulatorial contínua, tendo sido iniciado tratamento com piridoxina.Conclusões: a hiperoxalúria primária deve ser considerada como um dos diagnósticos diferenciais de insuficiência renal crônica em lactentes, especialmente na ausência de história sugestiva de outras patologias.

Ocorrência de anticorpos anti-Neospora caninum em cães da microrregião da Serra de Botucatu, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Neosporose é uma enfermidade parasitária causada pelo protozoário Neospora caninum reconhecido como importante causa de abortamento bovino e neuropatia canina. Considerando o isolamento de N. caninum e a sorologia freqüente em bovinos em nossa região, os objetivos do presente trabalho foram avaliar a ocorrência de anticorpos anti-N. caninum em cães da Microrregião da Serra de Botucatu, Estado de SãoPaulo, e sua associação ao sexo, idade e procedência quanto à zona urbana (exclusivamente cidade), rural (somente chácaras e sítios) e peri-urbana (acesso à zona urbana e rural) dos cães estudados. Foram analisados 963 cães, com ou sem raça definida, de ambos os sexos e diferentes idades, sem apresentação de qualquer sintomatologia clínica. Os animais foram selecionados aleatoriamente durante a campanha de vacinação anti-rábica da microrregião da Serra de Botucatu, no período de maio a setembro de 1998. O soro obtido dos animais foi avaliado por meio da Reação de Imunofluorescência Indireta (RIFI) utilizando como antígeno a cepa padrão NC-1 deN. caninum. Observaram-se 245 animais reagentes (25,4% de positividade), sendo 161 (27,5%) machos e, 84 (22,3%) fêmeas. Dos animais de zona urbana, rural e mista 223 (25,8%),11(16,9%) e 11(33,3%), respectivamente, foram reagentes à prova de RIFI. Todos os 11 municípios apresentaram cães soropositivos com valores de ocorrência que variaram de 8,9% a 53,5%. Observou-se percentual de positividade menor em cães até um ano (16,2%) quando comparados àqueles entre 1 a 4 anos e superior a 4 anos (28,4 % e 28,0%, respectivamente) que não apresentaram diferença entre si. Os resultados obtidos caracterizaram soropositividade para N. caninum em cães pertencentes a todos os municípios da Microrregião da Serra de Botucatu evidenciando a ampla distribuição do agente na região.