Epidemiology of Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae) in sheep in Botucatu, State of São Paulo

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

Phase diagrams of a CTAB/organic solvent/buffer system applied to extraction of enzymes by reverse micelles

A partial pseudo-ternary phase diagram has been studied for the cethyltrimethylammonium bromide/isooctane:hexanol:butanol/potassium phosphate buffer system, where the two-phase diagram consisting of the reverse micelle phase (L-2) in equilibrium with the solvent is indicated. Based on these diagrams two-phase systems of reverse micelles were prepared with different compositions of the compounds and used for extraction and recovery of two enzymes, and the percentage of enzyme recovery yield monitored. The enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and xylose redutase (XR) obtained from Candida guilliermondii yeast were used in the extraction procedures. The recovery yield data indicate that micelles having different composition give selective extraction of enzymes. The method can thus be used to optimize enzyme extraction processes. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Ag additions on the reverse martensitic transformation in the Cu-10 mass% Al alloy

The effect of Ag additions on the reverse martensitic transformation in the Cu-10 mass% Al alloy was studied using differential thermal analysis (DTA), optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopies (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry. The results indicated that Ag additions to the Cu-10 mass% Al alloy shift the equilibrium concentration to higher Al contents, allow to obtain both beta(1)' and beta' martensitic phases in equilibrium and that Ag precipitation is a process associated with the perlitic phase formation.

Reverse martensitic transformation in the Cu-10 wt% Al-6 wt%Ag alloy

The reverse martensitic transformation in the Cu-10 wt%Al-6 wt%Ag alloy was studied by classical differential thermal analysis (IDTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The results indicated that the presence of Ag in the Cu-10%Al alloy is responsible for the separation of the competitive reactions that occur during the reverse martensitic transformation and is also associated to an increase in the disordering degree at high temperatures, when compared with alloys without Ag addition. (c) 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Activation energy for the reverse eutectoid reaction in hypo-eutectoid Cu-Al alloys

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

Influence of Ag additions on the activation energy for the reverse eutectoid reaction in Cu-Al alloys

The eutectoid transformation may be defined as a solid-state diffusion-controlled decomposition process of a high-temperature phase into a two-phase lamellar aggregate behind a migrating boundary on cooling below the eutectoid temperature. In substitutional solid solutions, the eutectoid reaction involves diffusion of the solute atoms either through the matrix or along the boundaries or ledges. The effect of Ag on the non-isothermal kinetics of the reverse eutectoid reaction in the Cu-9 mass%Al, Cu-10 mass%Al, and Cu-11 mass%Al alloys were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The activation energy for this reaction was obtained using the Kissinger and Ozawa methods. The results indicated that Ag additions to Cu-Al alloys interfere on the reverse eutectoid reaction, increasing the activation energy values for the Cu-9 mass%Al and Cu-10 mass%Al alloys and decreasing these values for the Cu-11 mass%Al alloy for additions up to 6 mass%Ag. The changes in the activation energy were attributed to changes in the reaction solute and in Ag solubility due to the increase in Al content.

Mutagenicity of Flavonoids Assayed by Bacterial Reverse Mutation (Ames) Test

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

Molecular epidemiology and evolution of avian infectious bronchitis virus

Mutation and recombination processes are involved in the genetic and phenotypic variations of RNA viruses, leading to the emergence of new variant strains, and give rise to virus population diversity to be modeled by the host, particularly by the immune system, as occurred with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in chickens. The consequence is a continuous emergence of new IBV variants with regard to pathotypes, serotypes, and protectotypes. Nucleotide sequencing and subsequent genetic analysis of the S1 and N protein gene sequences provide a fast and accurate method to classify and predict IBV genotype, and a powerful instrument to monitor phylogenetic and epidemiological evolution of IBV variants. Despite the use of vaccination programmes, infectious bronchitis has become a serious problem in Brazil. Thus, a significant number of IBV field variants have been identified circulating in the Brazilian commercial poultries between 2000 to 2006 and more recently in Argentina. These viruses seem to be indigenous, because they demonstrated a low genetic relatedness with the majority of the reference strains from North America, Europe and Asia, but were moderately to highly related one to another. In summary, indigenous field IBV variants were evolving and circulating in the field in Brazil and Argentina, and should be considered as initial candidates for protection against current IBV infectious in chickens. However, in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to determine the pathogenicity and immunogenecity of these new isolates, before defining a new vaccine strain.

Epidemiology of fluorosis and dental caries according to different types of water supplies

O objetivo do presente artigo é investigar a relação fluorose/cáries em escolas, de acordo com o nível de fluoreto no abastecimento público de água. A amostra consistiu em 360 alunos de doze anos de idade, de ambos os sexos, que frequentam as escolas próximas da região em que nasceram. As escolas foram classificadas em três grupos de acordo com a presença de fluoreto no abastecimento de água: 1) fluoretação na Estação de Tratamento de Água (ETA); 2) fluoretação direta em poços; e 3) áreas não fluoretadas (ANF). Os testes deχe de Goodman (significância = 5%) foram utilizados para avaliar a associação entre a origem da água e o grau de fluorose. Os resultados mais predominantes foram presença de cáries em toda a amostra (P<0,05); ausência de fluorose em ambos gêneros, para indivíduos brancos e aqueles vivendo em áreas abastecidas com água fluoretada diretamente de poços e não fluoretadas (P<0,05). Não houve diferença no grau de severidade da fluorose entre as fontes de abastecimento de água (P>0,05). As cáries ainda são uma importante questão nessa população, apesar do estabelecimento de medida preventiva. A observação da fluorose em alunos vivendo em áreas não fluoretadas confirma a presença de outras fontes de fluorose.

Quantitative determination of anti-fungal and insecticide amides in adult plants, plantlets and callus from Piper tuberculatum by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid, sensitive and reliable reverse-phase HPLC method was used for the quantitative determination of the anti-fungal and insecticide amides, dihydropiplartine (1), piplartine (2), Delta(alpha,beta)-dihydropiperine (3) and pellitorine (4) in plants in natura, in plantlets in vitro and ex vitro, and in callus of Piper tuberculatum. Well-resolved peaks were obtained with good detection response and linearity in the range of 15.0-3000 mug/mL. The plants in natura contained compounds 1-4, the plantlets ex vitro and in vitro accumulated compounds 1-2 and 1-4, respectively, while only amide 4 was found in callus. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Quantitative determination of maitenin and 22 beta-hydroxymaitenin in callus of Maytenus aquifolium (Celastraceae) by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography

Explants of Maytenus aquifolium were induced to form callus and, subsequently, suspension cultures. The isolation of natural products from callus led to the identification of the cytotoxic triterpene quinonemethides, maitenin (1) and 22 beta-hydroxymaitenin (2), A rapid, sensitive and reliable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed using a Cls column and isocratic elution for the determination of 1 and 2, the elaborated method gave well-resolved peaks for these compounds with good detection response and linearity in the range of 0.08-72.0 mu g. The quantification of 1 and 2 was performed by an external standard method. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Low triioothyronine (T-3) or reverse triioothyronine (rT(3)) syndrome modifies gene expression in rats with congestive heart failure

Heart failure (NF) is frequently associated with euthyroid sicksyndrome (low T-3 and elevated rT(3)). We investigated if altered thyroid hormone in HF could affect expression of the TH receptor (TR alpha 1), and alpha and beta myosin heavy chains (alpha-MHC beta-MHC). HF was provoked in rats by aortic stenosis. We showed that rT(3) generated front liver and kidney deiodination significantly increased and T-3 decreased in HE; there was significantly higher TR alpha 1 expression, no alpha-MHC expression, but beta-MHC expression. Changes in TR alpha 1 could be compensating for low T-3 from HF.