Reduction of parasitism tissue by treatment of mice chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi with lignano lactones

The reduction of parasitism tissue upon treatment with two lignano lactones, namely (-)- cubebin (CUB) and (-)-hinokinin (HNK), was evaluated in the chronic phase of Chagas` disease by quantifying the enzyme beta-galactosidase expressed by the CL B5 clone strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. Tissue karyometry was also performed. Treatment with the assessed lignans led to a larger reduction in parasitism tissue in all evaluated organs, compared with benznidazole (BZN). Oral treatment with CUB or HNK was more effective. Karyometry results demonstrated that the infected control animals had increased nuclear area compared with uninfected controls, indicating cellular hypertrophy. Results also revealed that use of CUB or HNK was able to significantly prevent this increase, and a slight decrease in the nuclear area was observed, compared with mice treated with BZN. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CUB and HNK could be considered as potential compounds for the development of new drugs for treatment of Chagas` disease.

Topical Delivery of Lycopene Using Microemulsions: Enhanced Skin Penetration and Tissue Antioxidant Activity

Topical delivery of lycopene is a convenient way to supplement cutaneous levels of antioxidants. In this study, lycopene was incorporated (0.05%, w/w) in two microemulsions containing BRIJ-propylene glycol (2:1, w/w, surfactant blend) but different oil phases: mono/diglycerides of capric and caprylic acids (MG) or triglycerides of the same fatty acids (TG). Microemulsions containing MG and TG were isotropic, fluid, and clear, with internal phase diameters of 27 and 52 nm, respectively. Both MG- or TG-containing microemulsions markedly increased lycopene penetration in the stratum corneum, (6- and 3.6-fold, respectively) and in viable layers of porcine ear skin 2 (from undetected to 172.6 +/- 41.1 and 103.1 +/- 7.2 ng/cm(2), respectively) compared to a control solution. To assure that lycopene delivered to the skin was active, the antioxidant activity of skin treated with MG-containing microemulsion was determined by CUPRAC assay, and found to be 10-fold higher than untreated skin. The cytotoxicity of MG-containing microemulsion in cultured fibroblasts was similar to propylene glycol (considered safe) and significantly less than of sodium lauryl sulfate (a moderate-to-severe irritant) at 1-50 mu g/mL. These results demonstrate that the MG-containing microemulsion is an efficient and safe system to increase lycopene delivery to the skin and the antioxidant activity in the tissue. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:1346-1357, 2010

Evaluation of Environmental Mycobacteria Contamination in a Specific Pathogen Free Animal Facility from a Tropical Country

P>With the evidence showing the protection variability of bacille Calmette-Guerin, new potential vaccines for tuberculosis have been tested around the world. One of the general concerns in tuberculosis vaccine development is the possibility of priming the host immune system with prior exposure to environmental mycobacteria antigens, which can change the efficacy of subsequent vaccination. As there is a great homology between the species from Mycobacterium genera, the previous contact of experimental animals with environmental mycobacteria could sensitize the mice and, in this way, could influence subsequent vaccine research. The aim of our study was to investigate critical points in an animal facility to search for environmental mycobacteria that eventually could be in direct or indirect contact with the experimental animals. Samples were collected from surfaces of walls, floor, animal cages and shelves and analysed using the Ogawa-Kudoh decontamination method. Samples of drinking water, food and sawdust were collected for analysis by the NALC/NaOH decontamination method. Also, the samples were cultivated directly in broth medium, without any method for decontamination. After decontamination methods, we observed bacterial colony growth in 4.31% of the total of samples analysed. These samples were stained with Ziehl-Neelsen and we did not detect any acid-fast bacilli, suggesting that the animal facility analysed is free from contamination by environmental mycobacteria and is not a source of mycobacterial antigens. Furthermore, our study showed a new paradigm in tuberculosis vaccine development: concern about the animal facility environment in terms of immune system priming of experimental animals by nascent bacterial contaminants.

New method for quantification of Trypanosoma cruzi in animal`s tissue in the chronic phase of experimental Chagas` disease

We developed a new method for the quantification of parasites in tissue. Trypanosoma cruzi strain CL parasites were genetically engineered to express the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene, lacZ and this enzyme is able to catalyze a colorimetric reaction with chlorophenol red beta-d galactopyranoside (CPRG) as the substrate. The animals were infected with clone CL Brener strain B5 of T. cruzi and treated with benznidazole in order to verify the reduction in the number of parasites in tissue study by quantifying the enzyme beta-galactosidase. The assay demonstrates a reduction in the number of parasites in the groups treated. Thus, this test can be used to test other substances with the aim of verifying the effectiveness in the chronic phase of experimental Chagas` disease.

Bixin and lycopene modulation of free radical generation induced by cisplatin-DNA interaction

This work evaluated the Modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the cisplatin-human DNA interaction in a cell-free experimental model by the carotenoids bixin and lycopene extracted from, natural dietary Sources and purified through luminol- and Cypridina luciferin methoxy-analogue (MCLA)- enhanced chemiluminescence assays. The results showed that the ROS generation by DNA-cisplatin interaction was inhibited by both lycopene and bixin in a concentration-dependent manner. At a concentration of 100 mu M, lycopene and bixin inhibited Superoxide anion (O center dot(2)) generation at 90% and 82%, respectively, and the total ROS generation at 44% and 42%, respectively. The formation of significant amounts of isomers or degradation products of both carotenoids was not observed after ROS scavenging, as evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Taken together, these results Suggest that carotenoids can be helpful to Modulate the oxidative stress found in cancer therapy with cisplatin. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making Fedora easier to implement with Fez: A free open source content model and workflow management front-end to Fedora

The University of Queensland, Australia has developed Fez, a world-leading user-interface and management system for Fedora-based institutional repositories, which bridges the gap between a repository and users. Christiaan Kortekaas, Andrew Bennett and Keith Webster will review this open source software that gives institutions the power to create a comprehensive repository solution without the hassle..

Heat transfer and entropy generation optimization of forced convection in a porous-saturated duct of rectangular cross-section

We investigate analytically the first and the second law characteristics of fully developed forced convection inside a porous-saturated duct of rectangular cross-section. The Darcy-Brinkman flow model is employed. Three different types of thermal boundary conditions are examined. Expressions for the Nusselt number, the Bejan number, and the dimensionless entropy generation rate are presented in terms of the system parameters. The conclusions of this analytical study will make it possible to compare, evaluate, and optimize alternative rectangular duct design options in terms of heat transfer, pressure drop, and entropy generation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental Verification of Decoherence-Free Subspaces

Using spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we produce polarization-entangled states of two photons and characterize them using two-photon tomography to measure the density matrix. A controllable decoherence is imposed on the states by passing the photons through thick, adjustable birefringent elements. When the system is subject to collective decoherence, one particular entangled state is seen to be decoherence-free, as predicted by theory. Such decoherence-free systems may have an important role for the future of quantum computation and information processing.

Interspecific and intraspecific horizontal transfer of Wolbachia in Drosophila

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in Drosophila simulans is related to infection of the germ line by a rickettsial endosymbiont (genus Wolbachia). Wolbachia were transferred by microinjection of egg cytoplasm into uninfected eggs of both D. simulans and D. melanogaster to generate infected populations. Transinfected strains of D. melanogaster with lower densities of Wolbachia than the naturally infected D. simulans strain did not express high levels of CI. However, transinfected D. melanogaster egg cytoplasm, transferred back into D. simulans, generated infected populations that expressed CI at levels near those of the naturally infected strain. A transinfected D. melanogaster line selected for increased levels of CI expression also displayed increased symbiont densities. These data suggest that a threshold level of infection is required for normal expression of CI and that host factors help determine the density of the symbiont in the host.

Surface Waves and Roughness in Self-Aerated Supercritical Flow

In high-velocity open channel flows, free-surface aeration is commonly observed. The effects of surface waves on the air-water flow properties are tested herein. The study simulates the air-water flow past a fixed-location phase-detection probe by introducing random fluctuations of the flow depth. The present model yields results that are close to experimental observations in terms of void fraction, bubble count rate and bubble/droplet chord size distributions. The results show that the surface waves have relatively little impact on the void fraction profiles, but that the bubble count rate profiles and the distributions of bubble and chord sizes are affected by the presence of surface waves.

Immunopathology and Pathophysiology of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), and is widely studied as an animal model of the human CNS demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis (Raine, 1984). EAE can be induced by inoculation with whole CNS tissue, purified myelin basic protein (MBP) or myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), together with adjuvants. It may also be induced by the passive transfer of T cells specifically reactive to these myelin antigens. EAE may have either an acute or a chronic relapsing course. Acute EAE closely resembles the human disease acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, while chronic relapsing EAE resembles multiple sclerosis. EAE is also the prototype for T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease in general. This chapter will focus on the immunopathology and pathophysiology of EAE, which are the subjects of investigation in my laboratory.

Free Zarb banner in Mayday procession in Brisbane, Australia 1969

Free Zarb banner in Mayday procession in Brisbane, Australia 1969Truck has another banner Trades and Labor Council of Queensland and affiliated unions. Banner reads Free Zarb and other political prisoners - gaoled for refusing to kill, end conscription. Facade of KR Darling Downs building can be seen in the background.

Turbulence Characterisation of High-Velocity Free-Surface Flows

In high-velocity free-surface flows, air is continuously being trapped and released through the free-surface. Such high-velocity highly-aerated flows cannot be studied numerically because of the large number of relevant equations and parameters. Herein an advanced signal processing of traditional single- and dual-tip conductivity probes provides some new information on the air-water turbulent time and length scales. The technique is applied to turbulent open channel flows in a large-size facility. The auto- and cross-correlation analyses yield some characterisation of the large eddies advecting the bubbles. The transverse integral turbulent length and time scales are related to the step height: i.e., Lxy/h ~ 0.02 to 0.2, and T.sqrt(g/h) ~ 0.004 to 0.04. The results are irrespective of the Reynolds numbers. The present findings emphasise that turbulent dissipation by large-scale vortices is a significant process in the intermediate zone between the spray and bubbly flow regions (0.3 < C < 0.7). Some self-similar relationships were observed systematically at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. The results are significant because they provide a picture general enough to be used to characterise the air-water flow field in prototype spillways.

Analysis of heat transfer and entropy generation for a thermally developing Brinkman–Brinkman forced convection problem in a rectangular duct with isoflux walls

Heat transfer and entropy generation analysis of the thermally developing forced convection in a porous-saturated duct of rectangular cross-section, with walls maintained at a constant and uniform heat flux, is investigated based on the Brinkman flow model. The classical Galerkin method is used to obtain the fully developed velocity distribution. To solve the thermal energy equation, with the effects of viscous dissipation being included, the Extended Weighted Residuals Method (EWRM) is applied. The local (three dimensional) temperature field is solved by utilizing the Green’s function solution based on the EWRM where symbolic algebra is being used for convenience in presentation. Following the computation of the temperature field, expressions are presented for the local Nusselt number and the bulk temperature as a function of the dimensionless longitudinal coordinate, the aspect ratio, the Darcy number, the viscosity ratio, and the Brinkman number. With the velocity and temperature field being determined, the Second Law (of Thermodynamics) aspect of the problem is also investigated. Approximate closed form solutions are also presented for two limiting cases of MDa values. It is observed that decreasing the aspect ratio and MDa values increases the entropy generation rate.