Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in odontogenic myxoma (OM) and ameloblastic fibroma (AF)

Ten cases of odontogenic myxoma (OM) and six cases of ameloblastic fibroma (AF) were subjected to comparative analysis by the AgNOR technique, in order to determine a possible difference in cell proliferation index between these lesions. The mean AgNOR number of the mesenchymal component of AF was compared with its epithelial component and the difference was not found to be statistically significant. The mean AgNOR index of the AF group was significantly higher than that of the OM group. Moreover, the mesenchymal component of AF demonstrated increased AgNOR numbers compared with that of OM (P<0.05). These results suggest that the epithelial and mesenchymal components of AF may have similar cell proliferative activity. However, the cell proliferative index of this lesion seems to be higher than that of OM.

An evaporative and desiccant cooling system for air conditioning in humid climates

Evaporative cooling operates using water and air as working fluids. It consists in water evaporation, through the passage of an airflow, thus decreasing the air temperature. This system has a great potential to provide thermal comfort in places where air humidity is low, being, however, less efficient where air humidity is high. A way to solve this problem is to use dehumidifiers to pre-conditioning the process air. This paper presents a system that can be used in humid climates coupling desiccant dehumidification equipment to evaporative coolers. The paper shows, initially, the main characteristics of the evaporative cooling and of the adsorption dehumidification systems. Later on the coupled systems, in which occurs a dehumidification by adsorption in a counter flow rotary heat exchanger following the evaporate cooling of the air in evaporative coolers, are analyzed. The thermodynamic equations of state are also presented. Following, this paper analyzes some operation parameters such as: reactivation temperature, R/P relationship (reactivation air flow/ process air flow) and the thermodynamic conditions of the entering air flow. The paper shows the conditions for the best operation point, with regard to thermal comfort conditions and to the energy used in the process. In addition this paper presents an application of the system in different climate characteristics of several tropical and equatorial cities. Copyright © 2005 by ABCM.

Association between solitary keratoacanthoma and cigarette smoking: A case-control study

Solitary keratoacanthoma (KA) is a common benign epithelial tumor of the skin characterized by rapid growth and a tendency toward spontaneous regression. The exact etiology and classification of KA are a matter of debate. Smokers also seem to be more affected than persons who never smoke. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between solitary KA and smoking habit. A case-control study involving 78 patients diagnosed with KA and 199 controls from the related community was performed to evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and KA. A higher smoking prevalence was noted in cases (69.2 %) than controls (21.6 %) and the odds ratio adjusted for sex and age was 9.1 (95 % CI 4.9 to 17.1, p< 0.01). The mean tumoral diameter at surgery and the site of involvement was not statistically related to smoking. These findings suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with the development of KA. © 2006 Dermatology Online Journal.

Habitat heterogeneity and use of physical and acoustic space in anuran communities in Southeastern Brazil

Habitat heterogeneity and use of physical and acoustic space in anuran communities in Southeastern Brazil. We intended to verify if structural and physiognomical characteristics of water bodies influence on the degree of overlap among calling sites of 23 anurans species, if anuran species use different calling sites in different water bodies, and if there is some relationship between the degree of advertisement call (based on seven call features) and calling site differentiation. Then, we determined calling sites (based in four variables) and recorded the advertisement call for anuran species that occurred in 10 water bodies of northwestern São Paulo State. We also determined the environmental heterogeneity (based in four environmental descriptors) for each water body. Males of most species used similar calling sites in each water body, probably because of the high uniformity of the environment, as a consequence of agricultural impacts on edge vegetation of the studied ponds. Most species (18 out of 19 species) called from different sites in the ponds where they occurred, which can be associated with differences in horizontal and vertical distribution of vegetation in the studied ponds. From the 19 species analyzed, only males of Pseudopaludicola aff. saltica called in sites with the same characteristics in different ponds. Advertisement call of Hylidae species was more similar to each other than were Leiuperidae and Leptodactylidae among themselves. The aquatic/terrestrial anurans (Bufonidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae) occupied similar calling sites but presented quite distinct advertisement calls, while Hylidae species presented an inverse pattern: a high similarity on advertisement call features but used different calling sites, which indicates a niche complementarity between physical (calling site use) and acoustic (advertisement call) space use. © 2008 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas.

How FTAI and FTET impact reproductive efficiency of Brazilian dairy herds

Background: Throughout dairy cows evolution, milk production was always the key point to select the superior animal. Currently, several evidences has shown that high milk production have intensively contributed to the decline of dairy cattle fertility. Beyond milk production, dairy cows have their reproductive performance impaired by another factors, heat stress and repeat-breeding. Methods like fixed time artificial insemination and embryo transfer were developed to minimize the effects of these factors, and improve dairy herds profitability. This review aims to show some key-point experiments conducted to improve the efficiency of the self-appointed protocols for artificial insemination and embryo transfer in Brazil, overcoming several reproductive problems. Our goal is to develop cheap and easy self-appointed programs that facilitate animal handling and maximize their reproductive outcomes all over the year. Review: Failure in estrus detection is the mainly limiting factor for the use of artificial insemination in high-production dairy herd. An excellent alternative to overcome the need of estrus detection is fixed time artificial insemination. Many protocols with and without the use of estradiol have been developed to that end. Among the protocols for fixed time artificial insemination without estradiol, DoubleOvsynch has been extensively used recently in American dairy herds. In Brazil, similar pregnancy rate was obtained compared to progesterone-estradiol based protocols for fixed time artificial insemination. Particularities of progesterone-estradiol based protocols as (1) new progesterone device or devices previously used for eight days; (2) different doses of eCG; and (3) the use of estradiol cypionate for fixed time artificial insemination have been studied in Brazil. The use of self-appointed artificial insemination also enabled the reduction of the interval calving-conception compared to cows inseminated following the standing estrus. Regarding the low fertility of repeat breeders and the effect of heat stress at early pregnancy, other methods like embryo transfer became important tools to enhance reproductive efficiency of Brazilian dairy herds. Protocols were also developed to allow fixed time embryo transfer, eliminating the need of estrus detection and improving the reproductive efficiency of lactating recipients. As well as described for fixed time artificial insemination treatments, there is a large variety of hormone combination for fixed time embryo transfer (with and without estradiol). An experiment conducted in Brazil demonstrated that protocols for fixed time embryo transfer without estradiol can be as good as with estradiol to synchronize high-producing Holstein recipients, essentially during summer. Particularities related to embryos cryopreservation, synchronization of the estrus cycle of donors and recipients and the site of embryo release into the uterine horn were also investigated. Greater conception rates were achieved when fresh embryos were transferred compared to frozen-thawed ones. Also, the tight synchronization between donor and recipient (same day of estrus) resulted more pregnancies than when recipients were one day later or in advantage in relation to donors. Moreover, the site of embryo release into the uterine horn (ipsilateral to the corpus luteum) had no effect on pregnancy rates after in vivo produced embryo transfer. Conclusion: Both fixed time artificial insemination and fixed time embryo transfer are important tools to improve reproductive efficiency of high-producing dairy cows. These biotechnologies help bypassing some of the greatest challenges of dairy cattle reproduction: the difficulties of estrus detection, and the low fertility associated to heat stress and repeat breeding.

Preeclampsia: Early and late neonatal outcomes

Newborn infants exposed to preeclampsia (PE) present increased short-term morbidity, mainly respiratory diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Gastrointestinal problems are also frequent, although a higher risk of necrotizing enterocolitis has not been confirmed. These problems could be related not just to PE itself but also to prematurity or intrauterine growth restriction, which frequently occur in this maternal disease. Other findings, however, seem to be due to the direct effect of the maternal disease; these findings include an increased frequency of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and a lower incidence of cerebral disorders, such as periventricularintraventricular hemorrhage and cerebral palsy. The evaluation of long-term outcome shows increasing evidence that PE has important implications for the future health of the mother and her child, suggesting that PE is not a simple gestational disorder but a clinical syndrome with an unclear etiology, a genetic component, and a complex pathophysiology. This syndrome involves important maternal and fetal vascular alterations that can persist and cause diseases in later life. The divergence in results on outcomes for children exposed to PE could, in part, be due to methodological differences in the studies, most of which are retrospective case-control studies. Better evidence on prognosis is obtained from cohort studies. Even in the cohort studies, differences in patient characteristics and severity of maternal disease, as well as sample size, follow-up time, and main outcome measures certainly contribute to the variability in results reported in the literature. © 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.

Biosorption of cadmium (II) and lead (II) from aqueous solution using exopolysaccharide and biomass produced by Colletotrichum sp.

The biosorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions on biomass and exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Colletotrichum sp. fungus has been investigated as a function of contact time, initial pH, initial metal ion concentration, and initial adsorbent concentration in a batch system. Adsorption equilibrium was described by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Adsorption was characterized through granulometry, SEM and EDX analysis. Then, studies were performed to regenerate the adsorbent. Biosorption of metals by biomass and EPS were best described by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm, respectively. Results of thermodynamic investigations showed that adsorption reactions were spontaneous (ΔG° < 0), exothermal, and mainly physical. The EPS was able to remove 79 and 98% of cadmium and lead, respectively, and the biomass removed 85 and 84% of cadmium and lead, respectively, in a solution with initial concentration 100 mg L-1, and the four adsorption-desorption cycles of all adsorbents showed up with great regenerative capacity and relative stability after these four cycles, the high potential of these biological materials in sorption has been shown. © 2013 Copyright Balaban Desalination Publications.

Adsorção de cádmio e disponibilidade de cádmio e bário em latossolos sob mata nativa e cultivados

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação do crescimento e da atividade imune de tilápias alimentadas com dietas suplementadas com unha de gato (Uncaria tomentosa)

Pós-graduação em Aquicultura - FCAV

Assembléias zooplanctônicas (Cladocera, Copepoda e Rotifera) e condiçoes limnolócas no gradiente longitudinal barragem-jusante do reservatório de Itaipu, rio Paraná (Brasil, Paraguai e Argentina)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Influence of gender and estrous cycle in the forced swim test in rats

The present work aimed at studying the influence of the estrous cycle in the forced swim test, an animal model of depression. For this, 44 male and female Wistar rats were divided into five groups according to the hormonal state in the first day of the study: metaestrus (N = 12), diestrus (N = 8), proestrus (N = 7), estrous (N = 6) and males (N = 11). They were housed in groups of five, with water and food ad libitum under a 12/12 h light/dark cycle. Females were screened daily for the estrous cycle. The animals were subjected to two swimming sessions in a glass cylinder with water up to 15 cm at 28±2º C. The data of the first five minutes of a 15-min first session were compared to those of a 5-min second session 24 h later. The results indicate that the latency to the first immobility was substantially reduced in the second session and was longer for females in diestrus and proestrus in the first session. The results also indicate that females in diestrus and proestrus exhibited less immobility than males in the first session; females in diestrus also exhibited less immobility than females in metaestrus. Females in metaestrus and diestrus, as well as males, did not present the decrease in total immobility times in the second session. The present results are analyzed in terms of differential effects of progesterone and estrogen on a learning component and an affective component.

Estimativa da produção anual de serapilheira dos bosques de mangue no Furo Grande, Bragança-Pará

As condições ambientais de determinado local podem influenciar a produtividade dos manguezais. Assim, este estudo estimou a produção total e dos componentes da serapilheira no Furo Grande, Bragança, PA. Este estudo compreendeu quatro ciclos anuais (julho/2000 a agosto/2004) em três sítios. Foram instaladas sete cestas em cada sítio ao longo de uma transecção de 140 m, com intervalos de 20 m. Cada cesta possuía uma área útil de 1 m², com tela de 1 mm², suspensa acima do nível das marés de sizígia. O material acumulado nas cestas foi coletado mensalmente, separado em folha, flor, fruto, estípula, galho e miscelânea, sendo posteriormente secado a 70 ºC até alcançar peso constante. A produção média dos quatro anos foi de 9,85 t.ha^-1.ano^-1 no sítio 1, 6,41 t.ha^-1.ano^-1 no sítio 2 e 5,99 t.ha^-1.ano^-1 no sítio 3, cuja comparação apresenta diferença significativa entre os sítios 1 e 3 (H=7,53; gl=2; p<0,05). Em suma, os resultados apontaram que a folha foi o componente de maior produtividade e, juntamente com a flor, teve pico na estação seca, o que parece favorecer uma economia de energia para o investimento em reprodução, enquanto a maior produção de fruto foi na estação chuvosa, promovendo a dispersão de propágulos e, conseqüentemente, a renovação e manutenção dessas florestas.

Minimum Evaporation Model of Dermatological Delivery Systems. Lamellar Liquid Crystal Formulations Containing Brazilian Nut (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) Vegetable Oil and Guarana Glycolic Extract

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Recurrent genomic alterations in sequential progressive leukoplakia and oral cancer: drivers of oral tumorigenesis?

A significant proportion (up to 62) of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) may arise from oral potential malignant lesions (OPMLs), such as leukoplakia. Patient outcomes may thus be improved through detection of lesions at a risk for malignant transformation, by identifying and categorizing genetic changes in sequential, progressive OPMLs. We conducted array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of 25 sequential, progressive OPMLs and same-site OSCCs from five patients. Recurrent DNA copy number gains were identified on 1p in 20/25 cases (80) with minimal, high-level amplification regions on 1p35 and 1p36. Other regions of gains were frequently observed: 11q13.4 (68), 9q34.13 (64), 21q22.3 (60), 6p21 and 6q25 (56) and 10q24, 19q13.2, 22q12, 5q31.2, 7p13, 10q24 and 14q22 (48). DNA losses were observed in 20 of samples and mainly detected on 5q31.2 (35), 16p13.2 (30), 9q33.1 and 9q33.29 (25) and 17q11.2, 3p26.2, 18q21.1, 4q34.1 and 8p23.2 (20). Such copy number alterations (CNAs) were mapped in all grades of dysplasia that progressed, and their corresponding OSCCs, in 70 of patients, indicating that these CNAs may be associated with disease progression. Amplified genes mapping within recurrent CNAs (KHDRBS1, PARP1, RAB1A, HBEGF, PAIP2, BTBD7) were selected for validation, by quantitative real-time PCR, in an independent set of 32 progressive leukoplakia, 32 OSSCs and 21 non-progressive leukoplakia samples. Amplification of BTBD7, KHDRBS1, PARP1 and RAB1A was exclusively detected in progressive leukoplakia and corresponding OSCC. BTBD7, KHDRBS1, PARP1 and RAB1A may be associated with OSCC progression. Proteinprotein interaction networks were created to identify possible pathways associated with OSCC progression.

Microsatellite analysis supports clonal propagation and reduced divergence of Trypanosoma vivax from asymptomatic to fatally infected livestock in South America compared to West Africa

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)