Thermal investigation and infrared evolved gas analysis of solid trivalent lanthanide and yttrium alpha-hydroxyisobutyrates in N-2 and CO2 atmospheres

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

Values of 13,14-Dihydro-15-Keto-PGF(2 alpha), Progesterone and Oestradiol After Injection of Prostaglandin at Different Periods of Buffalo Puerperium

Knowledge of the effectiveness of prostaglandins in uterine involution process led to the development of protocols with its analogues in postpartum period. However, this hormone mechanism of action is not yet fully elucidated. Thus, the objective of this study was to verify if chloprostenol administration, at early or intermediary puerperium, can induce changes on progesterone, PGFM and oestradiol plasma concentrations. 30 Murrah postpartum buffaloes were randomly divided into three groups: CONT (saline, n = 10); CLO2 (chloprostenol at days 2 and 5 postpartum, n = 10) and; CLO15 (chloprostenol at days 15 and 20 postpartum, n = 10). Blood samples were collected from jugular vein to measure progesterone, PGFM and oestradiol plasma concentrations at days 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28 postpartum. CLO2 group presented lower progesterone and PGFM plasma concentrations in relation to CONT and CLO15 groups (0.23 +/- 0.00 and 0.32 +/- 0.11, 0.19 +/- 0.00 and 0.23 +/- 0.11, 0.23 +/- 0.00 and 0.30 +/- 0.19, for groups CONT, CLO2 and CLO15, respectively; P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in oestradiol plasma concentration between experimental groups (P > 0.05). Prostaglandin synthetic analogue administration induced hormonal changes in postpartum buffaloes, which can partially explain its positive effect under reproductive function of this specie.

Temporal analysis of prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor, caspase 3, and cyclooxygenase 2 messenger RNA expression and prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor and cyclooxygenase 2 protein expression in endometrial tissue from multiparous Nelore (Bos taurus indicus) cows treated with cloprostenol sodium during puerperium

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

Effect of adding a gonadotropin-releasing-hormone treatment at the beginning and a second prostaglandin F-2 alpha treatment at the end of an estradiol-based protocol for timed artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows during cool or hot seasons of the year

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

Induction of luteolysis in mares utilizing a micro-dose of prostaglandin F-2 alpha in the sacral lumbar space

An experiment was conducted to examine the luteolytic effectiveness of using low or micro doses of PGF2α when administered at the BAI HUI acupuncture point, which is frequently used to treat ovarian disturbances in veterinary acupuncture. The results indicate that PGF2α given at a very low micro dose of 0.5 mg (one tenth the conventional recommended dose) administered at the BAI HUI acupuncture point located at the sacral lumbar space is equally effective at inducing luteolysis in mid-luteal phase mares as conventional PGF2α i.m. treatment using a tenfold higher dose. Therefore, based on the results of the present study, we suggest that the BAI HUI sacrai lumbar route somehow provides an extremely efficient pathway for the drug to the ovarian level.

Preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of a Lys49-phospholipase A(2) homologue from Bothrops pirajai venom complexed with p-bromophenacyl bromide and alpha-tocopherol inhibitors

PrTX-I, a non-catalytic and myotoxic Lys49-PLA(2) from Bothrops pirajai venom has been crystallized alone and in complex with bromophenacyl bromide (BPB), alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol acetate inhibitors. These crystals have shown to diffract X-rays between 2.34 and 1.65 angstrom resolution. All complexes crystals are isomorphous and belong to the space group P2(1) whereas native PrTX-I crystals belong to the P3(1)21.

Anelastic behavior due to interstitial oxygen in SmBa(2)Cu(3)O7-delta

The composite SmBa2Cu3O7-delta (Sm-123), obtained by the substitution of the ion Y for Sm in the very well known and studied YBa2Cu3O7-delta (Y-123), is potentially attractive for better understanding superconductivity mechanisms and for its applications as electronic devices. Sm-123 samples show higher critical temperatures than Y-123 ones do and a larger solubility of Sm in Ba-Cu-O solvent, which makes their growth process faster. When oxygen is present interstitially, it strongly affects the physical properties of the material. The dynamics of oxygen can be investigated by anelastic spectroscopy measurements, a powerful technique for the precise determination of the oscillation frequency and the internal friction when atomic jumps are possible. Anelastic spectroscopy allows determining the elasticity modulus (related to the oscillation frequency) and the elastic energy loss (related to the internal friction) as a function of the temperature. The sample was also investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and electric resistivity. The results obtained show a thermally activated relaxation structure composed by at least 3 relaxation processes. These processes may be attributed to the jumps of oxygen atoms present of the Cu-O plane in the orthorhombic phase.

Oxygen Interstitial Dynamics in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) Oxides Measured by Mechanical Spectroscopy

Many researchers became interested in the discovery of Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) oxides with critical temperature of around 80 K. It is known that the critical temperature is related to the CuO2 planes of the material. For this reason, the study of the interstitial oxygen in these oxides is of great relevance. The samples were prepared by means of conventional solid state reactions, through the stoichiometric mixture of precursory powders. After the sinterization, the samples were submitted to measurements of density, electrical resistivity, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion spectroscopy, with the objective of performing their characterization. The measurements of mechanical spectroscopy were performed by a torsion pendulum. The results show three relaxation processes in the temperature range of 200 and 700 K, with activation energy of approximately 0.9 eV, which has been attributed to the dynamics of the interstitial oxygen present in the material.

Molecular and Electronic Structure of the Peptide Subunit of Geobacter sulfurreducens Conductive Phi from First Principles

The respiration of metal oxides by the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens requires the assembly of a small peptide (the GS pilin) into conductive filaments termed pili. We gained insights into the contribution of the GS pilin to the pilus conductivity by developing a homology model and performing molecular dynamics simulations of the pilin peptide in vacuo and in solution. The results were consistent with a predominantly helical peptide containing the conserved a-helix region required for pilin assembly but carrying a short carboxy-terminal random-coiled segment rather than the large globular head of other bacterial pilins. The electronic structure of the pain was also explored from first principles and revealed a biphasic charge distribution along the pilin and a low electronic HOMO-LUMO gap, even in a wet environment. The low electronic band gap was the result of strong electrostatic fields generated by the alignment of the peptide bond dipoles in the pilin's alpha-helix and by charges from ions in solution and amino acids in the protein. The electronic structure also revealed some level of orbital delocalization in regions of the pilin containing aromatic amino acids and in spatial regions of high resonance where the HOMO and LUMO states are, which could provide an optimal environment for the hopping of electrons under thermal fluctuations. Hence, the structural and electronic features of the pilin revealed in these studies support the notion of a pilin peptide environment optimized for electron conduction.

Highly stabilized alpha-NiCo(OH)(2) nanomaterials for high performance device application

Improving the charge capacity, electrochemical reversibility and stability of anode materials are main challenges for the development of Ni-based rechargeable batteries and devices. The combination of cobalt, as additive, and electrode material nanostructuration revealed a very promising approach for this purpose. The new alpha-NiCo mixed hydroxide based electrodes exhibited high specific charge/discharge capacity (355-714 C g(-1)) and outstanding structural stability, withstanding up to 700 redox cycles without any significant phase transformation, as confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and X-ray diffractometry. In short, the nanostructured alpha-NiCo mixed hydroxide materials possess superior electrochemical properties and stability, being strong candidates for application in high performance batteries and devices. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Creatine-induced glucose uptake in type 2 diabetes: a role for AMPK-alpha?

This study focused on understanding the signaling mechanisms leading to GLUT-4 translocation and increased skeletal-muscle glucose uptake that follow creatine (Cr) supplementation in type 2 diabetes (n = 10). AMPK-alpha protein content presented a tendency to be higher (p = 0.06) after Cr supplementation (5 g/d for 12w). The changes in AMPK-alpha protein content significantly related (p < 0.001) to the changes in GLUT-4 translocation (r = 0.78) and Hb1Ac levels (r = -0.68), suggesting that AMPK signaling may be implicated in the effects of supplementation on glucose uptake in type 2 diabetes.

Cellular Infiltrates and NF kappa B Subunit c-Rel Signaling in Kidney Allografts of Patients With Clinical Operational Tolerance

Background. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF kappa B) plays a potential role in tolerance by orchestrating onset and resolution of inflammation and regulatory T cell differentiation through subunit c-Rel. We characterized cellular infiltrates and expression of NF kappa B1, c-Rel and its upstream regulators phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/RAC-alpha serine/threonine kinase, in allograft biopsies from patients with spontaneous clinical operational tolerance (COT). Methods. Paraffin-fixed kidney allograft biopsies from 40 patients with COT (n=4), interstitial rejection (IR; n=12), borderline changes (BC; n=12), and long-term allograft function without rejection (NR; n=12) were used in the study. Cellular infiltrates and immunohistochemical expression of key proteins of the NF kappa B pathway were evaluated in the cortical tubulointerstitium and in cellular infiltrates using digital image analysis software. Results were given as mean +/- SEM. Results. Biopsies from patients with COT exhibited a comparable amount of cellular infiltrate to IR, BC, and NR (COT, 191 +/- 81; IR, 291 +/- 62; BC, 178 +/- 45; and NR, 210 +/- 42 cells/mm(2)) but a significantly higher proportion of forkhead box P3-positive cells (COT, 11%+/- 1.7%; IR, 3.5%+/- 0.70%; BC, 3.4%+/- 0.57%; and NR, 3.7%+/- 0.78% of infiltrating cells; P=0.02). c-Rel expression in cellular infiltrates was significantly elevated in IR, BC, and NR when analyzing the number of positive cells per mm(2) (P=0.02) and positive cells per infiltrating cells (P=0.04). In contrast, tubular PI3K and c-Rel expression were significantly higher in IR and BC but not in NR compared with COT (P=0.03 and P=0.006, respectively). With RAC-alpha serine-threonine kinase, similar tendencies were observed (P=0.2). Conclusions. Allografts from COT patients show significant cellular infiltrates but a distinct expression of proteins involved in the NF kappa B pathway and a higher proportion of forkhead box P3-positive cells.

DSD Due to 5 alpha-Reductase 2 Deficiency - from Diagnosis to Long Term Outcome

Most of the patients with 5 alpha-RD 2 deficiency are reared in the female social sex due to their severely undervirilized external genitalia but similar to 60% who have not been submitted to orchiectomy in childhood undergo male social sex change at puberty. In our cohort of 30 cases from 18 families, all subjects were registered in the female social sex except for two children-one who had an affected uncle and the other who was diagnosed before being registered. The majority of the patients were satisfied with the long-term results of their treatment and surprisingly, penile length was not associated with satisfactory or unsatisfactory sexual activity. Steroid 5 alpha-RD2 deficiency should be included in the differential diagnosis of all newborns with 46,XY DSD with normal testosterone production before gender assignment or any surgical intervention because these patients should be considered males at birth.

The Carmaphycins: New Proteasome Inhibitors Exhibiting an alpha,beta-Epoxyketone Warhead from a Marine Cyanobacterium

Two new peptidic proteasome inhibitors were isolated as trace components from a Curacao collection of the marine cyanobacterium Symploca sp. Carmaphycin A (1) and carmaphycin B (2) feature a leucine-derived a,beta-epoxyketone warhead directly connected to either methionine sulfoxide or methionine sulfone. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive NMR and MS analyses and confirmed by total synthesis, which in turn provided more material for further biological evaluations. Pure carmaphycins A and B were found to inhibit the beta 5 subunit (chymotrypsin-like activity) of the S. cerevisiae 20S proteasome in the low nanomolar range. Additionally, they exhibited strong cytotoxicity to lung and colon cancer cell lines, as well as exquisite antiproliferative effects in the NCI60 cell-line panel. These assay results as well as initial structural biology studies suggest a distinctive binding mode for these new inhibitors.

Flux-Line-Lattice Melting and Upper Critical Field of Bi1.65Pb0.35Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+delta Ceramic Samples

We have conducted magnetoresistance measurements rho(T,H) in applied magnetic fields up to 18 T in Bi1.65Pb0.35Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+delta ceramic samples which were subjected to different uniaxial compacting pressures. The anisotropic upper critical fields H (c2)(T) were extracted from the rho(T,H) data, yielding and the out-of-plane superconducting coherence length xi (c) (0)similar to 3 . We have also estimated and xi (ab) (0) similar to 90 . In addition to this, a flux-line-lattice (FLL) melting temperature T (m) has been identified as a second peak in the derivative of the magnetoresistance d rho/dT data close to the superconducting transition temperature. An H (m) vs. T phase diagram was constructed and the FLL boundary lines were found to obey a temperature dependence H (m) ae(T (c) /T-1) (alpha) , where alpha similar to 2 for the sample subjected to the higher compacting pressure. A reasonable value of the Lindemann parameter c (L) similar to 0.29 has been found for all samples studied.