Analysis of transient otoacoustic emissions and brainstem evoked auditory potentials in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia

A hiperbilirrubinemia é tóxica às vias auditivas e ao sistema nervoso central, deixando sequelas como surdez e encefalopatia. OBJETIVOS: avaliar a audição de neonatos portadores de hiperbilirrubinemia, utilizando-se a pesquisa das emissões otoacústicas evocadas transientes (EOAET) e dos potenciais evocados auditivos do tronco encefálico (PEATE). Estudo prospectivo. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Constituíram-se dois grupos: GI (n-25), neonatos com hiperbilirrubinemia; GII (n-22), neonatos sem hiperbilirrubinemia e sem fatores de risco para surdez. Todos os neonatos tinham até 60 dias de vida e foram submetidos à EOAET e ao PEATE. RESULTADOS: 12 neonatos de GI e 10 de GII eram meninas e 13 de GI e 12 de GII eram meninos. As EOAET estavam presentes em todas as crianças, porém com amplitudes menores em GI, especialmente nas frequências de 2 e 3KHz (p < 0,05). No PEATE, observou-se discreto prolongamento de PV e de LI-V em GI. As alterações observadas nesses testes não se correlacionaram aos níveis séricos da bilirrubinemia. CONCLUSÕES: em neonatos portadores de hiperbilirrubinemia, menores amplitudes das EOAET e discreto prolongamento de PV e de LI-V foram constatados indicando comprometimento coclear e retrococlear das vias auditivas, salientando-se a importância da utilização e da interpretação minuciosa de ambos os testes nessas avaliações.

Uncertainties in the prediction of spatial variability of soil CO2 emissions and related properties

A emissão de CO2 do solo apresenta alta variabilidade espacial, devido à grande dependência espacial observada nas propriedades do solo que a influenciam. Neste estudo, objetivou-se: caracterizar e relacionar a variabilidade espacial da respiração do solo e propriedades relacionadas; avaliar a acurácia dos resultados fornecidos pelo método da krigagem ordinária e simulação sequencial gaussiana; e avaliar a incerteza na predição da variabilidade espacial da emissão de CO2 do solo e demais propriedades utilizando a simulação sequencial gaussiana. O estudo foi conduzido em uma malha amostral irregular com 141 pontos, instalada sobre a cultura de cana-de-açúcar. Nesses pontos foram avaliados a emissão de CO2 do solo, a temperatura do solo, a porosidade livre de água, o teor de matéria orgânica e a densidade do solo. Todas as variáveis apresentaram estrutura de dependência espacial. A emissão de CO2 do solo mostrou correlações positivas com a matéria orgânica (r = 0,25, p < 0,05) e a porosidade livre de água (r = 0,27, p <0,01) e negativa com a densidade do solo (r = -0,41, p < 0,01). No entanto, quando os valores estimados espacialmente (N=8833) são considerados, a porosidade livre de água passa a ser a principal variável responsável pelas características espaciais da respiração do solo, apresentando correlação de 0,26 (p < 0,01). As simulações individuais propiciaram, para todas as variáveis analisadas, melhor reprodução das funções de distribuição acumuladas e dos variogramas, em comparação à krigagem e estimativa E-type. As maiores incertezas na predição da emissão de CO2 estiveram associadas às regiões da área estudada com maiores valores observados e estimados, produzindo estimativas, ao longo do período estudado, de 0,18 a 1,85 t CO2 ha-1, dependendo dos diferentes cenários simulados. O conhecimento das incertezas gerado por meio dos diferentes cenários de estimativa pode ser incluído em inventários de gases do efeito estufa, resultando em estimativas mais conservadoras do potencial de emissão desses gases.

Mercury in soils and sediments from gold mining liabilities in Southern Amazonia

The 1980-1990 Amazonian gold rush left an enormous liability that increasingly has been substituted by developing fish aquaculture. This work aimed at the identification of the mercury levels in the environment, associated with fish farms located in the North of Mato Grosso State, Southern Amazon. Sediment and soil samples were analyzed for total organic carbon and total mercury. Results indicate that the chemical characteristics of the sediment largely depend on the management procedures of the fish pond (liming, fish food used and fish population). The soils presented relatively low concentrations when compared with other data from the literature.

A thermal analysis study of dithizone and dithizonates of mercury, silver and bismuth

Foram preparados os ditizonatos de Hg (I), Ag (I) e Bi (III). Termogravimetria (TG), termogravimetria derivada (DTG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), difratometria de raios X pelo método do pó e análise elementar foram usados para caracterizar e para estudar a estabilidade térmica e a decomposição térmica da ditizona e destes ditizonatos.

Adsorptive potentiometric stripping analysis of nucleic acids at mercury electrodes

The application of adsorptive stripping potentiometry to the reductive detection of nucleic acids at mercury electrodes is reported. Compared to analogous voltammetric stripping modes, constant current potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) effectively addresses the hydrogen discharge background problem, and hence greatly improves the characteristics of the superimposed cytosine/adenine (CA) reduction peak. Compared to earlier schemes for trace measurements of nucleic acids at mercury or carbon electrodes that rely on anodic signals arising from the guanine residue, convenient quantitation can now be carried out in connection with the cytosine and adenine residues. Variables influencing the adsorptive PSA response are explored and optimized. With five minute accumulation, the detection limits for tRNA, ssDNA and dsDNA are 30 mu g l(-1), 60 mu g l(-1) and 2 mg l(-1), respectively. Such different values reflect the strong dependence of the PSA CA signal upon the nucleic-acid structure. This allows the quantitation of ssDNA or tRNA in the presence of dsDNA, and offers new possibilities for electrochemical studies of DNA structure and interactions.

Cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of ceftazidime in urine at a hanging mercury drop electrode

A method was developed for the differential-pulse cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of ceftazidime with a hanging mercury drop electrode using its reduction peak at -0.43 V in Britton-Robinson buffer pH 4.0. The optimum accumulation potential and time were -0.15 V and up to 60 s, respectively. Linear calibration graphs were obtained from 1 x 10(-8) M and 1.5 x 10(-7) M. The limit of determination was calculated to be 5 x 10(-9) M. The coefficient of variation was 4% (n = 7) at 1 x 10(-7) M ceftazidime. The effect of various components of urine on the voltammetric response was studied, and creatinine, uric acid, urea, and glucose were shown to interfere in the method. Ceftazidime bound to human albumin gives a unique stripping peak at -0.48 V. Recoveries of 87% +/- 2% of the ceftazidime (n = 5) were obtained from urine spiked with 1.27 mu g ml(-1) using C-18 solid phase extraction cartridges. (C) 1997 Academic Press.

Cathodic stripping voltammetric detection and determination at a hanging mercury-drop electrode of dye contaminants in purified biomaterials: study of the human serum albumin and reactive dye 120 system

Procion red HE-3B (RR120) is an example of dye currently used in affinity purification. A method is described for determining trace amounts of RR120 dye contaminant in human serum albumin by cathodic stripping voltammetry. The method is based on a measure of a well-defined peak at -0.58 V, obtained when samples of HSA protein (0.01-2% w/v) containing dye concentrations are submitted to a heating time of 330 min at 80degreesC in NaOH, pH 12.0 and the samples are removed to a solution containing Britton-Robinson buffer, pH 4.0. Using an optimum accumulation potential and tune of 0 V and 240 s, respectively, linear calibration curves were obtained from 1.0 X 10(-9) to 1.0 X 10(-8) mol 1(-1) for RR120 dye. Leakage/hydrolysis of reactive red 120 from an agarose support (e.g. at pH 2 or 12) can also be conveniently determined at very low levels (sub-mug ml(-1)) by means of cathodic stripping voltammetry, which involves adsorptive accumulation of the dye onto the hanging mercury-drop electrode. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Indirect cathodic-stripping voltammetric determination of ceftazidime as a mercury salt

At accumulation potentials close to +0.1 V at a hanging mercury drop electrode, ceftazidime is accumulated at pH 9.5, probably in a hydrolysed or otherwise chemically altered form, in an anodic process to give an adsorbed mercury salt. The accumulation of this mercury salt allows the indirect cathodic-stripping voltammetric determination of ceftazidime using the reduction peak of the mercury salt at -0.70 V. The high sensitivity of the method coupled with high sample dilution allows ceftazidime to be determined in milk samples at the 28 mu g ml(-1) level without prior separation. In order to determine lower levels of ceftazidime in milk (ca. 10 ng ml(-1)) a separation process would be required. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

DEVELOPMENT OF A CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ELECTRODE BASED ON CARBON PASTE AND FUNCTIONALIZED SILICA-GEL FOR PRECONCENTRATION AND VOLTAMMETRIC DETERMINATION OF MERCURY(II)

A mercury-sensitive chemically modified electrode (CME) based on modified silica gel-containing carbon paste was developed. The functional group attached to the silica gel surface was 3-(2-thiobenzimidazolyl)propyl, which is able to complex mercury ions. This electrode was applied to the determination of mercury(II) ions in aqueous solution. The mercury was chemically preconcentrated on the CME prior to voltammetric determination by anodic stripping in the differential-pulse mode. A calibration graph covering the concentration range from 0.08 to 2 mg l-1 was constructed. The precision for six determinations of 0.122 and 0.312 mg l-1 Hg(II) was 3.2 and 2.9% (relative standard deviation), respectively. The detection limit for a 5-min preconcentration period was 0.013 mg l-1. A study for foreign ions was also made.

Cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of ceftazidime with reactive accumulation at a poly-L-lysine modified hanging mercury drop electrode

Ceftazidime is hydrolysed only slowly at pH 10 at room temperature. This is indicated by a small cathodic stripping voltammetric peak obtained at pH 10 at a hanging mercury drop electrode at about -0.6 V which corresponds to the reduction of the hydrolysis product. This peak is enhanced more than tenfold by the addition of poly-L-lysine (PLL) to the electrolyte solution. The optimum accumulation potential is between 0 and -0.1 V: the size of the peak decreases steadily, however, as the accumulation potential is moved to more negative potentials and is about one-sixth the size for accumulation at -0.4 V. Existing knowledge of the organic chemistry of cephalosporins indicates that the accumulation must involve an aminolysis reaction of the unprotonated PLL with the beta-lactam ring of the ceftazidime. The limit of detection (3 sigma) in standard solutions was calculated to be 1 x 10(-10) mol l(-1). The detection limit in buffer solution containing 1% of urine was calculated to be 5 x 10(-9) mol l(-1), i.e. 5 x 10(-6) mol l(-1) in the urine. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. AU rights reserved.

Analytical procedure for total mercury determination in fishes and shrimps by chronopotentiometric stripping analysis at gold film electrodes after microwave digestion

A method for the total mercury determination in fish and shrimps employing chronopotentiometric stripping analysis on gold film electrodes is described. Fish and shrimp tissues were digested using a microwave oven equipped with closed vessels. We developed a microwave heating program which decomposed all the samples employing diluted nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The proposed method was validated by analyzing a certified reference material and then applied for different fish species from fresh water and seawater acquired in local markets of São Paulo city, Brazil. The Brazilian legislation establishes 0.5 and 1 mg per kilogram of fish as upper limit of mercury for omnivorous and predator species, respectively. Except for blue shark tissues, the mercury content was situated below 0.5 mu g g(-1) for all the analyzed samples. The detection limit of the proposed method was calculated as 5 ng g(-1) of sample utilizing 5 minutes of electrodeposition (+300 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) on the gold electrode. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carbon dioxide emissions after application of tillage systems for a dark red latosol in southern Brazil

Soil tillage may influence CO2 emissions in agricultural systems. Agricultural soils are managed in several ways in Brazil, ranging from no tillage to intensive land preparation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of common soil tillage treatments (disk harrow, reversible disk plow, rotary tiller and chisel plow tillage systems) on the intermediate CO2 emissions of a dark red latosol, located in southern Brazil. Different tillage systems produced significant differences in the CO2 emissions, and the results indicate that the chisel plow produced the highest soil carbon loss during the 15 days period after tillage treatments were performed. Emissions to the atmosphere increased as much as 74 g CO2 m(-2), at the end of a 2-week period, in the plot where the chisel plow treatment was applied, in comparison to the non-disturbed plot. The results indicate that the total increase on the intermediate term soil CO2 emissions due to tillage treatments in southern Brazil is comparable to that reported for the more humid and cooler regions. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of zinc, copper, lead, and cadmium in fuel ethanol by anodic stripping voltammetry using a glassy carbon-mercury-film electrode

A new, versatile, and simple method for quantitative analysis of zinc, copper, lead, and cadmium in fuel ethanol by anodic stripping voltammetry is described. These metals can be quantified by direct dissolution of fuel ethanol in water and subsequent voltammetric measurement after the accumulation step. A maximum limit of 20% (v/v) ethanol in water solution was obtained for voltammetric measurements without loss of sensitivity for metal species. Chemical and operational optimum conditions were analyzed in this study; the values obtained were pH 2.9, a 4.7-mum thickness mercury film, a 1,000-rpm rotation frequency of the working electrode, and a 600-s pre-concentration time. Voltammetric measurements were obtained using linear scan (LSV), differential pulse (DPV), and square wave (SWV) modes and detection limits were in the range 10(-9)-10(-8) mol L-1 for these metal species. The proposed method was compared with a traditional analytical technique, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), for quantification of these metal species in commercial fuel ethanol samples.