Evidence of a Ca(2+)-(center dot)NO-cGMP signaling pathway controlling zoospore biogenesis in the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii

The sporulation stage of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii culminates with the formation and release to the medium of a number of zoospores, which are motile cells responsible for the dispersal of the fungus. The presence in the sporulation solution of 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a potent and selective inhibitor of nitric oxide-sensitive guanylyl cyclases, completely prevented biogenesis of the zoospores. In addition, this compound was able to significantly reduce cGMP levels, which increase drastically during late sporulation, suggesting the existence of a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism for cGMP synthesis. Furthermore, increased levels of nitric oxide-derived products were detected during sporulation by fluorescence assays using DAF-2 DA, whose signal was drastically reduced in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N omega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). These results were confirmed by quantitative chemiluminescent determination of the intracellular levels of nitric oxide-derived products. A putative nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was detected throughout sporulation, and this enzyme activity decreased significantly when L-NAME and 1-[2-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]imidazole (TRIM) were added to the assays. NOS assays carried out in the presence of EGTA showed decreased enzyme activity, suggesting the involvement of calcium ions in enzyme activation. Additionally, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) encoding putative guanylyl cyclases and a cGMP-phosphodiesterase were found in B. emersonii EST database (http://blasto.iq.usp.br), and the mRNA levels of the corresponding genes were observed to increase during sporulation. Altogether, data presented here revealed the presence and expression of guanylyl cyclase and cGMP phosphodiesterase genes in B. emersonii and provided evidence of a Ca(2+)-(center dot)NO-cGMP signaling pathway playing a role in zoospore biogenesis. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biocompatible in-tube solid phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection for determination of interferon alpha in plasma samples

The present work demonstrates the successful application of automated biocompatible in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography (in-tube SPME/LC) for determination of interferon alpha(2a) (IFN alpha(2a)) in plasma samples for therapeutic drug monitoring. A restricted access material (RAM, protein-coated silica) was employed for preparation of a lab-made biocompatible in-tube SPME capillary that enables the direct injection of biological fluids as well as the simultaneous exclusion of macromolecules by chemical diffusion barrier and drug pre-concentration. The in-tube SPME variables, such as sample volume, draw/eject volume, number of draw-eject cycles, and desorption mode were optimized, to improve the sensitivity of the proposed method. The IFN alpha(2a) analyses in plasma sample were carried out within 25 min (sample preparation and LC analyses). The response of the proposed method was linear over a dynamic range, from 0.06 to 3.0 MIU mL(-1), with correlation coefficient equal to 0.998. The interday precision of the method presented coefficient of variation lower than 8%. The proposed automated method has adequate analytical sensitivity and selectivity for determination of IFN alpha(2a) in plasma samples for therapeutic drug monitoring. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sjuksköterskans upplevelser av den palliativa vården vid användadet av Liverpool Care Pathway

Syftet var att studera hur den palliativa vården upplevs av sjuksköterskor vid användandet av Liverpool Care Pathway. Studien baserades på data från sex informanter på särskild boende/korttidsboende i en kommun i Dalarna. Studien har en kvalitativ design med innehållsanalys enligt Graneheim och Lundman. Analys av insamlad data resulterade i de tre kategorierna: Tydliga kriterier ger trygghet i vården, Omvårdnadsarbetet har utvecklats och tydligare information. Resultatet visade att tydliga kriterier vid användningen av Liverpool Care Pathway i den kommunala vården gav den palliativa patienten trygghet i omvårdnaden vid livets slut samt klara kriterier som gjorde att personalen tillämpade lika arbetsätt i den palliativa vården. Att stanna kvar i hemmet vid livet slut var en självklarhet för den palliativa patienten när Liverpool Care Pathway var infört i kommunen. Information till anhöriga och patienten i livets slut hade underlättats då Liverpool Care Pathway tillhandahöll tydlig information om den palliativa patientens status. Studiens resultat visade att den palliativa vårdens dokumentation kvalitetssäkrats och utvecklats genom att Liverpool Care Pathway införts i den kommunala vården. 

Sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede enligt Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP)

Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede enligt en vårdplan utformad som en journal med riktlinjer för vård i livets slutskede, den så kallade Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). Metod: Studien är utförd som en litteraturöversikt. Artiklarna söktes via databaserna CINAHL, PubMed, MedLine, SAGE Journals och Scopus. Tolv artiklar valdes ut för kvalitétsgranskning enligt en förutbestämd granskningsmall. Elva artiklar godkändes och utgjorde grunden för resultatet. Resultat: En tydlig effekt av införandet av LCP var att sjuksköterskorna upplevde ett ökat självförtroende och en ökad kunskap i vårdandet. Detta bidrog till förbättringar gällande symtomkontroll samt ifrågasättande av fortsatt rutinmässig behandling. LCP anågs vara en bra utgångspunkt för samtal och undervisning i möten med patienter och anhöriga. LCP upplevdes ge ramar och gemensamma utgångspunkter i teamarbetet runt patienten vilket bidrog till en bättre planering och tydligare mål i vårdandet. Trots alla positiva upplevelser kände en del sjuksköterskor att de kunde uppstå svårigheter i vårdandet enligt LCP. Brister i vårdmiljön ansågs av sjuksköterskorna göra att målen med vården inte kunde tillgodoses. Tidsbrist och underbemanning ledde ofta till att patienter i livets slutskede fick en lägre prioritet. Vidare ansågs kriterierna vara för hårda enligt vissa sjuksköterskor gällande införande av LCP.

Sjuksköterskors erfarenhet av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede enligt Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) : En litteraturöversikt

Syfte: Att redogöra för sjuksköterskors erfarenhet av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede enligt Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). Metod: Litteraturstudien baseras på tio vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats. De vetenskapliga artiklarna söktes i databaserna CINAHL, PubMed och World of Science. Inklusionskriterier var att artiklarna skulle vara primärkällor, vara skrivna på svenska eller engelska samt publicerade mellan år 2003-2013. Ytterligare inklusionskriterier var att sjuksköterskorna skulle ha erfarenhet av LCP, samt att de vetenskapliga artiklarna erhöll medel eller hög poäng vid granskningen och var godkänd av en etisk kommitté. Studier från hela världen inkluderades. Huvudresultat: Ett flertal studier visade att LCP bidrog till ett ökat självförtroende och tydligare riktlinjer för den palliativa vården. Sjuksköterskorna upplevde en förbättrad symtomkontroll och förbättrad vård efter införandet av LCP. Sjuksköterskorna var positiva till dokumentationen i LCP och det framgick också att LCP hade förbättrat och underlättat kommunikationen med närstående. LCP erbjöd stöd och vägledning i vården men det framgick också att det fanns oklarheter vad beträffar diagnostiserande av en patient som döende. Slutsats: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka sjuksköterskors erfarenhet av att vårda patienter i livets slutskede enligt Liverpool Care Pathway. Det framgick att det fanns bristande kunskaper om palliativ vård, men att införandet av LCP gett sjuksköterskor stöd och vägledning samt förbättrat kunskapen om palliativ vård. En vårdplan som LCP kan vara ett stöd för sjuksköterskan i omvårdnaden av patienter inom palliativ vård, men en sådan vårdplan kan aldrig ersätta sjuksköterskans kliniska kompetens. Det är därför viktigt att sjuksköterskor erbjuds fortlöpande utbildning inom palliativ vård, samt att en vårdplan som LCP används utifrån ett kritiskt förhållningssätt.  

A Pollen Chase Experiment; Examining Varying Levels of Embryonic Inbreeding Depression

A pollen chase experiment was performed upon three Costa Rican populations of Witheringia solanacea to examine the breakdown of genetically enforced self incompatibility (SI) and the extent of embryonic inbreeding depression. Self-pollen was applied in the bud, with outcross pollen applied one day later, and outcross pollinations at both intervals as a control. A variety of responses were found among the populations. BOHS readily accepted self pollen and suffered from very low inbreeding depression. Monteverde and Las Cruces both have lower fruit set with self-pollination precedence indicating that bud pollinations can overcome the self-incompatibility response and that embryonic death due to inbreeding depression causes fruit failure. The treatment:control fruit set is higher for the Las Cruces plants indicating stronger SI response Self-precedence seeds from the Las Cruces plants are likely to be outcrossed. Self-precedence seeds from Monteverde are likely selfed.

Does The Risk Of Groundwater Depletion Drive Tube-Well Technology Adoption: A Case Of Pakistan

We employ a moment-based approach to empirically analyse farmer’s decisions about adoption of tube-well technology under depleting groundwater resources using a farm level data from 200 farming households in the Punjab province, Pakistan. The results indicate that the higher the expected profit the greater the probability of adoption. Similarly, with increasing variance the probability of adopting tube-well increases significantly indicating that farmers choose to adopt tube-well technology in order to hedge against production risks. Statistical non-significant the third moment i.e., skewness indicates that farmer generally do not consider downside yield risk when decide to adopt tube-well technology whereas highly significant fourth moment (kurtosis) employ that probability of adoption decreases as a result of extreme events in profit distribution. In addition, we show that land tenureship and three other exogenous variables, i.e., extension services, access to different sources of information and off-farm income play a significant role in the adoption process.

Bank transactions tax: pathway to the single tax ideal: a modern tax technology, the Brazilian experience with a bank transactions tax (1993-2007)

Lançado por Marcos Cintra nos EUA, é mais uma contribuição ao debate envolvendo os impostos e a ideia do Imposto Único.

Síndromes de polinização ocorrentes em uma área de Mata Atlântica, Paraíba, Brasil

ARAUJO, Afranio Cesar de et al. Síndromes de polinização ocorrentes em uma área de Mata Atlântica, Paraíba, Brasil. Biotemas, Florianopolis, v. 4, n. 22, p.83-94, dez. 2009. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 04 out. 2010.

Aspectos estruturais, farmacológicos e biológicos de fucanas da alga marrom sargassum vulgare

The present study examines the chemical composition and their effects on free radicals, inflammation, angiogenesis, coagulation, VEGF effects and cellular proliferation of a polysaccharides from alga Sargassum vulgare. The sulfated polysaccharide was extracted from brown seaweed by proteolysis with enzymes maxataze. The presence of proteins and sugars were observed in crude polysaccharides. Fractionation of this crude extract was made with growing concentration of acetone (0.3-1.5 v) and produced four groups of polysaccharides. Anionic polysaccharides from brown seaweed Sargassum vulgare, SV1and PSV1 were fractionated (SV1) and purified (PSV1), and displayed with high total sugars and sulfate content and very low level of protein. This fucan SV1 contains low levels of protein and high carbohydrate and sulfate content. This polysaccharides prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) at 50 μg (>240 s). SV1 was found to have no effect on prothrombin time (PT), corresponding to the extrinsic pathway of coagulation. SV1 exhibits high antithrombotic action in vivo, with a concentration ten times higher than heparin. Polysaccharides from S. vulgare promoted direct inhibition enzymatic activity of thrombin and stimulated enzymatic activity of FXa. SV1 showed optimal inhibitory activity of thrombin (50.2±0.28%) at a concentration of 25 μg/mL. Its antioxidant action on scavenging radicals by DPPH was (22%), indicating the polymer has no cytotoxic action (hemolytic) on ABO and Rh blood types in different erythrocyte groups and displays strong anti-inflammatory action on all concentrations tested in the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, demonstrated by reduced edema and cellular infiltration. Angiogenesis is a dynamic process of proliferation and differentiation. It requires endothelial proliferation, migration, and tube formation. In this context, endothelial cells are a preferred target for several studies and therapies. The antiangiogenic efficacy of polysaccharides was examined in vivo in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model by using fertilized eggs. Decreases in the density of the capillaries were assessed and scored. The results showed that SV1 and PSV1 have an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis. These results were also confirmed by inhibition tubulogenesis in rabbit aorta endothelial cell (RAEC) in matrigel. These compounds were assessed in Apoptosis assay (Annexin V - FITC / PI) and cell viability by MTT assay of RAEC. These polysaccharides do not affect the viability and do not have apoptotic or necrotic action. RAEC cell when incubated with SV1 and PSV1showed inhibition of VEGF secretion, observed when compounds were incubated at 25, 50 and 100 μg/μL. The VEGF secretion with the RAEC cell line for 24 h, was more effective for PSV1 at 50 μg/μL(71.4%) than SV1 100 μg/μL (75.9%). SV1 and PSV1 had an antiproliferative action (47%) against tumor cell line HeLa. Our results indicate that these sulfated polysaccharides have antiangiogenic and antitumoral actions

Hemolytic activity of alternative complement pathway as an indicator of innate immunity in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the methodology to establish the hemolytic activity of alternative complement pathway as an indicator of the innate immunity in Brazilian fish pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), in addition to verifying the influence of β-glucan as an immunostimulant. Fish were fed with diets containing 0, 0.1 and 1% β-glucan, during seven days, and then inoculated with Aeromonas hydrophila. Seven days after the challenge, they were bled for serum extraction. The methodology consisted of a kinetic assay that allows calculating the required time for serum proteins of the complement to promote 50% lysis of a rabbit red blood cell suspension. The method developed in mammals was successfully applied for pacu and determined that the hemolytic activity of the proteins of the complement system (alternative pathway) increased after the pathogen challenge, but was not influenced by the β-glucan treatment.

Carbohydrate metabolism of Xylella fastidiosa: Detection of glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes and cloning and expression of the enolase gene

The objective of this work was to assess the functionality of the glycolytic pathways in the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. To this effect, the enzymes phosphoglucose isomerase, aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase of the glycolytic pathway, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway were studied, followed by cloning and expression studies of the enolase gene and determination of its activity. These studies showed that X. fastidiosa does not use the glycolytic pathway to metabolize carbohydrates, which explains the increased duplication time of this phytopatogen. Recombinant enolase was expressed as inclusion bodies and solubilized with urea (most efficient extractor), Triton X-100, and TCA. Enolase extracted from X. fastidiosa and from chicken muscle and liver is irreversibly inactivated by urea. The purification of enolase was partial and resulted in a low yield. No enzymatic activity was detected for either recombinant and native enolases, aldolase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, suggesting that X. fastidiosa uses the Entner-Doudoroff pathway to produce pyruvate. Evidence is presented supporting the idea that the regulation of genes and the presence of isoforms with regulation patterns might make it difficult to understand the metabolism of carbohydrates in X. fastidiosa.

Children's Perspectives on their Economic Activity as a Pathway to Resilience

When viewed in the context of children's physical, social, and economic ecologies, children's work has both contextually specific benefits and consequences. This paper examines children's experiences of their economic activity using a theory of resilience as a contextually and culturally embedded phenomenon [British Journal of Social Work, 38 (2008) 218]. Though there is evidence that child labour is a potential threat to children's well-being, some forms of children's work may function as potential sources of health-enhancing resources associated with resilience, resulting in positive psychosocial development. Working children can find through their working experiences positive sources of efficacy and cohesion, strong identity, feelings of well-being, positive relationships, and access to material and social capital. (C) 2009 The Author(s). Journal compilation (C) 2009 National Children's Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited.

Synthetic lethality between eIF5A and Ypt1 reveals a connection between translation and the secretory pathway in yeast

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