Genetic variability of Herpailurus yagouaroundi, Puma concolor and Panthera onca (Mammalia, Felidae) studied using Felis catus microsatellites

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Coagglutination for viral DNA preparation of canine parvovirus for molecular diagnosis

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

Chronic caffeine intake increases androgenic stimuli, epithelial cell proliferation and hyperplasia in rat ventral prostate

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

Chromosomal painting and ZW sex chromosomes differentiation in Characidium (Characiformes, Crenuchidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparative study on extracts from the tissue covering the stingers of freshwater (Potamotrygon falkneri) and marine (Dasyatis guttata) stingrays

Stingrays are elasmobranchs found along the seacoast and in some rivers of Brazil. Pain is the most conspicuous symptom observed in patients wounded by the bilaterally retroserrate stingers located in the tail, which are covered by glandular and integument tissues. In addition, cutaneous necrosis is commonly observed in injuries caused by freshwater stingrays. The aim of this work was to characterize and compare certain properties of tissue extracts obtained from the glandular tissues covering the stinger apparatus of Potamotrygon falkneri and Dasyatis guttata stingrays. By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), tissue extracts have similar bands above 80kDa, but most differences were observed below this molecular mass. Lethal, dermonecrotic and myotoxic activities were detected only in P. falkneri tissue extract. Edematogenic activity was similar and dose dependent in both tissue extracts. Nociceptive activity was verified in both tissue extracts, but P. falkneri presented a two-fold higher activity than D. guttata tissue extract. No direct hemolysis, phospholipase A(2) and coagulant activities were observed in both tissue extracts. Antigenic cross-reactivity was noticed by ELISA and Western blotting, using antisera raised in rabbits. Species-specific sera reacted with several components of both tissue extracts, noticeably above 22 kDa. Both tissue extracts presented gelatinolytic, caseinolytic and fibrinogenolytic activities, which were not caused by the action of metalloproteinases. Hyaluronidase activity was detected only in P. falkneri tissue extract. Our experimental observations suggest that P. falkneri tissue extract is more toxic than D. guttata tissue extract. These results may explain why injuries caused by freshwater stingrays are more severe in human accidents. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaphylaxis Due to Pachycondyla goeldii Ant: A Case Report

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

On the morphology of the worker immatures of the leafcutter ant Atta sexdens linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Leafcutter ants of the genus Atta Fabricius are serious agricultural pests. Morphological studies of immature stages within this group are few, and the data provided for species of considerable importance are usually incomplete. In this study, the immatures of Atta sexdens Linnaeus are described and compared using light and scanning electron microscopy. Only specimens from founding stage colonies (i.e., lacking adult workers) were used. The existence of four larval instars was estimated by a frequency plot of maximum head widths, and the larvae of different instars differed from each other mainly by their bodily dimensions. Worker larvae belonged to two distinct morphological castes: (1) gardeners and nurses and (2) within-nest generalists. The worker larvae described in this study differed from a previous description of the same species by the following traits: the existence of a genal lobe, the number of clypeal hairs, the presence of two hairs on the ninth abdominal somite, the presence of hairs on the anterior surface of the labrum, and the shape of the maxillary palpus. This study provides a comparative analysis of immature stages of A. sexdens that may be relevant to future morphological and biological studies of the Attini. Microsc. Res. Tech. 75:10591065, 2012. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation of cytotoxic, apoptosis-inducing, genotoxic and protective effects of the flavonoid rutin in HTC hepatic cells

Rutin is a flavonoid with antioxidant, vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulating activities. To study the toxicity of rutin and its protective effect, this work investigated the cytotoxic, apoptosis-inducing, genotoxic and protective effects of rutin in HTC cells. In the MTT assay, the highest concentration tested (810 mu M) showed cytotoxicity after 72 h of treatment, where cell viability and cell proliferation was diminished. None of the concentrations of rutin tested induced apoptosis after 24 h treatment. The highest concentration of rutin after 24 h treatment induced DNA damage, shown in the comet assay, but did have a genotoxic effect in the micronucleus test. Rutin was tested against the pro-carcinogenic agent benzo(a)pyrene, at concentrations of 90, 270 and 810 mu M, and was found to reduce induced DNA damage significantly. This protective effect of rutin against a pro-carcinogen, suggests an important biological activity for this compound, which can contribute to human health through the diet. (C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

d(-)-Lactic Acid Production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides B512 Using Different Carbon and Nitrogen Sources

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

Improvement of L(+)-lactic acid production from cassava wastewater by Lactobacillus rhamnosus B 103

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

The Effects of a 785-nm AlGaInP Laser on the Regeneration of Rat Anterior Tibialis Muscle After Surgically-Induced Injury

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on muscle regeneration. For this purpose, the anterior tibialis muscle of 48 male Wistar rats received AlGaInP laser treatment (785 nm) after surgically-induced injury.Background Data: Few studies have been conducted on the effects of LLLT on muscle regeneration at different irradiation doses.Materials and Methods: The animals were randomized into four groups: uninjured rats (UN); uninjured and laser-irradiated rats (ULI); injured rats (IN); and injured and laser-irradiated rats (ILI). The direct contact laser treatment was started 24 h after surgery. An AlGaInP diode laser emitting 75 mW of continuous power at 785 nm was used for irradiation. The laser probe was placed at three treatment points to deliver 0.9 J per point, for a total dose of 2.7 J per treatment session. The animals were euthanized after treatment sessions 1, 2, and 4. Mounted sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and used for quantitative morphological analysis, in which the number of leukocytes and fibroblasts were counted over an area of 4480 mu m(2). The data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni t-test.Results: Quantitative data showed that the number of both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocytes in the inflammatory infiltrate at the injury site was smaller in the ILI(1), ILI(2), and ILI(4) subgroups compared with their respective control subgroups (IN(1), IN(2), and IN(4)) for sessions 1, 2, and 4, respectively (p < 0.05). on the other hand, the number of fibroblasts increased after the fourth treatment session (p < 0.05). With regard to the regeneration of muscle fibers following injury, only after the fourth treatment session was it possible to find muscle precursor cells such as myoblasts and some myotubes in the ILI(4) subgroup.Conclusion: During the acute inflammatory phase, the AlGaInP laser treatment was found to have anti-inflammatory effects, reducing the number of leukocytes at the injury site and accelerating the regeneration of connective tissue.

Effect of GaAlAs Laser Irradiation on the Epiphyseal Cartilage of Rats

Objective: To study the effect of an 830-nm gallium-aluminum-arsenic (GaAlAs) diode laser at two different energy densities (5 and 15 J/cm(2)) on the epiphyseal cartilage of rats by evaluating bone length and the number of chondrocytes and thickness of each zone of the epiphyseal cartilage. Background Data: Few studies have been conducted on the effects of low-level laser therapy on the epiphyseal cartilage at different irradiation doses. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 male Wistar rats with 23 days of age and weighing 90 g on average were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (CG, no stimulation), G5 group (energy density, 5 J/cm(2)), and G15 group (energy density, 15 J/cm(2)). Laser treatment sessions were administered every other day for a total of 10 sessions. The animals were killed 24 h after the last treatment session. Histological slides of the epiphyseal cartilage were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), photographed with a Zeiss photomicroscope, and subjected to histometric and histological analyses. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's post hoc test. All statistical tests were performed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Histological analysis and x-ray radiographs revealed an increase in thickness of the epiphyseal cartilage and in the number of chondrocytes in the G5 and G15 groups. Conclusion: The 830-nm GaAlAs diode laser, within the parameters used in this study, induced changes in the thickness of the epiphyseal cartilage and increased the number of chondrocytes, but this was not sufficient to induce changes in bone length.

Alterations of the TP53 Gene in Gastric and Esophageal Carcinogenesis

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

Evaluation of two morphometric methods of bone loss percentages caused by periodontitis in rats in different locations

Objective: The present study evaluated morphometrically bone loss percentages in experimental periodontitis in rats, comparing different locations (lingual mandible, palatal maxilla and buccal maxilla) and two evaluation methods (distance and area methods). Material and Methods: Ligatures were placed around the maxillary right second molar and around the mandibular right first molar in 14 female Wistar rats. The contralateral molars served as intragroup control. After 4 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and their mandible and maxilla were removed. The specimens were dissected and stained with methylene blue dye. Bone loss was evaluated by two different methods on the surfaces of the defleshed jaw. In the first method, the distance from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest was measured in the roots of teeth associated with ligature. In the second method, the area of bone loss was determined using the alveolar tissue bone, CEJ and the proximal region of roots associated with the ligature as reference. The data were converted to bone loss percentages caused by ligature: (ligated - unligated) x 100/ligated. Results: When comparing the distance and area methods, no statistically significant difference was observed (p>0.05). Both methodologies indicated that the maxilla presented greater bone loss than the mandible and it was more accentuated on the buccal side than on the palatal side (p<0.05). Conclusions: The findings of this study show that both the area and the distance methods can be used to evaluate bone loss caused by ligature placement in rats, and suggest applying the morphometric methodology to the maxilla on the buccal side.