Comparative study of the hygienic behavior of Carniolan and Africanized honey bees directed towards grouped versus isolated dead brood cells

In Apis mellifera, hygienic behavior involves recognition and removal of sick, damaged or dead brood from capped cells. We investigated whether bees react in the same way to grouped versus isolated damaged capped brood cells. Three colonies of wild-type Africanized honey bees and three colonies of Carniolan honey bees were used for this investigation. Capped worker brood cells aged 12 to 14 days old were perforated with the pin-killing method. After making holes in the brood cells, the combs were placed back into the hives; 24 h later the number of cleaned cells was recorded in areas with pin-killed and control brood cells. Four repetitions were made in each colony. Isolated cells were more frequently cleaned than grouped cells, though variance analysis showed no significant difference (P = 0.1421). Carniolan bees also were somewhat, though not significantly more hygienic than Africanized honey bees (P = 0.0840). We conclude that honey bees can detect and remove both isolated and grouped dead brood. The tendency towards greater hygienic efficiency directed towards grouped pin-killed brood may be a consequence of a greater concentration of volatiles emanating from the wounds in the dead pupae.

A molecular phylogeny and the evolution of nest architecture and behavior in Trigona s.s. (Hymenoptera : Apidae : Meliponini)

Stingless bees exhibit extraordinary variation in nest architecture within and among species. To test for phylogenetic association of behavioral traits for species of the Neotropical stingless bee genus Trigona s.s., a phylogenetic hypothesis was generated by combining sequence data of 24 taxa from one mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and four nuclear gene fragments (long-wavelength rhodopsin copy 1 (opsin), elongation factor-1 alpha copy F2, arginine kinase, and 28S rRNA). Fifteen characteristics of the nest architecture were coded and tested for phylogenetic association. Several characters have significant phylogenetic signal, including type of nesting substrate, nest construction material, and hemipterophily, the tending of hemipteroid insects in exchange for sugar excretions. Phylogenetic independent habits encountered in Trigona s.s. include coprophily and necrophagy.

Selol-loaded magnetic nanocapsules: A new approach for hyperthermia cancer therapy

Polylactic-co-glycolic nanocapsules, loaded with nanosized magnetic particles and Selol (a selenium-based anticancer drug), were successfully prepared by the precipitation method. Maghemite (gamma-Fe(2)O(3)) nanoparticles were incorporated into the nanocapsules using a highly stable ionic magnetic fluid sample. The obtained nanocapsules presented no agglomeration, negative surface charge while revealing a narrow monomodal size distribution. All the nanocapsule formulations exhibited a good physical stability at 4 degrees C during 3 month storage period. The in vitro antitumoral activity of Selol-magnetic nanocapsules was assessed using a murine melanoma cell line. The influence of nanocapsules on cell viability was investigated by spectrophotometric assay. The results demonstrated that Selol-loaded magnetic nanocapsules (at 100 mu g/ml/5 x 10(9) particle/ml) showed antitumoral activity of 50% on melanoma cells (absence of magnetic field). These results clearly indicate that the loaded nanocapsules represent a novel and promising magnetic drug delivery system suitable for cancer treatment via the active drug and magnetohyperthermia. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3556950]

Photophysical properties of a photocytotoxic fluorinated chlorin conjugated to four beta-cyclodextrins

A meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-chlorin with the reduced pyrrole ring linked to an isoxazolidine ring (FC) has been conjugated to four beta-cyclodextrins (CDFC). The CDFC exhibits excellent water solubility and is a potent photosensitizer towards proliferating NCTC 2544 human keratinocytes. The study by conventional steady state absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies and by time-resolved femto- and nanosecond laser flash spectroscopies suggests that in ethanol and pH 7 buffer the beta-cyclodextrins embed the highly hydrophobic tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-chlorin macrocycle and strongly interact with the chlorin rings in the singlet and triplet manifolds. In these solvents, femtosecond spectroscopy suggests that the conjugate undergoes a rapid relaxation in the upper excited singlet states induced by photochemical and/or conformation change(s) at a rate of about 5 ps(-1) to fluorescent states whose lifetime is similar to 8 ns. This interaction is destroyed upon addition of Triton X100 to buffer. Both FC and CDFC strongly fluoresce (Phi(F) similar to 0.5) in micelles. Similar behavior is observed at the triplet level. In ethanol and water, the initial transient triplet state absorbance decays within 1-3 mu s yielding a longer lived triplet with spectral properties indistinguishable from that of original difference absorbance spectra. The determination of the molar absorbance in the 440-460 nm region (similar to 35 000 M(-1) cm(-1)) leads to an estimate of similar to 0.2 for the triplet formation quantum yield of FC in toluene and of FC and CDFC in Triton X100 micelles. Quenching of the CDFC triplets by dioxygen in buffer produces (1)O(2) in a good yield consistent with the effective photocytotoxicity of the chlorin-cyclodextrins conjugate towards cultured NCTC 2544 human keratinocytes. By contrast, FC which aggregates in buffer produces little if any (1)O(2).

Quadruple therapy with furazolidone for retreatment in patients with peptic ulcer disease

AIM: To establish the efficacy and safety of a 7-d therapeutic regimen using omeprazole, bismuth suticitrate, furazolidone and amoxicillin in patients with peptic ulcer disease who had been previously treated with other therapeutic regimens without success. METHODS: Open cohort study which included patients with peptic ulcer who had previously been treated unsuccessfully with one or more eradication regimens. The therapeutic regimen consisted of 20 mg omeprazole, 240 mg colloidal bismuth subcitrate, 1000 mg amoxicillin, and 200 mg furazolidone, taken twice a day for 7 d. Patients were considered as eradicated when samples taken from the gastric antrum and corpus 12 wk after the end of treatment were negative for Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) (rapid urease test and histology). Safety was determined by the presence of adverse effects. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were enrolled. The eradication rate was 68.8% (31/45). Adverse effects were reported by 31.4% of the patients, and these were usually considered to be slight or moderate in the majority of the cases. Three patients had to withdraw from the treatment due to the presence of severe adverse effects. CONCLUSION: The association of bismuth, furazolidone, amoxicillin and a proton-pump inhibitor is a valuable alternative for patients who failed to respond to other eradication regimens. It is an effective, cheap and safe option for salvage therapy of positive patients. (C) 2008 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.

Short-term triple therapy with azithromycin for Helicobacter pylori eradication: Low cost, high compliance, but low efficacy

Background: The Brazilian consensus recommends a short-term treatment course with clarithromycin, amoxicillin and proton-pump inhibitor for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori). This treatment course has good efficacy, but cannot be afforded by a large part of the population. Azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole are subsidized, for several aims, by the Brazilian federal government. Therefore, a short-term treatment course that uses these drugs is a low-cost one, but its efficacy regarding the bacterium eradication is yet to be demonstrated. The study's purpose was to verify the efficacy of H. pylori eradication in infected patients who presented peptic ulcer disease, using the association of azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole. Methods: Sixty patients with peptic ulcer diagnosed by upper digestive endoscopy and H. pylori infection documented by rapid urease test, histological analysis and urea breath test were treated for six days with a combination of azithromycin 500 mg and omeprazole 20 mg, in a single daily dose, associated with amoxicillin 500 mg 3 times a day. The eradication control was carried out 12 weeks after the treatment by means of the same diagnostic tests. The eradication rates were calculated with 95% confidence interval. Results: The eradication rate was 38% per intention to treat and 41% per protocol. Few adverse effects were observed and treatment compliance was high. Conclusion: Despite its low cost and high compliance, the low eradication rate does not allow the recommendation of the triple therapy with azithromycin as an adequate treatment for H. pylori infection.

Comparison of the Effects of Electrical Field Stimulation and Low-Level Laser Therapy on Bone Loss in Spinal Cord-Injured Rats

Objective: This study investigated the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and electrical stimulation (ES) on bone loss in spinal cord-injured rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-seven male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: standard control group (CG); spinal cord-injured control (SC); spinal cord-injured treated with laser (SCL; GaAlAs, 830 nm, CW, 30mW/cm, 250 J/cm(2)); and spinal cord-injured treated with electrical field stimulation (SCE; 1.5 MHz, 1: 4 duty cycles, 30 mW, 20 min). Biomechanical, densitometric, and morphometric analyses were performed. Results: SC rats showed a significant decrease in bone mass, biomechanical properties, and morphometric parameters (versus CG). SCE rats showed significantly higher values of inner diameter and internal and external areas of tibia diaphyses; and the SCL group showed a trend toward the same result (versus SC). No increase was found in either mechanical or densitometric parameters. Conclusion: We conclude that the mentioned treatments were able to initiate a positive bone-tissue response, maybe through stimulation of osteoblasts, which was able to determine the observed morphometric modifications. However, the evoked tissue response could not determine either biomechanical or densitometric modifications.

Cell Therapy Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction Post Myocardial Infarction: Effect of Timing, Routes of Injection and a Fibrin Scaffold

Background: Cell therapy approaches for biologic cardiac repair hold great promises, although basic fundamental issues remain poorly understood. In the present study we examined the effects of timing and routes of administration of bone marrow cells (BMC) post-myocardial infarction (MI) and the efficacy of an injectable biopolymer scaffold to improve cardiac cell retention and function. Methodology/Principal Findings: (99m)Tc-labeled BMC (6x10(6) cells) were injected by 4 different routes in adult rats: intravenous (IV), left ventricular cavity (LV), left ventricular cavity with temporal aorta occlusion (LV(+)) to mimic coronary injection, and intramyocardial (IM). The injections were performed 1, 2, 3, or 7 days post-MI and cell retention was estimated by gamma-emission counting of the organs excised 24 hs after cell injection. IM injection improved cell retention and attenuated cardiac dysfunction, whereas IV, LV or LV* routes were somewhat inefficient (< 1%). Cardiac BMC retention was not influenced by timing except for the IM injection that showed greater cell retention at 7 (16%) vs. 1, 2 or 3 (average of 7%) days post-MI. Cardiac cell retention was further improved by an injectable fibrin scaffold at day 3 post-MI (17 vs. 7%), even though morphometric and function parameters evaluated 4 weeks later displayed similar improvements. Conclusions/Significance: These results show that cells injected post-MI display comparable tissue distribution profile regardless of the route of injection and that there is no time effect for cardiac cell accumulation for injections performed 1 to 3 days post-MI. As expected the IM injection is the most efficient for cardiac cell retention, it can be further improved by co-injection with a fibrin scaffold and it significantly attenuates cardiac dysfunction evaluated 4 weeks post myocardial infarction. These pharmacokinetic data obtained under similar experimental conditions are essential for further development of these novel approaches.

Anti-tumor therapy with macroencapsulated endostatin producer cells

Background: Theracyte is a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane macroencapsulation system designed to induce neovascularization at the tissue interface, protecting the cells from host's immune rejection, thereby circumventing the problem of limited half-life and variation in circulating levels. Endostatin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and tumor growth. Continuous delivery of endostatin improves the efficacy and potency of the antitumoral therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether recombinant fibroblasts expressing endostatin encapsulated in Theracyte immunoisolation devices can be used for delivery of this therapeutic protein for treatment of mice bearing B16F10 melanoma and Ehrlich tumors. Results: Mice were inoculated subcutaneously with melanoma (B16F10 cells) or Ehrlich tumor cells at the foot pads. Treatment began when tumor thickness had reached 0.5 mm, by subcutaneous implantation of 10(7) recombinant encapsulated or non-encapsulated endostatin producer cells. Similar melanoma growth inhibition was obtained for mice treated with encapsulated or non-encapsulated endostatin-expressing cells. The treatment of mice bearing melanoma tumor with encapsulated endostatin-expressing cells was decreased by 50.0%, whereas a decrease of 56.7% in tumor thickness was obtained for mice treated with non-encapsulated cells. Treatment of Ehrlich tumor-bearing mice with non-encapsulated endostatin-expressing cells reduced tumor thickness by 52.4%, whereas lower tumor growth inhibition was obtained for mice treated with encapsulated endostatin-expressing cells: 24.2%. Encapsulated endostatin-secreting fibroblasts failed to survive until the end of the treatment. However, endostatin release from the devices to the surrounding tissues was confirmed by immunostaining. Decrease in vascular structures, functional vessels and extension of the vascular area were observed in melanoma microenvironments. Conclusions: This study indicates that immunoisolation devices containing endostatin-expressing cells are effective for the inhibition of the growth of melanoma and Ehrlich tumors. Macroencapsulation of engineered cells is therefore a reliable platform for the refinement of innovative therapeutic strategies against tumors.

Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Pain and Scar Formation After Inguinal Herniation Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Single-Blind Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of an infrared GaAlAs laser operating with a wavelength of 830 nm in the postsurgical scarring process after inguinal-hernia surgery. Background: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been shown to be beneficial in the tissue-repair process, as previously demonstrated in tissue culture and animal experiments. However, there is lack of studies on the effects of LLLT on postsurgical scarring of incisions in humans using an infrared 830-nm GaAlAs laser. Method: Twenty-eight patients who underwent surgery for inguinal hernias were randomly divided into an experimental group (G1) and a control group (G2). G1 received LLLT, with the first application performed 24 h after surgery and then on days 3, 5, and 7. The incisions were irradiated with an 830-nm diode laser operating with a continuous power output of 40 mW, a spot-size aperture of 0.08 cm(2) for 26 s, energy per point of 1.04 J, and an energy density of 13 J/cm(2). Ten points per scar were irradiated. Six months after surgery, both groups were reevaluated using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), the Visual Analog Scale, and measurement of the scar thickness. Results: G1 showed significantly better results in the VSS totals (2.14 +/- 1.51) compared with G2 (4.85 +/- 1.87); in the thickness measurements (0.11 cm) compared with G2 (0.19 cm); and in the malleability (0.14) compared with G2 (1.07). The pain score was also around 50% higher in G2. Conclusion: Infra-red LLLT (830 nm) applied after inguinal-hernia surgery was effective in preventing the formation of keloids. In addition, LLLT resulted in better scar appearance and quality 6 mo postsurgery.

Cross-National Analysis of the Associations between Traumatic Events and Suicidal Behavior: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Background: Community and clinical data have suggested there is an association between trauma exposure and suicidal behavior (i.e., suicide ideation, plans and attempts). However, few studies have assessed which traumas are uniquely predictive of: the first onset of suicidal behavior, the progression from suicide ideation to plans and attempts, or the persistence of each form of suicidal behavior over time. Moreover, few data are available on such associations in developing countries. The current study addresses each of these issues. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data on trauma exposure and subsequent first onset of suicidal behavior were collected via structured interviews conducted in the households of 102,245 (age 18+) respondents from 21 countries participating in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Bivariate and multivariate survival models tested the relationship between the type and number of traumatic events and subsequent suicidal behavior. A range of traumatic events are associated with suicidal behavior, with sexual and interpersonal violence consistently showing the strongest effects. There is a dose-response relationship between the number of traumatic events and suicide ideation/attempt; however, there is decay in the strength of the association with more events. Although a range of traumatic events are associated with the onset of suicide ideation, fewer events predict which people with suicide ideation progress to suicide plan and attempt, or the persistence of suicidal behavior over time. Associations generally are consistent across high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides more detailed information than previously available on the relationship between traumatic events and suicidal behavior and indicates that this association is fairly consistent across developed and developing countries. These data reinforce the importance of psychological trauma as a major public health problem, and highlight the significance of screening for the presence and accumulation of traumatic exposures as a risk factor for suicide ideation and attempt.