Stabilizability and Disturbance Rejection with State-Derivative Feedback

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Determination of the photoinduced birefringence and of the refractive index by Brewster method of epoxy resin doped with CdS

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Occurrence of consonant production errors in liquid phonemes in children with operated cleft lip and palate

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determinação da expressão da molécula de adesão CD56 em plasmócitos no mieloma múltiplo através de estudo imuno-histoquímico

O papel das moléculas de adesão celular, na fisiopatologia do mieloma múltiplo (MM), tem sido alvo de vários estudos nos últimos anos. A expressão de CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais está associada a comportamento clínico menos agressivo da doença, e sua perda tem sido descrita na fase de leucemização plasmocitária. A determinação da expressão da molécula CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais pode ser obtida através de citometria em fluxo, revelando positividade em 55% a 78% dos casos. No presente estudo, objetivamos verificar a expressão da molécula CD56 por plasmócitos tumorais na medula óssea de portadores de MM, utilizando o estudo imuno-histoquímico das amostras histológicas obtidas ao diagnóstico. Analisamos as amostras de medula óssea de vinte portadores de MM, e realizamos o estudo imuno-histoquímico para determinação da expressão das cadeias leves kappa e lambda e da molécula CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais. A expressão da molécula CD56 foi importante em três casos, moderada em seis, discreta em quatro e negativa em sete. O estudo imuno-histoquímico mostrou-se válido para determinação da expressão de CD56 por plasmócitos tumorais em portadores de MM, fornecendo resultados semelhantes aos descritos para os obtidos por citometria em fluxo. Através do estudo imuno-histoquímico, foi possível observar variações da expressão da molécula CD56.

Typing class I HLA-A gene using a nested PCR-RFLP procedure

In order to detect several new HLA-A class I alleles that have been described since 1998, the original PCR-RFLP method developed to identify the 78 alleles recognized at that time at high resolution level was adapted by us for low and medium resolution levels using a nested PCR-RFLP approach. The results obtained from blood samples of 23 subjects using both the PCR-RFLP method and a commercial kit (MicroSSP1A®, One Lambda Inc.) showed an agreement higher than 95%. The PCR-RFLP adapted method was effective in low and medium resolution histocompatibility evaluations.

Effect of low-level laser therapy on bone repair: Histological study in rats

Background and Objectives: Bone remodeling is characterized as a cyclic and lengthy process. It is currently accepted that not only this dynamics is triggered by a biological process, but also biochemical, electrical, and mechanical stimuli are key factors for the maintenance of bone tissue. The hypothesis that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may favor bone repair has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone repair in defects created in rat lower jaws after stimulation with infrared LLLT directly on the injured tissue.Study Design/Materials and Methods: Bone defects were prepared on the mandibles of 30 Holtzman rats allocated in two groups (n = 15), which were divided in three evaluation period (15, 45, and 60 days), with five animals each. control group-no treatment of the defect; laser group-single laser irradiation with a GaAlAs semiconductor diode laser device (lambda = 780 nm; P = 35 mW t = 40 s; circle minus = 1.0 mm; D = 178 J/cm(2); E = 1.4 J) directly on the defect area. The rats were sacrificed at the preestablished periods and the mandibles were removed and processed for staining with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's Trichrome and picrosirius techniques.Results: the histological results showed bone formation in both groups. However, the laser group exhibited an advanced tissue response compared to the control group, abbreviating the initial inflammatory reaction and promoting rapid new bone matrix formation at 15 and 45 days (P < 0. 05). on the other hand, there were no significant differences between the groups at 60 days.Conclusion: the use of infrared LLLT directly to the injured tissue showed a biostimulating effect on bone remodeling by stimulating the modulation of the initial inflammatory response and anticipating the resolution to normal conditions at the earlier periods. However, there were no differences between the groups at 60 days.

Effect of red and infrared low-level laser therapy in endodontic sealer on subcutaneous tissue

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of the analgesic and antiedematogenic activities of Quassia amara bark extract

We evaluated the possible antiedematogenic, antinociceptive and/or sedative effects of four different extracts obtained from the bark of Quassia amara namely, 70% ethanol (70EtOH), 100% ethanol (100EtOH), dichloromethane (DCM) and hexane extracts (HEX). The oral administration (100, 250 and 500 mg/kg) of these extracts did not show significant effects in any experiment. However, when administered intraperitoneally, the HEX extract decreased the paw edema induced by carrageenan, showed antinociceptive effects on the hot-plate test and on acetic acid-induced writhing, and showed sedative effects on pentobarbital-induced sleep. Naloxone did not reverse the antinociceptive effect of this extract. In conclusion, although the mechanisms are uncertain, the results demonstrated that these effects are apparently related to sedative and muscle relaxant or psychomimetic activities of the HEX extract of the plant. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anti-inflammatory effects and acute toxicity of hydroethanolic extract of Jacaranda decurrens roots in adult male rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Morphometric analysis of the venom gland in worker bees of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera : Apidae) from the pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul

In Apis mellifera the acid or venom gland is composed of secretory cells that surround a channel that opens into a reservoir devoid of musculature. This gland can at times present apical branching. In this study we recorded the frequency of branched venom glands in workers of Africanized bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) from six localities in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul, and analyzed the relation among the length of the main duct, the length of the duct from the reservoir to the beginning of branching, the length of the branched segment (when present) and the total length of the gland. We sought to determine the probable genotypes of the bees from each population by using the model proposed by Alves-Junior. The frequency of branched glands varied from 50% to 83% in the worker bees coming from those places, indicating that this characteristic is primitive in these bees. The results of the Analysis of Discriminant Functions indicated significant differences in the morphometrical segments of the venom gland (Wilk's Lambda = 0.065; F-(27,F-30) = 4.507; P < 0.001), and permitted a differentiation of the populations studied. The genotypes inferred for the bees of each locality agree with the results obtained in the Analysis of Discriminant Functions and form three distinct groups, with some overlapping areas among them. In all of the populations considered the phenotype largevenom gland was predominant. It is inferred that bees with this phenotype (venom gland larger than S. 15 mm) have Gm(1) Gm(1) genotype, being therefore homozygotes for the major alleles and also for the modifier genes that codify this morphological trait. The high frequency of worker bees with large venom gland in all the places considered makes viable the development of a selection program in order to obtain bees with longer venom glands, aimed at the commercial production of venom by the beekeepers of the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Análise morfológica da glândula de veneno de Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) em populações de Mato Grosso do Sul

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extracts of Lychnophora species

Extracts from Lychnophora species are traditionally used in Brazil as anti-inflammatory, and to treat bruise, pain and rheumatism. The ethanolic extract of aerial parts of five species of Lychnophoras and one specie of Lychnophoriopsis were examined for the antinociceptive (hot-plate and writhing tests) and anti-inflammatory (carrageenan-induced paw oedema test) activity in mice, by oral and topical routes, respectively. In the hot-plate test, the Lychnophora pinaster (0.75 g/kg) and Lychnophora ericoides (1.50 g/kg) extracts significantly increased the time for licking of the paws. The species Lychnophora passerina, Lychnophoriopsis candelabrum and Lychnophora pinaster, using the dose of 0.75 g/kg, and Lychnophora ericoides and Lychnophora trichocarpha in both doses evaluated (0.75 and 1.50 g/kg) significantly reduced the number of writhes induced by acetic acid. The administration of Lychnophora pinaster and Lychnophora trichocarpha ointments, in both concentrations evaluated (5 and 10%, w/w), and Lychnophora passerina and Lychnophoriopsis candelabrum, in the concentration of 10%, significantly reduced the paw oedema measured 3 h after carrageenan administration, suggesting, for the first time, an anti-inflammatory activity upon topical administration of these species. The present work comparatively demonstrated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of some Brazilian Lychnophoras. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Demographic aspects of Chrysomya megracephala (Diptera, Calliphoridae) adults maintained under experimental conditions: Reproductive rate estimates

The objective of this work was to evaluate some aspects of the populational ecology of Chrysomya megacephala, analyzing demographic aspects of adults kept under experimental conditions. Cages of C. megacephala adults were prepared with four different larval densities (100, 200, 400 and 800). For each cage, two tables were made: one with demographic parameters for the life expectancy estimate at the initial age (eo), and another with the reproductive rate and average reproduction age estimates. Populational parameters such as the intrinsic growth rate (i) and thefinite growth rate (lambda) were calculated as well.

Microhabitat selection and daily movements of two rodents (Necromys lasiurus and Oryzomys scotti) in Brazilian Cerrado, as revealed by a spool-and-line device

Studies on patterns of habitat use by mammals are necessary for understanding the mechanisms involved in their distribution and abundance. In this study, we used the spool-and-line method to investigate habitat utilization by two sigmodontine rodents from Brazilian Cerrado, Necromys lasiurus and Oryzomys scotti. We conducted the study in a Cerrado area in central Brazil (15 degrees 56'S and e 47 degrees 56'W) where the animals were caught in an area of 7.68 ha of Cerrado sensu stricto. Captured individuals were marked, equipped with a spool-and-Line device, and released at the same capture point. The next day we followed the thread to record their daily movements and find their nests. To investigate microhabitat selection we compared habitat characteristics along traits of each studied species with general habitat characteristics of the study area. Although the mean 24-h distance was greater for N. lasiurus (mean +/- SE: 41.9 +/- 42.2 m, N=3) than for O. scotti (28.7 +/- 14.2 m, N=6) this difference was not significant (Mann-Whitney test, U=26, P>0.6). We detected significant differences among observed microhabitats variables of both species and available microhabitat characteristics as determined by discriminant analysis (Wilks's lambda F=3.001; df=14, 116; P<0.001). Both species were associated to microhabitat characteristics whose values differed markedly from the overall available habitat. Along the first canonical discriminant function of the DFA both them were associated with greater grass height than the mean height available and along the second axis N. lasiurus selected areas with higher fruit availability and more shelters than those selected by 0. scotti. For stronger inferences regarding differential patterns of habitat utilization by Cerrado rodents we suggest the simultaneous use of both spool-and-line and standard trapping methods. (c) 2005 Deutsche Geseltschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. ALL rights reserved.

Convexity of the extreme zeros of Gegenbauer and Laguerre polynomials

Let C-n(lambda)(x), n = 0, 1,..., lambda > -1/2, be the ultraspherical (Gegenbauer) polynomials, orthogonal. in (-1, 1) with respect to the weight function (1 - x(2))(lambda-1/2). Denote by X-nk(lambda), k = 1,....,n, the zeros of C-n(lambda)(x) enumerated in decreasing order. In this short note, we prove that, for any n is an element of N, the product (lambda + 1)(3/2)x(n1)(lambda) is a convex function of lambda if lambda greater than or equal to 0. The result is applied to obtain some inequalities for the largest zeros of C-n(lambda)(x). If X-nk(alpha), k = 1,...,n, are the zeros of Laguerre polynomial L-n(alpha)(x), also enumerated in decreasing order, we prove that x(n1)(lambda)/(alpha + 1) is a convex function of alpha for alpha > - 1. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier B.V. B.V.