Serial Mitsuda tests for identification of reactional tuberculoid and reactional borderline leprosy forms

The authors studied the Mitsuda reaction in 37 leprosy patients (18 reactional tuberculoid, 19 reactional borderline cases) and compared the results with clinical findings, histopathology and bacilloscopy. Evaluation of the Mitsuda reaction was carried out on days 30, 60, 90 and 120. Most of the reactional tuberculoid patients showed a Mitsuda reaction of +++ in opposition to the reactional borderline patients who showed only +. Bacilloscopic analysis revealed that in 75% of the reactional tuberculoid cases there were rare or no bacilli; bacilli were present in 95% of the reactional borderline cases. The authors conclude that reactional tuberculoid cases have a greater ability to clear bacilli than reactional borderline cases, and that the Mitsuda reaction is a useful tool for the differentiation between these two types of leprosy.

Pattern of nucleolar activity during spermiogenesis in triatomines (Heteroptera, Reduviidae) as analysed by silver staining

Nucleoli are the sites of biosynthesis of ribosomal precursors. In this work the nucleolar activity at interphase and the meiotic cells of the testis in five species of triatomines were analysed by means of silver staining. Several nucleolar blocks in the polyploid nuclei of testicular tubules were observed, whereas only one nucleolar body could be seen in the spermatogonial nuclei of all five species. A single nucleolar body was evident in the 'confused stage' of Triatoma brasiliensis, T. delpontei, T. lecticularia and T. rubrovaria, while T. sordida presented two nucleolar dots. The existence of small, silver-stained dots in some metaphase I chromosomes of T. brasiliensis and T. sordida is reported. The number of nucleolar dots present in spermatids of each species varied within and among species. It is suggested that in addition to providing information on rRNA biosynthesis, studies of nucleolar organizing activity can also be important sources of data on differentiation patterns and species development.

NATURAL PRODUCT SUBSTITUTION PATTERN AND SKELETAL RECOGNITION METHOD

This work describes a methodology for identification of skeletal types of diterpenes based on data base with 1500 compounds isolated from Asteraceae. One program named BOTOCSYS was built with the codification of the compounds and their botanical sources. An example of identification of a new substance is given.

Multiwavelength electronic speckle pattern interferometry for surface shape measurement

Profilometry by electronic speckle pattern interferometry with multimode diode lasers is both theoretically and experimentally studied. The multiwavelength character of the laser emission provides speckled images covered with interference fringes corresponding to the surface relief in single-exposure processes. For fringe pattern evaluation, variations of the phase-stepping technique are investigated for phase mapping as a function of the number of laser modes. Expressions for two, three, and four modes in four and eight stepping are presented, and the performances of those techniques are compared in the experiments through the surface shaping of a flat bar. The surface analysis of a peach points out the possibility of applying the technique in the quality control of food production and agricultural research. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

X chromosome heterochromatic pattern and nucleolar synthesis in pupal ovaries of Aedes aegypti

C-banding and silver-staining techniques were used to examine pupal ovaries of Aedes aegypti from Sao Jose do Rio Preto (Brazil). Silver staining in ovary cystocytes showed two basic patterns relative to the nucleolar morphology: viz (1) a single, compact small body; and (2) multiple bodies encompassing large nuclear areas. These two types of cystocytes were present in the ratio of 7:1, which is the same as the number of nurse cells and oocytes, respectively, in each follicle. This suggests the possibility of eventually using such a nucleolar morphological difference to recognize both cell types in developmental stages before emergence. Silver nitrate staining in metaphase chromosomes revealed centromeric bands on all six chromosomes. The C-banding pattern in metaphase chromosomes showed an intercalary band in one of the X arms, as described previously in other populations. In ovary cystocytes (pachytene stage) this C-positive band seemed to consist of two chromomeres. Phase contrast microscopy showed that the nucleolus was associated with the distal chromomere of this intercalary C-band, indicating that the nucleolus organizer region was located in that part of the heterochromatic band.

The changing pattern of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug use in cleft lip and palate repair

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Pattern recognition theory in nonlinear signal processing

A body of research has developed within the context of nonlinear signal and image processing that deals with the automatic, statistical design of digital window-based filters. Based on pairs of ideal and observed signals, a filter is designed in an effort to minimize the error between the ideal and filtered signals. The goodness of an optimal filter depends on the relation between the ideal and observed signals, but the goodness of a designed filter also depends on the amount of sample data from which it is designed. In order to lessen the design cost, a filter is often chosen from a given class of filters, thereby constraining the optimization and increasing the error of the optimal filter. To a great extent, the problem of filter design concerns striking the correct balance between the degree of constraint and the design cost. From a different perspective and in a different context, the problem of constraint versus sample size has been a major focus of study within the theory of pattern recognition. This paper discusses the design problem for nonlinear signal processing, shows how the issue naturally transitions into pattern recognition, and then provides a review of salient related pattern-recognition theory. In particular, it discusses classification rules, constrained classification, the Vapnik-Chervonenkis theory, and implications of that theory for morphological classifiers and neural networks. The paper closes by discussing some design approaches developed for nonlinear signal processing, and how the nature of these naturally lead to a decomposition of the error of a designed filter into a sum of the following components: the Bayes error of the unconstrained optimal filter, the cost of constraint, the cost of reducing complexity by compressing the original signal distribution, the design cost, and the contribution of prior knowledge to a decrease in the error. The main purpose of the paper is to present fundamental principles of pattern recognition theory within the framework of active research in nonlinear signal processing.

Acute swimming stress induces changes in noradrenergic mechanisms in order to maintain the response pattern of the rat vas deferens to norepinephrine

This study investigated mechanisms involved in the maintenance of the functional response pattern of the postjunctional alpha(1)-adrenoceptor in vas deferens isolated from rats submitted to acute swimming stress. The plasma corticosterone levels increased approximately three times after the swimming stress in the nontreated rats as well as after swimming stress in the rats pretreated with desipramine (DMI), yohimbine (YO), or DMI with YO. No alteration was detected in the sensitivity to norepinephrine (NE) in the vasa deferentia from the stressed rats or stressed rats treated with DMI or DMI with YO, in relation to their respective control. However, when the vasa deferentia were previously incubated with DMI, a reduction in sensitivity to NE in organs from stressed rats was observed. Vasa deferentia excised from rats pretreated with YO before the swimming stress showed an increase in postjunctional alpha(1)-response that was abolished by prazosin (PZ). Thus, the neuronal uptake, the prejunctional alpha(2)-adrenoceptors (mediating prejunctional inhibition), the occupancy and functional response of the postjunctional alpha(1)-adrenoceptors, and the emotional stress component were very important for the determination of the noradrenergic response pattern in vas deferens from rats submitted to acute swimming stress. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of direction and curvature on variable error pattern of reaching movements

A number of studies have analyzed various indices of the final position variability in order to provide insight into different levels of neuromotor processing during reaching movements. Yet the possible effects of movement kinematics on variability have often been neglected. The present study was designed to test the effects of movement direction and curvature on the pattern of movement variable errors. Subjects performed series of reaching movements over the same distance and into the same target. However, due either to changes in starting position or to applied obstacles, the movements were performed in different directions or along the trajectories of different curvatures. The pattern of movement variable errors was assessed by means of the principal component analysis applied on the 2-D scatter of movement final positions. The orientation of these ellipses demonstrated changes associated with changes in both movement direction and curvature. However, neither movement direction nor movement curvature affected movement variable errors assessed by area of the ellipses. Therefore it was concluded that the end-point variability depends partly, but not exclusively, on movement kinematics.

Relationship between carbon source, production and pattern action of alpha-amilase from Rhizopus sp

This paper discusses the inducer effect of corn soluble starch and the individual components (amylose and amylopectin) from corn and potatoes starch for alpha-amylase production by a strain of Rhizopus sp. The following decreasing order in the enzyme production was obtained: corn amylose > potatoes amylose > corn amylopectin > potatoes amylopectin > starch > maltose, coinciding with the ability of the enzyme to release reducing units, except the soluble starch that was more softly hydrolysed. However, when the enzyme action was measured by the iodine binding method, an inverse order of enzyme activity was obtained, that is: amylopectins > starch > amylosis. The results suggest that: a) branched structures in substrate affect the enzyme production; b) corn amylose and corn amylopectin are better inducers than their respectives homologous from potatoes; c) cc-amylase from Rhizopus sp has different action patterns on substrates with straight or branched chains: from the former, it removes only reducing units with lower molecular weight (G1-G3); from the latter it also removes oligosaccharides with higher molecular weight (G5-G6).