Occurrence of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in activated sludge samples in Campinas, SP, Brazil

Giardia and Cryptosporidium have caused several outbreaks of gastroenteritis in humans associated with drinking water. Contaminated sewage effluents are recognized as a potential source of waterborne protozoa. Due to the lack of studies about the occurrence of these parasites in sewage samples in Brazil, we compared the efficiency of two procedures for concentrating cysts and oocysts in activated sludge samples of one sewage treatment plant. For this, the samples were submitted to i) concentration by the ether clarification procedure (ECP) and to ii) purification by sucrose flotation method (SFM) and aliquots of the pellets were examined by immunofluorescence. Giardia cysts were present in all samples (100.0%; n = 8) when using ECP and kit 1 reagents, while kit 2 resulted in six positive samples (85.7%; n = 7). As for SFM, cysts were detected in 75.0% and 100.0% of these samples (for kit 1 and 2, respectively). Regarding Cryptosporidium, two samples (25.0%; kit 1 and 28.5% for kit 2) were detected positive by using ECP, while for SFM, only one sample (examined by kit 1) was positive (12.5%). The results of the control trial revealed Giardia and Cryptosporidium recovery efficiency rates for ECP of 54.5% and 9.6%, while SFM was 10.5% and 3.2%, respectively. Considering the high concentration detected, a previous evaluation of the activated sludge before its application in agriculture is recommended and with some improvement, ECP would be an appropriate simple technique for protozoa detection in sewage samples.

Performance Model for MRC Receivers with Adaptive Modulation and Coding in Rayleigh Fading Correlated Channels with Imperfect CSIT

RTUWO Advances in Wireless and Optical Communications 2015 (RTUWO 2015). 5-6 Nov Riga, Latvia.

The effect of water inorganic matrix in ibuprofen adsorption onto activated carbon for water and wastewater treatment

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Qu��mica e Bioqu��mica

Role of iron in the nitric oxide-mediated fungicidal mechanism of IFN-gamma-activated murine macrophages against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia

Iron is an essential growth element of virtually all microorganisms and its restriction is one of the mechanisms used by macrophages to control microbial multiplication. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, an important systemic mycosis in Latin America, is inhibited in its conidia-to-yeast conversion in the absence of iron. We studied the participation of iron in the nitric oxide (NO)-mediated fungicidal mechanism against conidia. Peritoneal murine macrophages activated with 50U/mL of IFN-gamma or treated with 35 ��M Deferoxamine (DEX) and infected with P. brasiliensis conidia, were co-cultured and incubated for 96 h in the presence of different concentrations of holotransferrin (HOLO) and FeS0(4). The supernatants were withdrawn in order to assess NO2 production by the Griess method. The monolayers were fixed, stained and observed microscopically. The percentage of the conidia-to-yeast transition was estimated by counting 200 intracellular propagules. IFN-gamma-activated or DEX-treated Mthetas presented marked inhibition of the conidia-to-yeast conversion (19 and 56%, respectively) in comparison with non-activated or untreated Mthetas (80%). IFN-gamma-activated macrophages produced high NO levels in comparison with the controls. Additionally, when the activated or treated-macrophages were supplemented with iron donors (HOLO or FeSO4), the inhibitory action was reversed, although NO production remained intact. These results suggest that the NO-mediated fungicidal mechanism exerted by IFN-gamma-activated macrophages against P. brasiliensis conidia, is dependent of an iron interaction.

Cation transporters/channels in plants: Tools for nutrient biofortification

Cation transporters/channels are key players in a wide range of physiological functions in plants, including cell signaling, osmoregulation, plant nutrition and metal tolerance. The recent identification of genes encoding some of these transport systems has allowed new studies toward further understanding of their integrated roles in plant. This review summarizes recent discoveries regarding the function and regulation of the multiple systems involved in cation transport in plant cells. The role of membrane transport in the uptake, distribution and accumulation of cations in plant tissues, cell types and subcellular compartments is described. We also discuss how the knowledge of inter- and intra-species variation in cation uptake, transport and accumulation as well as the molecular mechanisms responsible for these processes can be used to increase nutrient phytoavailability and nutrients accumulation in the edible tissues of plants. The main trends for future research in the field of biofortification are proposed.

Achieving K/DOQI Targets with Cinacalcet in Dialysis Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism. A Portuguese Observational Study

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication of chronic kidney disease. The elevated serum intact parathyroid hormone, phosphorus, calcium and calcium x phosphorus product have been independently associated with an increased relative risk of mortality. The standard therapy for secondary hyperparathyroidism, including active vitamin D analogues and phosphate binders, is often insufficient to allow patients to achieve the recommended Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative targets for bone and mineral metabolism. Randomised controlled phase III clinical studies in chronic kidney disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism have shown that cinacalcet treatment increases the proportion of patients achieving the recommended Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative targets for intact parathyroid hormone, phosphorus, calcium and calcium x phosphorus product. Aims: This observational multicentre study aims to evaluate cinacalcet���s ability to achieve and maintain Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative targets in a population with secondary hyperparathyroidism on chronic haemodialysis in Portugal. Patients and Methods: Patients on chronic dialysis that received cinacalcet during a free sampling programme were enrolled. Retrospective and prospective monthly data were collected from 3 months before until 6 months after the beginning of cinacalcet treatment. Additional assessment included a 12 month evaluation of all parameters. Results: 140 dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism were enrolled, 60% male, mean age 57.4��14.1 years. The mean intact parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphorus, and calcium x phosphorus product values at baseline were 751.7��498.8 pg/ml, 9.7��3.8 mg/dl, 5.5��1.5 mg/dl, and 52.7��25.3 mg2/dl2, respectively. After 6 months��� cinacalcet treatment, 26.2%, 53.6%, 59.3%, and 81.0% of the patients achieved the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative recommended levels for intact parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphorus, and calcium x phosphorus product, respectively. The mean dose of cinacalcet at 6 months was 57.1��29.7 mg/day. Conclusions: The use of cinacalcet in clinical practice is an effective option for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic dialysis patients, allowing more patients to reach and maintain the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative targets.

Novos circuitos regulat��rios de controlo espacio-temporal do desenvolvimento em bacillus subtilis

RESUMO: A esporula����o em Bacillus subtilis �� controlada por uma cascata de factores sigma da polimerase do RNA. ���F e ���E controlam os est��gios precoces do desenvolvimento no pr��-esporo e na c��lula m��e, respectivamente. Numa fase interm��dia da diferencia����o, quando a c��lula m��e acaba por envolver o pr��-esporo, ���F �� substitu��do por ���G e ���E �� substitu��do por ���K. V��rios mecanismos asseguram que a actividade dos diferentes factores sigma seja confinada a uma janela temporal precisa na c��lula adequada. Neste estudo, investig��mos a fun����o de um factor anti-���G, designado por CsfB. Mostramos que para al��m da sua fun����o de inibi����o da actividade do factor ���G em c��lulas pr��-divisionais, CsfB �� tamb��m necess��rio na c��lula m��e num est��gio tardio do desenvolvimento. Mostramos que a express��o de csfB �� activada na c��lula m��e a partir de um promotor dependente de ���K. Contudo, demonstramos que CsfB interage directamente com ���E e n��o com ���K, e que CsfB �� suficiente para inibir a actividade transcricional dependente de ���E em c��lulas vegetativas de B. subtilis. Propomos que CsfB contribui para reduzir o per��odo dependente de ���E, na linha de express��o gen��tica da c��lula m��e, desse modo reduzindo a sobreposi����o entre os regul��es ���E e ���K e aumentado a fidelidade do processo de desenvolvimento. Uma segunda prote��na, YabK, partilha semelhan��a estrutural com CsfB. YabK �� produzida no pr��-esporo sob o comando de ���F, e �� necess��ria para a esporula����o. YabK contribui para a transi����o ���F/���G no programa gen��tico do pr��-esporo, porque uma muta����o que torna ���F sens��vel a CsfB ultrapassa parcialmente a fun����o de YabK na esporula����o. No entanto, YabK e CsfB funcionam por mecanismos diferentes, uma vez que YabK n��o liga directamente a ���F.---------ABSTRACT: Gene expression during spore development in Bacillus subtilis is governed by a cascade of RNA polymerase sigma factors. ���F and ���E control the early stages of development in the forespore and in the mother cell, respectively. At an intermediate stage in the differentiation process, when the larger mother cell finishes engulfment of the smaller forespore, ���F is replaced by ���G and ���E is replaced by ���K. Several mechanisms ensure the proper timing of activation of the cell type-specific sigma factors. Here, we have investigated the funtion of an anti-sigma ���G factor, called CsfB. We show here that in addition to its role in inhibiting ���G in pre-divisional cells, CsfB is also required in the mother cell at a late stage in development. We show that the expression of csfB is activated in the mother cell from a ���K-specific promoter. However, we demonstrate that CsfB binds directly to ���E but not to ���K in a yeast two-hybrid assay, and that CsfB is sufficient to inhibit ���E-dependent transcriptional activity in vegetative cells of B. subtilis. We posit that CsfB contributes to shutting off the early, ���E-controlled period in the mother cell line of gene expression, thus reducing the overlap between deployment of the ���E and ���K regulons and increasing the fidelity of the developmental process. A second protein, YabK, shares structural similarity with CsfB. YabK is produced in the forespore under ���F control, and is required for efficient sporulation. YabK contributes to the transition from the ���F- to the ���G-dependent period of gene expression, because a mutation that renders ���F sensitive to CsfB partially bypasses the need for YabK. Yet, YabK and CsfB must function in the control of sigma factor activity by different mechanisms because YabK does not bind directly to ���F.

Stochastic simulation of the morphology of fluvial sand channels reservoirs

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Geol��gica (Georrecursos)

Ligand K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations on [Fe3S4]0,+ clusters: delocalization, redox, and effect of the protein environment

Ligand K-edge XAS of an [Fe3S4]0 model complex is reported. The pre-edge can be resolved into contributions from the ��2Ssulfide, ��3Ssulfide, and Sthiolate ligands. The average ligand-metal bond covalencies obtained from these pre-edges are further distributed between Fe3+ and Fe2.5+ components using DFT calculations. The bridging ligand covalency in the [Fe2S2]+ subsite of the [Fe3S4]0 cluster is found to be significantly lower than its value in a reduced [Fe2S2] cluster (38% vs 61%, respectively). This lowered bridging ligand covalency reduces the superexchange coupling parameter J relative to its value in a reduced [Fe2S2]+ site (-146 cm-1 vs -360 cm-1, respectively). This decrease in J, along with estimates of the double exchange parameter B and vibronic coupling parameter ��2/k-, leads to an S ) 2 delocalized ground state in the [Fe3S4]0 cluster. The S K-edge XAS of the protein ferredoxin II (Fd II) from the D. gigas active site shows a decrease in covalency compared to the model complex, in the same oxidation state, which correlates with the number of H-bonding interactions to specific sulfur ligands present in the active site. The changes in ligand-metal bond covalencies upon redox compared with DFT calculations indicate that the redox reaction involves a two-electron change (one-electron ionization plus a spin change of a second electron) with significant electronic relaxation. The presence of the redox inactive Fe3+ center is found to decrease the barrier of the redox process in the [Fe3S4] cluster due to its strong antiferromagnetic coupling with the redox active Fe2S2 subsite.

Estudo da Varia����o de K��� com OCR em Areias

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil (Perfil de Estruturas e Geotecnia)

Formation of a stable cyano-bridged dinuclear iron cluster following oxidation of the superoxide reductases from Treponema pallidum and Desulfovibrio vulgaris with K(3)Fe(CN)(6)

Inorg. Chem., 2003, 42 (4), pp 938���940 DOI: 10.1021/ic0262886

Inefic��cia do K-7505 (Ronnel) no tratamento da esquistossom��ase mans��nica

Quatro pacientes portadores de esquistossomose mansoni (tr��s com a forma hepato-intestinal e um com a forma hepato-espl��nica compensada) foram tratados com a subst��ncia K - 7505 ou Ronnel - 0,0 - dimetil - 0 - (2, 4, 5 - triclorofenil) - fosforotioato, avaliando-se o resultado do ensaio pela biopsia da mucosa retal (oograma) e o exame parasitol��gico das fezes pelo m��todo de Hoffmann, Pons e Janer, quatorze dias ap��s o t��rmino do tratamento. Conclui o autor que nas doses usadas o medicamento em apr����o �� destitu��do de atividade esquistossomicida.

Cost-Effectiveness of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants for Atrial Fibrillation in Portugal

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Recently, three novel non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants received approval for reimbursement in Portugal for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). It is therefore important to evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of these new oral anticoagulants in Portuguese AF patients. METHODS: A Markov model was used to analyze disease progression over a lifetime horizon. Relative efficacy data for stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), bleeding (intracranial, other major bleeding and clinically relevant non-major bleeding), myocardial infarction and treatment discontinuation were obtained by pairwise indirect comparisons between apixaban, dabigatran and rivaroxaban using warfarin as a common comparator. Data on resource use were obtained from the database of diagnosis-related groups and an expert panel. Model outputs included life years gained, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), direct healthcare costs and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). RESULTS:Apixaban provided the most life years gained and QALYs. The ICERs of apixaban compared to warfarin and dabigatran were ���5529/QALY and ���9163/QALY, respectively. Apixaban was dominant over rivaroxaban (greater health gains and lower costs). The results were robust over a wide range of inputs in sensitivity analyses. Apixaban had a 70% probability of being cost-effective (at a threshold of ���20 000/QALY) compared to all the other therapeutic options. CONCLUSIONS:Apixaban is a cost-effective alternative to warfarin and dabigatran and is dominant over rivaroxaban in AF patients from the perspective of the Portuguese national healthcare system. These conclusions are based on indirect comparisons, but despite this limitation, the information is useful for healthcare decision-makers.