Osteogenic potential of mesenchymal cells derived from canine umbilical cord matrix co-cultured with platelet-rich plasma and demineralized bone matrix

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

Role of TRPV1 channels of the dorsal periaqueductal gray in the modulation of nociception and open elevated plus maze-induced antinociception in mice

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Regulation of cardiac microRNAs induced by aerobic exercise training during heart failure

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

Analysis of the genotoxic potential of low concentrations of Malathion on the Allium cepa cells and rat hepatoma tissue culture

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

Evaluation of effective nucleon-nucleon potential and description of α-cluster type nuclei in restricted dynamics approach

The application of the Restricted Dynamics Approach in nuclear theory, based on the approximate solution of many-particle Schrödinger equation, which accounts for all conservation laws in many-nucleon system, is discussed. The Strictly Restricted Dynamics Model is used for the evaluation of binding energies, level schemes, E2 and Ml transition probabilities as well as the electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole momenta of light a-cluster type nuclei in the region 4 ≤ A ≤ 40. The parameters of effective nucleonnucleon interaction potential are evaluated from the ground state binding energies of doubly magic nuclei 4He, 16O and 40Ca.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) expression associated with cell survival and death in cancer cell lines infected with canine distemper virus

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

Effect of byrosima crassa and phenolic constituents on helicobacter pylori: induced neutrophils oxdative burst

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

Monitoramento da atenuação natural de álcool etílico hidratado combustível em escala laboratorial por meio de métodos geofísicos

Currently has few studies today concerning the behavior of the ethyl alcohol hydrated combustible in the geological environment, results of eventual spill or leaks in a wide transport chain and distribution. This work discusses the results of an experiment in laboratorial scale, that involves the monitoring of alterations in physical properties a simulate leak of alcohol in a tank with sand saturated in water, during 4920 hours. Are applied electrical resistivity, induced polarization and spontaneous potential geophysical methods. The electric resistivity is clearly correlating to the ethanol degradation pattern. The chargeability demonstrated sensibility to this pattern, while the natural electric potential revealed direct association with the oscillations of groundwater level. The variability of the physical parameters monitoring probable control for ethanol degradation process in environment study.

Caracterização geofísica no Gabro Santa Catarina, São Sepé (RS)

Geophysical methods are widely used in mineral exploration for several types of mineral deposits. When combined with direct studies as geochemistry, a substantial increase in the probability of ore discovery is possible in mineral exploration activities. Electrical geophysical methods are particularly promising in studies related to the search of sulphides due to the contrast of physical properties electric resistivity and chargeability. This paper presents the results obtained from the application of Resistivity (DC) and Induced Polarization methods, through the electrical profiling technique, aiming at evaluating the potential mineral of a gabbro intruded in a metasedimentary sequence, in an area where several occurrences of gold and copper were described. This gabbro is ranked on the Basic-Ultrabasic stratiform bodies, which gather peridotites, gabbros, and layered anortosites. Three radial lines of electrical profiling were performed, spaced of 60° and crossing at the area center, with readings of electric resistivity and chargeability in Wenner-Schlumberger array. The association of low resistivity and high chargeability areas has allowed defining potentially mineralized zones related to structures that condition the drainage net in the gabbro domain. Grains of gold detected through geochemical prospection of alluvial sediments dowstream from the gabbro may have originated from leaching of ores deposited in fractures through the action of river waters within the gabbro domain, possibly consisting of sulphides and gold.

Study of visceral antinociceptive potential of bee Apis mellifera venom

Pain is one of the most common reasons for patients to seek medical care. Bee Apis mellifera venom (AMV) has traditionally been used to treat inflammatory diseases and the alleviation of pain. Herein, we aimed to investigate the visceral antinociceptive potential of A. mellifera bee venom and its possible mechanism of action. Acetic acid-induced writhing assay was used in mice to determine the degree of visceral antinociception. Visceral antinociceptive activity was expressed as the reduction in the number of abdominal constrictions. Mice received an intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid after administration of AMV (0.08 or 0.8 mg/kg; intraperitoneally (i.p.)). In mechanistic studies, separate experiments were realized to examine the role of α2-receptors, nitric oxide, calcium channels, K+ATP channel activation, TRPV1 and opioid receptors on the visceral antinociceptive effect of AMV (0.8 mg/kg), using appropriate antagonists, yohimbine (2 mg/kg), L-NG-Nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10 mg/kg), verapamil (5 mg/kg), glibenclamide (5 mg/kg), ruthenium red (3 mg/kg) or naloxone (2 mg/kg). AMV presented visceral antinociceptive activity in both doses tested (0.08 and 0.8 mg/Kg). Visceral antinociceptive effect of AMV was resistant to all the antagonists used. Mice showed no significant alterations in locomotion frequency, indicating that the observed antinociception is not a consequence of motor abnormality. Although AMV efficient diminished the acetic acid-evoked pain-related behavior, its mechanism is unclear from this study and future studies are needed to verify how the venom exerts its antinociceptive action.

Iptakalim: A Potential Antipsychotic Drug with Novel Mechanisms?

Iptakalim is a novel putative adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opener. In the brain, iptakalim is thought to act on the neuronal and astrocytic plasma membrane and/or mitochondrial KATP channels. Because iptakalim demonstrates an action on the regulation of dopamine and glutamate release in the forebrain regions, we examined its potential antipsychotic efficacy in several preclinical tests. First, we show that iptakalim is effective in reducing amphetamine- and phencyclidine-induced hyperlocomotion as well as selectively disrupting conditioned avoidance responding. Next, we show that combined iptakalim and amphetamine treatment produces a reduction on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle and this combined drug effect is also found with haloperidol, but not with clozapine. Finally, we show that iptakalim and clozapine preferentially increase c-Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and lateral septal nucleus, whereas haloperidol induces a greater increase in the nucleus accumbens, the dorsolateral striatum and lateral septal nucleus. Collectively, our findings indicate that iptakalim is likely to be a potential antipsychotic drug with distinct mechanisms of action. This study also suggests that neuronal and astrocytic plasma membrane and/or mitochondrial KATP channels may be a novel target that deserves attention for antipsychotic drug development. Future research using other sensitive tests is needed to confirm this property of iptakalim.

Impact of biannual rossby waves on the Indian Ocean Dipole

Topex/Poseidon sea surface height anomalies during 1993-2002 are decomposed using 2-D finite impulse response filters which showed biannual Rossby waves (BRWs) in the equatorial Indian Ocean (peak at 1.5 degrees S) and in the southern tropical Indian Ocean (peak at 10.5 degrees S) during Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) years. Anomalous downwelling BRWs in the equatorial Indian Ocean triggered by the wind stress curl-induced Ekman pumping near the eastern boundary started propagating westward from the eastern boundary in July/August 1993 and 1996, i.e., more than one year prior to the formation of the IOD events of 1994 and 1997 respectively. These strong downwelling signals reach the western equatorial Indian Ocean during the peak dipole time.

Effects of pregabalin on behavioral alterations induced by ketamine in rats

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of pregabalin on the behavior of rats under the influence of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist that mimics the symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: Rats were injected with saline or 25 mg/kg ketamine intraperitoneally. After that, behavior modifications were investigated by the evaluation of stereotypy and hyperlocomotion, after treating rats with pregabalin (at doses of 30 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) or placebo (saline solution). Results: The administration of pregabalin reduced ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion. However, neither doses of pregabalin had a significant effect on ketamine-induced stereotypy. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the effects of pregabalin using an animal model of psychosis. Furthermore, our results indicate that behavioral changes induced by ketamine in rats can be reversed with the use of pregabalin, suggesting its potential to treat psychotic symptoms.

A Novel Stress-Induced Sugarcane Gene Confers Tolerance to Drought, Salt and Oxidative Stress in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

Background: Drought is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity worldwide. Sugarcane can withstand periods of water scarcity during the final stage of culm maturation, during which sucrose accumulation occurs. Meanwhile, prolonged periods of drought can cause severe plant losses. Methodology/Principal Findings: In a previous study, we evaluated the transcriptome of drought-stressed plants to better understand sugarcane responses to drought. Among the up-regulated genes was Scdr1 (sugarcane drought-responsive 1). The aim of the research reported here was to characterize this gene. Scdr1 encodes a putative protein containing 248 amino acids with a large number of proline (19%) and cysteine (13%) residues. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ScDR1is in a clade with homologs from other monocotyledonous plants, separate from those of dicotyledonous plants. The expression of Scdr1 in different varieties of sugarcane plants has not shown a clear association with drought tolerance. Conclusions/Significance: The overexpression of Scdr1 in transgenic tobacco plants increased their tolerance to drought, salinity and oxidative stress, as demonstrated by increased photosynthesis, water content, biomass, germination rate, chlorophyll content and reduced accumulation of ROS. Physiological parameters, such as transpiration rate (E), net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and internal leaf CO2 concentration, were less affected by abiotic stresses in transgenic Scdr1 plants compared with wild-type plants. Overall, our results indicated that Scdr1 conferred tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, highlighting the potential of this gene for biotechnological applications.

Anomalous transport induced by nonhyperbolicity

In this paper we study how deterministic features presented by a system can be used to perform direct transport in a quasisymmetric potential and weak dissipative system. We show that the presence of nonhyperbolic regions around acceleration areas of the phase space plays an important role in the acceleration of particles giving rise to direct transport in the system. Such an effect can be observed for a large interval of the weak asymmetric potential parameter allowing the possibility to obtain useful work from unbiased nonequilibrium fluctuation in real systems even in a presence of a quasisymmetric potential.