Insights into the mechanims underlyng the antiproliferative potential of a Co(II) coordination compound bearing 1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-Dione: DNA and protein interaction studies

The very high antiproliferative activity of [Co(Cl)(H2O)(phendione)(2)][BF4] (phendione is 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) against three human tumor cell lines (half-maximal inhibitory concentration below 1 mu M) and its slight selectivity for the colorectal tumor cell line compared with healthy human fibroblasts led us to explore the mechanisms of action underlying this promising antitumor potential. As previously shown by our group, this complex induces cell cycle arrest in S phase and subsequent cell death by apoptosis and it also reduces the expression of proteins typically upregulated in tumors. In the present work, we demonstrate that [Co(Cl)(phendione)(2)(H2O)][BF4] (1) does not reduce the viability of nontumorigenic breast epithelial cells by more than 85 % at 1 mu M, (2) promotes the upregulation of proapoptotic Bax and cell-cycle-related p21, and (3) induces release of lactate dehydrogenase, which is partially reversed by ursodeoxycholic acid. DNA interaction studies were performed to uncover the genotoxicity of the complex and demonstrate that even though it displays K (b) (+/- A standard error of the mean) of (3.48 +/- A 0.03) x 10(5) M-1 and is able to produce double-strand breaks in a concentration-dependent manner, it does not exert any clastogenic effect ex vivo, ruling out DNA as a major cellular target for the complex. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy studies are indicative of a strong and specific interaction of the complex with human serum albumin, involving one binding site, at a distance of approximately 1.5 nm for the Trp214 indole side chain with log K (b) similar to 4.7, thus suggesting that this complex can be efficiently transported by albumin in the blood plasma.

Factors associated with the nutritional status of children less than 5 years of age

OBJECTIVE To analyze if the nutritional status of children aged less than five years is related to the biological conditions of their mothers, environmental and socioeconomic factors, and access to health services and social programs.METHODS This cross-sectional population-based study analyzed 664 mothers and 790 children using canonical correlation analysis. Dependent variables were characteristics of the children (weight/age, height/age, BMI/age, hemoglobin, and retinol serum levels). Independent variables were those related to the mothers&#8217; nutritional status (BMI, hemoglobin, and retinol serum levels), age, environmental and socioeconomic factors and access to health service and social programs. A < 0.05 significance level was adopted to select the interpreted canonical functions (CF) and �� 0.40 as canonical load value of the analyzed variables.RESULTS Three canonical functions were selected, concentrating 89.9% of the variability of the relationship among the groups. In the first canonical function, weight/age (-0.73) and height/age (-0.99) of the children were directly related to the mother&#8217;s height (-0.82), prenatal appointments (-0.43), geographical area of the residence (-0.41), and household incomeper capita (-0.42). Inverse relationship between the variables related to the children and people/room (0.44) showed that the larger the number of people/room, the poorer their nutritional status. Rural residents were found to have the worse nutritional conditions. In the second canonical function, the BMI of the mother (-0.48) was related to BMI/age and retinol of the children, indicating that as women gained weight so did their children. Underweight women tended to have children with vitamin A deficiency. In the third canonical function, hemoglobin (-0.72) and retinol serum levels (-0.40) of the children were directly related to the mother&#8217;s hemoglobin levels (-0.43).CONCLUSIONS Mothers and children were associated concerning anemia, vitamin A deficiency and anthropometric markers. Living in rural areas is a determining factor for the families health status.

Mono(Eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl)metal(II) complexes with thienyl acetylide chromophores: synthesis, electrochemical studies, and first hyperpolarizabilities

A series of mono(eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl)metal-(II) complexes with nitro-substituted thienyl acetylide ligands of general formula [M(eta(5)-C5H5)(L)(C C{C4H2S}(n)NO2)] (M = Fe, L = kappa(2)-DPPE, n = 1,2; M = Ru, L = kappa(2)-DPPE, 2 PPh3, n = 1, 2; M = Ni, L = PPh3, n = 1, 2) has been synthesized and fully characterized by NMR, FT-IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior of the complexes was explored by cyclic voltammetry. Quadratic hyperpolarizabilities (beta) of the complexes have been determined by hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) measurements at 1500 nm. The effect of donor abilities of different organometallic fragments on the quadratic hyperpolarizabilities was studied and correlated with spectroscopic and electrochemical data. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations were employed to get a better understanding of the second-order nonlinear optical properties in these complexes. In this series, the complexity of the push pull systems is revealed; even so, several trends in the second-order hyperpolarizability can still be recognized. In particular, the overall data seem to indicate that the existence of other electronic transitions in addition to the main MLCT clearly controls the effectiveness of the organometallic donor ability on the second-order NLO properties of these push pull systems.

Population health diagnosis with an ecohealth approach

OBJECTIVE To analyze the characteristics of health diagnosis according to the ecohealth approach in rural and urban communities in Mexico.METHODS Health diagnosis were conducted in La Nopalera, from December 2007 to October 2008, and in Atlihuayan, from December 2010 to October 2011. The research was based on three principles of the ecohealth approach: transdisciplinarity, community participation, gender and equity. To collect information, a joint methodology and several techniques were used to stimulate the participation of inhabitants. The diagnostic exercise was carried out in five phases that went from collecting information to prioritization of problems.RESULTS The constitution of the transdisciplinary team, as well as the participation of the population and the principle of gender/equity were differentials between the communities. In the rural community, the active participation of inhabitants and authorities was achieved and the principles of transdisciplinarity and gender/equity were incorporated.CONCLUSIONS With all the difficulties that entails the boost in participation, the incorporation of gender/equity and transdisciplinarity in health diagnosis allowed a holistic public health approach closer to the needs of the population.

Synthesis of Sub-5 NM Co-Doped SnO2 nanoparticles and their structural microstructural, optical and photocatalytic properties

A swift chemical route to synthesize Co-doped SnO2 nanopowders is described. Pure and highly stable Sn1-xCoxO2-delta (0 <= x <= 0.15) crystalline nanoparticles were synthesized, with mean grain sizes <5 nm and the dopant element homogeneously distributed in the SnO2 matrix. The UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra of the Sn1-xCoxO2-delta samples reveal red shifts, the optical bandgap energies decreasing with increasing Co concentration. The samples' Urbach energies were calculated and correlated with their bandgap energies. The photocatalytic activity of the Sn1-xCoxO2-delta samples was investigated for the 4-hydroxylbenzoic acid (4-HBA) degradation process. A complete photodegradation of a 10 ppm 4-HBA solution was achieved using 0.02% (w/w) of Sn0.95Co0.05O2-delta nanoparticles in 60 min of irradiation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality indicators in the education of children with profound Intellectual and multiple disabilities

Todas as crian��as, independentemente das suas necessidades, deveriam ter acesso a uma educa����o de qualidade e a serem inclu��das nas suas fam��lias e comunidades. Esta afirma����o inclui as crian��as mais vulner��veis, em particular as crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia. Os resultados da investiga����o sobre a educa����o de crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia ainda n��o produziram at�� ao momento informa����o suficiente que possa ser usada para desenvolver indicadores de qualidade para a avalia����o das pr��ticas e dos servi��os. A investiga����o nesta ��rea �� limitada por constrangimentos ��ticos, dificuldades na determina����o de amostras e desafios metodol��gicos, sendo reduzido o n��mero de estudos capaz de produzir a informa����o necess��ria. Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir fatores que contribuam para a qualidade do envolvimento de crian��as com dificuldades intelectuais e multidefici��ncia em atividades educativas, com base na experi��ncia das autoras e na informa����o dispon��vel que tem sido publicada sobre este assunto. Com base nesta discuss��o �� sugerido um conjunto de indicadores que poder��o ajudar os profissionais a dirigir as suas observa����es para a qualidade da oferta educativa e para aspetos significativos dos desempenhos das crian��as quando envolvidas em atividades curriculares.

���Amizade �����felicidade (Freng, 5 anos)���. As rela����es sociais entre crian��as no quotidiano do Jardim de Inf��ncia

Relat��rio da Pr��tica Profissional Supervisionada Mestrado em Educa����o Pr��-Escolar

Altera����es clim��ticas e qualidade do ar: integra����o das part��culas PM2,5 e PM10 no modelo TIMES_PT e an��lise de pol��ticas comuns de redu����o

Disserta����o apresentada na Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, perfil Gest��o e Sistemas Ambientais

Real time mobile system for support in firefighting environments

Disserta����o apresentada na Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrot��cnica e de Computadores

Conce����es das crian��as no 3.�� e 5.�� ano sobre o conceito de ser vivo

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentado �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o de grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.�� e 2.�� Ciclo do Ensino B��sico

Representa����es: janelas para a compreens��o do racioc��nio estat��stico de crian��as de 5 e 6 anos

Este artigo apresenta parte de um estudo que se encontra a decorrer e que visa compreender como se caracteriza o racioc��nio estat��stico de crian��as de 5 e 6 anos. O artigo apresenta a interpreta����o do racioc��nio estat��stico revelado pelas crian��as atrav��s da an��lise das suas representa����es. Come��amos por discutir teoricamente o conceito de racioc��nio estat��stico, os princ��pios inerentes a um ambiente de aprendizagem que favore��a o seu desenvolvimento e o papel das representa����es, especificando depois as caracter��sticas do trabalho em Organiza����o e Tratamento de Dados na educa����o pr��-escolar. O estudo segue uma abordagem de natureza qualitativa sob um paradigma interpretativo e a recolha de dados realizou-se em 2015 atrav��s da observa����o participante e da an��lise documental. Os resultados preliminares aqui apresentados sugerem que a maioria do grupo de crian��as reconhece as diferentes formas de representa����o dos dados, identifica os seus nomes e sabe explicar as diferentes representa����es. No ��mbito de um pequeno projeto de investiga����o estat��stica, as crian��as atenderam ��s suas diferentes fases, mostrando-se capazes de representar e interpretar dados recolhidos por si. Algumas das crian��as preocuparam-se em organizar os dados no momento da sua recolha, classificando-os, sendo que uma delas organizou os dados, de modo espont��neo, numa tabela de frequ��ncias. As crian��as evidenciaram um racioc��nio estat��stico sobre os dados e sobre a sua representa����o.

Compreens��o de modelos did��ticos pelos alunos do 5.�� ano de escolaridade em ci��ncias naturais

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentado �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o de grau de mestre em Ensino do 1.�� e 2.�� Ciclo do Ensino B��sico

Trypanosoma cruzi: expression of antigenic component 5 among 35 laboratory clones obtained from 18 different isozymic variants

Two monoclonal antibodies anti-component 5 of Trypanosoma cruzi (I-35/115 and II-190/30) were tested in IFA and ELISA respectively against 35 T. cruzi laboratory clones. Among the 35 clones tested, 18 different isozyme patterns were detected. All clones were recognized by both monoclonal antibodies except one clone which did not react with II-190/30. These results support the universal expression of specific component 5 within the taxon T. cruzi.

Ser�� do g��nero dos filhos ou dos pais? estudo sobre o efeito do g��nero das crian��as e dos pais na qualidade da intera����o, comunica����o e atividade conjunta

Disserta����o apresentada na Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Ci��ncias da Educa����o. Especialidade Interven����o Precoce