Epigenetics and alternative splicing

Dissertação de Mestrado, Oncobiologia: Mecanismos Moleculares do Cancro, Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

Estudo do papel desempenhado pelo heterotetrâmero de anexina A2 em células de cancro da mama hipóxicas

Dissertação de Mestrado, Biologia Molecular e Microbiana, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2014

Characterization of TRIB2-mediated resistance to anti-cancer drugs

Dissertação de Mestrado, Oncobiologia: Mecanismos Moleculares do Cancro, Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Efecto de la terapia autóloga con linfocitos T CD8+ estimulados con antígeno tumoral total E IL-21 en caninos con tumor venéreo transmisible

La Organización Mundial de la Salud declaro que el cáncer es una de las principales causas de muerte en el mundo, para el 2012 se presentó un total de 8.2 millones de defunciones. A pesar de la gran cantidad de recursos invertidos en investigación, la tasa de mortalidad no ha sido disminuida, por lo tanto es necesario el desarrollo de nuevas terapias efectivas contra el cáncer. Desde sus inicios, en el campo de la inmunoterapia se han realizado numerosos ensayos en humanos con cáncer y en modelos animales, obteniendo algunos casos de regresión tumoral completa. En el presente trabajo se evaluó el efecto de la terapia autóloga en perros inoculados experimentalmente con Tumor Venéreo Transmisible (TVT). Se inoculó12 hembras de raza mixta con TVT (1x108 células) intragenital, una vez que el tumor alcanzo un volumen de 10cm 3 , se colectó una biopsia con la cual se extrajo el antígeno tumoral total (300 µg/mL) el cual fue agregado (30µg/mL) en cultivos de células dendríticas inmaduras. Linfocitos totales obtenidos del mismo paciente y CPAs (CD80+ 80.3%, CD83+ 76.4%, DLA II 86.5%) cargadas con antígeno tumoral fueron co-cultivados en presencia de estímulos con IL-21 (50ng/mL) o IL-2 (20ng/mL), posterior a la activación de los linfocitos (746.88 pg/mL IFNȖ), las células T CD8+ específicos de tumor fueron separadas por selección negativa (Dynabeads Untouched) con un 82.6% de pureza para finalmente ser expandidas con OKT3. Se llevó a cabo un ensayo de in vitro de la citotoxicidad de los Linfocitos T CD8+ específicos de tumor contra las células de TVT, obteniendo 100% de lisis de la célula tumoral cultivada en presencia de linfocitos CD8+ específicos de tumor estimulados con IL-21 y un 90% de citotoxicidad tumoral cuando los CD8+ fueron específicos pero estimulados con IL-2, cuando los CD8+ no fueron específicos de tumor el porcentaje de citotoxicidad fue muy poco (10%). In vivo el grupo 1 fue tratado con terapia autóloga, linfocitos T CD8+ (5x107 célulaspor ciclo) específicos de tumor estimulados con IL-21 y aplicados en 3 ciclos en intervalos de 2 semanas. Como grupos control se utilizaron perros con tumor sin tratamiento (grupo 2), perros con tumor tratados con suero glucosado (grupo 3) y perros con tumor tratados con transfusión sanguínea autóloga (grupo 4). Después de la terapia autóloga la inmunidad celular (CD4+ y CD8+ ) e IFNȖ fue incrementada observando regresión tumoral en los perros del grupo 1. Estos resultados indican que la terapia autóloga es eficaz en la destrucción del TVT.

Poli-líquidos iônicos e complexos solúveis de Eu3+ e Tb3+ : bioimageamento celular seletivo

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, 2015.

Citotoxicidade de curcumina presente em nanoparticulas de quitosana/sultato de condroitina contendo lecitina

Dissertação (mestrado)–Universidade de Brasília, Universidade UnB de Planaltina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência de Materiais, 2015.

Estudo da sinterização de eletrólito sólido de céria dopada com gadolínia

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy in electrical energy by a reaction directly. The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) works in temperature between 900ºC up to 1000ºC, Nowadays the most material for ceramic electrolytes is yttria stabilized zirconium. However, the high operation temperature can produce problems as instability and incompatibility of materials, thermal degradation and high cost of the surround materials. These problems can be reduced with the development of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) that works at temperature range of 600ºC to 800ºC. Ceria doped gadolinium is one of the most promising materials for electrolytes IT-SOFC due high ionic conductivity and good compatibility with electrodes. The inhibition of grain growth has been investigated during the sintering to improve properties of electrolytes. Two-step sintering (TSS) is an interesting technical to inhibit this grain growth and consist at submit the sample at two stages of temperature. The first one stage aims to achieve the critical density in the initiating the sintering process, then the sample is submitted at the second stage where the temperature sufficient to continue the sintering without accelerate grain growth until to reach total densification. The goal of this work is to produce electrolytes of ceria doped gadolinium by two-step sintering. In this context were produced samples from micrometric and nanometric powders by two routes of two-step sintering. The samples were obtained with elevate relative density, higher than 90% using low energy that some works at the same area. The average grain size are at the range 0,37 μm up to 0,51 μm. The overall ionic conductivity is 1,8x10-2 S.cm and the activation energy is 0,76 eV. Results shown that is possible to obtain ceria-doped gadolinium samples by two-step sintering technique using modified routes with characteristics and properties necessary to apply as electrolytes of solid oxide fuel cell

Caracterizaçäo bioquímica de microalgas produzidas industrialmente em aquacultura

Dissertação de mest. em Aquacultura, Unidade de Ciências e Tecnologias dos Recursos Aquáticos, Univ. do Algarve, 1997

Establishment of a protocol for the cryopreservation of cell sheets of adipose tissue stem cells

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Análise proteômica de células não fagocíticas na fase inicial da infecção por trypanosoma cruzi

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, 2015.

Diseño de un vector no viral basado en nanopartículas lipídicas para el tratamiento de la hepatitis C mediante ARN de interferencia

199 p.

Avaliação da ecotoxicidade de percolados em áreas de disposição de resíduos na região metropolitana de Natal/RN

Leachates are effluent produced by decomposition of solid waste, they have complex composition and can be highly toxic. Therefore such percolated liquid should be collected and treated properly to avoid environmental contamination of soil and of water bodies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity through ecotoxicological tests with Ceriodaphnia dubia (Cladocera - Crustacea) of percolated liquids generated in two different systems of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in the city of Natal/ RN: A Sanitary Landfill in the Metropolitan Region of Natal/ RN, and in a dump off area. Furthermore, it was evaluated the possible contamination of the underground water of the dump off area. Two monthly samples were taken at four points between the months of May/2009 and January/2010. The Point "A" corresponds to the end of the pond leachate treatment in ASRMN; The Point "B" corresponds to a containment pond at the dump. The Point "C" is an area near one of the cells of the dump off area where the leachate outcrops; The Point "D" stands for an underground water well at the area. The last point, called "E" was sampled only once and corresponds to the slurry produced by temporary accumulation of solid waste in the open area of the dump. The ecotoxicological tests, acute and chronic, followed the ABNT 13373/2005 rules, with some modifications. The samples were characterized by measuring the pH number, the dissolved oxygen (DO), the salinity, BOD5, COD, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr, Fe, Mg, Ni, and Zn. At Point A, the average number of EC50-48h ranged between 1.0% and 2.77% (v/v), showing a high toxicity of the leachate to C.dubia in all months. To this point, positive correlations were found between the EC50- 48 with precipitation. Negative correlations were found between the EC50- 48h with salinity. At point B there was no response of the acute exposure of organisms to the test samples. At point C the EC50-48h ranged from 17.68% to 35.36% in just two months of the five ones analyzed, not correlated meaning. Point D, the EC50-48h level ranged between 12.31% and 71.27%, showed a negative correlation with, only, precipitation. Although it was observed toxicity of underground water in the Landfill Area, there was no evidence of water contamination by leachate, however, due to the toxic character of this water, additional tests should be conducted to confirm the quality of water that is used for human supply. At point E there was no acute toxicity. These results support the dangers of inappropriate disposal of MSW to water bodies due to the high toxicity of the leachate produced highlighting the necessity of places of safe confinement and a treatment system more effective to it

Dinâmica das integrações de minicírculos de kDNA de Trypanosoma Cruzi no genoma hospedeiro

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, 2016.

Caracterización funcional de las proteínas TasA y TapA en la formación de fibras de tipo amiloide en Bacillus subtilis

Las proteínas amiloides son un grupo heterogéneo de proteínas diferentes en secuencia aminoacídica, pero similares en su estructura cuaternaria: fibras enriquecidas en láminas beta, con gran estabilidad, resistencia y capacidad de unión de colorantes específicos, como el rojo congo o la thioflavina T. Estas proteínas han estado tradicionalmente asociadas a patologías neurodegenerativas en humanos como el Alzheimer o el Parkinson. Sin embargo, los miembros dentro de esta familia están ampliamente distribuidas en la naturaleza, desde bacterias hasta humanos, e intervienen en un amplio rango de funciones biológicas, motivo por el que se han denominado “amiloides funcionales”. En bacterias, los amiloides funcionales son responsables de participar en funciones muy diversas como la interacción célula-célula, con superficies abióticas, y formación de biofilms. En Bacillus subtilis, la proteína amiloide TasA es el componente proteico mayoritario de la matriz extracelular del biofilm de este microorganismo y el principal elemento que constituye las fibras amiloides, mientras que la proteína auxiliar TapA, presente en mucha menor proporción, actúa favoreciendo el ensamblaje de las mismas. Estas actúan como un andamiaje proteico donde se disponen el resto de componentes de la matriz extracelular, lo que confiere a esta estructura una mayor estabilidad y, por consiguiente, proporcionan una mayor robustez al biofilm. En este este trabajo se pretende llevar a cabo el análisis de regiones o dominios tanto de TasA como de TapA importantes para la amiloidogénesis, así como para la funcionalidad de ambas proteínas. Para ello, el estudio se ha enfocado desde un punto de vista multidisciplinar, combinando pruebas clásicas de caracterización de amiloides con técnicas de biología molecular y diversas pruebas biofísicas. Los resultados obtenidos hasta la fecha han demostrado la existencia de pequeñas secuencias, dentro de las proteínas TasA o TapA con capacidad para polimerizar en la forma de fibras, lo que muestra su importancia en el proceso de fibrilación y en la funcionalidad de ambas proteínas. En el caso de la proteína TapA, las regiones analizadas ponen de manifiesto la importancia de su extremo amino-terminal tanto en la funcionalidad de la proteína como en su interacción con TasA.

Prevalência da infecção por HPV e perfil das mulheres frente ao exame de papanicolau no município de São José de Mipibú/RN.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major sexually transmitted disease all over the world. There are many factors associated to infection and the virus persistency in the organism. This study aims to evaluate the women's knowledge, attitudes and practice about the Papanicolaou test (Pap), as well as analyze the HPV and Chlamydia trachomatis infections prevalences in sexually active women from the city of São José do Mipibu/RN/Brazil. This research was divided in two steps (step I and step II), using different methodologies and samples each. The samples collected in each step, even socio-demographic or from uterus cervix, are from different patients e were analyzed separated. In step I was evaluated 267 rural and urban zone women s knowledge, attitudes and practices about the Pap by home interview. In the step II were included 605 women with age ranged from 15 to 71 years old, with mean of 33,5 years old and from each one were collected two cervical samples, one for Pap and other for molecular biology, beside the epidemiological interview to investigate the correlation between prevalence of HPV infection and risk factors. To molecular analyses, the samples were processed using a mammal rapid DNA extraction technique protocol. For C. trachomatis DNA detection were used the CP24/27 primers, and GP5+/GP6+ to HPV. PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis on 8% polyacrylamide gels, followed by silver staining. The results of the step I showed that, in spite of only 46,1% of the interviewed women they have demonstrated to possess appropriate knowledge on the Pap test, the attitude and practice proportions were significantly larger, 63,3% and 64,4% respectively. The largest education degree presented association with adaptation of the knowledge, attitudes and practice, while neglect, lack of solicitation of the exam for the doctor and shame, came as main barriers for the accomplishment of the exam. In the stage II the HPV general prevalence was 28,9%, being 26,7% in the women with normal cytology or benign alterations, 26,7% in the ones that had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and 80% in those with Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). the HPV infection prevalence was larger in the patients with up to 30 years of age and in the unmarried women, and those that had more than one sexual partner presented larger infection risk. The results show that the sexual relationship with multiple partners increased the infection risk for HPV and consequently the possibility of the occurrence of lesions uterine cervix