Anatomia da madeira de espécies de Cerrado sensu lato do Estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Determinação de macroelementos, oligoelementos e contaminantes metálicos em própolis por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica em chama e em forno de grafite

Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas - FCFAR

Estudo epidemiológico da amebíase no Estado do Pará utilizando diferentes metodologias para diagnóstico

A epidemiologia da amebíase está sendo reavaliada desde que a E. histolytica (patogênica) foi considerada espécie distinta de E. dispar (não patogênica). Neste estudo, investigou-se a freqüência da amebíase em uma amostra de residentes do Pará por diferentes técnicas de diagnóstico e avaliou-se a patogenia do parasito. Os participantes (n = 845) forneceram material fecal e destes, 191 foram entrevistados quanto aos sintomas de diarréia, cólicas intestinais, constipação, náuseas e vômito. Foram também analisados 8 exsudatos de pacientes com suspeita de amebíase hepática. As amostras foram observadas sob microscopia de luz e a confirmação de E. histolytica feita a partir da pesquisa de antígenos. Um total de 98 amostras fecais e todos os exsudatos foram semeados em meio Pavlova para isolamento e posterior caracterização bioquímica e molecular (identificação de espécie e genotipagem). Isolados de outras regiões do Brasil foram também genotipados. A positividade obtida foi de 29,35% (248/845) e não houve correlação com a faixa etária. A microscopia revelou baixa sensibilidade (45,26%; 74/334), porém elevada especificidade (87,03%; 260/334) quando comparada ao ELISA. Houve relação significativa (OR 4,4026) entre a presença de sintomas e a positividade no ELISA, sendo a diarréia (58,82%) e a cólica intestinal (58,82%) os sintomas mais relatados. Nenhum exsudato foi positivo no exame a fresco, porém 7 foram positivos no ELISA. Obteve-se 22 isolados de material fecal e a caracterização da HE foi possível em 13, dos quais 7 E. histolytica e 6 E. dispar. O DNA de 22 isolados e dos exsudatos foram testados para identificação molecular de espécie e genotipagem. Do total, 16 cultivos (9 cepas mistas, 4 E. dispar e 3 E. histolytica) e 5 exsudatos (todos E. histolytica) amplificaram na PCR. A genotipagem identificou adicional positividade para E. histolytica em um exsudato e revelou diferentes polimorfismos de comprimento para o locus 1-2 de E. histolytica e E. dispar do Pará e de outras regiões do Brasil e um caso de co-infecção por diferentes genótipos de E. dispar. Nossos resultados revelam que a amebíase invasiva é um importante problema de saúde pública em nossa população e grande variedade de genótipos de E. histolytica contribuem para a doença no Brasil.

Irradiação e qualidade da carne de frango congelada e embalada à vácuo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Resposta imune de tilápias do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) vacinadas contra Streptococcus agalactiae

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Macrophage Cell Activation with Acute Apical Abscess Contents Determined by Interleukin-1 Beta and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production

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

Leaf colleters in Tabernaemontana catharinensis (Apocynaceae, Rauvolfioideae): structure, ontogenesis, and cellular secretion

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

Ac2-26 mimetic peptide of annexin A1 inhibits local and systemic inflammatory processes induced by bothrops moojeni venom and the lys-49 phospholipase A2 in a rat model

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

Interação entre Sorgo Sacarino e plantas daninhas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação da eficácia dos biocurativos em ratos wistar com lesões de pele causadas por queimaduras

Accidents caused by thermal, chemical, electrical or radioactive agents cause skin lesions causing burns of varying degrees. The therapeutic approach aims to restore damaged tissues and involves a wide range of products on the market. This study aims to evaluate the use of biological dressing, biotech product developed at the Blood Center of Botucatu / UNESP obtained from fresh frozen plasma or platelet concentrate with in vitro addition of thrombin and calcium gluconate. This addition in the platelet concentrate, intended to release the active growth factors of the platelets granules on the healing process. The study of the effectiveness of Platelet Gel home made in Wistar rats was established, in agreement with scald burns, comparing efficacy and cost of Platelet Gel with usual hospital -based treatment collagenase + chloramphenicol plus cost analysis through pharmacoeconomics. We used 25 Wistar rats were divided into 3 treatment groups: Group A, Collagenase + Chloramphenicol; Group B, Platelet Gel and C, control. The products were applied every other day for 30 days in animals. In group A, there was the presence of erythema and crust in all animals. The exudates was indentified 2/10 animals. For the Group B, we observed the presence of erythema and crust at all and no presence of exudates. In group C all the animals showed erythema with no presence of exudates and scab occurred in 1/10. Statistical analysis showed significant difference ( p < 0.0 ) for crust formation between Groups B and C. In the histological analysis, group A showed a slight amount of blood vessels and collagen fibers, moderate amounts of macrophages and fibroblasts was observed while B and C groups showed moderate amounts of blood vessels, macrophages and fibroblasts and discreet presence of collagen fibers. The re-epithelialization occurred in most animals of all groups without significant statistical differences. For the aspects of pharmacoeconomics, the platelet gel presented a better cost - effectiveness in relation to treatment based on collagenase / chloramphenicol. In light of the ethical aspects of the raw material is the result of spontaneous blood donation, the proposal should have biological dressings productions the responsibility of public blood transfusion centers for free distribution. This may point to the production chain of Brazilian blood banks like special blood components for use no intravenous.

Pleural tuberculosis: is radiological evidence of pulmonary-associated disease related to the exacerbation of the inflammatory response?

OBJECTIVE: Pleural tuberculosis is the most frequently occurring form of extra pulmonary disease in adults. In up to 40% of cases, the lung parenchyma is concomitantly involved, which can have an epidemiological impact. This study aims to evaluate the pleural and systemic inflammatory response of patients with pleural or pleuropulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: A prospective study of 39 patients with confirmed pleural tuberculosis. After thoracentesis, a high resolution chest tomography was performed to evaluate the pulmonary involvement. Of the 39 patients, 20 exhibited only pleural effusion, and high resolution chest tomography revealed active associated-pulmonary disease in 19 patients. The total protein, lactic dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase, vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta(1) levels were quantified in the patient serum and pleural fluid. RESULTS: All of the effusions were exudates with high levels of adenosine deaminase. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta(1) were increased in the blood and pleural fluid of all of the patients with pleural tuberculosis, with no differences between the two forms of tuberculosis. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were significantly higher in the pleural fluid of the patients with the pleuropulmonary form of tuberculosis. The interleukin-8 levels were high in the pleural fluid of all of the patients, without any differences between the forms of tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha was the single cytokine that significantly increased in the pleural fluid of the patients with pulmonary involvement. However, an overlap in the results does not permit us to suggest that cytokine is a biological marker of concomitant parenchymal involvement. Although high resolution chest tomography can be useful in identifying these patients, the investigation of fast acid bacilli and cultures for M. tuberculosis in the sputum is recommended for all patients who are diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis.

Endothelin-1 induces neutrophil recruitment in adaptive inflammation via TNF alpha and CXCL1/CXCR2 in mice

Endothelin mediates neutrophil recruitment during innate inflammation. Herein we address whether endothelin-1 (ET-1) is involved in neutrophil recruitment in adaptive inflammation in mice, and its mechanisms. Pharmacological treatments were used to determine the role of endothelin in neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneal cavity of mice challenged with antigen (ovalbumin) or ET-1. Levels of ET-1, tumour necrosis factor a (TNF alpha), and CXC chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Neutrophil migration and flow cytometry analyses were performed 4 h after the intraperitoneal stimulus. ET-1 induced dose-dependent neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneal cavity. Treatment with the non-selective ETA/ETB receptor antagonist bosentan, and selective ETA or ETB receptor antagonists BQ-123 or BQ-788, respectively, inhibited ET-1- and ovalbumin-induced neutrophil migration to the peritoneal cavity. In agreement with the above, the antigen challenge significantly increased levels of ET-1 in peritoneal exudates. The ET-1- and ovalbumin-induced neutrophil recruitment were reduced in TNFR1 deficient mice, and by treatments targeting CXCL1 or CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2); further, treatment with bosentan, BQ-123, or BQ-788 inhibited ET-1- and antigen-induced production of TNFa and CXCL1. Furthermore, ET-1 and ovalbumin challenge induced an increase in the number of cells expressing the Gr1(+) markers in the granulocyte gate, CD11c+ markers in the monocyte gate, and CD4(+) and CD45(+) (B220) markers in the lymphocyte gate in an ETA-and ETB-dependent manner, as determined by flow cytometry analysis, suggesting that ET-1 might be involved in the recruitment of neutrophils and other cells in adaptive inflammation. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that ET-1 is an important mediator for neutrophil recruitment in adaptive inflammation via TNF alpha and CXCL1/CXCR2-dependent mechanism.

Peptide fingerprinting of the neurotoxic fractions isolated from the secretions of sea anemones Stichodactyla helianthus and Bunodosoma granulifera. New members of the APETx-like family identified by a 454 pyrosequencing approach

Sea anemones are known to contain a wide diversity of biologically active peptides, mostly unexplored according to recent peptidomic and transcriptomic studies. In the present work, the neurotoxic fractions from the exudates of Stichodactyla helianthus and Bunodosoma granulifera were analyzed by reversed-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry. The first peptide fingerprints of these sea anemones were assessed, revealing the largest number of peptide components (156) so far found in sea anemone species, as well as the richer peptide diversity of B. granulifera in relation to S. helianthus. The transcriptomic analysis of B. granulifera, performed by massive cDNA sequencing with 454 pyrosequencing approach allowed the discovery of five new APETx-like peptides (U-AITX-Bg1a-e - including the full sequences of their precursors for four of them), which together with type 1 sea anemone sodium channel toxins constitute a very distinguishable feature of studied sea anemone species belonging to genus Bunodosoma. The molecular modeling of these new APETx-like peptides showed a distribution of positively charged and aromatic residues in putative contact surfaces as observed in other animal toxins. On the other hand, they also showed variable electrostatic potentials, thus suggesting a docking onto their targeted channels in different spatial orientations. Moreover several crab paralyzing toxins (other than U-AITX-Bg1a-e), which induce a variety of symptoms in crabs, were isolated. Some of them presumably belong to new classes of crab-paralyzing peptide toxins, especially those with molecular masses below 2 kDa, which represent the smallest peptide toxins found in sea anemones. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii exudate-Cu complexes: impact on copper dynamics and bioavailability in an aquatic food chain

The increasing contamination of aquatic environments motivates studies on the interactions among natural dissolved organic matter, metals, and the biota. This investigation focused on the organic exudates of the toxic cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii as a Cu carrier through a three-level aquatic trophic chain (bacteria, protozoa, and copepod). The effects of bacteria activity and growth on the metal-organic complexes were evaluated through changes in free Cu2+ ions, total dissolved, and total particulate Cu. To be sure that the added copper would be complexed to the exudates, its complexing properties were previously determined. The cyanobacteria exudate-Cu complexes were furnished to bacteria that were further used as a food source to the protozoan Paramercium caudatum. This was then furnished as food to the copepod Mesocyclops sp. The results showed that, in general, the cyanobacterial exudates decreased Cu bioavailability and toxicity to the first trophic level (bacteria), but because the heterotrophic bacteria accumulated Cu, they were responsible for the transference for the otherwise low availability metal form. Both the bacteria and protozoan organisms accumulated Cu, but no metal accumulation was detected in the copepods.

A crucial role for IL-6 in the CNS of rats during fever induced by the injection of live E. coli

Interleukin (IL)-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and IL-6 have been established as important mediators of fever induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria. Whether these pro-inflammatory cytokines are also important in mediating fever induced by live bacteria remains less certain. We therefore investigated the following: (1) the synthesis of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 during E. coli-induced fever and (2) the effect of blocking the action of cytokines within the brain on E. coli-induced fever. Body or tail skin temperature (bT or Tsk, respectively) was measured by biotelemetry or telethermometry, every 30 min, during 6 or 24 h. Depending on the number of colony-forming units (CFU) injected i.p., administration of E. coli induced a long-lasting increase in bT of male Wistar rats. The duration of fever did not correlate with the number of CFU found in peritoneal cavity or blood. Because 2.5 x 10(8) CFU induced a sustained fever without inducing a state of sepsis/severe infection, this dose was used in subsequent experiments. The E. coli-induced increase in bT was preceded by a decrease in Tsk, reflecting a thermoregulatory response. TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 were detected at 3 h in serum of animals injected i.p. with E. coli. In the peritoneal exudates, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 were detected at 0.5 and 3 h after E. coli administration. Moreover, both IL-1 beta and IL-6, but not TNF-alpha, were found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hypothalamus of animals injected with E. coli. Although pre-treatment (i.c.v., 2 mu l, 15 min before) with anti-IL-6 antibody (anti-IL-6, 5 mu g) reduced E. coli-induced fever, pre-treatment with either IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra, 200 mu g) or soluble TNF receptor I (sTNFRI, 500 ng) had no effect on the fever response. In conclusion, replicating E. coli promotes an integrated thermoregulatory response in which the central action of IL-6, but not IL-1 and TNF, appears to be important.