Irrigation of thymus in Paraiso Pedres lineage (Gallus gallus domesticus) birds

A vascularização arterial do timo (número, origem e ordenação) bem como a distribuição parenquimal dos ramos penetrantes foram estudadas em 40 aves da linhagem Paraíso Pedrês. Trinta aves foram injetadas com látex e dissecadas, enquanto 10 aves tiveram seus sistemas arteriais injetados com resina (metil metacrilato e mercox) para a preparação de moldes vasculares. A principal fonte de irrigação encontrada foi a associação dos ramos oriundos das artérias comuns do nervo vago, tireóideas e ingluviais, sendo que seus ramos penetravam o parênquima dos lobos, principalmente pelas suas extremidades cranial e caudal. A partir da penetração, os ramos tímicos apresentavam distribuição predominante para a periferia do lobo, formando uma trama capilar poligonal, com espaços irregulares, característica de um órgão linforreticular.The thymus arterial vascularization (number, origin and organization) as well as the parenchymal distribution of the penetrative branches were studied in 40 birds of Paraiso Pedres lineage birds. From this total, 30 were injected with latex and dissected, while 10 had their arterial vessels injected with resin (methylmethacrylate and mercox) for the vascular matrix preparation. The main source of irrigation found was the association of branches originated from the common arteries of the vago nerve, thyroid and ingluvial, and their branches penetrated in the parenchyma of the lobes especially through the caudal and cranial endings. From this penetration, the thymic branches showed most of their distribution to the lobe periphery, creating a polygonal capilar web with irregular, spaces which is a characteristic of a linforeticular organ

Facile synthesis of oxo-/thioxopyrimidines and tetrazoles C–C linked to sugars as novel non-toxic antioxidant acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Microwave-assisted synthesis of oxo-/thioxopyrimidines and tetrazoles linked to furanoses with D-xylo and D-ribo configuration, and to a D-galacto pyranose is reported and compared to conventional methods. Reaction of dialdofuranoses and dialdopyranoses with a b-keto ester and urea or thiourea under micro wave irradiation at 300 W gave in 10 min the target molecules containing the 2-oxo- or 2-thioxo-pyrimidine ring in high yield. The tetrazole-derived compounds were obtained in two steps by reaction of the formyl group with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, copper sulfate, triethylamine and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide to give an intermediate nitrile, which was then treated with sodium azide. The use of microwave irradiation in the latter step also resulted in a considerably shorter reaction time (10 min) compared to hours under conventional heating to obtain a complete starting materials conversion. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition ranged from 20% to 80% for compounds concentration of 100 lg/mL, demonstrating the potential of this family of compounds for the control of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Most of the compounds showed antioxidant activity in the b-carotene/linoleic acid assay, some of them exhibiting IC50 values in the same order of magnitude as those of gallic acid. The bioactive compounds did not show cytotoxic effects to human lymphocytes using the MTT method adapted for non-adherent cells, nor geno toxicity determined by the short-term in vitro chromosomal aberration assay.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Associação independente da variante rs1333049, no locus 9p21, com a doença coronária, numa população portuguesa

Funding: This study was supported by the European Regional Development Fund’s Operational Programme for the Enhancement of Economic Potential and Territorial Cohesion for the Autonomous Region of Madeira (INTERVIR+).Introduction: Recent genome-wide association studies have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the 9p21 locus as risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Among them, the SNP rs1333049 has demonstrated a consistent association with CAD, which has been successfully replicated in several populations. Aim: To investigate whether the SNP rsl333049 located on the 9p21 chromosome is an independent risk factor for CAD in a Portuguese population. Methods: We performed a case-control study which included 1406 individuals, 723 consecutive coronary patients (mean age 53.7±8.9 years, 79.9% male) and 683 controls without coronary disease (mean age 53.3±10.5 years, 73.9% male). Cases and controls were selected so as not to be significantly different in terms of gender and age. We studied the SNP rs1333049 at the 9p21 locus in all individuals, using standard PCR combined with the TaqMan technique (Applied Biosystems). The allelic and genotype distribution (C/G), odds ratios and corresponding confidence intervals for CAD risk were determined. A forward Wald logistic regression analysis model was constructed, adjusted for age, gender, conventional risk factors, biochemical markers and the genotypes under study, in order to determine which variables were linked significantly and independently with CAD. Results: The C allele was found in 60% of the CAD patients and 53% of the controls, with OR=1.33; p=0.0002. The CC genotype appeared in 35.7% of CAD patients, with OR=1.34, p=0.010. The heterozygous CG genotype was present in 48.1% of the CAD patients and 47% of the controls, and did not present vascular risk (OR=1.05, p=0.670). After logistic regression analysis, the CC genotype remained in the equation with 0R=1.7; p=0.018 and CG with OR=I.5, p=0.048. Conclusion: In the present study we replicated the coronary risk linked to the recently discovered variant rs1333049 on the 9p21 chromosome in a Portuguese population. Although the mechanism underlying the risk is still unknown, the robustness of this risk allele in risk stratification for CAD has been consistent, even in very different populations. The presence of the CC or CG genotype may thus prove to be useful for predicting the risk of developing CAD in the Portuguese population.publishersversionpublishe

Measurement of single electron emission in two-phase xenon

We present the first measurements of the electroluminescence response to the emission of single electrons in a two-phase noble gas detector. Single ionization electrons generated in liquid xenon are detected in a thin gas layer during the 31-day background run of the ZEPLIN-II experiment, a two-phase xenon detector for WIMP dark matter searches. Both the pressure dependence and magnitude of the single-electron response are in agreement with previous measurements of electroluminescence yield in xenon. We discuss different photoionization processes as possible cause for the sample of single electrons studied in this work. This observation may have implications for the design and operation of future large-scale two-phase systems.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Limits on spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross-sections from the first ZEPLIN-II data

The first underground data run of the ZEPLIN-II experiment has set a limit on the nuclear recoil rate in the two-phase xenon detector for direct dark matter searches. In this paper the results from this run are converted into the limits on spin-dependent WIMP-proton and WIMP-neutron cross-sections. The minimum of the curve for WIMP-neutron cross-section corresponds to 0.07 pb at a WIMP mass of around 65 GeV.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Physics Letters

Statistical Properties and Decay of Correlations for Interval Maps with Critical Points and Singularities

We consider a class of piecewise smooth one-dimensional maps with critical points and singularities (possibly with infinite derivative). Under mild summability conditions on the growth of the derivative on critical orbits, we prove the central limit theorem and a vector-valued almost sure invariance principle. We also obtain results on decay of correlations.Comment: 18 pages, minor revisions, to appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic

The ZEPLIN II dark matter detector: data acquisition system and data reduction

ZEPLIN-II is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon dark matter detector searching for WIMP-nucleon interactions. In this paper we describe the data acquisition system used to record the data from ZEPLIN-II and the reduction procedures which parameterise the data for subsequent analysis.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

The ZEPLIN II dark matter detector: data acquisition system and data reduction

ZEPLIN-II is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon dark matter detector searching for WIMP-nucleon interactions. In this paper we describe the data acquisition system used to record the data from ZEPLIN-II and the reduction procedures which parameterise the data for subsequent analysis.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

Análise da estrutura fatorial da versão em português da Escala de Auto-Silenciamento

This study focuses on the adaptation of the Portuguese version of the Escala de Autosilenciamiento [EAS, for its Portuguese acronym] (Neves, 2005) that has been designed to assess the use of cognitive schemas for self silencing in intimate relationships. Participants were 371 women with a mean age of 22.36 years (SD=2.69; Min=18; Max=31), who at that time were involved in affective relationships with an average duration of 39.65 months (SD=33.93; Min=10; Max=192).The exploratory factor analysis suggests a factor solution of three factors, where the first factor includes items from the silencing of the sef and divided self subscales. The second factor includes items from the care-giving subscale such as self-sacrifice. And the third factor includes items from the externalized self-perception subscale. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis show reliable global indices of fitness of the model, confirming the quality of the model in terms of adjustment to empirical data (X2/df=1.964, CFI=.862, GFI=.894, RMSEA=.051) compared to the original model. Implications for a further study of the construct validity of the scale are discussed.Este estudo se centra na adaptação da versão em português da Escala de Auto-silenciamento (EAS; Neves, 2005) que está desenhada para avaliar o uso de esquemas cognitivos de auto-silenciamento nas relações íntimas. Neste estudo participaram 371 mulheres, com uma idade média de 22,36 anos (DP = 2,69, mín. = 18, máx. = 31), que nessa época estavam envolvidas em relações afetivas com uma duração média de 39,65 meses. (DP = 33,93, mín. = 0,10; máx. = 192). Uma análise fatorial exploratória posterior sugere uma solução de três fatores, aonde o primeiro fator inclui os itens da sub-escala de silenciamento do self e do self dividido; o segundo inclui os itens da sub-escala de Provisão de cuidados como o auto sacrifício, e o terceiro inclui os itens da sub-escala de auto percepção externalizada. Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmatória mostram índices gerais de adequação confiáveis, o que confirma a qualidade do ajuste do modelo aos dados empíricos (X2/df = 1964, CFI = .862, GFI = 0,894, RMSEA = 0,051) em comparação com a teste original. Analisam-se as implicações para um estudo más profundo da validez de constructo da escala.Este estudio se centra en la adaptación de la versión en portugués de la Escala de Autosilenciamiento (EAS; Neves, 2005) que está diseñada para evaluar el uso de esquemas cognitivos de autosilenciamiento en las relaciones íntimas. En este estudio participaron 371 mujeres, con una edad media de 22,36 años (DP = 2,69, mín. = 18, máx. = 31), que en esa época estaban involucradas en relaciones afectivas con una duración promedio de 39,65 meses. (DP = 33,93, mín. = 0,10; máx. = 192). Un análisis factorial exploratorio posterior sugiere una solución de tres factores, donde el primer factor incluye los ítems de la subescala de silenciamiento del self y del self dividido; el segundo incluye los ítems de la subescala de Provisión de cuidados como el autosacrificio, y el tercero incluye los ítems de la subescala de autopercepción externalizada. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio muestran índices generales de adecuación fiables, lo que confirma la calidad del ajuste del modelo a los datos empíricos (X2/df = 1964, CFI = .862, GFI = 0,894, RMSEA = 0,051) en comparación con la prueba original. Se analizan las implicaciones para un estudio más profundo de la validez de constructo de la escala