Immobilization of Candida antarctica Lipase Type B by Adsorption on Activated Carbon

The immobilization of Candida antarctica lipase type B on activated carbon was studied. Adsorption conditions were investigated in order to improve enzyme activity and stability in organic media. Results showed that biocatalyst activity and recovered activity were improved with increasing concentrations of ammonium sulphate on the supernatant during enzyme adsorption. Hydrophobic interactions were the driving force of the immobilization process. Nevertheless, the specific and recovered activity of the immobilized enzyme is affected by pH of adsorption, and best results were obtained when lipase adsorption was conducted near the enzyme isoeletric point (pI 6.0). Operational stability of the immobilized enzyme was markedly improved when lipase loading was increased from 74.15 U g-1 to 112.34 U g-1. After the sixth cycle of butyl butyrate synthesis, it retained around 10 % of the initial activity. Derivatives prepared in this work were tested and compared to a commercial derivative and results showed that they were a suitable biocatalyst to be used in the synthesis of flavours, such as butyl butyrate

Avaliação de polimorfismo de nucleotídeo único em gene promotor da citocina inflamatória IL6 quanto à susceptibilidade em doenças pulmonares

Acredita-se que fatores genéticos podem modificar o risco individual tornando os indivíduos mais susceptíveis a certas patologias. Polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNP) em genes de mediadores inflamatórios estão fortemente relacionados a esta propensão. Objetivou-se relacionar a presença de SNP em gene que codifica uma citocina pró-inflamatória com susceptibilidade às doenças pulmonares. Foi realizado um estudo do tipo caso-controle em indivíduos com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC), câncer de pulmão (CP) e tuberculose (TB). Foram realizadas coletas de dados epidemiológicos e ainda de material biológico para genotipagem do polimorfismo rs1800795 do gene IL6 através da técnica de reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) em tempo real. Para as análises estatísticas foram avaliadas a frequência (%), média e desvio-padrão e o teste x2 para as variáveis categóricas. Observou-se o predomínio do sexo masculino, bem como a maioria dos indivíduos se autodeclarou caucasiano. Quanto à frequência alélica para o polimorfismo rs1800795 do gene IL6, a presença foi maior no alelo considerado de risco em todos os grupos de casos, mas ao comparar estes achados a um grupo controle, não foi observada diferença estatística significativa, fato que demonstra que não há relação entre as frequências genotípicas e alélicas e presença do polimorfismo em IL6 com a susceptibilidade a doenças pulmonares nesta população

Aquisição da habilidade motora rebater na educação física escolar: um estudo das dicas de aprendizagem como conteúdo de ensino

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of verbal cues on the acquisition of a striking skill, focusing on their perceptual and motor aspects. The sample of this study was made of 84 public school students aged between six to eight years old from three classrooms of the same school. Each classroom constituted a group: no cue, perceptual cue and motor cue group. The experiment was carried out in three phases: pre-test, classes with specific cue and post-test. The group which received perceptual cue showed better results. Thus, it was verified that the effects of cues depend on the specificity of the task concerning its information processing demands. It was concluded that task´s specificity related cue demonstrated its potential as knowledge for the students to guide them towards improvement of the quality of movement and confirms the possibility of its inclusion as a content to be taught in the school physical education.O objetivo do estudo foi investigar o efeito das dicas verbais na aquisição da habilidade rebater na Educação Física Escolar (EFE), com foco de atenção no seu aspecto perceptivo e motor. Participaram do estudo 84 alunos de três turmas de uma escola (faixa etária entre seis a oito anos). Cada turma correspondeu a um grupo: sem dicas, com dica perceptiva e com dica motora. O experimento teve três fases: pré-teste, aulas de EFE e pós-teste. O grupo com dica perceptiva apresentou melhores resultados. Portanto, verificou-se o efeito das dicas relacionado com a especificidade da tarefa no que se refere às suas demandas de processamento. Assim concluiu-se que a dica de aprendizagem relacionada à especificidade da tarefa mostrou o seu potencial como um conhecimento que orienta os alunos em direção à melhoria da qualidade do movimento, confirmando a possibilidade de sua inclusão como conteúdo de ensino da EFE

Cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activities of Gallesia integrifolia (Phytolaccaceae) fruit essential oil

The chemical composition of Gallesia integrifolia fruits essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a modified Clevenger apparatus was investigated by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In addition, the cytotoxicity activity against human tumor cell lines MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (large cell lung carcinoma), HeLa (cervical carcinoma), and HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), and non-tumor PLP2 (porcine liver primary cells) as well as the anti-inflammatory action was proposal. The compounds were predominantly organosulfates (2,8-dithianonane, dimethyl trisulfide, and lenthionine). Anti-inflammatory activity that provides 50% inhibition of nitric oxide production (55 µg/mL) of essential oil of the fruits. It also presents cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 (GI50 = 66 µg/mL), NCI-H-460 (GI50 = 147 µg/mL), HeLa (GI50 = 182 µg/mL) and HepG2 (GI50 = 240 µg/mL). The essential oil is more active in tumor cells than in non-tumor cells and the GI50 values for essential oil reported in our work support future studies.The authors thank Universidade Paranaense, UniCesumar, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) and to national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for R.C. Calhelhas contract, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) -finance code 001-, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and Fundação Araucária for the financial support and the fellowship.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gastroesophageal Intussusception in Canine

Background: Gastroesophageal intussusception is characterized by the invagination of the stomach into the esophagus, with or without the involvementof adjacent organs such as the spleen, pancreas, and omentum. In dogs, this condition has no breed or sex predisposition. As it is an infrequent disease in routine veterinary medical practice, this study reports a case of gastroesophageal intussusception in a dog necropsied at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (HOVET - UFRPE), Recife, Brazil.Case: The body of a 12-year-old black mixed breed male dog was sent to the Pathology Department (Necropsy Sector of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE) for a necropsy. The animal had a previous 4-year history of recurrent emesis and limb weakness, primarily in the anterior limbs, that worsened in the previous months and progressed to death. No previous treatments were reported by the owner. On external examination, the animal had a low body score (cachectic), forelimb joints with great flexibility, congested oral and ocular mucous membranes, enophthalmos, and increased volume in the perianal region. At the opening of the thoracic cavity, the final third of the esophagus was dilated and gastroesophageal intussusception, edema, and pulmonary congestion were noted. In the abdominal cavity, there was hepatic and renal congestion and large intestine and rectal ampoule dilation, with a large amount of solid and retained feces (fecaloma), perianal hernia, and testicular neoformation. These findings were consistent with those observed in death caused by cardiorespiratory failure secondary to gastroesophageal intussusception.Discussion: The pathophysiology of gastroesophageal intussusception is still not elucidated and is probably multifactorial. This condition causes reverse gastric peristalsis associated with a sudden and sustained increase in abdominal pressure. Some probable predisposing factors for this pathological condition are esophageal motility disorders, lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction, and hiatal enlargement. In dogs, gastroesophageal intussusception is associated with increased intra-abdominal pressure owing to emesis or blunt trauma, negative intrathoracic pressure caused by respiratory, and previous esophageal diseases, especially megaesophagus. Partial or total obstruction caused by intussusception leads to circulatory disorders in the organs, especially decreased venous return. Persistence of this condition can lead to gastric necrosis and rupture followed by endotoxic (or septic) shock and release of inflammatory mediators that can cause cardiovascular and respiratory dysfunction and rapid death. Impaired circulation is macroscopically evident in several organs, characterized by mucosal, lung, liver, and kidney congestion, in addition to cardiac dilation and mitral valve endocardiosis. The occurrence of stomach invagination into the esophagus dilated in the final portion is characteristic of gastroesophageal intussusception. Moreover, death owing to cardiorespiratory failure is related to cardiac (dilatation and endocardiosis) and pulmonary (edema and congestion) involvement secondary to gastroesophageal intussusception. Since thispotentially fatal condition has a low incidence in small animals and often goes unnoticed by professionals, early and correct diagnosis along with surgical treatment are essential for a good prognosis and favorable progression

Insomnia symptoms during the covid-19 pandemic: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE: To identify lifestyle-related, sociodemographic, and mental health characteristics of people with insomnia symptoms and people without insomnia during the pandemic. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with data collected by snowball sampling using an online questionnaire. From November 2020 to April 2021, 6,360 people with a mean age of 43.5 years (SD = 14.3) participated in the survey. For this study, we considered 158 cases of insomnia disorder and 476 controls (three controls per case) randomly selected from the participants without sleep problems. RESULTS: The results of the comparative analysis between cases and controls showed that sleeping less than six hours daily (OR = 3.89; 95%CI 2.50-6.05), feeling sadness frequently (OR = 2.95; 95%CI 1.69-5.17), residing in metropolitan areas (OR = 1.71; 95%CI 1.04-2.84), being 40 years or older (OR = 1.93; 95%CI 1.22-3.06), and the interaction between occupation and poorer education (OR = 2.12; 95%CI 1.22-3.69) were predictors for symptoms of insomnia disorder during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to confirming the hypothesis that mental health problems are associated with insomnia symptoms, the results point to insomnia as an important outcome for studies on the effects of unemployment, vulnerability and low education of the population, especially in large cities, highlighting that the effects of the crisis on health and the economy are extremely unequally distributed.OBJETIVO: Identificar características relacionadas ao estilo de vida, sociodemográficas e saúde mental de pessoas com sintomas de insônia e pessoas sem insônia durante a pandemia. MÉTODOS: A partir de dados coletados por amostragem em bola de neve, por meio de um questionário online foi realizado um estudo caso-controle. Durante o período de novembro de 2020 a abril de 2021, 6.360 pessoas com idade média de 43,5 anos (DP = 14,3) participaram da pesquisa. No presente estudo, foram considerados 158 casos de transtorno de insônia e 476 controles (três controles por caso) selecionados aleatoriamente dentre os participantes sem problemas de sono. RESULTADOS: Os resultados da análise comparativa entre casos e controles mostraram que dormir menos de seis horas diárias (OR = 3,89; IC95% 2,50–6,05), sentir tristeza frequentemente (OR = 2,95; IC95% 1,69–5,17), residir em metrópoles (OR = 1,71; IC95% 1,04–2,84), estar com 40 anos ou mais (OR = 1,93; IC95% 1,22–3,06) e a interação entre ocupação e escolaridade mais precária (OR = 2,12; IC95% 1,22–3,69) foram fatores preditores para sintomas de transtorno de insônia durante a pandemia. CONCLUSÕES: Além da confirmação da hipótese de que problemas de saúde mental estão associados a sintomas de insônia, os resultados apontam para a insônia como um desfecho importante para estudos sobre efeitos do desemprego, vulnerabilidade e baixa escolaridade da população, sobretudo nas grandes metrópoles, ressaltando que os efeitos da crise sobre a saúde e a economia são distribuídos de forma extremamente desiguais

Atividade biológica do lapachol e de alguns derivados sobre o desenvolvimento fúngico e em germinação de sementes

The natural quinones lapachol, α-lapachone and β-lapachone, and the synthetic derivative β-lapachone-3-sulfonic-acid were assayed for inhibition of fungal growth (Fusarium oxysporum) and germination of lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa L.). β-Lapachone has the strongest activity as a germination inhibitor and lapachol shows no effect. β-Lapachone, followed by lapachol, are the most active in reducing fungal growth

Anais do 2º Encontro de Iniciação Científica da Unila "Resultados em debate"

Anais do II Encontro de Iniciação Científica da Unila. Unila-PTI, Foz do Iguaçu, Estado do Paraná, 03 e 04 de julho de 2013O Programa de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica da Unila (Probic) e o Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica (Pibic), da Fundação Araucária de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Paraná (FA), incentivam e promovem a capacitação de estudantes de graduação para produzir conhecimento científico sob responsabilidade de um professor orientador. Na atividade, o orientador tem papel central em direcionar o desenvolvimento das atitudes críticas e habilidades do estudante à missão da Universidade. Neste processo, a iniciação científica tem a missão de aperfeiçoar a formação acadêmica e profissional de estudantes, que são introduzidos nos diferentes campos do saber pelas disciplinas e projetos de pesquisa docente para serem capacitados a refletir, formular e testar hipóteses, resolver problemas e situações colocadas, tanto pela simples curiosidade humana de conhecer quanto pela necessidade social de transformar. Constitui-se na formulação de questionamentos, na aprendizagem da elaboração do objeto de pesquisa, escolha dos referenciais epistemológicos e metodológicos, busca de informações, sistematização da argumentação e produção de conhecimento. Dada a importância dos projetos de pesquisa, propôs-se a realização do II Encontro de Iniciação Científica da UNILA como um espaço institucional de avaliação e exposição pública dos projetos de iniciativa docente, promovendo uma discussão sobre as necessidades de pesquisa e as dificuldades de desenvolvê-las concomitante à construção da universidade, de modo a registrar sugestões de docentes e estudantes.Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) e Parque Tecnológico de Itaipu (PTI