Genetic and chemical diversity in seeds of cactus mandacaru (Cereus sp.) from two edaphoclimatic regions contrasting

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical, physiological and genetic differences in seeds of cactus of the Cereus genus (mandacaru) cultivated in the Northeast (Picos, State of Piauí) and Southern (Maringá, State of Paraná) regions of Brazil. Over a period of eight days, temperatures of 25°C and 30°C were equally efficient for the germination of all the seeds. Oleic acid (C18:1) was the most common fatty acid found in the seeds collected in the Southern (41%) and Northeast (45.5%) regions. The analysis of lipases indicated that seeds from Maringá have high mean observed and expected heterozygosities and that seeds from Picos have a higher number of alleles per loci. Therefore, the seeds of mandacaru from the semiarid region of Northeast as well as the seeds from the South (the two contrasting regions of Brazil) are promising with regards to the preservation of the biodiversity in the genome of mandacaru. The low genetic identity between mandacaru seeds from Maringá and Picos at Lipase-5 locus analysis (I = 0.77) suggests that the mandacaru plants from Maringá and Picos may correspond to two species: C. peruvianus and C. jamacaru, respectively

Comparing Text Mining Algorithms for Predicting Irregularities in Public Accounts

Information systems that support public sector daily activities generate large data sets. As a large proportion of the data in these data sets are text, Text Mining can play an important role in deriving potentially useful and previously unknown information. The overall goal of this paper is evaluate the performance and quality of three text mining classification algorithms applied to detect irregularities in public sector records. To evaluate the algorithms, a tool was designed and a case study was carried out at the Court of Accounts of Sergipe. Performance and Quality metrics were evaluated: mean execution time, accuracy, precision, coverage and F-measure. The results show that the multinomial naive bayes algorithm using inverse document frequency was the best approach to find evidences of travel reimbursement irregularities

A robust method to quantify low molecular weight contaminants in heparin: detection of tris(2-n-butoxyethyl) phosphate

Recently, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) was identified in contaminated heparin preparations, which were linked to several adverse clinical events and deaths. Orthogonal analytical techniques, namely nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and capillary electrophoresis (CE), have since been applied by several authors for the evaluation of heparin purity and safety. NMR identification and quantification of residual solvents and non-volatile low molecular contaminants with USP acceptance levels of toxicity was achieved 40-fold faster than the traditional GC-headspace technique, which takes similar to 120 min against similar to 3 min to obtain a (1)H NMR spectrum with a signal/noise ratio of at least 1000/1. the procedure allowed detection of Class 1 residual solvents at 2 ppm and quantification was possible above 10 ppm. 2D NMR techniques (edited-HSQC (1)H/(13)C) permitted visualization of otherwise masked EDTA signals at 3.68/59.7 ppm and 3.34/53.5 ppm, which may be overlapping mononuclear heparin signals, or those of ethanol and methanol. Detailed NMR and ESI-MS/MS studies revealed a hitherto unknown contaminant, tris(2-n-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), which has potential health risks.Brazilian agency Fundacao AraucariaBrazilian agency FINEP (PRONEX-CARBOIDRATOS, PADCT II/SBIO)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Fed Parana, Dept Bioquim & Biol Mol, BR-81531980 Curitiba, PR, BrazilIst Ric Chim & Biochim G Ronzoni, I-20133 Milan, ItalyUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim & Biol Mol, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Liverpool, Sch Biol Sci, Liverpool L69 7ZB, Merseyside, EnglandUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim & Biol Mol, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Baccharis dracunculifolia-based mouthrinse alters the exopolysaccharide structure in cariogenic biofilms

FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOBaccharis dracunculifolia is a native plant from Brazil with antimicrobial activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a B. dracunculifolia-based mouthrinse (Bd) changes the structure of insoluble exopolysaccharides (IEPS) in Streptococcus mutans UA159 cariogenic biofilm. Biofilms were grown on glass slides and treated with Bd, its vehicle (VC), chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX), or saline solution (NaCl). Among the treatments, only CHX significantly reduced the biofilm biomass and bacterial viability (p < 0.05). Gas chromatography mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses revealed that IEPS from the four biofilm samples were alpha-glucans containing different proportions of (1 6) and (I 3) glycosidic linkages. The structural differences among the four IEPS were compared by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA analysis indicated that IEPS from VC- and NaCl-treated biofilms were structurally similar to each other. Compared with the control, IEPS from Bd- and CHX-treated biofilms were structurally different and had distinct chemical profiles. In summary, the fact that Bd changed the IEPS chemical composition indicates that this mouthrinse may affect the cariogenic properties of the S. mutans biofilm formed. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.Baccharis dracunculifolia is a native plant from Brazil with antimicrobial activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a B. dracunculifolia-based mouthrinse (Bd) changes the structure of insoluble exopolysaccharides (IEPS) in Streptococcus mutans UA159 cariogenic biofilm. Biofilms were grown on glass slides and treated with Bd, its vehicle (VC), chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX), or saline solution (NaCl). Among the treatments, only CHX significantly reduced the biofilm biomass and bacterial viability (p < 0.05). Gas chromatography mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses revealed that IEPS from the four biofilm samples were alpha-glucans containing different proportions of (1 6) and (I 3) glycosidic linkages. The structural differences among the four IEPS were compared by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA analysis indicated that IEPS from VC- and NaCl-treated biofilms were structurally similar to each other. Compared with the control, IEPS from Bd- and CHX-treated biofilms were structurally different and had distinct chemical profiles. In summary, the fact that Bd changed the IEPS chemical composition indicates that this mouthrinse may affect the cariogenic properties of the S. mutans biofilm formed84301307FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO2010/12456-

Anti-Inflammatory Properties of the Medicinal Mushroom <i>Cordyceps militaris</i> Might Be Related to Its Linear (1→3)-β-D-Glucan

<div><p>The Ascomycete <i>Cordyceps militaris</i>, an entomopathogenic fungus, is one of the most important traditional Chinese medicines. Studies related to its pharmacological properties suggest that this mushroom can exert interesting biological activities. Aqueous (CW and HW) and alkaline (K5) extracts containing polysaccharides were prepared from this mushroom, and a β-D-glucan was purified. This polymer was analysed by GC-MS and NMR spectrometry, showing a linear chain composed of β-D-Glc<i>p</i> (1→3)-linked. The six main signals in the ¹³C-NMR spectrum were assigned by comparison to reported data. The aqueous (CW, HW) extracts stimulated the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and COX-2 by THP-1 macrophages, while the alkaline (K5) extract did not show any effect. However, when the extracts were added to the cells in the presence of LPS, K5 showed the highest inhibition of the pro-inflammatory genes expression. This inhibitory effect was also observed for the purified β-(1→3)-D-glucan, that seems to be the most potent anti-inflammatory compound present in the polysaccharide extracts of <i>C. militaris. In vivo</i>, β-(1→3)-D-glucan also inhibited significantly the inflammatory phase of formalin-induced nociceptive response, and, in addition, it reduced the migration of total leukocytes but not the neutrophils induced by LPS. In conclusion, this study clearly demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effect of β-(1→3)-D-glucan.</p></div

Monosaccharide composition of the fractions obtained from <i>C. militaris</i>.

<p>Footnote:</p>a<p>Calculated based on the initial dry mushroom weight.</p>b<p>Alditol acetates obtained on successive hydrolysis, NaBH₄ reduction, and acetylation, followed by GC-MS analysis.</p><p>Monosaccharide composition of the fractions obtained from <i>C. militaris</i>.</p

Effect of β-(1→3)-D-glucan on number of total leukocytes (A) and myeloperoxidase levels (B) induced by LPS in mice. Footnote:

<p>Mice received vehicle (saline plus 5% Me₂SO, 10 mL/kg, i.p.), dexamethasone (DEXA, 0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), or β-(1→3)-D-glucan (30 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before LPS administration. Statistical analyses were performed by means of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Newman–Keuls’ test. The results represent the mean ± SEM of 6–8 animals. ^#p<0.05 versus saline group; *p<0.05 versus control group.</p

¹³C-NMR spectra of fractions PK5 (A), and SD-PK5 (B), in Me₂SO-<i>d</i>₆ at 70°C (chemical shifts are expressed in δ ppm).

<p>¹³C-NMR spectra of fractions PK5 (A), and SD-PK5 (B), in Me₂SO-<i>d</i>₆ at 70°C (chemical shifts are expressed in δ ppm).</p

Effect of β-(1→3)-D-glucan on neurogenic (A) and inflammatory phase (B) of nociception induced by formalin in mice. Footnote:

<p>Mice received vehicle (saline plus 5% Me₂SO, 10 mL/kg, i.p.) or β-(1→3)-D-glucan (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before formalin administration. Statistical analyses were performed by means of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Newman–Keuls’ test. The results represent the mean ± SEM of 10–12 animals. *p<0.05 versus control group.</p