Antioxidant,antimicrobial and toxicological properties of Schinus molle L. essential oils

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Schinus molle L. has been used in folk medicine as antibacterial, antiviral, topical antiseptic, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoural as well as antispasmodic and analgesic; however, there are few studies of pharmacological and toxicological properties of S. molle essential oils. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of S. molle leaf and fruit essential oils, correlated with their chemical composition and evaluate their acute toxicity. Materials and methods: The chemical composition of S. molle leaf and fruit essential oils were evaluated by GC-FID and GC-MS. Antioxidant properties were determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and β-carotene/linoleic acid methods. Antimicrobial properties were evaluated by the agar disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration assay. Toxicity in Artemia salina and acute toxicity with behavioural screening in mice were evaluated. Results: The dominant compounds found in leaf and fruit essential oils (EOs) were monoterpene hydrocarbons, namely -phellandrene, β-phellandrene, β-myrcene, limonene and α-pinene. EOs showed low scavenging antioxidant activity by the DPPH free radical method and a higher activity by the β-carotene/linoleic acid method. Antimicrobial activity of EOs was observed for Gram+, Gram– pathogenic bacteria and food spoilage fungi. EOs showed cytotoxicity for Artemia salina and lower toxicity in Swiss mice. Conclusions: The result showed that EOs of leaves and fruits of S. molle demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, suggesting their potential use in food or pharmaceutical industries

Imunoterapia anti-tumoral com células dendríticas

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells, which display an extraordinary capacity to induce and regulate T-cell responses. Because of their immunoregulatory capacities and because very small numbers of activated DCs are highly efficient in generating immune responses against antigens, DCs have been extensively used in clinical trials in order to elicit or amplify immune responses against cancer. While clinical trials provide evidence that dendritic cells vaccines are safe and elicit immunological responses in most patients, few complete tumor remissions have been reported. To improve the clinical efficacy, it is mandatory to design novel and improved strategies that can boost adaptive immunity to cancer helping to overcome regulatory T cells and allowing the breakdown of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The association of DCs vaccines with conventional chemo- and radiotherapy protocols could enhance DCs activation and antigen cross-presentation, selectively eliminating immunosuppressive cells, thus reverting the immunosuppression state caused by cancer, suggesting that relevant chemoimmunotherapy associa- tions could fully exploit DC capacity to trigger anticancer responses. As células dendríticas (DCs) são células apresentadoras de antigénio dotadas de uma extraordinária capacidade de estimular e regular a resposta dos linfócitos T. Devido à sua capacidade imunomoduladora e ao reduzido número de DCs ativadas capazes de gerar uma eficiente resposta imunológica, as DCs têm sido muito utilizadas em ensaios clínicos com o intuito de obter ou amplificar uma resposta imune anti-tumoral. Apesar de estudos clínicos evidenciarem que as vacinas de DCs são seguras e induzem uma resposta imunológica na maioria dos doentes, o número de casos com remissões completas do tumor ainda é pequeno. Para aumentar a eficácia clínica é necessário melhorar e criar novas estratégias que incluam a amplificação da imunidade adaptativa anti-tumoral e o bloqueio da proliferação de linfócitos T reguladores e do micro-ambiente imunossupressor. A combinação de vacinas de DCs com os protocolos convencionais de quimio e radioterapia promovem a ativação de DCs, a apresentação cruzada de antigénios e a eliminação seletiva de células imunossupressoras, revertendo o estado de imunossupressão inerente ao tumor. Assim, esta associação de quimioimunoterapia poderá explorar positivamente a capacidade das DCs na obtenção de uma resposta imunológica mais eficaz.

Low Power CMOS Chopper Preamplifier Based on Source-Degeneration Transconductors

This paper describes the design of a low-power, low-noise flicker CMOS chopper preamplifier for sensor signal conditioning. The core amplifier and the Gm-C output low pass filter of the proposed fully differential preamplifier are based on a source degeneration transconductor. The circuit was designed in a standard 0.18µm CMOS process with 1.8V supply voltage. It shows 42dB gain, 1 kHz bandwidth and a total power consumption of 84 µW. The proposed configuration achieves a noise efficiency factor of 4.6 and a total input-referred noise of 560 nVrms integrated from 0.1 to 1 kHz

Immunoparasitological Diagnosis Of Strongyloides Stercoralis In Garbage Collectors In Uberlândia, Mg, Brazil

The objective of this study was to determine the presence of Strongyloides stercoralis in urban garbage collectors through the use of immunological and parasitological methods. A total of 92 individuals were evaluated from August, 1997, to June, 1998. For the parasitological diagnosis Baermann and Lutz' methods were applied. The immunological diagnosis involved the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect specific IgG antibodies. Of the 92 workers examined, six (6.5%) were infected with larvae of S. stercoralis. The IFAT detected 19 (16.3%) and the ELISA 17 (18.5%) positive serum samples. The differences between the results of parasitological and immunological methods were statistically significant (p<0.05). These results demonstrate that there is a need to improve the health conditions of this category of city employees.6203/04/15180182CONCHA, R., HARRINGTON, J.R.W., ROGERS, A.L., Intestinal strongyloidiasis: Recognition, management and determinants of outcome (2005) J Clin Gastroenterol, 39, pp. 203-211SIDDIQUI, A.A., BERK, S.L., Diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection (2001) Clin Infect Dis, 33, pp. 1040-1047FERREIRA, M., Strongyloidiasis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (2003) Enf Emerg, 5, pp. 18-26VADLAMUDI, R.S., CHI, D.S., KRISHANASWAMY, G., Intestinal strongyloidiasis and hyperinfection syndrome (2006) Clin Mol Allergy, 4, pp. 1-13BAERMANN G. Eine Einfache methode zur auffindung von Ankylostomum (Nematoden) larven in Erdproben. Mededeel mit h. Geneesk Lab Weltvreden Feestbundel, Batavia, 1917, p. 41-7LUTZ, A.V., Schistosoma mansoni e a schistosomose, Segundo observações feitas no Brasil. (1919) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 11, pp. 121-125COSTA-CRUZ, J.M., BULLAMAH, C.B., GONÇALVEZ-PIRES, M.R.F., Cryo-microtome sections of coproculture larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis and Strongyloides ratti as antigen sources for the immunodiagnosis of human strongyloidiasis (1997) Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo, 39, pp. 313-317MACHADO, E.R., UETA, M.T., GONÇALVES-PIRES, M.R.F., Strongyloides venezuelensis alkaline extract for the diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (2003) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 98, pp. 849-853MACHADO, E.R., COSTA-CRUZ, J.M., Strongyloides stercoralis and other enteroparasites in children at Uberlândia City, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil (1998) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 93, pp. 161-164PAULA, F.M., CASTRO, E., GONÇALVES-PIRES, M.R.F., Parasitological and immunological diagnoses of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised and nonimmunocompromised children at Uberlândia City, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil (2000) Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo, 42, pp. 51-55OLIVEIRA, L.C.M., RIBEIRO, C.T., MENDES, D.M., Frequency of Strongyloides stercoralis in alcoholics (2002) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 97, pp. 119-121LINDO, J.F., CONWAY, D.J., ATKINS, N.S., Prospective evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot methods for the diagnosis of endemic Strongyloides stercoralis infection (1994) Am J Trop Med Hyg, 51, pp. 175-179CLARK, C.S., LINNEMANN Jr, C.C., CLARK, J.G., Enteric parasites in workers occupationally exposed to sewage (1984) J Occup Med, 26, pp. 273-275SCHLOSSER, O., RALL, D., LAURECEAU, M.-N., Intestinal parasite carriage in workers exposed to sewage (1999) Eur J Epidemiol, 15, pp. 261-265GOMES, T.C., ALMEIDA, M.F., MUIRA, L.A., Helmintoses intestinais em população de rua da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. (2002) Rev Soc Bras Med Trop, 35, pp. 531-53

Cytogenetic analysis of 280 patients with multiple myeloma and related disorders: primary breakpoints and clinical correlations

Cytogenetic analysis of unstimulated short-term bone marrow cell cultures was performed on 280 patients with multiple myeloma and related disorders. In 65% of the cases, an additional short term B-cell stimulated culture was also examined. Chromosomally abnormal clones were found in 31% of the patients, 15% in Waldenström macroglobulinemia. 25% in monoclonal gammopathies, 33% in multiple myeloma, and 50% in plasma cell leukemia. Three primary chromosomal breakpoints were recurrently involved: 14q32, 16q22, and 22q11. Structural rearrangements of chromosome 1 were the most frequent (26% of the abnormal cases), but always as a secondary change. Rearrangements of band 14q32 were found in 22% of the abnormal cases. Among the multiple myeloma patients who showed an abnormal karyotype, 33 (46%) were hyperdiploid, most frequently, with 52-56 chromosomes, 29 patients (40%) were pseudodiploid, and the remaining 12 cases (14%) were hypodiploid. A highly significant relation was observed between the presence of an abnormal karyotype and the following clinical parameters: stage III (P = 0.0001), bone marrow plasma cell infiltration greater than 30% (P = 0.0001), presence of bone lesions (P = 0.0009), and beta 2-microglobulin levels greater than 4 mg/L (P = 0.0001)

Phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of lactic acid bacteria isolated from “Alheira”, a traditional fermented sausage produced in Portugal

The aim of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from ‘‘alheira”, a fermented sausage produced in Portugal. LAB were identified to genus and species level by phenotypic characteristics, using genus or speciesspecific primers and sequencing of the gene encoding 16S rRNA. Two-hundred and eighty-three isolates were grouped into 14 species. Lactobacillus plantarum was isolated from all sausages and Enterococcus faecalis from most of the samples. Low numbers of Lactobacillus paraplantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus zeae, Lactobacillus paracasei, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Pediococcus acidilactici, Weissella cibaria, Weissella viridescens and Enterococcus faecium were recorded. The genetic heterogeneity of L. plantarum and E. faecalis strains were determined by numerical analysis of DNA banding patterns obtained by RAPD–PCR. Strains of L. plantarum and E. faecalis were different from different producers. This study forms the basis from which starter cultures could be selected for production of ‘‘Alheira”.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A Laser Frequency Comb System for Absolute Calibration of the VTT Echelle Spectrograph

A wavelength calibration system based on a laser frequency comb (LFC) was developed in a co-operation between the Kiepenheuer-Institut f\"ur Sonnenphysik, Freiburg, Germany and the Max-Planck-Institut f\"ur Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany for permanent installation at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) on Tenerife, Canary Islands. The system was installed successfully in October 2011. By simultaneously recording the spectra from the Sun and the LFC, for each exposure a calibration curve can be derived from the known frequencies of the comb modes that is suitable for absolute calibration at the meters per second level. We briefly summarize some topics in solar physics that benefit from absolute spectroscopy and point out the advantages of LFC compared to traditional calibration techniques. We also sketch the basic setup of the VTT calibration system and its integration with the existing echelle spectrograph.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; Solar Physics 277 (2012

Comparative genomic hybridization and amplotyping by arbitrarily primed PCR in stage A B-CLL

Cytogenetic analysis is useful in the diagnosis and to assess prognosis of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). However, successful cytogenetics by standard techniques has been hindered by the low in vitro mitotic activity of the malignant B-cell population. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a useful tool, but it does not provide an overall view of the aberrations. To overcome this hurdle, two DNA-based techniques have been tested in the present study: comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and amplotyping by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR). Comparative genomic hybridization resolution depends upon the 400-bands of the human standard karyotype. AP-PCR allows detection of allelic losses and gains in tumor cells by PCR fingerprinting, thus its resolution is at the molecular level. Both techniques were performed in 23 patients with stage A B-CLL at diagnosis. The results were compared with FISH. The sensitivity of AP-PCR was greater than CGH (62% vs. 43%). The use of CGH combined with AP-PCR allowed to detect genetic abnormalities in 79% (15/19) of patients in whom G-banding was not informative, providing a global view of the aberrations in a sole experiment. This study shows that combining these two methods with FISH, makes possible a more precise genetic characterization of patients with B-CLL

Amplification of IGH/MYC fusion in clinically aggressive IGH/BCL2-positive germinal center B-cell lymphomas

Activation of an oncogene via its juxtaposition to the IGH locus by a chromosomal translocation or, less frequently, by genomic amplification is considered a major mechanism of B-cell lymphomagenesis. However, amplification of an IGH/oncogene fusion, coined a complicon, is a rare event in human cancers and has been associated with poor outcome and resistance to treatment. In this article are descriptions of two cases of germinal-center-derived B-cell lymphomas with IGH/BCL2 fusion that additionally displayed amplification of an IGH/MYC fusion. As shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization, the first case contained a IGH/MYC complicon in double minutes, whereas the second case showed a BCL2/IGH/MYC complicon on a der(8)t(8;14)t(14;18). Additional molecular cytogenetic and mutation analyses revealed that the first case also contained a chromosomal translocation affecting the BCL6 oncogene and a biallelic inactivation of TP53. The second case harbored a duplication of REL and acquired a translocation affecting IGL and a biallelic inactivation of TP53 during progression. Complicons affecting Igh/Myc have been reported previously in lymphomas of mouse models simultaneously deficient in Tp53 and in genes of the nonhomologous end-joining DNA repair pathway. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that IGH/MYC complicons have been reported in human lymphomas. Our findings imply that the two mechanisms resulting in MYC deregulation, that is, translocation and amplification, can occur simultaneously