Development and validation of a method for the analysis of Ochratoxin A in roasted coffee by liquid chromatography/electrospray-mass spectrometry in Tandem (LC/ESI-MS/MS)

A method using LC/ESI-MS/MS for the quantitative analysis of Ochratoxin A in roasted coffee was described. Linearity was demonstrated (r = 0.9175). The limits of detection and quantification were 1.0 and 3.0 ng g-1, respectively. Trueness, repeatability and intermediate precision values were 89.0-108.8%; 2.4-13.7%; 12.5-17.8%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which Ochratoxin A in roasted coffee is analysed by LC/ESI-MS/MS, contributing to the field of mycotoxin analysis, and it will be used for future production of Certified Reference Material

PARÂMETROS HEMATOLÓGICOS, FUNÇÃO RENAL E HEPÁTICA DE CÃES DA RAÇA DOGUE ALEMÃO EM CRESCIMENTO SUPERALIMENTADOS

Uma dieta apropriada é importante e os erros nutricionais podem ter consequências irreparáveis. Atualmente, a obesidade é a doença nutricional mais comum em cães, com prevalência de 16%. Em cães, o nível de atividade física, composição dietética, sabor do alimento e estilo de vida são os fatores mais importantes que contribuem para a obesidade. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no sentido de avaliar os efeitos da superalimentação na bioquímica clínica e hematologia de filhotes saudáveis. Foram estudados 14 cães da raça Dogue Alemão, machos, 10 semanas de idade, durante 27 semanas. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com dois tratamentos, sete repetições e seis meses de duração. Os tratamentos constituíram-se de dieta super prêmio ofertada à vontade (GI) (tratamento 1) e com quantidade restrita (GII) (tratamento 2). Procedeu-se a avaliação da bioquímica sanguínea e urinária e a determinação dos parâmetros hematológicos. Constatou-se que filhotes superalimentados apresentaram elevações séricas de alfa1 globulina e menores valores de beta globulina, gama globulina, ALT, ALP e creatinina. No hemograma observaram-se maiores valores de linfócitos e menores valores no eritrograma. O índice proteína urinária: creatinina urinária não apresentou diferença entre os tratamentos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Alimentação à vontade; canino; hematologia; parâmetros bioquímicos

Evaluation of acute oral toxicity and diuretic activity of Rudgea viburnoides (Cham.) Benth. (congonha-de-bugre)

Rudgea viburnoides é utilizada popularmente como diurética, hipotensora, antirreumática, antissifilítica, depurativa do sangue e tratamento da dispepsia. Este trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar a toxicidade aguda e a atividade diurética do extrato etanólico bruto (EEBFRV) das folhas da R. viburnoides. Na toxicidade aguda empregou-se o teste de Classe, nas doses de 2000 e 5000 mg/kg, dose única, gavage, em camundongos Swiss e ratos Wistar (ambos os sexos). Na atividade diurética administrou-se em ratas Wistar o extrato bruto (40, 80 e 160 mg/kg, furosemida 20 mg/kg (controle +) e solução salina 0,9% (controle -). Não houve letalidade ou sinais de intoxicação, indicando baixa toxicidade desse extrato. O efeito diurético foi dose-dependente nas 24 h, com aumento dos parâmetros: volume de urina 24 h, excreção dos eletrólitos sódio, potássio e cloreto, uréia e creatinina. Os resultados até o momento, podem justificar a sua utilização popular como diurética.Rudgea viburnoides is popularly used as anti-hypertensive, anti-rheumatic, antissifilitic, blood depurative and for treatment of dyspepsia (leaves, bark, tea). The acute toxicity of ethanolic extract (EEBFRV) in single dose was performed by gavage of doses of 2000 and 5000 mg/kg in Swiss mice and Wistar rats, both sexes, by the class test. To diuretic activity in Wistar rats, it was used the EEBFRV at the doses of 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg, furosemide 20 mg/kg (control +), and saline solution 0.9 % (control -). Regarding acute toxicity, no mortality and no toxicity signs at the dose levels were observed, indicating low toxicity of the extract. The EEBFRV showed statistically significant dose-dependent diuretic effect in 24 h, increasing all parameters evaluated (24h urine volume, excretion of Na+, K+ and Cl- electrolytes, urea (BUN) and creatinine). Thus, the results so far may justify the popular use of Rudgea viburnoides as diuretic.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

School-based physical education programs: evidence-based physical activity interventions for youth in Latin America

This article focuses on results of the systematic review from the Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Latin America project related to school-based physical education (PE) programs in Latin America. The aims of the article are to describe five school-based PE programs from Latin America, discuss implications for effective school-based PE recommendations, propose approaches for implementing these interventions, and identify gaps in the research literature related to physical activity promotion in Latin American youth. Following the US Community Guide systematic review process, five school-based PE intervention studies with sufficient quality of design, execution and detail of intervention and outcomes were selected for full abstraction. One study was conducted in Brazil, two studies were conducted in Chile and two studies were conducted on the US/Mexico border. While studies presented assorted outcomes, methods and duration of interventions, there were consistent positive increases in physical activity levels for all outcomes measured during PE classes, endurance and active transportation to school in all three randomized studies. Except for one cohort from one study, the non-randomized studies showed positive intervention effects for moderate and vigorous physical activity levels during PE classes. The core elements of these five interventions included capacity building and staff training (PE specialists and/or classroom teachers); changes in the PE curricula; provision of equipment and materials; and adjustment of the interventions to specific target populations. In order to translate the strong evidence for school-based PE into practice, systematic attention to policy and implementation issues is required. (Global Health Promotion, 2010; 17(2): pp. 05–15

The Milky Way's circular velocity curve between 4 and 14 kpc from APOGEE data

We measure the Milky Way's rotation curve over the Galactocentric range 4 kpc <~ R <~ 14 kpc from the first year of data from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). We model the line-of-sight velocities of 3,365 stars in fourteen fields with b = 0 deg between 30 deg < l < 210 deg out to distances of 10 kpc using an axisymmetric kinematical model that includes a correction for the asymmetric drift of the warm tracer population (\sigma_R ~ 35 km/s). We determine the local value of the circular velocity to be V_c(R_0) = 218 +/- 6 km/s and find that the rotation curve is approximately flat with a local derivative between -3.0 km/s/kpc and 0.4 km/s/kpc. We also measure the Sun's position and velocity in the Galactocentric rest frame, finding the distance to the Galactic center to be 8 kpc < R_0 < 9 kpc, radial velocity V_{R,sun} = -10 +/- 1 km/s, and rotational velocity V_{\phi,sun} = 242^{+10}_{-3} km/s, in good agreement with local measurements of the Sun's radial velocity and with the observed proper motion of Sgr A*. We investigate various systematic uncertainties and find that these are limited to offsets at the percent level, ~2 km/s in V_c. Marginalizing over all the systematics that we consider, we find that V_c(R_0) 99% confidence. We find an offset between the Sun's rotational velocity and the local circular velocity of 26 +/- 3 km/s, which is larger than the locally-measured solar motion of 12 km/s. This larger offset reconciles our value for V_c with recent claims that V_c >~ 240 km/s. Combining our results with other data, we find that the Milky Way's dark-halo mass within the virial radius is ~8x10^{11} M_sun.Comment: submitted to Ap

Photometric redshifts and clustering of emission line galaxies selected jointly by DES and eBOSS

We present the results of the first test plates of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. This paper focuses on the emission line galaxies (ELG) population targetted from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) photometry. We analyse the success rate, efficiency, redshift distribution, and clustering properties of the targets. From the 9000 spectroscopic redshifts targetted, 4600 have been selected from the DES photometry. The total success rate for redshifts between 0.6 and 1.2 is 71\% and 68\% respectively for a bright and faint, on average more distant, samples including redshifts measured from a single strong emission line. We find a mean redshift of 0.8 and 0.87, with 15 and 13\% of unknown redshifts respectively for the bright and faint samples. In the redshift range 0.6<z<1.2, for the most secure spectroscopic redshifts, the mean redshift for the bright and faint sample is 0.85 and 0.9 respectively. Star contamination is lower than 2\%. We measure a galaxy bias averaged on scales of 1 and 10~Mpc/h of 1.72 \pm 0.1 for the bright sample and of 1.78 \pm 0.12 for the faint sample. The error on the galaxy bias have been obtained propagating the errors in the correlation function to the fitted parameters. This redshift evolution for the galaxy bias is in agreement with theoretical expectations for a galaxy population with MB-5\log h < -21.0. We note that biasing is derived from the galaxy clustering relative to a model for the mass fluctuations. We investigate the quality of the DES photometric redshifts and find that the outlier fraction can be reduced using a comparison between template fitting and neural network, or using a random forest algorithm

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets