Influence of ovarian hormones deprivation on gene expression in the lower urinary tract of rats

OBJECTIVE: Identify the influence of ovarian hormone deprivation in expression genes on the lower urinary tract of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study deals with gene screening on lower urinary tract of rats. Fifty isogenic rats divided in two groups of twenty-five animals have their lower urinary tract surgically removed: group I, ovariectomized rats 30 days prior to surgery; group II, non-ovariectomized rats. Total RNA was isolated from bladder and urethra, and differential expression of genes was analyzed quantitative, qualitative and comparatively by array technology and RT-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 76 candidate genes were identified as differentially expressed between the groups, 26 being lower expressed in group II, and 50 in group I. Among them, differential expression validation was confirmed by RT-PCR for three lower expressed genes in group I: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Beta-2 Microglobulin (B2M) and Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COX I). CONCLUSION: Ovarian hormone deprivation influences the expression genes on lower urinary tract. We demonstrated that a 30-day period of castration down regulate the expression of VEGF, B2M and COX I in adult rats which are involved in activities of angiogenesis, immune responses and cellular metabolism respectively.Federal University of São Paulo Department of GynecologyUNIFESP, Department of GynecologySciEL

Lasiodiplodia theobromae keratitis: A rare tropical fungal keratitis in a non-tropical climate

PURPOSE: We present the clinical and histopathological findings of a geographically unique fungal keratitis case in North Carolina. . is a rare cause of fungal keratitis, and all but one of the 51 previously reported cases have occurred in patients living in the tropics. OBSERVATIONS: A man in his early 50s developed keratitis after being struck in the left eye by a piece of debris while using a flexible-cord weed trimmer. Intracapsular lensectomy and penetrating keratoplasty were necessary when initial antimicrobial therapy was ineffective. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/40 four years postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Our patient is only the second example of keratitis in a patient living in a sub-tropical climate and the first case in the U.S.A. outside of Florida. Additional in-vitro antibiotic sensitivity testing and documentation of more clinical cases are needed to define the optimal therapy for keratitis

Labdane dimers from Xylopia aromatica

From the stem bark of Xylopia aromatica (Annonaceae), have been isolated two new labdane dimers as their methyl esters, together with the known compounds ent-labda-8(17),13(16),14-trien-18-oic acid, sitosterol and stigmasterol. The structures of the dimers were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved

Students’ perspectives on computational challenges in physics class

High school science classrooms across the United States are answering calls to make computation a part of science learning. The problem is that there is little known about the barriers to learning that computation might bring to a science classroom or about how to help students overcome these challenges. This case study explores these challenges from the perspectives of students in a high school physics classroom with a newly revamped, computation-integrated curriculum. Focusing mainly on interviews to center the perspectives of students, we found that computation is a double-edged sword: It can make science learning more authentic for students who are familiar with it, but it can also generate frustration and an aversion towards physics for students who are not