Decoration of nanovesicles with pH (low) insertion peptide (pHLIP) for targeted delivery

Acidity at surface of cancer cells is a hallmark of tumor microenvironments, which does not depend on tumor perfusion, thus it may serve as a general biomarker for targeting tumor cells. We used the pH (low) insertion peptide (pHLIP) for decoration of liposomes and niosomes. pHLIP senses pH at the surface of cancer cells and inserts into the membrane of targeted cells, and brings nanomaterial to close proximity of cellular membrane. DMPC liposomes and Tween 20 or Span 20 niosomes with and without pHLIP in their coating were fully characterized in order to obtain fundamental understanding on nanocarrier features and facilitate the rational design of acidity sensitive nanovectors. The samples stability over time and in presence of serum was demonstrated. The size, ζ-potential, and morphology of nanovectors, as well as their ability to entrap a hydrophilic probe and modulate its release were investigated. pHLIP decorated vesicles could be useful to obtain a prolonged (modified) release of biological active substances for targeting tumors and other acidic diseased tissues

Relationships between residual intake and gain, performance, feeding behavior and body measures in Brahman young bulls.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between residual intake and gain (RIG), performance, feeding behavior (FB) and body measures (BM) in Brahman cattle. Twenty-four Brahman young bulls with 19 months of age and 370 ± 34 kg of initial body weight were subjected to a 14-day adaptation period and had the dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) measured in individual pens during the following 54-day period. Cattle received a total mixed ration containing 73.5% of Total Digestible Nutrients and 14.5% of Crude Protein and they were weighed each 14 days

Neutron emissions in brittle rocks during compression tests: Monotonic vs cyclic loading

Neutron emission measurements, by means of 3He devices and neutron bubble detectors, were performed during two different kinds of compression tests on brittle rocks: (i) under displacement control, and (ii) under cyclic loading. The material used for the tests was Green Luserna Granite, with different specimen sizes and shapes, and consequently with different brittleness numbers. Since the analyzed material contains iron, our conjecture is that piezonuclear reactions involving fission of iron into aluminum, or into magnesium and silicon, should have occurred during compression damage and failure. Some studies have been already conducted on the different forms of energy emitted during the failure of brittle materials. They are based on the signals captured by acoustic emission measurement systems, or on the detection of electromagnetic charge. On the other hand, piezonuclear neutron emissions from very brittle rock specimens in compression have been discovered only very recently. In this paper, the authors analyse this phenomenon from an experimental point of vie

Fatores de ajuste da espessura de toucinho para 90 kg e de peso para 154 dias em suinos submetidos a teste de performance.

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Produção de biomassa e óleo essencial em manjericão sob diferentes formas de adubação.

Avaliou-se a influência de sistemas de adubação na produção de biomassa e no teor de óleos essenciais de Ocimum basilicum, em casa de vegetação em Campo Grande (MS)

Desempenho e características de carcaça de tourinhos da raça Brahman classificados em função do consumo alimentar residual.

Estudos apontam que a seleção por meio de características como a conversão alimentar (CA) e a eficiência alimentar bruta (EA) pode não melhorar a eficiência do sistema produtivo como um todo, pois tais medidas estão fortemente correlacionadas com ganho de peso e peso à idade adulta, selecionando assim animais com maior peso adulto e consequentemente com maiores exigências de mantença, o que torna a manutenção de matrizes no rebanho mais dispendiosa (1,3)

Hormone replacement treatment and breast cancer risk: a cooperative Italian study.

The relationship between hormone replacement treatment (HRT) and breast cancer risk was analysed using data from a case-control study conducted between June 1991 and February 1994 in six Italian centres on 2569 patients aged below 75 with histologically confirmed breast cancer and 2588 controls admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic, non hormone-related diseases. Ever HRT use was reported by 7.5% of cases and 7.5% of controls, corresponding to a multivariate odds ratio (OR) of 1.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-1.5]. The risk increased with increasing duration of use: the ORs were 1.0 for use lasting less than 1 year, 1.3 for 1-4 years and 1.5 for 5 years or more. There was no clear pattern of risk with reference to time since starting use, but the OR was significantly elevated (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-2.9) for women who had stopped HRT within the last 10 years. No association was observed in those who had stopped HRT more than 10 years ago (OR = 1.0). The increased OR for women who had stopped HRT within the last 10 years was consistent across strata of identified covariates, and was significantly related to duration of use. This study confirms the absence of a strong association between HRT and breast cancer risk, although the risk estimate was above unity for women who had used HRT for 5 years or longer. However, the risk was significantly elevated in the short to medium term after use, particularly for long-term use. This short-term increased risk is consistent with an effect of HRT on one of the later stages of the process of breast carcinogenesis. The flattening of risk with increasing time since stopping, and hence the absence of a long-term cumulative excess in breast cancer risk after stopping HRT exposure, has relevant implications on individual risk assessment and public health

Implicações da seleção pelo consumo e ganho residual no desempenho e características de carcaça de bovinos da raça Brahman.

A seleção de animais que melhor aproveitam o alimento ingerido consiste em uma importante estratégia para diminuir os custos de produção da pecuária de corte, assim como permitir o incremento da sustentabilidade ambiental da atividade (1). Entretanto, com o desenvolvimento de diversas medidas de eficiência baseadas em diferentes variáveis, entre elas o consumo alimentar residual (CAR) que se baseia no consumo de alimentos e o ganho de peso residual (GPR) que é calculado em função do ganho de peso, tem se discutido qual seria a melhor característica a ser utilizada em programas de seleção

A chip-scale integrated cavity-electro-optomechanics platform

We present an integrated optomechanical and electromechanical nanocavity, in which a common mechanical degree of freedom is coupled to an ultrahigh-Q photonic crystal defect cavity and an electrical circuit. The sys- tem allows for wide-range, fast electrical tuning of the optical nanocavity resonances, and for electrical control of optical radiation pressure back-action effects such as mechanical amplification (phonon lasing), cooling, and stiffening. These sort of integrated devices offer a new means to efficiently interconvert weak microwave and optical signals, and are expected to pave the way for a new class of micro-sensors utilizing optomechanical back-action for thermal noise reduction and low-noise optical read-out.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure