Mineralogical and geochemical characterization of gold mining tailings and their potential to generate acid mine drainage (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

For more than 30 years, sulfide gold ores were treated in metallurgic plants located in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and accumulated in the Cocoruto tailings dam. Both flotation and leaching tailings from a deactivated circuit, as well as roasted and leaching tailings from an ongoing plant, were studied for their acid mine drainage potential and elements’ mobility. Detailed characterization of both tailings types indicates the presence of fine-grain size material hosting substantial amounts of sulfides that exhibit distinct geochemical and mineralogical characteristics. The samples from the ongoing plant show high grades of Fe in the form of oxides, cyanide, and sulfates. Differently, samples from the old circuit shave higher average concentrations of Al (0.88%), Ca (2.4%), Mg (0.96%), and Mn (0.17%), present as silicates and carbonates. These samples also show relics of preserved sulfides, such as pyrite and pyrrhotite. Concentrations of Zn, Cu, Au, and As are higher in the tailings of the ongoing circuit, while Cr and Hg stand out in the tailings of the deactivated circuit. Although the obtained results show that the sulfide wastes do not tend to generate acid mine drainage, leaching tests indicate the possibility of mobilization of toxic elements, namely As and Mn in the old circuit, and Sb, As, Fe, Ni, and Se in the tailings of the plant that still works. This work highlights the need for proper management and control of tailing dams even in alkaline drainage environments such as the one of the Cocoruto dam. Furthermore, strong knowledge of the tailings’ dynamics in terms of geochemistry and mineralogy would be pivotal to support long-term decisions on wastes management and disposal.This work was funded by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through projects UIDB/04683/2020 e UIDP/04683/2020 and Nano-MINENV 029259 (PTDC/CTA-AMB/29259/2017, and by AngloGold Ashanti Brazil

SEASONAL AND CIRCADIAN VARIATION OF BARBATUSIN IN SAMPLES OF PLECTRANTHUS GRANDIS WILLENSE GROWN IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

Objective: This work includes the study of circadian and seasonal variation of barbatusin, active compound present in P. grandis (Plectranthus grandis), through the implementation and validation of an analytical method capable of detecting and quantifying this metabolite.Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed with a Phenomenex C18 column (250 mm x 4.60 mm-5 µm), a binary gradient of water and acetonitrile (8:2, v/v) at a constant flow rate of 0.8 ml min-1 and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) at 254 nm as detector.Results: The retention factor for barbatusin was found to be 18.34±0.05 min. The calibration curve was linear (r2>0.999). The intraday and interday precisions of the method were determined, the (Relative Standard Deviation) RSD (%) ranged from 0.74 to 3.53 and from 2.21 to 5.30, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 85.30 and 258.40 µg ml-1. The method is simple, precise, accurate and selective and can be routinely used for barbatusin analysis in P. grandis extracts.Conclusion: The methodology can be applied to the quantification barbatusin of powdered samples P. grandis at any time of year. The method showed excellent results in all steps of the validation demonstrating the possibility of an extensive use of time for the determination with the largest amount of compound derivatization of the same order for future studies.Keywords: Plectranthus grandis, Barbatusin, HPLC, Quantification, Diterpen

Characterization of Arsenical Mud from Effluent Treatment of Au Concentration Plants, Minas Gerais – Brazil.

The determination of the general properties of arsenical mud was carried out in effluent treatment plant of an Au metallurgical facility, located in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This effluent, which comes from the calcination stage, is treated via Fe-coprecipitation / lime-neutralization and thus mud with high As concentration is generated. Instrumental methods were applied to investigate physical-chemical characteristics, such as pH, in addition to the forms of occurrence of As and its associations. The results indicated that the mud has an alkaline pH (≈ 8.5), particles with grain size below 20 µm, and As, Fe, S and Al concentrations above 5%. The element As is essentially associated with Fe, Ca, S, and Al, forming phases with wide compositional variation as major and minor constituents generically classified as “complex sulfates” and “compounds with S”. The obtained results could assist optimization of the treatment routes in the plant and even to consider the potential reuse of this arsenic mud as a potential valuable produc

Diet-induced Obesity In Rats Leads To A Decrease In Sperm Motility.

Obesity is rapidly becoming a worldwide epidemic that affects children and adults. Some studies have shown a relationship between obesity and infertility, but until now it remains controversial. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of high-fat diet-induced obesity on male reproductive parameters. In a first experiment, male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or standard chow (SD) for 15, 30 or 45 weeks, after which they were evaluated by adiposity index, serum leptin levels, reproductive organ weights and sperm counts. In a second experiment, rats received HFD or SD only for 15 weeks, long enough to cause obesity. Sexual hormones and sexual behavior were evaluated in these animals, as well as fertility after natural mating. Another group of rats was submitted to motility analysis and fertility evaluation after in utero insemination. After 15, 30 or 45 weeks, HFD-fed animals presented significant increases in obesity index and serum leptin levels. Reproductive organ weights and sperm counts in the testis and epididymis were similar between the two groups at all timepoints studied. Sexual behavior was not altered by the diet regimen, and HFD fertility after natural mating was also similar to SD-fed animals. Intergroup testosterone levels were also comparable, but estradiol levels were increased in HFD rats. Furthermore, sperm quality was reduced in HFD animals as evidenced by their decreased percentage of sperm with progressive movement. This altered motility parameter was followed by a trend toward reduction in fertility potential after artificial in utero insemination. The results reported herein showed that obesity can affect sperm quality, by reducing sperm motility, without affecting other sperm parameters. The low sperm quality caused a slight reduction in fertility potential, showing that obesity may lead to impairment in male fertility.93

A Importância na Identificação dos Fatores de Risco para Prevenção do Câncer de Mama

O câncer de mama é, provavelmente, o mais temido pelas mulheres, devido a sua elevada freqüência e, sobretudo, pelos efeitos psicológicos que as afetam, alterando a percepção da sexualidade, auto-estima e imagem pessoal. É o segundo tipo de câncer mais freqüente no mundo e o mais comum entre as mulheres. A identificação dos fatores de risco na população feminina constitui uma medida importante para a prevenção e abordagem terapêutica adequada. Foram aplicados questionários sobre fatores de risco para câncer de mama em 266 mulheres. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo a análise dos principais fatores de risco relacionados ao câncer de mama nas mulheres, objetivando a detecção precoce e o encaminhamento ao ginecologista, visando reduzir a taxa de mortalidade e, por muitas vezes, evitando a intervenção cirúrgica

Non-peptidic Cruzain Inhibitors with Trypanocidal Activity Discovered by Virtual Screening and in Vitro Assay

A multi-step cascade strategy using integrated ligand-and target-based virtual screening methods was developed to select a small number of compounds from the ZINC database to be evaluated for trypanocidal activity. Winnowing the database to 23 selected compounds, 12 non-covalent binding cruzain inhibitors with affinity values (K-i) in the low micromolar range (3-60 mu M) acting through a competitive inhibition mechanism were identified. This mechanism has been confirmed by determining the binding mode of the cruzain inhibitor Nequimed176 through X-ray crystallographic studies. Cruzain, a validated therapeutic target for new chemotherapy for Chagas disease, also shares high similarity with the mammalian homolog cathepsin L. Because increased activity of cathepsin L is related to invasive properties and has been linked to metastatic cancer cells, cruzain inhibitors from the same library were assayed against it. Affinity values were in a similar range (4-80 mu M), yielding poor selectivity towards cruzain but raising the possibility of investigating such inhibitors for their effect on cell proliferation. in order to select the most promising enzyme inhibitors retaining trypanocidal activity for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, the most potent cruzain inhibitors were assayed against T. cruzi-infected cells. Two compounds were found to have trypanocidal activity. Using compound Nequimed42 as precursor, an SAR was established in which the 2-acetamidothiophene-3-carboxamide group was identified as essential for enzyme and parasite inhibition activities. the IC50 value for compound Nequimed42 acting against the trypomastigote form of the Tulahuen lacZ strain was found to be 10.6 +/- 0.1 mu M, tenfold lower than that obtained for benznidazole, which was taken as positive control. in addition, by employing the strategy of molecular simplification, a smaller compound derived from Nequimed42 with a ligand efficiency (LE) of 0.33 kcal mol(-1) atom(-1) (compound Nequimed176) is highlighted as a novel non-peptidic, non-covalent cruzain inhibitor as a trypanocidal agent candidate for optimization.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Quim, BR-13560 Sao Carlos, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Quim Sao Carlos, Grp Quim Med IQSC USP, Sao Carlos, SP, BrazilUniv Calif San Francisco, Dept Pathol, Ctr Discovery & Innovat Parasit Dis, San Francisco, CA 94140 USAUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Bioquim & Imunol, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biofis, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biofis, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/01893-3,CNPq: 301614/2010-5CAPES: 5985/11-0Web of Scienc