Morphology, structure and mechanical properties of polypropylene modified with organophilic montmorillonite

The aim of this work is to study the properties of systems based on polypropylene (PP) and commercial organophilic montmorillonite, prepared by melt intercalation. Because of the non polar character of PP, the polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) was used as compatibilizer. Materials containing 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% of clay and PP, and two extra compositions containing only PP and 15 and 30% of PP-g-MA were processed using a twin-screw extruder. The level of clay dispersion was characterized by X ray diffraction, showing exfoliated/intercalated structures for different concentrations of clay. The crystallization behavior was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) with hot stage. Tensile properties were also studied and presented a moderate improvement with increase in clay concentration221546

Production Of Hydrolysate From Processed Nile Tilapia (oreochromis Niloticus) Residues And Assessment Of Its Antioxidant Activity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The objective of this work was to produce protein hydrolysates from by-products of the Nile tilapia fileting process, and to assess the effects of different hydrolysis times on the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysed animal-based protein, in free form and incorporated into a food matrix. Gutted tilapia heads and carcasses were hydrolysed by Alcalase. for different hydrolysis times producing six hydrolysates. The protein content, degree of hydrolysis, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and antioxidant activity by the ORAC, FRAP and TEAC methods were analysed. Three mini-hamburger formulations were produced and the lipidic oxidation of mini-hamburger was determined by TBARS. The protein contained in the residue was completely recovered in the process. The hydrolysates varied in their degree of hydrolysis, but presented similar levels of antioxidant activity. In the mini-hamburgers the hydrolysate was capable of delaying oxidation after 7 days of storage. Hydrolysis of tilapia processing by-products produced peptides may be used in the formulation of functional foods.364709716National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) [453854/2013-3]company Falbom Agroingustrial Ltda.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Oral health after breast cancer treatment in postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE: Oral health can affect a patient’s general health and quality of life. Given the increase in breast cancer survival rates, investigations of factors influencing the quality of life of survivors have gained importance. Therefore, the objective of our study was to characterize oral health in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. METHODS: We conducted a matched case-control study. Forty-eight women who survived breast cancer (age 62.1±9.1 years) and 48 healthy controls (age 61.8±8.6 years) were included. For each case and control, a complete oral evaluation chart was completed. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic periodontal disease was 98% in breast cancer survivors and 87% in controls. The breast cancer survivors had a median of 16 remaining teeth, whereas controls had a median of 22 remaining teeth (p = 0.03). The percentage of sites with gingival bleeding was 16.05% (0-100%) in breast cancer survivors and 0% (0-72%) in controls (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Chronic periodontal disease and tooth loss were highly prevalent in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. To improve survivors’ quality of life, a preventive oral health evaluation should be available prior to cancer treatment

Canonical and non-canonical inflammasome activation by outer membrane vesicles derived from Bordetella pertussis

Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) derived from different Gram-negative bacteria have been proposed as an attractive vaccine platform because of their own immunogenic adjuvant properties. Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable respiratory disease that resurged during the last decades in many countries. In response to the epidemiological situation, new boosters have been incorporated into vaccination schedules worldwide and new vaccine candidates have started to be designed. Particularly, our group designed a new pertussis vaccine candidate based on OMVs derived from Bordetella pertussis (BpOMVs). To continue with the characterization of the immune response induced by our OMV based vaccine candidate, this work aimed to investigate the ability of OMVs to activate the inflammasome pathway in macrophages. We observed that NLRP3, caspase-1/11, and gasdermin-D (GSDMD) are involved in inflammasome activation by BpOMVs. Moreover, we demonstrated that BpOMVs as well as transfected B. pertussis lipooligosaccharide (BpLOS) induce caspase-11 (Casp11) and guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) dependent non-canonical inflammasome activation. Our results elucidate the mechanism by which BpOMVs trigger one central pathway of the innate response activation that is expected to skew the adaptive immune response elicited by BpOMVs vaccination.Fil: Elizagaray, Maia Lina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos; ArgentinaFil: Gomes, Marco Túlio R.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Guimaraes, Erika S.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Rumbo, Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos; ArgentinaFil: Hozbor, Daniela Flavia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Oliveira, Sergio C.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Moreno, Griselda Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos; Argentin

Immunohistochemical expression of EGFR in oral leukoplakia : association with clinicopathological features and cellular proliferation

Objectives: to investigate the immunoexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a sample of oral leukoplakias (OL) and to determine the receptor?s association with dysplasia, tobacco consumption, lesion site, and proliferation rate. Although EGFR should be overexpressed in some oral leukoplakias, the factors that may interfere with this expression and the influence of this receptor on epithelial proliferation have yet to be investigated. Study Design: Samples of oral leukoplakias (48) and of normal oral epithelium (10) were immunohistologically examined for expression of EGFR. Immunohistochemistry for Ki-67, and p27 were also performed in leukoplakias. EGFR expression was associated with clinical and pathological features. Results: EGFR was positive in 62.5% of the leukoplakias and 50% of normal oral epithelium. The number of EGFR positive OL located in high-risk sites was significantly higher than EGFR positive OL located in low-risk sites. Most of the p27 negative leukoplakias were EGFR positive, and the p27 index in the parabasal layer was diminished in the presence of dysplasia. Positivity for EGFR was not associated with dysplasia, tobacco exposure, or Ki-67. Conclusion: EGFR is expressed in leukoplakia regardless of dysplasia, but EGFR positivity should be more frequent in lesions sited in areas of high cancer risk. The association between EGFR and p27 may represent an important mechanism in the control of cellular proliferation and malignant progression of oral epithelium and therefore warrants further investigation

Crack-cocaine users have less family cohesion than alcohol users

Objective: Many studies correlate characteristics of family functioning and the development of drug addiction. This study sought to evaluate and compare the family environment styles of two groups of psychoactive substance users: 1) alcohol-only users and 2) crack-cocaine users. Methods: Three hundred and sixty-four users of alcohol, crack-cocaine, and other drugs, recruited from research centers in four Brazilian capitals participated in this study. Subjects were evaluated through the Family Environment Scale and the Addiction Severity Index, 6th version (ASI-6). ASI-6 t-scores were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. A final model was obtained using a logistic regression analysis. All analyses were adjusted for partner, age, and psychiatric t-score. Results: We found a significant difference between groups in the cohesion subscale (p = 0.044). The post-hoc test revealed a difference of 1.06 points (95% CI 0.11-2.01) between groups 1 (6.45 +/- 0.28) and 2 (5.38 +/- 0.20). No significant between-group differences were observed in the other subscales. However, categorical analyses of variables regarding family dynamic showed that crack users more often reported that sometimes people in their family hit each other (30.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.007) and that people in their family frequently compared each other regarding work and/or school achievement (57.2% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.041). Conclusion: These results suggest that families of crack-cocaine users are less cohesive than families of alcohol users. This type of family environment may affect treatment outcome, and should thus be adequately approached.SENADNational Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug AbuseUniv Fed Rio do Grande UFRGS, HCPA, CPAD, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHCPA, Unidade Bioestat, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Lab Biossinais Fenomenol & Cognicao, Inst Psicol, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psicobiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro UFRJ, Inst Psiquiatria, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psicobiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilSENAD: TC 005/2005Web of Scienc

Impact of SNPs/haplotypes of IL10 and IFNG on the development of diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on cytokine genes in the development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). One hundred and twelve patients and 221 controls were investigated. Among them, 97 patients treated with R-CHOP were subdivided into two groups: (i) complete remission of the disease and (ii) patients who progressed to death, relapsed, or had disease progression. The SNPs investigated by PCR-SSP were TNF -308G>A (rs1800629), IFNG +874A>T (rs2430561), IL6 -174G>C (rs1800795), IL10 -1082A>G (rs1800896), IL10 -819C>T (rs1800871), IL10 -592C>A (rs1800872), and TGFB1 codon10T>C (rs1982073) and codon25G>C (rs1800471). In general, the genotypes that have been associated in the literature with lower production or intermediate production of IL-10 and higher production of IFN-gamma were associated with the protection of the development of the disease, possibly favoring the Th1 immune response and diminishing the capacity of cell proliferation. However, patients receiving R-CHOP treatment presented unfavorable prognoses in the presence of genotypes related to the intermediate production of IL-10 and high production of TGF-beta 1, indicating that cytokines may be related to the response to treatment and action mechanisms of Rituximab2019CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPnão temnão temnão te

DIVERSIFICAÇÃO DA PRODUÇÃO RURAL COM O CULTIVO DE FLORES DE CORTE NA REGIÃO DO ALTO VALE DO ITAJAÍ, SC

A floricultura brasileira se caracteriza como um dos mais promissores segmentos da horticultura, gerando grande contingente de empregos e alta rentabilidade por área. A base produtiva da floricultura brasileira é o cultivo em pequenas áreas, contribuído fortemente no desenvolvimento de pequenas propriedades rurais. Neste contexto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade das hastes florais de três flores de corte (sete cultivares de gladíolo, duas de statice e uma de girassol) na região do Alto Vale do Itajaí, SC e divulgar para a comunidade acadêmica e geral as ações de pesquisa e extensão realizados. Os trabalhos foram realizados em cinco propriedades rurais da região do Alto Vale do Itajaí, sendo quatro com girassol e uma com statice e gladíolo. Nas propriedades foram realizados a implantação, acompanhamento e avaliação do cultivo das flores. O experimento foi conduzido no segundo semestre de 2021 para gladíolo e statice e primeiro de 2022 para o girassol. Nas flores foram avaliados os atributos de comprimento e diâmetro total das hastes, além do número de perfilhos e corimbos por haste em statice. Também foi realizado um seminário virtual para divulgação dos resultados à comunidade. Todas as cultivares de gladíolo apresentaram hastes de padrão comercial com comprimento e diâmetro médio de 110 cm e 0,8 cm, respectivamente. O girassol apresentou boa adaptação em todos os quatro municípios avaliados com comprimento e diâmetro da haste superior a 1,25 m e 1,08 cm, respectivamente, conferindo excelente qualidade comercial. A cultivar de statice QIS Yellow apresentou maior comprimento de haste (56,22 cm) e número de perfilhos por hastes (4,01), enquanto a QIS Purple apresentou maior diâmetro de haste (5,3 mm). O seminário foi intitulado: “Flores de corte – renda e diversificação na produção rural” e foi totalmente online com transmissão ao vivo pelo canal do PET Agroecologia no YouTube. No evento foram apresentadas palestras sobre as três flores de corte e os principais resultados das pesquisas realizadas, além do relato de experiência do cultivo destas espécies por uma das produtoras rurais acompanhadas durante os trabalhos de pesquisa on farm. Na transmissão teve-se a presença de estudantes da instituição dos cursos de agronomia, técnico em agroecologia e agropecuária, docentes, técnicos da área, produtores rurais, além da comunidade em geral, totalizando 603 visualizações. Toda organização, apresentação, divulgação e transmissão do evento foi realizado pelos estudantes do curso de Agronomia e do grupo PET Agroecologia Rural Sustentável. O evento exigiu dos estudantes e demais envolvidos desenvolver habilidades de organização, simplificação da informação, uma vez que tempo utilizado para este tipo de evento é reduzido. Permitiu aos estudantes e a instituição a prática da extensão, por meio da inovação, junto à comunidade. Além disso, os resultados indicam que é possível o cultivo de statice, girassol e gladíolo de corte com produção de hastes com qualidade comercial na região do Alto Vale do Itajaí, sendo uma alternativa viável, especialmente aos pequenos produtores rurais.Suporte financeiro Ed. 12/2021/IFC - Campus Rio do Sul

Que "qualidades" de um produto interferem na percepção de conforto? Conforto percebido de assentos de trabalho

Este artigo descreve uma pesquisa quanto à percepção da qualidade de seis modelos de assentos em situação real de uso no ambiente de trabalho. Foram levantados, na literatura, os atributos que configuram a qualidade de uma cadeira de trabalho. Os quatro atributos identificados (conforto, praticidade, segurança, e adaptabilidade) além do fator "estética" foram discutidos com os usuãrios e, após redefinição dos mesmos, eles foram utilizados para avaliação subjetiva de preferência de 6 assentos de trabalho. Ficou evidente que os atributos não são claros e se confundem na avaliação da percepção do conforto pois, por exemplo, o fa tor estética se mistura com a percepção de "macio" definindo a primeira impressão obtida.This paper describes a research on how people perceive the comfort of six types of seats while using them in a real work situation. The attributes that configure the idea of a seat confort were established according to the reviewed literature. The concept of the four identified attributes (comfort, practicality, safety and adaptability) along with aesthetics were discussed with the research participants. Based on their understanding of each attribute, the six seats were then subjectively evaluated. The results show that the attributes concepts were not very clear being confounded in the process of comfort evaluation. For instance, aesthetics is nested with "softness" seeming to interfere in the subject's first impression of a seat confort