Evaluation hematological and biochemical parameters of rats in the second thirds of the gestation submitted to the action of the extract methanol of Cereus jamacaru DC., Cactaceae

The effects of oral administration of methanol extract (ME) prepared from stems of Cereus jamacaru DC., Cactaceae were investigated on the biochemical and hematological parameters in pregnant adult Wistar rats. Twenty rats (n = 5 per group) have been treated orally for four consecutive days with ME in doses of 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg weight, and then, it was determined the biochemical and hematological profiles. The results showed that during the period of treatment there was no signs of toxicity or death. The hematological and biochemical parameters were not modified by oral administration of ME, except for a significant increase of 45.7% and 41.9% for alanine transaminase (ALT) in doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg in addition to the significant increase, of to 48.2%, 39.8% and 41.8% for aspartate transaminase (AST). In hematology, it was registered a fluctuation within the reference values of hemoglobin in the differential count of neutrophil and lymphocyte. In this way the administration of methanol extract of C. jamacaru does not produce toxic effects or alters the majority of biochemical and hematological studies in pregnant adult Wistar rats. However, the increase of serum ALT and AST in high doses suggests a liver overload, which must be investigated in more detail.Os efeitos da administração oral do extrato metanólico (EM) de Cereus jamacaru DC., Cactaceae, foram investigados sobre os parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos em ratas Wistar adultas grávidas. Vinte ratas (n = 5 por grupo) foram tratadas durante quatro dias consecutivos com EM por via oral nas doses de 100, 250 e 500 mg/kg de peso e, em seguida, determinados os perfis bioquímico e hematológico. Os resultados mostraram que durante o período do tratamento não foi observado efeitos nocivos ou óbitos. Os parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos não foram modificados pela administração oral do EM, excetuando-se o aumento significativo de 45,7% e de 41,9% para alanina transferase (ALT) nas doses de 250 e 500 mg/kg além do aumento significativo, respectivo de 48,2%, 39,8% e 41,8% para aspartato aminotransferase (AST). Em relação aos valores hematológicos, registrou-se flutuação dentro dos valores de referência na contagem diferencial de hemoglobina, de neutrófilo e de linfócito. Dessa forma, a administração do extrato metanólico de C. jamacaru não apresentou reações tóxicas sobre a maioria dos parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos estudados em ratas Wistar adultas grávidas. Entretanto, o aumento dos níveis séricos de AST e ALT em doses elevadas sugere uma sobrecargas hepática, as quais devem ser investigadas em maiores detalhes

Evaluation of antitumour and antiinflammatory effects and acute toxicity of extracts obtained from Streptomyces spp. isolated from m Soils of Paraiba (Brazil)

Bioactive metabolites produced by Streptomyces spp. commonly exhibit a variety of pharmacological properties such as antibiotic, antitumor, enzymatic and anti-helminthic. The study evaluated the possible antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects and the degree of toxicity of extracts isolated from Streptomyces in experimental models with animals. The extracts Sp-1 and Sp-3 did not have anti-inflammatory effect. In the Sarcoma 180 model the effects of Sp-1 and Sp-3 were significant with decreased average weights of tumors at 10 mg/kg, and reduction of up to 73 % of initial weight of the implanted tumor. For tumors of Ehrlich Carcinoma, the doses showed no significant effect on the average weight of tumors. Stimulant effects, such as exophthalmia, agitation, escape reaction, irritability, tremors and dermatitis were observed after 1 h of administration, depressive reactions were also observed, such as prostration and decreased respiratory rate, and no deaths were highlighted.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Supplemental material in the ancillary file