Simple method for simultaneous quantification of two new derivatives of betulinic and ursolic acids with antimalarial activity by RP-HPLC-UV-CAD

Endemic in more than 90 countries and territories, malaria is the most widely, populational, and geographically, parasitic disease in the world. Plasmodium sp. resistance to available drugs is one of the biggest problems for malaria eradication. In this study, we develop a method for the simultaneous determination of two new derivatives of betulinic and ursolic acids with antimalarial activity designated 3-O-butanoylbetulinic and 3-O-butanoylursolic acids. An analytical method was developed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled, in series, to ultraviolet (UV) and charged aerosol (CAD) detectors. The chromatographic system, operated isocratically by reversed-phase, consisted in a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile: water pH 3.0 adjusted with formic acid (85:15, v/v), flow rate of 1.2 mL/min and a PhenoSphere Next octadecylsilane column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size). Chromatograms were recorded simultaneously in UV and CAD, at a concentration of 50 µg mL-1, an injection volume of 20 μL at a controlled temperature of 50 °C. The method was found to be selective, linear (r > 0.99), precise (RSD < 2.0%), accurate, and robust for both analytes, and considered statistically validated, and can be applied to the identification and quantification of these new drug candidates

Prognostic value of immunoexpression of CCR4, CCR5, CCR7 and CXCR4 in squamous cell carcinoma of tongue and floor of the mouth

Diverse studies have evidenced that chemokines can play a critical role in pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The main chemokines involved in oral carcinogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis are CCR4, CCR5, CCR7 and CXCR4, and our aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of the immunoexpression of these chemokines in SCC of tongue and floor of the mouth. A retrospective descriptive study of the immunohistochemical expression of CCR4, CCR5, CCR7 and CXCR4 in paraffin-embedded samples of 124 patients with SCC of the tongue and floor of the mouth was performed, considering 98 cases from Brazil and 26 cases from Chile. Associations between variables were analyzed using chi-square test. Survival curves were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with long-rank test. For multivariate survival analysis, the Cox hazard model was established. The level of significance established was p?0.05. The statistical analysis showed that samples with well or moderate WHO model differentiation (p=0.001) and a high expression of CCR5 (p=0.05) were significantly associated with a higher disease specific survival, which were also observed in Cox´s multivariate analysis (p=0.01). A higher expression of CCR7 (p=0.01) interfered significantly in disease-free survival in univariate analysis and in Cox´s multivariate analysis (p=0.05). These results support additional evidence, showing that chemokine receptors CCR5 and CCR7 are helpful as biomarkers of poor prognosis in patients with SCC of the tongue and floor of the mouth

Custo da produção de Orius insidiosus como agente de controle biológico

The objective of this work was to estimate the individual production cost of the predator Orius insidiosus (Say) in laboratory. A rearing model of O. insidiosus in laboratory was used to reach production of 33,000 individuals month-1, using 14.5% to maintain the predator rearing in the laboratory and 28,272 individuals for commercialization. The prices of different materials and equipments used on predator rearing were fixed at US$1.00 = R$ 2.84. The estimated cost for production of each adult predator was US$0.069, taking all the fixed and variable costs. This parameter is crucial to support O. insidiosus mass rearing, and to use this predator as biocontrol agent in biological control program of thrips.O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar o custo de produção por indivíduo do predador Orius insidiosus (Say), levando-se em consideração um modelo de criação em laboratório. Nos cálculos, considerou-se uma produção de 33.000 percevejos mês-1, dos quais 14,5$ 2,84 por US$1,00. O custo estimado de cada percevejo predador foi da ordem de US$ 0,069, levando-se em consideração custos fixos e variáveis. Este custo é um parâmetro decisivo na criação massal de Orius insidiosus e em sua utilização como agente de controle em programas de controle biológico de tripes

Morphological characterization with image analysis of cocoa beverage powder agglomerated with steam

In this study, the morphological characteristics of cocoa beverage powder granules under minimal, average, and maximal process conditions of a steam agglomerator were studied. a stereoscopic microscope coupled to a digital camera was used for the morphological analysis. The images were analyzed to obtain shape and size descriptors. aiming to evaluate the descriptors, 150 particles were analyzed. The results showed that there was no difference between the shape descriptors - compacity, circularity, roughness, and aspect ratio - in the operating conditions evaluated. It was observed that the cocoa beverage powder granules are elongated in shape. The size descriptors, area, perimeter, perimeter of convex bounding polygon, minimal and maximal Feret diameter, were different in the process conditions for the granules of size above 600 µm. as for the minimal process conditions, especially due to low solid feed rates, there is an increase in the size descriptor values. In addition, under the minimum process conditions, in which there is low solid feed rate (400g/min) for a steam pressure of 1.0 bar, it was obtained a good granular condition with retention of 81.1% of granules on sieves with aperture size between 300 and 1190 µm34464965

A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DE F. W. LANCASTER PARA A CIÊNCIA DA INFORMAÇÃO NO BRASIL

This articles presents the results of a research to see the impact of Lancaster in the Brazilian production in Information Science. It was looked citations to the author on all articles published in seven Brazilian journals, between the years 2003 at 2007. Lancaster is cited in 31 of the 872 articles analyzed. From the 19,577 bibliographic references of these articles, 42 are from his authorship These references were analyzed to identify the frequency of each Lancaster’s work cited, year, language, kind and cases of co-authorship. The citing articles were analyzed in terms of thematic and institutional origin of the authors. Finally, it examined the importance of the citation to the author for the discussions in citing articles. Some results are: the most cited work, “Indexing and abstracting in theory and practice, with 15 references; the author’s greatest contribution is in the theory of classification and systemic theory; the Brazilian institution that the most cited is the Unesp; the most important kind of citation is the confirmatory citantion.O artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa que buscou ver o impacto de Lancaster na produção científica brasileira em Ciência da Informação. Buscaram-se referências ao autor em todos os artigos publicados em sete periódicos nacionais, entre os anos de 2003 e 2007. Lancaster é citado em 31 dos 872 artigos analisados. Das 19.577 referências bibliográficas destes artigos, 42 são de trabalhos de sua autoria. Essas referências foram analisadas buscando-se identificar a frequência de cada uma das obras citadas do autor, ano, idioma, natureza e casos de coautoria. Os artigos citantes foram analisados em termos de temática e procedência institucional dos autores. Por fim, analisou-se a importância das citações ao autor para as discussões empreendidas nos artigos citantes. Entre os resultados encontrados destacam-se: a obra mais citada, Indexação e resumos: teoria e prática, com 15 referências; a maior contribuição do autor se dá no âmbito da teoria da classificação e da teoria sistêmica; a instituição brasileira que mais o cita é a Unesp; o tipo de citação mais frequente a obras de Lancaster é a citação confirmativa

The Effect of Aluminium Surface Treatments on the Bonding Properties of Silica-Modified Epoxy Adhesive Joints: A Statistical Approach

A full factorial design is carried out to investigate the effects of different surface treatments, the inclusion of silica microparticles and the use of wash primer on the apparent shear strength and adherent strength of single-lap aluminium joints. Scanning electron microscopy, surface energy and roughness measurements are performed to characterise the aluminium surface. The results show that the use of wash primer decreases the apparent shear strength of the joints significantly. The cohesive failure of the primer is the main cause of the reduction in strength. On the other hand, the inclusion of 10 wt.% of silica microparticles in the adhesive layers increases the shear strength by 26%. Surfaces treated with NaOH for one minute, without using a wash primer, result in the most resistant joint. In contrast to the apparent shear strength, adherent strength is most effective when only degreasing is considered

Simultaneous analysis of dapagliflozin and its three related impurities by stability-indicating UPLC method and in vitro toxicity evaluation

A new stability- indicating analytical method by UPLC was developed for the simultaneous determination of dapagliflozin and three of its synthesis impurities. A Waters® Acquity UPLC H- Class model was used for method development and validation. The separation was achieved in a Zorbax phenyl column (50 x 3.0 mm, 1.8 μm), using a mixture of acetonitrile: water (70:30, v/v) as mobile phase in isocratic mode. All the peaks were well detected by a photodiode array detector (PDA) at 230 nm. The method was properly validated according ICH guidelines with respect to linearity, specificity, precision, accuracy and robustness. The calibration curves of each analyte showed determination coefficients (r2) > 0.99 and the method was linear at the concentrations range 30-70 μg/mL for dapagliflozin and 1-10 μg/mL for the impurities. Lastly, this UPLC method presented low limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for both dapagliflozin and impurities, being a technique with high sensitivity. The toxicity evaluation of dapagliflozina and its related impurities were evaluated using 3T3 cells. MTT reduction and neutral red uptake assays were performed in cytotoxicity tests. In addition, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔψM), measurement of intracellular reactive oxygen and DNA damage (measured by comet assay) were evaluated. The impurity 3 showed significant damage in cytotoxicity tests at a concentration of 0.5 µM, being even more expressive at higher concentrations. On the other hand, under the conditions tested, DNA damage was not detected and the compounds tested do not induce significant cell death

Study of Antiulcerous Utilization in the Elderly Population of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

O aumento gradativo da longevidade destaca-se como uma das mais importantes mudanças demográficas das últimas décadas. A incidência de usuários de anti-ulcerosos vem aumentando nessa parcela da população, e com isso, a necessidade do fortalecimento na relação profissional-usuário. Objetivos: Descrever a terapia anti-ulcerosa utilizada pela população idosa de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil e analisar a necessidade de implementação de um programa de aten-ção farmacêutica a esses pacientes. Métodos: Estudo transversal exploratório e observacional. O instrumento utilizado para a coleta de dados foi uma ficha de seguimento farmacoterapêutico testada e validada. Os dados foram tabulados e analisados com o uso do programa SPSS 14,0. Resultados: Do total de 514 pacientes entrevistados, 13,2% utilizavam medicamentos para terapia das doenças ácido-pépticas. Os inibidores da bomba de prótons foram a subclasse de me-dicamentos mais utilizadas, seguidos pelos antagonistas de receptores H2. Foi observada grande presença de polifar-mácia. Apenas 32,2% dos idosos se automedicam, em contrapartida, 71,2% não entendem a receita médica e 81,4% esquecem de ingerir seus medicamentos com freqüência. Conclusão: A grande variabilidade farmacocinética e farma-codinâmica dessa população evidenciam a importância deste estudo, a fim de evitar erros farmacoterapêuticos que poderão ocasionar interações farmacológicas e reações adversas. Portanto, é justificada a implementação de um pro-grama de atenção farmacêutica ao paciente idoso que utiliza anti-ulcerosos.The gradual increase of the longevity is distinguished as one of the most important demographic changes of the last decades. The incidence of antiulcerous users is increasing in this age group, and this strengthens the necessity of the professional-user relation. Objectives: To describe the antiulcerous therapy used by the elderly population of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil and to analyze the implementation necessity of a pharmaceutical care program to these patients. Methods: Cross-sectional, observational and exploratory study. The instrument used for the data collection was a vali-dated pharmacotherapy questionnaire tabulated and analyzed by the SPSS 14.0 computer program. Results: Of the total of 514 interviewed patients, 13.2% use medicines to acid-peptic illnesses. The inhibitor of proton pump was the medicine subclass more used, followed by the histamine 2 receptor (H2R) antagonist. Great presence of polypharmacy was observed. Only 32.2% of the elderly use self-medication. On the other hand, 71.2% do not understand the medical prescription and 81.4% forget their medicines. Conclusion: The great pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variability of this population evidences the importance of this study, in order to prevent errors that can cause drugs interactions and side effects. Therefore, the implementation of a pharmaceutical care program to the elderly patient who use antiulcerous is justified

Persistence in soil of inoculum of Beauveria bassiana used to control Hedypathes betulinus in yerba maté plantation, Ilex paraguariensis

O controle da broca-da-erva-mate, Hedypathes betulinus, limita-se ao emprego de práticas silviculturais e catação manual dos insetos adultos, não sendo permitido o uso de inseticidas químicos na cultura. Esta pesquisa teve por objetivos verificar a presença natural de Beauveria bassiana no solo de plantio em monocultura de erva-mate, determinar a persistência de B. bassiana no solo após duas e três aplicações do fungo e averiguar a influência de fatores abióticos na estabilidade do fungo no solo. O estudo foi conduzido em um erval no município de Campo Alegre, Santa Catarina, Brasil, onde foram coletadas amostras de solo em duas áreas, para avaliação da presença natural de inóculos do fungo B. bassiana, procedendo-se à contagem, isolamento e identificação.Não foi detectada a ocorrência natural do fungo no solo em nenhuma das duas áreas. Após essa confirmação, foram realizadas pulverizações com B. bassiana em ambas as áreas, sendo que em uma ocorreram duas e na outra três aplicações. Após a última pulverização, realizada em fevereiro/2006, verificou-se que os inóculos do fungo persistiram por 90 dias na área com duas aplicações e 120 dias na área com três aplicações. A temperatura afetou a persistência do fungo no solo em ambas as áreas, mas a umidade relativa não mostrou influência sobre os inóculos em campo.Palavras-chave: Broca-da-erva-mate; controle biológico; epizootia; fungo entomopatogênico. AbstractPersistence in soil of inoculum of Beauveria bassiana used to control Hedypathes betulinus in yerba maté plantation, Ilex paraguariensis. Control measures of Hedypathes betulinus are restricted to agricultural practices and hand picking of adult insects. No chemical control is allowed in yerba maté cultivation areas. The objectives of this research were to verify the natural occurrence of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in the soil of yerba maté in monoculture; to determine the persistence of inoculums in the soil after applications of the fungus; and to evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on fungus stability in the soil. The soil samples were taken from two experimental areas in a yerba maté plantation in the county of Campo Alegre, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The samples were analyzed in order to count, isolate and identify inoculums of B. bassiana and other fungi. After the confirmation that B. bassiana was not present in the soil, a suspension of the fungus was applied, twice in one of the areas and three times in the other. After the last application in February/2006, the inoculum persisted for 90 and 120 days, in the area with two and three applications, respectively. The temperature affected the persistence of B. bassiana in soil; however, the relative humidity did not.Keywords: Biological control; epizooty; entomopathogenic fungus; wood borer. Control measures of Hedypathes betulinus are restricted to agricultural practices and hand picking of adult insects. No chemical control is allowed in yerba maté cultivation areas. The objectives of this research were to verify the natural occurrence of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in the soil of yerba maté in monoculture; to determine the persistence of inoculums in the soil after applications of the fungus; and to evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on fungus stability in the soil. The soil samples were taken from two experimental areas in a yerba maté plantation in the county of Campo Alegre, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The samples were analyzed in order to count, isolate and identify inoculums of B. bassiana and other fungi. After the confirmation that B. bassiana was not present in the soil, a suspension of the fungus was applied, twice in one of the areas and three times in the other. After the last application in February/2006, the inoculum persisted for 90 and 120 days, in the area with two and three applications, respectively. The temperature affected the persistence of B. bassiana in soil; however, the relative humidity did not