Prolactin

During an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) glucose and insulin levels were measured in 26 patients with prolactin-producing pituitary tumours without growth hormone excess. Basal glucose and insulin levels did not differ from the values of an age-matched control group. After glucose load the hyperprolactinaemic patients showed a decrease in glucose tolerance and a hyperinsulinaemia. Bromocriptine (CB 154), which suppressed PRL, improved glucose tolerance and decreased insulin towards normal in a second OGTT. — Human PRL or CB 154 had no significant influence on insulin release due to glucose in the perfused rat pancreas. — These findings suggest a diabetogenic effect of PRL. CB 154 might be a useful drug in improving glucose utilization in hormone-active pituitary tumours

Estudo preliminar do vermicomposto produzido a partir de lodo de esgoto doméstico e solo

O lodo de esgoto doméstico é um resíduo gerado durante os processos de tratamento de esgoto, podendo ser estabilizado por diversos processos químicos, físicos e biológicos. O lodo de esgoto estabilizado (biossólido) não possui um destino final adequado e gera diversos problemas no sentido de sua disposição final. Dentre os muitos processos que visam à disposição do biossólido, destaca-se a reciclagem agrícola. A utilização da vermicompostagem como meio de estabilização do lodo de esgoto mostra-se como uma ferramenta útil na estabilização deste resíduo. O processo de vermicompostagem apresentou características físico-químicas satisfatórias para ser utilizado como técnica de estabilização do lodo de esgoto doméstico. O produto final apresentou potencial para ser utilizado na agricultura como fertilizante ou condicionador de solos.Domestic waste, a residue generated during sewage treatments, can be stabilized by many chemical, physical and biological processes. However, the stabilized waste (biosoil) currently lacks proper disposal alternatives. A new and promising disposal method is called farm recycling. The use of vermicomposting has shown to be useful as a mean to stabilize domestic waste. The biosoil achieved through this method exhibits high humidity-retaining capacity, good C/N relationship, as well as a satisfactory percentage of humic acid, thus being able to be incorporated into the soil as a conditioner and fertilizer

Involvement of formyl peptide receptors in the stimulatory effect of crotoxin on macrophages co-cultivated with tumour cells

Crotoxin (CTX) is the main neurotoxic component of Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom. It inhibits tumour growth and modulates the function of macrophages, which are essential cells in the tumour microenvironment. the present study investigated the effect of CTX on the secretory activity of monocultured macrophages and macrophages co-cultivated with LLC-WRC 256 cells. the effect of the macrophage secretory activities on tumour cell proliferation was also evaluated. Macrophages pre-treated with CTX (0.3 mu g/mL) for 2 h were co-cultivated with LLC-WRC 256 cells, and the secretory activity of the macrophages was determined after 12, 24 and 48 h. the co-cultivation of CTX-treated macrophages with the tumour cells caused a 20% reduction in tumour cell proliferation. the production of both H2O2 and NO was increased by 41% and 29% after 24 or 48 h of co-cultivation, respectively, compared to the values for the co-cultures of macrophages of control. the level of secreted IL-1 beta increased by 3.7- and 3.2-fold after 12 h and 24 h of co-cultivation, respectively. Moreover, an increased level of LXA(4) (25%) was observed after 24 h of co-cultivation, and a 2.3- and 2.1-fold increased level of 15-epi-LXA(4) was observed after 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Boc-2, a selective antagonist of formyl peptide receptors, blocked both the stimulatory effect of CTX on the macrophage secretory activity and the inhibitory effect of these cells on tumour cell proliferation. Taken together, these results indicate that CTX enhanced the secretory activity of macrophages, which may contribute to the antitumour activity of these cells, and that activation of formyl peptide receptors appears to play a major role in this effect. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)PAPInstituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia em ToxinasButantan Inst, Lab Pathophysiol, BR-05503900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Lab Inflammat & Vasc Pharmacol, BR-09913030 Diadema, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, BR-01246000 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Anat, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilButantan Inst, Special Lab Pain & Signaling, BR-05503900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Lab Inflammat & Vasc Pharmacol, BR-09913030 Diadema, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 09/52330-9Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia em Toxinas: INCTTOX 2008/57898-0Web of Scienc

How to Blend a Robot within a Group of Zebrafish: Achieving Social Acceptance through Real-time Calibration of a Multi-level Behavioural Model

We have previously shown how to socially integrate a fish robot into a group of zebrafish thanks to biomimetic behavioural models. The models have to be calibrated on experimental data to present correct behavioural features. This calibration is essential to enhance the social integration of the robot into the group. When calibrated, the behavioural model of fish behaviour is implemented to drive a robot with closed-loop control of social interactions into a group of zebrafish. This approach can be useful to form mixed-groups, and study animal individual and collective behaviour by using biomimetic autonomous robots capable of responding to the animals in long-standing experiments. Here, we show a methodology for continuous real-time calibration and refinement of multi-level behavioural model. The real-time calibration, by an evolutionary algorithm, is based on simulation of the model to correspond to the observed fish behaviour in real-time. The calibrated model is updated on the robot and tested during the experiments. This method allows to cope with changes of dynamics in fish behaviour. Moreover, each fish presents individual behavioural differences. Thus, each trial is done with naive fish groups that display behavioural variability. This real-time calibration methodology can optimise the robot behaviours during the experiments. Our implementation of this methodology runs on three different computers that perform individual tracking, data-analysis, multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, simulation of the fish robot and adaptation of the robot behavioural models, all in real-time.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Double Spin Asymmetries A_NN and A_SS at sqrt{s}=200 GeV in Polarized Proton-Proton Elastic Scattering at RHIC

We present the first measurements of the double spin asymmetries A_NN and A_SS at sqrt{s}=200 GeV, obtained by the pp2pp experiment using polarized proton beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The data were collected in the four momentum transfer t range 0.01<|t|<0.03 (GeV/c)^2. The measured asymmetries, which are consistent with zero, allow us to estimate upper limits on the double helicity-flip amplitudes phi_2 and phi_4 at small t as well as on the difference Delta(sigma_T) between the total cross sections for transversely polarized protons with antiparallel or parallel spin orientations.Comment: 13 pages with 3 figures. Final version accepted by Phys. Lett.

Feasibility, reliability, and validity of adolescent health status measurement by the Child Health Questionnaire Child Form (CHQ-CF): internet administration compared with the standard paper version

AIMS: In this study we evaluated indicators of the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Child Health Questionnaire-Child Form (CHQ-CF). We compared the results in a subgroup of adolescents who completed the standard paper version of the CHQ-CF with the results in another subgroup of adolescents who completed an internet version, i.e., an online, web-based CHQ-CF questionnaire. METHODS: Under supervision at school, 1,071 adolescents were randomized to complete the CHQ-CF and items on chronic conditions by a paper questionnaire or by an internet administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The participation rate was 87%; age range 13–7 years. The internet administration resulted in fewer missing answers. All but one multi-item scale showed internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α > 0.70). All scales clearly discriminated between adolescents with no, a few, or many self-reported chronic conditions. The paper administration resulted in statistically significant, higher scores on 4 of 10 CHQ-CF scales compared with the internet administration (P < 0.05), but Cohen’s effect sizes d were ≤0.21. Mode of administration interacted significantly with age (P < 0.05) on four CHQ-CF scales, but Cohen’s effect sizes for these differences were also ≤0.21. CONCLUSION: This study supports the feasibility, internal consistency reliability of the scales, and construct validity of the CHQ-CF administered by either a paper questionnaire or online questionnaire. Given Cohen’s suggested guidelines for the interpretation of effect sizes, i.e., 0.20–.50 indicates a small effect, differences in CHQ-CF scale scores between paper and internet administration can be considered as negligible or small

An Experimental Exploration of the QCD Phase Diagram: The Search for the Critical Point and the Onset of De-confinement

The QCD phase diagram lies at the heart of what the RHIC Physics Program is all about. While RHIC has been operating very successfully at or close to its maximum energy for almost a decade, it has become clear that this collider can also be operated at lower energies down to 5 GeV without extensive upgrades. An exploration of the full region of beam energies available at the RHIC facility is imperative. The STAR detector, due to its large uniform acceptance and excellent particle identification capabilities, is uniquely positioned to carry out this program in depth and detail. The first exploratory beam energy scan (BES) run at RHIC took place in 2010 (Run 10), since several STAR upgrades, most importantly a full barrel Time of Flight detector, are now completed which add new capabilities important for the interesting physics at BES energies. In this document we discuss current proposed measurements, with estimations of the accuracy of the measurements given an assumed event count at each beam energy.Comment: 59 pages, 78 figure