Administration of a peptide inhibitor of alpha4-integrin inhibits the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis

Recruitment of lymphocytes into the retina and to the vitreous during the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) is governed by factors such as the state of activation of inflammatory cells and the repertoire of adhesion molecules expressed by the local vascular endothelia. alpha4 Integrins and their receptors play an important role during homing of cells to the inflammatory site. In the present study, the effect of alpha4-integrin inhibitor on the development of EAU was investigated.Fil: Martín, Andrea P.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Vieira de Moraes, Luciana. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Tadokoro, Carlos E.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Commodaro, Alessandra G.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Urrets Zavalia, Enrique. Universidad Catolica de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Clinica Universitaria Reina Fabiola; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Urrets Zavalía, Julio Alberto. Universidad Catolica de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Clinica Universitaria Reina Fabiola; ArgentinaFil: Rizzo, Luiz V.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Fundação Zerbini; BrasilFil: Serra, Horacio Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Argentin

Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Fatty Acids from Cultured and Commercial Phytoplankton Species

(1) Background: The extraction of fatty acids from microalgae and cyanobacteria is mostly performed with organic solvents and laborious procedures. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) can be a more effective and environmentally friendly process than traditional extraction (TE), which uses a large volume of solvent and conduction heating. Freshwater phytoplankton inhabits diverse aquatic environments and is a promising source of fatty acids and green precursors in the synthesis of biofuel, including cyanobacterial biomass. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of MAE to extract fatty acids from a Chlorella sp. microalga and two cyanobacteria, namely, Arthrospira sp. and Sphaerospermopsis torques-reginae, for biodiesel production. For this purpose, the lipid content and fatty acid profile of these strains were compared after treating biomass with the two extraction methods. (2) Methods: MAE and TE were used as extraction procedures; gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry was used to assess the fatty acid profiles, and X-ray spectroscopy was used to analyze biomass. (3) Results: Although the fatty acid profile of the oil obtained by TE showed higher concentrations of fatty acids, the MAE method was able to extract more types of fatty acids. The variety of fatty acids extracted by the MAE, especially those with unsaturated chains, allowed for better quality biodiesel, presenting advantages over previous methods and studies. According to the analyses, essential fatty acids 16:0, 16:1, and 18:2 were found to be abundant in both cyanobacterial strains and in microalga, showing potential for biofuel production. Additionally, metal composition was determined as its content may indicate potential pro-oxidant influence in biofuel production. (4) Conclusions: MAE is a useful and green strategy to extract fatty acids from freshwater phytoplankton. Cyanobacteria can also be a beneficial source of fatty acids for biodiesel synthesis

Effects of FGF-2 and EGF removal on the differentiation of mouse neural precursor cells

Cell therapy for neurological disorders has advanced, and neural precursor cells (NPC) may become the ideal candidates for neural transplantation in a wide range of diseases. However, additional work has to be done to determine either the ideal culture environment for NPC expansion in vitro, without altering their plasticity, or the FGF-2 and EGF mechanisms of cell signaling in neurospheres growth, survival and differentiation. In this work we evaluated mouse neurospheres cultured with and without FGF-2 and EGF containing medium and showed that those growth factors are responsible for NPC proliferation. It is also demonstrated that endogenous production of growth factors shifts from FGF-2 to IGF-1/PDGFb upon EGF and FGF-2 withdrawal. Mouse NPC cultured in suspension showed different patterns of neuronal localization (core versus shell) for both EGF and FGF-2 withdrawal and control groups. Taken together, these results show that EGF and FGF-2 removal play an important role in NPC differentiation and may contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms of NPC differentiation. Our findings suggest that depriving NPC of growth factors prior to grafting might enhance their chance to effectively integrate into the host.As terapias celulares para doenças neurológicas têm avançado e células precursoras neurais (NPC) surgem como candidatas ideais para o transplante de células neurais em muitas doenças. No entanto, trabalhos adicionais devem ser feitos para determinar o ambiente de cultivo ideal para a expansão in vitro das NPC, sem alterar sua plasticidade, e os mecanismos de sinalização celular do fator de crescimento epidérmico (EGF) e fator de crescimento de fibroblasto 2 (FGF-2) no crescimento, sobrevivência e diferenciação da neuroesfera. Nesse trabalho avaliamosNPCcultivadas na presença e na ausência de FGF-2 e EGF e mostramos que esses fatores de crescimento são responsáveis pela proliferação das NPC. Também foi demonstrado que a produção endógena de fatores de crescimento alterna de FGF-2 a fator de crescimento de insulina 1 (IGF-1) e fator de crescimento derivado de plaquetas b (PDGFb) após remoção de EGF e FGF-2. NPC de camundongo cultivadas em suspensão mostraram padrões de localização neuronal distintos (centro versus borda) tanto no grupo controle como no grupo sem EGF e FGF-2. Juntos, esses resultados mostram que a remoção de EGF e FGF-2 exerce importante ação na diferenciação de NPC e possivelmente contribui para melhor compreensão dos mecanismos envolvidos na diferenciação. Nossos achados sugerem que, privando as NPC de fatores de crescimento antes do transplante, talvez aumente as chances de que as células efetivamente se integrem ao hospedeiro.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de FisiologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de BiofísicaUNIFESP, Depto. de FisiologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de BiofísicaSciEL

Is semantic verbal fluency impairment explained by executive function deficits in schizophrenia?

Objective: To investigate if verbal fluency impairment in schizophrenia reflects executive function deficits or results from degraded semantic store or inefficient search and retrieval strategies. Method: Two groups were compared: 141 individuals with schizophrenia and 119 healthy age and education-matched controls. Both groups performed semantic and phonetic verbal fluency tasks. Performance was evaluated using three scores, based on 1) number of words generated2) number of clustered/ related wordsand 3) switching score. A fourth performance score based on the number of clusters was also measured. Results: Individuals with schizophrenia produced fewer words than controls. After controlling for the total number of words produced, a difference was observed between the groups in the number of cluster-related words generated in the semantic task. In both groups, the number of words generated in the semantic task was higher than that generated in the phonemic task, although a significant group vs. fluency type interaction showed that subjects with schizophrenia had disproportionate semantic fluency impairment. Working memory was positively associated with increased production of words within clusters and inversely correlated with switching. Conclusion: Semantic fluency impairment may be attributed to an inability (resulting from reduced cognitive control) to distinguish target signal from competing noise and to maintain cues for production of memory probes.Fundacao de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, Programa Esquizofrenia PROESQ, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, LINC, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilCtr Univ FIEO UNIFIEO, Dept Psicol Educ, Ave Franz Voegeli 300,Bloco Prata,Sala 10, BR-06020190 Osasco, SP, BrazilBrown Univ, Dept Cognit & Linguist Sci, Providence, RI 02912 USAUniv Mackenzie, Programa Posgrad Disturbios Desenvolvimento, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, Programa Esquizofrenia PROESQ, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, LINC, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/50740-5FAPESP: 2007/58630-9Web of Scienc

Calibração do Modelo de Interação de Superfície Atmosfera (sib2) para uma Plantação de Arroz na Região Central do Rio Grande do Sul

Calibração do modelo de interação de superfície atmosfera(SiB2) para uma plantação de arroz na região central doRio Grande do Su

Avaliação do efeito de um produto a base de Bacillus thuringiensis sobre o predador Podisus nigrispinus.

Os produtos a base de B. thuringiensis tem sido largamente empregados no controle de inúmeras pragas. Na área florestal, milhares de hectares são pulverizados por ano no Brasil para controle de surtos de lepidópteros desfolhadores. Poucos são os estudos sobre o efeito do B. thuringiensis em artrópodes benéficos. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar, sob condições de laboratório, o efeito de um formulado a base de B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) sobre o predador P. nigrispinus. O experimento constitui-se de dois tratamentos: no primeiro, os predadores foram diariamente alimentados com lagartas de Bombyx mori infectadas com o formulado de Btk na dose 100 vezes maior que a recomendada; no segundo (controle) os predadores foram alimentados com lagartas sadias. O experimento iniciou-se com 50 ninfas de primeiro instar para cada tratamento. A partir do segundo instar, ate a fase adulta, P. nigrispinus alimentados com lagartas infectadas apresentaram menor sobrevivência que aqueles alimentados com lagartas sadias (teste t, ao nível de 5%). Também houve uma redução significativa no numero médio de ovos postos por fêmeas adultas alimentadas com lagartas infectadas em relação as alimentadas com lagartas sadias. Os resultados indicaram efeito adverso do formulado sobre a população de P. nigrispinus, porem esses estudos não são suficientes para concluir sobre a existência de risco ambiental da utilização deste produto. Testes complementares são necessários para se avaliar a persistência, multiplicação e disseminação do agente de controle no ambiente, como também a identificação do componente do produto que induziu os danos. Não se espera, a priori, que os efeitos observados ocorram sob condições de campo, onde os predadores poderão se alimentar tanto de lagartas sadias quanto de infectadas

Seasonality of soil water exchange in the soybean growing season in southern Brazil

The processes of water transfer in the soil-plant-atmosphere system are strongly affected by soil use and management. Differences in the dynamics of soil water transfer between no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) practices during a soybean (Glycine max) growing season in southern Brazil were assessed in this study. All the water balance components were analyzed during the soybean growing season (2009/2010). Rainfall, runoff, soil water storage and hydro-physical soil properties were analyzed under two tillage systems. The land-atmosphere water vapor exchanges, obtained from eddy covariance stations, were analyzed with regard to the soybean agroecosystem. Characterizations of soil water storage were also formulated in the 2006/2007 and 2008/2009 soybean growing seasons under the NT system. During the periods without rain, the soil water content under NT was greater than under CT. The soil superficial layer, more porous under NT, contributed to less runoff during rainy events. Moreover, under NT conditions the water supply was always high, between 0.2 - 0.5 m. The total evapotranspiration in the soybean agroecosystem growing season was 410.8 mm

The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected

Based on pre-DNA racial/color methodology, clinical and pharmacological trials have traditionally considered the different geographical regions of Brazil as being very heterogeneous. We wished to ascertain how such diversity of regional color categories correlated with ancestry. Using a panel of 40 validated ancestry-informative insertion-deletion DNA polymorphisms we estimated individually the European, African and Amerindian ancestry components of 934 self-categorized White, Brown or Black Brazilians from the four most populous regions of the Country. We unraveled great ancestral diversity between and within the different regions. Especially, color categories in the northern part of Brazil diverged significantly in their ancestry proportions from their counterparts in the southern part of the Country, indicating that diverse regional semantics were being used in the self-classification as White, Brown or Black. To circumvent these regional subjective differences in color perception, we estimated the general ancestry proportions of each of the four regions in a form independent of color considerations. For that, we multiplied the proportions of a given ancestry in a given color category by the official census information about the proportion of that color category in the specific region, to arrive at a “total ancestry” estimate. Once such a calculation was performed, there emerged a much higher level of uniformity than previously expected. In all regions studied, the European ancestry was predominant, with proportions ranging from 60.6% in the Northeast to 77.7% in the South. We propose that the immigration of six million Europeans to Brazil in the 19th and 20th centuries - a phenomenon described and intended as the “whitening of Brazil” - is in large part responsible for dissipating previous ancestry dissimilarities that reflected region-specific population histories. These findings, of both clinical and sociological importance for Brazil, should also be relevant to other countries with ancestrally admixed populations