149 research outputs found
Changes in nutrient loads (N, P and Si) in the SĂŁo Francisco estuary after the construction of dams
Poder germinativo de sementes de capim-annoni-2 (Eragrostis plana Ness) recuperadas em fezes de bovinos
Acute biphenotypic leukaemia: immunophenotypic and cytogenetic analysis
The incidence of acute biphenotypic leukaemia has ranged from less than 1% to almost 50% in various reports in the literature. This wide variability may be attributed to a number of reasons including lack of consistent diagnostic criteria, use of various panels of antibodies, and the failure to recognize the lack of lineage specificity of some of the antibodies used. The morphology, cytochemistry, immunophenotype and cytogenetics of acute biphenotypic leukaemias from our institution were studied. The diagnostic criteria took into consideration the morphology of the analysed cells, light scatter characteristics, and evaluation of antibody fluorescence histograms in determining whether the aberrant marker expression was arising from leukaemic blasts or differentiated bone marrow elements. Fifty-two of 746 cases (7%) fulfilled our criteria for acute biphenotypic leukaemias. These included 30 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) expressing myeloid antigens, 21 cases of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) expressing lymphoid markers, and one case of ALL expressing both B- and T-cell associated antigens. The acute biphenotypic leukaemia cases consisted of four major immunophenotypic subgroups: CD2± AML (11), CD19± AML (8), CD13 and/or CD33± ALL (24), CD11b± ALL (5) and others (4). Chromosomal analysis was carried out in 42/52 of the acute biphenotypic leukaemia cases; a clonal abnormality was found in 31 of these 42 cases. This study highlights the problems encountered in the diagnosis of acute biphenotypic leukaemia, some of which may be reponsible for the wide variation in the reported incidence of this leukaemia. We suggest that the use of strict, uniform diagnostic criteria may help in establishing a more consistent approach towards diagnosis of this leukaemic entity. We also suggest that biphenotypic leukaemia is comprised of biologically different groups of leukaemia based on immunophenotypic and cytogenetic findings.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73301/1/j.1365-2141.1993.tb03024.x.pd
Layer-by-layer technique to developing functional nanolaminate films with antifungal activity
The layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition method was used to build up alternating layers (five) of different polyelectrolyte solutions (alginate, zein-carvacrol nanocapsules, chitosan and chitosan-carvacrol emulsions) on an aminolysed/charged polyethylene terephthalate (A/C PET) film. These nanolaminated films were characterised by contact angle measurements and through the determination of water vapour (WVTR) and oxygen (O2TR) transmission rates. The effect of active nanolaminated films against the Alternaria sp. and Rhizopus stolonifer was also evaluated. This procedure allowed developing optically transparent nanolaminated films with tuneable water vapour and gas properties and antifungal activity. The water and oxygen transmission rate values for the multilayer films were lower than those previously reported for the neat alginate or chitosan films. The presence of carvacrol and zein nanocapsules significantly decreased the water transmission rate (up to 40 %) of the nanolaminated films. However, the O2TR behaved differently and was only improved (up to 45 %) when carvacrol was encapsulated, i.e. nanolaminated films prepared by alternating alginate with nanocapsules of zein-carvacrol layers showed better oxygen barrier properties than those prepared as an emulsion of chitosan and carvacrol. These films containing zein-carvacrol nanocapsules also showed the highest antifungal activity (30 %), which did not significantly differ from those obtained with the highest amount of carvacrol, probably due to the controlled release of the active agent (carvacrol) from the zein-carvacrol nanocapsules. Thus, this work shows that nanolaminated films prepared with alternating layers of alginate and zein-carvacrol nanocapsules can be considered to improve the shelf-life of foodstuffs.The authors acknowledge financial support from
FP7 IP project BECOBIOCAP^. M. J. Fabra is recipients of a Juan de la
Cierva contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and
Competitivity. Maria L. Flores-LĂłpez thanks Mexican Science and Technology
Council (CONACyT, Mexico) for PhD fellowship support
(CONACyT Grant Number 215499/310847). The author Miguel A.
Cerqueira is a recipient of a fellowship (SFRH/BPD/72753/2010) supported
by Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e Tecnologia, POPH-QREN and FSE
(FCT, Portugal). The authors also thank the FCT Strategic Project of UID/
BIO/04469/2013 unit, the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-
01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the project BBioInd - Biotechnology and
Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes,^ REF.
NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028 Co-funded by the Programa
Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2âO Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER.
The support of EU Cost Action FA0904 is gratefully acknowledged
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Predation on artificial nests in open habitats of central Brazil: effects of time and egg size
Molecular characterization of two rocio flavivirus strains isolated during the encephalitis epidemic in sĂŁo paulo state, brazil and the development of a one-step rt-pcr assay for diagnosis
Effects of maternal high fat intake during pregnancy and lactation on total cholesterol and adipose tissue in neonatal rats
Fatty acid profile and composition of milk protein fraction in dairy cows fed long-chain unsaturated fatty acids during the transition period
Deterioration rates of brazilwood seeds (Caesalpinia echinata Lam.) under high temperatures
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