Avaliação da depleção linfóide folicular da Bursa de Fabricius: uma metodologia alternativa utilizando análise digital de imagem e redes neurais artificiais

Fifty Bursa of Fabricius (BF) were examined by conventional optical microscopy and digital images were acquired and processed using Matlab® 6.5 software. The Artificial Neuronal Network (ANN) was generated using Neuroshell® Classifier software and the optical and digital data were compared. The ANN was able to make a comparable classification of digital and optical scores. The use of ANN was able to classify correctly the majority of the follicles, reaching sensibility and specificity of 89% and 96%, respectively. When the follicles were scored and grouped in a binary fashion the sensibility increased to 90% and obtained the maximum value for the specificity of 92%. These results demonstrate that the use of digital image analysis and ANN is a useful tool for the pathological classification of the BF lymphoid depletion. In addition it provides objective results that allow measuring the dimension of the error in the diagnosis and classification therefore making comparison between databases feasible.Cinquenta Bursa de Fabrícius (BF) foram examinadas através de microscopia óptica convencional e imagens digitais foram obtidas e processadas através do software Matlab® 6.5. Redes Neurais Artificiais (ANN) foram geradas com a utilização do software Neuroshell® Classifier, e os dados das análises óptica e digital foram comparados. A ANN classificou corretamente a maioria dos folículos, atingindo sensibilidade e especificidade de 89% e 96%, respectivamente. Quando os folículos foram agrupados de forma binária houve um aumento da sensibilidade para 90% e obteve-se um valor máximo para a especificidade de 92%. Estes resultados demonstram que o uso da análise digital de imagem associada à ANNé uma ferramenta bastante útil para a classificação patológica da depleção linfóide da BF. Além disso, fornece resultados objetivos que permitem medir a dimensão do erro classificatório, tornando possível a comparação entre distintos bancos de dados

Valorization of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) with high quartz content as pozzolanic material in portland cement mixtures

[EN] Portland cement (OPC) production is one of the most contaminating greenhouse gas producing activities. In order to reduce OPC consumption, several alternatives are being assessed, and the use of pozzolanic material is one of them. This paper presents study on the reactivity of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), a residue from sugarcane industry, as a pozzolanic material. In order to evaluate SCBA reactivity, it was mixed in pastes with hydrated lime and OPC, which were microstructurally characterised. These studies showed that SCBA presents some pozzolanic characteristics. Studies on mortars in which OPC was replaced by SCBA in the range 10¿30% were also carried out. Replacement in the range 15¿20% yielded the best behaviour in terms of compressive strength. Finally, it can be concluded this ash could be valorised despite its relative low pozzolanic reactivity.[ES] Valorización de la ceniza de bagazo de azúcar (SCBA) con alto contenido de cuarzo como material puzolánico en mezclas de cemento Portland. La producción de cemento Portland (OPC) presenta una elevada emisión de CO2. Con el objeto de reducir el consumo de OPC, se están evaluando algunas alternativas, y el uso de materiales puzolánicos es una de ellas. En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de la reactividad de la ceniza de bagazo de caña de azúcar (SCBA) como material puzolánico, un residuo procedente de la industria de la caña de azúcar. Al objeto de evaluar la reactividad de SCBA, se realizaron pastas con cal hidratada y con OPC, las cuales fueron caracterizadas microestructuralmente. Estos estudios mostraron que SCBA presenta una cierta característica puzolánica. Se llevaron a cabo estudios en morteros en los que OPC se sustituyó por SCBA en el intervalo de 10-30%. La sustitución en el intervalo 15-20% produjo el mejor comportamiento en términos de resistencia a compresión. Finalmente, se puede concluir que esta ceniza puede ser valorizada a pesar de su baja reactividad puzolánica.The authors would like to thank the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte of Spain (Cooperacion Interuniversitaria Program with Brazil, Project PHB-2011-0016-PC), CAPES-Brazil (Project CAPES/DGU No. 266/12), CNPq (Project 401724/2013-1) and Electron Microscopy Service of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Pereira, A.; Moraes, J.; Bassan De Moraes, M.; Akasaki, J.; Tashima, M.; Soriano Martinez, L.; Monzó Balbuena, JM.... (2018). Valorization of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) with high quartz content as pozzolanic material in portland cement mixtures. Materiales de Construcción. 68(330):153-163. https://doi.org/10.3989/mc.2018.00617S153163683301. World cement production. 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(2012) Assessing the effect of biomass ashes with different finenesses on the compressive strength of blended cement paste. Mater. Des. 42, 424-33.14. Pereira, C.L.; Savastano Jr., H.; Payá, J.; Santos, S.F.; Borrachero, M.V.; Monzó, J. (2013) Use of highly reactive rice husk ash in the production of cement matrix reinforced with green coconut fiber. Ind. Crop. Prod. 49, 88–96.15. Paiva, H.; Velosa, A.; Cachim, P.; Ferreira, V.M. (2016) Effect of pozzolans with diferent physical and chemical characteristics on concrete properties. Mater. Construc. 66 [322], 1-12. 516. Hoi, L.W.S.; Martincigh, B.S. (2013) Sugar cane plant fibres: Separation and characterization. Ind. Crop. Prod. 47, 1–12.17. Hugot, E. Handbook of Cane Sugar Engineering. 3rd ed. Amsterdam:Elsevier Science Publishers, (1986).18. Sugarcane production. FAOSTAT – Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Statistics Division; http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC19. Sugarcane production. UNICA – União da Indústria de Cana-de-Açúcar Website; http://www.unicadata.com. br/index.php?idioma=220. A Geração Termoelétrica com a Queima do Bagaço de Cana-de-Açúcar no Brasil. CONAB – Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento; http://www.agricultura.gov.br/assuntos/sustentabilidade/agroenergia/arquivos-termoeletrica-com-a-queima-do-bagaco-de-cana-de-acucar/termoeletrica-com-a-queima-do-bagaco-de-cana-de-acucar-no-brasil-safra-2009-2010.pdf21. Cortez, L.A.B.; Gómez, E.O. (1998) A method for exergy analysis of sugarcane bagasse boilers. Braz. J. Chem. Eng. 15 [1].22. Souza, A.E.; Teixeira, S.R.; Santos, G.T.A.; Costa, F.B.; Longo, E. (2011) Reuse of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) to produce ceramic materials. J. Environ. Manage. 92, 2774–80.23. Hofsetz, K.; Silva, M.A. (2012) Brazilian sugarcane bagasse: Energy and non-energy consumption. Biomass Bioenerg 46, 564–573.24. Cordeiro, G.C.; Toledo Filho, R.D.; Tavares, L.M.; Fairbairn, E.M.R. (2009) Ultrafine grinding of sugar cane bagasse ash for application as pozzolanic admixture in concrete. Cem. Concr. Res. 39, 110–115.25. Frías, M.; Villar, E.; Savastano, H. (2011) Brazilian sugar cane bagasse ashes from the cogeneration industry as active pozzolans for cement manufacture. Cem. Concr. Compos. 33, 490–496.26. Fairbairn, E.M.R.; Americano, B.B.; Cordeiro, G.C.; Paula, T.P.; Toledo Filho, R.D.; Silvoso, M.M. (2010) Cement replacement by sugar cane bagasse ash: CO2 emissions reduction and potential for carbon credits. J. Environ. Manage. 91, 1864–1871.27. Cordeiro, G.C.; Toledo Filho, R.D.; Fairbairn, E.M.R. (2009) Effect of calcination temperature on the pozzolanic activity of sugar cane bagasse ash. Constr. Build. Mater. 23, 3301–3303.27. UNE-EN 196-5. Método de ensayo de cementos. Parte 5: Ensayo de puzolanicidad para los cementos puzolánicos. Madrid: Asociación Espa-ola de Normalización y Certificación – AENOR; (2011).29. NBR 7215. Cimento Portland – Determinação da resistência à compressão. Rio de Janeiro: Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas – ANBT; (1996).29. ASTM C-618. Standard Specification for Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use in Concrete. Philadelphia: ASTM International; (2005).31. Allahverdi, A.; Shaverdi, B.; Kani, E. (2010) Influence of sodium oxide on properties of fresh and hardened paste of alkali-activated blast-furnace slag. Int. J. Civ. Eng. 8, 304–314.32. Yu, P.; Kirkpatrick, R.J.; Poe, B.; McMillan, P.F.; Cong, X. (1999) Structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H): Near-, mid-, and far-infrared spectroscopy. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 82(3), 742–748.33. Moraes, J.C.B.; Akasaki, J.L.; Melges, J.L.P.; Monzó, J.; Borrachero, M.V.; Soriano, L.; Payá, J.; Tashima, M.M. (2015) Assessment of sugar cane straw ash (SCSA) as pozzolanic material in blended Portland cement: Microstructural characterisation of pastes and mechanical strength of mortars. Constr. Build. 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Cardamonin, a schistosomicidal chalcone from Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) that inhibits Schistosoma mansoni ATP diphosphohydrolase

AbstractBackground: Schistosomiasis is one of the world's major public health problems, and praziquantel (PZQ) is the only available drug to treat this neglected disease with an urgent demand for new drugs. Recent studies indicated that extracts from Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) are active against adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni, the major etiological agent of human schistosomiasis.Purpose: We investigated the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of cardamonin, a chalcone isolated from the crude extract of P. aduncum. Also, this present work describes, for the first time, the S. mansoni ATP diphosphohydrolase inhibitory activity of cardamonin, as well as, its molecular docking with S. mansoni ATPDase1, in order to investigate its mode of inhibition.Methods: In vitro schistosomicidal assays and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to evaluate the effects of cardamonin on adult schistosomes. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay, and the S. mansoni ATPase activity was determined spectrophotometrically. Identification of the cardamonin binding site and its interactions on S. mansoni ATPDase1 were made by molecular docking experiments.Results: A bioguided fractionation of the crude extract of P. aduncum was carried out, leading to identification of cardamonin as the active compound, along with pinocembrin and uvangoletin. Cardamonin (25, 50, and 100 µM) caused 100% mortality, tegumental alterations, and reduction of oviposition and motor activity of all adult worms of S. mansoni, without affecting mammalian cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed tegumental morphological alterations and changes on the numbers of tubercles of S. mansoni worms in a dose-dependent manner. Cardamonin also inhibited S. mansoni ATP diphosphohydrolase (IC50 of 23.54 µM). Molecular docking studies revealed that cardamonin interacts with the Nucleotide-Binding of SmATPDase 1. The nature of SmATPDase 1–cardamonin interactions is mainly hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding.Conclusion: This report provides evidence for the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of cardamonin and demonstrated, for the first time, that this chalcone is highly effective in inhibiting S. mansoni ATP diphosphohydrolase, opening the route to further studies of chalcones as prototypes for new S. mansoni ATP diphosphohydrolase inhibitors

Diet of juveniles of the venomous frog Aparasphenodon brunoi (Amphibia: Hylidae) in southeastern Brazil

Seventy juvenile individuals of Aparasphenodon brunoi were collected on the low parts of tree trunks in an Atlantic Forest remnant. Arthropods were the dominant prey found in their stomachs. Coleoptera (adult and larvae) was the most important prey regarding prey frequency, number, weight, and index of relative importance. Secondary preys included Hymenoptera that was important regarding number of prey and Hemiptera that was important regarding prey weight. Trophic ontogeny was detected. The diversity of prey suggests A. brunoi is an opportunistic sit-and-wait predator

Manipulation of human verticality using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation

Background: Using conventional tDCS over the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) we previously reported that it is possible to manipulate subjective visual vertical (SVV) and postural control. We also demonstrated that high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) can achieve substantially greater cortical stimulation focality than conventional tDCS. However, it is critical to establish dose-response effects using well-defined protocols with relevance to clinically meaningful applications. Objective: To conduct three pilot studies investigating polarity and intensity-dependent effects of HD-tDCS over the right TPJ on behavioral and physiological outcome measures in healthy subjects. We additionally aimed to establish the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of this stimulation protocol. Methods: We designed three separate randomized, double-blind, crossover phase I clinical trials in different cohorts of healthy adults using the same stimulation protocol. The primary outcome measure for trial 1 was SVV; trial 2, weight-bearing asymmetry (WBA); and trial 3, electroencephalography power spectral density (EEG-PSD). The HD-tDCS montage comprised a single central, and 3 surround electrodes (HD-tDCS3x1) over the right TPJ. For each study, we tested 3x2 min HD-tDCS3x1 at 1, 2 and 3 mA; with anode center, cathode center, or sham stimulation, in random order across days. Results: We found significant SVV deviation relative to baseline, specific to the cathode center condition, with consistent direction and increasing with stimulation intensity. We further showed significant WBA with direction governed by stimulation polarity (cathode center, left asymmetry; anode center, right asymmetry). EEG-PSD in the gamma band was significantly increased at 3 mA under the cathode. Conclusions: The present series of studies provide converging evidence for focal neuromodulation that can modify physiology and have behavioral consequences with clinical potential

Diet of juveniles of the venomous frog Aparasphenodon brunoi (Amphibia: Hylidae) in southeastern Brazil

Seventy juvenile individuals of Aparasphenodon brunoi were collected on the low parts of tree trunks in an Atlantic Forest remnant. Arthropods were the dominant prey found in their stomachs. Coleoptera (adult and larvae) was the most important prey regarding prey frequency, number, weight, and index of relative importance. Secondary preys included Hymenoptera that was important regarding number of prey and Hemiptera that was important regarding prey weight. Trophic ontogeny was detected. The diversity of prey suggests A. brunoi is an opportunistic sit-and-wait predator

Enantiomers of nifurtimox do not exhibit stereoselective anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity, toxicity, or pharmacokinetic properties

With the aim of improving the available drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease, individual enantiomers of nifurtimox were characterized. The results indicate that the enantiomers are equivalent in their in vitro activity against a panel of Trypanosoma cruzi strains; in vivo efficacy in a murine model of Chagas disease; in vitro toxicity and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics; and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties. There is unlikely to be any therapeutic benefit of an individual nifurtimox enantiomer over the racemic mixture

Vascular Flora Of The Legado Das Águas, Reserva Votorantim, Municipalities Of Tapiraí, Miracatú And Juquiá, São Paulo, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)We present a list of vascular plants found in Legado das Águas, Reserva Votorantim, a private reserve having an area of approximately 35,000 ha that spans the municipalities of Tapiraí, Miracatú, and Juquiá, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The reserve is part of a complex of state-protected areas including Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park, Intervales State Park, Carlos Botelho State Park, Jurupará State Park, and Serra do Mar State Park. Together, these form an important and large area of continuous and well-preserved forest. Our study, which involved two main floristic surveys in March/April 2013 and April 2014, recorded 768 species, representing 131 families and 432 genera. The majority of species were angiosperms (619) representing 106 families and 370 genera. There were also two species of gymnosperms belonging to two genera in separate families; 147 species of ferns and lycophytes belonging to 23 families and 60 genera. In demonstrating the presence of almost 800 species of plants, of which 16 are threatened, our study highlights the importance of floristic surveys and the critical role of private protected areas in managing and preserving native flora. © 2016 Check List and Authors.1262011/22923-8, FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo2015/9444-4, FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Piauí de plantas e gentes: Construção de coleções de referência de plantas úteis/econômicas como base para estudos arqueobotânicos.

Museum Studie