HISTÓRICO DA COMPOSIÇÃO DA VEGETAÇÃO ARBÓREA DO PARQUE DO IBIRAPUERA E SUA CONTRIBUIÇÃO PARA A CONSERVAÇÃO DA BIODIVERSIDADE

Os parques urbanos, além de importantes espaços de recreação, esportes, lazer, cultura e promover melhoria na qualidade de vida, apresentam potencial de contribuir para a biodiversidade regional. Objetivou-se discutir as modificações históricas da composição da vegetação arbórea do Parque Ibirapuera de São Paulo, SP; sua contribuição para a conservação da biodiversidade regional; e analisar as espécies arbóreas do Parque quanto ao risco de queda. Para isso, foi elaborado inventário por censo dos indivíduos arbóreos do Parque Ibirapuera. Historicamente as primeiras vegetações inseridas no Parque possuíam o papel de promover a drenagem da área com o uso de espécies arbóreas exóticas, como as do gênero Eucalyptus e Ligustrum, que hoje representam 16% e 7,29% das árvores, respectivamente. Estas representaram a maior porcentagem de espécies classificadas em risco de queda alto, 83,7%. A inserção posterior de espécies nativas no Parque contribuiu para o aumento da biodiversidade regional, atualmente apresentando 39,4% de árvores nativas brasileiras. Os resultados indicam a necessidade da contínua diversificação de árvores e arbustos com espécies nativas, pois além de contribuir para a minimização de pragas e doenças vegetais, pela manutenção da diversidade e dos processos ecológicos na paisagem urbana, poderá prevenir fatores importantes que provocam a queda de árvores

Burkitt lymphoma in adolescents and young adults: management challenges

Massimo Dozzo,1 Francesca Carobolante,1 Pietro Maria Donisi,2 Annamaria Scattolin,1 Elena Maino,1 Rosaria Sancetta,1 Piera Viero,1 Renato Bassan1 1Complex Operative Unit of Hematology, Ospedale dell’Angelo, 2Simple Departmental Operative Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Ospedale Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, Italy Abstract: About one-half of all Burkitt lymphoma (BL) patients are younger than 40 years, and one-third belong to the adolescent and young adult (AYA) subset, defined by an age between 15 and 25–40 years, based on selection criteria used in different reports. BL is an aggressive B-cell neoplasm displaying highly characteristic clinico-diagnostic features, the biologic hallmark of which is a translocation involving immunoglobulin and c-MYC genes. It presents as sporadic, endemic, or epidemic disease. Endemicity is pathogenetically linked to an imbalance of the immune system which occurs in African children infected by malaria parasites and Epstein–Barr virus, while the epidemic form strictly follows the pattern of infection by HIV. BL shows propensity to extranodal involvement of abdominal organs, bone marrow, and central nervous system, and can cause severe metabolic and renal impairment. Nevertheless, BL is highly responsive to specifically designed short-intensive, rotational multiagent chemotherapy programs, empowered by the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab. When carefully applied with appropriate supportive measures, these modern programs achieve a cure rate of approximately 90% in the average AYA patient, irrespective of clinical stage, which is the best result achievable in any aggressive lymphoid malignancy to date. The challenges ahead concern the following: optimization of management in underdeveloped countries, with reduction of diagnostic and referral-for-care intervals, and the applicability of currently curative regimens; the development of lower intensity but equally effective treatments for frail or immunocompromised patients at risk of death by complications; the identification of very high-risk patients through positron-emission tomography and minimal residual disease assays; and the assessment in these and the few refractory/relapsed ones of new monoclonals (ofatumumab, blinatumomab, inotuzumab ozogamicin) and new molecules targeting c-MYC and key proliferative steps of B-cell malignancies. Keywords: Burkitt lymphoma, adolescents, young adults, treatment, outcom

A Peptide Nucleic Acid–Aminosugar Conjugate Targeting Transactivation Response Element of HIV-1 RNA Genome Shows a High Bioavailability in Human Cells and Strongly Inhibits Tat-Mediated Transactivation of HIV-1 Transcription

[Image: see text] The 6-aminoglucosamine ring of the aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin B (ring II) was conjugated to a 16 mer peptide nucleic acid (PNA) targeting HIV-1 TAR RNA. For this purpose we prepared the aminoglucosamine monomer 15 and attached it to the protected PNA prior to its cleavage from the solid support. We found that the resulting PNA-aminoglucosamine conjugate is stable under acidic condition, efficiently taken up by the human cells and fairly distributed in both cytosol and nucleus without endosomal entrapment since co-treatment with endosome-disrupting agent had no effect on its cellular distribution. The conjugate displayed very high target specificity in vitro and strongly inhibited Tat mediated transactivation of HIV-1 LTR transcription in cell culture system. The unique properties of this new class of PNA conjugate suggest it to be a potential candidate for therapeutic application

Tuning the Antibacterial Activity of Amphiphilic Neamine Derivatives and Comparison to Paromamine Homologues

Aminoglycosides are antibiotic drugs that act through binding to rRNA. In the search for antimicrobial amphiphilic aminoglycosides targeting bacterial membranes, we report here on the discovery of three dialkyl derivatives of the small aminoglycoside neamine active against susceptible and resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. One of these derivatives (R = 2-naphthylpropyl), which has good activity against MRSA and VRSA, showed a low toxicity in eukaryotic cells at 10 μM. The synthesis of amphiphilic paromamine and neamine homologous derivatives pointed out the role of the 6'-amine function of the neamine core in the antibacterial effects. The optimal number of lipophilic substituents to be attached to the neamine core and the corresponding required lipophilicity determined here should permit a more selective targeting of bacterial membranes relative to eukaryotic membranes. This work revealed the existence of windows of lipophilicity necessary for obtaining strong antibacterial effects that should be of interest in the field of antibacterial amphiphilic aminoglycosides