School Evasion in the Brazilian trends: analyzing the vectors that influence students’ decision to interrupt their formative process

Research data demonstrate that the analyzes built around School Evasion considers, primarily, the quantitative metrics of studentsrsquo; entry and exit and also the monetary losses, especially because it would be incoherent not to take as reference the goals and objectives outlined for education school system. However, analyzing the vectors that influence studentsrsquo; decision to interrupt their formative process, according to purely numerical criteria, would imply in ignoring the function of educational institutions and the real causes/reasons stemming from the social and relational demand of students' passage on educational institutions. For this reason, problematizing some of the recurring issues and incidents generated by certain investigations seems instigating and challenging. If in on the one hand, the attitude of understanding the conceptualization, the investigative tendencies and the characteristics of the studies give rise to certain criticisms that put in check the complexity of the object in question, on the other, it can stimulate the construction of other tendencies, new pathways, other possible ways of overcoming the gaps identified in the studies about School Evasion in Brazil

Effect of cellulose microcrystals in starch and chitosan-based films properties

Cellulose microcrystals (CMC) can be used as reinforcing material in the preparation of composite films. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CMC in starch and chitosan-based films properties. Starch/CMC and Chitosan/CMC composite films were formulated with 1% (w/v) of biopolymer, 0.25% (w/wbiopolymer) glycerol and 0.1% or 0.2% of CMC. The solutions were prepared at 70◦C during 30 min under stirring and submitted to 45 min of ultrasonication. Afterwards were dried in an air-circulating oven at 30◦C for 24 h. The effect of CMC incorporation was evaluated in respect to the surface morphology on a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Solubility was expressed as percentage of the film dry matter solubilized after 24 h immersion in distilled water, and mechanical properties were measured using a texture analyzer following the guidelines of ASTM D 882-10. X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD) were used to evaluate the crystallinity of the samples. SEM micrographs of films with the incorporation of CMC revealed an irregular structure with high heterogeneity and that the roughness of the surface of the films increased for higher concentrations of CMC. Nevertheless, the surface of starch and chitosan films in the absence of CMC are smooth. Regarding to XRD patterns, it was observed that the addition of CMC leads to the presence of reflection peaks at 2θ=22.5° which are related to the cellulose crystalline structure. The values of solubility in water for films with 0.1% and 0.2% of MCM are statistically lower (p<0.05) than for chitosan and starch control films, thus indicating that the presence of CMC reduces the solubility of the film in water. The incorporation of CMC in films decreased the tensile strength values of starch-based films and the elongation at break (p<0.05). Regarding chitosan-based films the incorporation of CMC showed to be effective in increasing the tensile strength values, however leads to a decrease of elongation at break values. Overall, results showed that the incorporation of CMC in chitosan and starch-based films can be used to change the properties of the films and that according to the biopolymer used distinct behaviors can be obtained

Influência do El niño e La niña nos Campos de Precipitação e Temperatura na Reserva de Caxiuanã , PA - Amazônia Oriental

The El Niño and La Niña influences on air temperature andprecipitation data measured in a meteorological tower at the CaxiuanãNational Reserve –Pará state for August-October period during 2006 to2008 years are investigated in the present paper. In August 2006 startedan El Niño event and in August 2007 begun a La Niña event. However,since June 2008, a neutral period concerning sea surface temperature (SST)was observed in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Comparing the monthlyprecipitation, it was verified a decrease in rainfall during the El Niño,while during La Niña it was observed an increase in rainfall.São estudadas influências dos fenômenos El Niño e La Niñanos campos da temperatura do ar e da precipitação medidos nos trimestresde agosto a outubro dos anos de 2006 a 2008, em torre meteorológicana Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã-PA. Agosto de 2006 marca o início deum evento de El Niño e Agosto de 2007 marca o início de um evento deLa Niña, sendo que a partir de junho de 2008 iniciou-se um período deneutralidade referente à temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) do OceanoPacifico. Comparando-se os valores mensais da precipitação observa-se uma diminuição da chuva durante o El Niño, enquanto que durantea La Niña ocorreu o aumento da chuva

Xyloglucan and Concanavalin A based dressings in the topical treatment of mice wound healing process

For medical biomaterials, xyloglucan dispersions can form films or gels to be applied as a wound dressing. For this purpose, the structural characterization of xyloglucan dressing (XG) and xyloglucan dressing containing 0.5 mg/mL of concanavalin A (XGL) was performed. The lectin release capacity and stability, cytotoxicity, and pro-wound healing effects were also investigated. XG and XGL films were prepared by mixing 0.5 % (w/v) xyloglucan with 0.3 % (v/v) glycerol. The ConA incorporated in the xyloglucan dressing maintained its biological activity for fourteen days in a controlled-release manner. The films were non-toxic, homogeneous, flexible, and accelerated the wound contraction compared with the control group, promoting less infiltration of inflammatory cells, angiogenesis, remodeling, and early epithelization. The films also alleviate the inflammation phase by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-, TNF-, IL-1, IL-6, and IL-12), especially the XGL film, which promoted the up- and down-regulation of important proteins associated with the wound repair. All these findings suggest that XG and XGL films may represent a good therapeutic approach for wound healing applications.The authors are grateful for the financial support for research grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnol ´ogico (CNPq), Coordenaç˜ao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Fundaç˜ao de Amparo `a Ciˆencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE). We are grateful to the Centro de Tecnologias Estrat´egicas do Nordeste (CETENE) and to the Laborat´orio de Imunopatologia Keizo Asami-LIKA at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) for access to its installation and technical assistance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Association between adiposity indicators, metabolic parameters and inflammatory markers in a sample of female adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between total and abdominal adiposity with metabolic parameters and inflammatory markers, in female adolescents. The sample consisted of 53 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years from a public school in Curitiba, Brazil. The adiposity indicators studied were body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), trunk fat mass (TKFM), total fat mass (TFM) and body fat percentage (BF%) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The metabolic and inflammatory parameters studied were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), leptin, adiponectin and resistin. Eighty percent of WC variation, 87% of TKFM and TFM, and 73% of BF% were predicted by BMI variation. There was a significant positive correlation between all indicators of adiposity with SBP, DBP, insulin, HOMA-IR, CRP and leptin. Triglycerides were positively correlated with BMI and WC, and adiponectin correlated negatively with BMI. TNF-α, IL-6, glucose, total cholesterol, and high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol did not correlate to the studied variables. BMI showed a significant association with most of the parameters studied, and WC was slightly better than BMI to predict insulin resistance in this specific population.59432533

Variabilidade da Direção do Vento Acima da Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, PA

The wind direction variability for the Caxiuanã National Foresthas been investigated with 2008 data, for rainy (march) and dry (october)periods, at 9, 12 and 15h (local time). The presented results show thatthere is north-easterly dominant wind direction during all analyzedperiods. However, some mean wind velocity fluctuations have beendetected depending on the considered observation hour.Foi estudada a variabilidade da direção do vento na FlorestaNacional de Caxiuanã, para um período chuvoso (março) e seco (outubro)ano de 2008. Foram considerados dados das 9,12 e 15h. Os resultadosapresentados mostraram que existe uma predominância de ventos denordestes em todos os períodos analisados. Porém notaram-se pequenasflutuações na direção do vento médio dependendo do horário do diaconsiderado

Association between circulating exhausted CD4+ T cells with poor meningococcal C conjugate vaccine antibody response in HIV-infected children and adolescents

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression levels of surface markers of activation (CD38 and HLA-DR), inhibition (PD-1, TIGIT and CD57) and co-stimulation (CD28 and CD127) on CD4+ T cells of children/adolescents with vertical HIV infection (HI patients) and HIV-uninfected (HU) controls vaccinated with the meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (MCC). METHODS: HI patients (n=12), aged 8–17 years, were immunized with two MCC injections, while HU controls (n=9), aged 5.3–10.7 years, received a single MCC dose (as per national recommendation at the time of this study, a single MCC vaccine dose should be given for healthy children and youth aged 1–18 years). The HI patients were categorized according to the combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) treatment. Blood samples were obtained before vaccination, after priming, and after the administration of a booster dose of vaccine to determine the serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) titers and the expression levels of surface markers on CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry. The levels of serum cytokines, IL-4 and CXCL-13 were also measured using Luminex kits. RESULTS: The co-expression of the TIGIT-HLA-DR-CD38 molecules increased in the CD4+ T cells of HI patients/ no-cART who also showed a lower frequency of CD127+CD28+ CD4+ T cells than HI patients/cART and HU group subjects. There were significant negative correlations between the frequency of exhausted CD4+ T cells and the SBA response. IL-4 levels were higher in HI patients/cART and positively correlated with SBA titers but negatively associated with the expression of exhaustion markers. Moreover, the CXCL-13 levels were positively correlated with the exhausted CD4+ T cells. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that the co-expression of exhaustion markers and/or loss of co-stimulatory molecules influence the SBA response in HI patients

Leaf and Root Extracts from Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae) Promote Apoptotic Death of Leukemic Cells via Activation of Intracellular Calcium and Caspase-3

Phytochemical studies are seeking new alternatives to prevent or treat cancer, including different types of leukemias. Campomanesia adamantium, commonly known as guavira or guabiroba, exhibits pharmacological properties including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiproliferative activities. Considering the anticancer potential of this plant species, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antileukemic activity and the chemical composition of aqueous extracts from the leaves (AECL) and roots (AECR) of C. adamantium and their possible mechanisms of action. The extracts were analyzed by LC-DAD-MS, and their constituents were identified based on the UV, MS, and MS/MS data. The AECL and AECR showed different chemical compositions, which were identified as main compounds glycosylated flavonols from AECL and ellagic acid and their derivatives from AECR. The cytotoxicity promoted by these extracts were evaluated using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and Jurkat leukemic cell line. The cell death profile was evaluated using annexin-V-FITC and propidium iodide labeling. Changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential, the activity of caspases, and intracellular calcium levels were assessed. The cell cycle profile was evaluated using propidium iodide. Both extracts caused concentration-dependent cytotoxicity only in Jurkat cells via late apoptosis. This activity was associated with loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspases-9 and -3, changes in intracellular calcium levels, and cell cycle arrest in S-phase. Therefore, the antileukemic activity of the AECL and AECR is mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction and intracellular messengers, which activate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Hence, aqueous extracts of the leaves and roots of C. adamantium show therapeutic potential for use in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated the proliferation of tumor cell.Fundação de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento do Ensino, Ciência e Tecnologia do Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa do Pantanal - INPPFundação de Amparo e Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa FadespFed Univ Grande Dourados, Res Grp Biotechnol & Bioprospecting Appl Metab, Dourados, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Braz Cubas, Fac Pharm, Mogi Das Cruzes, BrazilUniv Mogi das Cruzes, Interdisciplinary Ctr Biochem Invest, Mogi Das Cruzes, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo, Dept Pharmaceut Sci, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Mato Grosso do Sul, Lab Nat Prod & Mass Spectrometry, Campo Grande, MS, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo, Dept Pharmaceut Sci, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

ConBr lectin modulates MAPKs and Akt pathways and triggers autophagic glioma cell death by a mechanism dependent upon caspase-8 activation

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive type of glioma, with limited treatment and poor prognosis. Despite some advances over the last decade, validation of novel and selective antiglioma agents remains a challenge in clinical pharmacology. Prior studies have shown that leguminous lectins may exert various biological effects, including antitumor properties. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the mechanisms underlying the antiglioma activity of ConBr, a lectin extracted from the Canavalia brasiliensis seeds. ConBr at lower concentrations inhibited C6 glioma cell migration while higher levels promoted cell death dependent upon carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) structure. ConBr increased p38MAPK and JNK and decreased ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation. Moreover, ConBr inhibited mTORC1 phosphorylation associated with accumulation of autophagic markers, such as acidic vacuoles and LC3 cleavage. Inhibition of early steps of autophagy with 3-methyl-adenine (3-MA) partially protected whereas the later autophagy inhibitor Chloroquine (CQ) had no protective effect upon ConBr cytotoxicity. ConBr also augmented caspase-3 activation without affecting mitochondrial function. Noteworthy, the caspase-8 inhibitor IETF-fmk attenuated ConBr induced autophagy and C6 glioma cell death. Finally, ConBr did not show cytotoxicity against primary astrocytes, suggesting a selective antiglioma activity. In summary, our results indicate that ConBr requires functional CRD lectin domain to exert antiglioma activity, and its cytotoxicity is associated with MAPKs and Akt pathways modulation and autophagy- and caspase-8- dependent cell death.Fil: Wolin, Ingrid A. V.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Heinrich, Isabella A.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Nascimento, Ana Paula M.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Welter, Priscilla G.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Sosa, Liliana del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: de Paul, Ana Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Zanotto Filho, Alfeu. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Nedel, Cláudia Beatriz. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Lima, Lara Dias. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Osterne, Vinicius Jose Silva. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Pinto Junior, Vanir Reis. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Nascimento, Kyria S.. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Cavada, Benildo S.. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Leal, Rodrigo B.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Brasi