Biochemical influence of a homologous series of alkoxyphenols on Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A microcalorimetric and spectrophotometric study

The biochemical influence of m-alkoxyphenols on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells was observed. When these chemicals have longer alkoxy groups-specifically, propoxy-, butoxy- and pentoxyphenol in concentrations of 2.0, 4.2, and 6.0 mM, respectively-they induce a decrease in oxygen consumption and heat production (produced by respiration), and an increase in NAD(P)H production by the microorganism. As a consequence, while the use of these alkoxyphenols in concentrations higher than 2.0 mM must be avoided in biotransformation reactions (for instance, in the study of Katsuobushi flavor), they can be used in pharmacological dosages against tumor cells. m-Alkoxyphenols that have shorter alkoxy groups (e.g., methoxyphenol and ethoxyphenol), caused no alteration in the biochemical metabolism of the cells tested in this study, even in concentrations of 6.0 mM.85330230

Primary invasive versus progressive invasive transitional cell bladder cancer: multicentric study of overall survival rate

Introduction and Objective: When feasible, the treatment for all-invasive bladder cancer is radical cystectomy. The aim of the present study was to analyze the prognostic difference, disease-specific survival rate, of muscle-invasive transitional cell cancer of the bladder (TCCB) for progressive invasive TCCB. Patients and Methods: A retrospective multicentric analysis was performed studying a total of 242 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for invasive TCCB from 1993 to 2005. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 included 57 patients with progressive invasive TCCB, and group 2 included 185 patients with primary invasive TCCB. Both groups were further divided according to the pathological findings in pT2/3 (muscle and/or perivesical fat invasion), pT4 (adjacent organs/structure invasion), N+ (positive lymphatic nodes) and M+ (distant organ metastasis). Several tests were employed for statistical analysis:X-2, Mann-Whitney, Kaplan-Meier method and Wilcoxon (Breslow) method were used to compare the possible survival curve differences of groups 1 and 2. Multivariated analysis determined by proportional risk regression excluded sex, age and disease stage interferences in the final results. Results: The average time for a superficial TCCB to become muscle-invasive was 37.4 months, and the average number of transurethral resections performed in each patient was 3. The average and median global survival rates were, respectively, 96 and 88 months in group 1 and 98 and 90 months in group 2, without a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0734). The 1- year survival rate was 84.32% in group 1 and 76.54% in group 2. After 3 years of follow-up the survival rate fell to 74.50% in group 1 and to 59.05% in group 2. Finally, the 5-year survival rate was 57.94% in group 1 and 52.24% in group 2. Conclusion: In the present study, patients with primary invasive and progressive invasive TCCB showed a similar 5-year disease-specific survival rate. Pathological stage (pTN, N and M) and patient demography did not interfere with the results. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.79320020

A produção de plosivas por crianças de três anos falantes do português brasileiro Infant voices: the production of plosives by three-year-olds

OBJETIVO: apresentar as características fonético-acústicas de produção das consoantes plosivas vozeadas e não-vozeadas por crianças de três anos. MÉTODOS: análise qualitativa baseada na inspeção das características fonético-acústicas de eventos fônicos ocorridos no intervalo de obstrução, na liberação da plosão e na transição para a vogal e análise quantitativa das medidas do Voice Onset Time (VOT), de três repetições das seis consoantes plosivas do Português Brasileiro (PB), por quatro crianças, sendo três meninos e uma menina, falantes nativos do PB, por meio de análise fonético-acústica, em espectrograma de banda larga. Os achados foram comparados com estimativas de valores para a faixa adulta de falante nativo do PB. RESULTADOS: as crianças apresentaram produções semelhantes às que são encontradas na fala adulta, tanto para as plosivas vozeadas como para as não-vozeadas, bilabiais, alveolares e velares. Apresentaram também plosivas vozeadas com interrupção de barra de sonoridade e ocorrência de VOT positivo, e qualidade diferenciada de burst. Para as não-vozeadas, ocorreram a presença da breathy vowel no período de obstrução das plosivas e a presença de aspiração no segmento correspondente ao VOT positivo, para os três pontos de articulação pesquisados. CONCLUSÃO: as diferenças encontradas na produção das plosivas vozeadas, quanto às características da barra de sonoridade e qualidade do burst, a presença da breathy vowel nas plosivas não-vozeadas e aspiração, caracterizam a produção das plosivas nessa faixa etária. A diversidade das medidas acústicas, verificada pelos valores dos desvios-padrão sugerem que as crianças realizaram diversas tentativas, com diferentes ajustes para produzir tais sons.<br>PURPOSE: to present the phonetic-acoustic features of the production of both voiced and voiceless plosives by three-year-old children. METHODS: qualitative analysis based on the inspection of phonetic-acoustic characteristics of phonic events occurring in the obstruction interval, in the burst, and in the transition to the vowel as well as quantitative analysis of the measures of the voice onset time (VOT), of three repetitions of the six plosive consonants of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) by four native-speaker children in the three-year-old age bracket, three boys and one girl, by means of an acoustic-phonetic analysis, in a wide-band spectrogram. The findings were compared to estimates of values for the adult group of native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese (BP). RESULTS: the children showed production of plosives with VOT similar to that of adult speech both for voiced and unvoiced plosives, bilabials, alveolars and velars. They also showed productions dissimilar to adults, such as voiced plosives with interruption of the voice bar and positive VOT, besides a particular quality of burst. As regards the unvoiced plosives, there were episodes of breathy vowel during obstruction as well as of aspiration in the segment corresponding to positive VOT, in the three articulation points under study. CONCLUSION: differences found in the production of voiced plosives as regards spectral features of the voice bar and burst quality as well as the occurrence of breathy vowel in unvoiced plosives along with aspiration, characterize the production of plosives in this age bracket. The diversity of acoustic measures, observed by the values of shunting line-standards, suggest that children made several attempts, with various degrees of adjustment, to produce such sounds