AGRONOMIC AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF DIPLOID IMPROVED BANANA GENOTYPES

An investigation about the genetical diversity among eleven banana diploid genotypes using nine agronomical characteristics and sixteen microsatellite markers was implanted at Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits. Cruz das Almas (BA), Brazil. The generalized distance of Mahalanobis indicated the presence of genetic diversity. The genotypes were grouped into tree clusters. Among the investigated characteristics, the plant height, number of bunch's, number of fruits per bunch and pseudostem exhibited high contribution towards genetic divergence. The average number of alleles per primer was 7.51, with a total of 120 alleles identified. The average similarity among the all diploid was 0.44, range from 0.29 up to 0.60. New parental combinations can be identified with base of the divergence between these diploids, contributing for development of new improved diploids preventing the narrow genetic base and creating new genetic variability for selection.31115416

Doença de Erdheim Chester com envolvimento isolado do SNC: Erdheim Chester disease with isolated CNS involvement

Introdução: A Doença de Erdheim-Chester é  uma forma de  histiocitose  de  células  não-Langerhans  que  ocorre  mais  frequentemente  após  os  40  anos  de  idade,  com leve  predomínio  no  sexo  masculino. Apresentação do caso: Paciente, sexo masculino, branco, X anos de idade, admitido no Hospital das Clínicas de Goiânia, com sintomas de cefaléia crônica, de caráter progressivo de inicio há 3 meses, associados a sintomas neurológicos de ataxia e diplopia. Referiu febre baixa diária, não aferida, com perda de 10kg no período descrito, não associado a dieta ou mudança de hábitos de vida. Nega comorbidades ou uso de medicamentos.  Ao exame físico, apresenta quadro de Nistagmo e Romberg positivo e alteração da úvula para direita. Paciente não apresentava outros sinais dignos de nota. Discussão: Foram selecionados para a revisão, os artigos de relato de caso ou séries de caso relacionados a manifestações clínicas da doença de Erdheim-Chester. Os principais tipos manifestações clínicas relatadas na literatura são: neurológicas, cardiovasculares, oftálmicas, endócrinas, urinárias, hematológicas, ósseas, cutâneas, respiratórias, gastrointestinais, envolvimento de múltiplos sistemas e outras. Entre esses tipos de manifestações, as mais frequentes foram neurológicas, cardiovasculares e oftálmicas, correspondendo a 48% das manifestações relatadas. Conclusão: É fundamental ter uma equipe multidisciplinar acompanhando o paciente,  para que sejam evitadas complicações e se possa proporcionar qualidade de vida ao paciente. &nbsp

Melanoma maligno da próstata primária : Malignant melanoma of the primary prostate

Introdução: Descreve-se um caso de melanoma maligno da próstata primário. Será possível compreender que a próstata é um local raro de se encontrar um melanoma maligno primário e que devido a sua infrequência, possui um prognóstico ruim e um difícil diagnóstico. Apresentação do caso: Paciente do sexo masculino, 47 anos, solteiro, negro, motorista de caminhão, compareceu a UBS com queixa de jato urinário fraco, nocturia e hematoespermia, 3 episódios, início há um ano. Discussão:  Grande parte dos casos relatados, são de origem do epitélio de transição da uretra prostática ou de uma lesão metastática.  Essa patologia possui um comportamento altamente agressivo e deve receber grande atenção. Devido a sua infrequência, é de difícil diagnóstico e tratamento. O tratamento indicado é a excisão, se o paciente não tiver doença sistêmica. Conclusão: o conhecimento dessa patologia e sua suspeição devem ser melhor propagados no meio científico, para que haja o diagnóstico e posterior tratamento mais precocemente possível, objetivando melhores prognósticos

The occurrence and dissemination of methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus in samples from patients and health professionals of a university hospital in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil

Introduction Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have been responsible for many nosocomial outbreaks. Within hospitals, colonized employees often act as reservoirs for the spread of this organism. This study collected clinical samples of 91 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), hemodialysis/nephrology service and surgical clinic, and biological samples from the nasal cavities of 120 professionals working in those environments, of a University Hospital in Recife, in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. The main objective of this study was to determine the occurrence and dissemination of methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. Methods The isolates obtained were tested for susceptibility to oxacillin and vancomycin and detection of the mecA gene. In addition, the isolates were evaluated for the presence of clones by ribotyping-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results MRSA occurrence, as detected by the presence of the mecA gene, was more prevalent among nursing technicians; 48.1% (13/27) and 40.7% (11/27) of the isolates were from health professionals of the surgical clinic. In patients, the most frequent occurrence of mecA-positive isolates was among the samples from catheter tips (33.3%; 3/9), obtained mostly from the hemodialysis/nephrology service. Eight vancomycin-resistant strains were found among the MRSA isolates through vancomycin screening. Based on the amplification patterns, 17 ribotypes were identified, with some distributed between patients and professionals. Conclusions Despite the great diversity of clones, which makes it difficult to trace the source of the infection, knowledge of the molecular and phenotypic profiles of Staphylococcus samples can contribute towards guiding therapeutic approaches in the treatment and control of nosocomial infections

Essential oils from Baccharis species (Asteraceae) have anti-inflammatory effects for human cells

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Constituents of the essential oils from the aerial parts of Baccharis articulata (Ba), Baccharis genistelloides subsp. crispa (Bc), Baccharis dracunculifolia (Bd) and Baccharis gaudichaudiana (Bg), Asteraceae, obtained by hydrodistil-lation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) and GC/flame ionization detector (FID) were identified. Also, their anti-inflammatory potential, focusing their immunomodulatory activity using flow cyto-metric analyses and AgNOR profiles, and anti-chemotactic properties, conducted using a Boyden's chamber system, were investigated. Fifty-eight compounds were characterized, representing 66.7% of the total components detected. The major constituents identified were spathulenol (in Ba, Bd and Bg), tau-gurjunene (in Bg) and palustrol (in Ba). The data presented herein showed that the Baccharis essential oils included in this study were inert for human resting lymphocytes, while all but Ba's inhibited significantly the proliferation of their phytohemagglutinin-stimulated counterparts. In addition, only the essential oil of Bd inhibited significantly the casein-induced human granulocyte chemotaxis. This is the first report concerning the potential diversity of anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oils of Baccharis plants on human cells responsible for the host defense mechanisms that may be of benefit in intervening with immune disorders associated or not with inflammatory conditions.246561570Brazilian GovernmentConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Staphylococcus spp. in the oral cavity and periodontal pockets of chronic periodontitis patients

Made available in DSpace on 2019-09-12T16:57:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004Staphylococcus spp are not usually isolated from the oral cavity, and when this occurs, they are considered to belong to the transitory microbiota. Individuals with periodontal disease represent possible reservoirs of these opportunistic bacteria in the oral cavity. The use of antibiotics for treatment of periodontal disease or other infections may predispose to the increase of the number of Staphylococcus spp. in the oral cavity. These microorganisms easily become resistant to antibiotics, and may result in superinfection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of Staphylococcus spp. in the oral cavity and in periodontal pockets of patients with chronic periodontitis, identify the isolates and verify the relationship between the presence of Staphylococcus spp. in the oral cavity and presence of periodontal pockets. The study included eighty-eight patients, 25-60 years of age, with chronic periodontitis, and at least two sites with probing depth >= 5mm. Individual data examination was assessed. Then, samples were colleted from the periodontal pocket with the aid of paper tips and from the oral cavity through mouth rinses. Out of the total of patients, 37.50% presented Staphylococcus spp. in the periodontal pocket and 61.36% in the oral cavity, 27.27% presented the bacteria in both sites. S. epidermidis was the most prevalent specie in the periodontal pocket (15.9%) and oral cavity (27.27%). The occurrence of higher proportions of nonresident's microorganisms in subgingival samples and oral sites may represent significant problem in causing and maintaining periodontal infections.Universidade de Taubaté (Unitau), Dept Odontol; Univ Estadual Paulista, Fac Odontol, Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazi

Analysis of the models used to forecast microstructural parameters obtained during the directional solidification of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304

In the case of dendritic structure, the mechanical properties of foundry products depend on the parameters: primary and secondary arm spacings. Therefore, it is very important that the computational programs use reliable equations for correlating the calculated thermal parameters with the obtained interdendritic spacings. This study presents a numerical and experimental analysis of some models for predicting the secondary arm spacings as a function of thermal parameters. The comparison between the numeric and experimental results for stainless steel permits the determination of the adequate equation for unidirectional solidification.60113514

Modification of natural rubber: A study by H-1 NMR to assess the degree of graftization of polyDMAEMA or polyMMA onto rubber particles under latex form in the presence of a redox couple initiator

On the basis of the proposal that cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) in the presence of the base tetraethylenepentarnine (TEPA) can form radicals by the abstraction reaction over addition to allylic double bonds, the efficiency of grafting monomers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA) on to natural rubber (NR) has been studied. Seeded emulsion polymerization was used to graft such monomers. Different concentrations of each monomer have been examined. The effects of the concentrations of the monomers were evaluated by H-1 NMR spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). There is good evidence for the formation of graft copolymers of modified NR under the core-shell morphology as well as satisfactory efficiency of grafting in the presence of high concentrations of both monomers. At lower concentrations the grafting were not significant. The images of the morphology was obtained by Transmission Electron Microscopy after the preparation of the samples by cryo-sectioning and chemical fixation techniques. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.4181883189

Involvement of nitric oxide in the gastroprotective effects of an aqueous extract of Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng) Pedersen, Amaranthaceae, in rats

The plants belonging to Pfaffia genus are used in folk medicine to treat gastric disturbances. This study examined the effects of an aqueous extract of Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng) Pedersen (AEP) on the gastrointestinal tract. Wistar rats were pretreated orally (p.o.) with the AEP (125, 250, 500 and 1000 mg.kg(-1)) before induction of ulcers by hypothermic restraint stress (HRS, 3 h restraint stress at 4 degreesC), ethanol (ET, 70%; 0.5 ml/animal; p.o.) or indomethacin (IND, 20 mg.kg(-1); s.c.). Control animals received water (C) or ranitidine (60 mg.kg(-1)) p.o. The AEP protected rats against HRS and ET-induced ulcers, but was not able to protect the gastric mucosa against IND-induced ulcers. When injected into the duodenal lumen, the AEP reduced total acidity and both basal and histamine-stimulated acid secretion in pylorus-ligated rats. In addition, gastric secretion from AEP-treated animals exhibited increased concentrations of nitrite and nitrate. Treatment of animals with L-NAME (120 mg.kg(-1), p.o.) prevented both the reduction of total acidity and the increase in NO, levels promoted by AEP treatment. In conclusion, AEP effectively protected the gastric mucosa and inhibited gastric acid secretion in rats, probably by involving the histaminergic pathway and an enhanced production of nitric oxide in the stomach. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved