Induction of diabetes in Wistar rats: is the streptozotocin model feasible at any age? / Indução de diabetes em ratos Wistar: o modelo da estreptozotocina é válido em qualquer idade?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an epidemic that affects millions of people worldwide. Because of its high morbidity and mortality, animal models of diabetes are indispensable to achieve a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms and discover new treatments. The classic used model to induce type 1 DM involves streptozotocin (STZ) administration and it is well known that the association of streptozotocin with a high fat diet also induces type 2 DM. However, these studies are performed in rats between 60-90 days and should be performed in older animals because aging is a major risk factor for other diseases, that occur concomitantly with DM. Thus, this study evaluated diabetes in aged Wistar rats at 300 days. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg STZ. Three days after DM induction, the rats exhibited alterations in clinical signs and increases in the levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, urea, and creatinine. Microscopic changes were observed in the kidneys and liver. These findings indicate that this model is not feasible in rats at 300 days of age and should not be attempted by other research groups or should be performed by researchers who want to study the complications of diabetes. 

Atividade imunomoduladora da Baccharis trimera frente a doença cardiovascular e diabetes/ Baccharis trimera Immunomodulatory Activity against Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

 Este estudo avaliou a atividade imunomoduladora da Baccharis trimera em amostras de soro, sangue total e baço de ratos Wistar submetidos a um modelo de doença cardiovascular e diabetes induzidos, analisando a concentração de citocinas e anticorpos, o perfil hematológico, o peso e a histopatologia do baço dos animais tratados com diferentes doses de fração solúvel da B. trimera em etanol. Após a indução do diabetes, do tabagismo e da dislipidemia, os animais foram divididos em diferentes grupos, tratados com fração solúvel de carqueja em etanol nas doses de 30 mg kg-1, 100 mg kg-1 e 300 mg kg-1. Não houve mudanças significativas no hemograma, nem nas concentrações de IgG total, IgG1 e INF-?. O peso do baço nos animais do grupo Controle negativo estava aumentado, sugerindo inflamação. As concentrações de IL-4 não foram detectadas pela técnica utilizada. O TGF-b mostrou-se numericamente superior nos grupos que receberam a carqueja, sugerindo ação da via Th17. Na análise microscópica do baço, o aumento dos macrófagos reforçou a idéia de que estavam relacionados com o processo de reorganização tecidual do processo inflamatório. Os dados sugerem que a carqueja modula a resposta imunológica dos animais diabetizados e submetidos a tabagismo e a dislipidemia

DETERMINAÇÃO DO RENDIMENTO DO ÓLEO ESSENCIAL DE CHENOPODIUM AMBROSIOIDES L. EM FUNÇÃO DA VARIAÇÃO SAZONAL

Chenopodium ambrosioides conhecida como mastruço, é utilizado na medicina tradicional para tratamento de ascaridíase; controle de artrópodes e pragas domésticas; inibição do desenvolvimento de fungos do solo e de insetos, tratamento de lesões cutâneas e alívio da dor de barriga e gripe. O objetivo do presente trabalho constituiu na avaliação do teor extrativo do óleo essencial de Chenopodium ambrosioides L. cultivado no Horto Medicinal da Universidade Paranaense (Umuarama-PR), durante um ano, no período de setembro de 2006 a agosto de 2007. A metodologia foi realizada através da coleta do material vegetal para obtenção do óleo pelo processo de hidrodestilação dos frutos frescos de mastruço. O rendimento do óleo foi calculado a partir da massa dos frutos frescos pela massa do óleo essencial obtido. Também foram avaliados os parâmetros de temperatura e índices pluviométricos aferidos diariamente. Os resultados demonstram um maior rendimento do óleo no período em que as temperaturas e índices pluviométricos estavam mais elevados (1,096 % na primavera e 0,998 % no verão); já em meses com temperaturas mais amenas e/ou secos o rendimento de óleo essencial apresentou considerável redução (0,774 % no outono e 0,819 % no inverno). Isto indica que o aumento e diminuição da produção de óleo essencial pela planta é influenciada pelos fatores climáticos, mostrando a importância deste estudo com a finalidade de padronização da época de colheita para maior rendimento do óleo e consequente aplicação em produtos cosméticos e farmacêuticos

PLANTAS ALIMENTÍCIAS NÃO CONVENCIONAIS: REVISÃO

As plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANCs) são hortaliças nativas, normalmente encontradas em calçadas ou terrenos abandonados, sempre fizeram parte do cardápio dos antepassados. No entanto, com a modernização da agricultura e do êxodo rural, seu consumo foi esquecido de ser repassado para as gerações futuras. O objetivo deste estudo consistiu em realizar um levantamento bibliográfico sobre as plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANCs), sua importância na alimentação e farmacológica. A metodologia consistiu na realização de levantamento bibliográfico, com as principais plantas utilizadas como alimento pelos antepassados sendo as plantas Pereskia aculeata Miller, Basella alba, Sonchus oleraceus, Stachys byzantina, Taraxacum Officinale, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, Dioscorea bulbifera, Physalis angulata, Acmella oleracea, Tropaeolum majus. Através deste estudo pode-se constatar que estas plantas são úteis, pois além de apresentar valor nutricional e a sua utilização na alimentação, também são utilizadas como como plantas medicinais, devido à presença de compostos ativos responsáveis pela ação biológica

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI