Competitive adsorption of heavy metals by two different types of soils

Soil is a key element in human survival and can be described by various definitions according to its main utility. Nowadays, it is accepted that soil is a very complex heterogeneous medium which consists of solid phases containing minerals and organic matter and soil solution, defined as the fluid phase where soil reactions, transport and adsorption occurs (Alloway, 1995). Unfortunately, in the last decades, soils have been used as a deposit of residues. Therefore, the contamination and pollution of soils, sediments, surface and groundwater are of main concern. There are several ions and compounds of organic or inorganic nature that can contaminate soil and water. The inorganic contaminants include heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, cooper, lead and zinc, which are focused in this study. These metals are commonly present in industrial wastes (electroplating, textile and dyes, etc.), in fertilizers or in sewage sludge, but they can also contaminate soils through atmospheric deposition or runoff water (Serrano et al., 2005). Since adsorption is well recognized as the main process affecting the mobility of heavy metals through soils (Bradl, 2004), the aim of this work is the study the non competitive adsorption of these five metals, as well as the competitive adsorption in two different typical soils of the North of Portugal The soil samples were collected in Póvoa de Varzim, from O-horizon and A-horizon (0 cm -30 cm), one from a culture land and another from a beach land. To evaluate the adsorption equilibrium, batch tests were performed by adding to 2 g of air dried soil, 20 mL of 0.01 M CaCl2 solution, containing different initial concentrations of Pb [Pb(NO3)2], Cd [CdN2O6·4H2O], Cu [Cu(NO3)2·3H2O], Zn [Zn(NO3)2·6H2O] and Cr [K2Cr2O7], isolated (non-competitive system) and coupled (competitive system).To eliminate the mass effect, the multi-metal solutions were prepared in terms of molar concentrations (Echeverría et al., 1998). To avoid precipitation the pH of initial solution was adjusted to 2. Isotherm models like Freundlich and Langmuir equations were adjusted to experimental data. Batch tests are useful for the understanding of the adsorption process. However, advection and dispersion may occur in dynamic systems justifying the need of flow experiments (Miretzky et al., 2006). For continuous experiments, soil samples were packed in a column (25 cm × 3.2 cm) and a single – or multi – element solution of 50 mg/L was pass upwards during seven days. Then, using the CXTFIT code, the convection-dispersion equation was adjusted to the breakthrough curves in order to determine the retardation factor (R) and to compare the behavior of the different ions and soils

Measurement of cooling and warming rates in vitrification-based plant cryopreservation protocols

Cryopreservation protocols include the use of additives and pre-treatments aimed to reduce the probability of ice nucleation at all temperatures, mainly through micro-viscosity increase. Still, there is a risk of ice formation in the temperature region comprised between the equilibrium freezing (Tf) and the glass transition (TG) temperatures. Consequently, fast cooling and warming, especially in this region, is a must to avoid ice-derived damage. Vitrification and droplet-vitrification techniques, frequently used cryopreservation protocols based in fast cooling, were studied, alongside with the corresponding warming procedures. A very fast data acquisition system, able to read very low temperatures, down to that of liquid nitrogen, was employed. Cooling rates, measured between -20 and -120 ºC, ranged from ca. 5 ºC s-1 to 400 ºC s-1, while warming rates spanned from ca. 2 ºC s-1 to 280 ºC s-1, for the different protocols and conditions studied. A wider measuring window (0 ºC to -150 ºC) produced lower rates for all cases. The cooling and warming rates were also related to the survival observed after the different procedures. Those protocols with the faster rates yielded the highest survival percentages.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Glass transition and heat capacitybehaviors of plant vitrification solutions

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed to investigate the vitrification and annealing behaviors of the most commonly used plant vitrification solutions (PVS). These solutions are employed to protect plant tissues towards ice formation and freeze injury, and help to the vitrification of these tissues, by globally reducing the intracellular fluids mobility. Glass transition temperatures (Tg) and heat capacity increments (∆Cp) were determined for five solutions PVS1, PVS2, PVS2 mod, PVS3 and PVS3 mod, with different composition, and a range of cooling and warming rates was employed. Glass transitions showed clear and consistent temperature differences within vitrification solutions, which could be related to composition and water content. Roughly, two sets of TG values were obtained, those for PVS1 and 2, at -112 ºC and -114 ºC, respectively, and those for PSV3, at -90 ºC. The observed Tg and ∆Cp, unexpectedly, did not significantly change within a wide range of cooling rates (from 5 ºC min-1 to liquid nitrogen quenching) and warming rates (from 5 to 20 ºC). Garlic shoot tips cryopreserved after the droplet method produced a similar result to that of the vitrification solutions employed. After quench cooling to temperatures below Tg, repeated excursions to higher temperatures were made and the cooling and warming Tg were recorded. These treatments had little or no effect over the PVS solutions Tg, which remained practically constant. A direct practical consequence is that the plant vitrification solutions glass transition temperature does not significantly change with cryopreservation methods based on either direct plunging of samples into liquid nitrogen or employing closed cryovials.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

The role of adjuvants in therapeutic protection against paracoccidioidomycosis after immunization with the P10 peptide

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a common chronic mycosis in Latin America, is a granulomatous systemic disease caused by the thermo-dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The glycoprotein gp43 is the main antigen target of P. brasiliensis and a 15-mer internal peptide (QTLIAIHTLAIRYAN), known as P10, defines a major CD4+-specific T cell epitope. Previous results have indicated that, besides having a preventive role in conventional immunizations prior to challenge with the fungus, protective anti-fungal effects can be induced in P. brasiliensis-infected mice treated with P10 administered with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). The peptide elicits an IFN-γ-dependent Th1 immune response and is the main candidate for effective immunotherapy of patients with PCM, as an adjunctive approach to conventional chemotherapy. In the present study we tested the therapeutic effects of P10 combined with different adjuvants [aluminum hydroxide, CFA, flagellin, and the cationic lipid dioctadecyl-dimethylammonium bromide (DODAB)] in BALB/c mice previously infected with the P. brasiliensis Pb18 strain. Significant reductions in the number of colony forming units of the fungus were detected in lungs of mice immunized with P10 associated with the different adjuvants 52 days after infection. Mice treated with DODAB and P10, followed by mice treated with P10 and flagellin, showed the most prominent effects as demonstrated by the lowest numbers of viable yeast cells as well as reductions in granuloma formation and fibrosis. Concomitantly, secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α, in contrast to interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10, was enhanced in the lungs of mice immunized with P10 in combination with the tested adjuvants, with the best results observed in mice treated with P10 and DODAB. In conclusion, the present results demonstrate that the co-administration of the synthetic P10 peptide with several adjuvants, particularly DODAB, have significant therapeutic effects in experimental PCM

Auto-anticorpos anti-LDLox e sua correlação com o perfil lipídico e o estado nutricional de adolescentes

OBJETIVO: Avaliar se o conteúdo de auto-anticorpos anti-LDL oxidada (anti-LDLox) no plasma de adolescentes correlaciona-se com suas medidas antropométricas e com o perfil lipídico. MÉTODOS: O estudo incluiu 150 adolescentes com idade entre 10 e 15 anos, recrutados do ambulatório de obesidade da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (SP) e de escolas públicas de Piracicaba (SP). Foram avaliadas medidas antropométricas, como índice de massa corporal, circunferência de cintura e do braço, classificando os adolescentes em eutrófico, sobrepeso e obeso. Para as análises bioquímicas, foi realizado o perfil lipídico através de métodos enzimáticos colorimétricos, e para detecção do conteúdo de auto-anticorpos anti-LDLox, utilizou-se o método de ELISA. RESULTADOS: Segundo análises das variáveis antropométricas, o grupo obeso apresentou perfil alterado em relação aos grupos eutrófico e sobrepeso (p < 0,01), indicando risco cardiovascular. Quando o perfil lipídico foi avaliado, observaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas para as concentrações de colesterol total (p = 0,011), HDL-colesterol (p = 0,001) e LDL-colesterol (p < 0,042) nos grupos eutrófico e obeso. Para as análises de auto-anticorpos anti-LDLox plasmática, os grupos sobrepeso (p = 0,012) e obeso (p < 0,001) apresentaram valores superiores ao grupo eutrófico. Também houve correlações entre os auto-anticorpos anti-LDLox e variáveis antropométricas. CONCLUSÃO: A presença de auto-anticorpos anti-LDLox em adolescentes e as alterações metabólicas no perfil lipídico variaram de modo proporcional com parâmetros antropométricos, o que torna o conteúdo de anti-LDLox um potencial indicador bioquímico de risco para síndrome metabólicaFAPESP n. 04/14517-6, 06/51119-4, e 02/9521-9. CNPq n. 132059/2007-0 e 110960/2005-

Influence of different restraint protocols for the electrocardiogram values of feline night monkeys (Aotus azarae infulatus

Universidade do Estado do Pará. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. Laboratório de Cirurgia Experimental. Belém, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia. Instituto de Saúde e Produção Animal. Belém, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia. Instituto de Saúde e Produção Animal. Belém, PA, Brasil.Universidade do Estado do Pará. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. Laboratório de Cirurgia Experimental. Belém, PA, Brasil.Macacos-da-noite são muito susceptíveis ao estresse e por isso a contenção química ou física deve ser cuidadosamente avaliada antes de qualquer procedimento. Protocolos anestésicos podem alterar alguns parâmetros fisiológicos, sendo o eletrocardiograma (ECG) um exame muito utilizado para avaliação do ritmo e da frequência cardíaca. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência de quatro diferentes protocolos de contenção sobre o ECG realizado em Aotus azarae infulatus. Para isso foram utilizados 10 animais, machos, adultos, submetidos à contenção com a associação tiletamina/zolazepam (TZ), isoflurano (ISO), associação cetamina e midazolam (CET) e contenção física (CF). Não foram observadas diferenças nos parâmetros de ondas e complexos obtidos no ECG em todos os grupos testados, no entanto, durante a avaliação do traçado os animais do grupo CF apresentaram uma quantidade maior de alterações. Concluiu-se que os protocolos de contenção utilizados não alteraram os valores do ECG e que não foi possível considerar o grupo CF como controle devido causar mais alterações do que todos os protocolos testados

Worsening of pain and swelling following triamcinolone hexacetonide intra-articular injection: a prospective study in a cohort of patients with rheumatic diseases

Div Rheumatol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc