3α,4α-Ep­oxy-5α-androstan-17β-yl acetate

The title compound, C21H32O3, results from modifications of the A and D rings of the aromatase substrate androstenedione. Ring A adopts a conformation between 10β-sofa and 1α,10β half-chair. Rings B and C are in slightly flattened chair conformations. Ring D approaches a 13β-envelope conformation, probably due to the acet­oxy substituent, and shows a very short Csp 3—Csp 3 bond next to the epoxide ring, which is characteristic of 3–4 epoxides.

Immunocytochemical and biochemical detection of alpha-L-fucosidase in Trypanosoma cruzi

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the presence of alpha-L-fucosidase in Trypanosoma cruzi. Immunocytochemical and biochemical techniques were used to localize and characterize a membrane-associated, neutral-pH-optimum, alpha-L-fucosidase from the parasite. Light and electron microscopy localized the alpha-L-fucosidase specifically on the surface of the parasite and on membranes in the posterior region of the epimastigote stage. Although much less intense, labeling was also detected on the surface of trypomastigotes. At least 50% of the alpha-L-fucosidase activity was associated with epimastigote membrane solubilized with 1 M NaCl or 1% Triton X-100, suggesting that alpha-L-fucosidase is peripherally associated with membranes. The enzyme from epimastigotes had a neutral pH optimum (near 7) but displayed low specific activity when p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-fucoside was employed as substrate (0.028 U/mg protein for epimastigotes and 0.015 U/mg protein for tissue culture-derived trypomastigotes). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting analysis both showed an expected 50-kDa polypeptide which was immunoreactive with anti-alpha-L-fucosidase antibodies

Increased IgG1, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in patients with Tuberculosis are lower after chemotherapy

Detection of specific antibodies may represent an additional tool in diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Herein, levels of serum IgG antibodies against early secreted antigenic target (ESAT-6), culture filtrate antigen-10 (CFP-10) and 16kDa Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens were measured in 33 active pulmonary TB patients (0M-TB), in 47 patients after 1-3 months of treatment (3M-TB) and in 22 patients who had completed 6 months of chemotherapy (6M-TB). The control group consisted of 38 BCG-vaccinated healthy controls (HC). In addition, IFN-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 production in PBMC cultures from 20 patients were measured following stimulation with the M. tuberculosis-specific fusion protein ESAT-6/CFP-10. Elevated levels of IgG against ESAT-6, CFP-10 and 16kDa antigens were detected in 0M-TB and 3M-TB patients in comparison to the HC and 6M-TB groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated sensitivity of 85, 94 and 61% and specificity of 89, 87 and 89% for serum IgG against ESAT-6, CFP-10 and 16kDa, respectively. A predominant IgG1 response to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 was observed in 0M-TB patients, together with ESAT-6/CFP-10-specific IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 that were produced at lower levels in the 6M-TB group. These data indicate that a T(h)1 phenotype against early phase Mtb antigens appears to be dominant in the peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary TB that is reduced after chemotherapy. Taken together, ESAT-6/CFP-10 cytokine tests together with detecting IgG antibodies specific to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 may be the useful TB disease biomarkers in monitoring treatment success.Immunogenetics and cellular immunology of bacterial infectious disease

Increased IgG1, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in patients with Tuberculosis are lower after chemotherapy

Detection of specific antibodies may represent an additional tool in diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Herein, levels of serum IgG antibodies against early secreted antigenic target (ESAT-6), culture filtrate antigen-10 (CFP-10) and 16kDa Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens were measured in 33 active pulmonary TB patients (0M-TB), in 47 patients after 1-3 months of treatment (3M-TB) and in 22 patients who had completed 6 months of chemotherapy (6M-TB). The control group consisted of 38 BCG-vaccinated healthy controls (HC). In addition, IFN-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 production in PBMC cultures from 20 patients were measured following stimulation with the M. tuberculosis-specific fusion protein ESAT-6/CFP-10. Elevated levels of IgG against ESAT-6, CFP-10 and 16kDa antigens were detected in 0M-TB and 3M-TB patients in comparison to the HC and 6M-TB groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated sensitivity of 85, 94 and 61% and specificity of 89, 87 and 89% for serum IgG against ESAT-6, CFP-10 and 16kDa, respectively. A predominant IgG1 response to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 was observed in 0M-TB patients, together with ESAT-6/CFP-10-specific IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 that were produced at lower levels in the 6M-TB group. These data indicate that a T(h)1 phenotype against early phase Mtb antigens appears to be dominant in the peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary TB that is reduced after chemotherapy. Taken together, ESAT-6/CFP-10 cytokine tests together with detecting IgG antibodies specific to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 may be the useful TB disease biomarkers in monitoring treatment success

Atratividade de diferentes iscas e sua relação com as fases de desenvolvimento ovariano em calliphoridae e sarcophagidae (insecta, diptera) Attractiveness of differents baits and its relation with ovarian development fases in Calliphoridae ano Sarcophagidae (Insecta, Diptera)

<abstract language="eng">Attrativeness of differents baits (fish, faeces and banana) upon ovarian development fases of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae was evaluated. The insects were captured in Distrito Federal (urban area) and Rio de Janeiro city (beach, zoological garden, urban area and Tijuca forest). The most frequent species captured were: Calliphoridae - Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) 78,9% and Chtysomya puloria (Wiedemann, 1818) 5,4% - and Sarcophagidae - Sarcophagula Wulp, 1887 2,3% and Peckya chrysostoma (Wiedemann. 1830) 2,2%. Fish was more attractive to females of Calliphoridae flies in intense ovarian vitelogenesis, although banana atracted more flies with mature eggs. Faeces and fish were more atractive for Sarcophagidae in the beggining of vitelogenesis

Características morfométricas, rendimentos de carcaça, filé, vísceras e resíduos em tilápias-do-nilo em diferentes faixas de peso Morphometric characteristics, carcass, filet, viscera and residues in different weight categories of the Nile tilapia

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito do peso sobre as relações das medidas de comprimento padrão de tilápias-do-nilo (Oreochromis niloticus). Avaliaram-se as medidas: comprimento da cabeça; altura do corpo, medida à frente do 1° raio das nadadeiras peitoral, dorsal, anal e caudal; largura do corpo, medida à frente da inserção do 1º raio das nadadeiras peitoral, dorsal e anal; perímetro, medido à frente da inserção do 1° raio das nadadeiras peitoral, dorsal e anal; e menor circunferência do pedúnculo; e os rendimentos de carcaça, filé, cabeça, nadadeira, pele, vísceras e resíduos. Foram utilizados 80 tilápias, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro tratamentos (faixas de peso 250 a 300 g; 350 a 400 g; 450 a 500 g, 550 a 600 g) e 20 repetições, considerando o peixe a unidade experimental. As menores variações nas características morfométricas foram observadas na faixa de peso de 450 a 600 g em comparação à faixa de 250 a 400 g. Nas faixas de peso 250 a 300 g, 350 a 400 g, 450 a 500 g e 550 a 600 g, não houve diferenças nos rendimentos de carcaça e filé e nas porcentagens de cabeça, nadadeira, pele e resíduos. A porcentagem de vísceras na faixa de peso 550 a 600 g (10,98%) foi significativamente inferior à obtida nas faixas de 250 a 300 g (12,77%), 350 a 400 g (13,26%) e 450 a 500 g (12,69%). O peso do filé na faixa de peso 350 a 400 g (260,50 g) foi superior ao da faixa de 250 a 300 g (239,95 g). Não houve diferença no peso do filé entre as faixas de peso 450 a 500 g (284,20 g) e 550 a 600 g (292,80 g). As faixas de peso de 450 a 500 g e 550 a 600 g apresentaram valores superiores de peso do filé em comparação às de 250 a 300 g e 350 a 400 g. Considerando o peso do filé, o peso ideal de abate da tilápia é de 450 a 500 g no intervalo de peso de 250 a 600 g.<br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of weight categories on the relation of the measures of standard length; length of the head; height of the body measured at the front of the 1° ray of pectoral, dorsal, anal and tail fins; width of the body measured at the front of the insertion of 1º ray of pectoral, dorsal and anal fins; perimeter measured at the front of the insertion of the 1° ray of pectoral, dorsal and anal fins and minor circumference of the peduncle and yield of carcass, filet, head, fin, skin, viscera and residues of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Eighty tilapia were used, in a completely randomized design, with four treatments (weight categories 250 the 300 g; 350 the 400 g; 450 the 500 g and 550 the 600 g) and 20 replications. Each fish was considered an experimental unit. The Nile tilapia presented minors variations in the morphometric characteristics in the weight category 450 to 600 g, when compared with the category 250 to 400 g. The weight category 250 the 300 g, 350 the 400 g, 450 the 500 g and 550 the 600 g provided the same yield of carcass, filet and percentages of head, fin, skin and residues. The percentage of viscera in the 550 the 600 g category (10.98%) was significantly lower when compared to 250 the 300 g (12.77%), 350 the 400 g (13.26%) and 450 the 500 g (12.69%). The weight of filet in the 350 the 400 g category (260.50 g) was higher than the 250 the 300 g category (239.95 g). There was no difference in the weight of fillet between the 450 the 500 g category (284.20 g) and 550 the 600 g (292.80 g). The category 450 the 500 g and 550 the 600 g presented higher values of weight of fillet when compared to 250 the 300 g and 350 the 400 g. According to the weight of fillet found, the ideal weight of slaughter of the tilapia is between 450 and 500 g in a range of 250-600 g

Impact of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtypes on virologic response and emergence of drug resistance among children in the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) 5 trial

The association between virologic response and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype was investigated in 113 HIV-1-infected children randomly assigned to receive zidovudine plus lamivudine, zidovudine plus abacavir, or lamivudine plus abacavir in the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) 5 trial. Symptomatic children (n = 68) also received nelfinavir; asymptomatic children (n = 45) were randomly assigned to receive nelfinavir or placebo. HIV-1 subtypes A, B, C, D, F, G, H, A/E, and A/G were found in 15%, 41%, 16%, 9%, 5%, 2%, 1%, 5%, and 7% of the children, respectively. Resistance assay failure rates were higher for non-B subtypes than for B subtypes (genotype, P = .01; phenotype, P = .02). HIV-1 subtype was not associated with virologic response at 24 and 48 weeks after initiation of treatment. No differences were observed in the frequency of development of resistance mutations L90M (P = 1.00) and D30N (P = .61) in B and non-B viruses. In conclusion, no evidence that subtype determined virologic response to therapy was found