A genetic network that suppresses genome rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and contains defects in cancers.

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) play an important role in human diseases, including cancer. The identity of all Genome Instability Suppressing (GIS) genes is not currently known. Here multiple Saccharomyces cerevisiae GCR assays and query mutations were crossed into arrays of mutants to identify progeny with increased GCR rates. One hundred eighty two GIS genes were identified that suppressed GCR formation. Another 438 cooperatively acting GIS genes were identified that were not GIS genes, but suppressed the increased genome instability caused by individual query mutations. Analysis of TCGA data using the human genes predicted to act in GIS pathways revealed that a minimum of 93% of ovarian and 66% of colorectal cancer cases had defects affecting one or more predicted GIS gene. These defects included loss-of-function mutations, copy-number changes associated with reduced expression, and silencing. In contrast, acute myeloid leukaemia cases did not appear to have defects affecting the predicted GIS genes

Efeito de diferentes tratamentos t?rmicos sobre microestrutura e microdureza de um sistema a?o C-Mn/revestimento de inconel 625.

A utiliza??o de tubos de a?o C-Mn na ind?stria de ?leo e g?s ? muito comum desde o nascimento desta ind?stria. Mesmo com a grande evolu??o da metalurgia destes a?os ao longo das ?ltimas d?cadas, o desafio de desempenho em ambientes severos de corros?o devido ?s caracter?sticas reativas (H2S, CO2) do petr?leo e seus derivados, imp?em uma nova era para a fabrica??o de tubos. A solu??o tecnol?gica mais direta seria a utiliza??o de a?os com alta liga (Ni, Cr) e/ou superligas de n?quel. No entanto, os custos de produ??o tornariam invi?veis pelo alto custo destes materiais. Neste contexto, ? crescente iniciativas de pesquisas para o desenvolvimento de overlay e/ou cladding, ou seja, revestimentos de a?os C-Mn usando superligas de n?quel e a?os inoxid?veis. Neste trabalho, foi utilizada a deposi??o de uma camada da superliga de n?quel Inconel 625 atrav?s do processo laser. Uma das desvantagens da deposi??o a laser ou qualquer outro processo de fus?o ? a forma??o de uma regi?o de descontinuidade microestrutural no a?o, chamada de ZTA (zona termicamente afetada pelo calor). Neste estudo, diferentes rotas de tratamentos t?rmicos foram investigadas com o objetivo de eliminar a ZTA e preservar as caracter?sticas originais do substrato e do revestimento.The application of C-Mn steel pipe in the oil & gas industry is quite common since starting of this industry. Even with the great evolution of the metallurgy of this type of steel over the last decades, the challenge is to overcome the corrosion severity caused by sour (H2S, CO2) species present in the petroleum and its derivates. The direct technological solution would be to replace the C-Mn steel by Ni-based superalloys and/or stainless steels. However, the high costs of these materials would make several projects impracticable. In this context, there are several initiatives in order to develop overlay and/or cladding, that means, coatings of C-Mn steels using superalloys and stainless steels. In this work, it was used an overlay deposition of Inconel 625 on the surface of a C-Mn steel using the laser process. A disadvantage of laser deposition, as it is for any deposition melting process, is the formation of a microstructural discontinuity in the steel substrate caused by the thermal cycle (HAZ = heat affected zone). In this study, different heat treatment routes were investigated aiming to eliminate the HAZ preserving the original characteristics of the substrate and of the coating

Uso de nanobast?es de ouro para o desenvolvimento de aulas pr?ticas de nanotecnologia.

Use of gold nanoparticles functionalization experiment was conducted in a biotechnology summer course at UFOP as a model for the introduction of the laboratory practice in nanotechnology for postgraduate courses in the areas of chemistry and biotechnology. The gold nanorods were synthesized by the seed method and then, functionalized with anti-IL-6 antibodies using the reagents EDAC/NHS and polyethyleneimine (PEI). This nanocompound was tested against the binding with the specific antigen (IL-6) and changes in the longitudinal plasmon absorption spectrum showed the coupling efficiency, which was also verified by the decrease in zeta potential. The experiment was satisfactory, with a positive feedback from participants, and could be implemented in nanotechnology practical classes from postgraduate courses, as a way for improve education in the emergent area of nanobiotechnology

Dietary inflammatory index and inflammatory biomarkers in adolescents from LabMed physical activity study

Background/objectives The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a tool to measure the diet’s inflammatory potential and has been used with adults to predict low-grade inflammation. The present study aims to assess whether this dietary score predicts low-grade inflammation in adolescents. Subjects/methods The sample comprises 329 adolescents (55.9% girls), aged 12–18 years, from LabMed Physical Activity Study. DII score was calculated based on a food-frequency questionnaire and categorized into tertiles. We collected blood samples to determine the follow inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), complement component 3 (C3), and 4 (C4). In addition we calculated an overall inflammatory biomarker score. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were computed from binary logistic regression models. Results DII score, comparing first with third tertile, was positively associated with IL-6 in crude model (OR = 1.88, 95% CI:1.09–3.24, ptrend = 0.011) and in fully adjusted (for biological and lifestyle variables) (OR = 3.38, 95%CI:1.24–9.20, ptrend = 0.023). Also, DII score was positively associated with C4, when fully adjusted (OR = 3.12, 95%CI:1.21–8.10, ptrend = 0.016). DII score was negatively associated with C3 in crude model, comparing first with second but not with third tertile, and no significant associations in fully adjusted model were observed, although a trend was found (OR = 1.71, 95% CI:0.63–4.66, ptrend = 0.044). No significant associations were observed between DII score and CRP. However, DII score was positively associated with the overall inflammatory biomarker score, when fully adjusted (OR = 5.61, 95% CI:2.00–15.78, ptrend = 0.002). Conclusions DII score can be useful to assess the diet’s inflammatory potential and its association with low-grade inflammation in adolescents.The authors gratefully acknowledged the participation of all adolescents and their parents, teachers and schools of the LabMed and Physical Activity Study, the cooperation of volunteer’s, the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology (University of Porto) for the conversion food frequency questionnaire data into nutrients, and the Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (University of Porto) for the sponsoring the LabMed and Physical Activity Study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bird-spiders (Arachnida, Mygalomorphae) as perceived by the inhabitants of the village of Pedra Branca, Bahia State, Brazil

This paper deals with the conceptions, knowledge and attitudes of the inhabitants of the county of Pedra Branca, Bahia State, on mygalomorph spiders locally known as 'caranguejeiras' (bird-spiders). It is launched here a new filed within ethnozoology: ethnoarachnology, which is defined as the transdisciplinary study of the relationships between human beings and bird-spiders. Data were collected from February to June 2005 by means of open-ended interviews carried out with 30 individuals, which ages ranged from 13 to 86 years old. It was recorded some traditional knowledge regarding the following items: taxonomy, biology, habitat, ecology, seasonality, and behavior. Results show that bird-spiders are classified as "insects". The most commented aspect of the interaction between bird-spiders and inhabitants of Pedra Branca is related to their dangerousness, since they said these spiders are very venomous and can cause health problems. In general, the traditional zoological knowledge of Pedra Branca's inhabitants concerning these spiders is coherent with the academic knowledge

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL DOES NOT INFLUENCE THE NEUROMUSCULAR FATIGUE IN ADULTS

Introduction: Fatigue during voluntary muscle contractions is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon associated with central changes and adaptations of the neuromuscular system. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fatigue induced by intermittent successive extension of the knee between active and inactive university students. Method: Twenty healthy men (≥18 years), voluntarily participated in this study. To determine the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors muscle group, three sets of isometric contractions of knee extension were performed for five seconds with five minutes of rest between sets. The fatigue protocol consisted of 10 sets of 10 maximal concentric contractions of the extensor on the right knee, performed at 75% of MVIC with an interval of 45". Results: Significant reductions were observed (p<0.01), both in isometric strength (-34±4%) and the dynamic strength (-40 ± 3%). In addition, the slope of relationship strength x repetition was -0.79±0.07 Nm/repetitions and the magnitude of the effect reached -8.90. Conclusion: The protocol was useful to induce peripheral fatigue, although muscle strength is greater in the active group. In both isometric and dynamic action, muscle fatigue did not differ between groups

Regulatory T Cells Phenotype in Different Clinical Forms of Chagas' Disease

CD25High CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) have been described as key players in immune regulation, preventing infection-induced immune pathology and limiting collateral tissue damage caused by vigorous anti-parasite immune response. In this review, we summarize data obtained by the investigation of Treg cells in different clinical forms of Chagas' disease. Ex vivo immunophenotyping of whole blood, as well as after stimulation with Trypanosoma cruzi antigens, demonstrated that individuals in the indeterminate (IND) clinical form of the disease have a higher frequency of Treg cells, suggesting that an expansion of those cells could be beneficial, possibly by limiting strong cytotoxic activity and tissue damage. Additional analysis demonstrated an activated status of Treg cells based on low expression of CD62L and high expression of CD40L, CD69, and CD54 by cells from all chagasic patients after T. cruzi antigenic stimulation. Moreover, there was an increase in the frequency of the population of Foxp3+ CD25HighCD4+ cells that was also IL-10+ in the IND group, whereas in the cardiac (CARD) group, there was an increase in the percentage of Foxp3+ CD25High CD4+ cells that expressed CTLA-4. These data suggest that IL-10 produced by Treg cells is effective in controlling disease development in IND patients. However, in CARD patients, the same regulatory mechanism, mediated by IL-10 and CTLA-4 expression is unlikely to be sufficient to control the progression of the disease. These data suggest that Treg cells may play an important role in controlling the immune response in Chagas' disease and the balance between regulatory and effector T cells may be important for the progression and development of the disease. Additional detailed analysis of the mechanisms on how these cells are activated and exert their function will certainly give insights for the rational design of procedure to achieve the appropriate balance between protection and pathology during parasite infections