The spread of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and coexistence with Helicoverpa zea in Southeastern Brazil

Helicoverpa armigera, one of the world’s most destructive crop pests, was first documented in Brazil in 2013. Within a few months, this polyphagous insect had spread over the Northeast and Central-West of Brazil, causing great agricultural losses. With several reports of populations resistant to pesticides and Bt crops around the world, there is great concern about the spread of this pest in Brazil. There is confusion about the actual distribution of this species due to the high morphological similarity with the native corn earworm Helicoverpa zea, which may also coexist with H. armigera in the field. Our aims here were (i) to confirm its presence in the State of Minas Gerais, one of the most important agricultural regions in the country; and (ii) to assess the co-occurrence of this pest with the congeneric corn earworm H. zea. Using molecular screening, we confirmed the presence of H. armigera in Bt-crops of soybean and cotton, and non-Bt-crops of soybean, cotton and maize. Mixed infestations of H. armigera with H. zea were found in non-Bt maize (Viçosa, Southeastern Minas Gerais). These results highlight the need for adequate control strategies for H. armigera in Brazil, to deal with its polyphagous feeding habits, high dispersal capacity and possible risks of hybridization with congeneric species

CD28 Family and Chronic Rejection: “To Belatacept...and Beyond!”

Kidneys are one of the most frequently transplanted human organs. Immunosuppressive agents may prevent or reverse most acute rejection episodes; however, the graft may still succumb to chronic rejection. The immunological response involved in the chronic rejection process depends on both innate and adaptive immune response. T lymphocytes have a pivotal role in chronic rejection in adaptive immune response. Meanwhile, we aim to present a general overview on the state-of-the-art knowledge of the strategies used for manipulating the lymphocyte activation mechanisms involved in allografts, with emphasis on T-lymphocyte costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules of the B7-CD28 superfamily. A deeper understanding of the structure and function of these molecules improves both the knowledge of the immune system itself and their potential action as rejection inducers or tolerance promoters. In this context, the central role played by CD28 family, especially the relationship between CD28 and CTLA-4, becomes an interesting target for the development of immune-based therapies aiming to increase the survival rate of allografts and to decrease autoimmune phenomena. Good results obtained by the recent development of abatacept and belatacept with potential clinical use aroused better expectations concerning the outcome of transplanted patients

Prediction of drug targets in human pathogens

The identification of new and druggable targets in bacteria is a critical endeavour in pharmaceutical research of novel antibiotics to fight infectious agents. The rapid emergence of resistant bacteria makes today's antibiotics more and more ineffective, consequently increasing the need for new pharmacological targets and novel classes of antibacterial drugs. A new model that combines the singular value decomposition technique with biological filters comprised of a set of protein properties associated with bacterial drug targets and similarity to protein-coding essential genes of E. coli has been developed to predict potential drug targets in the Enterobacteriaceae family [1]. This model identified 99 potential target proteins amongst the studied bacterial family, exhibiting eight different functions that suggest that the disruption of the activities of these proteins is critical for cells. Out of these candidates, one was selected for target confirmation. To find target modulators, receptor-based pharmacophore hypotheses were built and used in the screening of a virtual library of compounds. Postscreening filters were based on physicochemical and topological similarity to known Gram-negative antibiotics and applied to the retrieved compounds. Screening hits passing all filters were docked into the proteins catalytic groove and 15 of the most promising compounds were purchased from their chemical vendors to be experimentally tested in vitro. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to rationalize the search of compounds to probe the relevance of this candidate as a new pharmacological target

Electrochemical degradation of the chloramphenicol at flow reactor

This paper reports a study of electrochemical degradation of the chloramphenicol antibiotic in aqueous medium using a flow-by reactor with DSA® anode. The process efficiency was monitored by chloramphenicol concentration analysis with liquid chromatography (HPLC) during the experiments. Analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was performed to estimate the degradation degree and Ion Chromatography (IC) was performed to determinate inorganic ions formed during the eletrochemical degradation process. In electrochemical flow-by reactor, 52% of chloramphenicol was degraded, with 12% TOC reduction. IC analysis showed the production of chloride ions (25 mg L-1), nitrate ions (6 mg L-1) and nitrite ions (4.5 mg L-1).Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Impact of adhesive and photoactivation method on sealant integrity and polymer network formation

We evaluated the influence of photoactivation method and hydrophobic resin (HR) application on the marginal and internal adaptation, hardness (KHN), and crosslink density (CLD) of a resin-based fissure sealant. Model fissures were created in bovine enamel fragments (n = 10) and sealed using one of the following protocols: no adhesive system + photoactivation of the sealant using continuous light (CL), no adhesive system + photoactivation of the sealant using the soft-start method (SS), HR + CL, or HR + SS. Marginal and internal gaps and KHN were assessed after storage in water for 24 h. The CLD was indirectly assessed by repeating the KHN measurement after 24 h of immersion in 100% ethanol. There was no difference among the samples with regard to marginal or internal adaptation. The KHN and CLD were similar for samples cured using either photoactivation method. Use of a hydrophobic resin prior to placement of fissure sealants and curing the sealant using the soft-start method may not provide any positive influence on integrity or crosslink density

Effect of dopants and DBD plasma treatment on the conductivity of fabrics impregnated with PEDOT:PSS

Conductive properties are paving the way to produce smart textiles with a robust framework, so the development of electroconductive textiles is an area with growing interest. Poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), is a conductive polymer widely used to impart conductivity to textiles. An increase of the conductivities is possible through the addition of secondary dopants to the conductive polymers, such as glycerol (GLY) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment improves the adhesion of coatings by modifying the surface of textiles. Herein, electrically conductive textiles for heat generation were prepared and characterized. Polyester (PES, DBD plasma-treated and not treated) fabrics were impregnated in a padding system with five layers of conductive solutions: PEDOT:PSS; PEDOT:PSS + GLY 5%; and, PEDOT:PSS + DMSO 7%

Imidazolium salt and dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment to enhance the conductivity of fabrics impregnated with pedot:PSS

Conductive textiles are a class of materials with a growing interest due to their potential applications in medical, healthcare, comfort, protective clothing, and sportswear sectors. They can be used for the development of smart textiles able to answer to different external stimuli such as thermal, mechanical, chemical, electrical, magnetic, and optical. The complex poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is the most explored polymer to prepare conductive textiles. Dopants can be introduced to add or remove electrons from the backbone of PEDOT:PSS, resulting in increased conductivity. Salts such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulphate (IZ) may promote ionic interactions with PEDOT:PSS, stimulating a microstructure reorganization. Moreover, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment has been shown to improve the adhesion of coatings by modifying the surface roughness, surface chemistry, and hydrophilicity of the fabrics. In this work, untreated and DBD plasma-treated polyester (PES) fabrics were impregnated with PEDOT:PSS with and without the addition of imidazolium salt (0.2M) as a dopant. Using the IZ, it was possible to adapt the textile materials into resistors, where the applied current converted electrical energy into heat. The developed textiles can be used to produce heating garments

Electrochemical degradation of the chloramphenicol at flow reactor

This paper reports a study of electrochemical degradation of the chloramphenicol antibiotic in aqueous medium using a flow-by reactor with DSA® anode. The process efficiency was monitored by chloramphenicol concentration analysis with liquid chromatography (HPLC) during the experiments. Analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was performed to estimate the degradation degree and Ion Chromatography (IC) was performed to determinate inorganic ions formed during the eletrochemical degradation process. In electrochemical flow-by reactor, 52% of chloramphenicol was degraded, with 12% TOC reduction. IC analysis showed the production of chloride ions (25 mg L-1), nitrate ions (6 mg L-1) and nitrite ions (4.5 mg L-1).33510881092Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Não te