RESUMO
Nile tilapia skin, an abundant waste from fish processing, can be used for collagen extraction, which has a high aggregated value for biomedical applications. Collagen extraction was conducted under different reaction conditions (time, temperature, and concentration of acetic acid) in order to optimize the yield without compromising the integrity of the collagen. Temperature and time were responsible for increased yield. The extraction at 4 and 20 °C produced the acid-solubilized collagen (ASC) with the intact triple helix and was analysed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and circular dichroism (CD). The optimized ASC (which used 0.35 mol/L of acetic acid at 20 °C) was consumed to obtain for the first-time fish-based hydrogels with hyaluronic acid (HA) crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropryl carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The hydrogel was characterized by FT-IR, rheology, swelling, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confirming that cross-linking was accomplished. It possesses a robust organized network, swells 255 % in PBS and bears interconnected pores with a diameter in the range of 10-100 µm. Until now, col-HA hydrogels crosslinked with EDC/NHS have not been reported in literature with collagen from Nile Tilapia skin. Fish collagen can be a better option than those from land-based animals (cow and pig).
Assuntos
Ácido Hialurônico/química , Hidrogéis/química , Pele/química , Animais , Ciclídeos , Colágeno/química , Colágeno/isolamento & purificação , Tamanho da Partícula , Propriedades de SuperfícieRESUMO
The authors report a case of bilateral C4-C5 facet fracture dislocation associated with a severe sprain underlying C5-C6, which had occurred during an traffic accident. The diagnosis of severe sprain was raised on the 55 th day. The injury mechanism is studied. Contiguous multilevel injuries of the lower cervical spine should be suspected in case of high-energy trauma. MRI can provide an exhaust if diagnosis of possible multilevel injuries. After fixation of the obvious lesion, intraoperative dynamic fluoroscopy must be performed to demonstrate any instability in another area.
Assuntos
Traumatismos da Coluna Vertebral/diagnóstico , Acidentes de Trânsito , Adolescente , Artrodese , Placas Ósseas , Vértebras Cervicais/patologia , Fluoroscopia , Fixação de Fratura , Humanos , Luxações Articulares/diagnóstico , Luxações Articulares/patologia , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Masculino , Traumatismo Múltiplo/diagnóstico , Traumatismo Múltiplo/patologia , Traumatismos da Coluna Vertebral/patologia , Entorses e Distensões/diagnóstico , Entorses e Distensões/patologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios XRESUMO
The orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 is critical for the survival of mesencephalic dopaminergic precursor neurons. Little is known about the mechanisms that regulate Nurr1 expression in vivo. Other members of this receptor family have been shown to be activated by dopamine. We sought to determine if Nurr1 expression is also regulated by endogenous dopamine through dopamine receptors. Consequently, we investigated the expression of Nurr1 mRNA in genetically modified mice lacking both functional copies of the D2 dopamine receptor gene and in their congenic siblings. Quantitative in situ hybridization demonstrated a significant increased expression of Nurr1 mRNA in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area of D2 dopamine receptor -/- mice. No change in Nurr1 expression was detected in other brain regions, such as the habenular nuclei and temporal cortex. Among the cell groups studied, mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons are unique in that they express both Nurr1 and the D2 dopamine receptor, and synthesize dopamine. Thus, it seems plausible that the selective increase in Nurr1 expression observed in D2 receptor-deficient mice is the consequence of an impaired dopamine autoreceptor function.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Ligação a DNA , Mesencéfalo/metabolismo , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Neurônios/metabolismo , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Receptores de Dopamina D2/fisiologia , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Animais , Hibridização In Situ , Camundongos , Membro 2 do Grupo A da Subfamília 4 de Receptores Nucleares , Receptores de Dopamina D2/biossíntese , Receptores de Dopamina D3 , Substância Negra/citologiaAssuntos
Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/imunologia , Soropositividade para HIV/imunologia , Malária Falciparum/imunologia , Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/diagnóstico , Infecções Oportunistas Relacionadas com a AIDS/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Animais , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/análise , Western Blotting , Brasil/epidemiologia , Reações Cruzadas , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática/métodos , Feminino , Anticorpos Anti-HIV/análise , Soropositividade para HIV/diagnóstico , Soropositividade para HIV/epidemiologia , Humanos , Malária Falciparum/diagnóstico , Malária Falciparum/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Plasmodium falciparum/imunologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Topical application of antifungal agents is considered the treatment of choice for dermatomycoses. Most of the available drugs are fungistatic, requiring long term treatment to prevent relapses. Terbinafine is a synthetic antifungal agent that, because of its fungicidal action, provides high cure rates and low relapse rates after short periods of treatment. METHODS: Ninety-seven children ages 2 to 15 years with a suspected diagnosis of tinea corporis and/or tinea cruris were enrolled in this open trial. After mycologic assessment to confirm diagnosis (culture and direct microscopy) terbinafine 1% cream was applied once daily during 1 week. Clinical and mycologic assessments were made at the baseline visit and on Days 7, 14 and 21. Efficacy assessment was based on 88 children (9 patients excluded by protocol violation). RESULTS: Therapy was considered effective in 92.0% (81 of 88) of patients (complete clinical and mycologic cure or mycologic cure with minimum signs and symptoms or clinical improvement, > or = 50%). Tolerability was assessed in 97 patients on an intention-to-treat basis. Adverse reactions were itching 3% (3 of 97), itching associated with erythema exacerbation 1% (1 of 97) and contact dermatitis 1% (1 of 97). CONCLUSION: Terbinafine 1% cream appears to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for tinea corporis and tinea cruris in children.
Assuntos
Antifúngicos/uso terapêutico , Naftalenos/uso terapêutico , Tinha/tratamento farmacológico , Administração Tópica , Adolescente , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Naftalenos/administração & dosagem , Naftalenos/efeitos adversos , Terbinafina , Tinha/microbiologiaRESUMO
The study evaluated six Plasmodium falciparum antigen extracts to be used in the IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), for malaria diagnosis and epidemiological studies. Results obtained with eighteen positive and nine negative control sera indicated that there were statistically significant differences among these antigen extracts (Multifactor ANOVA, p < 0.0001). Urea, sodium deoxycholate and Zwittergent antigen extracts performed better than did the three others, their features being very similar for the detection of IgG antibodies. Urea, alkaline and sodium deoxycholate antigen extracts proved to be better than the others for the detection of IgM antibodies. A straight line relationship was found between the optical densities (or their respective log10) and the log10 of antibody dilutions, with a very constant slope. Thus serum titers could be determined by direct titration and by two different equations, needing only one serum dilution. For IgM antibody detections, log10 expression gave results that better correlated with direct titration (95% Bonferroni). For IgG antibody detections, the titer differences were not significant. The reproducibility of antibody titers and antigen batches was also evaluated, giving satisfactory results.