Further evidences for the mode of action of the larvicidal m-pentadecadienyl-phenol isolated from Myracrodruon urundeuva seeds against Aedes aegypti.

Nowadays, dengue fever is considered the most important arbovirosis worldwide and its control is still based upon combating the vector Aedes aegypti. Besides monitoring of mosquito populations resistant to conventional insecticides, the search for new environmentally safe insecticides and conduction of molecular studies focusing on the elucidation of mode of action and possible resistance mechanisms are considered the key for a sustainable management of the mosquito vector. Thus, the present work aimed to assess changes in protein expression of 3rd-instar larvae of Ae. aegypti after exposure to the natural insecticide m-pentadecadienyl-phenol. Bidimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry resulted in identification of 12 proteins differentially expressed between control and treated groups. Larvae exposed to the toxic compound for 24h showed elevated detoxification response (glutathione-S-transferase), increased levels of stress-related proteins (HSP70) as well as evidence of lysosome stabilization to enable survival. Furthermore, expression of proteins involved in protection of peritrophic membrane and metabolism of lipids indicated systemic effect of toxic effects in treated larvae.

A microcontroller platform for the rapid prototyping of functional electrical stimulation-based gait neuroprostheses.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been used over the last decades as a method to rehabilitate lost motor functions of individuals with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and post-stroke hemiparesis. Within this field, researchers in need of developing FES-based control solutions for specific disabilities often have to choose between either the acquisition and integration of high-performance industry-level systems, which are rather expensive and hardly portable, or develop custom-made portable solutions, which despite their lower cost, usually require expert-level electronic skills. Here, a flexible low-cost microcontroller-based platform for rapid prototyping of FES neuroprostheses is presented, designed for reduced execution complexity, development time, and production cost. For this reason, the Arduino open-source microcontroller platform was used, together with off-the-shelf components whenever possible. The developed system enables the rapid deployment of portable FES-based gait neuroprostheses, being flexible enough to allow simple open-loop strategies but also more complex closed-loop solutions. The system is based on a modular architecture that allows the development of optimized solutions depending on the desired FES applications, even though the design and testing of the platform were focused toward drop foot correction. The flexibility of the system was demonstrated using two algorithms targeting drop foot condition within different experimental setups. Successful bench testing of the device in healthy subjects demonstrated these neuroprosthesis platform capabilities to correct drop foot.

Modelagem matemática da secagem de cascas de mulungu / Mathematical modeling of the drying of husks mulungu

O Erythrina velutina, conhecido popularmente como mulungu, vem sendo utilizado no Nordeste brasileiro devido suas propriedades medicinais. Suas cascas, após extração da árvore, apresentam elevado teor de água necessitando de secagem para atender às necessidades da indústria farmacêutica de fitoterápicos. Objetivou-se com este trabalho secar cascas de mulungu nas temperaturas de 40, 50, 60 e 70 °C e ajustar diferentes modelos matemáticos aos dados da cinética de secagem. Constatou-se que as cascas de mulungu apresentaram elevados tempos de secagem, com tempos variando de aproximadamente 35 h para a temperatura de 40 °C e 14 h para a temperatura de 70 °C. O aumento da temperatura de desidratação promoveu elevação das taxas de secagem, atingindo valor superior a 9 × 10-3 kg kg.min-1 à 70 °C no início da secagem, decrescendo posteriormente com o decorrer do processo. Dentre os modelos matemáticos avaliados, o de Midilli foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados experimentais da secagem de cascas de mulungu, apresentando os maiores valores de coeficientes de determinação (R2), baixos desvios quadráticos médios (DQM) e tendência aleatória de distribuição dos resíduos.

The Erythrina velutina, popularly known as mulungu, are being used in northeastern Brazil because of its medicinal properties. Their peel after extraction of the tree, have a high water content requiring drying to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry of herbal medicines. The objective of this work was to dry peels mulungu at the temperatures of 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C and adjust different mathematical models the drying kinetics data. It was found that to peel mulungu presented drying high time, with times ranging from about 35 h to a temperature of 40 °C and for 14 h at 70 °C. Increasing the temperature of dehydration increased of the drying rate, reaching a value greater than 9 × 10-3 kg kg.min-1 to 70 °C at the start of drying, falling further to the process. Among the mathematical models evaluated, the Midilli was the best fit to the experimental data of drying of peels of mulungu, with higher values of coefficients of determination (R2), lower mean squared deviations (MSD) and random distribution of trend residues.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of chitin-binding lectin from Canna limbata seeds.

Lectins are a structurally heterogeneous group of proteins or glycoproteins with at least one noncatalytic domain binding reversibly to a specific mono- or oligosaccharide. Monocot mannose-binding lectins are an extended superfamily of structurally and evolutionarily related proteins. In this study, we evaluated anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of monocot lectin from the Canna limbata seeds (CLL). To accomplish this, CLL was purified and subjected to pharmacological assays: abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid, formalin, hot plate and Zymosan A-induced peritonitis tests. The CLL was purified by chromatographic chitin column, and the relative mass of 21 kDa observed in electrophoresis was confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry, which also revealed that purified CLL consists of a dimer having a weight of 49,676 Da. The CLL showed nociceptive activity in the acetic acid test as well as peripheral antinociceptive response. The CLL also showed anti-inflammatory effect with the reduction of inflammation in the formalin test and neutrophil migration into the peritoneal cavity. This is the first report of anti-inflammatory activity for a monocot lectin, and it suggests a new pharmacological tool to understand inflammatory and antinociceptive processes mediated through lectins.

Determinação de cumarina em extrato fluido e tintura de guaco por espectrofotometria derivada de primeira ordem / Determination of coumarin in fluid extract and tinture of ®guaco¼ by first derivative spectrophotometry

O objetivo do trabalho foi desenvolver um método de doseamento de cumarina (1,2-benzopirano) em extrato fluido e tintura de guaco (Mikania glomerata Sprengel). O método desenvolvido foi por espectrofotometria derivada de primeira ordem, que se mostrou preciso, exato, reprodutível e de fácil execução