Potential of coffee straw biochal as a substrate conditioner in seed lettuce and sorghum germination and vigority.

The use of residues from coffee production to obtain biochar is a sustainable approach, which aims to minimize the environmental impact of these materials. In this study, the effect of adding coffee straw biochar on the physiological quality of lettuce and sorghum seeds was investigated. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the effect of adding different concentrations of coffee biochar in the substrate composition on the physiological quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) seeds. The experimental design used was completely randomized, with five concentrations of biochar (0; 7.5; 15; 30 and 60%), conducted with four replications of 25 seeds. The use of biochar in the concentrations studied does not provide an increase in the average germination percentage and vigor of lettuce and sorghum seeds. The increase in the concentration of biochar caused less seed vigor, suggesting a toxic effect. For seed germination, there was no significant difference between lettuce and sorghum species, regardless of treatment. For the germination speed index, sorghum seeds have higher means, except for the treatment with the addition of 15% coffee straw biochar. Lettuce seeds have higher shoot length averages, except for treatment with 100% commercial substrate. The sorghum seeds have higher mean root length and dry mass than lettuce, regardless of the treatment.

Maturation and harvest time of Ateleia glazioveana Baill. seeds.

Ateleia glazioveana Baill. is a pioneer, rustic and can be used for forest recovery. This work aimed to study the process of physiological maturation of this species. The research was carried out in the city of Alegre - ES, the trees were identified in the floral anthesis and accompanied during the filling of the fruits and development of the seeds until the complete maturation. The fruits were harvested at the following stages 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days after anthesis, and characterized according to: morphometry, moisture, fresh and dry mass of fruits and seeds, germination, germination speed index, shoot and root length and dry mass of seedlings. The regression equations were adjusted for the main characteristics analyzed as a function of the harvest period. The point of physiological maturity of timbó occurred at 42 days after anthesis.

Proteomic analysis reveals differentially expressed proteins in macrophages infected with Leishmania amazonensis or Leishmania major.

CBA macrophages effectively control Leishmania major infection, yet are permissive to Leishmania amazonensis. Employing a transcriptomic approach, we previously showed the up-regulation of the genes involved in the classical pathway of macrophage activation in resistant mice. However, microarray analyses do not evaluate changes in gene expression that occur after translation. To circumvent this analytical limitation, we employed a proteomics approach to increase our understanding of the modulations that occur during infection and identify novel targets for the control of Leishmania infection. To identify proteins whose expression changes in CBA macrophages infected with L. major or L. amazonensis, protein extracts were obtained and digested and the peptides were characterized using multi-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry analyses. A total of 162 proteins were selected as potentially modulated. Using biological network analyses, these proteins were classified as primarily involved in cellular metabolism and grouped into cellular development biological networks. This study is the first to use a proteomics approach to describe the protein modulations involved in cellular metabolism during the initial events of Leishmania-macrophage interaction. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that these differentially expressed proteins likely play a pivotal role in determining the course of infection.

Leishmania amazonensis fails to induce the release of reactive oxygen intermediates by CBA macrophages.

CBA mouse macrophages effectively control Leishmania major infection, yet are permissive to Leishmania amazonensis. It has been established that some Leishmania species are destroyed by reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, other species of Leishmania exhibit resistance to ROS or even down-modulate ROS production. We hypothesized that L. amazonensis-infected macrophages reduce ROS production soon after parasite-cell interaction. Employing a highly sensitive analysis technique based on chemiluminescence, the production of superoxide (O(·-)(2)) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) by L. major- or L. amazonensis-infected CBA macrophages were measured. L. major induces macrophages to release levels of (O(·-)(2)) 3·5 times higher than in uninfected cells. This (O(·-)(2)) production is partially dependent on NADPH oxidase (NOX) type 2. The level of accumulated H(2)O(2) is 20 times higher in L. major-than in L. amazonensis-infected cells. Furthermore, macrophages stimulated with L. amazonensis release amounts of ROS similar to uninfected cells. These findings support previous studies showing that CBA macrophages are effective in controlling L. major infection by a mechanism dependent on both (O(·-)(2)) production and H(2)O(2) generation. Furthermore, these data reinforce the notion that L. amazonensis survive inside CBA macrophages by reducing ROS production during the phagocytic process.

The scavenger receptor MARCO is involved in Leishmania major infection by CBA/J macrophages.

CBA/J mice are resistant to Leishmania major infection but are permissive to L. amazonensis infection. In addition, CBA/J macrophages control L. major but not L. amazonensis infection in vitro. Phagocytosis by macrophages is known to determine the outcome of Leishmania infection. Pattern recognition receptors (PRR) adorning antigen presenting cell surfaces are known to coordinate the link between innate and adaptive immunity. The macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) is a PRR that is preferably expressed by macrophages and is capable of binding Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. No research on the role of MARCO in Leishmania-macrophage interactions has been reported. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that MARCO expression by CBA/J macrophages is increased in response to both in vitro and in vivo L. major infections, but not to L. amazonensis infection. In addition, a specific anti-MARCO monoclonal antibody reduced L. major infection of macrophages by 30%-40% in vitro. The draining lymph nodes of anti-MARCO-treated mice displayed a reduced presence of immunolabelled parasite and parasite antigens, as well as a reduced inflammatory response. These results support the hypothesis that MARCO has a role in macrophage infection by L. major in vitro as well as in vivo.

Consenso sobre a transdisciplinaridade na medicina periodontal 2005 / Consensus on periodontal medicine transdisciplinarity 2005

Objetivo : estabelecer diretrizes para as investigações sobre a transdisciplinaridade na Medicina Periodontal. Métodos: representantes das diferentes especialidades que estudam e pesquisam diversoa aspectos da Medicina Periodontal participaram do II Seminário de Periodontia em Saúde Coletiva - Uma Visão Transdisciplinar na Medicina Periodontal (Feira de Santana-Bahia, 2005) e prepararam este consenso, no qual estabeleceram as diretrizes para as investigações sobre a transdisciplinaridade na Medicina Periodontal, particularmente na questão da possível associação entre a doença periodontal e a prematuridade e baixo peso ao nascer. Resultados: Este consenso foi produzido após a apresentação de cada questão e extensa discussão pelos participantes do evento