Genetic identification of a rabies virus from an insectivorous bat in an urban area of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

In Latin America, hematophagous bats are the main reservoirs of rabies virus (RABV) to livestock, to other mammals and, occasionally, to human. Nonetheless, reports of exposure of human and pets to RABV upon aggression by non-hematophagous bats are increasing, possibly facilitated by the synanthropic habits of these bats. We, herein, report the detection and genetic identification of a RABV recovered from an insectivorous bat found sick in a student housing building at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Southern Brazil. Taxonomic characterization identified the captured bat as a member of the genus Nyctinomops, family Molossidae, the group of insectivorous bats. Brain fragments of the bat were positive for RABV antigens by fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and for sequences of the nucleoprotein (N) gene by RT-PCR. The N amplicon was submitted to nucleotide sequencing and analysis, showing that the consensus sequences (SV 33/19) had high identity with RABV sequences of insectivorous bats deposited in GenBank. At phylogenetic tree, the N gene sequences of SV 33/19 clustered with RABV recovered from Nyctinomops laticaudatus, Molossus molossus, and Tadarida lauticaudata bats, and a part of RABV variant 3, 4, and 6, that correspond to Desmodus rotundus, Tadarida brasiliensis, and Lasiurus cinereus, respectively. Although no direct human or domestic animal exposure has been reported, this case strengthens the need for a continuous rabies vaccination in pets in the surrounding areas, since non-hematophagous bats may serve as source of infection for these animals. These findings also call attention for continuous monitoring of populations of synanthropic bats to avoid/prevent human exposure.

Reactivity of the [Au(C

Gold complexes are promising compounds used in cancer chemotherapy. Besides their steric features, which enable biomolecule interactions, the redox instability and the high affinity of gold with cellular nucleophiles influence the biological action in these complexes. Both features were herein theoretically investigated for the [Au(C^N^C)Cl] probe complex (C^N^C = 2,6-diphenylpyridine) using H2O, CH3SH/CH3S-, CH3Se- and meim-4-H (4-methylimidazole) as biomimetic nucleophiles. Based on the results, the lowest energy reaction path followed two consecutive steps: (1) chloride-exchange ([Formula: see text] = 4.14 × 107 M-1 s-1) and (2) reduction of the resulting Au(III) metabolite to the corresponding Au(I) analog with chelate ring-opening ([Formula: see text] =+0.15 V-data based on the reaction with CH3Se-). These findings bring new insights about the mechanism of the Au(III) complex/biomolecule interaction in the cell, which is responsible for triggering biological responses.

Newcastle disease vaccination in captive-bred wild birds.

The breeding of wild birds in captivity assumes an increasingly important role in conservation due to the loss of species and their habitats. Providing the environmental and nutritional needs of species kept in captivity is the key for achieving success in such initiatives. Among the flock health practices, we highlight here wild bird vaccination, a scarcely studied subject. This study clinically and serologically evaluates the effect of applying a vaccination protocol against Newcastle disease in three groups of ornamental wild birds. The responses observed in 10 ornamental chickens were compared to those recorded in 12 ring-neck pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), 6 psittacines (2 cockatiels Nymphicus hollandicus, 2 lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus molucanos, and 2 eastern rosellas Platycercus eximius), and 6 touracos (2 guinea Tauraco persa, 2 white-cheeked Tauraco leucotis, and 2 violet Musophaga violacea). One drop of each live Newcastle HB1 and La Sota vaccines were ocularly instilled on the 1st and 21st experimental days, respectively. On the 112th day, one shot of an inactivated oily Newcastle vaccine was intramuscularly injected. Serum samples were submitted to the Newcastle disease virus antibody Test Kit ELISA-BioChek. Except for the psittacines, other bird species showed a considerable increase in the antibody titers. However, their mean antibody titers differed significantly (P < 0.05) from that recorded in the chickens.

Predicting Pt-195 NMR chemical shift using new relativistic all-electron basis set.

Predicting NMR properties is a valuable tool to assist the experimentalists in the characterization of molecular structure. For heavy metals, such as Pt-195, only a few computational protocols are available. In the present contribution, all-electron Gaussian basis sets, suitable to calculate the Pt-195 NMR chemical shift, are presented for Pt and all elements commonly found as Pt-ligands. The new basis sets identified as NMR-DKH were partially contracted as a triple-zeta doubly polarized scheme with all coefficients obtained from a Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH) second-order scalar relativistic calculation. The Pt-195 chemical shift was predicted through empirical models fitted to reproduce experimental data for a set of 183 Pt(II) complexes which NMR sign ranges from -1000 to -6000 ppm. Furthermore, the models were validated using a new set of 75 Pt(II) complexes, not included in the descriptive set. The models were constructed using non-relativistic Hamiltonian at density functional theory (DFT-PBEPBE) level with NMR-DKH basis set for all atoms. For the best model, the mean absolute deviation (MAD) and the mean relative deviation (MRD) were 150 ppm and 6%, respectively, for the validation set (75 Pt-complexes) and 168 ppm (MAD) and 5% (MRD) for all 258 Pt(II) complexes. These results were comparable with relativistic DFT calculation, 200 ppm (MAD) and 6% (MRD). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chicken parvovirus and its associations with malabsorption syndrome.

Malabsorption syndrome (MAS) is a multifactorial syndrome which is characterized by enteric disorders and reduced growth rates of broilers. Such condition is responsible for significant economic losses to the poultry industry. A possible association between chicken parvovirus (ChPV) infections and the occurrence of MAS has been proposed. However, such association has not to date been elucidated in view that ChPV has been detected in healthy as well as in MAS-affected chickens. This study aimed to detect and quantify ChPV loads in sera and tissues of MAS-affected, as well as in healthy broilers. Fifty nine, 39-day-old broilers (50 diseased, 9 healthy birds), obtained from the same flocks, were examined. The highest ChPV DNA loads were detected in MAS-affected broilers, particularly in fecal samples and intestinal tissues (~5500 genomic copies/300ng of total DNA). The average viral genome load in serum in MAS-affected birds was 1134copies/mL, whereas no viral DNA was found in sera and thymus tissues from healthy animals. These findings reveal that MAS-affected broilers consistently carry ChPV DNA is serum, whereas healthy animals do not. In addition, viral loads in tissues (bursa of Fabricius, spleen, intestine and liver) of MAS-affected birds were significantly higher in comparison to the same tissues from healthy broilers. Although preliminary, the results obtained here indicate an association between the detection of ChPV DNA in serum, in addition to high ChPV viral loads in tissues, and the occurrence of MAS in broilers. Further experiments should be performed to confirm such results.

Ligand Exchange Reaction of Au(I) R-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes with Cysteine.

The chemotherapy with gold complexes has been attempted since the 90s after the clinical success of auranofin, a gold(I) coordination complex. Currently, the organometallics compounds have shown promise in cancer therapy, mainly in those complexes containing N-heterocylic carbenes (NHC) as a ligand. The present study shows a kinetic analysis of the reaction of six alkyl-substituted NHC with cysteine (Cys), which is taken as an important bionucleophile representative. The first and second ligand exchange processes were analyzed with the complete description of the mechanism and energy profiles. For the first reaction step, which is the rate-limiting step of the whole substitution reaction, the activation enthalpy follows the order 1/Me2 < 2/Me,Et < 4/n-Bu2 < 3/i-Pr2 < 6/Cy2 < 5/t-Bu2, which is fully explained by steric and electronic features. From a steric point of view, the previous reactivity order is correlated with the r(Au-S) calculated for the transition state structures where S is the sulfur ligand from the Cys entering group. This means that longer r(Au-S) leads to higher activation enthalpy and is consistent with the effectiveness of gold shielding from nucleophile attack by bulkier alkyl-substituted NHC ligand. When electronic effect was addressed we found that higher activation barrier was predicted for strongly electron-donating NHC ligand, represented by the eigenvalue of σ-HOMO orbital of the free ligands. The molecular interpretation of the electronic effects is that strong donating NHC forms strong metal-ligand bond. For the second reaction step, similar structure-reactivity relationships were obtained, however the activation energies are less sensitive to the structure.

Subgingival bacterial community profiles in HIV-infected Brazilian adults with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To compare the subgingival microbial diversity between non-HIV-infected and HIV-infected individuals with chronic periodontitis using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients were selected: 11 were HIV-infected and 21 were non-HIV-infected, and all had chronic periodontitis. Periodontal measurements included probing depth, clinical attachment level, visible supragingival biofilm and bleeding on probing. Subgingival biofilm samples were collected from periodontal sites (50% with probing depth ≤ 4 mm and 50% with probing depth ≥ 5 mm) and whole-genomic-amplified DNA was obtained. The DNA samples were subjected to amplification of a 16S rRNA gene fragment using universal bacterial primers, followed by DGGE analysis of the amplified gene sequences. RESULTS: The non-HIV-infected group presented higher mean full-mouth visible supragingival biofilm (p = 0.004), bleeding on probing (p = 0.006), probing depth (p < 0.001) and clinical attachment level (p = 0.001) in comparison with the HIV-infected group. DGGE analysis revealed 81 distinct bands from all 33 individuals. Banding profiles revealed a higher diversity of the bacterial communities in the subgingival biofilm of HIV-infected patients with chronic periodontitis. Moreover, cluster and principal component analyses demonstrated that the bacterial community profiles differed between these two conditions. High interindividual and intra-individual variability in banding profiles were observed for both groups. CONCLUSION: HIV-infected patients with chronic periodontitis present greater subgingival microbial diversity. In addition, the bacterial communities associated with HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected individuals are different in structure.

Efficient assembly of full-length infectious clone of Brazilian IBDV isolate by homologous recombination in yeast

The Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) causes immunosuppression in young chickens. Advances in molecular virology and vaccines for IBDV have been achieved by viral reverse genetics (VRG). VRG for IBDV has undergone changes over time, however all strategies used to generate particles of IBDV involves multiple rounds of amplification and need of in vitro ligation and restriction sites. The aim of this research was to build the world's first VRG for IBDV by yeast-based homologous recombination; a more efficient, robust and simple process than cloning by in vitro ligation. The wild type IBDV (Wt-IBDV-Br) was isolated in Brazil and had its genome cloned in pJG-CMV-HDR vector by yeast-based homologous recombination. The clones were transfected into chicken embryo fibroblasts and the recovered virus (IC-IBDV-Br) showed genetic stability and similar phenotype to Wt-IBDV-Br, which were observed by nucleotide sequence, focus size/morphology and replication kinetics, respectively. Thus, IBDV reverse genetics by yeast-based homologous recombination provides tools to IBDV understanding and vaccines/viral vectors development.

Tank bromeliad water: similar or distinct environments for research of bacterial bioactives?

The Atlantic Rainforest does not have a uniform physiognomy, its relief determines different environmental conditions that define the composition of its flora and fauna. Within this ecosystem, bromeliads that form tanks with their leaves hold water reservoirs throughout the year, maintaining complex food chains, based mainly on autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. Some works concluded that the water held by tank bromeliads concentrate the microbial diversity of their ecosystem. To investigate the bacterial diversity and the potential biotechnology of these ecosystems, tank bromeliads of the Neoregelia cruenta species from the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil were used as models for this research. Bacteria isolated from these models were tested for production of bioactive compounds. DGGE of the water held by tank bromeliads was performed in different seasons, locations and sun exposure to verify whether these environmental factors affect bacterial communities. The DGGE bands profile showed no grouping of bacterial community by the environmental factors tested. Most of the isolates demonstrated promising activities in the tests performed. Collectively, these results suggest that tank bromeliads of the N. cruenta species provide important habitats for a diverse microbial community, suggesting that each tank forms a distinct micro-habitat. These tanks can be considered excellent sources for the search for new enzymes and/or new bioactive composites of microbial origin.

Efficient assembly of full-length infectious clone of Brazilian IBDV isolate by homologous recombination in yeast.

The Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) causes immunosuppression in young chickens. Advances in molecular virology and vaccines for IBDV have been achieved by viral reverse genetics (VRG). VRG for IBDV has undergone changes over time, however all strategies used to generate particles of IBDV involves multiple rounds of amplification and need of in vitro ligation and restriction sites. The aim of this research was to build the world's first VRG for IBDV by yeast-based homologous recombination; a more efficient, robust and simple process than cloning by in vitro ligation. The wild type IBDV (Wt-IBDV-Br) was isolated in Brazil and had its genome cloned in pJG-CMV-HDR vector by yeast-based homologous recombination. The clones were transfected into chicken embryo fibroblasts and the recovered virus (IC-IBDV-Br) showed genetic stability and similar phenotype to Wt-IBDV-Br, which were observed by nucleotide sequence, focus size/morphology and replication kinetics, respectively. Thus, IBDV reverse genetics by yeast-based homologous recombination provides tools to IBDV understanding and vaccines/viral vectors development.

Structural and dynamics analysis of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 complexed with chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs).

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a critical role in physiological processes and pathological conditions such tumor invasion and metastasis. In recent years, a number of MMP inhibitors have been proposed, including the chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs), which have been evaluated in preclinical cancer models showing promising results. This work provides insights into the structure and dynamics of the MMP-2 catalytic domain complexed with seven CMT (CMT-n), based on the analysis of molecular dynamics trajectories in solution. The comparative analysis of various relevant molecular aspects of the different complexes of MMP-2 and CMT-n derivatives was performed aiming to elucidate the effect of ligands on the enzyme structure. These include the radial distribution function of the water molecules around the catalytic zinc, the solvent accessible surface area for the inhibitors and the root-mean-square fluctuation for all amino acid residues. The results help to understand the differences in the binding modes of related compounds and, therefore, add to further design of novel tetracycline-based inhibitors for MMP enzymes.

Tank bromeliad water: similar or distinct environments for research of bacterial bioactives?

The Atlantic Rainforest does not have a uniform physiognomy, its relief determines different environmental conditions that define the composition of its flora and fauna. Within this ecosystem, bromeliads that form tanks with their leaves hold water reservoirs throughout the year, maintaining complex food chains, based mainly on autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. Some works concluded that the water held by tank bromeliads concentrate the microbial diversity of their ecosystem. To investigate the bacterial diversity and the potential biotechnology of these ecosystems, tank bromeliads of the Neoregelia cruenta species from the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil were used as models for this research. Bacteria isolated from these models were tested for production of bioactive compounds. DGGE of the water held by tank bromeliads was performed in different seasons, locations and sun exposure to verify whether these environmental factors affect bacterial communities. The DGGE bands profile showed no grouping of bacterial community by the environmental factors tested. Most of the isolates demonstrated promising activities in the tests performed. Collectively, these results suggest that tank bromeliads of the N. cruenta species provide important habitats for a diverse microbial community, suggesting that each tank forms a distinct micro-habitat. These tanks can be considered excellent sources for the search for new enzymes and/or new bioactive composites of microbial origin.

Comparison of different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from reef corals

This study aimed to test different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from the coral Mussismilia harttii. Four different commercial kits were tested, three of them based on methods for DNA extraction from soil (FastDNA SPIN Kit for soil, MP Bio, PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio, and ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit, Zymo Research) and one kit for DNA extraction from plants (UltraClean Plant DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio). Five polyps of the same colony of M. harttii were macerated and aliquots were submitted to DNA extraction by the different kits. After extraction, the DNA was quantified and PCR-DGGE was used to study the molecular fingerprint of Bacteria and Eukarya. Among the four kits tested, the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit was the most efficient with respect to the amount of DNA extracted, yielding about three times more DNA than the other kits. Also, we observed a higher number and intensities of DGGE bands for both Bacteria and Eukarya with the same kit. Considering these results, we suggested that the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit is the best adapted for the study of the microbial communities of corals.

Comparison of different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from reef corals

This study aimed to test different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from the coral Mussismilia harttii. Four different commercial kits were tested, three of them based on methods for DNA extraction from soil (FastDNA SPIN Kit for soil, MP Bio, PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio, and ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit, Zymo Research) and one kit for DNA extraction from plants (UltraClean Plant DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio). Five polyps of the same colony of M. harttii were macerated and aliquots were submitted to DNA extraction by the different kits. After extraction, the DNA was quantified and PCR-DGGE was used to study the molecular fingerprint of Bacteria and Eukarya. Among the four kits tested, the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit was the most efficient with respect to the amount of DNA extracted, yielding about three times more DNA than the other kits. Also, we observed a higher number and intensities of DGGE bands for both Bacteria and Eukarya with the same kit. Considering these results, we suggested that the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit is the best adapted for the study of the microbial communities of corals.

Comparison of different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from reef corals.

This study aimed to test different protocols for the extraction of microbial DNA from the coral Mussismilia harttii. Four different commercial kits were tested, three of them based on methods for DNA extraction from soil (FastDNA SPIN Kit for soil, MP Bio, PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio, and ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit, Zymo Research) and one kit for DNA extraction from plants (UltraClean Plant DNA Isolation Kit, MoBio). Five polyps of the same colony of M. harttii were macerated and aliquots were submitted to DNA extraction by the different kits. After extraction, the DNA was quantified and PCR-DGGE was used to study the molecular fingerprint of Bacteria and Eukarya. Among the four kits tested, the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit was the most efficient with respect to the amount of DNA extracted, yielding about three times more DNA than the other kits. Also, we observed a higher number and intensities of DGGE bands for both Bacteria and Eukarya with the same kit. Considering these results, we suggested that the ZR Soil Microbe DNA Kit is the best adapted for the study of the microbial communities of corals.

Efficacy of an inactivated, recombinant bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) vaccine.

Bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) is the causative agent of bovine herpetic encephalitis. In countries where BoHV-5 is prevalent, attempts to vaccinate cattle to prevent clinical signs from BoHV-5-induced disease have relied essentially on vaccination with BoHV-1 vaccines. However, such practice has been shown not to confer full protection to BoHV-5 challenge. In the present study, an inactivated, oil adjuvanted vaccine prepared with a recombinant BoHV-5 from which the genes coding for glycoprotein I (gI), glycoprotein E (gE) and membrane protein US9 were deleted (BoHV-5 gI/gE/US9(-)), was evaluated in cattle in a vaccination/challenge experiment. The vaccine was prepared from a virus suspension containing a pre-inactivation antigenic mass equivalent to 10(7.69) TCID(50)/dose. Three mL of the inactivated vaccine were administered subcutaneously to eight calves serologically negative for BoHV-5 (vaccinated group). Four other calves were mock-vaccinated with an equivalent preparation without viral antigens (control group). Both groups were boostered 28 days later. Neither clinical signs of disease nor adverse effects were observed during or after vaccination. A specific serological response, revealed by the development of neutralizing antibodies, was detected in all vaccinated animals after the first dose of vaccine, whereas control animals remained seronegative. Calves were subsequently challenged on day 77 post-vaccination (pv) with 10(9.25) TCID(50) of the wild-type BoHV-5 (parental strain EVI 88/95). After challenge, vaccinated cattle displayed mild signs of respiratory disease, whereas the control group developed respiratory disease and severe encephalitis, which led to culling of 2/4 calves. Searches for viral DNA in the central nervous system (CNS) of vaccinated calves indicated that wild-type BoHV-5 did not replicate, whereas in CNS tissues of calves on the control group, viral DNA was widely distributed. BoHV-5 shedding in nasal secretions was significantly lower in vaccinated calves than in the control group on days 2, 3, 4 and 6 post-challenge (pc). In addition, the duration of virus shedding was significantly shorter in the vaccinated (7 days) than in controls (12 days). Attempts to reactivate latent infection by administration of dexamethasone at 147 days pv led to recrudescence of mild signs of respiratory disease in both vaccinated and control groups. Infectious virus shedding in nasal secretions was detected at reactivation and was significantly lower in vaccinated cattle than in controls on days 11-13 post-reactivation (pr). It is concluded that the inactivated vaccine prepared with the BoHV-5 gI/gE/US9(-) recombinant was capable of conferring protection to encephalitis when vaccinated cattle were challenged with a large infectious dose of the parental wild type BoHV-5. However, it did not avoid the establishment of latency nor impeded dexamethasone-induced reactivation of the virus, despite a significant reduction in virus shedding after challenge and at reactivation on vaccinated calves.

A quasiclassical trajectory study of the OH+SO reaction: The role of rotational energy.

A full dimensional quasiclassical trajectory study of the OH+SO reaction is presented with the aim of investigating the role of the reactants rotational energy in the reactivity. Different energetic combinations with one and both reactants rotationally excited are studied. A passive method is used to correct zero-point-energy leakage in the classical calculations. The reactive cross sections, for each combination, are calculated and fitted to a capturelike model combined with a factor accounting for recrossing effects. Reactivity decreases as rotational energy is increased in any of both reactants. This fact provides a theoretical support for the experimental dependence of the rate constant on temperature.

A theoretical study of the interaction of anhydrotetracycline with Al(III).

In this article the complexation of anhydrotetracycline (AHTC), the major toxic decomposition product of the antibiotic tetracycline, with Al(III) has been investigated using the AM1 semiempirical and ab initio Hartree-Fock levels of theory. Different modes of complexation have been considered with the structure of tetra- and pentacoordinated complexes being fully optimized. In the gas phase, processes ii and iii, which lead to the complexes with stoichiometry MHL2+, are favored. Structure II ([AlLH2(OH)(H2O)]2+) has the metal coordinated to the O11 and O12 groups and the O3 group protonated and is the global minimum on the potential energy surface for the interaction. In water solution, the Al(III) is predicted to form predominantly a tetracoordinated complex at the Oam and O3 site (V) of the AHTC with the stoichiometry MH2L3+ (process i). The experimental proposal is the complexed form with the metal ion coordinated to the O11-O12 moiety (site II). The intramolecular proton transfer, which leads to the most stable Al(III)-AHTC MHL2+ complex, has not been considered by the experimentalists. The experimental structure was found to be unfavorable in our calculations in both gas phase and water solution. All the semiempirical results are in perfect agreement with the ab initio calculations. So, we suggest that the experimental assignments should be revised, taking into account the results obtained in the present study.

Conformational analysis of the anhydrotetracycline molecule: a toxic decomposition product of tetracycline.

Anhydrotetracycline (AHTC) is a toxic decomposition product of the widely used antibiotic tetracycline (TC). The side effects of AHTC have been attributed to the conformational changes in the ring system. In the present study a systematic conformational analysis has been carried out using the semiempirical quantum mechanical AM1 model. The conformational pH dependence has been analyzed through the study of all the ionized species. The results obtained showed two distinct families of conformation, referred to as A and B, with the interconversion process involving a rotation around the C4a-C12a bond. The solvent effect has been considered using the continuum model COSMO. From the population analysis in the gas phase, we conclude that form A should be dominant for the LH3+ and LH2 +/- species and B is the preferred conformer for the L2- ionized form (97.54%). For the LH- derivative, we predict that both conformations should be present in the equilibrium mixture in the gas phase, with the relative concentration found to be 68.47% (A) and 31.53% (B). The inclusion of the solvent does not change the A/B equilibrium for the LH3+ and LH2 +/- species. However, for the LH- form, the equilibrium is shifted to conformer A in water solution. The population analysis in water solution for the L2- suggest the following relative concentrations: A (34.46%) and B (65.54%). The biological activity of the TC parent compound is attributed to the zwitterionic species, which should adopt a twisted conformation. According to the results obtained in the present study, the most abundant form of the LH2 +/- zwitterionic species for the AHTC molecule is the extended one (100% in both the gas phase and water solution). Therefore, from a pharmacodynamic point of view, this conformational difference should be taken into account in order to explain the toxic effects of the anhydrous derivative. Another point related to the structure-activity relationship was analyzed through the investigation of the tautomerization process LH2(0)-->LH2 +/-. The result obtained suggests that the LH2(0) tautomer should be dominant in the gas phase (nonpolar solvent) and adopt a conformation classified as B. In water solution, the tautomer LH2 +/- is present as conformer A (96%). This result is in agreement with the conformation changes involved in the tautomerization process for the OTC active derivative.