Resilience and Stress during Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Multidimensional Approach in Maternal and Perinatal Health.

This narrative review addresses resilience and stress during pregnancy, which is part of a broader concept of maternal health. Pregnancy and postpartum are opportune periods for health promotion interventions, especially because the close contact of the women with health professionals. In this way, it can be considered a useful window of opportunity to identify women at higher risk for adverse outcomes. Integrated health is a concept that aims at providing comprehensive care related to the promotion of individuals' physical, mental, and social well-being. In this context, stress during pregnancy has been targeted as a remarkable condition to be addressed whether due to individual issues, social issues, or specific pregnancy issues, since it is directly and indirectly associated with pregnancy complications. Stress is associated with preterm birth, postpartum depression, anxiety, child neurodevelopment, and fetal distress. The way that an individual faces a stressful and adverse situation is called resilience; this reaction is individual, dynamic, and contextual, and it can affect maternal and fetal outcomes. Low resilience has been associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes. The social context of pregnancy can act as a protective or contributory (risk) factor, indicating that environments of high social vulnerability play a negative role in resilience and, consequently, in perceived stress. A given stressor can be enhanced or mitigated depending on the social context that was imposed, as well as it can be interpreted as different degrees of perceived stress and faced with a higher or lower degree of resilience. Understanding these complex mechanisms may be valuable for tackling this matter. Therefore, in the pregnancy-puerperal period, the analysis of the stress-resilience relationship is essential, especially in contexts of greater social vulnerability, and is a health-promoting factor for both the mother and baby.

In vitro algicidal effect of guanidine on Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 strains isolated from clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis.

Prototheca species have increasingly been reported to be opportunistic pathogens that cause mastitis in dairy herds, and it poses an emergent problem because at present, there are no effective therapies for the treatment of protothecal mastitis. This study investigated the in vitro algicidal effect of guanidine on 75 Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 strains isolated from 75 cases of clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis. All strains were susceptible to guanidine in vitro with minimal algaecide concentrations ranging from 0·001 to 0·035%. Guanidine is known to have a high microbicidal effect and is considered to be a new generation microbicidal compound. It is not toxic to human mucous membranes and conjunctivas at low concentrations and has been used as a disinfectant in swimming pools and as an antiseptic for human wounds. The algicidal action of guanidine at low concentrations indicates that it could be an alternative disinfectant or antiseptic for cleaning of the dairy environment and milking equipment, in pre- and postdipping solutions, in the chemical dry therapy of bovine teats and even in the intramammary therapy of P. zopfii infections. This is the first report of the in vitro algicidal effect of guanidine on P. zopfii strains of animal origin. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 is an opportunistic pathogen of bovine mastitis. To date, no effective therapies against protothecal mastitis have been developed. The in vitro algicidal effect of guanidine on 75 P. zopfii genotype 2 strains isolated from cows revealed that all of the isolates were susceptible to the compound at low concentrations, which indicates that guanidine may be used as an antiseptic/disinfectant for dairy milking equipment, in pre- and postdipping solutions, and as a chemical dry therapy or an intramammary therapy. This study describes the in vitro algicidal effect of guanidine on P. zopfii for the first time.

Virulence markers associated with Trueperella pyogenes infections in livestock and companion animals.

Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that causes diverse pyogenic infections in livestock. The genes that encode the exotoxin pyolysin (plo) and other putative factors that promote adhesion of pathogen to host cells (fimbriae fimA, fimC, fimE, fimG, neuraminidases nanH, nanP, and collagen-binding protein cbpA) have been associated with virulence, particularly in mastitis and uterus infections of dairy cows. However, the role of these virulence markers in the pathogenicity of the agent in domestic animals infections still is incompletely understood. The genes plo, fimA, fimC, fimE, fimG, nanH, nanP, and cbpA were investigated in 71 T. pyogenes strains recovered from cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, equines, and a pig, recovered from mastitis (n = 35), and non-mastitis (n = 36) cases (abscesses, reproductive tract diseases, pneumonia, lymphadenitis, encephalitis). The most common genes harboured by the isolates were: plo (71/71 = 100·0%), fimA (70/71 = 98·6%), nanP (56/71 = 78·9%), fimE (53/71 = 74·6%), fimC (46/71 = 64·8%) and nanH (45/71 = 63·4%), whereas cbpA (6/71 = 8·4%) and fimG (4/71 = 5·6%) were uncommon. The most frequent genotypes were plo/fimA/fimE/fimC/nanH/nanP (17/71 = 23·9%), plo/fimA/fimE/nanH/nanP (13/71 = 18·3%), and plo/fimA/fimE/fimC/nanP (11/71 = 15·5%). No association was observed between the presence of genes vs clinical signs or host species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on aforementioned virulence factors of pathogen detected in diseased horses and dogs. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The role of particular virulence factors of Trueperella pyogenes that determine different pyogenic infections among domestic animals is poorly understood. Eight putative virulence genes and genotype profiles of 71 isolates were investigated among different clinical manifestations in domestic animals. The most common genes were plo (71/71 = 100·0%), fimA (70/71 = 98·6%), nanP (56/71 = 78·9%), fimE (53/71 = 74·6%), fimC (46/71 = 64·8%) and nanH (45/71 = 63·4%), whereas plo/fimA/fimE/fimC/nanH/nanP (17/71 = 23·9%), plo/fimA/fimE/nanH/nanP (13/71 = 18·3%), and plo/fimA/fimE/fimC/nanP (11/71 = 15·5%) were the most frequent genotypes. Studies involving virulence factors are critical in the investigation of molecular epidemiology, pathogenicity, and hypothetical differences in the virulence among T. pyogenes strains from different geographical areas.

Molecular typing and differences in biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibilities among Prototheca strains isolated in Italy and Brazil.

Bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca is a serious and complex problem that accounts for high economic losses in the dairy industry. The main objective of this study was to identify and characterize at genetic level different Prototheca strains and provide the most complete data about protothecal antibiotic resistance. The study involves 46 isolates from Italian (13 strains) and Brazilian (33 strains) mastitic milk. These strains were identified by multiplex PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and characterized by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. Moreover, biofilm production and antibiotic susceptibility were evaluated. Forty-two strains resulted as Prototheca zopfii genotype 2, whereas 4 isolates could belong to a potential new Prototheca species. The RAPD-PCR, performed with 3 primers (M13, OPA-4, and OPA-18), showed a notable heterogeneity among isolates and grouped the strains according to the species and geographical origin. Biofilm production was species-dependent and P. zopfii genotype 2 strains were classified as strong biofilm producers. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility tests indicated that Prototheca strains were susceptible to antibacterial drugs belonging to aminoglycosides group; the highest activity against Prototheca strains was observed in the case of colistin sulfate, gentamicin, and netilmicin (100% of susceptible strains). It is interesting to note that all the Italian P. zopfii genotype 2 strains showed lower minimum inhibitory concentration values than the Brazilian ones. Nisin showed more efficacy than lysozyme and potassium sorbate, inhibiting 31% of the strains. Results obtained in this study confirmed that RAPD-PCR is a rapid, inexpensive, and highly discriminating tool for Prototheca strains characterization and could give a good scientific contribution for better understanding the protothecal mastitis in dairy herd.

Colostrum composition of Santa Inês sheep and passive transfer of immunity to lambs.

This study aimed to analyze the chemical composition and the IgG concentration of the colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk of Santa Inês ewes as well as the transfer of passive immunity to lambs. Thirty-two pregnant ewes and 38 lambs were used. Ewes were milked immediately after lambing and at 12, 24, 36 h and 10 d postpartum. Colostrum was provided to the lambs at 40±15 min (mean±SE) after birth and then at 30-min intervals for obtaining the intake closest to 10% of body weight, and transitional milk was provided ad libitum. Blood from the lambs was collected 36 h after birth for measuring the serum concentrations of IgG, total protein, albumin, and gamma-globulin. The production was lower in primiparous than in multiparous ewes with body condition score (BCS)<2.75, but did not differ between primiparous and multiparous with BCS≥2.75 (interaction parity and BCS). The IgG concentration and fat, protein, lactose, and defatted dry extract percentages were not affected by the BCS of the ewe at lambing or by the parity. The total solids percentage in the colostrum was higher in ewes with BCS<2.75 (interaction BCS and time). The production and the protein, total solid, and defatted dry extract percentages showed quadratic behavior, the fat percentage decreased linearly, and the lactose percentage increased linearly with time postpartum. The IgG concentration in the colostrum was not correlated with the ewe's weight or BCS at the time of lambing. Moreover, the parity, the BCS, the ewe's type of gestation, and the lamb's sex did not influence the serum concentrations of IgG, total protein, albumin, and gamma-globulin in lambs. Adequate passive immune transfer (PIT) was observed in lambs for which the IgG intake was higher than 30 g. Failure in PIT was observed in 39.5% of lambs when considering a serum IgG concentration lower than 15 mg/mL and in 21% when considering a serum total protein concentration lower than 45 mg/mL. The mean apparent efficiency of absorption was 38.10%, with values between 0.02% and 98.80%. The serum IgG concentration was correlated with the total protein concentration (according to the enzymatic colorimetric method), the gamma-globulin concentration, and the absorption efficiency. The extreme variation on apparent efficiency of absorption may have an effect on the success of PIT. Lambs should consume at least 30 g of IgG in the first 24 h of life to ensure adequate PIT.

Clinical manifestations of tooth eruption in the first year of life and related risk factors in three regions of Brazil: multicenter birth cohort study.

PURPOSE: Estimate the incidence of teething symptoms and investigate risk factors at three centers in different regions of Brazil. METHODS: A prospective cohort study enrolled children at birth in the cities of Manaus (northern region), Porto Alegre (southern region) and Salvador (northeast region). Sociodemographic and anthropometric variables were collected at baseline and 6 months. At 12 months, data were collected on the child's health through structured interviews and dental examinations, including the primary outcome: occurrence of signs and symptoms of tooth eruption reported by parents. Statistical analysis involved Poisson regression with robust variance, with calculation of relative risks (RR). RESULTS: The incidence of teething symptoms was 82.4% (238/289). The multivariate analysis revealed a higher occurrence of the outcome in the city of Salvador (RR = 1.39; 95% CI 1.23-1.58), when mother's education was more than 11 years (RR = 1.31; 95% CI 1.04-1.65), when a larger number of individuals resided in the home (RR = 1.15; 95% CI 1.02-1.29), when a smoker resided in the home (RR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.03-1.31) and when the child presented flu or cold in the first year of life (RR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.09-1.38). The most reported symptoms were fever (50.5%), irritability (42.6%), itching (40.8%) and diarrhea (35.3%). Most parents (82%) took some action to alleviate symptoms, including unprescribed systemic medication, such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheic agents. CONCLUSION: Reports of teething symptoms were associated with the city investigated, socioeconomic factors of the families and characteristics of the child's health. A high rate of administering unprescribed medication was also found.

Insecticidal activity of essential oils on Spodoptera frugiperda and selectivity to Euborellia annulipes.

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is the main species that causes damage to the maize crop in Brazil. In the perspective of studying alternatives of control of this pest that preserve the natural enemies, the aim of this research was to evaluate the insecticidal efficiency of the essential oils of Vanillosmopsis arborea and Lippia microphylla on S. frugiperda and verify the selectivity to the predator Euborellia annulipes. The bioassays were carried out in the Agricultural Entomology Laboratory of the Federal University of Paraiba, using insects, from 3rd instar of S. frugiperda and E. annulipes, originating from mass rearing in the laboratory itself. Dilutions of the oils were performed in Tween® 80 at concentrations of 0, 100, 150 and 200 mg mL-1. 1.0 µL from each dilution was applied to the prothoracic region of the insects. The S. frugiperda mortality was verified by topical contact of V. arborea oil with LC10 = 74.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 172.86 mg mL-1, for L. microphyla, LC10 = 51.26 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 104.52 mg mL-1. The observed lethal concentrations for E. annulipes were V. arborea LC10 = 71.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 160.2 mg mL-1. While L. microphyla, were LC10 = 50.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 134.67 mg mL-1. The essential oils of V. arborea and L. microphylla are efficient in the control of S. frugiperda, but are not selective to the predator E. Annulipes.

Paclobutrazol reduces growth and increases chlorophyll indices and gas exchanges of basil (Ocimum basilicum).

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a medicinal, ornamental and aromatic plant, however, its size can be an obstacle to its commercialization as a potted ornamental plant. Paclobutrazol (PBZ) is a substance that can retard plant growth by inhibiting the synthesis of gibberellins. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of paclobutrazol on growth regulation and gas exchange of basil (var. Cinnamon). The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with five treatments (PBZ doses: 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mg L-1), with eight replicates. Growth (plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf dry mass, stem dry mass, inflorescence dry mass, and total), growth rates (leaf mass ratio, stem mass ratio, inflorescence mass ratio, and robustness quotient), chlorophyll indices, gas exchange (gs, A, E, Ci, WUE, iWUE and iCE) were evaluated. Paclobutrazol reduced the growth of basil plants and increased the chlorophyll indices, A, gs, and WUE. Paclobutrazol can be used to regulate plant growth of basil plants var. Cinnamon, without altering its physiological and ornamental characteristics.

IgG functionalized polymeric nanoparticles for oral insulin administration.

The oral route is the best way to administer a drug; however, fitting peptide drugs in this route is a major challenge. In insulin cases, less than 0.5% of the administered dose achieves systemic circulation. Oral delivery by nanoparticles can increase insulin permeability across the intestinal epithelium while maintaining its structure and activity until release in the gut. This system can be improved to increase permeability across intestinal cells through active delivery. This study aimed to improve a nanoparticle formulation by promoting functionalization of its surface with immunoglobulin G to increase its absorption by intestinal epithelium. The characterization of formulations showed an adequate size and a good entrapment efficiency. Functionalized nanoparticles led to a desirable increase in insulin release time. Differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy and paper chromatography proved the interactions of nanoparticle components. With immunoglobulin G, the nanoparticle size was slightly increased, which did not show aggregate formation. The developed functionalized nanoparticle formulation proved to be adequate to carry insulin and potentially increase its internalization by epithelial gut cells, being a promising alternative to the existing formulations for orally administered low-absorption peptides.

TiO2 bioactive implant surfaces doped with specific amount of Sr modulate mineralization.

One of the main problems that remain in the implant industry is poor osseointegration due to bioinertness of implants. In order to promote bioactivity, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and strontium (Sr) were incorporated into a TiO2 porous layer produced by micro-arc oxidation. Ca and P as bioactive elements are already well reported in the literature, however, the knowledge of the effect of Sr is still limited. In the present work, the effect of various amounts of Sr was evaluated and the morphology, chemical composition and crystal structure of the oxide layer were investigated. Furthermore, in vitro studies were carried out using human osteoblast-like cells. The oxide layer formed showed a triplex structure, where higher incorporation of Sr increased Ca/P ratio, amount of rutile and promoted the formation of SrTiO3 compound. Biological tests revealed that lower concentrations of Sr did not compromise initial cell adhesion neither viability and interestingly improved mineralization. However, higher concentration of Sr (and consequent higher amount of rutile) showed to induce collagen secretion but with compromised mineralization, possibly due to a delayed mineralization process or induced precipitation of deficient hydroxyapatite. Ca-P-TiO2 porous layer with less concentration of Sr seems to be an ideal candidate for bone implants.

Influence of soil characteristics on the diversity of bacteria in the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the 25 biodiversity hot spots in the world. Although the diversity of its fauna and flora has been studied fairly well, little is known of its microbial communities. In this work, we analyzed the Atlantic Forest ecosystem to determine its bacterial biodiversity, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and correlated changes in deduced taxonomic profiles with the physicochemical characteristics of the soil. DNAs were purified from soil samples, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified to construct libraries. Comparison of 754 independent 16S rRNA gene sequences from 10 soil samples collected along a transect in an altitude gradient showed the prevalence of Acidobacteria (63%), followed by Proteobacteria (25.2%), Gemmatimonadetes (1.6%), Actinobacteria (1.2%), Bacteroidetes (1%), Chloroflexi (0.66%), Nitrospira (0.4%), Planctomycetes (0.4%), Firmicutes (0.26%), and OP10 (0.13%). Forty-eight sequences (6.5%) represented unidentified bacteria. The Shannon diversity indices of the samples varied from 4.12 to 3.57, indicating that the soils have a high level of diversity. Statistical analysis showed that the bacterial diversity is influenced by factors such as altitude, Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) ratio, and Al(3+) and phosphorus content, which also affected the diversity within the same lineage. In the samples analyzed, pH had no significant impact on diversity.

Genetic diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia: the importance of functional analysis of potential splice-site mutations.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) results from defective low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) activity, mainly due to LDLR gene defects. Of the many different LDLR mutations found in patients with FH, about 6% of single base substitutions are located near or within introns, and are predicted to result in exon skipping, retention of an intron, or activation of cryptic sites during mRNA splicing. This paper reports on the Portuguese FH Study, which found 10 such mutations, 6 of them novel. For the mutations that have not been described before or those whose effect on function have not been analysed, their effect on splicing was investigated, using reverse transcriptase PCR analysis of LDLR mRNA from freshly isolated blood mononuclear cells. Two of these variants (c.313+6 T-->C, c.2389G-->T (p.V776L)) caused exon skipping, and one caused retention of an intron (c.1359-5C-->G), whereas two others (c.2140+5 G-->A and c.1061-8T-->C) had no apparent effect. Any effect of c.1185G-->C (p.V374V) on splicing could not be determined because it was on an allele with a promoter mutation (-42C-->G) that was probably not transcribed. Variants in four patients lost to follow-up could not be tested experimentally, but they almost certainly affect splicing because they disrupt the invariant AG or GT in acceptor (c.818-2A-->G) or donor (c.1060+1G-->A, c.1845+1delG and c.2547+1G-->A) spice sites. These findings emphasise that care must be taken before reporting the presence or absence of a splice-site mutation in the LDLR gene for diagnostic purposes. The study also shows that relatively simple, quick and inexpensive RNA assays can evaluate putative splicing mutations that are not always predictable by available software, thereby reducing genetic misdiagnosis of patients with FH.

Molecular diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia: an important tool for cardiovascular risk stratification.

UNLABELLED: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with an increased risk of premature coronary heart disease. Molecular identification of these patients can reduce the burden of mortality from cardiovascular disorders simply by the correct identification of the disease early in life, followed by counseling and appropriate lifestyle modifications, and therapeutic measures when required. Recent studies show that, in Portugal, this disease is severely under-diagnosed. After more than 10 years of research through the Portuguese FH Study, it is now possible to translate the original research results into clinical application. AIMS: The main aims of the present work were to determine whether clinical characterization is sufficient to identify these individuals at high risk of developing CHD and to evaluate the clinical applicability of molecular diagnosis for FH. METHODS: All patients described in this study were recruited for the Portuguese FH Study. The diagnostic criteria used to select the index patients were adapted from the Simon Broome Heart Research Trust. To analyze the usefulness of the molecular diagnosis, graphs of total and LDL cholesterol values by age were constructed for 622 possible FH patients. The lipid profile of patients genetically identified as having FH, before and under medication, were analyzed to assess whether these patients were receiving appropriate treatment. The data are shown separately for children and adults and for female and male propositi (index cases and hypercholesterolemic relatives), both with and without a detectable mutation in the LDLR gene. RESULTS: The Portuguese FH Study has already genetically identified 404 individuals (171 index patients and 233 relatives) among more than one thousand individuals sent for study. A total of 78 different mutations in the LDLR gene were found in 171 index patients, 2 different mutations were found in the apoB gene of 4 patients and 2 patients had a unique PCSK9 mutation. Statistical analysis revealed that there are significant differences between total cholesterol (p < 0.001) and apoB (p = 0.026) values in the group of children (male and female) with and without a mutation in LDLR. For female children LDL values were also significantly different (p < 0.001) between subgroups but for male children this difference did not reach statistical significance. In adult women there is a statistically significant difference for total cholesterol (p = 0.049), LDL cholesterol (p = 0.031) and apoB (p = 0.003) values in the subgroups with and without a LDLR mutation. In adult males there is a statistical difference for total cholesterol (p = 0.002). LDL cholesterol (p = 0.003) and apoB (p = 0.0023) in subgroups with and without an LDLR mutation. Nevertheless there was considerable dispersion of values and individually it is not possible to distinguish between patients with and without a mutation in the LDLR gene, based only on lipid profile. CONCLUSIONS: By analysis of the clinical data of 696 possible FH patients, the present report shows evidence that clinical characterization is not sufficient to distinguish between patients with genetic or environmental dyslipidemia, and so molecular diagnosis is useful in clinical practice, allowing correct identification of FH patients and their relatives, and the early implementation of therapeutic measures to reduce the elevated cardiovascular risk of these patients. In general, molecular diagnosis of FH is feasible and could be obtained in 1-2 months if the technology is available. In Portugal the test will be offered to the population by our Institute at a cost of about 500 euros, like many other genetic tests or exams such as nuclear magnetic resonance.

Comparison between hybrid MOPPABV and ABVD chemotherapy protocols for Hodgkin's lymphoma in public hospitals of the largest South American city: a retrospective 14-year study.

The behavior of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is different in developing countries, perhaps due to differences in epidemiology and population access to health care. We performed a retrospective study comparing the efficacy of mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vinblastine (MOPPABV) versus adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy protocols as first-line therapy for HL in a Brazilian population. A hundred and eighty-six HL patients were retrospectively analyzed regarding their first-line treatment with MOPPABV and ABVD at two public hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil. Eligible patients were either previously untreated or at first relapse after being treated with only radiotherapy with confirmed HL diagnosis. At a median follow-up of 9 years, complete remission is 89.5 and 85.9 (P = 0.3), overall survival 93.8% and 89.6% (P = 0.68), disease-free survival 85.6% and 81.6% (P = 0.41), and relapse ratios 20.9% and 26.4% (P = 0.17) for ABVD and MOPPABV, respectively. Extended-field radiation therapy postchemotherapy was mostly used in the MOPPABV group. There were three cases of secondary neoplasm (colon adenocarcinoma, myeloid chronic leukemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), all associated with MOPPABV. ABVD and MOPPABV protocols as first-line treatment for HL resulted in similar therapeutic outcomes and did not influence overall survival, disease-free survival, and relapse ratio. MOPPABV was related to a higher risk of secondary malignancy and, therefore, ABVD should be considered a better option for HL therapy. These findings corroborate recent data in literature.

Insecticidal activity of essential oils on Spodoptera frugiperda and selectivity to Euborellia annulipes / Atividade inseticida de óleos essenciais sobre Spodoptera frugiperda e seletividade para Euborellia annulipes

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is the main species that causes damage to the maize crop in Brazil. In the perspective of studying alternatives of control of this pest that preserve the natural enemies, the aim of this research was to evaluate the insecticidal efficiency of the essential oils of Vanillosmopsis arborea and Lippia microphylla on S. frugiperda and verify the selectivity to the predator Euborellia annulipes. The bioassays were carried out in the Agricultural Entomology Laboratory of the Federal University of Paraiba, using insects, from 3rd instar of S. frugiperda and E. annulipes, originating from mass rearing in the laboratory itself. Dilutions of the oils were performed in Tween® 80 at concentrations of 0, 100, 150 and 200 mg mL-1. 1.0 µL from each dilution was applied to the prothoracic region of the insects. The S. frugiperda mortality was verified by topical contact of V. arborea oil with LC10 = 74.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 172.86 mg mL-1, for L. microphyla, LC10 = 51.26 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 104.52 mg mL-1. The observed lethal concentrations for E. annulipes were V. arborea LC10 = 71.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 160.2 mg mL-1. While L. microphyla, were LC10 = 50.3 mg mL-1 and LC50 = 134.67 mg mL-1. The essential oils of V. arborea and L. microphylla are efficient in the control of S. frugiperda, but are not selective to the predator E. Annulipes.

A lagarta-do-cartucho (Spodoptera frugiperda) é a principal espécie que causa danos à cultura do milho no Brasil. Na perspectiva de estudar alternativas de controle desta praga que preservem os inimigos naturais, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a eficiência inseticida dos óleos essenciais de Vanillosmopsis arborea e Lippia microphylla sobre S. frugiperda e verificar a seletividade ao predador Euborellia annulipes. Os bioensaios foram realizados no Laboratório de Entomologia Agropecuária da Universidade Federal da Paraíba, utilizando insetos, de 3º instar de S. frugiperda e E. annulipes, oriundos de criação massal no próprio laboratório. As diluições dos óleos foram realizadas em Tween® 80 nas concentrações de 0, 100, 150 e 200 mg mL-1. 1,0 µL de cada diluição foi aplicado na região protorácica dos insetos. A mortalidade de S. frugiperda foi verificada pelo contato tópico do óleo de V. arborea com LC10 = 74,3 mg mL-1 e LC50 = 172,86 mg mL-1, para L. microphyla, LC10 = 51,26 mg mL-1 e LC50 = 104,52 mg mL-1. As concentrações letais observadas para E. annulipes foram V. arborea LC10 = 71,3 mg mL-1 e LC50 = 160,2 mg mL-1. Enquanto L. microphyla, foram LC10 = 50,3 mg mL-1 e LC50 = 134,67 mg mL-1. Os óleos essenciais de V. arborea e L. microphylla são eficientes no controle de S. frugiperda, mas não são seletivos ao predador E. Annulipes.

Influence of macroporosity on NIH/3T3 adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 over bio-functionalized highly porous titanium implant material.

Highly porous Ti implant materials are being used in order to overcome the stress shielding effect on orthopedic implants. However, the lack of bioactivity on Ti surfaces is still a major concern regarding the osseointegration process. It is known that the rapid recruitment of osteoblasts in bone defects is an essential prerequisite for efficient bone repair. Conventionally, osteoblast recruitment to bone defects and subsequent bone repair has been achieved using growth factors. Thus, in this study highly porous Ti samples were processed by powder metallurgy using space holder technique followed by the bio-functionalization through microarc oxidation using a Ca- and P-rich electrolyte. The biological response in terms of early cell response, namely, adhesion, spreading, viability, and proliferation of the novel biofunctionalized highly porous Ti was carried out with NIH/3T3 fibroblasts and MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts in terms of viability, adhesion, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Results showed that bio-functionalization did not affect the cell viability. However, bio-functionalized highly porous Ti (22% porosity) enhanced the cell proliferation and activity. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 107B: 73-85, 2019.

Ovalbumin encapsulation into liposomes results in distinct degrees of oral immunization in mice.

Oral administration of protein antigens, such as ovalbumin, may result in induction of either tolerance or immunization. To avoid oral tolerance, there are new strategies to protect the antigens from degradation within the gastrointestinal tract and to allow them to reach inductive immunological sites. One such strategy is the usage of liposomes. Different parameters may influence the stability of liposomes in the gastrointestinal tract. Herein, we studied the immunological consequences of oral administration of liposome-encapsulated ovalbumin in different strains of mice using different liposomes. Our data demonstrated that ovalbumin liposomes improved the induction of oral immunization and the degree of improvement depended on the liposome type and on the strain of mice used. The mechanism responsible for this differential effect of liposomes depended on the site of antigen release and absorption. Therefore, some liposomes might be suitable as adjuvants for oral immunization, others for oral tolerance induction.

Weight Gain and Acute Rejection in Patients Submitted to Pulmonary Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort of 10 Years.

OBJECTIVE: Acute rejection is one of the most common complications after pulmonary transplantation. The aim of this work was to verify the association of nutritional status and weight gain with acute rejection in the recipient during the 1st year after pulmonary transplantation. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study with patients submitted to pulmonary transplantation at a pulmonary transplantation center in the state of São Paulo. Data on sex, age, underlying disease, type of transplantation, and presence, degree, and frequency of rejection according to the transbronchial biopsy results were collected, along with body mass index (BMI) and weight variation over the course of 1 year. The difference between groups was analyzed by means of Student t test and the association by means of chi-square test. Significance was considered with P < .05. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients were included, of which 71 (60.7%) were male. The average age was 39.8 ± 15.5 years. There were 77.8% with acute rejection in the 1st year after transplantation. The nutritional status of eutrophy prevailed according to BMI in both adolescents and adults, with no association with acute rejection (P = .80), and there was a greater weight gain among the individuals who showed rejection, with an increase of 7.58 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.35-8.81) compared with those who did not present rejection, whose average weight gain was 4.12 kg (95% CI 1.28-6.95; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional status was not associated with acute cell rejection in the 1st year after transplantation, although weight gain was greater in those who had rejection.