Utilização de macrófitas aquáticas de três diferentes tipos ecológicos para remoção de Escherichia coli de efluentes de criação de pacu

RESUMO O presente trabalho avaliou a contaminação por Escherichia coli em viveiro de criação de pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) e sua remoção do efluente utilizando um sistema do tipo constructed wetland, contendo macrófitas aquáticas de três tipos ecológicos diferentes (Eichhornia crassipes, Ceratophyllum demersum e Typha domingensis). Durante três meses foram realizadas análises do número mais provável (NMP) de Escherichia coli na água de abastecimento do viveiro, no seu efluente e em cada etapa do tratamento (sedimentação e emprego de cada espécie de macrófita). Concluiu-se que a contaminação por E. coli na água de abastecimento e no viveiro pode alcançar o ambiente por meio do efluente. O sistema de tratamento proposto foi eficiente na remoção de E. coli da água, sendo que, após estabilização do sistema, ocorreu remoção média de 95% da contaminação. A etapa contendo E. crassipes apresentou maior remoção média, porém mostrou diminuição da eficiência a partir de 60 dias após implementação do sistema. A remoção média das etapas contendo C. demersum e T. domingensis foi prejudicada devido à presença de E. coli no solo usado como substrato durante as primeiras semanas de experimento. Contudo, com a diminuição do efeito da contaminação presente no substrato, essas duas etapas foram fundamentais para manutenção da qualidade do efluente tratado, demonstrando que o consórcio de espécies de tipos ecológicos diferentes foi vantajoso, uma vez que a qualidade da água do efluente foi mantida mesmo quando algumas etapas do tratamento diminuíram sua eficiência

Analysis of the effects of sex hormone background on the rat choroid plexus transcriptome by cDNA microarrays

The choroid plexus (CP) are highly vascularized branched structures that protrude into the ventricles of the brain, and form a unique interface between the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the blood-CSF barrier, that are the main site of production and secretion of CSF. Sex hormones are widely recognized as neuroprotective agents against several neurodegenerative diseases, and the presence of sex hormones cognate receptors suggest that it may be a target for these hormones. In an effort to provide further insight into the neuroprotective mechanisms triggered by sex hormones we analyzed gene expression differences in the CP of female and male rats subjected to gonadectomy, using microarray technology. In gonadectomized female and male animals, 3045 genes were differentially expressed by 1.5-fold change, compared to sham controls. Analysis of the CP transcriptome showed that the top-five pathways significantly regulated by the sex hormone background are olfactory transduction, taste transduction, metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis and circadian rhythm pathways. These results represent the first overview of global expression changes in CP of female and male rats induced by gonadectomy and suggest that sex hormones are implicated in pathways with central roles in CP functions and CSF homeostasis

Identification of by-products in hydrogen producing bacteria; Rhodobacter sphaeroides OU 001 grown in the waste water of a sugar refinery

Rhodobacter sphaeroides O.U.001 is able to produce hydrogen anaerobically upon illumination. The cells were screened for the presence of valuable by-products such as poly-e-hydroxy (PHB) butyric acid aiming to improve the feasibility of the system. Also waste water from a sugar refinery was used for bacterial growth to further increase the feasibility. Under aerobic conditions the standard growth media containing L-malic acid and sodium glutamate in 7.5/10 and 15/2 molar ratios and a medium containing 30% waste water from sugar refinery were used, In this case the maximum concentration of PHB produced were approximately 0.2 g l(-1) in both of the standard media whereas it was 0.3 g l(-1) in medium containing 30% waste water. By using the medium containing 30% waste water, PHB and hydrogen productions were determined under anaerobic conditions. The maximum concentration of PHB produced was around 0.5 g l(-1) and the amount of gas collected was 35 mi in 108 h. From these results it can be concluded that PHB can be collected during hydrogen production. The use of waste water from sugar refinery increased the yield

Towards a post-traumatic subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder

We evaluated whether traumatic events are associated with a distinctive pattern of socio-demographic and clinical features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We compared socio-demographic and clinical features of 106 patients developing OCD after post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; termed post-traumatic OCD), 41 patients developing OCD before PTSD (pre-traumatic OCD), and 810 OCD patients without any history of PTSD (non-traumatic OCD) using multinomial logistic regression analysis. A later age at onset of OCD, self-mutilation disorder, history of suicide plans, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and compulsive buying disorder were independently related to post-traumatic OCD. In contrast, earlier age at OCD onset, alcohol-related disorders, contamination-washing symptoms, and self-mutilation disorder were all independently associated with pre-traumatic OCD. In addition, patients with post-traumatic OCD without a previous history of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) showed lower educational levels, greater rates of contamination-washing symptoms, and more severe miscellaneous symptoms as compared to post-traumatic OCD patients with a history of OCS

Clinical and dermoscopic evaluation of cutaneous leishmaniasis

BackgroundDermoscopy is a method to aid in the visualization of the epidermis and dermis. In recent years, the use of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of non-melanocytic lesions such as those of leishmania cutis has increased. ObjectivesThis study was intended to establish whether dermoscopic investigation has any diagnostic value in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). MethodsFifty-five patients diagnosed with CL at the Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, between February and October 2012, were included in the study. Collectively, the patients exhibited a total of 127 lesions. ResultsThe meanstandard deviation age of the patients was 25.7 +/- 21.3years (range: 4-86years). Twenty-three (41.8%) patients were male, and 32 (58.2%) were female. In dermoscopy, teardrop-like structures were observed in 42.5% of the lesions. Vascular structures were detected in 115 (90.6%) lesions; no vascular structures were observed in 12 (9.4%) lesions. Branching, linear, comma-like, and polymorphic vessels were seen more commonly in lesions on the face; pin-point and hairpin-like vessels were seen more commonly in lesions on the upper extremities. ConclusionsWhen the findings obtained in this study were evaluated along with those reported in the literature, it became apparent that follicular plugs, also called teardrop-like structures, seen on the face and neck may be a dermoscopic feature specific to CL. As hairpin-like vessels seen in an asymmetric radial arrangement were often observed on parts of the body other than the face, further dermoscopic studies comparing the lesions of CL with other ulcerating lesions are necessary