K-ras and p53 mutations in colonic lavage fluid of patients with colorectal neoplasias

Background: The adenoma-carcinoma sequence has its molecular basis in several gene mutations of which K-ras and p53 are of paramount importance. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether these genetic alterations can be detected in colonic lavage fluid from patients with colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. Methods: In 45 patients with adenomas, 20 patients with colorectal carcinomas and 38 patients with non-neoplastic and noninflammatory diseases of the colon p53 and K-ras mutations were evaluated in colonic lavage fluid employing single-strand confirmation polymorphism analysis and dot-blot hybridization, respectively. Results: Mutations of the K-ras and the p53 gene were found in 15.6% (p = 0.065) of patients with adenomas, in 25.0% (p = 0.016) of patients with carcinomas and in 2.6% in the control group. Conclusion: Genetic alterations in the colonic lavage fluid could be an additional diagnostic tool for the surveillance of patients with colorectal neoplasias. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

Lombotomia posterior como acesso ao trato urinário alto na criança.

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Pediatria, Curso de Medicina, Florianópolis, 200

IL-1α and TNF-α Down-Regulate CRH Receptor-2 mRNA Expression in the Mouse Heart

Two receptors (CRH receptor type 1 and CRH receptor type 2) have been identified for the stress-induced neuropeptide, CRH and related peptides, urocortin, and urocortin II. We previously found marked down-regulation of cardiac CRH receptor type 2 expression following administration of bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, a model of systemic immune activation, and inflammation. We postulated that inflammatory cytokines may regulate CRH receptor type 2. We show that systemic IL-1α administration significantly down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in mouse heart. In addition, TNFα treatment also reduces CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, although the effect was not as marked as with IL-1α. However, CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression is not altered in adult mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes stimulated in vitro with TNFα or IL-1α. Thus, cytokine regulation may be indirect. Exogenous administration of corticosterone in vivo or acute restraint stress also reduces cardiac CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, but like cytokines, in vitro corticosterone treatment does not modulate expression in cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, treatment with urocortin significantly decreases CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in cultured cardiomyocytes. We speculate that in vivo, inflammatory mediators such as lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines may increase urocortin, which in turn down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 expression in the heart. Because CRH and urocortin increase cardiac contractility and coronary blood flow, impaired CRH receptor type 2 function during systemic inflammation may ultimately diminish the adaptive cardiac response to adverse conditions

Apresentação da Equipe Ampera e da competição de Engenharia Fórmula SAE

Anais do 35º Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul - Área temática: Tecnologia e ProduçãoA Ampera Racing é uma equipe de competição composta por estudantes de diversos cursos de graduação, que representam a Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) participando da competição anual de engenharia Fórmula SAE, que agrega estudantes de diversas universidades do país em torno da proposta de desenvolver um veículo elétrico de alto desempenho. Desde sua primeira participação na categoria Fórmula SAE Elétrico, a Ampera manteve a condição de melhor Equipe de Fórmula SAE Elétrico do sul do país. Com isso, espera promover a mobilidade elétrica sustentável como importante chave do progresso humano e social, capacitando seus membros para o mercado de trabalho e trazendo a temática da mobilidade junto das iniciativas de extensã

Adsorption of Hydrocarbons Using Natural Adsorbents of Plant Origin

The paper investigates adsorption activity of natural sorbents to be used to clean up water surface from hydrocarbons under various temperatures. The natural adsorbents were compared by their oil capacity, buoyancy, and water absorption. It was revealed that Nature sorb (Canada) and Sphagnum Dill (Russia) natural sorbents demonstrate good buoyancy (up to 700 hours) and great oil capacity, and better sorption properties in comparison with the sawdust. The natural sorbents introduced can increase the efficiency of water surface cleaning-up until the water is almost clean and the residual oil content in water is less than 0.03 g/l

Maximum evapotranspiration of tomato grown under plastic greenhouse based upon meteorological and phenological variables

O objetivo do trabalho foi estimar a evapotranspiração máxima (ETm) da cultura do tomateiro em estufa plástica em função da evaporação medida no evaporímetro de Piche exposto à radiação solar (Epi), com e sem a inclusão de outras variáveis meteorológicas e fenométricas pontuais de fácil mensuração, na época de primavera de 2005. Em uma estufa plástica realizaram-se medidas de ETm em lisímetros de drenagem (Epi) temperatura e déficit de pressão de vapor no ar (D), índice de área foliar (IAF), altura de plantas (AP) e número de folhas (NF). Ajustaram-se modelos para estimar a ETm com os dados dos dias pares do período de medições, selecionando-se os que tinham parâmetros angulares significativos pelo teste t a 5% de probabilidade de erro e coeficiente de determinação (R2) maior que 0,85. Os modelos foram testados com os dados dos dias ímpares da série de dados do mesmo período, por meio da análise de regressão entre os valores observados e estimados pelos modelos, considerando-se a raiz quadrada do quadrado médio do erro (RMSE) e os índices de precisão (r), concordância (d) e confiança (c). Verificou-se que é possível estimar a ETm do tomateiro com precisão aceitável (R2 entre 0,87 e 0,92), para fins de irrigação sob estufa, através de modelos que incluem valores de Epi e pelo menos uma variável fenométrica, dando-se preferência aos modelos que incluem a variável AP, por ser a variável de mais fácil mensuração. A inclusão de D medido às 9 horas nos modelos que incluem Epi e AP ou NF ou IAF, melhora a estimativa da ETm. Palavras-chave: irrigação, evaporímetro de Piche, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cultivo protegid

Current fed multipulse rectifier approach for unidirectional HVDC and MVDC applications

Even though multipulse rectifiers are a long established and well-known technology, still their behavior is not fully described in the literature when they are fed by three-phase balanced sinusoidal currents sources. To address the aforementioned gap, this work presents the operation and properties of current-fed multipulse rectifiers. The undertaken aim is achieved by analyzing the examined topology through circuit analysis and then, the theoretical results are validated through comparisons with the simulated waveforms and experimental results. Furthermore, the expected harmonic content and the duality with traditional voltage-fed multipulse rectifiers are presented. In the proposed structure, the transformer voltages present a multipulse waveform, instead of its primary currents as in voltage-fed multipulse rectifiers. This implies on limiting the voltage steps and its derivative which might be beneficial to reduce cost and volume of insulation, particularly for MVDC and HVDC applications. Besides that, by actively controlling the primary currents, a possible copper loss reduction is shown in the transformer windings, differentiating the proposed structure from its voltage controlled counterpart

Temperatura de flores e síliquas de canola (Brassica napus L.) durante ocorrência de geada.

Orientador: Genei Antonio Dalmago