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O potencial de espécies vegetais para a descoberta de novos fármacos antitumorais tem sido reconhecido devido ao uso delas na medicina popular. O câncer cervical possui alta incidência e morbidade, entretanto, os tratamentos convencionais apresentam uma série de limitações. Neste estudo, foi investigado o efeito do extrato bruto aquoso obtido de folhas de uma espécie da família Myrtaceae (EBA), o óleo essencial obtido a partir das folhas desta mesma espécie (OE1) e óleo essencial extraído de flores de uma espécie da família Asteraceae (OE2) em células de uma linhagem humana de câncer cervical (SiHa) e em uma linhagem não tumoral de queratinócitos humanos (HaCaT). As células foram mantidas em condições padrão e tratadas por 24h com diferentes concentrações dos tratamentos e submetidas ao ensaio de MTT (0,5 mg/ml). Os três tratamentos utilizados nasdiferentes concentrações induziram inibição significativa na viabilidade das células tumorais a partir de concentrações baixas, entretanto, o IC50 de um tratamento que induziu um efeito pronunciado nas células tumorais, não causou inibição na viabilidade da linhagem não tumoral. O potencial terapêutico dos tratamentos utilizados enfatiza a importância de investimentos na continuidade destes estudos e projetos relacionados à investigação de espécies vegetais como aliados no combate ao câncer.

O câncer é a doença que mais causa mortes no mundo, configurando-se, na atualidade, como um dos mais importantes problemas de saúde pública. O século XX se destacou por um avanço na pesquisa de produtos naturais, especialmente oriundos de plantas utilizadas na terapêutica antineoplásica. Estudos in vitro podem ser realizados em culturas celulares, possibilitando a caracterização dos mecanismos de ação, eficácia e seletividade de substâncias provenientes de espécies vegetais. Neste trabalho demonstramos alguns resultados obtidos através do tratamento de células de uma linhagem humana de câncer cervical (SiHa) com diferentes preparações oriundas de espécies vegetais nativas (óleos essenciais e extrato bruto aquoso), usando metodologias de fácil execução e economicamente viáveis. Tais metodologias visam a avaliação de parâmetros importantes para o crescimento e estabelecimento de células tumorais, tais como adesão celular, migração, recuperação da viabilidade após a retirada do tratamento e formação de colônias. Nossos resultados demonstraram que tais tratamentos reduziram de forma significativa os parâmetros mencionados, exemplificando a importância das ferramentas metodológicas aqui descritas para a triagem e desenvolvimento de novas terapias antitumorais.

An inline plating solution, in which electrolyte and contact system are arranged on the same side, is presented in this work. This concept allows plating onto cell concepts that do not have existing seed metallization on a significant share of surface area, e.g. ZEBRA IBC solar cell. Local contacting of Si or local metal structures is required to enable plating on these cell concepts. A new contacting scheme, which includes a stainless steel brush, was adapted into the existing inline plating tool of the company RENA Technologies GmbH. It allows local contacting of Si and of metal structures without any temporary masking. First results of a plated contact grid on a ZEBRA IBC solar cell are successfully demonstrated. One result presents the simultaneous plating of n-type BSF and p-type emitter with finger heights of 18 µm ± 2 µm and of 10 µm ± 1 µm, respectively. In addition, important process development steps such as alignment are shown. An edge inhomogeneity and simultaneous plating on both polarities could be solved by introducing an electroless Ni seed. Furthermore, a plating voltage limitation proved also to be beneficial for plating homogeneity. Adaptations in the inline plating tool were also made.An inline plating solution, in which electrolyte and contact system are arranged on the same side, is presented in this work. This concept allows plating onto cell concepts that do not have existing seed metallization on a significant share of surface area, e.g. ZEBRA IBC solar cell. Local contacting of Si or local metal structures is required to enable plating on these cell concepts. A new contacting scheme, which includes a stainless steel brush, was adapted into the existing inline plating tool of the company RENA Technologies GmbH. It allows local contacting of Si and of metal structures without any temporary masking. First results of a plated contact grid on a ZEBRA IBC solar cell are successfully demonstrated. One result presents the simultaneous plating of n-type BSF and p-type emitter with finger heights of 18 µm ± 2 µm and of 10 µm ± 1 µm, respectively. In addition, important process development steps such as alignment are shown. An edge inhomogeneity and simultaneous plating on both polarities c...

Antifungal treatment in the hematological patient has reached a high complexity with the advent of new antifungals and diagnostic tests, which have resulted in different therapeutic strategies. The use of the most appropriate treatment in each case is essential in infections with such a high mortality. The availability of recommendations as those here reported based on the best evidence and developed by a large panel of 48 specialists aimed to answer when is indicated to treat and which agents should be used, considering different aspects of the patient (risk of fungal infection, clinical manifestations, galactomanann test, chest CT scan and previous prophylaxis) may help clinicians to improve the results.

Background: Hereditary hemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive condition causing excessive intestinal iron absorption related to C282Y hemochromatosis mutation gene. Dialysis patients receive intravenous iron supplements as treatment for anemia. The gene mutation frequency and its influence on iron deposits and intravenous iron response are unknown in these patients. Study design: Prospective observational. Setting and participants: 290 dialysis patients in Gran Canaria, Spain. Outcomes and measurements: The C282Y hemochromatosis mutation gene was studied. Other active players in iron metabolism have not been included in this study. Red cell parameters, serum iron, transferrin and ferritin concentrations were measured every 2 months for 2 years. Results: No differences in allelic and genotypic frequencies between dialysis patients and the general population were detected. Baseline clinical or analytical parameters were similar in C282Y +/- and C282Y -/- patients. Among those who did not need intravenous iron treatment, C282Y+/-patients maintained constant serum ferritin (302.1 ±216.7 vs. 319.5 ±300.5 μg/l after 4 months), whereas C282Y-/- patients showed decreased levels during the same period (306.7 ±212.2 vs. 221.6 ±167.8 μg/l, p < 0.001). After 4 months of parenteral iron, serum ferritin increased more intensely in C282Y +/- patients than in C282Y -/- patients (934.2 ± 195.8 vs. 658.7 ± 259.9 μg/l, p < 0.001). A multivariance analysis identified the C282Y allele as the most important factor that explains this difference. Conclusions: Heterozygosity for the C282Y allele of the hemochromatosis mutation gene could be associated with differences in iron parameters in dialysis patients.

Thirty-five patients with symptomatic otomycosis (40 infected ears) confirmed by direct microscopy and culture were randomly treated for 1 week with either bifonazole 1% cream or solution, and daily mechanical suction aspiration of the debris. An attempt was made to match 10 clinical parameters with both the mycological and bacteriological findings. There was no significant association between the fungal species cultured and the clinical parameters did not vary with the presence or absence of different bacteria; pus was never present in fungal otitis externa. Before therapy, a considerable number of ears had completely sterile bacterial cultures; after treatment, saprophytic Gram-positive bacilli, Proteus species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonized all the ears (P=0·000030). Clinical cure rates 3 days after the end of therapy ranged from 65% to 60% with the cream and solution, respectively. Mycological cure was achieved in 70% of the cream group and in 95% of the solution treated sites. Two weeks after t...

The effects of age and cigarette smoking on lipids and apolipoproteins were studied in men, 20-65 years old, randomly selected from a military population in the Madrid area, Spain. Subjects were classified as non-smokers, medium smokers (10-20 cigarettes/day) and heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes/day). Smoking prevalence was 58%. Serum apolipoprotein A-I and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were not age-dependent, while total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and the TC/HDL-C ratio increased with age. None of the variables studied was age-dependent over 30 years. The effects of smoking on TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, TC/HDL-C ratio, apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein B, and apo A-I/apo B ratio in the 20-29-year-old group appeared to be prominent in heavy smokers (P values less than 0.001, less than 0.05, less than 0.01, less than 0.05, less than 0.001, less than 0.05, less than 0.01 and less than 0.05, respectively) but not in medium smokers, in which only TG increased significantly (P less than 0.001). Few differences were noted between non-smokers and smokers over 30 although the TC/HDL-C ratio did increase in heavy smokers (P less than 0.05).

A previous investigation in this laboratory demonstrated that rat adipose tissue contains an insoluble peptidase system which cleaves and inactivates adipokinetic hypophyseal peptides; adipose tissues from the rabbit and guinea pig possess little or no capacity to inactivate these peptides. The present study demonstrates that adipose tissues from the rat or hamster, but not from the rabbit or guinea pig, cleave and inactivate insulin. Incubation of bovine insulin with homogenized adipose tissue from the rat causes cleavage of the peptide into at least seven fragments and disappearance of the peptide's hypoglycemic activity. Unlike native insulin, the insulin fragments which contain tyrosine are soluble in 5 per cent trichloracetic acid. The insulin-inactivating system is located in the insoluble portion of homogenized adipose tissue. Inactivation of insulin does not proceed at a detectable rate at 0° C. The capacity of the insoluble fraction of rat adipose tissue homogenate to cleave and inactivate insulin is abolished by exposure to 100° C. for two minutes. An insulin-inactivating system with the same properties is found in lesser amount in hamster adipose tissue. It is not present in detectable amount in the adipose tissue of the rabbit or guinea pig. The adipose enzyme system which inactivates insulin resembles the system which inactivates hypophyseal peptides in regard to the characteristics described above.

Bilateral ovarian wedges were performed on 46 patients scheduled for laparotomies for medical reasons. Prior to the operation, the patients were divided into 5 groups and treated as follows: 1 for control (5 patients); 1 that was given 1 of 3 different combined oral contraceptives, i.e., Anovlar, Gynovlar, or Engynon (22 patients); 1 that was given Sequens (3 patients); 1 that was injected with 200 mg of norethindrone enanthate (14 cases); and 1 given IUDs (2 cases). It was established that all experienced ovulatory cycles prior to therapy. The laparotomies were done between the 22nd-28th day of the menstrual cycle; hormonal therapy was begun between the 3rd-6th day. All but 1 of the group on combined preparations had anovulatory cycles. Detained follicles Grade 3 or 4 with precocious cystic atresic involution were observed. Of the 3 on the sequential preparation, 2 had involuted cystic corpora lutea and 1 had atresic follicles with thecal luteinization. The patients who received the injectable ovulated. There were no morphological or substantial changes in the corpora lutea of the control and IUD groups.

Thermodynamic properties, vapor-liquid equilibrium or excess enthalpy, for a set of 13 ternary mixtures including one or two 1-alkanols and hydrocarbons are studied in the framework of the DISQUAC group contribution model. The study is extended for the binaries involved. The DISQUAC analysis is developed using interchange coefficients available in the literature. No ternary interactions are taken into account. The average relative standard deviations are 0.02 for pressure in the vapor-liquid equilibria (4 systems); and 0.07 for the excess enthalpy (9 systems).

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