Kidney injury and cell therapy: Preclinical study

The aim of this study is to show histological and immunofluorescence analysis of renal parenchyma of agoutis affected by gentamicin‐induced renal disease after the infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) stained with Hoechst®. Nine agouti's males were divided into three groups: Test group (TG): renal disease by gentamicin induced (n = 3), cell therapy group (CTG): renal disease by gentamicin induced and BMMC infusion (n = 3), and control group (CG): nonrenal disease and BMMC infusion (n = 3). TG and CTG were submitted to the protocol of renal disease induction using weekly application of gentamicin sulfate for 4 months. CG and CTG received a 1 × 108 BMMC stained with Hoechst and were euthanized for kidney examination 21 days after BMMC injection and samples were collected for histology and immunofluorescence analysis. Histological analysis demonstrated typical interstitial lesions in kidney similarly to human disease, as tubular necrosis, glomerular destruction, atrophy tubular, fibrotic areas, and collagen deposition. We conclude that histological analysis suggest a positive application of agouti's as a model for a gentamicin inducing of kidney disease, beyond the immunofluorescence analysis suggest a significant migration of BMMC to sites of renal injury in CTG. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Highly bright and photostable cyanine dye-doped silica nanoparticles for optical imaging: Photophysical characterization and cell tests

Spherical silica nanoparticles containing fluorescent trimethine indocyanine dyes (λ_abs = 547 nm, λ_em = 570 nm) were prepared using a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The nanoparticles were of 50 nm diameter and were almost monodispersed in aqueous solution at pH 5.5. Entrapment of dye molecules in the silica matrix stabilised photoemission over several hours of continuous irradiation. The photoemission intensity of the indocyanine was increased 13-fold over that recorded in solution. As each nanoparticle contained 110 dye molecules, the photoemission brightness of each particle was enhanced by three orders of magnitude. The fluorescent nanoparticles have been tested as imaging tools in in vitro tests. As an example of non-macrophagic cells, a highly differentiated neuronal cell line (GT1-7) was used and the results showed that the prepared nanoparticles can be incorporated into these cells with no apparent toxicity for up to three days.     

Parameter optimization for spray-drying microencapsulation of jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) peel extracts using simultaneous analysis of responses

The present study aimed to conduct a simultaneous optimization of different carrier agents and temperatures for the production of jaboticaba extracts by spray-drying microencapsulation. The 30% maltodextrin (control), 25% arabic gum + 5% maltodextrin and 25% Capsul™ + 5% maltodextrin carriers were used at air-drying inlet temperatures of 140, 160 and 180 °C. The following responses were evaluated: anthocyanin retention (AR), moisture content (MC), total solids (TS), hygroscopicity (H), overall color difference and antioxidant activity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was also performed. The AR, MC, H and overall color difference parameters were selected for simultaneous optimization by the desirability approach. The results showed that the highest desirability (0.7–0.8) was achieved when 30% maltodextrin was used at 180 °C. According to the SEM analysis, the use of maltodextrin and gum arabic allowed for the formation of more homogeneous particles, which is recommended in spray-drying microencapsulation.     

Vitamin C and carotenoids in organic and conventional fruits grown in Brazil

This study compared the concentration of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA, and dehydroascorbic acid, DHA) and carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene) between three fruits produced by organic and conventional farming. Vitamin C and carotenoids were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The Student t-test (α = 5%) was applied to determine differences between the organic and conventional production systems. AA content was significantly higher in organic acerola (4023.39 mg/100 g) compared to its conventional production (2294.53 mg/100 g). Conversely, AA content was significantly higher in conventional strawberries (42.45 mg/100 g) than the organic ones (30.74 mg/100 g). The conventional production also showed significantly higher contents of DHA (persimmon: 7.50 mg/100 g vs. 0.96 mg/100 g) and β-carotene (acerola: 6130.24 μg/100 g vs. 2486.38 μg/100 g) than the organic fruits. Lycopene was only detected in persimmons, but no significant difference was observed between farming systems. There was no evidence of the nutritional superiority of the organically grown fruits.     

Baccharin Prevents Genotoxic Effects Induced by Methyl Methanesulfonate and Hydrogen Peroxide in V79 Cells

Baccharin is one of the major chemical compounds isolated from the aerial parts of Baccharis dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae), a native plant of South America and the most important botanical source of the Brazilian green propolis that has been used in alternative medicine to treat inflammation, liver disorders, and stomach ulcers. The present study was carried out in V79 cells to determine the possible genotoxic and antigenotoxic activities of baccharin utilizing comet and micronucleus assays, where 2 known mutagenic agents with different mechanisms of DNA damage were used as positive controls. The V79 cells were treated with concentrations of baccharin (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μg/mL) and for to investigate the antigenotoxicity these concentrations were associated with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS; 200 μM-comet assay and 400 μM-micronucleus assay) or hydrogen peroxide (H(2) O(2;) 50 μM-comet assay and 100 μM-micronucleus assay). Statistically significant differences in the rate of DNA damage were observed in cultures treated with the highest concentration of baccharin when compared to the control group, but this difference was not found in the micronucleus assay. The results also showed that the frequencies of DNA damage and micronuclei induced by MMS and H(2) O(2) were significantly reduced after treatment with baccharin. The baccharin showed a chemoprevention effect and can be the chemical compound responsible for the antigenotoxicity also demonstrated by the B. dracunculifolia. The antioxidant potential of baccharin may be related to its chemoprevention activity induced against both genomic and chromosomal damages.     

Bioactive compounds and health benefits of exotic tropical red–black berries

Tropical countries produce a large amount of native and exotic fruit species which are potentially interested in the food industry. The nutritional and therapeutic values in this fruits are mainly due to the presence of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols. The anthocyanins belong to the flavonoid family and represent a group of pigments responsible for most of the colors in fruits, leaves, flowers, stems and roots of plants. Several investigations have focused on the health benefits of consumption of red–black fruit, claiming these as natural sources of bioactive compounds with highly promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics. Furthermore, the consumption of red–black berries brings a positive impact on several chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This article summarizes the foremost bioactive compounds and the health properties of exotic tropical red–black berries, specifically Euterpe oleracea, Eugenia uniflora, Myrciaria cauliflora, Myrciaria dubia, Syzygium cumini.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>-Galactosidases production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Debaryomyces hansenii</Emphasis> UFV-1

Extracellular and intracellular α-galactosidases were produced by yeast Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-1 grown on different media with several carbon sources. D. hansenii grown in YP-medium (1% yeast extract and 2% peptone) presented maximum cell mass (8.45 mg/mL) after 36 h of cultivation, with lactose as carbon source, followed by sucrose, glucose, raffinose, and galactose. Higher extracellular and intracellular α-galactosidases activities were observed at 48 h of D. hansenii cultivation in YPmedium containing galactose (0.97 and 5.27 U/mL) and lactose (1.28 and 4.88 U/mL), supporting the evidence for the model of induction for the yeast GAL/MEL regulon, such as described in Sacharomyces cereviseae.     

A randomized trial of a brief mental health intervention for primary care patients.

This randomized trial is a first evaluation of a brief psychotherapeutic intervention for primary care patients. Sixty-two participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or to treatment as usual. As compared with treatment as usual, the intervention led to significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression. The reduction was maintained for 3 months after the end of treatment, but some return of symptoms occurred by 6 months after treatment. The treatment was well accepted by patients. This study provides good preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)