Biosynthesis of antitumoral and bactericidal sanguinarine

A simple, rapid, and reliable TLC method for the separation and determination of sanguinarine has been established. This intensively studied biologically active alkaloid has a wide range of potentially useful medicinal properties, such as antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and antitumoral activities. Sanguinarine has also been incorporated into expectorant mixtures and has a strong bactericidal effect upon gram-positive bacteria, particularly Bacillus anthracis and staphylococci. These medicinal properties are due to the interaction of sanguinarine with DNA. A fibre-optic-based fluorescence instrument for in situ scanning was used for quantitative measurements. The sanguinarine was determined over the range 5–40 ng and a detection limit of 1.60 ng. The method was applied to the quantification of sanguinarine in tissue culture extracts of Chelidonium majus L.

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in seawater by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection following micelle-mediated preconcentration

In this work, the nonionic surfactant polyoxyethylene-10-lauryl ether has been used for the extraction and preconcentration of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, classified as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency, from seawater samples. The cloud-point preconcentration previous separation by HPLC and quantification using fluorimetric detection and wavelength programming allow to determine these pollutants with detection limits ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 x 10(2) ng/l with RSDs better than 10.4%. The methodology is evaluated using well-established extraction and preconcentration methods and GC-MS.

Cloud-point preconcentration and HPLC determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments

Cloud-point methodology has been used to develop a new procedure for preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons previously extracted from marine sediment with a micellar polyoxyethylene-10-lauryl ether medium by microwave- or ultrasound-assisted extraction. The optimum conditions for preconcentration and determination of PAH by HPLC with UV detection were established. The optimized procedure was applied to determination of these analytes in fortified marine sediment. The mean recoveries obtained after extraction and preconcentration by use of microwave- or ultrasound-assisted extraction were 105.8 and 99.5%, respectively. Precision, however, is considerably higher when extraction is performed ultrasonically.

RC-IAL cell line: sensitivity of rubella virus grow

OBJECTIVE

The rapid growth of the rubella virus in RC-IAL2 with development of cytopathic effect, in response to rubella virus infection, is described. For purposes of comparison, the rubella virus RA-27/3 strain was titered simultaneously in the RC-IAL, Vero, SIRC and RK13 cell lines.

METHODS

Rubella virus RA-27/3 strain are inoculated in the RC-IAL cell line (rabbit Kidney, Institute Adolfo Lutz). Plates containing 1.5x10(5) cells/ml of RC-IAL line were inoculated with 0.1ml s RA-27/3 strain virus containing 1x 10(4)TCID50/0.1ml. A 25% cytopathic effect was observed after 48 hours and 100% after 96 hours. The results obtained were compared to those observed with the SIRC, Vero and RK13 cell lines. Rubella virus was detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

With the results, it was possible to conclude that the RC-IAL cell line is a very good substrate for culturing rubella virus. The cells inoculated with rubella virus were examined by phase contrast microscopy and showed the characteristic rounded, bipolar and multipolar cells. The CPE in RC-IAL was observed in the first 48 hours and the curve of the increased infectivity was practically the same as observed in other cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are important since this is one the few cell lines described in the literature with a cytopathic effect. So it can be used for antigen preparation and serological testing for the diagnosis of specific rubella antibodies.

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments by high-performance liquid chromatography after microwave-assisted extraction with micellar media

A simple and rapid method is developed for extraction and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments. The procedure was based on the microwave-assisted extraction of PAHs in marine sediment samples using a micellar medium of Polyoxyethylene 10 lauryl ether as extractant. Two-level factorial designs have been used to optimize the microwave extraction process. The analysis of extracts has been carried out by HPLC with UV detection. Fortified sediments gave an average recovery between 85.70 and 100.73%, with a relative standard deviation of 1.77-7.0% for PAHs with a ring number higher than three.

Seroconversion to human herpesvirus 6 and human herpesvirus 7 among Brazilian children with clinical diagnoses of measles or rubella

We collected acute-phase and convalescent-phase serum samples from Brazilian patients who presented with exanthem of unknown origin and evaluated these samples by means of an immunoblot assay for seroconversion to human herpesvirus 6 (HIV-6) or human herpesvirus 7 (HIV-7). Measles or rubella had been clinically diagnosed in all these patients, but their sera were negative for antibodies to both measles virus and rubella virus. Twenty percent of the patients clearly seroconverted to HHV-6 after manifestation of the exanthem, and 8% seroconverted to HHV-7. All seroconversions to HHV-6 occurred in children aged < or = 5 years; a 41% frequency of seroconversion to HHV-6 was noted among children between 3 months and 23 months of age, whereas seroconversions to HHV-7 were detected during infancy and through adulthood. Our data indicate that primary infections due to HHV-6 or HHV-7 can be misdiagnosed as measles or rubella.

Is idiopathic hyperprolactinemia a transitional stage toward prolactinoma?

The basal prolactin (PRL) levels on five different days, the PRL responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and to domperidone, and the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) responses to domperidone were studied in 75 regularly menstruating women and 44 patients with moderate hyperprolactinemia. It was found that, for the entire sample, the responses to each of the stimuli could be described by a continuous function of the basal PRL levels. The present work provides evidence for the following conclusions: 1) The PRL responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and to domperidone merely bring additional diagnostic information relative to basal PRL levels in the occasional patients with macroprolactinemia; 2) there is a continuous spectrum of lactotroph activities in women, ranging from normal secretors through an intermediate group of hypersecretors (with progressively increased serum PRL levels and decreased responsiveness to stimuli) to full-blown prolactinomas; and 3) idiopathic hyperprolactinemia is a heterogeneous entity that includes the above intermediate group of patients, women with macroprolactinemia, and patients with undiagnosed prolactinomas.

Hyperprolactinemia in women with paternal deprivation during childhood

It was reported that most females with prolactinoma, idiopathic hyperprolactinemia, or euprolactinemic galactorrhea were reared either without their father or with an alcoholic, violent father. To gain further insight into this association, a group of sisters of patients with prolactinoma (generally exposed to the same environment as the patients') and a control group were studied. Women with paternal deprivation during childhood differed from the women who had normal childhoods in that they had: 1) higher mean serum prolactin concentration (14.7 versus 9.4 ng/mL; P less than .001); 2) higher incidence of hyperprolactinemia (12 of 50 versus three of 59; P less than .005); and 3) higher incidence of galactorrhea (14 of 50 versus seven of 59: P less than .03). These observations support the contention that paternal deprivation during childhood is associated, in a minority of women, with a predisposition to develop hyperprolactinemia and presumably, prolactinoma later in life. A hypothesis on the possible mechanisms of a casual relationship is presented.

Isolation and characterisation of glycopeptides from digests of human Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein

Glycopeptides were isolated from pronase digests of human Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein and its asialo derivative. The carbohydrate moiety of the major glycopeptide preparation isolated from the former digests had an apparent molecular weight of 4300, and those of two glycopeptides isolated from the latter digests had molecular weights of 3600 and 2300. These data, together with the compositions of the glycopeptides, indicate that the Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein has at least five asparagine residues substituted by complex carbohydrate moieties, three being of one type, relatively rich in galactose, and two containing more sialic acid but less galactose. A small amount of a mannose-rich glycopeptide was also recovered from the digests of the Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein.

Characterization of the hemoglobin of Biomphalaria glabrata as a glycoprotein

1. The hemoglobin of Biomphalaria glabrata is a glycoprotein which contains 3% sugars. 2. The sugar moiety is composed of 2 mol of hexose and one mol of hexosamine per mol of monomer. 3. The hexosamine in the molecule is glucosamine. 4. Mannose, galactose and fucose are present in the molecule in a ratio of 2:1:1. 5. No sialic and uronic acids were detected in this hemoglobin.