Clinico-biochemical characteristics of 229 Portuguese infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome: clinical relevance and relationship with fertility treatment results.

Purpose: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 6-20% of reproductive-age women. The authors aimed to evaluate the characteristics of PCOS women and its relationship with fertility treatment outcomes.

Materials And Methods: The authors reviewed records of PCOS women assisted at Hospital Santa Maria.

Alkaline-sulfite pretreatment and use of surfactants during enzymatic hydrolysis to enhance ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse.

Sugarcane bagasse is a by-product from the sugar and ethanol industry which contains approximately 70 % of its dry mass composed by polysaccharides. To convert these polysaccharides into fuel ethanol it is necessary a pretreatment step to increase the enzymatic digestibility of the recalcitrant raw material. In this work, sugarcane bagasse was pretreated by an alkaline-sulfite chemithermomechanical process for increasing its enzymatic digestibility.

Influence of soil cover and N and K fertilization on the quality of biofortified QPM in the humid tropics.

Background: In the humid tropics, unfavorable conditions present challenges to smallholder farmers attempting to meet food demands. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of alley cropping and addition of potassium and nitrogen on the productivity and nutritional value of quality protein maize (QPM). The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with four replicates in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with five treatments, Gliricidia + Acacia (GA), Gliricidia + Clitoria (GC), Leucaena + Acacia (LA), Leucaena + Clitoria (LC) and bare soil (BS), in two cropping systems, one with addition of nitrogen and potassium (NK) and one without.

Helminth parasite communities of two Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 (Anura: Leiuperidae) populations under different conditions of habitat integrity in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil.

Adults of Physalaemus cuvieri were collected and necropsied between November 2009 and January 2010. This was carried out in order to report and compare the helminth fauna associated with two populations of this anuran species from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest under different conditions of habitat integrity. The hosts from the disturbed area were parasitized with five helminth taxa: Cosmocerca parva, Aplectana sp.

Deforestation scenarios for the Bolivian lowlands.

Tropical forests in South America play a key role in the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sinks, biodiversity conservation, and global climate regulation. In previous decades, Bolivian forests have mainly been deforested by the expansion of agricultural frontier development, driven by the growing demands for beef and other productions. In the mid-2000s the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party rose to power in Bolivia with the promise of promoting an alternative development model that would respect the environment.

Antiplasmodial activity of iron(II) and ruthenium(II) organometallic complexes against Plasmodium falciparum blood parasites.

This work reports the in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum blood forms (W2 clone, chloroquine-resistant) of tamoxifen-based compounds and their ferrocenyl (ferrocifens) and ruthenocenyl (ruthenocifens) derivatives, as well as their cytotoxicity against HepG2 human hepatoma cells. Surprisingly with these series, results indicate that the biological activity of ruthenocifens is better than that of ferrocifens and other tamoxifen-like compounds. The synthesis of a new metal-based compound is also described.

Identification of a Golgi-localized UDP-N-acetylglucosamine transporter in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Background: Nucleotide sugar transporters (NSTs) play an essential role in translocating nucleotide sugars into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus to be used as substrates in glycosylation reactions. This intracellular transport is an essential step in the biosynthesis of glycoconjugates.

Results: We have identified a family of 11 putative NSTs in Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease.

Aspidosperma (Apocynaceae) plant cytotoxicity and activity towards malaria parasites. Part II: experimental studies withAspidosperma ramiflorum in vivo and in vitro.

Several species of Aspidosperma plants are used to treat diseases in the tropics, including Aspidosperma ramiflorum, which acts against leishmaniasis, an activity that is experimentally confirmed. The species, known as guatambu-yellow, yellow peroba, coffee-peroba and matiambu, grows in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil in the South to the Southeast regions. Through a guided biofractionation of A.

Back muscle fatigue of younger and older adults with and without chronic low back pain using two protocols: A case-control study.

The purpose of this study was to compare back muscle fatigue of younger and older participants with and without chronic low back pain (CLBP). Twenty participants without and 20 with nonspecific CLBP participated in this study. Each group contained 10 younger (50% males; mean age: 31 ± 6 yrs) and 10 older adults (50% males; age mean: 71 ± 7 yrs).

Land use change emission scenarios: anticipating a forest transition process in the Brazilian Amazon.

Following an intense occupation process that was initiated in the 1960s, deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased significantly since 2004, stabilizing around 6000 km(2) yr(-1) in the last 5 years. A convergence of conditions contributed to this, including the creation of protected areas, the use of effective monitoring systems, and credit restriction mechanisms. Nevertheless, other threats remain, including the rapidly expanding global markets for agricultural commodities, large-scale transportation and energy infrastructure projects, and weak institutions.

Fungal Antagonism Assessment of Predatory Species and Producers Metabolites and Their Effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus Infective Larvae.

The objective of this study was to assess antagonism of nematophagous fungi and species producers metabolites and their effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L3). Assay A assesses the synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effect on the production of spores of fungal isolates of the species Duddingtonia flagrans, Clonostachys rosea, Trichoderma esau, and Arthrobotrys musiformis; Assay B evaluates in vitro the effect of intercropping of these isolates grown in 2% water-agar (2% WA) on L3 of H. contortus.

Evidence of autochthonous hepatitis E in a Portuguese pediatric cohort, 1992-1995.

Despite the growing importance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in industrialized countries, minimal attention has been given to autochthonous HEV infection in children. The present study screened archived sera (N = 71) from a Portuguese pediatric cohort collected in 1992-1995 for the presence of antibodies against HEV, using enzyme immunoassays and immunodot. Anti-HEV IgG was detected in two children and anti-HEV IgM in one, suggesting an acute HEV infection.

Exercise Improves Cognitive Impairment and Dopamine Metabolism in MPTP-Treated Mice.

The classical motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are preceded by non-motor symptoms in preclinical stages, including cognition impairment. The current drug treatment for PD is palliative and does not meet the clinical challenges of the disease, such as levodopa-induced dyskinesia, non-motor symptoms, and neuroprotection. We investigated the neuroprotective and disease-modifying potential of physical exercise in a preclinical animal model of PD.

Stocking rate and monensin supplemental level effects on growth performance of beef cattle consuming warm-season grasses.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of monensin supplementation on animals receiving warm-season grass with limited supplementation. In Exp. 1, treatments were a factorial combination of 2 stocking rates (1.

Hemodynamic effects of target-controlled infusion of propofol alone or in combination with a constant-rate infusion of remifentanil in dogs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol alone or in combination with a constant-rate infusion (CRI) of remifentanil. Six adult dogs were given 2 treatments in a randomized crossover study with a 7-day interval between treatments. Treatment 1 was propofol (P) and treatment 2 was propofol and remifentanil (P-Rem), without any premedication.

Antimicrobial Activity and pH of Calcium Hydroxide and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Intracanal Medication and Association with Chlorhexidine.

Aim: To evaluate pH and antibacterial activity of pastes with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] and zinc oxide (ZnO) microparticles (micro) or nanoparticles (nano) and association with 0.4% chlorhexidine against Enterococcus faecalis.

Materials And Methods: The following pastes were analyzed: Ca(OH)2/ZnO micro, (2) Ca(OH)2/ZnO nano, (3) Ca(OH)2/ ZnO micro + 0.

The use of human adipose-derived stem cells based cytotoxicity assay for acute toxicity test.

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) were evaluated as cell culture model for cytotoxicity assay and toxicity prediction by using the neutral red uptake assay (NRU). In this study, we compared ADSC and the murine cell line BALB/c 3T3 clone A31 to predict the toxicity of 12 reference substances as recommended by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods. We predicted the LD50 for RC-rat-only weight and RC-rat-only millimole regressions for both cell culture models.

BbMP-1, a new metalloproteinase isolated from Bothrops brazili snake venom with in vitro antiplasmodial properties.

This study describes the biochemical and functional characterization of a new metalloproteinase named BbMP-1, isolated from Bothrops brazili venom. BbMP-1 was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, presented molecular mass of 22,933Da and pI 6.4.

Hydroxamic acid derivatives: a promising scaffold for rational compound optimization in Chagas disease.

This work describes the antitrypanocidal activity of two hydroxamic acid derivatives containing o-ethoxy (HAD1) and p-ethoxy (HAD2) as substituent in the aromatic ring linked to the isoxazoline ring. HAD1 and HAD2 induced a significant reduction in the number of intracellular parasites and consequently showed activity on the multiplication of the parasite. Treatment of cardiomyocytes and macrophages with the compounds revealed no significant loss in cell viability.

Performance indicators evaluation of the population-based breast cancer screening programme in Northern Portugal using the European Guidelines.

Objective: To evaluate the first 10 years of operation of the population-based breast cancer screening programme implemented in the Northern Region of Portugal, using selected recommended standard performance indicators.

Methods: Data from women aged 50-69 screened with two-view mammography, biennially, in the period 2000-2009, were included. Main performance indicators were compared with the recommended levels of the European Guidelines.

Prevalence of Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma in Elders Admitted to a Reference Hospital in Northeastern Brazil.

Objective: To know the prevalence and etiology of oral and maxillofacial trauma in elders.

Methods: Analytical quantitative cross-sectional study conducted at a public trauma hospital located in Fortaleza-Ceará, Brazil. The study population comprised patients with trauma who were hospitalized from April to August 2014.

L-Arginine supplementation does not enhance blood flow and muscle performance in healthy and physically active older women.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute L-arginine (L-arg) supplementation on peripheral vasodilatation and muscle performance in older women.

Methods: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 20 elderly women were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to either an L-arg (ARG, N = 10) or placebo (PLA, N = 10) group. During the first visit, both groups underwent a Doppler ultrasound exam (to assess the femoral artery vasodilatation) at rest (baseline), and immediately before and after the isokinetic strength test (performed at 80 min after supplementation).