Publications by authors named "Fernanda Sperb"

Spherical silver nanoparticles with an average size of ca. 5 nm were synthesized in aqueous medium using a charged silsesquioxane containing a quaternary ammonium group, the bridged 1,4-diazoniabicyclo[2.2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mucolipidosis III (ML III) gamma is a very rare autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by the abnormal trafficking and subcellular localization of lysosomal enzymes due to mutations in the gene. The present study consists of a report of a Brazilian compound heterozygote patient with ML III gamma resulting from one mutant paternal allele and one allele that had most likely undergone a or maternal germline mutation. This is the first report of a mutation in ML III gamma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Genetic variants of the FTO gene rs9939609 A/T and the MC4R gene rs17782313 C/T have been associated with obesity. Individuals with mutations in MC4R gene have lower blood pressure (BP), independently of obesity. This study aimed to investigate the association of FTO rs9939609 and MC4R rs17782313 with anthropometric indexes, BP, and type 2 diabetes mellitus among hypertensive patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

GM1 gangliosidosis is a lysosomal disorder caused by β-galactosidase deficiency due to mutations in the GLB1 gene. It is a rare neurodegenerative disorder with an incidence of about 1:100,000-1:200,000 live births worldwide. Here we review GLB1 mutations and clinical features from 65 Brazilian GM1 gangliosidosis patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infantile GM1 gangliosidosis is caused by the absence or reduction of lysosomal beta-galactosidase activity. Studies conducted in Brazil have indicated that it is one of the most frequent lysosomal storage disorders in the southern part of the country. To assess the incidence of this disorder, 390 blood donors were tested for the presence of two common mutations (1622-1627insG and R59H) in the GLB1 gene.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone belonging to a group of hematopoietic growth factors that control the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow cells. It induces the production of erythrocytes, thereby increasing the amount of circulating hemoglobin and oxygen. Previous attempts to transgenically express human EPO in plants failed to succeed because the plants exhibited abnormal morphology and infertility.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transposable elements are DNA sequences present in all the large phylogenetic groups, both capable of changing position within the genome and constituting a significant part of eukaryotic genomes. The mariner family of transposons is one of the few which occurs in a wide variety of taxonomic groups, including freshwater planarians. Nevertheless, so far only five planarian species have been reported to carry mariner-like elements (MLEs), although several different species have been investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF