Spray-dried extract from the Amazonian adaptogenic plant Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke (Saracura-mirá): Chemical composition and immunomodulatory properties.

Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke is a medicinal plant used in the Amazon region to prepare a drink with tonic, immunomodulatory and adaptogenic properties. Due to the growing interest in dietary supplements with these properties and, to provide a new functional ingredient, barks from A. amazonicus were extracted.

Synthesis and characterization of the antitubercular phenazine lapazine and development of PLGA and PCL nanoparticles for its entrapment.

The aim of this work was to develop and characterize nanoparticles as carriers of lapazine, a phenazine derived from β-lapachone; its antimycobacterial activity is described for the first time as a potential treatment for tuberculosis. The lapazine was synthesized, and by using gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector, it was possible to evaluate its purity degree of almost 100%. For better elucidation of the molecular structure, mass spectroscopy and 1H NMR were carried out and compared to the literature values.

Ferromagnetic resonance of intact cells and isolated crystals from cultured and uncultured magnetite-producing magnetotactic bacteria.

Most magnetotactic bacteria (MB) produce stable, single-domain magnetite nanocrystals with species-specific size, shape and chain arrangement. In addition, most crystals are elongated along the [111] direction, which is the easy axis of magnetization in magnetite, chemically pure and structurally perfect. These special characteristics allow magnetite crystal chains from MB to be recognized in environmental samples including old sedimentary rocks.

ZFC/FC of oriented magnetic material in the Solenopsis interrupta head with antennae: characterization by FMR and SQUID.

Ferromagnetic resonance and SQUID magnetometry have been used to study magnetic material in the head with antennae, thorax, and abdomen of Solenopsis interrupta ants. The temperature dependence of the head with antennae using both techniques was measured. Room-temperature spectra and saturation magnetization were used to compare the magnetic material amount in the ant body parts.

Strontium is incorporated in different levels into bones and teeth of rats treated with strontium ranelate.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the strontium incorporation into specific bones and teeth of rats treated with strontium ranelate. The relative strontium levels [Sr/(Ca + Sr) ratio] were obtained by synchrotron radiation micro X-ray fluorescence. The incisor teeth were further examined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in a scanning electron microscope.

Magnetosome chain superstructure in uncultured magnetotactic bacteria.

Magnetotactic bacteria produce magnetosomes, which are magnetic particles enveloped by biological membranes, in a highly controlled mineralization process. Magnetosomes are used to navigate in magnetic fields by a phenomenon called magnetotaxis. Two levels of organization and control are recognized in magnetosomes.

Solenopsis ant magnetic material: statistical and seasonal studies.

In this paper, we quantify the magnetic material amount in Solenopsis ants using ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) at room temperature. We sampled S. interrupta workers from several morphologically indistinguishable castes.

Magnetic optimization in a multicellular magnetotactic organism.

Unicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes, which typically carry a natural remanent magnetic moment equal to the saturation magnetic moment, are the prime example of magnetically optimized organisms. We here report magnetic measurements on a multicellular magnetotactic prokaryote (MMP) consisting of 17 undifferentiated cells (mean from 148 MMPs) with chains of ferrimagnetic particles in each cell. To test if the chain polarities of each cell contribute coherently to the total magnetic moment of the MMP, we used a highly sensitive magnetization measurement technique (1 fAm(2)) that enabled us to determine the degree of magnetic optimization (DMO) of individual MMPs in vivo.