Morphology of geniculo-striate afferents in a prosimian primate

In order to analyze the arborization pattern of single axons innervating layer IV of striate cortex in Galago (a prosimian primate), injections of horseradish peroxidase were made into the white matter below visual cortex. Two distinct fiber types were identified which ramify within different subdivisions of layer IV. Fibers with large axons (type I) have relatively wide terminal arbors which ramify in layer IVa and lower layer III, while those with small axons (type II) arborize in restricted zones of layer IVb. Evidence from previous investigations suggests that terminals of these two fiber types represent the axon terminals of X-like and Y-like geniculate relay cells.     

New aporphine alkaloids of Ocotea minarum

Fourteen aporphine alkaloids were isolated from the leaves of a Brazilian Lauracea, Ocotea minarum Nees (Mez). The known alkaloids were identified through their physico-chemical properties as: leucoxylonine (VII), dicentrine (IV), ocoteine (V), leucoxine (VI), ocopodine (VIII), predicentrine (IX), dicentrinone (XIV) and thalicminine (XV). Six new aporphine alkaloids were also isolated: ocotominarine (I), ocominarine (III), nor-leucoxylonine (XI), iso-oconovine (xii), 4-hydroxydicentrine (XIII) and ocominarone (XVI). Their structures were determined using spectroscopic methods and chemical correlations.     

Statistical analysis of individually matched case-control studies in epidemiology: factor under study a discrete variable taking multiple values.

It is now well established in case-control studies with individual matching that the statistical analysis must take the fact of individual matching into account. The problems of so doing have been thoroughly dealt with for the situation of the factor of interest being a two-level factor (all-or-none response) and with one or more matched controls per patient. These results are extended in this paper to the situation where the factor can assume multiple levels in studies where each patient is matched with a single control.     

Use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa-NovoSeven) in the treatment of uncontrolled postsurgical hemorrhage in a patient with deep venous thrombosis and caval filter. A case report

A 37-year-old woman affected by renal insufficiency was submitted to renal transplantation from cadaver donor. After a few days she had a severe and life-threatening hemorrhage at the surgical site and a deep venous thrombosis at her lower right limb. Since anticoagulant therapy was contraindicated, a filter was inserted in the inferior vena cava. After several red blood cell, fresh plasma and platelet transfusions, and after repeated unsuccessful surgical procedures, a single dose of 70 microg/kg of body weight of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was administered as last resource. The drug was successful in obtaining the complete and rapid resolution of the hemorrhagic episode. Despite the patient had two factors which could have favoured a thrombotic complication, e.g. deep venous thrombosis and caval filter, administration of rFVIIa did not worsen the underlying thrombotic process. rFVIIa is a new hemostatic agent that was initially used in hemophiliac patients. Later it has been successfully used in nonhemophiliac patients to treat different inherited or acquired coagulation disorders. A potential thrombogenic effect of rFVIIa was hypothesized on the basis of some clinical case reports but large controlled trials do not exist. In this case report the use of rFVIIa was successful and safe despite the concomitant presence of several thrombogenic factors.     

Assessment of the antioxidant activities of Brazilian extracts of propolis alone and in topical pharmaceutical formulations

The antioxidant activity of extracts of propolis and of formulations added with these extracts were measured by scavenging different radicals in different systems. For the ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) and the glycolic extract of propolis (GEP) the IC50 observed were respectively of 0.024 and 0.035 microL/mL in scavenging hydroxyl radical, 0.016 and 0.012 microL/mL in inhibiting lipid peroxidation, 0.22 and 0.24 microL/mL in inhibiting chemiluminescence produced in the H2O2/luminol/horseradish peroxide (HRP) system and about 0.005 microL/mL for both extracts in inhibiting chemiluminescence produced in the xanthine/luminol/xanthine oxidase (XOD) system. The antioxidant activity of extracts of propolis in the formulations was not able to be assessed neither using the deoxyribose assay, since the formulation components interfered in the assay measurements, nor using chemiluminescence in the H2O2/luminol/HRP system, since this method did not show to be sensitive for the extract of propolis evaluation. However, the antioxidant activity of extracts of propolis could be successfully evaluated in the formulations using both lipid peroxidation and chemiluminescence generated in the xanthine/luminol/XOD system inhibitions.