In-vitro and in-vivo antitumour activity of physalins B and D from Physalis angulata

We have evaluated the in-vitro and in-vivo antitumour activity of physalin B and physalin D isolated from the aerial parts of Physalis angulata. In-vitro, both compounds displayed considerable cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines, showing IC50 values in the range of 0.58 to 15.18 microg mL(-1) for physalin B, and 0.28 to 2.43 microg mL(-1) for physalin D. The antitumour activity of both compounds was confirmed in-vivo using mice bearing sarcoma 180 tumour cells. The in-vivo antitumour activity was related to the inhibition of tumour proliferation, as observed by the reduction of Ki67 staining in tumours of treated animals. Histopathological examination of the kidney and liver showed that both organs were affected by physalin treatment, but in a reversible manner. These compounds were probably responsible for the previously described antitumour activity of ethanol extracts of P. angulata, and their identification and characterization presented here could explain the ethnopharmacological use of this species in the treatment of cancer.     

Diphenylsilane‐Manganese Acetylacetonate Redox Initiating Systems: Toward Amine‐Free and Peroxide‐Free Systems

Room temperature redox initiated free radical polymerization (RFRP), without light, brings a significant breakthrough in the field of materials science including energy conservation, high efficiency, robustness in thick materials/composites, and easy operation. Meanwhile, the current redox initiating systems used are based on toxic aromatic amines and hazardous peroxides (e.g., dibenzoylperoxide). In the present paper, for the first time in literature, new amine‐free, peroxide‐free redox two component (2K) initiating systems comprised of diphenylsilane (DPS, a reducing agent) and manganese acetylacetonate (Mn(acac)3, an oxidizing agent) are proposed. The significance of the system is its applicability under mild conditions (RT, under air). Optical pyrometry measurement results showed that the DPS in combination with Mn(acac)3 exhibited an excellent radical initiating property for benchmark (meth)acrylate monomers, competitive with a well‐established amine/dibenzoyl peroxide reference. Based on electron spin resonance experiments, the initiating chemical mechanisms of RFRP are proposed.     

Extracellular matrix assembly in extreme acidic eukaryotic biofilms and their possible implications in heavy metal adsorption

To evaluate the importance of the extracellular matrix in relation to heavy metal binding capacity in extreme acidic environments, the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) composition of 12 biofilms isolated from Río Tinto (SW, Spain) was analyzed. Each biofilm was composed mainly by one or two species of eukaryotes, although other microorganisms were present. EPS ranged from 130 to 439 mg g(-1) biofilm dry weight, representing between 15% and the 40% of the total biofilm dry weight (DW). Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found in the amount of total EPS extracted from biofilms dominated by the same organism at different sampling points. The amount of EPS varied among different biofilms collected from the same sampling location. Colloidal EPS ranged from 42 to 313 mg g(-1) dry weight; 10% to 30% of the total biofilm dry weight. Capsular EPS ranged from 50 to 318 mg g(-1) dry weight; 5% to 30% of the total biofilm dry weight. Seven of the 12 biofilms showed higher amounts of capsular than colloidal EPS (p<0.05). Total amount of EPS decreased when total cell numbers and pH increased. There was a positive correlation between EPS concentration and heavy metal concentration in the water. Observations by low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) revealed the mineral adsorption in the matrix of EPS and onto the cell walls. EPS in all biofilms were primarily composed of carbohydrates, heavy metals and humic acid, plus small quantities of proteins and DNA. After carbohydrates, heavy metals were the second main constituents of the extracellular matrix. Their total concentrations ranged from 3 to 32 mg g(-1) biofilm dry weight, reaching up to 16% of the total composition. In general, the heavy metal composition of the EPS extracted from the biofilms closely resembled the metal composition of the water from which the biofilms were collected.     

Influence of the power level of an ultra-sonic system on dental cavity preparation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the shape of dental cavities made with the CVDentus system using different ultrasound power levels. One standard cavity was made on the buccal aspect of 15 bovine incisors with a CVDentus cylindrical bur (82142). The sample was divided into three groups: G1-ultrasound with power II; G2-ultrasound with power III; and G3-ultrasound with power IV. A standardizing device was used to obtain standardized preparations and ultrasound was applied during one minute in each dental preparation. The cavities were sectioned in the middle, allowing observation of the cavity's profile with a magnifying glass, and width and depth measurement using the Leica Qwin program. The Kruskal-Wallis (p<0.05) and Dunn statistical analyses demonstrated differences between the dental cavity shapes when powers III and IV were used. However, the cavities that were made with power III presented dimensions similar to those of the bur used for preparation. We concluded that the power recommended by the manufacturer (III) is the most adequate for use with the CVDentus system.     

Detection of creatine in rat muscle by FTIR spectroscopy

There is a current lack of clarity regarding the use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to evaluate intramuscular concentrations of creatine (Cr). Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the FT-IR spectral features of tibialis anterior muscle in rats submitted in conditions that were expected to perturb the Cr pool. First, an experiment was performed to ensure that FT-IR was able to detect the Cr intramuscular in sedentary and supplemented rats (Experiment 1). The effect of physical exercise on spectral muscle features was then examined, especially in relation to the spectroscopy markers (Experiment 2). Using pure Cr (control), it was possible to verify that only the peaks centered at 1308 and 1396 cm(-1) of all the spectra showed the same peak positions, indicating these FT-IR shifts as indirect markers of Cr intramuscular content. Experiment 2 revealed a higher Cr content for the Cr-supplemented and exercised animals than the rats of other groups. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that FT-IR spectroscopy using 1396 cm(-1) and mainly 1308 band was able to monitor Cr muscle content in rats sedentary, Cr-supplemented, and submitted to physical training. Besides, FT-IR could be a feasible method for the nondestructive assessment of Cr skeletal muscle content.     

In vitro evaluation of the influence of air abrasion on detection of occlusal caries lesions in primary teeth

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of cleaning pits and fissures with an aluminum oxide air abrasion system on the detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth using loser fluorescence (LF) and visual examination. METHODS: The sample comprised 65 pit and fissure sites on extracted primary teeth suspected to be carious. The sites were submitted to 2 visual examinations (examiner JAR) and 2 LF readings (examiner TMV). Next, the occlusal surfaces were air-abraded and re-examined thereafter using both methods. The teeth were sectioned, and the histological analysis of the sites with a stereoscopic magnifying lens at X32 magnification was used as the gold standard. RESULTS: Cohen's kappa statistic for LF and visual examination were, respectively, 0.282/0.884 before and 0.896/0.905 after air abrasion. LF showed a sensitivity of 0.28 increasing to 0.49 and a specificity of 0.50 increasing to 0.92. Visual examination showed sensitivity of 0.78 and specificity of 0.73. Both increased after air abrasion. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that cleaning pits and fissures with aluminum oxide air abrasion increased the accuracy of LF and visual examination for detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth.     

Characterization of Candida albicans cell wall antigens with monoclonal antibodies.

The antigenic composition of Candida albicans is very complex. In order to study the antigenic relationship between blastoconidia and germ tubes of C. albicans, we produced several monoclonal antibodies and analyzed their reactivity against cell wall antigens either in intact cells or in cells treated with dithiothreitol. Overall, four types of reactivity were found. Monoclonal antibodies 3D9 and 15C9 stained the germ tubes only when tested by indirect immunofluorescence. However, they showed a different reactivity by immunoblotting. Monoclonal antibody 3D9 reacted with antigens with molecular masses of > 200 and 180 kDa specifically expressed in the germ tube. Monoclonal antibody 15C9 reacted with antigens of 87, 50, and 34 kDa present in the germ tube extract and with antigens of 92, 50, 34, and 32 kDa present in the blastoconidium extract. The reactivity of blastoconidia treated for different times with dithiothreitol with these monoclonal antibodies was also studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The reactivity of monoclonal antibody 3D9 did not significantly change during the cell wall extraction. However, the reactivity of monoclonal antibody 15C9 was increased for blastoconidia extracted for 60 min and decreased markedly for blastocondia extracted for 120 min. Monoclonal antibody G3B was nonreactive by indirect immunofluoresence but reacted with antigens of 47 and 38 kDa present in the germ tube extract and with an antigen of 47 kDa present in the blastoconidium extract. Monoclonal antibody B9E stained both morphological phases by indirect immunofluorescence. By immunoblotting, it reacted with antigens of > 70 kDa present in the germ tube extract and with antigens of > 63, 56, 47, and 38 kDa present in the blastoconidium extract. Based on the results presented in this study, four types of antigens are described. Type I antigens are expressed on the outermost layers of the germ tube cell wall only. Type II antigens are expressed both on the germ tube cell wall surface and within the blastoconidium cell wall. Type III antigens are found within the cell wall of both blastoconidia and germ tubes. Type IV antigens are expressed on both the blastoconidium and germ tube surface. Two types more can be hypothesized for antigens expressed on the blastoconidium cell surface and within the germ tube cell wall (type V) and for those expressed on the blastoconidium surface only (type VI).     

Effectiveness of three solvents and two associations of solvents on gutta-percha and resilon

This study evaluated the effectiveness of 3 solvents (Citrol orange oil, Eucalyptol and Tetrachloroethylene) and 2 associations of solvents (Citrol orange oil+Tetrachloroethylene and Eucalyptol+Tetrachloroethylene) on 3 types of gutta-percha (conventional, thermoplastic and EndoREZ) and Resilon. Ten discs (10 mm diameter x 1 mm thick) from each material were prepared using standard metallic molds. Each specimen was weighed to determinate its initial mass. The specimens were immersed in the solvents for 10 min, followed by immersion in distilled water for 20 min, and were then reweighed to obtain the final mass. The mean weight loss determined the solvent capacity. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test at 5% significance level. Tetrachloroethylene was the most effective on conventional gutta-percha (p<0.05). Tetrachloroethylene was also the most effective on thermoplastic gutta-percha, but it was not significantly different (p>0.05) from Eucalyptol+Tetrachloroethylene, Citrol+Tetrachloroethylene, and Citrol. All solvents and associations presented little effectiveness on Resilon. The association Eucalyptol+Tetrachloroethylene was the most effective on EndoREZ, but it did not differ significantly (p>0.05) from Citrol+Tetrachloroethylene and Tetrachloroethylene. All evaluated substances presented solvent action. Tetrachloroethylene improved the effectiveness of both Citrol and Eucalyptol.