Osmotic regulators in cowpea beans plants under water deficiency.

Cowpea is a leguminous plant belonging to the fabaceae family cultivated in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, with productive potential. Among the abiotic factors, water deficiency is one of the main environmental limitations that influence agricultural production in the world. The objective of this work was to study the relative water content and osmoregulators of cowpea plants subjected to water stress. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at the Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA, Belém, PA), cowpea plants BR-17 Gurguéia Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp were used. The experimental design was completely randomized (DIC) in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme, two water conditions (control and water deficit) and two times of stress (four and six days of water suspension), with 7 replications, totaling 28 experimental units. The water deficit affected plants, causing a reduction in relative water content (69.98%), starch (12.84% in leaves and 23.48% in roots) and carbohydrates (84.34%), and an increase in glycine-betaine, sucrose (114.11% in leaves and 18.71% in roots) and proline (358.86%) at time 2. The relative water content was negatively affected by water conditions, with a decrease in relation to the interaction of the aerial part and the root system. Therefore, greater metabolic responses were noted in plants that were subjected to stress treatment at time 2 (6 days).

Does silicon attenuate PEG 6000-induced water deficit in germination and growth initial the seedlings corn.

Water stress limits the initial growth and development of maize mass and grain, as well as the physiological process for absorbing the amount of mineral elements. The objective was to evaluate the effect of silicon on germination and growth of corn seedlings submitted to water deficit. The experiment was carried out in the laboratory and the experimental design was completely randomized (factorial 3 × 4), with three concentrations of calcium silicate (0.0; 1.0 and 2.0 mM) and 4 solutions of PEG-6000 to simulate different osmotic potentials (0, 0; -0.3; -0.6; -0.9 MPa). Germination percentage, germination speed index (GSI), mean germination time (MGT), percentage of non-germinated and abnormal germinated, length and dry matter of shoot, root and total seedlings were evaluated. Water deficiency reduced the parameters TG, GSI and MGT. The water deficit reduce the MSPA, MSR and MST with more than 80% reduction in mass from seedlings without deficiency to seedlings with deficiency. For CPA, CR and CT there was a reduction of at least 87%, 70% and 77%, respectively, among seeds without deficiency compared to seeds submitted to deficiency. The use of silicon in corn seeds did not attenuate the stress caused by water deficit simulated by PEG-6000.

Mitigation of the effects of salt stress in cowpea bean through the exogenous aplication of brassinosteroid.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is a legume widely cultivated by small, medium and large producers in several Brazilian regions. However, one of the concerns for the production of cowpea in Brazil in recent years is the low rainfall activity in these regions, which generates the accumulation of salts on the surface. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of salt stress on growth parameters and enzyme activity in cowpea plants at different concentrations of brassinosteroids. Experiment was developed in a greenhouse using a completely randomized experimental design in a 3 x 3 factorial scheme. The treatments consisted of three levels of brassinosteroids (0, 3 and 6 µM EBL) and three levels of salt stress (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl). Growth factors (height, diameter and number of leaves) decreased in the saline condition. With the presence of brassinosteroid the height did not increase, but the number of leaves did, mainly in the saline dosage of 100 mM NaCl. In the variable membrane integrity, brassinosteroid was efficient in both salinity dosages, the same not happening with the relative water content, where the saline condition did not affect the amount of water in the vegetable, with the application of brassino it remained high, decreasing only at dosage 100 mM NaCl. The nitrate reductase enzyme was greatly affected in the root system even with the application of increasing doses of brassino. Therefore, brassinosteroids as a promoter of saline tolerance in cowpea seedlings was positive. The concentration of 3µM of EBL provided the most satisfactory effect in tolerating the deleterious effects of the saline condition. The same cannot be concluded for the concentration of 6µM of EBL that did not promote tolerance to some variables.

Evaluation of whole-body tumor burden with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in the biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: 68 Ga-PSMA-PET has an increasing importance in the evaluation of prostate cancer patients due to its high sensitivity and specificity in identifying neoplastic lesions in the clinical setting of elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The objective of this study was to calculate the whole-body tumor burden using volumetric quantification of lesions detected in 68Ga-PSMA-PET of prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence and correlate these findings with clinical and image parameters. METHODS: Each patient had their 68Ga-PSMA-PET analyzed for the presence of neoplastic lesions. Their PSA levels and clinical information were recorded. In positive cases, the tumor burden (TL-PSMA) was calculated with a semi-automatic software and manually, and the results are analyzed and tested. RESULTS: We analyzed 100 prostate cancer patients, mean age of 69.9 ± 9.7 years and a median PSA of 1.73 ng/dL. 68Ga-PSMA-PET identified neoplastic lesions in 72% of them. The median TL-PSMA was 55.95 ml (1.1-28,080 ml). TL-PSMA and PSA were strongly correlated (rho = 0.71, p < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.60-0.80). TL-PSMA and PSA levels groups had a significant correlation and TL-PSMA and Gleason score were independent variables associated with PSA levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TL-PSMA strongly and independently correlates with PSA levels in prostate cancer patients and could be used as a biomarker to separate them into groups with high or low tumor burden, instead of considering only the number of lesions.

Leucemia M3 variante: aspectos clínicos e diagnósticos / M3 variant leukemia: clinical and diagnosis features

A leucemia promielocítica (LMA M3) representa em média 5-10// dos casos de leucemias melóides agudas (LMA) registrados na literatura, acometendo preferencialmente adultos jovens e cursando com comportamento clínico-biológico distinto, quando comparada com as demais LMA. Caracteriza-se por morfolofia particular das células blásticas (M3 na classificaçäo FAB), translocaçäo dos cromossomos 15 e 17, e coagulaçäo intravascular disseminada ao diagnóstico ou após início da quimioterapia . Dentro deste subgrupo säo observados dois subtipos morfológicos conhecidos como LMA M3 hipergranular e LMA M3 hipogranular ou variante. Os autores analisaram 19 casos de LMA M3, diagnosticados dentre 217 casos de LMA, em seus aspectos clínicos e laboratoriais, e observaram que o reconhecimento da LMA M3 variante, apesar de se basear geralmente apenas em dados citomorfológicos, näo tem sido feito corretamente em nosso meio. Dos oito casos recebidos no serviço dos autores para estudo, apenas quatro foram encaminhados com o diagnóstico correto de seus serviços de origem, sendo os outros quatro casos diagnosticados como leucemia mielomonocítica (LMA M4). A imunofenotipagem, como técnica diagnóstica complementar à citomorfologia, permite esclarecer, definitivamente, casos duvidosos. A classificaçäo correta se faz cada vez mais necessária devido a aspectos terapêuticos e prognósticos particulares das LMA M3, que, ao contrário das outras formas de LMA, têm sido tratadas näo só com drogas citotóxicas, mas também com agentes indutores de diferenciaçäo celular, com excelentes resultados

[M3 variant leukemia: clinical and diagnostic features]. / Leucemia M3 variante: aspectos clínicos e diagnósticos.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia represents 5-10% of acute myeloid leukemia cases (AML) recorded in the literature, occurring more frequently in young adults. It has a special clinical and biological behaviour when compared to the other forms of AML, being characterized by a particular morphology of blast cells (M3 in FAB classification), translocation of chromosomes 15;17, and disseminated intravascular coagulation at diagnosis or after the onset of chemotherapy. Within this AML subgroup there are 2 morphological subsets called the hypergranular promyelocytic leukemia and the hypogranular or variant form. We have studied clinical and laboratory aspects of 19 cases of AML M3 out of 217 AML cases, and observed a high incidence of failure to recognize the M3 variant form, although its diagnosis has been mainly based on cytomorphology. Only 4 out of 8 cases of the variant form received in our laboratory were correctly diagnosed, being the other 4 cases wrongly identified as the myelomonocytic subset of AML (M4). Immunophenotyping with monoclonal antibodies using CD2 and CD7 as T cell markers, CD10 and CD19 as B cell markers and CD33, CD13, CD14, CD15 and anti MPO as myeloid markers is a complementary diagnostic tool that permits solving difficult cases. It is important to classify AML correctly because of the special therapeutic and prognostic features of AML M3, which differently from other AML forms, has been successfully treated with cellular differentiating agents.

The apolipoprotein B gene is constitutively expressed in HepG2 cells: regulation of secretion by oleic acid, albumin, and insulin, and measurement of the mRNA half-life.

The objective of this study was to establish conditions whereby apoB secreted from HepG2 cells could be regulated over a wide range, and to determine whether changes of output were correlated with the level of apoB mRNA. The presence of oleate (complexed to 3% albumin at a molar ratio of 1.7:1) resulted in a 3.5-fold stimulation of apoB secretion that was apparent after only 3 h. Insulin halved the rate of apoB output and the inhibition was detectable within the physiological insulin range, but was not apparent until 12-16 h. Albumin in the culture medium had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on apoB production. Overall, apoB secretion from HepG2 cells was modulated over a 7-fold range. However, when apoB mRNA was assayed by slot-blot hybridization, no change was detectable under any of the conditions that modulated apoB output. Quantitative solution hybridization was used to confirm that oleate did not affect the level of apoB mRNA. Kinetic analysis of the decay of [3H]uridine-labeled apoB mRNA showed that the half-life of apoB mRNA was 16 h. We conclude from these studies that the apoB gene is constitutively expressed in HepG2 cells and that the mechanism of acute regulation of apoB production by these cells must involve co- or post-translational processes.