Continuous ozonation of urban wastewater: Removal of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance genes and phytotoxicity.

This work evaluated the removal of a mixture of eight antibiotics (i.e. ampicillin (AMP), azithromycin (AZM), erythromycin (ERY), clarithromycin (CLA), ofloxacin (OFL), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimethoprim (TMP) and tetracycline (TC)) from urban wastewater, by ozonation operated in continuous mode at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) (i.e. 10, 20, 40 and 60 min) and specific ozone doses (i.e. 0.125, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 gO3 gDOC- 1). As expected, the efficiency of ozonation was highly ozone dose- and contact time-dependent. The removal of the parent compounds of the selected antibiotics to levels below their detection limits was achieved with HRT of 40 min and specific ozone dose of 0.125 gO3 gDOC- 1. The effect of ozonation was also investigated at a microbiological and genomic level, by studying the efficiency of the process with respect to the inactivation of Escherichia coli and antibiotic-resistant E. coli, as well as to the reduction of the abundance of selected antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The inactivation of total cultivable E. coli was achieved under the experimental conditions of HRT 40 min and 0.25 gO3 gDOC-1, at which all antibiotic compounds were already degraded. The regrowth examinations revealed that higher ozone concentrations were required for the permanent inactivation of E. coli below the Limit of Quantification (

BRAF overexpression is associated with BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid carcinomas.

A common mutation in the BRAF gene, comprising the T1799A nucleotide transversion, which leads to the V600E amino acid substitution in the BRAF protein, has been observed in about 50% of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). However, BRAF protein expression has been rarely examined in such tumors. Clinical studies have shown important associations between BRAF mutation and clinical parameters in PTC, such as progression, invasion, and recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between BRAF protein overexpression and the BRAF V600E mutation in a group of PTC patients. The study group included 116 patients with PTC from Araújo Jorge Hospital, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to analyze BRAF protein expression. Presence of the BRAF V600E mutation was determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism, and confirmed by direct sequencing. The chi-square test with Yates correction and the Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. BRAF overexpression was detected in 55 patients with PTC (47.4%) and the BRAF V600E mutation was observed in 74 patients (63.8%). In the studied group, significant associations were observed between the BRAF V600E mutation and BRAF protein overexpression (P = 0.0115), and also between BRAF overexpression and extra-thyroid extension of the tumor (P = 0.0111). This study demonstrated a significant association between BRAF overexpression and the BRAF V600E mutation in PTC, highlighting the importance of these molecular events in the process of PTC carcinogenesis.

Analysis of the BRAF V600E mutation in primary cutaneous melanoma.

BRAF V600E is the most common mutation in cutaneous melanomas, and has been described in 30-72% of such cases. This mutation results in the substitution of valine for glutamic acid at position 600 of the BRAF protein, which consequently becomes constitutively activated. The present study investigated the BRAF V600E mutation frequency and its clinical implications in a group of 77 primary cutaneous melanoma patients treated in a cancer reference center in Brazil. Mutation analysis was accomplished by polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and automated DNA sequencing. The chi-squared and Fischer exact tests were used for comparative analyses. The BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 54/77 (70.1%) melanoma subjects. However, no statistically significant association was found between the presence of the mutation and clinical or prognostic parameters. Our results demonstrated that the BRAF V600E mutation is a common event in melanomas, representing an important molecular target for novel therapeutic approaches in such tumors.

Detecção fo genoma de HPV em pacientes com carcinoma espino-celular da laringe: comparação entre os ensaios de PCR convencional e em tempo real / Detection of HPV genome in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: comparison between conventional and real time PCR assays

A interação do genoma do HPV com o genoma da célula hospedeira ou de proteínas virais com proteínas celulares necessárias ao controle do ciclo celular desencadeia a morte celular ou age como fator de iniciação e progressão de processos malignos. Diversostrabalhos têm sido desenvolvidos no sentido de associar a infecção de HPV aos cânceres de cabeça e pescoço. O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar a detecção do genoma de HPV em pacientes com CEC da laringe, considerando os ensaios de PCR convencional e em tempo real. O grupo amostral foi constituído de 15 pacientes do Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional da ACCG. Das peças cirúrgicas, foi obtido DNA total, usado na investigação molecular, para detecção do genoma de HPV, utilizando os primers genéricos GP05/06, que detectam todos os tipos de HPV. O genoma de HPV foi amplificado em 30 dos casos por PCR convencional e no ensaio de PCR em tempo real apresentaram amplificação em 46,7 das amostras, evidenciando uma diferença em 40 . Os estudosde associação entre o HPV e os cânceres da laringe são importantes no sentido de ampliar o conhecimento acerca dos mecanismos de infecção, iniciação e promoção tumoral potencializada por estes vírus.

Electromyographic analysis of trapezius and sternocleidomastoideus muscles during nasal and oral inspiration in nasal- and mouth-breathing children.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate sternocleidomastoideus (SCM) and trapezius (superior fibers) muscle activity patterns in mouth-breathing children, and to compare them with nasal-breathing children. Forty-six children, of both sexes, ranging from 8 to 12 years old, were evaluated through electromyography. The selected children were divided into two groups; Group I, was made up of 26 mouth-breathing children and Group II of 20 nasal-breathing children. Electromyographic recordings were obtained through surface electrodes in the SCM and trapezius muscles, bilaterally, during oral and nasal inspiration. Root-mean-square (RMS) data expressed in microvolts (microV), were analyzed using the Kruskall-Wallis statistical test. From the results obtained, we concluded that there was a significant difference in the muscle activity between the groups, with higher activity during nasal inspiration in the mouth-breathing group. During oral inspiration, there was no significant difference between groups. Within the groups, only the mouth-breathing group showed higher activity during nasal inspiration.