Physiological and enzymatic alterations in sesame seeds submitted to different osmotic potentials.

With the imminence of global climate changes that affect the temperature and the rainfall uniformity, it is growing the concern about the adaptation of crops to the water deficit. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate alterations in physiological and enzymatic mechanisms during the germination process of sesame seeds under different water availability. To simulate the water restriction we used PEG6000, a high molecular weight molecule that does not penetrate the seed structure but allows different osmotic potentials. The treatments were -0.1, -0.2, and -0.3 MPa, and the control. Germination, first-count germination, germination velocity index, and length and dry mass of the hypocotyl and radicle were performed. The seeds were weighed before and after treatments every 3 h. After each weighing, 100 seeds were taken for analysis of the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), malate dehydrogenase, esterase, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), isocitrate lyase (ICL), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GTDH). The statistical design was completely randomized with five replications. PEG6000 prolonged ADH activity during the beginning of germination, maintaining the anaerobic metabolism for longer. Subsequently, their activity was reduced, as well as ICL, favoring the deterioration of the seeds that take the time to germinate. Behavior was evidenced by the appearance of SOD, CAT, and GTDH isoforms after 24 h of imbibition when water restriction was imposed. Therefore, the PEG600 is efficient in simulating water deficit conditions in future scenarios of climate change, offering impotent information regarding the germination behavior of the plants under these conditions.

Expression of catalase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase in rot grains upon fungicide use on maize hybrids grown at different spacings.

In this study, we evaluated the fungicide effect on the incidence of rot grains and expression of catalase (CAT), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) enzymes in commercial maize hybrids grown with conventional and reduced spacing in Guarapuava, PR, Brazil. The experiment was designed in random blocks with a 3 × 8-factorial scheme, totaling 24 treatments. The first factor constituted three levels, the first with foliar fungicide application [150.0 g/L trifloxystrobin (15.0%, w/v) + 175.0 g/L prothioconazole (17.5%, w/v)] at a dose of 0.4 L/ha at V8-stage eight expanded leaves and the second with an application of 0.5 L/ha at VT-tasseling and check (no fungicide application) stage. The second factor comprised eight maize hybrids that were divided into two groups, complex (AG 9045PRO, AG 8041PRO, DKB245PRO2, and 2B707PW) and susceptible (P 32R48H, DKB390PRO, P 30F53H, and P 30R50H), according to their reaction to the causative fungus, totaling 72 plots at each site in the crop of 2013/2014. The percentage of rot grains and the expression of CAT, ADH, and MDH were evaluated for each hybrid. The percentage of rot grains was influenced by the hybrid and fungicide used. The (trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole) reduced the incidence of rot grains, with relatively higher reduction in the hybrids considered susceptible. The higher expression of CAT enzyme was related to the higher incidence of rot grains because of grain deterioration, depending on the hybrids evaluated. A higher expression of ADH and MDH enzymes was observed in the maize hybrids belonging to the group considered tolerant.

Heat-resistant protein expression during germination of maize seeds under water stress.

Low water availability is one of the factors that limit agricultural crop development, and hence the development of genotypes with increased water stress tolerance is a challenge in plant breeding programs. Heat-resistant proteins have been widely studied, and are reported to participate in various developmental processes and to accumulate in response to stress. This study aimed to evaluate heat-resistant protein expression under water stress conditions during the germination of maize seed inbreed lines differing in their water stress tolerance. Maize seed lines 91 and 64 were soaked in 0, -0.3, -0.6, and -0.9 MPa water potential for 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h. Line 91 is considered more water stress-tolerant than line 64. The analysis of heat-resistant protein expression was made by gel electrophoresis and spectrophotometry. In general, higher expression of heat-resistant proteins was observed in seeds from line 64 subjected to shorter soaking periods and lower water potentials. However, in the water stress-tolerant line 91, a higher expression was observed in seeds that were subjected to -0.3 and -0.6 MPa water potentials. In the absence of water stress, heat-resistant protein expression was reduced with increasing soaking period. Thus, there was a difference in heat-resistant protein expression among the seed lines differing in water stress tolerance. Increased heat-resistant protein expression was observed in seeds from line 91 when subjected to water stress conditions for longer soaking periods.

Physiological quality and gene expression during the development of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) seeds.

Phytohormones have different characteristics and functions, and they may be subject to changes in their gene expression and synthesis during seed development. In this study, we evaluated the physiological qualities of habanero peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) during seed development and the expression of genes involved in germination. Seeds were obtained from fruits harvested at different stages of development [i.e., 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, and 70 days after anthesis (DAA)]. Immediately after harvesting, the seeds were subjected to various tests to determine moisture content, germination, first count germination, and seedling emergence. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression of various genes, including MAN2, NCED, B73, ICL6, and GA3ox. Electrophoresis was used to assess the expression of various enzymes, including α-amylase, isocitrate-lyase, and endo-ß-mannanase. Habanero peppers harvested at 70 DAA and subjected to 7 days of rest exhibited higher germination rates and vigor compared to those harvested at all other developmental stages. Peppers harvested at 63 DAA without drying exhibited higher α amylase and AmyB73 gene expression levels. Peppers harvested at 70 DAA with 7 days of rest exhibited higher endo-ß-mannanase expression levels. MAN2 gene expression increased during the development of non-dried seeds until 70 DAA. Peppers harvested at 42 DAA exhibited the highest isocitrate-lyase and ICL6 gene activity levels in comparison to those at all other developmental stages.

Expression of genes related to tolerance to low temperature for maize seed germination.

The aim of this study was to characterize maize lines tolerant to cold temperatures during the germination process. Seeds from lines with different levels of tolerance to low temperatures were used; 3 lines were classified as tolerant and 3 as susceptible to low germination temperatures. A field was set up to multiply seeds from selected lines. After the seeds were harvested and classified, we conducted physiological tests and analyzed fatty acid content of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and eicosenoic acids. In proteomic analysis, the expression of heat-resistant proteins, including catalase, peroxidase, esterase, superoxide dismutase, and α-amylase, were evaluated. Transcript analysis was used to measure the expression of the genes AOX1, AOX2, ZmMPK-17, and ZmAN-13. The material showing the highest susceptibility to low germination temperatures contained high saturated fatty acid content. Expression of α-amylase in seeds soaked for 72 h at a temperature of 10°C was lower than expression of α-amylase when soaked at 25°C for the same amount of time. We observed variation in the expression of heat-resistant proteins in seeds of the lines evaluated. The genes AOX and Zm-AN13 were promising for use in identifying maize materials that are tolerant to low germination temperatures.

Genes related to high temperature tolerance during maize seed germination.

The identification of genes related to heat tolerance is fundamental for the development of high-quality seeds that are tolerant to heat stress condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate maize lineages and the gene expression involved in high temperature tolerance during germination using physiological tests, proteomics, and transcriptome analysis. Seeds from six maize lineages (30, 44, 54, 63, 64, and 91) with different levels of tolerance to high temperatures were used. Lineages 54 and 91 were observed to be more tolerant to high temperature conditions. The highest expression of α-amylase was observed in maize seeds from lineages 30 and 91 that were subjected to controlled deterioration. The highest expression of α-amylase was observed in maize seeds from lineages 30 and 91 that were subjected to controlled deterioration; with the controlled deterioration, the highest level of gene expression did not occur in the most tolerant materials; the association of lower expression of genes involved in heat-resistant protein systems was observed in seeds from lineage 44, which were more susceptible to high temperatures, and the highest gene expression of LEA D-34, ZmAN13, and AOX-1 was observed in seeds from lineage 64 when submitted to controlled deterioration.

ELISA and modified toxin-binding inhibition test for quality control of the clostridial vaccine processes / ELISA direto e ToBI-test modificado para o controle de qualidade de processos de vacinas clostridiais

This study aimed to assess and standardize the ELISA and modified ToBI test in vitro methods in order to verify the potency of epsilon toxicoid in comparison with the in vivo TCP method. The following epsilon toxoids were used: NIBSC standard from batches 375/07, 532/08, 551/08, 373/07 and 378/07. These were evaluated using a TCP test, ELISA and ToBI tests. The results indicate that the correlation ratio between the dilutions of standard NIBSC toxicoid and absorbance values of 89.44% obtained with the ELISA method support the use of the curve to evaluate epsilon toxoids. However, it was observed that the absorbance values were similar for all toxoids, thus presenting no significant difference between higher and lower concentration toxoids. For the ToBI test, the correlation ratio of 96.76, obtained in the curve pattern, demonstrates the effectiveness of the curve to be used in the epsilon toxoid evaluation. The correlation ratio between the titration degrees of toxoids obtained through TCP and ToBI tests was higher than 90%. It is concluded that the type of ELISA test used does present discriminative power for toxoids with different concentrations, which does not support the use of this technique for such a purpose. The ToBI test can be used as a screening method for it is sensitive and effective to detect epsilon toxicoid produced by C. perfringens type D...

Teve-se por objetivo avaliar e padronizar as metodologias in vitro, ELISA e ToBI-test modificado, para a análise de toxoide épsilon, em comparação com a metodologia in vivo TCP. Foram utilizados os seguintes toxoides épsilon: padrão NIBSC e os lotes 375/07, 532/08, 551/08, 373/07 e 378/07, os quais foram avaliados por métodos in vivo, TCP, e in vitro, ELISA e ToBI-test. A análise do título de toxoide épsilon por meio dos métodos in vitro foi realizada a partir de uma curva-padrão, estabelecida previamente. Os principais resultados mostram que os valores de absorbância foram semelhantes para todos os toxoides, não apresentando diferença significativa entre os toxoides mais concentrados e menos concentrados. No ToBI-test, o coeficiente de correlação de 96,76%, obtido na curva-padrão, demonstra a eficiência da curva para avaliação do toxoide épsilon. O coeficiente de correlação entre os títulos de toxoide obtidos pelo TCP e ToBI-test foi superior a 90%. Conclui-se que o tipo de ELISA utilizado não apresenta poder discriminativo para toxoides com diferentes concentrações, inviabilizando a técnica para esse fim. O ToBI-test pode ser utilizado como um método de triagem sensível e eficaz para a detecção de toxoide épsilon de C. perfringens tipo D...

Cirurgia ambulatorial em pediatria. / Ambulatorial surgery in pediatrics

Os autores apresentam os resultados de um programa prospectivo de cirurgia ambulatorial em Pediatria realizado em um hospital infantil. Relatam os procedimentos cirurgico-anestesicos empregados e complicacoes encontradas. As vantagens de ordem economica e psicossocial sao analisadas bem como a seguranca do metodo

Contribuicoes ao emprego da cirurgia ambulatorial em pediatria. / Use of the ambulatorial surgery in pediatrics

Os autores apresentam algumas modificacoes empregadas no metodo de cirurgia ambulatorial em pediatria, com enfase na simplificacao e seguranca, chamando atencao para os principios basicos na sua implantacao e manuntencao