Estudo da ação da romã (Punica granatum L. ) na cicatrização de úlceras induzidas por queimadura em dorso de língua de ratos Wistar (Rattus norvegicus) / Pomegranate action study (Punica granatum L. ) for the healing of ulcers induced by burns to the dorso-lingual mucosa in Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus).

RESUMO O objetivo desse estudo foi observar a ação da romã (Punica granatum L.) em estomatites induzidas por queimaduras no dorso da língua de ratos Wistar. Foram utilizados 24 ratos Wistar machos adultos, provenientes do Biotério da UNIVASF. Foram formados quatro grupos (G1: Polpa da romã por gavagem; G2: Polpa da romã por gavagem + aplicação local do chá da casca do fruto; G3: aplicação local do chá da casca do fruto e G4: Controle negativo). As queimaduras foram confeccionadas com instrumental odontológico padrão. Os tratamentos foram realizados duas vezes ao dia, durante 14 dias. Metade dos animais de cada grupo (n=3) foi eutanasiada no sétimo dia de experimentação, enquanto o restante foi eutanasiado no 14º dia. As línguas foram removidas e fixadas com formaldeído a 10% tamponado, processadas com cortes de 5 µm e coradas em HE. Clinicamente, os animais do grupo G2 tiveram melhores resultados. Na análise histológica qualitativa foi avaliada a reepitelização e os graus de inflamação numa escala de 0 a 4. Na análise estatística, utilizou-se o teste Qui-quadrado de Pearson. Houve significância estatística (p=0,026 e p=0,023) quando se comparou o tratamento com os graus de reepitelização e inflamação nos quatro grupos estudados. O grupo G2 apresentou cicatrização completa com 14 dias. Os piores escores obtidos foram atribuídos ao Grupo G4 nos dois parâmetros de avaliação qualitativa. Diante dos resultados obtidos, observa-se que a romã (Punica granatum L.) possui ação cicatrizante na mucosa lingual de ratos Wistar.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to observe the action of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) on stomatitis induced burns on the dorso-lingual musosa in Wistar rats. Twenty-four male, adult Wister albino rats were used, from the bioterium of UNIVASF. There were four groups (G1: Pomegranate juice by gavage; G2: Pomegranate juice by gavage + local application of fruit peel tea; G3: Local application of fruit peel tea only and G4: a negative control). The burns were made with standard dental instruments. The treatments were performed twice a day for 14 days. Half the animals in each group (n = 3) were euthanized on the seventh day of experimentation, while the remainder were euthanized on day 14. The tongues were removed and fixed with a 10% formaldehyde buffer, processed as 5µm sections and stained with HE. Clinically the animals treated with tea showed better healing. For statistical analysis the Pearson chi-squared test was used. There was a statistical significance (p = 0.026 and p = 0.023) when compared to treatment with the degree of re-epithelialization and inflammation of the four groups studied. The G2 group showed complete healing within 14 days. The worst scores were found in the G4 group in both qualitative assessment parameters. Based on these results, it was observed that pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has a healing action on the lingual mucosa of Wistar rats.

A biorefinery from Nannochloropsis sp. microalga--extraction of oils and pigments. Production of biohydrogen from the leftover biomass.

The microalga Nannochloropsis sp. was used in this study, in a biorefinery context, as biomass feedstock for the production of fatty acids for biodiesel, biohydrogen and high added-value compounds. The microalgal biomass, which has a high lipid and pigment content (mainly carotenoids), was submitted to supercritical CO2 extraction. The temperature, pressure and solvent flow-rate were evaluated to check their effect on the extraction yield. The best operational conditions to extract 33 g lipids/100 g dry biomass were found to be at 40 °C, 300 bar and a CO2 flow-rate of 0.62 g/min. The effect of adding a co-solvent (ethanol) was also studied. When supercritical CO2 doped with 20% (w/w) ethanol was used, it was possible to extract 45 g lipids/100 g dry biomass of lipids and recover 70% of the pigments. Furthermore, the remaining biomass after extraction was effectively used as feedstock to produce biohydrogen through dark fermentation by Enterobacter aerogenes resulting in a hydrogen production yield of 60.6 mL/g dry biomass.

Residual or recurrent head and neck cancer presenting with nerve root compression affecting the upper limbs.

Nerve root and spinal cord compression are oncological emergencies that require early detection and prompt management. These phenomena are most frequently diagnosed in patients with haematogenous metastases from lung, breast and prostate cancers and are rarely seen in patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN). SCCHN tends to spread by direct extension and lymphatic metastasis, with haematogenous dissemination occurring late in the natural history of the disease. In this paper, we report three patients with residual or relapsed SCCHN who presented with symptoms and signs of nerve root compression affecting the upper limbs caused by locoregional lymphatic spread of disease.

Managing side effects of radiotherapy in head and neck cancer.

Curative radiotherapy for head and neck cancer causes very significant side effects. In addition to their considerable impact on the patient's quality of life, these effects can prejudice treatment outcome. This review looks at the management of the adverse effects of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Whole blood assay for assessment of the mixed lymphocyte reaction.

When lymphocytes from genetically different individuals are mixed together in tissue culture blast transformation occurs, a reaction known as the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). The MLR is a clinically relevant in vitro assay where lymphocytes from one individual (effector, E) are incubated with the lymphocytes of another individual (stimulator, S) which have been previously rendered incapable of blast transformation by gamma-irradiation. We have standardised a whole blood (WB) MLR assay where the E lymphocytes were provided by 20 microl of WB and the S lymphocytes were provided by irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) either as a mixed pool of 20 donor PBMCs or as single donor PBMC. The optimum number of S lymphocytes needed was comparatively higher than in the standard PBMC MLR: the optimum calculated E:S ratio was 1:20 compared to a E:S ratio of 1:1 or 3:2 in the standard PBMC MLR. In ten normal individuals the WB/PBMC MLR was similar to the standard PBMC/PBMC MLR. As a clinical example, the WB/PBMC MLR proliferative capacity of 13 patients with malignant mesothelioma was no different from the proliferative capacity of their age-sex matched controls. This standardised WB/PBMC MLR assay is a simple and more practical assay than the standard MLR assay and can be incorporated easily in clinical studies with biological end-points.

[The Institutional Program for Health and Environment in the development process of the Oswaldo Cruz foundation]. / O Programa Institucional sobre Saúde e Ambiente no Processo de Desenvolvimento da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz.

The objective of this paper is to show the development program about health and environment in an institution of academic research and teaching, technological development and services. We analyse data from the register of projects in health and environment in the development process as the thematic axis for this program. We show the sectors which the projects are related, the key words of research and teaching, the construction of thematic axis that should guide and the different approach of interdisciplinary. At the end we show the challenges and perspectives for an interdisciplinar work about health and environment in an academic research and teaching institution.