The Role of Oxidative Stress,Renal Inflammation,and Apoptosis in Post Ischemic Reperfusion Injury of Kidney Tissue: the Protective Effect of Dose-Dependent Boric Acid Administration

Biological Trace Element Research - Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is associated with a strong inflammatory and oxidative stress response to hypoxia and reperfusion that impair organ function....     

The Duffy binding protein as a key target for a Plasmodium vivax vaccine: lessons from the Brazilian Amazon

Plasmodium vivax infects human erythrocytes through a major pathway that requires interaction between an apical parasite protein, the Duffy binding protein (PvDBP) and its receptor on reticulocytes, the Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines (DARC). The importance of the interaction between PvDBP (region II, DBPII) and DARC to P. vivax infection has motivated our malaria research group at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) to conduct a number of immunoepidemiological studies to characterise the naturally acquired immunity to PvDBP in populations living in the Amazon rainforest. In this review, we provide an update on the immunology and molecular epidemiology of PvDBP in the Brazilian Amazon - an area of markedly unstable malaria transmission - and compare it with data from other parts of Latin America, as well as Asia and Oceania.     

Immobilization of Ene Reductase in Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel

The Protein Journal - In this study, ene reductase (ER) was entrapped in polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel, adsorbed on montmorillonite and immobilized covalently on glutaraldehyde activated...     

Hydrodynamics optimization in butterfly swimming: position, drag coefficient and performance.

A kinematic study allowed to define the three most propulsive positions during a butterfly swimming cycle, which were: the end of the external sweep, the end of the internal sweep and the end of thrust. These instantaneous positions were different for the ex-world champion Pankratov when compared to another swimmer. Using manikins and a drag-measuring device, we showed that the end of the internal sweep induced the highest drag values and that Pankratov may reduce energy expenditure by taking up a particular position during the end of the swimming cycle. These results point out the relations between swimming movements, passive drag and swimmers' performance.