Universidade Estadual de Londrina

About: Universidade Estadual de Londrina is a education organization based out in Londrina, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Toxoplasma gondii. The organization has 13052 authors who have published 19291 publications receiving 212123 citations.

GaNAsSb: how does it compare with other dilute III-V-nitride alloys?

Abstract: Growth and properties of GaNAsSb alloys are investigated and compared with those of other dilute III–N–V alloys. Similar properties are observed including very high bandgap bowing, carrier localization at low temperature, sensitivity to thermal annealing and passivation of N-related electronic states by hydrogen. On the other hand, we point out some features of this alloy system and evaluate its potential for device applications. Probably, GaNAsSb can achieve emission at longer wavelengths than GaInNAs alloys grown to date. Its conduction- and valence-band offsets can be independently tuned by adjusting the N and Sb composition, respectively. Since this compound has a single group III element, its electronic structure should be less dependent on alloy configuration than GaInNAs.

The Effects of Muscle Mass and Number of Sets During Resistance Exercise on Postexercise Hypotension

Abstract: The effects of muscle mass and number of sets on postexercise hypotension (PEH) following resistance exercises are barely known. The aim of the study was to compare systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) after biceps curl and leg extension with different number of sets. Twenty-four trained men (23 +/- 1 year, 69 +/- 4 kg, 173 +/- 3 cm) were randomly assigned into control group, arm group, and leg group. On the first day, the 12 repetition maximum (12RM) workload was determined for both experimental groups. In the remaining days, arm group and leg group performed, randomly, 6 or 10 sets of 10 repetitions of the respective exercises at 12RM workload. Blood pressure was assessed before and every 10 minutes after the exercises for 1 hour. The 3-way analysis of variance identified a significant influence of the type of exercise (p = 0.000001), number of sets (p = 0.007), and postexercise period (p = 0.009) on SBP and of the type of exercise (p = 0.03) on MAP. No differences were found among the groups at rest. Postexercise hypotension was only observed for the leg group when 10 sets were performed. In this group, SBP was significantly (p

P450c17 Deficiency in Brazilian Patients: Biochemical Diagnosis through Progesterone Levels Confirmed by CYP17 Genotyping

Abstract: P450c17 deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder and a rare cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia characterized by hypertension, hypokalemia, and impaired production of sex hormones. We performed a clinical, hormonal, and molecular study of 11 patients from 6 Brazilian families with the combined 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency phenotype. All patients had elevated basal serum levels of progesterone (1.8–38 ng/ml; 0.57–12 pmol/liter) and suppressed plasma renin activity. CYP17 genotyping identified 5 missense mutations. The compound heterozygous mutation R362C/W406R was found in 1 family, whereas the homozygous mutations R96W, Y329D, and P428L were seen in the other 5 families. The R96W mutation has been described as the cause of P450c17 deficiency in Caucasian patients. The other mutations were not found in 50 normal subjects screened by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization (Y329D, R362C, and W406R) or digestion with HphI (P428L) and were recently found in other Brazilian patients. T...

Physical and oxidative stability of fish oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with beta-lactoglobulin and pectin

Abstract: The oxidation of fatty acids can be inhibited by engineering the surface of oil-in-water emulsion droplets to decrease interactions between aqueous phase prooxidants and lipids. The objective of this research was to evaluate whether emulsions stabilized by a multilayer emulsifier systems consisting of beta-lactoglobulin and citrus or sugar beet pectin could produce fish oil-in-water emulsions that had good physical and oxidative stability. Sugar beet pectin was compared to citrus pectin because the sugar beet pectin contains the known antioxidant, ferulic acid. A primary Menhaden oil-in-water emulsion was prepared with beta-lactoglobulin upon which the pectins were electrostatically deposited at pH 3.5. Emulsions prepared with 1% oil, 0.05% beta-lactoglobulin, and 0.06% pectins were physically stable for up to 16 days. As determined by monitoring lipid hydroperoxide and headspace propanal formation, emulsions prepared with the multilayer system of beta-lactoglobulin and citrus pectin were more stable than emulsions stabilized with beta-lactoglobulin alone. Emulsions prepared with the multilayer system of beta-lactoglobulin and sugar beet pectin were less stable than emulsions stabilized with beta-lactoglobulin alone despite the presence of ferulic acid in the sugar beet pectin. The lower oxidative stability of the emulsions with the sugar beet pectin could be due to its higher iron and copper concentrations which would produce oxidative stress that would overcome the antioxidant capacity of ferulic acid. These data suggest that the oxidative stability of oil-in-water emulsions containing omega-3 fatty acids could be improved by the use of multilayer emulsion systems containing pectins with low metal concentrations.