Pectis brevipedunculata is native species and widely available in dry and semi-arid ecosystems showing high biotechnological potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the circadian and seasonal chemical variation of the essential oil (EO) of P. brevipedunculata, as well as its acaricide effect on Rhipicephalus microplus larvae. Aerial parts were collected and submitted to the hydrodistillation process, and the chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For the assays with R. microplus, the larval immersion test was performed. The main constituents were citral (75% of the EO), followed by α-pinene and limonene. In the seasonality analysis, the highest yields were in the months of April (2.08%) and August (2.05%), while in the study of circadian rhythm, the percentage was 2.0% at 6 p.m. in the rainy season, and 1.2%, dry season at 6 p.m. Concerning acaricidal activity (50% lethal concentration (LC50)), the April (1.17 mg mL-1), March (1.28 mg mL-1), June (1.37 mg mL-1), and October (1.27 mg mL-1) oils obtained were the most active and assays performed with circadian rhythm revealed in the rain season (April) at 6 p.m. and dry season (September) at 12 a.m. LC50 values of 1.75 and 1.75 mg mL-1, respectively. Additionally, this EO is selective to non-target organisms, i.e., ladybeetles and lacewing.

Plutella xylostella cause considerable harm to the production of broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cabbage and cauliflower. The control of P. xylostella is mainly performed using commercial insecticides, which have even led to the emergence of resistant populations. Two easily available natural products found in different plants essential oil, thymol and eugenol, stand up as possible novel agents to control this pest. In this work a series of alkylated and acylated derivatives of eugenol and thymol were synthesized and screened for antifeedant, larvicidal and ovicidal activities against P. xylostella. The results of biological activities assays suggest that the novel 1,1’-[1,8-octanediylbis(oxy)]-bis(4-allyl-2-methoxy-benzene) (5) was the most toxic in the larvicidal test. Compounds 1-butoxy-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-benzene (8) and hexanedioic acid 1,6-bis(2-isopropyl-5-methyl-phenyl)-ester (10) were the most toxic in the ovicidal assay. The compound 8 presented the most antifeedant activity. Most of the compounds obtained were more active than commercially available insecticidal deltamethrin and azadirachtin.

Essential oils from the leaves, stems, flowers and fruits of Melaleuca leucadendra growing in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of the oils and their major constituent were evaluated on the agricultural pests Tetranychus urticae and Plutella xylostella in different stages of development. The analysis revealed a M. leucadendra chemotype rich in (E)-nerolidol (81.78 ± 0.90 to 95.78 ± 1.20%). P. xylostella was more susceptible to the oils and major constituent than T. urticae. The fruit oil was 1.5-fold more toxic than the leaf oil to T. urticae eggs. (E)-Nerolidol was 5.5-fold and 4.5-fold more toxic to T. urticae adults than the leaf and fruit oils, respectively. Azamax® used as the positive control was more efficient than the oils and (E)-nerolidol against T. urticae. However, the oils and (E)-nerolidol were more toxic to P. xylostella than Azamax®.

Melissopalynological, physicochemical analysis, mineral content, antiradical activity and profile of compounds by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with a Diode Array Detector and quadrupole Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-qTOF-MS/MS) of Frieseomelitta doederleini honeys from semiarid region of the Northeast of Brazil are presented. The melissopalynological analysis showed two principal pollen types of Mimosa tenuiflora (jurema preta) and Shinus sp (aroeira). The chemical profile data obtained by UPLC-DAD-qTOF-MS/MS of the Mimosa tenuiflora flowers (principal pollen of honey) and the five samples of F. doederleini honeys both flowers and honey showed similar profile. Abelha branca honeys samples had similar characteristic profile of phenolic compounds (flavonoids), and also antiradical activity. The main flavonoids identified in the honey samples in the jurema preta flowers were flavonols/flavone and flavanols/flavanones aglycones. All the flavonoids identified showing that the nectar collected by the bees may be from this plant species. The antiradical activity of the honey samples strongly correlated with their phenolic content. Among the minerals analyzed, potassium was the most abundant, followed by magnesium.

Laboratory bioassays on fumigation, ovicidal and oviposition deterrence activity of the essential oil from Indigofera suffruticosa and its constituents [eugenol, (E)-asarone, dill apiole, (Z)-asarone, thymol, (E)-nerolidol and safrole] against Tetranychus urticae were carried out. Components of Indigofera leaf oil were characterized by gas chromatography (GC) ad mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which revealed the identification of 17 components, representing 97.7 ± 0.6% of the total oil, with a high percentage of phenylpropanoids (89.9 ± 0.5%), among which eugenol (45.6 ± 0.4%) and (E)-asarone (17.4 ± 0.2%) were major constituents. The ovicidal activity and oviposition deterrence tests revealed that the essential oil as well as its main compounds affected the oviposition and hatchability of mite eggs. Eugenol and thymol were the most potent compounds and were approximately 225-fold more potent than the oil. The acaricidal action exerted by sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids of the leaf oil is also discussed. The results suggest that the Indigofera oil and selected components associated with ovicidal activity and oviposition deterrence can serve as the basis for a promising agent that could be used in the formulation of a product for use against the T. urticae.

The aim of this investigation was to analyze two samples of pollen collected by Apis mellifera bees in view of their chemical composition, antiradicalar and antimicrobial activities. Palynological analysis showed that the predominant pollen was Fabaceae species (42.3%, sample I and 50.6%, sample II). The characterization by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector and quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS) resulted in the identification of three derivatives of putrescine (di-4-coumaroylputrescine, coumaroyl-feruloyl-putrescine and di-feruloyl-putrescine), two spermidine derivatives (coumaroyl-di-cafeoyl-spermidine and tri-coumaroyl-spermidine and four biflavonoids (2,3-di-hydrohydroxy-amentoflavone, 2,3-dihydro-amentoflavone, amentoflavone and 2,3-dihydro-biapigenin). The two samples showed antiradical and antimicrobial activities, probably due to the presence of these compounds.

Introduction Brachytherapy is an option for treating low-risk prostate cancer (PC). Biochemical control of low-risk disease can reach 95%. The practice advocated is that a review of prostate biopsies should be mandatory before choosing the best treatment for patients with PC. Our objective was to evaluate the change in PC risk after review of a prostate biopsy by an experienced uropathologist at a reference hospital. Materials and Methods Between December 2003 and August 2012, 182 men were referred to our institution for brachytherapy to treat PC. Their slides were reviewed by the same uropathologist. Results and Discussion Classification risk disagreement occurred in 71 (39%) cases, including one in which no tumor was observed. The main cause of risk change was related to the Gleason score (GS), with 57 (81.4%) cases upgraded to GS 7 or 8. Tumor volume was also compared, although only the number of fragments was reported in most original reports. The concordance of the number of cores affected by tumor was 43.9%, and in 49% of the cases, the number was decreased by the uropathologist. Perineural invasion (PNI) was reported in one quarter of original reports, and the agreement was 58%. Conclusion Slide review by an uropathologist remains essential at reference radiotherapy centers for the treatment of PC. The change in PC risk evaluation is mainly due to the GS, but tumor volume and PNI, which are important for the characterization of tumor aggressiveness, are also misinterpreted and could drive a change in the therapy choice.

Objective Histological details of positive surgical margins in radical prostatectomy specimens have been related to outcome after surgery in rare studies recently published. Our objective is to assess whether the status of surgical margins, the extent and the Gleason score of positive margins, and the extent of the extraprostatic extension are predictive of biochemical recurrence post-radical prostatectomy.Materials and Methods Three hundred sixty-five radical prostatectomy specimens were analyzed. The length of the positive surgical margin and extraprostatic extension and the Gleason score of the margin were recorded. Statistical analyses examined the predictive value of these variables for biochemical recurrence.Results 236 patients were stage pT2R0, 58 pT2R1, 25 pT3R0 and 46 pT3R1. Biochemical recurrence occurred in 11%, 31%, 20% and 45.7% of pT2R0, pT2R1, pT3R0 and pT3R1, respectively. The extent of the positive surgical margins and the Gleason score of the positive surgical margins were not associated with biochemical recurrence in univariate analysis in a mean follow up period of 35.9 months. In multivariate analyses, only the status of the surgical margins and the global Gleason score were associated with biochemical recurrence, with a risk of recurrence of 3.1 for positive surgical margins and of 3.8 for a Gleason score > 7.Conclusion Positive surgical margin and the global Gleason score are significant risk factors for biochemical recurrence post-radical prostatectomy, regardless of the extent of the surgical margin, the extent of the extraprostatic extension, or the local Gleason score of the positive surgical margin or extraprostatic tissue. pT2R1 disease behaves as pT3R0 and should be treated similarly.

RESUMO Avaliou-se a capacidade de adaptação à salinidade de mudas de cana-de-açúcar da variedade RB98710 após pré-condicionamento (priming) in vitro com cloreto de sódio (NaCl). O experimento foi conduzido no período de maio a outubro de 2013. Plantas foram micropropagadas em biorreatores de imersão temporária, com tratamentos de priming caracterizados pela adição de 25 mM de NaCl, durante 0, 12, 24 e 36 horas. Concluídos os períodos de priming, as plantas foram cultivadas em meio de enraizamento sem NaCl, aclimatizadas e submetidas a tratamento salino gradativo: S0 = sem NaCl; S1 = regas com 20→40→60 mM de NaCl acrescido à solução nutritiva, durante 30 dias. Procedeu-se à supressão do NaCl e avaliaram-se as plantas 15 dias depois. As variáveis foram: matéria seca da parte aérea (MSPA) e radicular (MSR), número de perfilhos, estimativa de clorofila (Chl), conteúdo hídrico relativo e dano de membrana. As plantas pré-condicionadas não reduziram a MSPA quando submetidas ao NaCl. O efeito do estresse salino sobre a MSR foi anulado nas plantas submetidas ao priming por 24 h. O priming favoreceu o perfilhamento das plantas dos tratamentos por 24 ou 36 h. A recuperação após o estresse, avaliado 15 dias após a supressão do NaCl, não diferiu entre plantas submetidas ou não ao priming. De acordo com os resultados, o priming utilizado na variedade RB98710, pode favorecer a tolerância à salinidade.

ABSTRACT The capacity of adaptation to the salinity of seedlings of sugarcane variety RB98710 after priming in vitro with sodium chloride (NaCl) was evaluated. The experiment took place in the period May to October 2013. Plants were micropropagated in temporary immersion bioreactor with priming treatments characterized by the addition of 25 mM NaCl, for 0, 12, 24 and 36 hours. Over periods of priming, the plants were grown in rooting medium without NaCl , acclimatized and underwent gradual salt stress : S0 = no NaCl ; waterings with S1 = 20 → 40 → 60 mM NaCl added to the nutrient solution for 30 days . Proceeded to the suppression of NaCl and plants were evaluated after 15 days for shoot (SDM) and root dry matter (RDM), tillers number, chlorophyll estimation (Chl), relative water content and membrane damage were evaluated. The preconditioned plants did not reduce the SDM when submitted to salt stress. The effect of salt stress on the RDM was null in the plants of the priming for 24 h. Preconditioning favored the tillering of the plants of the treatments 24 or 36 h. The recovery after the stress, assessed 15 days after the removal of NaCl did not differ between whether or not subject to priming plants. According to the results the priming used in the RB98710 variety may favor tolerance to salinity.

Purpose The discovery of new diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) has become an important field of research. In this study, we analyzed the diagnostic value of the expression of the pepsinogen C (PGC) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) genes in tissue samples obtained from prostate biopsies. Materials and Methods This study was comprised of 51 consecutive patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsies between January 2010 and March 2010. The biopsies were performed with 12 cores, and an additional core was randomly retrieved from the peripheral zone from each patient for study purposes. The expression of the PGC and PSMA genes was analyzed from the cDNA from the samples via the qRT-PCR technology. The expression patterns of patients with PCa were compared with those of patients without a PCa diagnosis. Results PSMA was overexpressed in only 43.4% of PCa cases, and PGC was overexpressed in 72.7% of cases. The median expression of PSMA was 1.5 times (0.1 to 43.9) and the median PGC expression was 8.7 times (0.1 to 50.0) the expression observed in prostatic tissue from TRUS-guided biopsies of normal patients. Analysis of patients with high-risk PCa indicated that PGC was overexpressed in 71.4% of cases (with a median expression of 10.6 times), and PSMA was overexpressed in only 35.7% of cases (with a median expression of 4.5 times). Among patients with low-risk PCa, PGC was also overexpressed in 71.4% of cases (with a median expression of 5.9 times), and PSMA was overexpressed in only 42.8% of cases (with a median expression of 2.5 times). Conclusions PGC gene expression is significantly higher in prostatic tissue in men affected by PCa when compared to normal prostates. Further analyses are necessary to confirm our results.

Introduction The knowledge about the molecular biology of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is evolving, and Carbonic Anhydrase type IX (CA-IX) has emerged as a potential prognostic marker in this challenging disease. However, most of the literature about CA-IX on ccRCC comes from series on metastatic cancer, with a lack of series on non-metastatic cancer. The objective is to evaluate the expression of CA-IX in a cohort of non-metastatic ccRCC, correlating with 1) overall survival, and 2) with established prognostic parameters (T stage, tumor size, Fuhrman nuclear grade, microvascular invasion and peri-renal fat invasion). Materials and Methods This is a retrospective cohort study. We evaluated 95 patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, as to the expression of CA-IX. The analyzed parameters where: overall survival (OS), TNM stage, tumor size (TS), Fuhrman nuclear grade (FNG), microvascular invasion (MVI), peri-renal fat invasion (PFI). We utilized a custom built tissue microarray, and the immunoexpression was digitally quantified using the Photoshop® software. Results: Th e mean follow-up time was 7.9 years (range 1.9 to 19.5 years). The analysis of CA-IX expression against the selected prognostic parameters showed no correlation. The results are as follows: Overall survival (p = 0.790); T stage (p = 0.179); tumor size (p = 0.143); grouped Fuhrman nuclear grade (p = 0.598); microvascular invasion (p = 0.685), and peri-renal fat invasion (p = 0.104). Conclusion Carbonic anhydrase type IX expression does not correlate with overall survival and conventional prognostic parameters in non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Objective Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) for the treatment of patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is believed to be a safe procedure with a low risk of adverse side effects. Artery embolization is a viable treatment option in patients who are refractory to the classic noninvasive treatments. Knowledge of the histological characteristics of prostate tissue following the procedure is still limited. In this study, we describe the microscopic aspects of the prostate following PAE for BPH. Materials and Methods Two patients underwent transurethral resections of the prostate (TURP) after PAE. Embolizations were performed under local anesthesia with an initial pelvic angiography to evaluate the iliac vessels and the prostate arteries using a 2.8 French microcatheter. The prostate was embolized with 300-500µm Microspheres (Embosphere®), using complete blood stasis as the end point. The prostate tissues were analyzed histologically to characterize the effects of the embolization. Results The embolic material within the prostate tissue was easily identified as homogeneous, bright eosin-red spheroids filling the vessel lumens. Ischemic necrosis surrounded or not by chronic inflammatory reactions containing macrophages were considered as a result of the artery embolization. Also, some aspects related to the healing process were observed being fibrotic nodules surrounded by glands with squamous metaplasia of the epithelial lining the most important. In the remaining sections, due to the precocious surgical intervention, the classic findings of BPH were still present with the glandular and stromal hyperplasia associated with nonspecific chronic prostatitis. Conclusions This is the first description of prostate histology in BPH patients treated by PAE, a new procedure that is being used increasingly as a therapeutic intervention. The recognition of the changes caused by this new modality of treatment has become a very important differential in a chronic granulomatous reaction of the prostate tissue.

PURPOSE: A great number of small renal lesions have now been detected. Nowadays, partial nephrectomy has more frequently been adopted for surgical treatment of earlier stage disease. Previous studies have associated patient, institutional, and health care system factors with surgery type. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnosis and treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) according to hospital type, public versus private, in our country. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 183 patients with RCC who underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron-sparing surgery between 2003 and 2007 in two hospitals, one private and one public. Patient demographic, clinical, surgery, and pathologic characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: The radical nephrectomy rate was higher at the public hospital than at the private hospital (75% vs. 57%, p = 0.008). Overall, patients at the public hospital presented larger tumors than did the patients who were cared for privately. Furthermore, small renal masses were significantly more prevalent in private care (57.8% vs. 28.3%). Patients at the public hospital showed a higher incidence of capsular invasion (p = 0.008), perirenal fat invasion (p < 0.01), lymph node involvement (p < 0.001), and a lower incidence of initial tumors. pT1 tumors were reported in 41% of patients at the public hospital and in 72% at the private hospital (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with RCC cared for at our public referral hospital showed a more advanced stage than RCC treated at the private institution.

PURPOSE: Atypical glands (ASAP) are diagnosed in 5.0% of prostate biopsies, and cancer identification in a rebiopsy is higher than 40.0%. The use of antibodies to mark basal cells is currently a common practice, in order to avoid rebiopsies. There has been no reported study that has reviewed characteristics of radical prostatectomies (RPs) when immunohistochemistry (IHC) was necessary for definitive diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Out of 4127 biopsies examined from 2004 to 2008, 144 (3.5%) were diagnosed with ASAP. IHC was performed using antibody anti-34ßE12 and p63. The results of surgical specimens of 27 patients treated by RP after the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PC) was made using IHC (Group 1) were compared with 1040 patients where IHC was not necessary (Group 2). RESULTS: IHC helped to diagnose PC in 103 patients (71.5%). Twenty-seven (26.2%) underwent RP. In Group 1, two (7.4%) adenocarcinomas were insignificant versus 29 (2.9%) for Group 2. Patients from Group 1 were younger (p = 0.039), had lower Gleason scores (GS) (p < 0.001), lower percentage of Gleason pattern 4 (p < 0.001), and smaller tumors (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of IHC did not lead to diagnosis of insignificant tumors as illustrated by absence of differences in pathological stage or positive surgical margins in men submitted to RP. Therefore, our results suggest that this modality should be routinely used for a borderline biopsy and ASAP cases.