Many conditions interfere with butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity, e.g., pregnancy or presence of the BCHE gene variant -116A can decrease activity whereas obesity and types I and II diabetes mellitus can increase activity. In this study, we examined BChE activity, -116A and 1615A BCHE gene variants, and anthropometric and biochemical variables associated with diabetes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and in healthy pregnant women. BChE activity was measured spectrophotometrically using propionylthiocholine as substrate and genotyping of the -116 and 1615 sites of the BCHE gene was done with a TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. Three groups were studied: 150 patients with GDM, 295 healthy pregnant women and 156 non-pregnant healthy women. Mean BChE activity was significantly lower in healthy pregnant women than in women from the general population and was further reduced in GDM patients. BChE activity was significantly reduced in carriers of -116A in GDM patients and healthy pregnant women. Although GDM patients had a significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI) and triglycerides than healthy pregnant women, they had lower mean BChE activity, suggesting that the lowering effect of GDM on BChE activity was stronger than the characteristic enhancing effect of increased BMI and triglycerides.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do compatibilizante PE-g-MA (5 e 10%) no comportamento reológico de nanocompósitos de poliamida6/polietileno/argila organofílica, onde a argila foi tratada com um sal quaternário de amônio (Cetremide). Em geral, observou-se que a presença do compatibilizante aumentou o torque da mistura de PA6/PE e que a presença da argila organofílica (2%) sem o compatibilizante não pareceu alterar o comportamento do torque da mistura. Por outro lado, para o nanocompósito com 10% em peso de compatibilizante e com a argila organofílica, verificou-se um aumento significativo do torque em relação às outras misturas, evidenciando maior interação da argila organofílica com as matrizes poliméricas, isto é, maior viscosidade do sistema, promovida provavelmente pela presença do compatibilizante. Os resultados de difração de raio X mostraram que os sistemas apresentaram estrutura intercalada e/ou esfoliada.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of PE-g-MA (5 and 10 wt.%) compatibilizer on the rheological behavior of polyamide6/polyethylene/organoclay nanocomposites. The organoclay was treated with a quaternary ammonium salt (Cetremide). In general, it was observed that the presence of compatibilizer increased the torque of PA6/PE blend and that the presence of organoclay (2 wt.%) did not appear to affect the torque behavior of the blend without compatibilizer. On the other hand, for the nanocomposite with 10 wt.% of compatibilizer and with the organoclay, a significant increase in torque was observed in comparison with other mixtures, thus pointing to strong interaction between the caly and the polymer matrices, i.e. a larger viscosity of the system, probably due to the presence of compatibilizer. The results from X ray diffraction showed that the systems presented intercalated and/or exfoliated structure.

Nanocompósitos de polietileno de alta densidade e poliamida-6 com argila bentonita nacional foram preparados por meio do processo de intercalação por fusão. Para a modificação da argila foram utilizados tipos diferentes de sais quaternários de amônio visando sintetizar as argilas organofílicas. As argilas não modificada e modificada com os sais foram incorporadas nas matrizes poliméricas, sendo que foram utilizados procedimentos diferentes para a modificação das argilas: para os nanocompósitos de polietileno, a argila foi preparada com quatro sais quaternários de amônio e para os nanocompósitos de poliamida-6 foi utilizado um único tipo de sal quaternário de amônio, variando-se seus teores para a organofilização da argila. O objetivo desse trabalho foi obter nanocompósitos de polietileno e poliamida-6 e caracterizá-los por microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET) e por difração de raios X (DRX). Os resultados indicaram que os sistemas polietileno/argila organofílica apresentaram estruturas de nanocompósitos intercalados e/ou parcialmente esfoliados. Já os sistemas poliamida-6/argila organofílica apresentaram uma morfologia esfoliada com uma predominância de partículas de argilas dispersas na matriz.

High density polyethylene and nylon 6 nanocomposites with national bentonite clay were prepared with the melt intercalation technique. Different quaternary ammonium salts were used to obtain the organoclays. The unmodified and modified clays with the salts were incorporated in the polymer matrices and different procedures were used for the modification of clays: for the polyethylene nanocomposites, the clay was prepared with four quaternary ammonium salts and for the nylon 6 nanocomposites only one type of quaternary ammonium salt was used, which had its contents varied in the organophilization of the clay. The objective of this work was to obtain polyethylene and nylon 6 nanocomposites. They were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that the polyethylene/organoclay systems presented structures of intercalated nanocomposites and/or partially exfoliated. The nylon 6/organoclay systems presented an exfoliated morphology with clay particles dispersed in the matrix.