Este trabalho tem como objetivo aplicar a técnica de encapsulamento, conhecida também como solidificação/estabilização, em um solo contaminado com crescentes quantidades do resíduo industrial borra oleosa ácida, utilizando como agente encapsulante o cimento Portland CP-V ARI. O programa experimental consistiu na realização de estudos pré e pós-tratamento, analisando fisicamente o solo através de ensaios de caracterização geotécnica, compactação, resistência à compressão simples, durabilidade e condutividade hidráulica. Quimicamente foram realizados ensaios de lixiviação em coluna e análises químicas e físico-químicas do lixiviado. Devido às elevadas temperaturas detectadas no momento das misturas de solo/cimento e borra oleosa ácida, foram realizados ensaios para o monitoramento da temperatura e o tempo de hidratação do cimento. Os resultados apontam que quanto maior a quantidade de borra oleosa ácida presente no solo tratado, maior é a temperatura de hidratação do cimento e mais rápido atinge o pico máximo, resultando em menor resistência à compressão simples e maior perda de massa. Em amostras sem cimento, a condutividade hidráulica diminui com o aumento de borra oleosa ácida, quando adicionado cimento a condutividade hidráulica inicialmente diminui com o acréscimo de borra oleosa ácida, mas volta a aumentar com quantidades maiores de contaminante. A técnica de encapsulamento mostrou-se eficiente quanto à redução dos metais pesados, devido, principalmente, ao aumento do pH e a precipitação de tais elementos. Porém não se mostrou eficiente quanto ao sulfato, condutividade elétrica e demanda química de oxigênio. / The objective of this study is applying the encapsulation technique, also known as solidification/stabilization, in soil contaminated with increasing amounts of acidic oily sludge industrial residues, using Portland cement CP-V ARI as the encapsulating agent. The experimental program consisted of studies pre and post-treatment, in which the soil was physically analyzed through geotechnical characterization testings, compactation, unconfined compressive strength, duration and hydraulic conductivity tests. In chemical terms, column leach testings were conducted, along with chemical and physical-chemical analyses of the leachete. Due to the high temperatures detected upon mixing soil/cement and the acidic oily sludge, tests were conducted to monitor the temperature and the hydratation rate of the cement. The results show that the greater the amount of acidic oily sludge in the treated soil, the higher the temperature necessary to hydrate the cement and the faster it reaches the maximum peak, which results in less unconfined compressive strength and greater mass loss. In samples without cement, the hydraulic conductivity reduced upon increasing the amount of acidic oily sludge. When cement is added, the hydraulic conductivity initially decreases with the acidic oily sludge, but it increases again with greater amounts of the substance. The encapsulation technique proved to be efficient in the reduction of heavy metals, due mainly to the pH increase and the precipitation of such components. However, the technique did not prove to be efficient in relation to sulphate, and to the electrical conductivity and the chemical oxygen demand.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo aplicar a técnica de encapsulamento, conhecida também como solidificação/estabilização, em um solo contaminado com crescentes quantidades do resíduo industrial borra oleosa ácida, utilizando como agente encapsulante o cimento Portland CP-V ARI. O programa experimental consistiu na realização de estudos pré e pós-tratamento, analisando fisicamente o solo através de ensaios de caracterização geotécnica, compactação, resistência à compressão simples, durabilidade e condutividade hidráulica. Quimicamente foram realizados ensaios de lixiviação em coluna e análises químicas e físico-químicas do lixiviado. Devido às elevadas temperaturas detectadas no momento das misturas de solo/cimento e borra oleosa ácida, foram realizados ensaios para o monitoramento da temperatura e o tempo de hidratação do cimento. Os resultados apontam que quanto maior a quantidade de borra oleosa ácida presente no solo tratado, maior é a temperatura de hidratação do cimento e mais rápido atinge o pico máximo, resultando em menor resistência à compressão simples e maior perda de massa. Em amostras sem cimento, a condutividade hidráulica diminui com o aumento de borra oleosa ácida, quando adicionado cimento a condutividade hidráulica inicialmente diminui com o acréscimo de borra oleosa ácida, mas volta a aumentar com quantidades maiores de contaminante. A técnica de encapsulamento mostrou-se eficiente quanto à redução dos metais pesados, devido, principalmente, ao aumento do pH e a precipitação de tais elementos. Porém não se mostrou eficiente quanto ao sulfato, condutividade elétrica e demanda química de oxigênio. / The objective of this study is applying the encapsulation technique, also known as solidification/stabilization, in soil contaminated with increasing amounts of acidic oily sludge industrial residues, using Portland cement CP-V ARI as the encapsulating agent. The experimental program consisted of studies pre and post-treatment, in which the soil was physically analyzed through geotechnical characterization testings, compactation, unconfined compressive strength, duration and hydraulic conductivity tests. In chemical terms, column leach testings were conducted, along with chemical and physical-chemical analyses of the leachete. Due to the high temperatures detected upon mixing soil/cement and the acidic oily sludge, tests were conducted to monitor the temperature and the hydratation rate of the cement. The results show that the greater the amount of acidic oily sludge in the treated soil, the higher the temperature necessary to hydrate the cement and the faster it reaches the maximum peak, which results in less unconfined compressive strength and greater mass loss. In samples without cement, the hydraulic conductivity reduced upon increasing the amount of acidic oily sludge. When cement is added, the hydraulic conductivity initially decreases with the acidic oily sludge, but it increases again with greater amounts of the substance. The encapsulation technique proved to be efficient in the reduction of heavy metals, due mainly to the pH increase and the precipitation of such components. However, the technique did not prove to be efficient in relation to sulphate, and to the electrical conductivity and the chemical oxygen demand.

Neste trabalho foram testados métodos de obtenção de zeólitas e sílica amorfa a partir das cinzas volantes do carvão utilizado na Usina Termoelétrica Presidente Médici, Candiota, RS, tendo como objetivo principal a transformação de um resíduo sólido de grande impacto ambiental em materiais com maior valor agregado e uma ampla gama de aplicações. As matérias primas, assim como os produtos obtidos foram caracterizados por um conjunto de técnicas, a saber: Difratometria de Raios X(DRX), Fluorescência de Raios X(XFD), CHNS elementar, área superficial específica (BET), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV). Para a síntese das zeólitas foi utilizado o processo em duas etapas que consiste em fusão alcalina seguida de tratamento hidrotérmico. Visando a comparação entre as estruturas formadas, os parâmetros avaliados neste processo foram: natureza da fonte de silício e alumínio, tempo de reação, temperatura de reação e proporção cinza/NaOH. As temperaturas utilizadas foram de 350°C, 600°C e 800°C .em tempos de 3h, 5h e 8h e as proporções cinza/NaOH de 1:1 e 1:2. As análises por difração de raios X dos produtos obtidos por fusão alcalina indicaram estruturas zeolíticas naqueles em que foram usadas as proporções cinza/NaOH de 1:1 em todas as temperaturas utilizadas neste processo variando os tempos de reação. Com a proporção cinza/NaOH de 1:2, não foram obtidas estruturas com características zeolíticas. Para a obtenção da sílica amorfa, as cinzas foram submetidas à fusão alcalina com NaOH seguida de lixiviação com HCl a 25%,sendo obtidos dois produtos:um a partir da fase gel e outro da fase precipitada Os produtos obtidos, analisados por difração de raios X apresentaram valores de 2θ (26,6) característicos da sílica amorfa. Uma avaliação semiquantitativa feita por fluorescência de raios X indica que a sílica amorfa precipitada apresentou pureza acima de 95% e a sílica amorfa obtida a partir do gel, apresentou pureza de 75%. / In this essay, methods of obtaining amorphous silica and zeolites from coal fly ash Presidente Médici Thermoelectric Power Plant have been tested, having as main objective the transformation of a large solid waste environmental impact in high value applicable materials. The raw materials, and the products were characterized by a set of techniques: particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XFD), CHNS elemental (BET) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Microscope bench. For the synthesis of zeólitas, the process was done in two steps. It consisted in alkaline fusion followed by hydrothermal treatment. The parameters evaluated in this process were the origin of the source of silicon and aluminum; reaction time, reaction temperature, proportion fly ash/ hydroxide. The temperatures used were 350 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C. To time of 3h, 5h and 8h and cinza/ NaOH proportion of 1:1 and 1:2 . The products obtained by alkaline fusion those in witch were subjected the proportion fly ash /NaOH 1:1 showed zeolitic structures at all temperatures used in this process by varying the reaction time. With the ratio fly ash/NaOH 1:2 not zeolitic structures were obtained.. To obtain amorphous silica, ash was subjected to alkali fusion with NaOH and treated with hydrochloric acid (25%). Two products were obtained: one from the gel phase and other from the the precipitated phase, The x-ray diffraction patterns shows a amorphous band in the 2 θ region in the range between 20° and 40° which is related to the amorphous silica. A semi quantitative evaluation by X-ray fluorescence shows that the amorphous precipitated silica had purity of above 95%, and amorphous silica obtained from gel showed 75% purity.

A reprodução em peixes é controlada pelo eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-gônadas e os fatores que alteram o funcionamento adequado deste eixo são chamados de disruptores endócrinos. Muitos metais têm o papel de disruptores endócrinos e dentre eles destaca-se o alumínio que, além de afetar o sistema endócrino de algumas espécies de peixes, pode alterar a deposição e/ou mobilização de substratos energéticos nestes animais. Sabe-se que o pH pode modular em muitos casos as respostas fisiológicas decorrentes da exposição de peixes a alguns metais, como é o caso do alumínio. Desta forma, o presente trabalho objetiva avaliar as possíveis alterações na fisiologia reprodutiva de duas espécies de peixes teleósteos continentais quando os mesmos são expostos às altas concentrações de alumínio e em pH ácido. Para avaliar estes efeitos foram conduzidos 2 tipos de experimentos: um crônico, realizado com fêmeas de uma espécie de desova total (sincrônica em grupo), Astyanax fasciatus (lambari), durante a sua fase reprodutiva, pelo período de 14 dias; e outro agudo, pelo período de 96 horas, com fêmeas de Oreochromis niloticus (tilápia), espécie de desova parcelada (assincrônica) também em fase reprodutiva. Foram determinadas as concentrações plasmáticas de hormônios esteróides como o cortisol, o estradiol e a 17 α OHP utilizando-se kits de elisaimunoensaio; substratos energéticos, como proteínas e lipídios, no fígado, plasma e gônadas, assim como os principais íons plasmáticos (cálcio, potássio, cloro, magnésio e sódio) também foram analisados. Análises histológicas das gônadas, fígado e brânquias foram conduzidas com a finalidade de avaliar o efeito do alumínio e do pH ácido nestes tecidos. Os resultados do presente trabalho evidenciam que o alumínio e o pH ácido afetam a fisiologia reprodutiva de peixes teleósteos, mas o efeito deste metal está relacionado à estratégia reprodutiva dos animais. Os dados mostram que em peixes de desova total, como o lambari, os efeitos do alumínio são mais evidentes na fase de vitelogênese, alterando a ação dos estrógenos e os processos de mobilização de lipídios e proteínas em uma fase anterior à maturação final. Já na tilápia, os efeitos do alumínio e do pH ácido são mais evidentes na fase de maturação final e ovulação, uma vez que alterações foram observadas na concentração do progestágeno 17 α OHP, precursor do MIS em peixes teleósteos. / Fish reproduction is controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis and factors that alter the normal function of this axis are known as endocrine disrupters. Many metals act as endocrine disrupters, including aluminium, a metal that affects endocrine and metabolic parameters in fish. It is also known that the pH can alter the endocrine disruptor effect of metals such as aluminium in fish. Considering that, this work aims to analyze the alterations in the reproductive physiology of two freshwater teleosts exposed to high aluminium concentrations in an acidic pH environment. To evaluate these effects, two experiments were conducted: the first experiment was designed to evaluate chronic effects by using mature Astyanax fasciatus females, a group synchronic species over a 14 day period; the second experiment was aimed to assess acute effects over a 96 hour period using Oreochromis niloticus mature females, an asynchronous species. The plasma profile of the steroids hormones, cortisol, estradiol and 17 α OHP were analyzed using EIA (Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay) kits. Metabolic substrates as protein and lipids were analyzed in liver, gonads and plasma and the main plasmatic ions (potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium and calcium) were also determined. Histological analyses were performed in liver, gonads and gills to evaluate the influence of aluminium on these organs. The results showed that aluminium as well as the acidic pH affects the reproductive physiology of the analyzed species, but the effects were different, according to the reproductive strategy of the respective species. Group synchronic species suffer from the aluminium effects in vitellogenic events, such as estradiol, lipid and protein concentrations in a period prior to final maturation. In contrast, the effects of aluminium and pH in tilapia were more evident in final maturation/ovulation processes than in vitellogenesis, as a result of alteration in the 17 α OHP concentration, the MIS (maturation induction steroid) precursor in teleosts.

This thesis was performed in the scope of International Graduation Program in which Universidade de São Paulo and The Ohio State University are inserted. In the first year of Ph.D. work we aimed to understand the effect of aluminum (Al) in root growth of Eucalyptus spp. and the relationship with biochemical parameters and transcriptional responses since there is little information about these responses for tree species. Aluminum is found naturally in the Earth crust, but under acidic conditions Al3+ ion becomes available and toxic to the plants. United States and Brazil possess large areas with Al toxicity and great area of forests growing under these conditions. In order to perform the transcriptional analysis, Eucalyptus RNA was transported to United States, however, the method of transportation was not efficient to guarantee RNA integrity. Therefore we changed our objectives and we performed new experiments using maize as biological system because this species has economical importance to U.S. and Brazil. Furthermore, substantial area of this crop is growing in soils under these conditions. In these experiments, we aimed to verify if pre-treating maize seeds before germination could be efficient to induce Al-tolerance in Al-sensitive genotypes. This thesis was organized in order to build a story based on the sequences of the experiments. In general, we obtained interesting results for Al-sensitive maize that presented reduction in lignin content and gene expression in shoots, also for Al-tolerant variety that present increase in growth, productivity and improvement of nutritional quality of the kernels. / Esta tese foi realizada no âmbito do Programa Internacional de Pós-Graduação em que a Universidade de São Paulo e The Ohio State University estão inseridos. No primeiro ano do trabalho de doutorado, o objetivo foi de compreender o efeito do alumínio (Al) no crescimento de raízes de Eucalyptus spp. e a relação com parâmetros bioquímicos e respostas de transcrição já que há pouca informação sobre estas respostas para espécies arbóreas. O alumínio é encontrado naturalmente na crosta terrestre, porém sob condições ácidas o íon Al3+ torna-se disponível e tóxico para as plantas. Os Estados Unidos e o Brasil possuem grandes áreas com Al tóxico e grandes áreas de florestas crescem sob estas condições. A fim de executar a análise transcricional, o RNA dos materiais de eucalipto foi transportado para os Estados Unidos, entretanto, o método de transporte não foi eficiente para garantir a integridade do RNA. Assim sendo, mudamos nossos objetivos e realizamos novos experimentos utilizando milho como sistema biológico, porque esta espécie tem importância econômica para os EUA e também para o Brasil. Ademais, substanciais áreas de cultivo do milho se encontram em solos sob estas condições. Nos novos experimentos realizados, o objetivo foi de verificar se o pré-tratamento de sementes de milho antes da germinação poderia ser eficiente para induzir tolerância ao alumínio em genótipos Al-sensíveis. Esta tese foi organizada a fim de construir uma história com base nas sequencias dos experimentos. Em geral, resultados interessantes foram obtidos para a linhagem de milho sensível ao Al que apresentou redução no teor de lignina e na sua expressão gênica em parte aérea, também para a variedade tolerante ao Al que apresentou aumento no crescimento, produtividade e melhoria da qualidade nutricional dos grãos.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Most of the world's energy production is still mainly achieved by the combustion of coal in power stations. Coal fly ash is the inevitable waste product that accumulates to metric ton volumes each year. These vast volumes pose a problem in the disposal of the coal fly ash which conventionally is loaded onto ash dumps located near the coal power stations. Alternatives need to be investigated for the use of the coal fly ash in applications that would make the coal fly ash useful and thereby help to mitigate the environmental strain imposed by conventional ash dump disposal. This study focussed on investigating the extraction of Si and Al from CFA. The investigation into the removal of the magnetic iron oxide content and calcium content from coal fly ash was also carried out to enhance the extraction of the Si and Al from CFA e.g. the removal of calcium was attempted to promote the leaching of aluminium from the ash. The rationale for this process was that by removing and recovering these major constituent elements from the ash, it would be easier to concentrate and isolate the trace elements especially the rare earth elements that are present in the CFA. Coal fly ash sourced from Matla coal power station was characterised using x-ray diffraction to determine the mineral phases present in the raw coal fly ash and elemental composition determined by x-ray fluorescence and laser ablation ICP-MS. The main mineral phases in coal fly ash were determined to be quartz, mullite, magnetite and lime (CaO). Magnetic extraction was initially carried out on the coal fly ash to remove the iron rich magnetic material. Extraction tests were then performed on the coal fly ash using alkaline and acidic media namely; NaOH, HCl and H₂SO₄. The extraction tests were assessed and a sequential extraction experimental procedure developed to achieve the highest extraction yield for Si, Al, Fe, Ca, and Mg from the coal fly ash. Lastly the rare earth element content in coal fly ash was tracked from the beginning till the end of the sequential extraction procedure to ascertain whether the rare earth elements partitioned to the leachates or the solid residues. The total element recoveries for Al, Si, Ca Fe, Mg were 53.36 %, 39.96 %, 93.8 %, 25.6 % and 67.3 % respectively using the sequential extraction procedure developed in this study. The rare earth elements contents were not affected by the sequential extraction procedure and on the whole remained in the solid residues at the completion of the sequential extraction, resulting in a residue with enriched levels of recoverable or extractable REE content after the removal of the major oxides from the CFA. The lowest enrichment being approximately 5 % for Thulium and the highest being approximately 76 % for Erbium.

This thesis assessed the suitability of unilateral, electrolytic lesions as a model of spinal cord damage and repair in the adult rat. This type of lesion resulted acutely in localized damage in the upper motor neuron at the L2-L3 level of the spinal cord. Minimal acute damage to ascending sensory pathways was indicated by preserved somatosensory evoked potentials elicited by stimulation of the tibial nerve. Immediately after lesion generation one of several substrates was injected into the lesion cavity. These substrates were saline buffer, liquid collagen solution, foetal spinal cord cells from 14 day old rat embryos, and a mixture of collagen and E 14 foetal spinal cord cells. The 4 groups were compared for functional recovery over 3 months using the inclined plane test and a Tarlov movement scale. After sacrifice, the tibialis anterior muscles were dissected and weighed to assess atrophy due to lower motor neuron injury. After removing and embedding the spinal cords in paraffin, transverse and longitudinal sections were taken for cytoarchitectural investigation. Cresyl violet was used to indicate Nissl substance, Luxol fast blue stained for myelin and anti - glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody revealed the expression of GFAP in the cord sections. Chronic electrolytic lesions were characterized by the highly variable degree of cavitation, demyelination and macrophage infiltration that was present. There was no significant performance deficit on the inclined plane test in any of the lesioned groups when compared to unoperated animals. The tibialis muscles from all groups were of normal weight, indicating that the lower motor neurons were not significantly damaged by the lesions used. There was, however, a marked decrease in the number of GFAP reactive astrocytes in the lesioned animals when compared to unlesioned controls (P < 0.01, Wilcoxon test). Moreover, this reduction of GFAP - like immunoreactivity was not prevented by implants of foetal neurons, collagen or foetal neurons suspended in collagen. Possible explanations for the reduced GFAP - like immunoreactivity seen in all electrolytically lesioned cords are discussed. / Medicine, Faculty of / Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Magister Theologiae - MTh / This study aimed to determine the association between dimensional change and surface roughness (Ra) of Vitremer, Activa and Cention N after immersing them into two different media: acidic and artificial saliva media for the period of a year. Measurements were made at 10 time intervals during the observation period.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an unbranched polysaccharide consisting of the repeating disaccharide unit β(1→4)-GlcA-β(1→3)-GlcNAc and is a naturally occurring biopolymer in bacteria and vertebras. HA is predominantly found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the in vivo function of HA can vary depending on molecular weight (Mw) for instance high Mw HA is reported to be anti-angiogenic while low Mw HA induces angiogenesis. HA is a popular component for hydrogels such as dermal fillers. HA is commonly used in dermal fillers. However, other materials, such as other polymers, can be used as well. The project goal was to investigate different degradation processes for production of target Mw HA. Alkaline and acidic degradation processes in combination with increased temperatures seemed as the most promising methods. Degradation tests performed both in aqueous solution as well as heterogeneously in ethanol were evaluated. The acidic degradation in aqueous solution was proven to have the largest degradation constant. Both a robustness test as well as a Design of Experiments (DoE) was performed to investigate the influence different factors had on the degradation speed. The investigated factors were HA concentration, HCl concentration and temperature. Temperature and HCl concentrations proved to be the most influencing factors and a model was developed in the DoE software MODDE to describe how the factors influenced the degradation constant. The model was established as a good significant model with a Q2 value of 0.998 and relative standard deviation (RSD) value of 0.022 after a logarithmic transformation was performed as well as a simplification of the model by excluding some of the factor interactions. The acidic degradation method also proved to be a highly robust method which easily could be used to produce target Mw HA.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Estreptococos do grupo B (EGB) comumente colonizam adultos saudáveis, sem sintomas, mas sob certas circunstâncias possui a capacidade de invadir tecidos do hospedeiro, evadir da detecção imunológica e causar doenças invasivas graves. Por conseguinte, os EGB continuam sendo uma das principais causas de mortalidade neonatal, pneumonia, sepse e meningite. Contudo, a patogênese desta infecção ainda está pouco elucidada. O sorotipo V é freqüentemente associado à doença invasiva em mulheres adultas não gestantes e o segundo mais prevalente em mulheres grávidas. O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a aderência, invasão e persistência intracelular de amostras pertencentes ao sorotipo V (88641-vagina/portador e 90186-sangue/paciente) usando as células epiteliais respiratórias A549. As amostras de EGB demonstraram capacidade de aderir e invadir as células epiteliais A549, mas somente a amostra 90186-sangue apresentou maior invasão quando comparada com a de vagina (P <0.001). Ambas as amostras demonstraram persistência intracelular sem replicação no interior das células A549. Apenas o isolado 90186-sangue sobreviveu dentro das células epiteliais até 24h de incubação (P <0,05). A fusão dos lisossomas das células epiteliais com vacúolos contendo bactérias foi observada em células A549 tratadas com Lyso Tracker Grenn DND-26 para todas as amostras testadas. Nossos dados indicam pela primeira vez que as amostras viáveis do sorotipo V permanecem dentro de vacúolos ácidos epiteliais. Curiosamente, a amostra 90186- sangue induziu vacuolização celular e a amostra 88641-vagina promoveu a morte celular após 7h de incubação. Finalmente, nossos resultados aumentam o nosso conhecimento sobre eventos celulares da fagocitose e da patogênese das doenças invasivas promovidas pelos EGB. / Group B Streptococcus (GBS) commonly colonizes healthy asymptomatic adults, yetunder certain circumstances displays the ability to invade host tissues, evade the immune system and cause serious invasive disease. Consequently, GBS remains the major cause of neonatal pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. However, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. The serotype V is frequently associated with invasive diseases in non-pregnant adults and the second most prevalent in pregnant women. The aim of this work was to study the adherence; invasion and persistence intracellular of the GBS serotype V (88641-vagina/carriers and 90186-blood/patient) in epithelial cells A549. All GBS strains showed ability to adhere and invade the epithelial A549 cells, but GBS 90186-blood was more invasive than the vagina isolate (P<0,001). Both strains persisted intracellular, but without replicating into the A549 cells. Only 90186-blood strain survived within epithelial cells even after a 24h incubation (P<0,05). Fusion of epithelial lysosomes with bacteria containing phagocytic vacuoles was observed in A549 cells treated with Lysotracker Grenn DND-26 for all strains tested. Our data indicate for the first time that viable strains of serotype V remain within acidic epithelial vacuoles. Interestingly, the 90186-blood strain induced cellular vacuolization and 88641-vagina strain caused cell death after 7h incubation. Lastly, our results increase our knowledge about cellular events of phagocytosis and pathogeneses of GBS diseases.