Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-08-20Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:48:53Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 botaro_tc_me_sjrp.pdf: 1084587 bytes, checksum: 76a4e5cff103562c9d84c33e0c99790a (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O objetivo deste trabalho é, a partir de uma abordagem pancrônica, estudar o funcionamento sintático-semântico-pragmático das construções adversativas do português – porém, no entanto, entretanto, contudo, todavia e só que – durante os séculos XIX e XX. Analisamos o processo de evolução dessas construções, juntamente com o processo evolutivo dos itens adversativos que fazem parte delas, tendo como parâmetro a trajetória do item prototípico mas. Essa análise tem como propósito verificar se realmente há uma tendência típica de mudança, no domínio das adversativas, em que os itens seguem de um uso predominantemente textual para um uso predominantemente interativo. Não se trata, portanto, de investigar a constituição adversativa dos itens, mas de caracterizar essas construções adversativas, instáveis por natureza, à luz de sua evolução enquanto articuladoras do texto, isto é, queremos focalizar apenas um pequeno quadro desse processo maior de mudança envolvendo os juntores adversativos. Para isso, nos baseamos em pressupostos teóricos da gramaticalização, inter-relacionados a alguns aspectos teóricos relevantes sobre junção, como hierarquia sintática e relações semânticas. Seguindo Hopper e Traugott (1993) e Heine (2003), definimos Gramaticalizçaão como um processo de mudança linguística unidirecional e gradual que focaliza o surgimento de formas e construções gramaticais, o modo como elas são usadas e o modo como elas moldam a língua. Também nos baseamos em pontos teóricos da perspectiva textual-interativa que serviram de base para explicar o funcionamento mais interacional de algumas das construções analisadas, uma vez que, segundo Jubran (2006), a perspectiva textual-interativa tem como foco de investigação a construção textual, tida como produto da interação social, juntamente com os fatores enunciativos. Com isso, essa... / This study aims at investigating, from a panchronic approach, the syntactic-semantic-pragmatic behavior of adversative constructions from the Portuguese Language – porém, no entanto, entretanto, contudo, todavia and só que (conjunctions that express the same idea as however, yet, nevertheless, but and although) – during the XIX and XX centuries. We have analyzed the evolutive process of such constructions along with the evolutive process of the adversative items that belong to them, based on the trajectory of the prototypical item “mas” (but). This analysis aims at verifying whether there really is a typical tendency for changes in the domain of adversatives, where the items change from a mainly textual usage to a mainly interactive usage. Therefore, the aim is not to investigate the adversative constitution of the items, but to characterize these adversative constructions, which are naturally unstable, in accordance with their evolution as textual articulators. In other words, we want to focus only a small part of this great process of change involving the adversative conjunctions. In order to do so, we relied upon theoretical assumptions of grammaticalization interrelated with some relevant theoretical aspects regarding junction, such as syntactic hierarchy and semantic relations. According to Hopper and Traugott (1993) and Heine (2003), we have defined Grammaticalization as a one-way gradual process of linguistic change that focuses on the appearance of grammatical forms and constructions, the way they are used and the way they mold language. We also considered theoretical points of textual-interactive perspective that worked as a basis to explain the interactional behavior of some constructions analyzed. According to Jubran (2006), the textualinteractive perspective aims at investigating textual construction, considered a product of social interaction along with... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Pre-clinical studies are a necessary step in the process of material and drug testing. For this, high-throughput monolayer cell cultures are conducted followed by in vivo animal experiments. However, animal use is ethically questionable and in many cases yields misleading results. In vitro three dimensional (3D) tissue engineered (TE) structures have been shown to better represent in vivo tissue morphology and biochemical pathways than monolayer cultures and are less ethically questionable than animal models. Therefore, an in vitro biomimetic musculoskeletal junction (MSKjct) is required as a more relevant pre-clinical testbed. This thesis describes the steps taken to co-culture 3D TE skeletal muscle and bone models as a material testbed and towards an in vitro MSKjct.

Introduction: Cardiac cell-cell junctions play important roles in maintaining cardiac integrity linking single cardiomyocytes into a single functioning syncytium. There are three main types of cell junctions in the heart: gap junctions (GJ), desmosomes (D) and adherens junctions (AJ). Mutations in the proteins which make-up these junctions are known to cause arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Pathological features include progressive replacement of right ventricular cardiac muscle with fibrofatty tissue. This can lead to heart failure and life threatening arrhythmias. During normal development of the mammalian heart, protein components of AJ and D gradually fuse to form composite junctions at the intercalated discs, also called areae compositae (singular, area composita, AC). In contrast, the adult heart of lower vertebrates, including the zebrafish, may have few or no AC type junctions. The detailed structure of cardiomyocyte cell-cell junctions in the adult zebrafish heart remain poorly defined and their role in normal development, growth and response to injury have yet to be studied. This thesis will examine the hypothesis that localisation and distribution of myocardial cell-cell junction proteins are crucial in normal myocardial development and in endogenous cardiac regeneration and repair following injury. This will be achieved by understanding the normal development of cell-cell junction proteins in zebrafish from embryonic to adulthood. These findings will then be analysed in comparison to cell-cell junction proteins localisation and distribution in early and late mammalian (mouse and human) myocardium. Once a normal pattern of cell-cell junction proteins will be established, the localisation of cell-cell junction proteins in plakologbin mutant zebrafish model for cardiomyopathy will be studied to understand the distribution and localisation of these proteins in disease manifestation. This model will then be used to test if localisation of cell-cell junction proteins plays an important in cardiac repair following injury by using embryonic laser injury model, this will be further tested by drug intervention study to investigate underlying pathways such as Wnt signalling pathway. Methods: Myocardial cell-cell junctions were assessed using immunohistochemistry in embryonic, juvenile and adult zebrafish hearts and in foetal and adult human hearts. The Plakoglobin mutant zebrafish line (UAS:Gal-4:Plakoglobin Naxos; named as PGNx) was characterised using various functional and morphological assessments including histology, echocardiography and MRI scanning. Similar studies were undertaken in PGNx mutants at different developmental stages. A pharmacological intervention study, using a GSK-3 inhibitor, was carried out in PGNx mutants followed by cardiac structural and functional assessments. Laser-induced cardiac trauma was used to assess the response to injury and repair in normal and PGNx embryos following treatment with the GSK3 inhibitor drug. Results: Cell-cell junction patterning in the embryonic, juvenile and adult zebrafish heart shows a characteristic pearl string appearance of desmoplakin and β-catenin labelled distinct disc shaped AJ. Human foetal heart showed small distinct D and AJ, while the adult human heart had features consistent with AC type junctions. PGNx fish showed reduced ventricle ejection fraction, dilatation of the atrium, reduced amplitude of wall motion and ventricle relaxation velocity compared to age-matched controls. Echocardiography and MRI imaging confirmed severe atrial dilatation and restrictive ventricle physiology in adult fish. The cell-cell junction proteins were over-expressed in the zebrafish PG mutant (PGNx) hearts compared to age-matched controls. Drug studies using a GSK-3β inhibitor showed complete recovery of cardiac function and partial recovery of heart structure. Cardiac injury studies, using laser, showed failure of repair in PGNx embryos compared to age-matched controls. The GSK3 inhibitor failed to improve the functional response following heart laser injury. Conclusions: Cell-cell junctions are distributed abundantly around cardiomyocytes in the zebrafish heart during early development and into adulthood. In contrast to previous studies in adult mammalian heart, there was no evidence of AC type junctions in adult zebrafish cardiomyocytes. The mutant zebrafish line showed restrictive cardiac physiology and abnormal cardiac structure confirming the key role played by plakoglobin in the normal heart development. This is further supported by evidence showing failure of repair in PGNx mutant embryos after injury. Drug treatment with a GSK-3 inhibitor highlights a potentially novel therapeutic pathway for treatment of ARVC involving Wnt signalling.

O papel das junções intercelulares comunicantes do tipo gap e das proteínas que as compõem, as conexinas, tem sido alvo de numerosos estudos no campo da oncologia. Com a finalidade de compreender melhor os mecanismos moleculares envolvidos no processo carcinogênico e desenvolver novas armas contra o câncer, estes estudos têm se mostrado promissores, porém com muitas perguntas ainda a serem respondidas. Com o objetivo de avaliar a interferência da conexina 43 no processo carcinogênico, administramos o carcinógeno DMBA, um hidrocarboneto aromático policíclico, nas doses hebdomadárias de 1 mg durante 9 semanas, à camundongos BALB/c geneticamente modificados heterozigotos para a conexina 43 (Cx43+/-) e wild-type (Cx43+/+). O desenvolvimento de neoplasias ocorreu em 100% dos animais que receberam DMBA, porém de forma variável quanto ao tempo, tipo e número de neoplasias. No total, 6 tipos neoplásicos foram observados, incluindo neoplasias mamária, linfoma, pulmonar, gástrica, cutânea e ovariana, nesta ordem de prevalência. Com relação às neoplasias mamárias, as mamas abdominais foram as mais acometidas e o adenoacantoma foi o tipo histológico mais comum. No pulmão, estômago e pele, o tipo neoplásico mais comum em cada um foi, respectivamente, adenocarcinoma alveolar papilar, carcinoma de células escamosas e carcinoma de células escamosas queratinizante. Foi observada diferença estatística significante na incidência de tumores ovarianos, entre os grupos Cx43+/- e Cx43+/-, com maior incidência em animais Cx43+/-, indicando interferência da Cx43 neste processo carcinogênico. Apenas os animais Cx43+/- desenvolveram este tipo neoplásico, o qual foi representado exclusivamente por tumores da célula da granulosa. Não houve diferença estatística significante na incidência dos demais tumores, embora, em números absolutos, a incidência de quase todas, à exceção das neoplasias cutâneas, tenha sido maior nos Cx43+/-. O mesmo se repetiu com relação ao desenvolvimento de metástases, cujo fenótipo foi observado apenas em neoplasias mamárias e gástricas. A utilização de doses elevadas (9mg) de DMBA parece interferir na resposta, mais notadamente a pulmonar. As conexinas atuam de forma complexa e variável entre os diferentes tumores e entendimento da relação das conexinas com o câncer depende do entendimento molecular do controle da expressão das conexinas. Com este trabalho esperamos contribuir para evolução dos estudos relativos ao seu papel no processo carcinogênico e, desta forma, auxiliar no desenvolvimento de meios de previnir e combater o câncer. / The role of the intercellular communication of gap junctions and of the proteins that form these junctions, the connexins, has been the subject of numerous studies in the field of oncology. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the carcinogenic process and develop new weapons against cancer, these studies have shown promising, but with many questions still to be answered. Aiming to evaluate the interference connexin 43 in the carcinogenic process the carcinogen DMBA, one aromatic hydrocarbon polycyclic, was administered to genetically modified BALB;c mice heterozygous for the connexin 43 (Cx43 +/-) and wild-type (Cx43 +/+). The development of cancer occurred in 100% of animals receiving DMBA, but in different timing, types and number of tumors. In total, six types of neoplasm were observed, including breast, lymphoma, lung, gastric, skin and ovarian cancers, in that order of prevalence. Regarding breast cancer, abdominal breasts were the most affected and adenoacanthoma was the most common histological type. In the lung, stomach and skin, the most common tumor type in each was, respectively, papillary alveolar adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. There was statistically significant difference in the incidence of ovarian tumors among groups Cx43 + / - and Cx43 + / -, indicating interference of the expression of Cx43 +/- in the carcinogenic process. Only animals of the Cx43 + / - developed this tumor type, which was represented exclusively by granulosa cell tumors. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of other tumors, although in absolute numbers, the incidence of almost all, except for skin cancers, was higher in Cx43 + / -. The same was repeated with respect to the development of metastases, wereas observed only in breast and gastric cancers. The use of high doses (9 mg) of DMBA appears to interfere with the carcinogenic response, most notably in the lung. Connexins act in complex and variable ways among different tumors and understanding of the relationship of connexins in cancer depends on understanding the molecular control of expression of connexins. With this work we hope to contribute to the development of studies about role of connexins in the carcinogenic process and thus help in developing ways to prevent and fight cancer.

A doença granulomatosa inflamatória envolve interações coordenadas entre linfócitos, monócitos/macrófagos, células epitelióides, eosinófilos, neutrófilos e fibroblastos. A comunicação intercelular mediada por junções gap, constituídas por conexinas, é responsável pela homeostase tecidual. A Cx43 está presente em células linfóides, células mielóides, fibroblastos e outras. Assim, para compreendermos o possível envolvimento das conexinas no granuloma, nós analisamos o efeito da deleção heterozigótica de uma Gja1 (gene Cx43) na formação e desenvolvimento dos granulomas hepáticos, induzidos por ovos de Schistosoma mansoni. Para tanto, camundongos heterozigotos (Cx43+/-) e selvagens (Cx43+/+) foram infectados com cercárias de Schistosoma mansoni e avaliados nos tempos: 6, 8 e 12 semanas após a infecção. As células dos granulomas apresentaram expressão de conexina 43, notadamente após 12 semanas de infecção. As lesões dos camundongos Cx43+/- apresentaram índice de proliferação reduzido e aumento na deposição de colágeno em fases tardias da doença. Apesar desses achados, não se encontrou redução no tamanho e celularidade das lesões em comparação aos camundongos selvagens. Também não obtivemos diferenças em relação ao hemograma ou população de linfócitos esplênicos CD4, CD8 e CD19. As células peritoneais dos animais de ambos genótipos apresentaram produção de NO e H<SUB2O<SUB2 similares. Contudo, os neutrófilos e monócitos sanguíneos dos animais Cx43+/-, estimulados por PMA, apresentaram aumento significante do burst oxidativo. Concluindo, nossos resultados indicam que a deleção de um alelo do gene da Cx43 modifica claramente a evolução da doença granulomatosa, mostrando um papel desta conexina no desenvolvimento do granuloma. / Inflammatory granulomatous disease involves coordinated interactions among lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, epithelioid cells, eosinophils, neutrophils and fibroblasts. Intercellular communication mediated by gap junctions constituted of connexins, is responsible for tissue homeostasis. Cx43 is present in lymphoid cells, myelogenous cells, fibroblasts and others. In order to understand the possible involvement of connexins in granuloma, we analyzed the effect of the heterologous deletion of a Gja1 (Cx43 gene) on the formation and development of hepatic granulomas induced by Schistosoma mansoni eggs. Heterozigous (Cx43+/-) and wild-type (Cx43+/+) mice were infected with S. mansoni cercarie and evaluated after 6, 8 and 12 weeks. Granuloma cells express Cx43, with considerable reduction in Cx43+/- mice. Moreover, granuloma cells from Cx43v+/- mice displayed reduced proliferation and increased collagen deposition at late phases of the disease. Despite these findings, no reduction of size or cellularity of the lesions was found in comparison to wild-type mice. We didn?t find differences in relation to blood count and splenic lymphocyte population CD4, CD8 and CD19. Peritoneal cells from animals of both genotypes presented similar production of NO and H2O2. However, blood neutrophils and monocytes from Cx43+/- mice, stimulated by PMA, displayed significantly increased oxidative burst. In conclusion, our results indicate that the deletion of one allele of the Cx43 gene clearly modifies the evolution of a granulomatous disease, supporting a role for this connexin on granuloma development.

Submitted by Ana Damasceno (ana.damasceno@unipampa.edu.br) on 2016-06-24T17:05:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Atividade biológica do veneno de Rhinella Icterica Anura Bufonidae sobre o sistema nervoso de vertebrados.pdf: 3606718 bytes, checksum: 4fa3e0cd0db679c55769dcfec4b36b6d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Damasceno (ana.damasceno@unipampa.edu.br) on 2016-07-21T18:23:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Atividade biológica do veneno de Rhinella Icterica Anura Bufonidae sobre o sistema nervoso de vertebrados.pdf: 3606718 bytes, checksum: 4fa3e0cd0db679c55769dcfec4b36b6d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-21T18:23:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Atividade biológica do veneno de Rhinella Icterica Anura Bufonidae sobre o sistema nervoso de vertebrados.pdf: 3606718 bytes, checksum: 4fa3e0cd0db679c55769dcfec4b36b6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-03 / Os venenos animais são fontes de compostos bioativos com aplicabilidade terapêutica. Os anuros produzem através de glândulas paratóides, uma secreção venenosa rica em compostos de diversas classes químicas, as quais apresentam uma série de atividades farmacológicas de nteresse biotecnológico. Os sapos da espécie Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824), pertencem a um grupo de animais venenosos presentes no bioma Pampa com carência de estudos macológicos e toxicológicos. Para os ensaios biológicos, os sapos foram coletados na região de Derrubadas, no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. O veneno foi extraído manualmente por compressão das glândulas paratóides, tratado por extração metanólica seguida de liofilização e então foi chamado de MERIV. A neurobiologia do veneno foi avaliada sobre a junção neuromuscular de aves, através da preparação biventer cervicis de pintainhos (BCP) e, através da análise das desidrogenases em fatias hipocampais de camundongos. A incubação de MERIV (5, 10, 20, 40 µg/mL) e Digoxina (6,5; 13; 26 e 52 nM) em fatias hipocampais de camundongos, induziram um efeito dose dependente na viabilidade celular. Apenas MERIV (5 µg/mL) e Digoxina (6,5 e 13 nM) provocaram aumento significativo da viabilidade celular de 36 ± 10%, 52 ± 7% e 57 ± 13%, p<0.05, respectivamente, enquanto nas demais concentrações houve decréscimo na viabilidade celular quando comparados com o controle Hepes (n=6). Em preparações euromusculares BCP, MERIV (5, 10 µg/mL) produziu um efeito facilitatório de 60 ± 15% e 46 ± 6%, respectivamente, seguido de bloqueio neuromuscular em 120 min de registro (n=6, p<0.05). De forma semelhante, a incubação dos músculos com Digoxina 52 nM ou Ouabaína 0,2 nM mimetizou a atividade de MERIV com aumento da amplitude de contração por 19 ± 4% e 27 ± 6%, e diminuição da contração muscular de 80 ± 4% e 91 ± 5%, respectivamente (n=5, p<0.05). MERIV também demonstrouatividade digitalic-like com inibição de 39 ± 3% da Na+,K+-ATPase (n=4, p<0.05). Em BPC, quando MERIV foi incubado 20 min antes da d-Tubocurarina 1,45 µM, houve um reforço do bloqueio neuromuscular, o qual foi completo em 80 min. Enquanto que em preparações BCP curarizadas, MERIV aumentou o tempo de bloqueio em 50 min, semelhante a ação de drogas anticolinesterásicas. Juntos, esses dados indicam que o extrato metanólico do veneno de R. icterica é capaz de interferir com a neurotransmissão provavelmente via inibição das enzimas acetilcolinesterase e Na+-K+- TPase. / Animal poisons are sources of bioactive compounds with therapeutic applicability. Anurans through parotid glands produce a poisonous secretion rich in compounds of different chemicalclasses, that have a range of pharmacological activities of biotechnological interest. oads of the species Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824), belong to a group of poisonous animals present in the Pampa biome that still need to pharmacological and toxicological studies. Venom collection was made by milking toads obtained at Derrubadas region, Rio Grande do Sul state. The venom was previously treated by methanol extraction followed by lyophilization (thus called MERIV), before the biological assays. The venom neurobiology was evaluated on chicks neuromuscular junction by preparation biventer cervicis (BCP), and by function of mitochondrial dehydrogenases in hippocampal brain slices from mice. Incubation of MERIV (5, 10, 20 and 40 μg/mL) or digoxin (6.5, 13, 26 and 52 nM) with mice hippocampal brain slices induced a dose-dependent effect on cell viability. At low concentration MERIV (5 μg/mL) and digoxin (6.5 and 13 nM) induced a corresponding significative increases in cell viability, 36 ± 10%, 52 ± 7% and 57 ± 13% (p<0.05), respectively, while at higher concentrations there were a decrease in cell viability compared with control Hepes (n=6). In chicks neuromuscular preparation BCP, MERIV (5, 10 µg/mL) produced a facilitatory effect of 60 ± 15% and 46 ± 6%, respectively, followed by neuromuscular blockade in 120 min recordings (n=6, p <0.05). The incubation of BCP with digoxin (52 nM) or ouabain (0.2 nM) mimicked the venom activity by increasing the amplitude of the twitches by 19 ± 4% and 27 ± 6%, respectively, followed by a depression in muscle contraction recorded for 120 min ( 80 ± 4% and 91± 5%, p<0.05, respectively, n=5). MERIV also demonstrated digitalic-like activity inhibiting 39 ± 3% of Na+,K+-ATPase (n = 4, p <0.05). In BCP, when MERIV was incubated for 20 min before d-Tubocurarine (1.45 μM), there was a reinforcement of the neuromuscular blockade, wich was complete at 80 min. However, in preparations “curarizadas”, incubated with d-Tubocurarine (1.45 μM) before MERIV, there was a increase in the blocking time at 50 min, similar to the action of acetylcholinesterase drugs. Altogether, these data indicate that the methanolic extract from R. icterica venom is able to interfere in neurotransmission, probably by inhibiting the enzymes acetylcholinesterase and Na+,K+- ATPase.

Submitted by Ana Damasceno (ana.damasceno@unipampa.edu.br) on 2016-11-16T13:07:17Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Efeitos do Riluzole no Sistema Nervoso Central e Periférico de vertebrados..pdf: 3331266 bytes, checksum: 695a072e1aef84e61ff2e6ef010514a2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-16T13:07:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Efeitos do Riluzole no Sistema Nervoso Central e Periférico de vertebrados..pdf: 3331266 bytes, checksum: 695a072e1aef84e61ff2e6ef010514a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-15 / O Riluzole é quimicamente relacionado aos benzotiazóis e é conhecido como um agente neuroprotetor, possuindo propriedades anticonvulsivantes, analgésicas, anestésicas, e sedativas. A ação neuroprotetora mais conhecida desta droga ocorre através da inibição da transmissão glutamatérgica no sistema nervoso central (SNC). Nesse trabalho, o Riluzole foi ensaiado sobre a junção neuromuscular esquelética (JNM) de aves visando estudar sua interação com o sistema nervoso periférico (SNP). Também foi verificada a ação do Riluzole em fatias de hipocampo de camundongos, comparando os resultados com agentes antiinflamatórios como o extrato de Hypericum brasiliense (HBE) e seu principal composto, quercetina, frente ao veneno de serpente Crotalus durissus terrificus (Cdt). No SNP, o Riluzole foi ensaiado em preparação músculo biventer cervicis de pintainhos, em banho de órgão isolado, nas doses de 5, 10 e 20 µM. Foram obtidos registros da amplitude da força de contração muscular em presença ou ausência de Riluzole durante 120min, e as curvasresposta à adição exógena de acetilcolina (ACh – 110 µM) e ao cloreto de potássio (KCl – 20 mM), antes e após a incubação com o tratamento. O Riluzole induziu respostas tempo e dosedependentes. Na concentração de 5 µM houve uma diminuição gradativa e significativa da resposta contrátil (p<0.05). Na concentração de 10 µM, houve uma facilitação significativa (p<0.05) da resposta contrátil e das curvas evocadas pelo KCl e ACh. No entanto, na dose de 20 µM houve uma estabilização da contratilidade em relação ao controle. Em todas as doses de Riluzole ensaiadas na JNM houve um aumento significativo da atividade da enzima acetilcolinesterase (AChE). Na sequência da verificação do mecanismo de ação do Riluzole sobre a placa motora, registros eletromiograficos foram tomados na presença dos inibidores especificos, Neostigmina e d-Tubocurarina, onde foi observada uma reversão dos efeitos quando Riluzole foi adicionado ao meio. Como modelo celular de SNC, a ação do Riluzole foi ensaiada em fatias de hipocampo e a viabilidade destas frente ao veneno de Cdt foi observada por meio da atividade de desidrogenases mitocondriais. Tanto Riluzole, como o extrato da planta HBE e quercetina, aumentaram a viabilidade celular em 1h de incubação a 37˚C na presença do veneno. Quercetina foi mais efetiva do que Riluzole e HBE em neutralizar a lise celular induzida pelo veneno. Assim, estes resultados demonstram a influência do Riluzole no SNC como neuroprotetor de toxinas de veneno de serpente, possivelmente atuando como agente anti-inflamatório, e no SNP, aumentando a atividade da AChE e atuando de maneira dose-dependente sobre a placa motora. / Riluzole is chemically related to benzothiazoles and it is known as a neuroprotective agent with anticonvulsant, analgesic, anesthetic and sedative properties. The neuroprotective drug action is well established being through inhibition of glutamatergic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we have assayed the drug Riluzole at skeletal neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of avian, seeking its interaction with the peripheral nervous system (PNS). We also tested Riluzole in the CNS of mice by comparing its results with anti - inflammatory agents, such as extract of Hypericum brasiliense (HBE) and its main isolated compound, quercetin, against the poison of Crotalus durissus terrificus (Cdt). In the PNS, Riluzole was tested in nerve-muscle preparations in chick biventer cervicis at doses of 5, 10 and 20 μM. It was obtained recordings of the muscle twitch-tension amplitude and the contracture responses to exogenous applied acetylcholine (ACh 110 μM) and potassium chloride (KCl – 20 mM) in the presence or absence of Riluzole during 120 min. Riluzole induced time and dose-dependent responses. At concentration of 5μM there was a gradual and significant decrease in the contractile response (p<0.05). The concentration of 10μM showed a significant facilitation of the contractile response (p<0.05) and an increase in the curve responses evoked by KCl and ACh. However, at a dose of 20 μM there was a stabilization of contractility compared to control. All tested doses of Riluzole showed a significant increase in the activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The action mechanism of Riluzole on the endplate was further analysed through the use of specific inhibitors, Neostigmine and dTubocurarine, a reversal of effects those was seen when Riluzole was added to the medium. As a cellular model of CNS, the action of Riluzole was tested in mice hippocampal slices. The cell viability against Cdt venom was observed through the activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenases. Riluzole as much as the plant extract HBE and its active ingredient, quercetin, increased cell viability in 1h incubation at 37˚C in the presence of the poison. However, quercetin showed to be more effective than Riluzole and HBE in neutralizing cell lysis induced by the venom. Thus, these results demonstrate the influence of Riluzole on the CNS, it showed a neuroprotective effect against snake venom toxins, possibly acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. As for the cholinergic system in the NMJ, Riluzole showed an interesting effect by increasing the activity of AChE and by acting in a dose-dependent manner over the endplate.

River sediment is one of the most pervasive pollutants in the world. Excess amounts of fine sediment can reduce water quality, damage stream ecosystems, and harm aquatic life. Both natural and human-caused processes can add sediment to a river, such as tectonic uplift, landslides, and timber harvesting. Therefore, it is important to understand how fine sediment enters and moves through a rive system to inform policymakers and land-managers on effective ecosystem management. In this study, we determined how the relationship between river flow and suspended sediment changed among watersheds along the North Coast of California. We found a rise in suspended sediment concentration at median flows following extreme timber harvesting. Additionally, our results indicate that river flow and suspended sediment relationships are influenced by timber harvest activity, tectonic uplift, rainfall patterns, and near-channel environments. These results support previous findings that extreme land disturbance in a watershed, be it natural or human-caused, can change river flow and suspended sediment relationships. Our results suggest that policymakers and land-managers should take into account tectonic uplift when making regulation and should prioritize protecting near-channel environments.

Over the past decade, the evolution of next-generation sequencing technology has considerably advanced the genomics research. As a consequence, fast and accurate computational methods are needed for analyzing the large data in different applications. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on three areas: RNA-seq read mapping, large-scale data query, and metagenomics sequence classification. A critical step of RNA-seq data analysis is to map the RNA-seq reads onto a reference genome. This dissertation presents a novel splice alignment tool, MapSplice3. It achieves high read alignment and base mapping yields and is able to detect splice junctions, gene fusions, and circular RNAs comprehensively at the same time. Based on MapSplice3, we further extend a novel lightweight approach called iMapSplice that enables personalized mRNA transcriptional profiling. As huge amount of RNA-seq has been shared through public datasets, it provides invaluable resources for researchers to test hypotheses by reusing existing datasets. To meet the needs of efficiently querying large-scale sequencing data, a novel method, called SeqOthello, has been developed. It is able to efficiently query sequence k-mers against large-scale datasets and finally determines the existence of the given sequence. Metagenomics studies often generate tens of millions of reads to capture the presence of microbial organisms. Thus efficient and accurate algorithms are in high demand. In this dissertation, we introduce MetaOthello, a probabilistic hashing classifier for metagenomic sequences. It supports efficient query of a taxon using its k-mer signatures.

Technological advances in next-generation sequencing and biomedical imaging have led to a rapid increase in biomedical data dimension and acquisition rate, which is challenging the conventional data analysis strategies. Modern machine learning techniques promise to leverage large data sets for finding hidden patterns within them, and for making accurate predictions. This dissertation aims to design novel machine learning-based models to transform biomedical big data into valuable biological insights. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on three bioinformatics domains: splice junction classification, gene regulatory network reconstruction, and lesion detection in mammograms. A critical step in defining gene structures and mRNA transcript variants is to accurately identify splice junctions. In the first work, we built the first deep learning-based splice junction classifier, DeepSplice. It outperforms the state-of-the-art classification tools in terms of both classification accuracy and computational efficiency. To uncover transcription factors governing metabolic reprogramming in non-small-cell lung cancer patients, we developed TFmeta, a machine learning approach to reconstruct relationships between transcription factors and their target genes in the second work. Our approach achieves the best performance on benchmark data sets. In the third work, we designed deep learning-based architectures to perform lesion detection in both 2D and 3D whole mammogram images.