The inflammatory process has been considered an important mediator for the development of atherosclerosis. Interleukin-1 beta (IL1B) is a precursor of interleukin-6 (IL6) in the acute phase of inflammatory response and their levels are elevated in patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the association of IL-1B and IL-6 gene polymorphisms and angiographically assessed coronary artery disease (CAD) in African- and Caucasian-Brazilians. This report analyzed the IL-1B-511C>T and IL-6-174G>C polymorphisms in 667 patients (253 African-Brazilians and 414 Caucasian-Brazilians) who underwent coronary angiography. Patients with a coronary obstructive lesion 50% presented a higher frequency of the IL-1B-511CC genotype (30.4%) compared to lesion-free individuals (16.5%, p=0.032) in African- but not in Caucasian-Brazilians. No significant genotype frequency difference was identified for the IL-6-174G>C polymorphism in either ethnic groups. However, after correction for other CAD risk factors using multivariate logistic regression, both the IL-1B-511CC [Odds ratio (OR)=2.3; p=0.019] and the IL-6-174GG (OR=2.0; p=0.028) genotypes were considered independent CAD risk predictors in African-Brazilians. This report shows that the IL-1B-511C>T and IL-6-174G>C polymorphisms were associated with CAD risk in African-Brazilians and no association was detected among Caucasian-Brazilians.

Liquid−liquid equilibrium data and phase diagrams of aqueous two phase systems (ATPS) composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) of molar mass (1500 and 4000) g•mol −1 + sodium sulfate + water were determined at temperatures of 293.15, 303.15, 313.15, and 323.15 K at pH 2. Temperature had no significant effect on the biphasic region, indicating a small enthalpic contribution in the phase separation process. The change in temperature however caused an increase in the tie line slope because water molecules were transferred from the upper phase to the lower phase. Increasing the molar mass of the polymer led to an increase in the biphasic region of the phase diagram. In determining the physical properties of the systems studied, it was observed that the increase in concentration increased the viscosity and the refraction index; while relative to temperature, the viscosity, refraction index, and density decreased.

a b s t r a c tEffluent treatment for food industry wastewater is a subject of growing concern among the scientific community. Synthetic dyes are a major case and their presence can disturb aquatic environments and introduce highly toxic potentials to the ecosystem, even at low concentrations. In this study, the chemical kinetics of a degradation process was studied for the treatment of a Tartrazine (E102) and Brilliant Blue (E133) solution by different methods. First, the efficiency of eight advanced oxidative processes systems was investigated in their treatment. The most efficient result was obtained in a UV-solar/H 2 O 2 /TiO 2 system, which reached a degradation percentage of 99.36% in 180 min. Second, a 2 3 factorial planning was used to enhance quantitative degradation in this system and a similar result (99.21%) was reached in 90 min with the optimal conditions. The kinetics of this experiment was fitted in a pseudo-first-order model and the rate constant (k) estimated as 0.0541 min -1 . An artificial neural network was developed for the experiment to describe the degradation behaviour over time with a minimum error. Chemical oxygen demand and conductivity were estimated in order to assure the environmental quality of the samples. A Lactuca sativa bioassay revealed an upturn in LC 50 , the concentration to inhibit 50% of the organism growth, from 39.31% (v/v) to 87.73% (v/v). The result indicates a highly favourable reduction in acute phytotoxicity, that coupled with quantitative efficiency, makes the proposed use of solar light as radiation source and improvements in water quality parameters a suitable tool for large-scale synthetic dye treatment.

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Heart rate (HR) and systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean (MBP) blood pressure were recorded by biotelemetry in nine conscious unrestrained sloths for 1 min every 15 min over a 24-h period. The animals were allowed to freely move in an acoustically isolated and temperature-controlled (24 ± 1ºC) experimental room with light-dark cycle (12/12 h). Behavior was closely monitored through a unidirectional visor and classified as resting (sitting or suspended), feeding (chewing and swallowing embauba leaves, Cecropia adenops), or locomotor activity around the tree trunk or on the room floor. Locomotor activity caused statistically significant increases in SBP (+8%, from 121 ± 22 to 131 ± 18 mmHg), DBP (+7%, from 86 ± 17 to 92 ± 10 mmHg), MBP (+8%, from 97 ± 19 to 105 ± 12 mmHg), and HR (+14%, from 84 ± 15 to 96 ± 15 bpm) compared to resting values, indicating a possible major influence of the autonomic nervous system on the modulation of cardiac function during this behavior. During feeding, the increase in blood pressure was even higher (SBP +27%, from 119 ± 21 to 151 ± 21 mmHg; DBP +21%, from 85 ± 16 to 103 ± 15 mmHg; MBP +24%, from 96 ± 17 to 119 ± 17 mmHg), while HR remained at 14% (from 84 ± 15 to 96 ± 10 bpm) above resting values. The proportionally greater increase in blood pressure than in HR during feeding suggests an increase in peripheral vascular resistance as part of the overall response to this behavior.