This methodology is important for the identification and quantification of the different types of collagen in muscles and can be used in the investigation of the qualitative and quantitative influence of collagen on physical activities, aging, and diseases.

Choosing cultivars that require less chilling temperatures to overcome dormancy is crucial, for example, peaches that grow in subtropical areas, which is not an appropriate climate for them. Thus, alternative techniques are necessary to induce sprouting. Yet there are not many available products in market, restricting options for fruit growers to a reduced number of chemical molecules, which are often harm the health to applicators. Therefore, this study aimed to assess phenological cycles and productive performance of three peach cultivars, submitted to foliar nitrogen fertilizer and calcium nitrate to induce sprouting. This study took place at Experimental Orchard of School of Agriculture (FCA, UNESP), Botucatu, state of São Paulo. Three peach cultivars were evaluated: 'Douradão', 'BRS Kampai' and 'BRS Rubimel' by applying four doses of foliar nitrogen fertilizer (FNF) at 0, 1.25, 2.50 and 3.75%; associated with 4% calcium nitrate. A 3x4 factorial arrangement (3 cultivars X 4 FNF doses) in a randomized block design was used, with 4 replicates and 2 plants per plot, totalizing 96 plants. Results indicated that FNF positively affected cultivars development, providing wider sprouting, flowering and fruit set; consequently, greater production. Then FNF became a good alternative to induce sprouting in peaches at mild winter temperatures. Moreover, 'BRS Rubimel' presented high sowing percentage associated with low flowering and fruit set percentages, that is, low production mainly caused by its lack of adaptability to studied region.

No abstract

We studied the urinary levels of retinol-binding protein (urRBP), an index of proximal tubular dysfunction, in patients with nephrotic syndrome before and approximately 2 months after the beginning of steroid therapy as a predictor of response to therapy which included for some patients courses of immunosuppressive drugs. Those patients with minimal-change disease, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, and focal-segmental glomerulosclerosis who had normal pretreatment urRBP levels were responsive to treatment; occasionally, responsive patients had an initially elevated urRBP level which normalized during treatment. Contrariwise, those patients with abnormally high levels of urRBP which did not normalize during treatment did not respond to treatment. The chance of a patient with minimal-change disease, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, or focal-segmental glomerulosclerosis and a pretreatment urRBP level equal to or >1.0 mg/l being resistant to steroid treatment is 30 times that of a patient with a urRBP level <1.0 mg/l and even higher, if we consider the levels obtained during treatment.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The ABCB1 protein, a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, considerably influences the distribution of drugs across cell membranes as well as multidrug resistance (MDR) of antineoplastic drugs. In contrast to the extensive knowledge on the pharmacological action of ABCB1 protein, the correlation between the clinical-pathological data and ABCB1 protein expression in patients with GC remains unclear. The aim was to investigate association between ABCB1 expression and overall survival in GC patients. Human tumor fragments from 57 GC patients were examined by immunohistochemistry assay. We observed lower survival rate of patients with GC who were positive for ABCB1 expression (p=0.030). Based on these observations, we conclude that GC patients with positive ABCB1 protein immunohistochemical expression in their tumors suffer shorter overall survival.