The development of alternative routes to the conventional subcutaneous administration of insulin is expected to provide an important advance in the management of diabetes. The aim of this work was to produce and characterize chitosan-coated Witepsol 85E solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) containing insulin, and to evaluate the potential of these colloidal carriers for oral administration. SLN were prepared by a modified solvent emulsification-evaporation method based on a water/oil/water double emulsion followed by chitosan adsorption to SLN surface. Optimized chitosan-coated SLN presented a mean particle size around 450 nm and were positively charged, indicating synergic properties for intestinal absorption. Higher extent of insulin permeation was observed for SLN and chitosan-coated SLN in a Caco-2 cell monolayer model. When comparing both SLN formulations, chitosan coating was shown to provide higher insulin permeation. Also, similar effects were also observed using a Caco-2/HT29 monolayer model, which more closely resemble the intestinal membrane, thus indicating that the mucoadhesive properties and permeation enhancement effect of chitosan may contribute significantly to the enhanced insulin permeation. After oral administration of insulin-loaded SLN to diabetic rats, a considerable hypoglycemic effect was observed for 24 h, which was more pronounced when chitosan-coated SLN were used, resulting in relative pharmacological bioavailabilities of 8% and 17% for uncoated and chitosan-coated SLN, respectively. Also, fluorescently labeled insulin was located on the intestinal walls and internalized into enterocytes after administration in chitosan-coated SLN, thus revealing the effectiveness of this nanocarrier in promoting the intestinal absorption of insulin. In conclusion, the use of chitosan-coated SLN may provide an interesting platform for the development of oral insulin formulations to be used in the management of diabetes.

Under a climate change scenario, vineyards will experience serious challenges in the future. In an attempt to overcome such difficulties, this experiment offers a study on the effect of regulated deficit irrigation as a method for short-term adaptation to climate change in cv. Touriga Francesa, grafted into the rootstock 110R in the Douro region during a three-year period. Water stress on the plant and its effects on canopy, production, and quality of musts were analyzed. Rainfed vines (R0) were compared to three deficit irrigation regimes as a function of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc): R25 (25% ETc), R50 (50% ETc), and R75 (75% ETc). Water was applied on a weekly basis whenever predawn water potential showed moderate water stress until 15 days prior to harvest. The results suggest that rainfed plants under these circumstances suffered, in general, a negative impact on vine performance, while moderate water stress had more favorable effects on fruit composition, as well as in yield. Nonetheless, further studies should be conducted as irrigation did not show consistent effects on yield or berry composition.

Objetivo: Analisar o perfil epidemiológico do câncer infantil na Paraíba. Métodos: A investigação foi realizada mediante estudo documental, descritivo, transversal, com abordagem quantitativa. A coleta dos dados foi feita a partir das informações disponíveis na internet, no sitio do Instituto Nacional do Câncer. O instrumento utilizado para coleta de dados foi uma ficha contendo tipo de neoplasia, sexo e faixa etária mais acometida. Tais dados foram compilados no Microsoft Excel e sua análise foi efetivada mediante estatística descritiva. Resultados: Os achados indicaram que o tipo de câncer mais incidente nas crianças paraibanas, independente do sexo e com idade acima de um ano, corresponde às leucemias que são classificadas como grupo I; os do sistema nervoso central, grupo III e os linfomas, grupo II, respectivamente. Em relação ao grupo menor de um ano, observou-se que houve uma prevalência maior no sexo feminino nos grupos I, II, V, VI e IX, enquanto que no sexo masculino a maior prevalência foi encontrada no grupo III. Entretanto, é válido ressaltar que em relação ao grupo I, apesar de maior prevalência no sexo feminino, o grupo masculino também possui um valor considerável, com uma pequena diferença entre eles. Conclusão: A incidência dos mais variados tipos de tumores na população pediátrica é diferente em relação à faixa etária e ao sexo, tornando seu perfil epidemiológico bastante diversificado.

Abstract:The phytochemical study of Cordia exaltata

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