Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that may result in blindness. We evaluated the effects of activation of endogenous angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 on the early stages of DR. Rats were administered an intravenous injection of streptozotocin to induce hyperglycemia. The ACE2 activator 1-[[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl] amino]-4-(hydroxymethyl)-7-[[(4-methylphenyl) sulfonyl] oxy]-9H-xanthone 9 (XNT) was administered by daily gavage. The death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) was evaluated in histological sections, and retinal ACE2, caspase-3, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. XNT treatment increased ACE2 expression in retinas of hyperglycemic (HG) rats (control: 13.81±2.71 area%; HG: 14.29±4.30 area%; HG+XNT: 26.87±1.86 area%; P<0.05). Importantly, ACE2 activation significantly increased the RCG number in comparison with HG animals (control: 553.5±14.29; HG: 530.8±10.3 cells; HG+XNT: 575.3±16.5 cells; P<0.05). This effect was accompanied by a reduction in the expression of caspase-3 in RGC of the HG+XNT group when compared with untreated HG rats (control: 18.74±1.59; HG: 38.39±3.39 area%; HG+XNT: 27.83±2.80 area%; P<0.05). Treatment with XNT did not alter the VEGF expression in HG animals (P>0.05). Altogether, these findings indicate that activation of ACE2 reduced the death of retinal ganglion cells by apoptosis in HG rats.

O estudo da corrosão microbiologicamente induzida é importante no setor de óleo e gás devido aos danos provocados pelos microrganismos aos sistemas de produção, armazenamento, transporte e qualidade do produto final. Os microrganismos podem ser encontrados amplamente distribuídos na natureza e o seu crescimento e produtos metabólicos podem comprometer o rendimento de indústrias petroquímicas. Um fator importante para o desenvolvimento de microrganismos é a presença de água e nutrientes no meio. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a diversidade microbiana em diferentes amostras das indústrias do setor de óleo e gás e relacioná-la com os processos de biocorrosão.

The study of microbiologically induced corrosion is important to the oil and gas industry due to the damage caused by microorganisms to production, storage, and transportation systems and to the final product quality. Microorganisms can be found widely distributed in nature and their growth and metabolic products can compromise the performance of petrochemical industries. An important factor for the development of microorganisms is the presence of water and nutrients in the medium. This study aimed to analyze the microbial diversity in different samples of the oil and gas industries and to relate it to the biocorrosion process.

ABSTRACT This paper records the occurrence of pentatomids Acrosternum sp., Edessa sp., Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758), and Thyantha perditor (Fabricius, 1794) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) feeding on sesame plants Sesamum indicum L. (Pedaliaceae) at Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. sp sp. Linnaeus, Linnaeus (Linnaeus 1758, 1758 , 1758) Fabricius, Fabricius (Fabricius 1794 Hemiptera, Hemiptera (Hemiptera Pentatomidae L Pedaliaceae (Pedaliaceae Preto SP Brazil 175 179 17 1

RESUMO Este estudo relata a ocorrência dos pentatomídeos Acrosternum sp., Edessa sp., Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) e Thyantha perditor (Fabricius, 1794) (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) alimentando-se de plantas de gergelim Sesamum indicum L. (Pedaliaceae) em Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. sp sp. Linnaeus, Linnaeus (Linnaeus 1758 Fabricius, Fabricius (Fabricius 1794 Hemiptera, Hemiptera (Hemiptera Pentatomidae alimentandose alimentando se L Pedaliaceae (Pedaliaceae Preto SP Brasil 175 179 17 1