PP113

Introduction: BNP (brain-type natriuretic peptide) is released by cardiomyocytes, as a pro-hormone, in response to parietal stress augmentation and systemic endothelial dysfunction, and then Pro-BNP is cleaved into: NT-Pro-BNP and BNP fragment in 1:1 ratio. BNP is considered an important component of the adaptative mechanism that helps to reduce the load on the myocardium, through systemic vasodilatation, reduction in venous return and reduction in vascular volume. Hypertensive Gestational Syndromes (HGS) are considered to share those mechanisms, but the role of NT-Pro-BNP to evaluate maternal outcomes, is not well defined. Objectives: Evaluate the correlation between NT-Pro-BNP: in Normotensive Pregnant Women (NPW) and HGS with established markers of adverse maternal outcomes in HGS. Methods: We performed a transversal case-control study to analyze NT-Pro-BNP in 68 patients with HGS vs 80 NPW admitted at a private hospital, and to evaluate its correlation with established clinical and blood markers of maternal outcomes at hospital admission. Patients with renal chronic failure, previous cardiac disease and mola were excluded. We used the Pearson and Kendall correlation test for quantitative variables and the non-parametrical Mann-Whitney test for qualitative variables. Results: The average maternal age was: NPW 33.2 years, HGS 33.8 years; average gestational age at delivery: NPW 38.5 weeks, HGS 35.3 weeks; first pregnancy: NPW 36%, HGS 56%; birth average weight: NPW 3351.6g, HGS 2615.5g; media NT-Pro-BNP: NPW 59.7pg/ml, HGS 704.8pg/ml. None of the NPW had high levels of NT-Pro-BNP. In the HGS group: 57% had preeclampsia, 10% HELLP, 25% gestational hypertension and 8% chronic hypertension. In the HGS media values for: proteinuria 1.5g/24h, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase 86 UI/L, platelets 231,688/mm(3), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase 100 UI/L, uric acid 48mg/dl, hematocrit 33%, alkaline phosphatase 152 UI/L, lactic dehydrogenase 284 UI/L. In the HGS the following significant correlations were found: for NT-Pro-BNP relation to: proteinuria (0.34 p=0.001), glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (0.375 p=0.001), platelets (-0.353 p=0.001), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (0.317 p=0.001), uric acid (0.398 p=0.001), hematocrit (-0.183 p=0.048), gestational age at delivery (-0.29 p=0.002), birth average weight (-0.23 p=0.018), cardiac failure ( p=0.001), number of used anti-hypertensive drugs (0.367 p=0.004), lactic dehydrogenase (0.65 p=0.001). The media NT-Pro-BNP was: 936pg/ml in preeclampsia , 1909pg/ml in HELLP, 150pg/ml in gestational hypertension and 107pg/ml in chronic hypertension. The highest NT-Pro-BNP level was 12,386pg/ml in a patient with systolic dysfunction (LVEF: 35%) associated with preeclampsia. After delivery, 13% HGS women had persistent hypertension post-partum, and this did not correlate with the level of NT-Pro-BNP at hospital admission. Conclusion: NT-Pro-BNP significantly correlates with established markers of adverse maternal outcomes in HGS, probing to be useful in routine maternal evaluation in this setting.

This article encompasses the method related to image segmentation of the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images of Acacia Mangium Wood derived Activated Carbons under different conditions. Image segmentation using Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) thresholding method was adapted to identify the different pattern composition in the grayscale images by varying the intensity Value (V) and keeping Hue (H) and Saturation (S) to zero, and each pattern was considered as one type of element that constituted the Activated Carbon. The algorithm was developed to compute the percentage of each pattern using non-zero pixels, and on the basis of different patterns, different elements having certain percentage of composition were recorded. Later, these results were compared with the Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to cross check the difference in percentage of each element present at the surface of the Activated Carbon. Part of this result is published in the article [1], "Comparison of surface properties of wood biomass Activated Carbons and their application against rhodamine B and methylene blue dye" Surfaces and Interfaces vol. 11 (2018) pp1-13.·The methods involved will be useful for characterization of Activated Carbon materials.·Image segmentation using HSV thresholding will inspire other researchers to apply similar concept on other materials.·Different patterns obtained for FESEM images using HSV thresholding was able to determine the presence of multiple elements present in the prepared Activated Carbon samples.

We screened an endoparasitic wasp (Pteromalus puparum) cDNA library for DNA sequences having antimicrobial activity using a vital dye exclusion assay. Two dozens of clones were isolated that inhibited the growth of host Escherichia coli cells due to expression of the cloned genes. Three peptides (PP13, PP102 and PP113) were synthesized chemically based on the amino acid sequences deduced from these clones and assayed for their antimicrobial activity. These peptides have net positive charges and are active against both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, but are not active against fungi tested. Their hemolytic activity on human red blood cells was measured, and no hemolytic activity was observed after 1-h incubation at a concentration of 62.5 microM or below. A Blast search indicated that the three peptides have not been previously characterized as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Salt-dependency studies revealed that the biocidal activity of these peptides against E. coli decreased with increasing concentration of NaCl. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) examination of PP13-treated E. coli cells showed extensive damage of cell membranes. The CD spectroscopy studies noted that the enhanced alpha-helical characteristics of PP13 strongly contribute to its higher antimicrobial properties. These results demonstrate the feasibility to identify novel AMPs by screening the expressional cDNA library.