Abstract: This invention is concerned with a vaccine against dental caries obtained from the supernatant over cultures of the cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus sobrinus and S. mutans that consists of extracellular proteins. These proteins provide the suppression of the immune response in the host through the early production of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine and are, for that reason, virulent factors to the microorganism enhancing bacterial load in the host. These proteins were designated as virulence-associated immunomodulatory extracellular proteins (VIP). Vaccination through the host immunization with active VIP in a submitogenis dose, inactivated VIP or enolase in a dose unable to induce immunosuppression, induces the immunoneutralization of the VIP immunobiological effects. Vaccination can be used both as a preventive or therapeutic measure of dental caries as long as it is administered (intranasally, orally or subcutaneously) into mammals before or after bacterial infection, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a fast method for the determination of phospholipids in amniotic fluid samples by HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography). This innovative method presents high sensitivity, reproducibility and resolution. It has also the advantage of being of easy laboratorial interpretation, allowing the elimination of false results due to the contamination of the sample with blood or meconium.

Abstract: The present invention is an industrial process for the preparation of acetals using a simulated moving bed (SMB) reactor system to accomplish the conversion of reactants (aldehyde and alcohol) and simultaneously, the separation of the reaction products (acetal and water) by selective adsorption. The SMB reactor consists of a set of interconnected columns packed with an acid solid (or mixture of acid solids: catalysts and adsorbents) effective for catalyzing the reaction between aldehydes and alcohols and for separating the reaction products by selective adsorption of at least one product.

Abstract: The present invention concerns to the use of salicylate in the treatment of mammal intoxications caused by the herbicide paraquat (PQ). It was achieved, for the first time, 100% of survival 30 days after the administration to Wistar rats, by intraperitoneal route, of a PQ dose that, in the absence of treatment, is itself 100% lethal at the end of 6 days. The administration of salicylate, two hours after PQ, reversed the PQ toxicity and extended the life of the animals to the levels of the control group.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and device to monitor the formation and removal of biofilms and other deposits in ducts, reservoirs and equipments, using vibration. The afore mentioned device is composed by an element that generates vibration (1) and an element that senses vibration (2), fixed on the external surface of a duct, reservoir or equipment (3). An electrical signal is generated by an electronic data acquisition unit (4) connected to the element that generates the vibration (1). The duct, reservoir or equipment (3) vibration leads to a signal in the vibration sensing element (2) which is measured and processed by the electronic data acquisition unit (4). The present invention is able to monitor the formation of deposits on surfaces and it can be applied, for example, to fluid distribution systems and fluid heating/cooling systems.