Abstract: The present invention refers to analog compounds of peptides having the amino acid sequences SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 or SEQ ID NO: 4, including analgesic peptides derived from snakes of species such as Crotalus durissus terrificus; their uses in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of painful conditions or mediated by opioid receptors, their pharmaceutical compositions and their methods of preparation and purification, including their uses in the identification of analgesic compounds.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method that uses error-coding codes for validating polymorphisms and mutations/alterations in a DNA sequence which encodes a polypeptide sequence. The present invention also relates to a digital communication system for carrying out the method, employing a model for the biological coding system which resembles the most efficient digital communication. The method and digital communication system may be useful for the predictive analysis of diseases originated by mutations or polymorphisms in genes.

Abstract: Modern sugarcane cultivars are complex hybrids resulting from crosses among several species of the Saccharum genus. Traditional breeding methods have been extensively employed in different countries along the past decades to develop varieties with increased sucrose yield, and resistant to plagues and diseases. Conventional varietal improvement is, however, limited by the narrow pool of suitable markers. In this sense, molecular genetics is seen as a promising tool to assist in the process of molecular marker identification. The present invention concerns the identification of 348 genes associated with sucrose content in sugarcane plants. The genes were found to be differentially expressed when high sucrose and low sucrose plants and populations of plants were compared and/or when high and low sucrose internodes were compared. The expression data was obtained using cDNA microarray and quantitative PCR technologies.

Abstract: The invention refers to a process to obtain lignans, especially to obtain cubebin and methylpluviatolide from leaves of Zanthoxylum naranjillo or Piper cubeba. It also refers to a process to obtain semi-synthetic derivatives of cubebin, especially dibenzylbutirloactonic lignans, such as: hinokinin, o-acetyl cubebin, o-methyl cubebin, 6, 6?-dinitrohinokinin and o-dimethylethylamine cubebin and other derivatives which may be obtained, as well as to obtain methylpluviatolide derivatives, which are used to manufacture drugs to provide activity at least five times higher than observed for gentian violet and other compounds used heretofore for blood treatment and Chagas' disease prophylaxis.

Abstract: The invention relates to cyclopalladated compounds containing bis-diphenyiphosphine-ferrocene ligands and their analogues which are active inhibitors of proteins and enzymes, for example, those of the serine peptidase, cysteine-protease, metalo-protease and endopeptidase families, involved in the development and metastases of malignant tumors, e.g. of the thyroid. An exemplary compound is shown in the figure. The compounds are able te modulate the immunological system due to their action on the enzymes and their interaction with DNA molecules.