Soil P, K, and Al contents in a Crop-Livestock-Forest integration system in Mato Grosso State.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil P, K, and Al contents in a CLFi system established in Nova Canaã do Norte-MT, Brazil

Organic matter in forest arrangements within the Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration System in Mato Grosso State.

In Mato Grosso State, the main objectives of this integration are the shading provided to the animals, the improvement in the pastures? fertility, and the availability of wood for use at the property

Pasireotide (SOM230) demonstrates efficacy and safety in patients with acromegaly: a randomized, multicenter, phase II trial.

CONTEXT: Pasireotide (SOM230) is a novel multireceptor ligand somatostatin analog with affinity for somatostatin receptor subtypes sst(1-3) and sst(5). Because most GH-secreting pituitary adenomas express sst(2) and sst(5), pasireotide has the potential to be more effective than the sst(2)-preferential somatostatin analogs octreotide and lanreotide. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three different doses of pasireotide in patients with acromegaly. DESIGN: We conducted a phase II, randomized, multicenter, open-label, three-way, crossover study. PATIENTS: Sixty patients with acromegaly, defined by a 2-h five-point mean GH level higher than 5 microg/liter, lack of suppression of GH to less than 1 microg/liter after oral glucose tolerance test, and elevated IGF-I for age- and sex-matched controls. Patients could have had previous surgery, radiotherapy, and/or medical therapy or no previous treatment. INTERVENTION: After treatment with octreotide 100 microg s.c. three times daily for 28 d, each patient received pasireotide 200, 400, and 600 microg s.c. twice daily in random order for 28 d. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A biochemical response was defined as a reduction in GH to no more than 2.5 microg/liter and normalization of IGF-I to age- and sex-matched controls. RESULTS: After 4 wk of octreotide, 9% of patients achieved a biochemical response. After 4 wk of pasireotide 200-600 microg s.c. bid, 19% of patients achieved a biochemical response, which increased to 27% after 3 months of pasireotide; 39% of patients had a more than 20% reduction in pituitary tumor volume. Pasireotide was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Pasireotide is a promising treatment for acromegaly. Larger studies of longer duration evaluating the efficacy and safety of pasireotide in patients with acromegaly are ongoing

The new centrifuge high-speed pellet injector for ASDEX Upgrade

We report on the new pellet injection system for refuelling the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak with cubic H_2 or D_2 pellets having alternative side lengths of 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0 mm and optional Ne doping. The system delivers series of about one hundred pellets at a maximum repetition rate of more than 40 Hz. The pellets are accelerated by means of a centrifuge with an optimized straight acceleration arm. This configuration minimizes the compulsive force acting on the pellet during the acceleration process. Since this also minimizes stresses inside the pellet, high velocities - a maximum of 1211 m/s being achieved - are possible without destroying the hydrogen cubes. A special pellet feed-in technique based on a static stop cylinder interrupting the acceleration path successfully reduced the horizontal scattering angle to values of less than #+-# 4 degrees. Thus, a high efficiency - with more than 90% of the pellets arriving within the acceptance angle - was achieved without using a guide tube. The whole system was found to work very reliably and reproducibly during the whole test operation period, covering about 10"5 pellet shots. The new centrifuge, now integrated into the ASDEX Upgrade setup, has proved to be a reliable unit even for long operation periods thus affording the possibility of quasicontinuous particle refuelling throughout a plasma discharge in ASDEX Upgrade. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RA 71(1/274) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Estudo morfológico de superfícies ósseas após secção por pontas diamantadas ou laser de érbio: YAG Morphological evaluation of bone surfaces after sectioning with diamond points or erbium: YAG laser

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar morfologicamente as superfícies ósseas resultantes da secção por pontas diamantadas ou por laser de érbio:YAG. Cinco ratos (Rattus norvegicus albinus foram sacrificados por dose letal de fenobarbital. Após a execução deste procedimento, os ossos predeterminados foram submetidos à secção por pontas diamantadas ou por laser de érbio:YAG em uma energia de 300 mJ por pulso e taxa de repetição de 2 Hz. As amostras foram submetidas a análise em microscópio eletrônico de varredura, revelando a existência de um padrão para as secções obtidas com cada instrumento, sendo verificada uma superfície mais regular nas amostras seccionadas com o laser de érbio:YAG. Em aumentos da ordem de 3000 vezes, pode-se observar indícios de fusão e seqüente solidificação das superfícies seccionadas por meio do laser de érbio:YAG. Conclui-se que o laser de érbio:YAG foi eficaz na remoção de tecido ósseo, mas que, nos parâmetros utilizados neste estudo, foi responsável por alterações morfológicas sugestivas de significativo aumento de temperatura, não devendo ser indicado, nestas condições, para a execução de secções ósseas.<br>The purpose of this study was to analyze bone surfaces cut by Er:YAG laser or by diamond points. Five male rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) were killed by lethal dose of phenobarbital, and selected bones were cut by Er:YAG laser at 300 mJ and 2 Hz, or by diamond points. The samples were submitted to evaluation through SEM at standard magnifications. By analyzing the surfaces, the authors could observe a pattern for each group, with a smoother surface in the laser cut group than in the diamond cut group. In higher magnifications, the images suggest melting and solidifying in the laser group. The authors conclude that the laser was effective in bone cutting. However, it was responsible for morphological changes that suggest a significant temperature increase