Pollen analysis of honey samples produced in the counties of Santa Helena and Terra Roxa, western Region of Paraná, Southern Brazil

A melissopalinologia foi utilizada para determinar a origem botânica do mel, importante para sua rastreabilidade. Quarenta amostras de mel dos municípios de Santa Helena (20) e Terra Roxa (20), região oeste do Paraná, foram analisadas de acordo com os tipos de pólen e comparações com os catálogos de pólen e literatura especializada. Em relação à qualidade analítica, foram identificados 300 grãos de pólen por amostra. Nas amostras de Santa Helena, foram encontrados 71 tipos de pólen de 24 famílias, classificados como mel monofloral de Hovenia dulcis (8) e o restante como multifloral (12). Nas amostras da Terra Roxa, 64 tipos de pólen pertencentes a 29 famílias foram classificadas como Glycine max L. Merrill (7), Mimosa scabrella Benth (2),Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth (1), Mimosa verrucosa Benth (1), Mikania sp. (1) e Senecio sp. (1) e como multifloral (7). Os dois locais têm um alto índice de similaridade, no entanto, a predominância de alguns tipos de pólen indica a especificidade botânica da localidade. Para Santa Helena, maior significância foi observada para o pólen de H. dulcis , Eucalyptus sp. , Parapiptadenia rigida , e leucena ; em Terra Roxa, os tipos de pólen G. max , M. scabrella e Eucalyptussp. teve mais incidentes. Apesar do índice de similaridade, os indicadores mostram diferenças entre as áreas produtoras. As amostras de mel de Santa Helena apresentaram maior diversidade de pólen em relação às amostras de Terra Roxa, refletindo a cobertura vegetativa predominante de matas ciliares e culturas agrícolas, respectivamente, em cada município

Própolis e geoprópolis

As abelhas são observadas pelo ser humano desde a Antiguidade. Elas atuam como agentes determinantes na polinização de muitas espécies vegetais e, desse modo, desempenham papel fundamental na preservação da diversidade de plantas floríferas e asseguram a produção mundial de alimentos. Atualmente, elas também têm importância econômica, pois são essenciais para a apicultura. Neste livro, diversos especialistas apresentam novas investigações sobre o potencial biológico de dois importantes produtos dessa indústria: a própolis e a geoprópolis. A própolis é um material resinoso, produzido por abelhas africanizadas e por abelhas sem ferrão (meliponíneos) e apresenta inúmeras propriedades biológicas. A geoprópolis é produzida por abelhas indígenas ou sem ferrão e é ainda pouco conhecida pela comunidade geral. O leitor acadêmico ou leigo encontrará aqui reunidas informações sobre essas abelhas e atividades biológicas, efeitos colaterais, recomendações de uso, versões comerciais disponíveis e novas estratégias terapêuticas desses produtos

Exercise-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Review of Components, Prescription, Efficacy, and Safety

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders (such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, asbestosis, and pneumonitis) characterized by lung parenchymal impairment, inflammation, and fibrosis. The shortness of breath (i.e., dyspnea) is a hallmark and disabling symptom of ILDs. Patients with ILDs may also exhibit skeletal muscle dysfunction, oxygen desaturation, abnormal respiratory patterns, pulmonary hypertension, and decreased cardiac function, contributing to exercise intolerance and limitation of day-to-day activities. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) including physical exercise is an evidence-based approach to benefit functional capacity, dyspnea, and quality of life in ILD patients. However, despite recent advances and similarities with other lung diseases, the field of PR for patients with ILD requires further evidence. This mini-review aims to explore the exercise-based PR delivered around the world and evidence supporting prescription modes, considering type, intensity, and frequency components, as well as efficacy and safety of exercise training in ILDs. This review will be able to strengthen the rationale for exercise training recommendations as a core component of the PR for ILD patients

In situ short-term responses of Amazonian understory plants to elevated CO₂

The response of plants to increasing atmospheric CO2 depends on the ecological context where the plants are found. Several experiments with elevated CO2 (eCO2) have been done worldwide, but the Amazonian forest understory has been neglected. As the central Amazon is limited by light and phosphorus, understanding how understory responds to eCO2 is important for foreseeing how the forest will function in the future. In the understory of a natural forest in the Central Amazon, we installed four open-top chambers as control replicates and another four under eCO2 (+250 ppm above ambient levels). Under eCO2, we observed increases in carbon assimilation rate (67%), maximum electron transport rate (19%), quantum yield (56%), and water use efficiency (78%). We also detected an increase in leaf area (51%) and stem diameter increment (65%). Central Amazon understory responded positively to eCO2 by increasing their ability to capture and use light and the extra primary productivity was allocated to supporting more leaf and conducting tissues. The increment in leaf area while maintaining transpiration rates suggests that the understory will increase its contribution to evapotranspiration. Therefore, this forest might be less resistant in the future to extreme drought, as no reduction in transpiration rates were detected.</p

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Conversão de glicerol em propilenoglicol

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Química, 2017.O objetivo do trabalho consiste em avaliar se a produção de propilenoglicol por meio do reaproveitamento do glicerol é rentável, quais são os possíveis impactos ambientais associados ao processo e como isso ocorre

Neuroinflamação na Doença de Alzheimer: mecanismos patológicos e potenciais alvos terapêuticos

A doença de Alzheimer (DA), uma condição neurodegenerativa progressiva, está associada à neuroinflamação crônica, que desempenha um papel fundamental em sua patogênese. Neste artigo de revisão, examinamos os mecanismos patológicos da neuroinflamação na DA e exploramos os potenciais alvos terapêuticos identificados na literatura recente. As células da glia, especialmente a microglia e os astrócitos, são cruciais para a mediação da neuroinflamação na DA. Estratégias terapêuticas que buscam modulação da neuroinflamação, incluindo a imunoterapia, modulação de microglia e astrócitos, e inibidores de citocinas pró-inflamatórias, mostram grande potencial. No entanto, o desenvolvimento de tratamentos eficazes enfrenta desafios, incluindo a identificação precisa de alvos terapêuticos e a administração de medicamentos no cérebro. A compreensão dos mecanismos precisos da neuroinflamação na DA é fundamental para o avanço da pesquisa e do tratamento desta doença devastadora

Direct evidence for phosphorus limitation on Amazon forest productivity

The productivity of rainforests growing on highly weathered tropical soils is expected to be limited by phosphorus availability1. Yet, controlled fertilization experiments have been unable to demonstrate a dominant role for phosphorus in controlling tropical forest net primary productivity. Recent syntheses have demonstrated that responses to nitrogen addition are as large as to phosphorus2, and adaptations to low phosphorus availability appear to enable net primary productivity to be maintained across major soil phosphorus gradients3. Thus, the extent to which phosphorus availability limits tropical forest productivity is highly uncertain. The majority of the Amazonia, however, is characterized by soils that are more depleted in phosphorus than those in which most tropical fertilization experiments have taken place2. Thus, we established a phosphorus, nitrogen and base cation addition experiment in an old growth Amazon rainforest, with a low soil phosphorus content that is representative of approximately 60% of the Amazon basin. Here we show that net primary productivity increased exclusively with phosphorus addition. After 2 years, strong responses were observed in fine root (+29%) and canopy productivity (+19%), but not stem growth. The direct evidence of phosphorus limitation of net primary productivity suggests that phosphorus availability may restrict Amazon forest responses to CO2 fertilization4, with major implications for future carbon sequestration and forest resilience to climate change.The authors acknowledge funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), grant number NE/L007223/1. This is publication 850 in the technical series of the BDFFP. C.A.Q. acknowledges the grants from Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) CNPq/LBA 68/2013, CNPq/MCTI/FNDCT no. 18/2021 and his productivity grant. C.A.Q., H.F.V.C., F.D.S., I.A., L.F.L., E.O.M. and S.G. acknowledge the AmazonFACE programme for financial support in cooperation with Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the National Institute of Amazonian Research as part of the grants CAPES-INPA/88887.154643/2017-00 and 88881.154644/2017-01. T.F.D. acknowledges funds from FundacAo de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de SAo Paulo (FAPESP), grant 2015/50488-5, and the Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) programme grant AID-OAA-A-11-00012. L.E.O.C.A. thanks CNPq (314416/2020-0)