Caracteres químicos em pós-colheita de bananas de diferentes genótipos cultivados no Estado de Sergipe.

A banana é um dos frutos mais consumidos no mundo, ocupando o quarto lugar com 7,2 milhões de toneladas de bananas em 512 mil hectares de plantação no ranking das fruteiras tropicais em volume de produção (BEZERRA et al., 2009; FAO, 2011). No Brasil existe um grande número de cultivares, mas são poucas as que apresentam potencial produtivo para exploração comercial, tolerância a pragas e doenças, porte reduzido e menor ciclo de produção (RAMOS et al., 2009)

Caracterização física de frutos de diferentes genótipos de bananeira em Nossa Senhora das Dores-Se.

Uma das espécies agronômicas mais cultivadas no Brasil, a bananeira (Musa spp.) vem se destacando pelo aumento de sua produtividade. Segundo dados da FAO (2011), a produção brasileira aparece entre as mais elevadas no mundo, ficando em quarto lugar, com 7,2 milhões de toneladas de bananas em 512 mil hectares de plantação. A região Nordeste se classifica como a maior produtora, apresentando em torno de 2.700.000 toneladas, tendo a Bahia como maior produtor nacional de banana (IBGE, 2011). Considerando a existência de grande número de cultivares no Brasil, são poucas as que apresentam potencial produtivo para exploração comercial, tolerância a pragas e doenças, porte reduzido e menor ciclo de produção (RAMOS et al., 2009)

Avaliação da qualidade pós-colheita dos genótipos de bananas fhia-18 e pa94-01 cultivados em Sergipe, Brasil.

Sergipe é o sétimo estado maior produtor da região Nordeste com aproximadamente 57 mil toneladas colhidos numa área de aproximadamente quatro mil hectares (1). Existe um consenso que o plantio e cultivo de variedades inadequadas juntamente com os problemas fitossanitários configuram nos maiores obstáculos a produção de bananas no estado de Sergipe (2)

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nanostructured Biphasic Calcium Phosphate in Granules and Putty Configurations

Synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules and powder are biocompatible biomaterials with a well-known capacity for osteoconduction, presenting very satisfactory clinical and histological results. It remains unanswered if the putty configuration impacts the biological response to the material. In this study, we aimed to compare the cytocompatibility and biocompatibility of nanostructured BCP in the putty configuration (moldable nanostructured calcium phosphate, MnCaP) on the healing of critical-sized bone defects (8 mm) in rat calvaria. Cytocompatibility was determined through the viability of fibroblast cells (V-79) to the extracts of different concentrations of MnCaP. Forty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 15)—clot, MnCaP, and commercial biphasic calcium phosphate in granules configurations (Nanosynt®)—and subdivided into three experimental periods (1, 3, and 6 months). Histological, histomorphometric, and microtomographic analyses allowed the evaluation of newly formed bone, residual biomaterial, and connective tissue. The in vitro evaluation showed that MnCaP was cytocompatible. The histomorphometric results showed that the Nanosynt® group granted the highest new-formed bone values at six months (p < 0.05), although the biomaterial volume did not differ between groups. The putty configuration was easier to handle, and both configurations were biocompatible and osteoconductive, presented similar biosorption rates, and preserved the calvaria architecture

Structure and Spasmolytic Activity Relationships of Monoterpene Analogues Found in Many Aromatic Plants

Rotundifolone, a monoterpene isolated from the essential oil of the leaves of Mentha ¥ villosa, is a constituent of several essential oils and known to have spasmolytic activity. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between structure and spasmolytic activity of rotundifolone and its analogues in ileum isolated from guinea-pig. Five of the seven tested analogues were found to have a spasmolytic effect more potent than rotundifolone itself, except for pulegone and (+)-limonene. The comparison between rotundifolone and limonene oxide showed that the absence of the keto group did not decrease the relaxant effect. Comparison of the spasmolytic activity between rotundifolone and (+)-pulegone showed that the absence of the epoxy group did not decrease the relaxation of the ileum. Carvone epoxide was found to be significantly more potent than rotundifolone. The monoterpene (Ð)-carvone produced ileum relaxation and was more potent than its enantiomer (+)-carvone. (+)-Limonene and pulegone oxide showed a similar effect. The study showed that the functional groups and their position at the ring of rotundifolone contributed to the relaxation activity of the ileum. The absence of the oxygenated molecular structure is not a critical requirement for the molecule to be bioactive