Herbivory among habitats on the Neotropical tree Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl. in a seasonally deciduous forest

Our goal was to identify herbivory patterns from two insect guilds associated with Cnidoscolus quercifolius in a tropical deciduous forest in northeastern Brazil. We sampled four different habitats: (1) forest edge, (2) mesic (near to the perennial water source), (3) forest interior and (4) rupestrian fields. Habitat edge had lower leaf damage than rupestrian, mesic and forest interior habitats. Nevertheless, abundance of galls at the edge habitat was higher than at mesic, forest interior and/or rupestrian habitats. There was no difference in gall mortality by natural enemies among the four habitats sampled, demonstrating the absence of any influence of top-down controls related to abundance of galls. Trophic relationships were not related to the patterns of distribution among habitats of two insect herbivorous guilds associated with C. quercifolius. Our results demonstrated that environmental heterogeneity of dry forests can significantly alter important ecological interactions and experimental studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms responsible for differences in herbivory among habitats

Fatores associados à adesão e à persistência na hormonioterapia em mulheres com câncer de mama

Introduction: Hormonal therapy in breast cancer is essential to the transition from active treatment to care survival, because it improves long-term survival and provides a better quality of life. reducing hospital costs as well. However, adherence and persistence in the recommended treatment are important to achieve the desirable results. Methodology: This is a cohort retrospective study of 182 women on hormonal treatment identified at a high complexity oncology unit, in the southeastern region of Brazil, and followed-up until 2014. We performed a bivariate analysis to analyze the factors associated with adherence and we conducted the multivariate Cox regression to identify variables associated with discontinuity of treatment over time. Results: Overall adherence was 85.2% and persistence was 45.4% at the end of 5 years. No association was found between the studied independent variables and adherence. Women with advanced stage (HR = 2.24; 95% confidence interval 1.45 – 3.45), who did not undergo surgery (HR = 3.46; 95%CI 2.00 – 5.97), and with three or more hospitalizations (HR = 6.06; 95%CI 2.53 – 14.54) exhibited increased risk of discontinuity. Discussion: The variables associated with persistence reflect the relation between the highest disease severity and the discontinuity of adjuvant hormonal treatment. Conclusion: Despite the high adherence level, there is a progressive increase in non-persistence among women on hormonal therapy, influenced by characteristics related to disease severity, which contributes to an inadequate therapeutic response.Introdução: A hormonioterapia no câncer de mama é fundamental para a transição do tratamento ativo aos cuidados de sobrevivência, pois melhora significativamente os resultados de sobrevida em longo prazo, além de propiciar melhor qualidade de vida e reduzir os custos de hospitalização. Porém, para atingir resultados desejáveis, são importantes a adesão e a persistência no tratamento recomendado. Metodologia: Estudo de coorte retrospectivo com 182 mulheres em tratamento hormonal identificadas em unidade oncológica de alta complexidade da Região Sudeste do Brasil e acompanhadas até 2014. Foram realizadas análise bivariada, para investigar os fatores associados à adesão, e regressão multivariada de Cox, para identificar variáveis associadas à descontinuidade do tratamento ao longo do tempo. Resultados: A adesão geral foi de 85,2% e a persistência, de 45,4% após 5 anos. Não foi encontrada associação entre as variáveis independentes estudadas e a adesão. Mulheres com estadiamento avançado (hazard ratio – HR = 2,24; intervalo de confiança de 95% – IC95% 1,45 – 3,45), que não realizaram cirurgia (HR = 3,46; IC95% 2,00 – 5,97) e com 3 ou mais internações hospitalares (HR = 6,06; IC95% 2,53 – 14,54) exibiram maior risco de descontinuidade. Discussão: As variáveis associadas à persistência refletem a relação entre a maior gravidade da doença e a interrupção do tratamento hormonal adjuvante. Conclusão: Apesar da alta adesão, observa-se aumento progressivo do número de pacientes que não persistem no tratamento, devido a características relacionadas à gravidade da doença, contribuindo para uma resposta terapêutica inadequada