Documentação e valorização da fitoterapia tradicional Kayapó nas aldeias A'Ukre e Pykanu - sudeste do Pará

No início de 1996, pesquisadores do Programa Pobreza e Meio Ambiente na Amazônia visitaram as aldeias Kayapó A'Ukre e Pykanu no sul do estado do Pará - Brasil. Essas expedições também objetivaram resgatar a tradição fitoterapêutica kayapó e identificar espécies vegetais com potencial farmacêutico. Os pajés apresentaram cinqüenta e três vegetais diferentes, dos quais vinte tiveram sua identificação botânica elucidada com base em fotografias

Opposite lipemic response of Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice to dietary glucose or fructose supplementation

The metabolic effects of carbohydrate supplementation in mice have not been extensively studied. In rats, glucose- and fructose-rich diets induce hypertriacylglycerolemia. In the present study, we compared the metabolic responses to two monosaccharide supplementations in two murine models. Adult male Wistar rats (N = 80) and C57BL/6 mice (N = 60), after 3 weeks on a standardized diet, were submitted to dietary supplementation by gavage with glucose (G) or fructose (F) solutions (500 g/L), 8 g/kg body weight for 21 days. Glycemia was significantly higher in rats after fructose treatment (F: 7.9 vs 9.3 mM) and in mice (G: 6.5 vs 10 and F: 6.6 vs 8.9 mM) after both carbohydrate treatments. Triacylglycerolemia increased significantly 1.5 times in rats after G or F supplementation. Total cholesterol did not change with G treatment in rats, but did decrease after F supplementation (1.5 vs 1.4 mM, P < 0.05). Both supplementations in rats induced insulin resistance, as suggested by the higher Homeostasis Model Assessment Index. In contrast, mice showed significant decreases in triacylglycerol (G: 1.8 vs 1.4 and F: 1.9 vs 1.4 mM, P < 0.01) and total cholesterol levels (G and F: 2.7 vs 2.5 mM, P < 0.05) after both monosaccharide supplementations. Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice, although belonging to the same family (Muridae), presented opposite responses to glucose and fructose supplementation regarding serum triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, and insulin levels after monosaccharide treatment. Thus, while Wistar rats developed features of plurimetabolic syndrome, C57BL/6 mice presented changes in serum biochemical profile considered to be healthier for the cardiovascular system.32333

Removing the Big Bang Singularity: The role of the generalized uncertainty principle in quantum gravity

The possibility of avoiding the big bang singularity by means of a generalized uncertainty principle is investigated. In relation with this matter, the statistical mechanics of a free-particle system obeying the generalized uncertainty principle is studied and it is shown that the entropy of the system has a finite value in the infinite temperature limit. It is then argued that negative temperatures and negative pressures are possible in this system. Finally, it is shown that this model can remove the big bang singularity.Comment: 8 pages, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Measurement Of The Σ̄- Lifetime And Direct Comparison With The Σ+ Lifetime

We have measured the lifetime of the Σ̄- using the Fermilab Proton Center 375 GeV/c charged hyperon beam. We obtained (80.43±0.80±0.14) ps. We also measured the lifetime of the Σ+, obtaining (80.38 ±0.40±0.14) ps, in agreement with the Particle Data Group value. A direct comparison between the two lifetimes from the ratio of the decay curves gives a fractional lifetime difference of Δτ/τ=(-0.06±1.12)%, consistent with equal lifetimes for baryon and antibaryon as required by CPT invariance. ©1999 The American Physical Society.61314Foucher, M., (1992) Phys. Rev. Lett., 68, p. 3004Timm, S., (1995) Phys. Rev. D, 51, p. 4638Dubbs, T., (1994) Phys. Rev. Lett., 72, p. 808Caso, C., (1998) Eur. Phys. J. C, 3, p. 690(1993) GEANT 3.21 CERN Program Library W5103, , CERNKuropatkin, N., private communicationLangland, J.L., (1995) Hyperon and Antihyperon Production in P-Cu Interactions, , Ph.D. thesis, University of IowaMorelos, A., (1993) Phys. Rev. Lett., 71, p. 341