Bioactive compounds and morphology in Opuntia spp. fruits from Portuguese ecotypes.

The Opuntia spp. has minimal soil and water requirements, and the O. ficus-indica, in particular is sought to be an alternative for the Mediterranean region agricultural economy. The morphology, bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties of fruits were studied in twenty Portuguese ecotypes belonging to four Opuntia species (O. ficus-indica, O. robusta, O. dillenii and O. elata). The ecotypes were compared with the O. ficus-indica cultivars ‘Bianca’, ‘Gialla’ and ‘Rossa’. The fruits from Opuntia spp. ecotypes displayed variability in morphological and bioactive characteristics. Among O. ficus-indica ecotypes, the orange pulp fruits were larger, heavier and had a higher percentage of pulp as well as a lower percentage of seeds compared to the white pulp fruits. However, the weight of 100 seeds was lower in the white pulp ecotypes. The OFI-04 ecotype contrasted the other OFI ecotypes due to its pale yellow pulp, ovoid shape, and low seed weight per fruit as well as the amount of seeds as a percentage of pulp weight. The O. dillenii ecotypes had the highest betalain content, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity, while O. elata had the highest ascorbic acid content. Both O. dillenii and O. elata had the highest acidity values. The red pulp cv. Rossa had the highest betalain content among the O. ficus-indica populations, followed by the orange and white pulp ecotypes. The highest amount of total phenolic compounds was found in the white pulp O. ficus-indica ecotypes. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that the ecotypes could be grouped into four major groups, and geographical origin was unrelated to the clustering pattern. This study provides original data on the morphology and bioactive compounds of Opuntia spp. fruits from Portuguese ecotypes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of body fat and dominant somatotype on explosive strength and aerobic capacity trainability in prepubescent children

he purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of body fat and somatotype on explosive strength and aerobic capacity trainability in the prepubertal growth spurt, marked by rapid changes in body size, shape, and composition, all of which are sexually dimorphic. One hundred twenty-five healthy children (58 boys, 67 girls), aged 10–11 years (10.8 6 0.4 years), who were self-assessed in Tanner stages 1–2, were randomly assigned into 2 experimental groups to train twice a week for 8 weeks: strength training group (19 boys, 22 girls), endurance training group (21 boys, 24 girls), and a control group (18 boys, 21 girls). Evaluation of body fat was carried out using the method described by Slaughter. Somatotype was computed according to the Heath-Carter method. Increased endomorphy reduced the likelihood of vertical jump height improvement (odds ratio [OR], 0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01–0.85), increased mesomorphy (OR, 6.15; 95% CI, 1.52–24.88) and ectomorphy (OR, 6.52; 95% CI, 1.71–24.91) increased the likelihood of sprint performance, and increased ectomorphy (OR, 3.84; 95% CI, 1.20–12.27) increased the likelihood of aerobic fitness gains. Sex did not affect the training-induced changes in strength or aerobic fitness. These data suggest that somatotype has an effect on explosive strength and aerobic capacity trainability, which should not be disregarded. The effect of adiposity on explosive strength, musculoskeletal magnitude on running speed, and relative linearity on running speed and aerobic capacity seem to be crucial factors related to training-induced gains in prepubescent boys and girls.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lack of evidence for superantigen activity of Toxoplasma gondii towards human T cells

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular parasite whose life cycle may include man as an intermediate host. More than 500 million people are infected with this parasite worldwide. It has been previously reported that T. gondii contains a superantigen activity. The purpose of the present study was to determine if the putative superantigen activity of T. gondii would manifest towards human T cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from individuals with no previous contact with the parasite were evaluated for proliferation as well as specific Vß expansion after exposure to Toxoplasma antigens. Likewise, PBMC from individuals with the congenital infection were evaluated for putative Vß family deletions in their T cell repertoire. We also evaluated, over a period of one year, the PBMC proliferation pattern in response to Toxoplasma antigens in patients with recently acquired infection. Some degree of proliferation in response to T. gondii was observed in the PBMC from individuals never exposed to the parasite, accompanied by specific Vß expansion, suggesting a superantigen effect. However, we found no specific deletion of Vß (or Valpha) families in the blood of congenitally infected individuals. Furthermore, PBMC from recently infected individuals followed up over a period of one year did not present a reduction of the Vß families that were originally expanded in response to the parasite antigens. Taken together, our data suggest that T. gondii does not have a strong superantigen activity on human T cells.Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Instituto de Ciências BiomédicasUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Divisão de OftalmologiaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Divisão de Alergia e Imunologia ClínicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de OftalmologiaFundação E.J. ZerbiniUNIFESP, Depto. de OftalmologiaSciEL

Regional and seasonal patterns of litterfall in tropical South America

The production of aboveground soft tissue represents an important share of total net primary production in tropical rain forests. Here we draw from a large number of published and unpublished datasets (n=81 sites) to assess the determinants of litterfall variation across South American tropical forests. We show that across old-growth tropical rainforests, litterfall averages 8.61±1.91 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (mean ± standard deviation, in dry mass units). Secondary forests have a lower annual litterfall than old-growth tropical forests with a mean of 8.01±3.41 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Annual litterfall shows no significant variation with total annual rainfall, either globally or within forest types. It does not vary consistently with soil type, except in the poorest soils (white sand soils), where litterfall is significantly lower than in other soil types (5.42±1.91 Mg ha−1 yr−1). We also study the determinants of litterfall seasonality, and find that it does not depend on annual rainfall or on soil type. However, litterfall seasonality is significantly positively correlated with rainfall seasonality. Finally, we assess how much carbon is stored in reproductive organs relative to photosynthetic organs. Mean leaf fall is 5.74±1.83 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (71% of total litterfall). Mean allocation into reproductive organs is 0.69±0.40 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (9% of total litterfall). The investment into reproductive organs divided by leaf litterfall increases with soil fertility, suggesting that on poor soils, the allocation to photosynthetic organs is prioritized over that to reproduction. Finally, we discuss the ecological and biogeochemical implications of these result

Fungicides for wheat seed treatment

Em 1979, conduziu-se trabalho de campo e de laboratório visando avaliar os efeitos de fungicidas no tratamento de sementes de trigo. Foram testados seis produtos, sendo dois em formulação simples e quatro em formulação associada, em amostras de dois lotes da cultivar CNT 9. Procurou-se trabalhar com fungicidas que apresentassem indicação de atividade sobre Helminthosporium sativum Pam., King. & Bakke. Através de teste de laboratório foi avaliado efeito sobre a ocorrência de fungos na semente. No campo, avaliaram-se efeitos sobre a percentagem de emergência, número de espigas por área e rendimento de grãos. Melhor controle sobre H. sativum na semente foi obtido com Panoctine (Guazatine 40%). A avaliação de stand no campo, efetuada 17 dias após a semeadura, mostrou superioridade dos tratamentos com Cercoran (Metiltiofanato 50% + Thiran 30%), Dithane M-45 (Mancozeb 80%) e Benlate T (Benomyl 20% + Thiran 20%) em relação à testemunha. Uma segunda avaliação, feita 31 dias após a semeadura, confirmou esses resultados apenas para Cercoran e Dethane M-45. O número de espigas por área não apresentou diferenças para sementes tratadas e não-tratadas. Na média dos dois lotes estudados, verificou-se que o tratamento com Cercoran apresentou rendimento superior ao da testemunha não-tratada.A seed treatment trial was conducted at the National Wheat Research Center in Passo Fundo, RS, in 1979, to study the effect of fungicides on the control of seed pathogens of wheat. Two fungicides and four mixtures of fungicides were tested. Two seedlots of the cultivar CNT 9 were used. The fungicides were selected on the basis of their effectiveness against Helminthosporium sativum Pam., King. & Bakke. The occurrence of fungi in the seeds were evaluated by laboratory tests. The percentage of germination in the field, number of heads/unit area and yield were also evaluated. The best control of H. sativum on seeds was obtained with Panoctine (Guazatine 40%). The stand in the field was evaluated 17 days after sowing. Cercoran (Metiltiofanato 50% + Thiran 30%); Dithane M-45 and Benlate T (Benomyl 20% + Thiran 20%) were statistically superior to the check. When the same evaluation was conducted 31 days after sowing only Cercoran and Dithane M-45 showed plant stands higher than the check. Seed treatment did not increase the number of heads/unit area. The average yield of the two seedlots treated with Cercoran was significantly superior to the check

Poultry offal meal in broiler chicken feed

An outstanding feature of poultry production that provides animal protein yield for human feeding is its short production cycle. This characteristic has a linear relationship with waste production. Increasing the inclusion of this residue in diets in the near future is desirable in step with the growth of poultry production since it offers a better environmental and nutritional alternative to current methods. We evaluated the effects on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens produced by the inclusion of poultry offal meal (POM) in their feed. Treatments consisted of a control diet (corn, Zea mays and soybean, Glycine max) and four diets with inclusion of 30, 60, 90 and 120 g kg-1 of POM. The diets were formulated based on the level of digestible amino acid once categorized as isocalcic, isophosphoric, isosodic, isoenergetic and isonutritive for protein, methionine+cystine, lysine and threonine. The feed's electrolytes were corrected so that each diet had the same electrolytic balance. The variables analyzed were feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, body weight, carcass yield, chicken cut yield and abdominal fat. Feed intake was not affected by the quantities of POM added. The weight gain, feed conversion, carcass yield and noble cuts presented quadratic responses to the treatments. Abdominal fat increased linearly. The performance of the poultry, and carcass characteristics were maximized by the inclusion of 53 and 65 g kg-1, respectively, of POM in the diet, and the inclusion of 120 g kg-1 of POM provided greater disposition of abdominal fat

Jatropha curcasand Ricinus communisdisplay contrasting photosynthetic mechanisms in response to environmental conditions

Higher plants display different adaptive strategies in photosynthesis to cope with abiotic stress. In this study, photosynthetic mechanisms and water relationships displayed byJatropha curcasL. (physic nuts) andRicinus communisL. (castor bean), in response to variations in environmental conditions, were assessed.R. communis showed higher CO2 assimilation, stomatal and mesophyll conductance thanJ. curcas as light intensity and intercellular CO2 pressure increased. On the other hand,R. communis was less effective in stomatal control in response to adverse environmental factors such as high temperature, water deficit and vapor pressure deficit, indicating lower water use efficiency. Conversely,J. curcas exhibited higher photosynthetic efficiency (gas exchange and photochemistry) and water use efficiency under these adverse environmental conditions.R. communisdisplayed higher potential photosynthesis, but exhibited a lowerin vivo Rubisco carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax). During the course of a typical day, in a semiarid environment, with high irradiation, high temperature and high vapor pressure deficit, but exposed to well-watered conditions, the two studied species presented similar photosynthesis. Losing potential photosynthesis, but maintaining favorable water status and increasing non-photochemical quenching to avoid photoinhibition, are important acclimation mechanisms developed byJ. curcas to cope with dry and hot conditions. We suggest thatJ. curcas is more tolerant to hot and dry environments thanR. communis but the latter species displays higher photosynthetic efficiency under well-watered and non-stressful conditions