A journey without maps—Understanding the costs of caring for dependent older people in Nigeria, China, Mexico and Peru

Purpose of the study: Populations in Latin America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly ageing. The extent to which traditional systems of family support and security can manage the care of increased numbers of older people with chronic health problems is unclear. Our aim was to explore the social and economic effects of caring for an older dependent person, including insight into pathways to economic vulnerability. Design & methods: We carried out a series of household case studies across urban and rural sites in Peru, Mexico, China and Nigeria (n = 24), as part of a cross-sectional study, nested within the 10/66 Dementia Research Group cohort. Case studies consisted of in-depth narrative style interviews (n = 60) with multiple family members, including the older dependent person. Results: Governments were largely uninvolved in the care and support of older dependent people, leaving families to negotiate a ‘journey without maps’. Women were de facto caregivers but the traditional role of female relative as caregiver was beginning to be contested. Household composition was flexible and responsive to changing needs of multiple generations but family finances were stretched. Implications: Governments are lagging behind sociodemographic and social change. There is an urgent need for policy frameworks to support and supplement inputs from families. These should include community-based and residential care services, disability benefits and carers allowances. Further enhancement of health insurance schemes and scale-up of social pensions are an important component of bolstering the security of dependent older people and supporting their continued social and economic participation

Ecological interpretations of the leaf anatomy of amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae)

We present the leaf anatomy of seven amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae), interpreting their structures and ecological functions, and also, providing information on which their taxonomy can be based, especially of morphologically similar species. We evaluated Aeschynomene americana, A. ciliata, A. evenia, A. denticulata, A. fluminensis, A. rudis and A. sensitiva. The anatomy corroborates the separation of the series Americanae, Fluminenses, Indicae and Sensitivae, with the shape of the petiole, types of trichomes and quantity of vascular units in the petiole as main characteristics to delimit the species. The petiole shape varies from cylindric in A. americana, A. sensitiva and A. fluminensis, to triangular in A. evenia and quadrangular in A. rudis, A. denticulata and A. ciliata. We observed four types of trichomes: hydathode trichome, long conic trichome, short conic trichome and bulb-based trichome. The hydathode trichome was the most common, except for A. americana and A. fluminensis. Species with higher affinity with water share similar adaptive characteristics, including hydathode trichomes described for the first time for the genus. This article adds unseen descriptions for the genus and on the adaptation factors of the amphibious species

Ecological interpretations of the leaf anatomy of amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae)

We present the leaf anatomy of seven amphibious species of Aeschynomene L. (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae), interpreting their structures and ecological functions, and also, providing information on which their taxonomy can be based, especially of morphologically similar species. We evaluated Aeschynomene americana, A. ciliata, A. evenia, A. denticulata, A. fluminensis, A. rudis and A. sensitiva. The anatomy corroborates the separation of the series Americanae, Fluminenses, Indicae and Sensitivae, with the shape of the petiole, types of trichomes and quantity of vascular units in the petiole as main characteristics to delimit the species. The petiole shape varies from cylindric in A. americana, A. sensitiva and A. fluminensis, to triangular in A. evenia and quadrangular in A. rudis, A. denticulata and A. ciliata. We observed four types of trichomes: hydathode trichome, long conic trichome, short conic trichome and bulb-based trichome. The hydathode trichome was the most common, except for A. americana and A. fluminensis. Species with higher affinity with water share similar adaptive characteristics, including hydathode trichomes described for the first time for the genus. This article adds unseen descriptions for the genus and on the adaptation factors of the amphibious species

Analysis of pesticide residues in sugarcane juice using QuEChERS sample preparation and gas chromatography with electron capture detection

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)QuEChERS sample preparation was used for the determination of 7 pesticides residues in 80 samples of sugarcane juice collected from two Brazilian cities, in two different periods. The method involved extraction with acetonitrile, liquid-liquid partition with addition of MgSO(4) and NaCl followed by dispersive SPE cleanup with PSA sorbent and the analyses were carried out with a GC-ECD equipment. The method was validated using sugarcane juice spiked at 0.025, 0.10 and 0.20 mg/L and the average recovery by the method varied from 62.9% to 107.5% with RSDs < 18%. The method showed good linearity and the LODs for the pesticides studied ranged from 0.003 to 0.04 mg/L No pesticide residue was detected (>LOD) amongst the 80 samples analysed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.126312831287Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Aspergillus niger beta-Glucosidase Has a Cellulase-like Tadpole Molecular Shape INSIGHTS INTO GLYCOSIDE HYDROLASE FAMILY 3 (GH3) beta-GLUCOSIDASE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Background: -Glucosidase completes cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis by releasing glucose from cellobiose. Results: SAXS experiments revealed that Aspergillus niger -glucosidase has a cellulase-like tadpole molecular shape, uncommon to enzymes that act on the soluble substrates. Conclusion: We show that AnBgl1 N- and C-terminal domains are linked by a long extended linker. Significance: Understanding AnBgl1 architecture is useful for comprehension of the enzyme-cell wall interaction and the process of biomass saccharification. Aspergillus niger is known to secrete large amounts of -glucosidases, which have a variety of biotechnological and industrial applications. Here, we purified an A. niger -glucosidase (AnBgl1) and conducted its biochemical and biophysical analyses. Purified enzyme with an apparent molecular mass of 116 kDa forms monomers in solution as judged by native gel electrophoresis and has a pI value of 4.55, as found for most of the fungi of -glucosidases. Surprisingly, the small angle x-ray experiments reveal that AnBgl1 has a tadpole-like structure, with the N-terminal catalytic domain and C-terminal fibronectin III-like domain (FnIII) connected by the long linker peptide (approximate to 100 amino acid residues) in an extended conformation. This molecular organization resembles the one adopted by other cellulases (such as cellobiohydrolases, for example) that frequently contain a catalytic domain linked to the cellulose-binding module that mediates their binding to insoluble and polymeric cellulose. The reasons why AnBgl1, which acts on the small soluble substrates, has a tadpole molecular shape are not entirely clear. However, our enzyme pulldown assays with different polymeric substrates suggest that AnBgl1 has little or no capacity to bind to and to adsorb cellulose, xylan, and starch, but it has high affinity to lignin. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that clusters of residues located in the C-terminal FnIII domain interact strongly with lignin fragments. The simulations showed that numerous arginine residues scattered throughout the FnIII surface play an important role in the interaction with lignin by means of cation- stacking with the lignin aromatic rings. These results indicate that the C-terminal FnIII domain could be operational for immobilization of the enzyme on the cell wall and for the prevention of unproductive binding of cellulase to the biomass lignin.288463299133005Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia do BioetanolFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)FAPESP [08/56255-9, 09/54035-4, 10/16542-9]CNPq [490022/2009-0