Planting time for maximization of yield of vinegar plant calyx (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)

Objetivou-se avaliar a produtividade de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa L., planta medicinal, em quatro épocas de plantio em Lavras M.G. Os tratamentos foram quatro épocas de plantio (18 de outubro; 15 de novembro; 18 de dezembro de 2001 e 15 de janeiro de 2002) e realizada uma colheita quando praticamente não existiam cálices em desenvolvimento, quase no final do ciclo da planta. Foram considerados os números de cálices por planta, as fitomassas frescas e secas dos cálices e a qualidade. Concluiu-se que a época de plantio influenciou o rendimento por planta e as fitomassas frescas e secas dos cálices, diferindo entre si pelo teste de Tukey a 5%. No plantio de outubro, houve maior rendimento (2.522 kg/ha), com produção de 5,24 vezes a mais em relação ao plantio do mês de janeiro (481 kg/ha). Os plantios nos meses de novembro e dezembro tiveram produções de 1.695 e 1.093 kg.ha-1 de cálices secos, respectivamente, e em relação ao mês de janeiro, a produção foi 3,52 e 2,27 vezes a mais.Deve-se realizar a colheita assim que os cálices estiverem maduros, a fim de preservar a qualidade

Avaliação dos níveis de BAP na multiplicação in vitro do mamoeiro.

A forma de propagação do mamoeiro mais utilizado é por sementes (Drew, 1987). Sendo uma espécie de fecundação cruzada, ocorre segregação gênica nas progênies obtidas por sementes, não permitindo a manutenção do genótipo manifestado pela planta-mãe. De acordo com Rajeevan & Pandey (1986), além da heterozigose, também constituem problemas a natureza dióica e a susceptibilidade a um garnde número de doenças viróticas, que tem impostos consideráveis limitações em trabalhos de melhoramento. Com o avanço das técnicas de biotecnologia, foram estabelecidas vários protocolos para a micropropagação massal de diversas espécies de fruteiras.Edição dos Resumos do XVI Congresso Brasileiro de Floricultura e Plantas Ornamentais; III Congresso Brasileiro de Cultura de Tecidos e Plantas; I Simpósio de Plantas Ornamentais Nativas, Goiânia, set. 2007

Inhibitory Effect of Cold Atmospheric Plasma on Chronic Wound-Related Multispecies Biofilms

The presence of microbial biofilms in the wounds affects negatively the healing process and can contribute to therapeutic failures. This study aimed to establish the effective parameters of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) against wound-related multispecies and monospecies biofilms, and to evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the protocol. Monospecies and multispecies biofilms were formed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. The monospecies biofilms were grown in 96 wells plates and multispecies biofilm were formed on collagen membranes. The biofilms were exposed to helium CAP for 1, 3, 5 and 7 min. In monospecies biofilms, the inhibitory effect was detected after 1 min of exposure for E. faecalis and after 3 min for MRSA. A reduction in P. aeruginosa biofilm’s viability was detected after 7 min of exposure. For the multispecies biofilms, the reduction in the overall viability was detected after 5 min of exposure to CAP. Additionally, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were evaluated by MTT assay and static cytometry, respectively. CAP showed low cytotoxicity and no genotoxicity to mouse fibroblastic cell line (3T3). It could be concluded that He-CAP showed inhibitory effect on wound-related multispecies biofilms, with low cytotoxicity and genotoxicity to mammalian cells. These findings point out the potential application of CAP in wound care

Atributos fisiológicos de sementes de algodoeiro submetidas a estresse salino.

Considerando-se que a germinação de sementes e a emergência de plântulas são, geralmente, retardadas e reduzidas pela salinidade, realizou-se este trabalho como objetivo de avaliar o efeito do estress e salino na fase de germinação de quatro cultivares de algodão (BRSR ubi, BRS Safira, BRS 201 e CNPA 187 8H). Foram testados seis níveis de potenciais osmóticos: 0,0; -0,2; -0,4; -0,6; -0,8 e -1,0 MPa, utilizando-se, respectivamente, água destilada e soluções aquosas de NaCl. Os efeitos dos tratamentos foram avaliados por meio de testes para análise de sementes, quanto a: germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG), comprimento de parte aérea, comprimento de radícula e relação radícula/parte aérea. Para os testes de germinação e IVG, utilizaram-se 50 sementes por tratamento; para o estudo de comprimento da parte aérea, comprimento da radícula e relação radícula/parte aérea, foram utilizadas 20 sementes por tratamento. Utilizou-se, em ambos os testes, o delineamento inteiramente casualizado, no esquema fatorial 4 cultivares x 6 potenciais, com quatro repetições. As sementes de cada tratamento foram envolvidas em folhas e papel Germitest medecidas com a solução de Na Cl correspondente ao potencial. O trabalho foi realizado em germinador e a umidade mantida no ponto de saturação. As leituras das variáveis germinação e IVG foram iniciadas quatro dias após a indução do estresse salino. As avaliações foram realizadas diariamente e as sementes germinadas, retiradas e contabilizadas. Para os testes de comprimento, apenas as repetições correspondentes ao potencial 0,0MPa foram lidas, quatro dias após o inícioda indução do estresse. As leituras das repetições dos potenciais -0,2 e -0,4 e dos potenciais -0,6, -0,8 e -1,0 MPa foram realizadas, respectivamente, aos 12º e 20º dias. Para a realização das leituras deste teste, parte aérea das 20 plantas e cada repetição foi separada da radícula e ambas mensuradas. As análises estatísticas foram efetuadas, utilizando-se os procedimentos GENMOD e GLM do SAS. Para a variável germinação, ascultivares CNPA187 8H e BRS Safira destacaram-se no potencial -0,8MPa, com médiasde 89% e81%, respectivamente. Observou-se que o aumento do potencial salino reduziu a porcentagem do IVG. Para cada dia de avaliação, verificou-se que o aumento do potencial salino provoca uma redução do comprimento da parte aérea e da radícula. A radícula tende acrescer mais que a parte aérea até o potencial - 0,4 MPa

Guía de práctica clínica SENPE/SEGHNP/SEFH sobre nutrición parenteral pediátrica

Introduction: Parenteral nutrition (PN) in childhood is a treatment whose characteristics are highly variable depending on the age and pathology of the patient. Material and methods: The Standardization and Protocols Group of the Spanish Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SENPE) is an interdisciplinary group formed by members of the SENPE, the Spanish Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pediatric Nutrition (SEGHNP) and the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) that intends to update this issue. For this, a detailed review of the literature has been carried out, looking for the evidences that allow us to elaborate a Clinical Practice Guide following the criteria of the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Results: This manuscript summarizes the recommendations regarding indications, access routes, requirements, modifications in special situations, components of the mixtures, prescription and standardization, preparation, administration, monitoring, complications and home NP. The complete document is published as a monographic number. Conclusions: This guide is intended to support the prescription of pediatric PN. It provides the basis for rational decisions in the context of the existing evidence. No guidelines can take into account all of the often compelling individual clinical circumstances.Introducción: la nutrición parenteral (NP) en la infancia es un tratamiento cuyas características son muy variables en función de la edad y la patología que presente el paciente. Material y métodos: el grupo de Estandarización y Protocolos de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral (SENPE) es un grupo interdisciplinar formado por miembros de la SENPE, Sociedad Española de Gastroenterología, Hepatología y Nutrición Pediátrica (SEGHNP) y Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (SEFH) que pretende poner al día este tema. Para ello, se ha realizado una revisión pormenorizada de la literatura buscando las evidencias que nos permiten elaborar una Guía de Práctica Clínica siguiendo los criterios del Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Resultados: este manuscrito expone de forma resumida las recomendaciones en cuanto a indicaciones, vías de acceso, requerimientos, modificaciones en situaciones especiales, componentes de las mezclas, prescripción y estandarización, preparación, administración, monitorización, complicaciones y NP domiciliaria. El documento completo se publica como número monográfico. Conclusiones: esta guía pretende servir de apoyo para la prescripción de la NP pediátrica. Constituye la base para tomar decisiones en el contexto de la evidencia existente. Ninguna guía puede tener en cuenta todas las circunstancias clínicas individuale

Measuring Adherence to Inhaled Control Medication in Patients with Asthma: Comparison Among an Asthma App, Patient Self‐Report and Physician Assessment

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0-100). Results: A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25-P75] age 28 [19-41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0-71]%; 1 month: 18 [0-48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60-95]) and physician assessment (82 [51-94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of Medaka sox9 Orthologue Reveals a Conserved Role in Germ Cell Maintenance

The sex determining gene is divergent among different animal species. However, sox9 is up-regulated in the male gonads in a number of species in which it is the essential regulator of testis determination. It is therefore often discussed that the sex determining gene-sox9 axis functions in several vertebrates. In our current study, we show that sox9b in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) is one of the orthologues of mammalian Sox9 at syntenic and expression levels. Medaka sox9b affects the organization of extracellular matrices, which represents a conserved role of sox9, but does not directly regulate testis determination. We made this determination via gene expression and phenotype analyses of medaka with different copy numbers of sox9b. Sox9b is involved in promoting cellular associations and is indispensible for the proper proliferation and survival of germ cells in both female and male medaka gonads. Medaka mutants that lack sox9b function exhibit a seemingly paradoxical phenotype of sex reversal to male. This is explained by a reduction in the germ cell number associated with aberrant extracellular matrices. Together with its identified roles in other vertebrate gonads, a testis-determining role for Sox9 in mammals is likely to have been neofunctionalized and appended to its conserved role in germ cell maintenance

Oestrogen blocks the nuclear entry of SOX9 in the developing gonad of a marsupial mammal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hormones are critical for early gonadal development in nonmammalian vertebrates, and oestrogen is required for normal ovarian development. In contrast, mammals determine sex by the presence or absence of the <it>SRY </it>gene, and hormones are not thought to play a role in early gonadal development. Despite an XY sex-determining system in marsupial mammals, exposure to oestrogen can override <it>SRY </it>and induce ovarian development of XY gonads if administered early enough. Here we assess the effect of exogenous oestrogen on the molecular pathways of mammalian gonadal development.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined the expression of key testicular (<it>SRY</it>, <it>SOX9</it>, <it>AMH </it>and <it>FGF9</it>) and ovarian (<it>WNT4</it>, <it>RSPO1</it>, <it>FOXL2 </it>and <it>FST</it>) markers during gonadal development in the marsupial tammar wallaby (<it>Macropus eugenii</it>) and used these data to determine the effect of oestrogen exposure on gonadal fate. During normal development, we observed male specific upregulation of <it>AMH </it>and <it>SOX9 </it>as in the mouse and human testis, but this upregulation was initiated before the peak in <it>SRY </it>expression and 4 days before testicular cord formation. Similarly, key genes for ovarian development in mouse and human were also upregulated during ovarian differentiation in the tammar. In particular, there was early sexually dimorphic expression of <it>FOXL2 </it>and <it>WNT4</it>, suggesting that these genes are key regulators of ovarian development in all therian mammals. We next examined the effect of exogenous oestrogen on the development of the mammalian XY gonad. Despite the presence of <it>SRY</it>, exogenous oestrogen blocked the key male transcription factor SOX9 from entering the nuclei of male somatic cells, preventing activation of the testicular pathway and permitting upregulation of key female genes, resulting in ovarian development of the XY gonad.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have uncovered a mechanism by which oestrogen can regulate gonadal development through the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of SOX9. This may represent an underlying ancestral mechanism by which oestrogen promotes ovarian development in the gonads of nonmammalian vertebrates. Furthermore, oestrogen may retain this function in adult female mammals to maintain granulosa cell fate in the differentiated ovary by suppressing nuclear translocation of the SOX9 protein.</p> <p>See commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/110</p

Morphological and Postural changes in the foot during pregnancy and puerperium : a longitudinal study

The aim of this study is to observe the morphological and postural changes to the foot that take place during pregnancy and the puerperium. Method: In this descriptive, observational, longitudinal study, we analysed 23 pregnant women, with particular attention to morphological and postural aspects of the foot, at three time points during and after pregnancy: in weeks 9-13 of gestation, weeks 32-35 of gestation and weeks 4-6 after delivery. The parameters considered were changes in foot length, the Foot Posture Index (FPI) and the Hernández Corvo Index, which were analysed using a pedigraph and taking into account the Body Mass Index (BMI). The same procedure was conducted in each review. Results: The statistical analyses obtained for each foot did not differ significantly between the three measurement times. A pronator-type footprint was most frequently observed during the third trimester of pregnancy; it was predominantly neutral during the postpartum period. Statistically significant differences between the measurement times were obtained in the right foot for cavus vs. neutral foot type (between the first and third trimesters and also between the first trimester and the puerperium) (in both cases, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Foot length increases in the third trimester and returns to normal in the puerperium. According to FPI findings, the third trimester of pregnancy is characterised by pronation, while the posture returns to neutrality during the postpartum period. During pregnancy, the plantar arch flattens, and this persists during the puerperium. The incidence of cavus foot increases significantly in the third trimester and in the puerperium

Distribution of Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in the invaded range: a geographic approach with notes on species traits variability

Corbicula fluminea is considered one of the most important non-native invasive species (NIS) in aquatic systems mainly due to its widespread distribution and ecological and economic impacts. This species is known to negatively affect native bivalves, also with severe effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Throughout an exhaustive bibliographic survey and with the aid of Geographic Information Systems tools, this study tracks the species dispersion from its native range, including the description of important physical and environmental barriers. Additional analyses were conducted to examine possible influences of latitudinal/ temperature gradients on important traits (e.g. life span, maximum and mean body length, growth at the end of first year). Altitude and winter minimum temperature appear to be delaying the invasion worldwide, but it seems inevitable that the species will spread across the globe. Latitude and summer temperature show a relationship with growth and life span. Overall, the information gathered in this review may be relevant to forecast future distribution patterns of this NIS, and to anticipate the possible implementation of effective management measures. Moreover, it may constitute a valuabletool inthe prediction of population responses to an increasingly changing environment.This research was supported by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), through a PhD grant attributed to D. Crespo (SFRH/BD/80252/2011), a post-doc grant attributed to S. Leston (SFRH/BPD/91828/2012) and M Dolbeth (SFRH/BPD/41117/2007) and BIOCHANGED project (PTDC/MAR/111901/2009), subsidized by the European Social Fund and MCTES (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) National Funds, through the POPH (Human Potential Operational Programme), QREN (National Strategic Reference Framework) and COMPETE (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio