International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Prolina livre em alecrim-pimenta sob estresse hídrico antes da colheita Free proline in Lippia sidoides Cham. under water stress before harvest

O estresse hídrico é considerado um dos fatores limitantes para o desenvolvimento das plantas, com isso, os vegetais desenvolvem mecanismos para tolerar a deficiência hídrica do solo. Entre esses mecanismos, está o acúmulo de prolina livre nos tecidos, tendo como função a regulação osmótica dos tecidos. A influência do estresse hídrico em plantas medicinais ainda é pouco estudado, principalmente em plantas nativas, como é o caso do alecrim-pimenta Lippia sidoides Cham. Assim, o trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a prolina livre e o teor de flavonoides totais na referida espécie sob condições de estresse hídrico antes da colheita. O trabalho foi realizado no Instituto de Ciências Agrárias da UFMG, Campus Montes Claros, delineamento em blocos casualizados, com 5 tratamentos e 4 repetições, sendo eles 8, 6, 4, 2 e 0 dias de supressão da irrigação antes da colheita. Os teores encontrados de prolina variaram entre 0,2489 a 3,2421 ìM.g-1 de matéria seca e de flavonoides entre 0,0139 a 0,008 g.g-1. Os resultados observados indicam que a planta diminui seu teor de flavonoides e aumenta o teor de prolina com o aumento do período de estresse.Water stress is considered a limiting factor for plant growth, thus, the plants develop mechanisms to tolerate the soil water deficit. Among these mechanisms is the accumulation of free proline in tissues, with the poke the osmotic regulation of tissues. The influence of water stress in medicinal plants is still poorly studied, mainly on native plants such as rosemary-pepper Lippia sidoides Cham. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the free proline and total flavonoid content in that species under conditions of water stress before harvest. The study was conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, UFMG, Campus Montes Claros, randomized block design with 5 treatments and 4 replicates, and they 8, 6, 4, 2 and 0 days of withholding irrigation before harvest. The content of proline ranged from 0.2489 to 3.2421 ìM.g-1 of dry matter and flavonoids from 0.0139 to 0.008 gg-1. The results indicate that the plant reduces its content of flavonoids and proline content increases with increasing stress time

Generalized model for plantation production of Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids for genotype-site-management applications

The use of process-based modelling of wood production in forest plantation has increased in recent decades amongst researchers and forest companies. Although, such models are used by several plantation researchers and managers, improved options and sensitivity to soil characteristics, genotype, and management options are desirable. A new generation of forest productivity modelling needs to extend previous capabilities and incorporate modern software engineering technologies. Our objective was to develop and evaluate an Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) Next Generation model for simulating the growth of Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids with or of E. globulus and E. urophyylla. The model simulates stem, canopy and root development, resource capture and use (light, water, N), and C and N allocation as mediated by climate, soil, genotype physiological characteristics and management. Tree dimensions (stem diameter, height, volume) are calculated as empirical functions of above-ground biomass. Datasets used for model calibration or independent evaluation were from diverse conditions in Australia (5 sites) and Brazil (13 sites), and at several of these sites there were treatments for fertilizer, irrigation or genotype. For the calibration and evaluation datasets, model performance was very good for above-ground biomass (Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency, NSE = 0.96 and 0.84 respectively). Notwithstanding this general performance, and as an example, local calibration improved performance in one of the independent test datasets, suggesting that applications of the model for specific sites or clones may benefit from parameterization to local conditions. Simulation of management for weed cover, N fertilizer and genotype are also demonstrated. As the model performed well and has high flexibility, it warrants consideration by forest plantation managers and researchers for knowledge synthesis and operational productivity predictions of Eucalyptus and other plantation genotypes

Fertilidade do solo e produtividade de milho em sistemas de adubação verde no norte de Minas Gerais

Baixas produtividades e deficiências de nitrogênio coexistem na cultura do milho, sobretudo em sistemas voltados para a agricultura de subsistência. Diante disso, com esta pesquisa buscou-se avaliar os efeitos da utilização de diferentes adubos verdes em sucessão com o milho, sob manejo de cultivo mínimo e convencional, quanto ao aporte de nutrientes ao solo, ao estado nutricional e às características produtivas do milho para a produção de espigas. O experimento foi conduzido em campo, no Norte de Minas Gerais, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas com fatores dispostos no delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. Os tratamentos principais foram: crotalária-juncea (Crotalaria juncea), feijão-de-porco (Canavalia ensiformes), nabo forrageiro (Rafhanus sativus), coquetel (crotalária, feijão-de-porco e nabo forrageiro) e plantas daninhas. As subparcelas foram constituídas pelos manejos da adubação verde, no cultivo mínimo ou convencional. Observou-se menor produtividade do milho quando da utilização do tratamento com plantas daninhas. De modo geral, foi identificado maior crescimento das plantas de milho no cultivo mínimo e maior estande no cultivo convencional, sem, contudo, efeito desses manejos na produtividade de espigas. Houve incremento nos teores superficiais de P e K no solo quando no manejo de cultivo mínimo, mas melhor balanço K/Mg nas plantas de milho no cultivo convencional