Seasonal chemical composition of an unexplored essential oil of Eugenia brevistyla

This study describes the qualitative and quantitative seasonal analysis of the essential oils from an unexplored plant Eugenia brevistyla, native from Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest and Semidecidual Forest. Analysis by GC-FID and GC-MS allowed the identification of 28 compounds. The largest fraction corresponds to oxygenated sesquiterpenes in all seasons. The major compound was E-nerolidol in all seasons, being higher in winter (83.14%) and lower in spring (69.6%). The second major compound was byciclogermacrene in the spring and in the summer essential oils. Alloaromadendrene and spathulenol were the second major compounds in autumn and winter, respectively. Sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons showed higher variation along the year (58%) than oxygenated sesquiterpenes (2%). No monoterpenes were found in the analyzed essential oils

A influência da regulação do acesso aos serviços de saúde e da incorporação tecnológica no perfil de mortalidade da pancreatite aguda biliar

PURPOSE: The influence of treatment access regulation and technological resources on the mortality profile of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) was evaluated. METHODS: The cases seen in a tertiary hospital were studied during two periods of time: 1995-1999 and 2000-2004, i.e., before and after the implementation of medical regulation. RESULTS: Among the 727 patients with acute pancreatitis, 267 had ABP and were classified according to APACHE II scores. The cases being referred to the tertiary hospital decreased from 441 to 286 (p < 0.001). The patients' profile regarding age, gender, severity, cholestasis incidence and mortality were similar during the first and second periods of study (n = 154 and n = 113, respectively). The number of patients with hematocrit > 44% was smaller during the second study period (p<0.002). The use of magnetic resonance cholangiography, videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy, and access to the ICU were found to be more frequent during the second study period. Regarding the deaths occurring within 14 days of hospitalisation, 73.4% and 81.3% were observed during the first and second study periods, respectively. CONCLUSION: Since the improvement in clinical and technological approach was not enough to modify the mortality profile of ABP, further studies on the treatment of inflammatory responses should be carried out.OBJETIVO: Avaliou-se a influência do acesso aos recursos assistenciais e tecnológicos sobre a mortalidade na pancreatite aguda biliar (PAB). MÉTODOS: Os casos de PAB tratados num hospital universitário foram estudados em dois períodos: 1995 a 1999 e 2000 a 2004, antes e depois da implantação da Regulação Médica. RESULTADOS: Do total de 727 casos com pancreatite aguda atendidos, 267 apresentavam PAB e tiveram a gravidade avaliada pelo escore de APACHE II. Houve redução dos encaminhamentos de casos entre os períodos, de 441 para 286 (p < 0,001). O perfil dos pacientes com PAB no primeiro período (n = 154) e no segundo (n =113) foi semelhante quanto à idade, sexo, gravidade, incidência de colestase e mortalidade. A incidência de pacientes com hematócrito > 44 foi menor no segundo período (p < 0,002). O emprego de colangiografia por ressonância magnética, da colecistectomia por videolaparoscopia e do acesso à terapia intensiva foi significantemente maior no segundo período. A maioria dos óbitos ocorreu até os 14 dias de admissão, 73,4% no primeiro período e 81,3% no segundo. CONCLUSÃO:A melhora do suporte tecnológico e clínico não foi suficiente para modificar o perfil de mortalidade na PAB, o que indica a necessidade de avaliar terapêuticas para a sua resposta inflamatória.FAEP

Does stroke volume increase during an incremental exercise? A systematic review

Introduction: Cardiac output increases during incremental-load exercise to meet metabolic skeletal muscle demand. This response requires a fast adjustment in heart rate and stroke volume. The heart rate is well known to increase linearly with exercise loadhowever, data for stroke volume during incremental-load exercise are unclear. Our objectives were to (a) review studies that have investigated stroke volume on incremental load exercise and (b) summarize the findings for stroke volume, primarily at maximal-exercise load. Methods: A comprehensive review of the Cochrane Library's, Embase, Medline, SportDiscus, PubMed, and Web of Sci-ence databases was carried out for the years 1985 to the present. The search was performed between February and June 2014 to find studies evaluating changes in stroke volume during incremental-load exercise. Controlled and uncontrolled trials were evaluated for a quality score. Results: The stroke volume data in maximal-exercise load are inconsistent. There is evidence to hypothesis that stroke volume increases during maximal-exercise load, but other lines of evidence indicate that stroke volume reaches a plateau under these circumstances, or even decreases. Conclusion: The stroke volume are unclear, include contradictory evidence. Additional studies with standardized reporting for subjects (e.g., age, gender, physical fitness, and body position), exercise test protocols, and left ventricular function are required to clarify the characteristics of stroke volume during incremental maximal-exercise load.National Council for Scientific [479395/2012-8]Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Laboratório de Fisiologia e Fisiopatologia Cardíaca, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Nove de Julho, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biofotônica Aplicada a Ciências da Saúde, São Paulo, SP, BrazilLaboratorio de Fisiologia Transacional dos Programas de Pos Graduacao em Educacao Fisica e Ciências do En-velhecimento, São Paulo, SP, BrasilUniversidade Nove de Julho, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Programa de Mestrado em Educação Física, Cuiabá, MT, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Laboratório de Fisiologia e Fisiopatologia Cardíaca, São Paulo, SP, BrazilNational Council for Scientific: 479395/2012-8Web of Scienc

Supramolecular architectures in layer-by-layer films of single-walled carbon nanotubes, chitosan and cobalt (II) phthalocyanine

The building of supramolecular structures in nanostructured films has been exploited for a number of applications, with the film properties being controlled at the molecular level. In this study, we report on the layer-by-layer (LbL) films combining cobalt (II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (CoTsPc), chitosan (Chit) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in two architectures, {Chit/CoTsPc}n and {Chit-SWCNTs/CoTsPc}n (n = 1-10). The physicochemical properties of the films were evaluated and the multilayer formation was monitored with microgravimetry measurements using a quartz microbalance crystal and an electrochemical technique. According to atomic force microscopy (AFM) results, the incorporation of SWCNTs caused the films to be thicker, with a thickness ca. 3 fold that of a 2-bilayer LbL film with no SWCNTs. Cyclic voltammetry revealed a quasi-reversible, one electron process with E1/2 at -0.65 V (vs SCE) and an irreversible oxidation process at 0.80 V in a physiological medium for both systems, which can be attributed to [CoTsPc(I)]5-/[CoTsPc(II)]4- and CoTsPc(II) to CoTsPc(III), respectively. The {Chit-SWCNTs/CoTsPc}5 multilayer film exhibited an increased faradaic current, probably associated with the supramolecular charge transfer interaction between cobalt phthalocyanine and SWCNTs. The results demonstrate that an intimate contact at the supramolecular level between functional SWCNTs immobilized into biocompatible chitosan polymer and CoTsPc improves the electron flow from CoTsPc redox sites to the electrode surface.FAPEPICNPq (472369/2008-3)CAPESRede NanoBioMednBioNet Films & Sensor

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Uma capitania dos novos tempos: economia, sociedade e política na São Paulo restaurada (1765-1822)

O artigo reflete sobre a trajetória da Capitania de São Paulo, a partir de 1750, apontando sua transformação, de fronteira e "boca do sertão", para território estratégico da conquista e defesa das partes meridionais e área economicamente integrada aos circuitos mercantis atlânticos.In this article, we reflect upon the history of the Captaincy of São Paulo as from 1750, drawing attention to its transformation from frontier land and "door to the backcountry" into a territory of strategic value for the purposes of conquest and defense of the southern regions, and economically integrated into the Atlantic trade routes

Whole-genome sequencing of 1,171 elderly admixed individuals from Brazil

As whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becomes the gold standard tool for studying population genomics and medical applications, data on diverse non-European and admixed individuals are still scarce. Here, we present a high-coverage WGS dataset of 1,171 highly admixed elderly Brazilians from a census-based cohort, providing over 76 million variants, of which ~2 million are absent from large public databases. WGS enables identification of ~2,000 previously undescribed mobile element insertions without previous description, nearly 5 Mb of genomic segments absent from the human genome reference, and over 140 alleles from HLA genes absent from public resources. We reclassify and curate pathogenicity assertions for nearly four hundred variants in genes associated with dominantly-inherited Mendelian disorders and calculate the incidence for selected recessive disorders, demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the present study. Finally, we observe that whole-genome and HLA imputation could be significantly improved compared to available datasets since rare variation represents the largest proportion of input from WGS. These results demonstrate that even smaller sample sizes of underrepresented populations bring relevant data for genomic studies, especially when exploring analyses allowed only by WGS