Equilibrium moisture content and heat of desorption of garlic

Desorption isotherms for 1 mm thick garlic slices were determined by a static gravimetric method at temperatures between 5 and 45ºC, in the relative humidity range from 11 to 98%. The experimental desorption data obtained in this study was fitted to BET and GAB equations to predict the desorption behavior of garlic. It was found that the GAB model was the most satisfactory model for representation of the sorption data. The results obtained in this study, are now being used in the development of a drying unit for garlic, by a suitable technique

Contribuição para o conhecimento da flora do Estado de Alagoas

Esta contribuição é o início de uma série de estudos multidisciplinares sobre a Flora do Estado de Alagoas, questionando problemas ecológicos, taxinômicos e fito-econômicos. Sessenta e nove espécies componentes de Matas Orientais (Atlânticas), Dunas e Restingas, são aqui consideradas. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTA series of studies was undertaker in cooperation with the Department of Phytochemistry of Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Brazil). These studies deal with the flora of Estado de Alagoas an 69 species from the "matas Atlânticas" sand dunes and "restingas" are treated here. Ecological, taxonomic an phyto-economic problems are discussed

Oral N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on digital microcirculation blood flow in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) secondary to systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 42 patients with SSc received oral NAC at a dose of 600mg tid (21 patients, mean age 45.6±9.5 years) or placebo (21 patients, mean age 45.0±12.7 years) for four weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in cutaneous microcirculation blood flow before and after cold stimulation measured by laser Doppler imaging (LDI) at weeks 0 and 4. The frequency and severity of RP and the number of digital ulcers were also measured at weeks 0 and 4. The adverse events were recorded in the fourth week. Results There was no significant change in digital blood flow assessed by LDI before or after cold stimulus after four weeks of NAC or placebo. Both groups showed significant improvement in the frequency and severity of RP attacks, with no difference between the two groups. At the end of the study, the placebo group had three digital ulcers, while the NAC group showed no ulcers. NAC was well tolerated and no patient discontinued the treatment. Conclusions NAC orally at a dose of 1800mg/day showed no vasodilator effect on hands’ microcirculation after four weeks of treatment in patients with RP secondary to SSc.Objetivo Avaliar a segurança e a eficácia da N-acetilcisteína (NAC) por via oral sobre o fluxo sanguíneo da microcirculação digital em pacientes com fenômeno de Raynaud (FRy) secundário à esclerose sistêmica (ES). Métodos Este foi um estudo randomizado, duplo-cego e placebo-controlado, no qual 42 pacientes com ES receberam NAC oral na dose de 600 mg, três vezes ao dia (21 pacientes, idade média 45,6±9,5 anos) ou placebo (21 pacientes, idade média 45,0±12,7 anos) durante quatro semanas. O desfecho primário do estudo foi: melhora no fluxo sanguíneo da microcirculação cutânea antes e após estímulo frio avaliado pelo laser Doppler imaging (LDI) nas semanas 0 e 4. A frequência e a gravidade do FRy e o número de úlceras digitais também foram avaliados nas semanas 0 e 4. Os efeitos adversos foram registrados na quarta semana. Resultados Não houve mudança significativa no fluxo sanguíneo digital avaliado pelo LDI antes ou depois do estímulo frio após quatro semanas de NAC ou placebo. Ambos os grupos apresentaram melhora significativa na frequência e gravidade dos ataques de FRy, sem diferença entre os dois. O grupo placebo apresentou três úlceras digitais enquanto o grupo NAC não apresentou úlceras ao final do estudo. NAC foi bem tolerada e nenhum paciente descontinuou o tratamento. Conclusões NAC por via oral na dose de 1.800mg/dia não demonstrou efeito vasodilatador sobre a microcirculação das mãos após quatro semanas de tratamento em pacientes com FRy secundário à ES.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Fifteen years of experience from a medical school' clinical skills laboratory

Medical Education has evolved being defined as a continuum of the medical training from the pre- to the post-graduate period and through a lifetime of medical practice that is mirrored in the competencies framework that several international institutions have established. This creates a challenge to educational institutions (pre- and post-graduate) that traditionally take separate pathways.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Leituras

Memorias de Portugal: la experiência archivística portuguesa. TABULA: Acal, n.° 8, 2005. 175 p.Encoding across frontiers: Proceedings of the European Conference on Encoded Archival Description and Content (EAD and EAC), Paris, France, 7-8 October 2004, edited by Bill Stockting and Fabienne Queyroux, The Haworth Press, 2005.E-LIShttp://www.eprints.org/Acesso aberto a documentos sobre documentação e informaçã

Inorganic Hg toxicity in plants: a comparison of different genotoxic parameters

Inorganic Mercury (Hg) contamination persists an environmental problem, but its cyto- and genotoxicity in plants remains yet unquantified. To determine the extent of Hg-induced cyto- and genotoxicity, and assess most sensitive endpoints in plants, Pisum sativum L. seedlings were exposed for 14 days to different HgCl2 concentrations up to 100 μM. Shoots and roots from hydroponic exposure presented growth impairment and/or morphological disorders for doses >1 μM, being the roots more sensitive. Plant growth, ploidy changes, clastogenicity (HPCV), cell cycle dynamics (G1-S-G2), Comet-tail moment (TM), Comet-TD, Mitotic-index (MI) and cell proliferation index (CPI) were used to evaluate Hg-induced cyto/genotoxicity. Both leaf and root DNA-ploidy levels, assessed by flow cytometry (FCM), remained unaltered after exposure. Root cell cycle impairment occurred at lower doses (≥1 μM) than structural DNA damages (≥10 μM). Cytostatic effects depended on the Hg concentration, with delays during S-phase at lower doses, and arrests at G1 at higher ones. This arrest was paralleled with decreases of both mitotic index (MI) and cell proliferation index (CPI). DNA fragmentation, assessed by the Comet assay parameters of TD and TM, could be visualized for conditions ≥10 μM, while FCM-clastogenic parameter (FPCV) and micronuclei (MNC) were only altered in roots exposed to 100 μM. We demonstrate that inorganic-Hg induced cytostaticity is detectable even at 1 μM (a value found in contaminated sites), while structural DNA breaks/damage are only visualized in plants at concentrations ≥10 μM. We also demonstrate that among the different techniques tested for cyto- and genotoxicity, TD and TM Comet endpoints were more sensitive than FPCV or MNC. Regarding cytostatic effects, cell cycle analysis by FCM, including the difference in % cell cycle phases and CPI were more sensitive than MI or MNC frequency. Our data contribute to better understand Hg cyto- and genotoxicity in plants and to understand the information and sensitivity provided by each of the genotoxic techniques used.publishe

Pensando o Ensino de Literaturas de Língua Espanhola na Educação Superior

O ensino de literaturas em línguas estrangeiras é um domínio de pesquisa relativamente recente e, pode-se até mesmo dizer que se trata de uma área embrionária no Brasil. Nestas reflexões, partimos da constatação que as licenciaturas em Letras Estrangeiras não se ocupam, efetivamente, do ensino de literaturas estrangeiras, devido a uma trajetória historicista e teórica das disciplinas de literatura ofertadas na educação superior. Esses dados são constatados a partir de uma investigação realizada com estudantes de três universidades públicas do Nordeste brasileiro