Effect of harvest temerature on the shelf-life of eggplant fruit

Foi estudado o efeito da temperatura no momento da colheita de frutos de berinjela (Solanum melongena L.) cv. Ciça sobre a conservação pós-colheita em câmaras mantidas a 12, 18 e 24±2ºC. As colheitas foram realizadas às 5 h (21ºC e 94% UR), às 8 h (27ºC e 72% UR) e às 11 h (32ºC e 55% UR). Cada tratamento teve quatro repetições, com dez frutos cada, em um delineamento completamente casualizado. O tempo de meio-resfriamento de berinjelas colhidas às 11 h e mantidas a 12°C foi de 46 minutos. A temperatura de armazenamento a 12°C conservou os frutos por um período maior, e os frutos colhidos às 5 h apresentaram menor deterioração, mesmo quando armazenados em temperaturas mais elevadas, como 18 e 24°C. Os frutos colhidos às 5 h da manhã e armazenados a 12±2°C tiveram vida útil de dez dias, com 12,05% de perda de matéria fresca.Fruits of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cv. Ciça were harvested at 5:00 a.m. (2l°C, 94% RH), 8:00 a.m. (27°C, 72% RH) and 11:00 a.m. (32°C, 55% RH), and stored at 12°C, 18°C and 24±2°C. Each treatment had four replications, with ten fruits, in a completely randomized block design. The half-cooling time was 46 minutes for the eggplant fruits harvested at 11:00 a.m. and kept at 12°C. All fruits harvested at 5:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and kept at 12°C maintained their quality until ten days, without deterioration. The fruits harvested at 5:00 a.m. showed less deterioration, even when stored at higher temperatures, as 18 and 24°C. Fruits harvested at 5:00 a.m. and kept at 12±2°C had 12,05% of fresh weight loss

NeuroToxicology

texto completo: acesso restrito. p. 776–784Studies have shown cases of poisoning with plants from the genus Crotalaria (Leguminosae) mainly in animals. They induce damages in the central nervous system (CNS), which has been attributed to toxic effects of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) monocrotaline (MCT). Previously we demonstrated that both MCT and dehydromonocrotaline (DHMC), its main active metabolite, induce changes in the levels and patterns of expression of the main protein from astrocyte cytoskeleton, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In this study we investigated the effect of MCT on rat cortical astrocyte/neuron primary co- cultures. Primary cultures were exposed to 10 or 100 mM MCT. The MTT test and the measurement of LDH activity on the culture medium revealed that after 24 h exposure MCT was not cytotoxic to neuron/astrocyte cells. However, the cell viability after 72 h treatment decreased in 10–20%, and the LDH levels in the culture medium increased at a rate of 12% and 23%, in cultures exposed to 10 or 100 mM MCT. Rosenfeld staining showed vacuolization and increase in cell body in astrocytes after MCT exposure. Immunocytochemistry and Western blot analyses revealed changes on pattern of GFAP and bIII-tubulin expression and steady state levels after MCT treatment, with a dose and time dependent intense down regulation and depolarization of neuronal bIII-tubulin. Moreover, treatment with 100 mM MCT for 12 h induced GSH depletion, which was not seen when cytochrome P450 enzyme system was inhibited indicating that it is involved in MCT induced cytotoxicity in CNS cells

Genomic epidemiology reveals how restriction measures shaped the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Brazil

Abstract Brazil has experienced some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths globally and made Latin America a pandemic epicenter from May 2021. Although SARS-CoV-2 established sustained transmission in Brazil early in the pandemic, important gaps remain in our understanding of local virus transmission dynamics. Here, we describe the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 using near-full genomes sampled from 27 Brazilian states and an adjacent country - Paraguay. We show that the early stage of the pandemic in Brazil was characterised by the co-circulation of multiple viral lineages, linked to multiple importations predominantly from Europe, and subsequently characterized by large local transmission clusters. As the epidemic progressed, the absence of effective restriction measures led to the local emergence and international spread of Variants of Concern (VOC) and under monitoring (VUM), including the Gamma (P.1) and Zeta (P.2) variants. In addition, we provide a preliminary genomic overview of the epidemic in Paraguay, showing evidence of importation from Brazil. These data reinforce the need for the implementation of widespread genomic surveillance in South America as a toolkit for pandemic monitoring and providing a means to follow the real-time spread of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with possible implications for public health and immunization strategies