Antimicrobial activity of Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum (Piperaceae) against opportunistic yeasts

In the scope of our ongoing research on bioactive agents from natural sources, 24 extracts and fractions obtained from Piper arboreum Aub. and Piper tuberculatum Jacq. ( Piperaceae) were screened for antifungal activity by using broth microdilution method. The current investigation reveals that P. arboreum extracts and fractions were more effective against Candida krusei and Candida parapsilosis than Cryptococcus neoformans. The growth of Candida albicans was weakly affected by all the tested extracts and fractions. The strongest effects were observed for hexane and ethyl acetate fractions from leaves of P. arboreum, with MIC values ( in mu g/ml) of 15.6 and 31.2 mu g/ml against C. krusei, respectively. Additionally, phytochemical investigation of the hexane fraction of P. arboreum leaves furnished 3 pyrrolidine amides; piperyline, 4,5-dihydropiperyline and tetrahydropiperyline, which could be responsible, at least in part for the observed antifungal activity. The most active compound, tetrahydropiperyline, displayed MIC values of 15.6 mu g/ml against C. krusei, C. parapsilosis and C. neoformans.

Intraspecific variability of dihydrochalcone, chromenes and benzoic acid derivatives in leaves of Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae)

Chemical analysis carried out in leaves of 18 specimens of Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) occurring at Ripasa Reserve, Araraquara, SP, Brazil indicated two distinct populations when investigated over a period of 14 months (January 2000 to February 2001) and then submitted to cluster analysis. The two groups were characterized by accumulation of prenylated benzoic acids, chromenes and dihydrochalcone, respectively. A total of seven compounds were identified by HPLC analysis and compared with standards including two prenylated benzoic acid [aduncumene (1) and 3-(3'-7'-dimethyl-2'-6'-octadienyl)-4-methoxy-benzoic acid (5)], four chromenes [methyl 2,2-dimethyl-8-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate (4), methyl 2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate (2b), methyl 8-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylate (3) and 2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-chromene-6-carboxylic acid (2a)] and one dihydrochalcone [2',6'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-dihydrochalcone (6)].

Chemical analyses confirm a rare case of seed dispersal by bees

It has been suggested that dispersal of seeds of Coussapoa asperifolia magnifolia could have endozoochoric dispersal by frugivorous birds and monkeys because the fruits are red when ripe, or exozoochoric dispersal, because the exocarp is mucilaginous and sticky. However, our field observations showed only stingless bees collecting the exocarp with seeds of C. asperifolia magnifolia, which are used for building and repairing their nests, from which the plants sprout. This paper aimed to determine the fruit chemical composition, since we postulated that C. asperifolia magnifolia is neither consumed by birds nor monkeys due to being very sticky and apparently resinous. Apolar extract analyses revealed the fruits are not resinous but extremely rich in waxes ( mainly esterified triglycerides), and polar extract analyses revealed the sugar content to be close to the sensorial minimum level. This probably accounts for why only stingless bees are seen visiting fruits and dispersing seeds.

A Complete Skull of an Early Cretaceous Sauropod and the Evolution of Advanced Titanosaurians

Advanced titanosaurian sauropods, such as nemegtosaurids and saltasaurids, were diverse and one of the most important groups of herbivores in the terrestrial biotas of the Late Cretaceous. However, little is known about their rise and diversification prior to the Late Cretaceous. Furthermore, the evolution of their highly-modified skull anatomy has been largely hindered by the scarcity of well-preserved cranial remains. A new sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil represents the earliest advanced titanosaurian known to date, demonstrating that the initial diversification of advanced titanosaurians was well under way at least 30 million years before their known radiation in the latest Cretaceous. The new taxon also preserves the most complete skull among titanosaurians, further revealing that their low and elongated diplodocid-like skull morphology appeared much earlier than previously thought.

Política externa chilena e espectro ideológico político-partidário: um estudo sobre a Câmara dos Deputados (2002-2006)

The influence of political parties on decisions made by members of Congress is a hotly debated issue in political science. In foreign policy, which is usually considered nonpartisan, the matter is even more inconclusive. The current study analyzes all the roll-call votes taken on foreign policy issues in the 2002-2006 legislature of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies. After tracing a spatial map of foreign policy preferences among Chilean Deputies using the Nominate statistical package, we concluded that the ideology of the legislator's political party is a predictive factor for his or her foreign policy behavior. Our findings indicate that the way Chilean legislators structure their preferences on foreign policy issues does not differ significantly from the way they shape their domestic policy preferences.

Sequential Injection Analysis (SIA) for Arsenic Speciation by Capillary Electrophoresis Hyphenated to Inductively Coupled Plasma Sector Field Mass Spectrometry (CE-ICP-SFMS)

Sequential injection analysis (SIA) is proposed for managing microvolumes of sample and arsenic species solutions for speciation analysis by capillary electrophoresis focusing on the reduction of hazardous waste residues. An electronically controlled hydrodynamic injector was projected to introduce microvolumes of solutions prepared by SIA into the CE capillary with precision better than 2%. The determination of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine was performed from 50 mu L volumes of lyophilized urine and extract of shrimp with the system hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-SFMS).

Enrollment in Physical Education Is Associated With Health-Related Behavior Among High School Students

METHODS: A total of 4210 students attending public high schools in Pernambuco (northeast of Brazil) were selected using random 2-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected by using the Global School-based Student Health Survey. The independent variable was the frequency of participation in PE classes, whereas physical activity, television viewing, smoking, and alcohol, fruit, vegetables and soda consumption were dependent variables. Logistic regressions were carried out to perform crude and adjusted analysis of the association between enrollment in PE classes and health-related behaviors. RESULTS: Sixty-five percent of students do not take part in PE classes, with a significantly higher proportion among females (67.8%). It was observed that enrollment in PE classes was positively associated with physical activity, TV viewing, and fruit consumption, but was negatively associated with soda drinking. The likelihood of reporting being active and eating fruit on a daily basis was 27% and 45% higher, respectively, among those who participate in at least 2 classes per week in comparison with those who do not. Students who participate in PE classes had 28-30% higher likelihood of reporting lower TV viewing during week days. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that higher levels of enrollment in PE classes could play a role in the promotion of health-related behaviors among high school students.

Exercise prevents the effects of experimental arthritis on the metabolism and function of immune cells

Active lymphocytes (LY) and macrophages (M Phi) are involved in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Due to its anti-inflammatory effect. physical exercise may be beneficial in RA by acting on the immune system (IS) Thus, female Wistar rats with type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were submitted to swimming training (6 weeks. 5 days/week. 60 min/day) and some biochemical and immune parameters, such as the metabolism of glucose and glutamine and function of LY and M. were evaluated In addition, plasma levels of some hormones and of interleukin-2 (IL-2) were also determined Results demonstrate that CIA increased lymphocyte proliferation (1.9- and 1 7-fold, respectively, in response to concanavalin A (ConA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)), as well as macrophage H(2)O(2) production (1 6-fold), in comparison to control Exercise training prevented the activation of immune cells, induced by CIA. and established a pattern of substrate utilization similar to that described as normal for these cells. Exercise also promoted an elevation of plasma levels of corticosterone (22 2%), progesterone (1 7-fold) and IL-2 (2 6-fold) Our data suggest that chronic exercise is able to counterbalance the effects of CIA on cells of the IS. reinforcing the proposal that the benefits of exercise may not be restricted to aerobic capacity and/or strength improvement Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Cardiac and peripheral adjustments induced by early exercise training intervention were associated with autonomic improvement in infarcted rats: role in functional capacity and mortality

Aims To test the effects of early exercise training (ET) on left ventricular (LV) and autonomic functions, haemodynamics, tissues blood flows (BFs), maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2) max), and mortality after myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. Methods and results Male Wistar rats were divided into: control (C), sedentary-infarcted (SI), and trained-infarcted (TI). One week after MI, TI group underwent an ET protocol (90 days, 50-70% VO2 max). Left ventricular function was evaluated noninvasively and invasively. Baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate variability, and pulse interval were measured. Cardiac output (CO) and regional BFs were determined using coloured microspheres. Infarcted area was reduced in TI (19 +/- 6%) compared with SI (34 +/- 5%) after ET. Exercise training improved the LV and autonomic functions, the CO and regional BF changes induced by MI, as well as increased SERCA2 expression and mRNA vascular endothelial growth factor levels. These changes brought about by ET resulted in mortality rate reduction in the TI (13%) group compared with the SI (54%) group. Conclusion Early aerobic ET reduced cardiac and peripheral dysfunctions and preserved cardiovascular autonomic control after MI in trained rats. Consequently, these ET-induced changes resulted in improved functional capacity and survival after MI.

Constant-random practice and the adaptive process in motor learning with varying amounts of constant practice

The adaptive process in motor learning was examined in terms of effects of varying amounts of constant practice performed before random practice. Participants pressed five response keys sequentially, the last one coincident with the lighting of a final visual stimulus provided by a complex coincident timing apparatus. Different visual stimulus speeds were used during the random practice. 33 children (M age=11.6 yr.) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: constant-random, constant-random 33%, and constant-random 66%. The constant-random group practiced constantly until they reached a criterion of performance stabilization three consecutive trials within 50 msec. of error. The other two groups had additional constant practice of 33 and 66%, respectively, of the number of trials needed to achieve the stabilization criterion. All three groups performed 36 trials under random practice; in the adaptation phase, they practiced at a different visual stimulus speed adopted in the stabilization phase. Global performance measures were absolute, constant, and variable errors, and movement pattern was analyzed by relative timing and overall movement time. There was no group difference in relation to global performance measures and overall movement time. However, differences between the groups were observed on movement pattern, since constant-random 66% group changed its relative timing performance in the adaptation phase.

Electrodeposition and characterization of Cu-Nb composite coatings

Copper coatings containing well-distributed Nb particles were obtained by co-electrodeposition in an acidic sulfate bath. Nb particle concentration in the bath was the most significant factor for the incorporation of Nb particles in copper, followed by stirring rate, whereas current density presented low significance. High Nb particle concentration and low stirring rate led to a higher incorporated Nb particle content. The microhardness of the composite layers was higher than that of pure copper deposits obtained under the same conditions due to copper matrix grain refinement and increased with the increase of both current density and incorporated Nb particle volume fraction. The corrosion resistance of Cu-Nb composites in 0.5 wt.% H(2)SO(4) solution at room temperature was higher than that of pure copper and increased with the increase of the Nb content. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The cultural adaptation and validation of the ""Burn Specific Health Scale-Revised"" (BSHS-R): Version for Brazilian burn victims

Background: The Burns Specific Health Scale-Revised (BSHS-R) is of easy application, can be self-administered, and it is considered a good scale to evaluate various important life aspects of burn victims. Objectives: To translate and culturally adapt the BSHS-R into the Brazilian-Portuguese language and to evaluate the internal consistency and convergent validity of the translated BSHS-R. Methods: The cultural adaptation of the BSHS-R included translation and back-translation, discussions with professionals and patients to ensure conceptual equivalence, semantic evaluation, and pre-test of the instrument. The Final Brazilian-Portuguese Version (FBPV) of the BSHS-R was tested on a group of 115 burn patients for internal consistency and validity of construct (using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)). Results: All values of Cronbach`s alpha were greater than. 8, demonstrating that the internal consistency of the FBPV was very high. Self-esteem was highly correlated with affect and body image (r = .59, p < .001), and with interpersonal relationships (T = .51, p < .001). Correlations between the domains of the FBPV and the BDI were all negative but larger in magnitude than the correlations with RSES. Depression was highly correlated with affect and body image (r = -77, p < .001), and with interpersonal relationships (r = -67, p < .001). Conclusions: The results showed that the adapted version of the BSHS-R into Brazilian-Portuguese fulfills the validity and reliability criteria required from an instrument of health status assessment for burn patients. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of the Impact of Event Scale (IES): version for Brazilian burn victims

Aims. The aims of this study were to assess the internal reliability (internal consistency), construct validity, sensitivity and ceiling and floor effects of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Design. Methodological research design. Method. The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the IES was applied to a group of 91 burned patients at three times: the first week after the burn injury (time one), between the fourth and the sixth months (time two) and between the ninth and the 12th months (time three). The internal consistency, construct validity (convergent and dimensionality), sensitivity and ceiling and floor effects were tested. Results. Cronbach`s alpha coefficients showed high internal consistency for the total scale (0 center dot 87) and for the domains intrusive thoughts (0 center dot 87) and avoidance responses (0 center dot 76). During the hospitalisation (time one), the scale showed low and positive correlations with pain measures immediately before (r = 0 center dot 22; p < 0 center dot 05) and immediately after baths and dressings (r = 0 center dot 21; p < 0 center dot 05). After the discharge, we found strong and negative correlations with self-esteem (r = -0 center dot 52; p < 0 center dot 01), strong and positive with depression (r = 0 center dot 63; p < 0 center dot 01) and low and negative with the Bodily pain (r = -0 center dot 24; p < 0 center dot 05), Social functioning (r = -0 center dot 34; p < 0 center dot 01) and Mental health (r = -0 center dot 27; p < 0 center dot 05) domains of the SF-36 at time two. Regarding the sensitivity, no statistically significant differences were observed between mean scale scores according to burned body surface (p = 0 center dot 21). The floor effect was observed in most of the IES items. Conclusion. The adapted version of the scale showed to be reliable and valid to assess postburn reactions on the impact of the event in the group of patients under analysis. Relevance to clinical practice. The Impact of Event Scale can be used in research and clinical practice to assess nursing interventions aimed at decreasing stress during rehabilitation.

Cultural meaning of quality of life: perspectives of Brazilian burn patients

Purpose. This study was designed to explore the cultural meaning and dimensions of quality of life from the perspective of Brazilian burn patients. Method. A qualitative research approach was used. Nineteen burn patients and their close relatives participated in this ethnographic study. Data were collected by means of direct observation and semi-structured interviews, conducted in a hospital outpatient clinic and during visits to patients` homes. The following inter-related phases guided the analysis process: reading of the material and data reduction, data display, conclusion outlining and verification. Results. Participants reported that the quality of life is related to autonomy and the ability to work. The dimensions of quality of life included: resuming work and functional ability, body image, having leisure and interpersonal relationships. Their descriptions revealed their feelings and attitudes about resuming their previous activities and social lives, particularly concerning the work. Conclusion. For burn patients, quality of life is associated with the concept of normality, the satisfactory performance of social roles in the context of family life and the social world. The results showed the importance of the sociocultural dimension in the concept of quality of life for persons undergoing burn rehabilitation.

Thermal diffusivity of polymers by modified angstrom method

The nature of the molecular structure of plastics makes the properties of such materials markedly temperature dependent. In addition, the continuous increase in the utilization of polymeric materials in many specific applications has demanded knowledge of their physical properties, both during their processing as raw material, as well as over the working temperature range of the final polymer product. Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat, namely the thermal properties, are the three most important physical properties of a material that are needed for heat transfer calculations. Recently, among several different methods for the determination of the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, transient techniques have become the preferable way for measuring thermal properties of materials. In this work, a very simple and low cost variation of the well known Angstrom method is employed in the experimental determination of the thermal diffusivity of some selected polymers. Cylindrical shaped samples 3 cm diameter and 7 cm high were prepared by cutting from long cylindrical commercial bars. The reproducibility is very good, and the results obtained were checked against results obtained by the hot wire technique, laser flash technique, and when possible, they were also compared with data found in the literature. Thermal conductivity may be then derived from the thermal diffusivity with the knowledge of the bulk density and the specific heat, easily obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.