Estudo de ß-glucanas extraídas dos fungos Geastrum saccatum e Polyporos dermoporus: características químicas e atividades biológicas

Fungal polysaccharides have received a great deal of attention due to itsbecause of their potential use in a wide rangegreat variety fromof industries. Some studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides extracted offrom basidiomycetes they have presented significant properties as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-tumoral properties. In spite of thisDespite these potential properties, these mushrooms have not been insufficiently investigated, and the great number of antibiotics number produced forby these organisms suggests that they canmay be a new source of bioactives composites source. In tThe present work, reports onlated the chemical composition, potential antioxidant, antiinflammatory and citotoxycity of extracted polymers extracted offrom the fruits bodies of the fungiius Geastrum saccatum and Polyporus dermoporus, native mushrooms of the Atlantic forest inof the state of the Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The Cchemical analyses had revealed ademonstrated text of total sugar rates of 65% and 49%, and proteins of 7.0% for in extracts of G. saccatum and P. dermoporus extracts, respectively. The analyses ofNMR spectroscopy of RMN had demonstrated that these extracts are composites forof a complex involving β- glucans and- proteins complex. The inhibition of the formation of superoxide radicals formation was of 88.4% in G. saccatum and 83.3% in P. dermoporus, and 75 and 100% for inhibition of hydroxyls radicals inhibition. TopicalThe topic application of extracts the 10, 30 and 50 mg/kg extract in BALBc mice with cutaneous inflammation induced byfor croton oil demonstrated to inhibitedion of ear edema of ear and cells polimorfonuclears cells atin the inflamed siteplace, being this reply more effective in lower concentrations being more effective. The evaluation of the glucans of G. saccatum and P. dermoporus glucans under induced pleurisy for carrageenan-induced pleurisya of showed the antiinflammatory action of these composites., being analyzed tThe frame number in the pleural exudates and thedosage of nitric oxide dosage was also analyzed. The cytotoxic action of these polymers was analyzed throughthrough the mitochondrial function (MTT). The incubation of the glucans with mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood demonstrated that the extracted glucans extracted fromof G. saccatum havepossess a moderate cytotoxic action. These results suggest that these mushrooms possess polymers formed byfor a complex glucana-protein complex, with antiinflammatory and antioxidant actions

Vicilinas de sementes de leguminosas selvagens:purificação, caracterização, efeito de deletério e mecanismo de ação para bruquídeos e para fungos fitopatogêncios

Globulins fractions of legume seeds of Crotalaria pallida, Erytrina veluntina and Enterolobium contortisiliquum were isolated and submitted to assays against serine, cysteine and aspartic proteinases, as also amylase present in midgut of C. maculatus and Z. subfasciatus. Hemagglutination assays indicated presence of a lectin in E. veluntina globulin fractions. This lectin had affinity to human erythrocytes type A, B and O. Vicilins were purified by chromatography on Sephacryl S-300 followed of a chromatography on Sephacryl S-200, which was calibrated using protein markers. Vicilins from C. pallida (CpV) and E. veluntina (EvV) seeds had a molecular mass of 124.6 kDa and E. contortisiliquum a molecular mass of 151kDa. Eletrophoresis in presence of SDS showed that CpV was constituted by four subunities with apparent molecular mass of 66, 63, 57 and 45 kDa, EvV with three subunities with apparent molecular mass of 45kDa and EcV four subunities, two with 37.1 kDa and two with 25.8 kDa. Non denaturantig eletrophoresis displayed single bands with high homogeneity, where CpV had lower acidic behavior. All vicilins are glycoproteins with carbohydrate contents at 1 to1.5%. Bioassays were done to detect deleterious effects of vicilins against C. maculatus and Z. subfasciatus larvae. CpV, EvV and EcV exhibited a WD50 of 0.28, 0.19 and 1.03%; LD50 0.2, 0.26, and 1.11% respectively to C. maculatus. The dose responses of CpV, EvV and EcV to Z. subfasciatus were: WD50 of 0.12, 0.14, 0.65% and LD50 of 0.09, 0.1, and 0.43% respectively. The mechanism of action of these proteins to bruchids should be based on their properties of bind to chitin present in mid gut of larvae associated with the low digestibility of vicilin. In assays against phytopatogenous fungus, only EcV was capable of inhibit F. solani growth at concentrations of 10 and 20 µg and its action mechanism should be also based in the affinity of EcV to chitin present in the fungi wall

Estudo comparativo da variação temporal da comunidade fitoplanctônica do açude Cruzeta inserido no bioma caatinga, Rio Grande do Norte

The Cruzeta impoundment, situated in the city of Cruzeta, hinterland of the state of the Rio Grande do Norte state has significant importance to the municipality as it represents the only source of supplying water to the region. It was hypothesized that the regional consequence of the global warming and the warming of surface water could substantially contribute the significant growth of the aquatic macrophytes in the years 2008-2009. The growth of these vegetation believed to be improved the degree of water transparency and as a consequence of the improved growth of phytoplankton species and chlorophyll biomass. At the same time the aquatic macrophyte could interact and compete potentially for the dissolved inorganic nutrients resources and the phytoplankton community. This study presents a comparison of years 2004-2005 when it did not have the expressive presence of the aquatic macrophyte community or restricted to the littoral region. In contrast, the years 2008-2009 showed a significant growth of the aquatic macrophyte in the Cruzeta/RN impoundments. The present study is an attempt to elucidate the significant presence of the aquatic macrophyte, Eichhornia crassipes, Ceratophyllum submersum, Nymphea sp and Pistia sp, and its interference on the ecology of phytoplankton. The samplings had been carried out from September of 2008 to April of 2009 and consistently between 10:00 h and 12:00 h with the aid of Van Dorn bottle and the plankton net of mesh size 20 Qm. The collections were made in three depths ie., surface, mid-column and bottom. The Physical-Chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen had been analyzed in situ. The samples for analysis of nutrients and chlorophyll were kept under refrigeration for posterior analysis in the laboratory. Phytoplankton samples were preserved in Lugol-iodine and kept for sedimentation for quali-quantitative analysis of phytoplankton. Enumeration of cells, colonies and filaments was done with the aid of Sedgwick-Rafter counting chamber and expressed as numbers/ml. Chlorophyll a was analyzed as a functional component of phytoplankton biomass and extracted with cold 90% acetone. The results indicate that the chlorophyll concentration varied between 5,65-8,08 Qg.L-1 for the dry period and 5,09-6,23 Qg.L-1 for the rainy period and showed considerable reduction when compared to the values to the 2004-2005 study period. The temperature was always presented higher in relation to the 2004-2005 study. Phytoplankton species showed a relative abundance of the Cyanophyceae for both the period of dry and rainy. The predominance species are filamentous Leptolymbya geophila Borzi (Planctolyngbya sp), Anabaena plankctônica Brunnthaler, Oscillatória limosa Ag. and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolosz). The concentration of the nutrients such as nitrate and orto-phosfato had always presented higher values during the rainy period and the ammoniacal nitrogen retained moderate values in the dry period and a slight increase in rainy season. The main conclusions are the reduction of the concentration of chlorophyll, diversity of phytoplankton, and the increase in temperature and transparency of the water during the period of the study

Filogenia molecular de fungos gasteroides das ordens Phallales e Geastrales (Phallomycetidae)

Gasteroids fungi are characterized by the basidiospores maturation inside the basidioma, from which spores liberation occurs in a passive manner. These fungi were once seen as a well definite class of Basidiomycota, but nowadays they are considered an artificial assemblage, because the organisms have independent evolutionary histories forming a polyphyletic group with a vast morphological variety. Despite their diversity, studies with this group in the tropics are incipient, and the phylogenetic relationships of the species from temperate climate remain unknown. Thus, this work aimed to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of gasteroids fungi from the Geastrales and Phallales orders, with the inclusion of tropical and temperate species, and with these analyses suggest a systematic position of species like Aseroë floriformis and Phallus roseus, as well as to verify if the lignicolous habit can indicate parental relationship in the Geastrum genus. For this, basidiomata were collected at Atlantic rain forest areas, during the rainy season, and the specimen identification followed specific literature for gasteroid fungi. The phylogenetic analyses were performed with Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Analysis, making use of RPB2 and 28S nuclear genes and atp6 mitochondrial gene. It could be observed on the Phallales dendogram, that Aseroë floriformis did not cluster with A. rubra, and that it has an anterior divergence from all others species of the family Clathraceae used in this analysis, assuming a basal position in the clade. Phallus roseus, which once was recognized as Itajahya, has previous divergence from the group formed by Phallus species. At the Geastrales dendogram, in the group corresponding to Geastrum genus, it could be observed that species with lignicolous habitat clustered in a clade with high support values. So, the results suggest the creation of a new genus to accommodate A. floriformis, and the revalidation of Itajahya, as well as it can be affirmed that the lignicolous habitat on the Geastrum genus in fact indicates parental relationships, and that it has arised only once at the evolutionary history of the genus

Diversidade de espécies e ecologia da comunidade de lagartos de um fragmento de Mata Atlântica no nordeste do Brasil

Neste estudo foram investigadas a diversidade, a composição, e as diferenças no uso do espaço (hábitat e microhábitat) e do alimento em uma comunidade de lagartos habitantes da serapilheira de um fragmento de Mata Atlântica, do Estado de Alagoas, Brasil. Para a observação e/ou coleta dos espécimes, foram utilizados os métodos de busca ativa e armadilhas de queda (pit-fall traps) sem cerca-guia. Para análises de diversidade e da existência de diferenças de diversidade entre os hábitats e microhábitats, utilizou-se o índice de Shannon. A largura dos nichos espacial (hábitat e microhábitat) e alimentar foi avaliada, utilizando-se o índice de diversidade de Simpson. A similaridade entre as áreas foi averiguada utilizando-se o índice de Jaccard. Para avaliar o grau de sobreposição quanto ao uso do espaço (hábitats e microhábitats) e do alimento pelas espécies, foi utilizada uma versão da equação de MarcArthur & Levis. Foram obtidas vinte e três espécies de lagartos, pertencentes a nove famílias; destas, dezenove foram obtidas no interior da mata e nove na borda. Para o interior da mata as espécies mais abundantes foram Kentropyx calcarata, Dryadosaura nordestina, Enyalius catenatus e Gymnodactylus darwinii. Na borda da mata as espécies mais abundantes foram Tropidurus hispidus, T. semitaeniatus, Ophiodes striatus e Ameiva ameiva. Quanto à utilização dos recursos, os resultados mostraram que espécies filogeneticamente próximas nem sempre utilizam de maneira semelhante os recursos disponíveis. A dieta em geral foi composta por artrópodes. Tropidurus hispidus e T. semitaeniatus se mostraram especialistas no consumo de Himenoptera (Formicidae), que estiverem presentes em 100% dos seus estômagos. Ophiodes striatus teve como principal alimento caramujos (Gastropoda) e aranhas com 60% cada; sendo Gastropoda mais abundante para esta espécie

Desenpenho funcional, carga alostática e biomarcadores do estresse em idosos residentes na comunidade

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

São públicas as contratações do estado brasileiro? - uma experiência de contratações públicas junto à comunidade Coqueiral em Aracaju/SE.

State intervention generally demands the purchase or rental of goods and services, and such acquisitions are subject to a number of indispensable legal frameworks. In the Brazilian State, Law 8.666 of 21 June 1993 and further norms regulate the necessity of a formal process, usually licitation. Given the importance of this subject to public and private spheres, one of the prerequisites of these formal contracting rules is the openness of public acts, and society s knowledge and accompaniment. The objective of this study is to investigate society s participation in public contracting, with the aim of debating theories surrounding the state/society relationship proposed by public political thought and authors in relation to legal aspects involving licitations. The principal question of this research is: despite the possibility of society s participation being predicted in the legal frameworks which orientate licitations, why is this social control not carried out? Why does it only occupy a secondary position to both individual and collective agents? In order to test some of this study s hypotheses, field research was carried out in the Coqueiral community in Aracaju, Sergipe, in relation to public acquisitions of goods and services during the period of May to September 2009. Research involved observation visits and guided interviews with the relevant community and public sector representatives. This project s hypotheses were confirmed, as this social control is not apparent, even in areas where popular participation is a strong component in asserting ones local rights, like in the Coqueiral community.

Brincadeira do reisado na comunidade Cipó, Pedro II PI: mediação cultural, tradição e modernidade

This research studies the tradition of epiphany in the community of Cipó de Baixo, which belongs to the city of Pedro II, in the state of Piauí. Readings were made seeeking to emphasize the processivity of the play that navigates between permanence and change. The study starts with a social context of the community, in dialogue with the life history of the owner of the epiphany, Raimundo Milú: strong figure who, along with his family networks, as well as networks of patronage and friendship, struggles for the resistence of the play. The description of the ceremony of Kings, with its constituent parts, punctuates the remarkable character of Cipó community epiphany. This detailed understanding of the play favors the understanding of some of the social vines that serve as the basis for the warp of this cultural practice: modernization vine, where we explore the general motivation of Cipó community epiphany transformations - modernity; family and community exchange vine, which describes the scheme that holds the permanence of the play; masculinity vine, explains the strong gender system that crosses Cipó community epiphany; reinvented tradition vine, where we locate the uniqueness of Cipó community epiphany tradition and its dialogues with modern dynamism; conflict between generation vine, depicts the differences between generations and how they contribute to the dialogue between the traditional and the new; theatrical spectacle vine, describes the play as a performative activity. Thus, we build a social scheme that analyzes the play of Kings of Cipó community as a whole, where change and continuity plan a cultural plot on their own

Identidade e participação da comunidade rural nos processos de desenvolvimento local:desafios e competências do regulado de Nhambita-Moçambique

This thesis is defined as a reflection on the mechanisms of expression and insertion of the homo situs in the participatory governance in Mozambique. For a better understanding of this social fact, it was settled a periodization which covered the decline of colonialism at the time of the independence, which was proclaimed in June 1975, the civil war that lasted over 16 years and the period of the democratic State, further established. Therefore, we sought to understand the mechanisms and failures of the participation of the homo situs in local development projects that absorbed the needs and problems of these peasants, not mobilizing the skills and social competences of these communities. It would be essential for the homo situs a genuine democratic practice involving a political culture based on the social construction of the territories of the traditional man which was characterized by being procedural and historical, finding in participation its higher base. In this context, it would be desirable that the community development in Mozambique could contemplate and respect the choices of the homo situs. For this purpose, it would be fundamental the consistency between theory and practice, which builds and rebuilds, continually the competence of the peasants, facilitating the possibility of realization of their primordial aspirations. In the research, it became apparent that there is not a continuous process of participation of the rural communities, which appear as participants, only at the time of the implementation of the activities. Therefore, even having the participation of the communities expected by the law, with predictable moments of discussion and necessary conditions for that, the State failed to establish an ongoing process of democratic dialogue with traditional populations, as well as it failed to organize, properly, accurate informational bases to help solve the problems of rural areas. These facts have led to obstacles to the process of conquest of the human and civil rights of the traditional communities

Influência das mudanças climáticas na estrutura funcional da comunidade fitoplanctônica em um reservatório da região do semiárido

The Brazilian Northeast is the most vulnerable region to climatic variability risks. For the Brazilian semi-arid is expected a reduction in the overall rates of precipitation and an increase in the number of dry days. These changes predicted by the IPCC (2007) will intensify the rainfall and droughts period that could promote the dominance of cyanobacteria, thus affecting the water quality of reservoirs, that are most used for water supply, in the semi-arid. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing temperature combined with nutrient enrichment on the functional structure of the phytoplankton community of a mesotrophic reservoir in the semi-arid, in the worst case scenario of climate change predicted by the IPCC (2007). Two experiments were performed, one in a rainy season and another in the dry season. In the water sampled, nutrients (nitrate and orthophosphate) were added in different concentrations. The microcosms were submitted to two different temperatures, five-year average of air temperature in the reservoir (control) and 4°C above the control temperature (warming). The results of this study showed that warming and nutrient enrichment benefited mainly the functional groups of cyanobacteria. During the rainy season it was verified the increasing biomass of small functional groups of unicellular and opportunists algae such as F (colonial green algae with mucilage) and X1 (nanoplanktonic algae of eutrophic lake systems). It was also observed an increasing in total biomass, in the richness and diversity of the community. In the dry season experiment there was a greater contribution in the relative biomass of filamentous algae, with a replacement of the group S1 (non-filamentous cyanobacteria with heterocytes) for H1 (filamentous cyanobacteria with heterocytes) in nutrient- enriched treatments. Moreover, there was also loss in total biomass, species richness and diversity of the community. The effects of temperature and nutrients manipulation on phytoplankton community of reservoir Ministro João Alves provoked changes in species richness, the diversity of the community and its functional composition, being the dry period which showed the highest susceptibility to the increase in the contribution of potentially toxic cyanobacteria with heterocytes

A educação escolar na comunidade negra de Sibaúma: a trajetória educacional da Escola Municipal Armando de Paiva

The black communities, nowadays known as quilombolas, have long been segregated in social and cultural distances in relation to other groups in the country. Gradually, the establishment of public policy has enabled the inclusion of these social communities in new instances, favoring the improvement of standards of learning. In order to know the route of the school in relation to its surroundings, this paper presents a reflection on the educational history of the Municipal School Padre Armando de Paiva, inserted in the context of afrodescendência (African descendants), in the community called Sibaúma, municipality of Tibau do Sul - RN, characterized as the object of this study. Methodologically, this study is limited in a descriptive research of the historical reconstruction of the school, a case considered worthy of analysis. From a reflection on the presence of African descent in Brazil and in Rio Grande do Norte, the study also presents information on education in Brazil. Finally, it presents the trajectories directed to the analysis of physical conditions, the dynamics of registration, and avoidance of repetition of its students and the qualifications of its teaching staff. Survey selected for analysis five-year academic periods, a series which began in the year nineteen eighty and ends in the year two thousand and ten

Diagnóstico sócio-produtivo-econômico da comunidade de catadores de resíduos sólidos do município de Codó-MA: um estudo de caso

The research was carried out in the urban area in Codó-MA, a small city the east part of Maranhão, which has 4,228.000 km2 (IBGE, 2000) and population of 113,768 hab. (IBGE, 2008). The city is also inside Codó-MA micro-region. The city is located in one of the lacking area in Brazil, where the Human Development Index (IDH) is approximately 0,558. It does not present an adequate model of management when talking about solid residue collecting. All of the solid residue produced and collected in the city is stored in an open area that they call lixão , which is located in a residence area in the suburbs. Because of that, a problem that involves public health and environmental areas, we understand it is necessary to investigate the way the local government treats and manages the solid residue collecting, as well as, the social, economical and productive reality of those who are directly involved in the collecting itself, its productive chain of the material, including the handling, transportation and its final destiny. It means a social, productive, economical diagnosis, that in a such way,the local society and the organs of inspection can act in a better way to control the problems that include solid urban residue and come from a bad administration. That way, this work proposes to carry out a study that has as result a diagnosis with feasible alternatives on management, taking as basis, social and economical aspects that compound this productive chain. This work can bring great contributions to a better local reality through the introduction of an integrated and supported system of management of solid residue that includes a selective collecting and the creation of a sanitary area. Taking that into consideration, we can contribute to minimize the environmental impacts in Codó Novo, caused by the garbage

Produção de enzimas por fungos em fermentação semi-sólida utilizando bagaço de coco e pedúnculo de caju como substratos

The production of enzymes by microorganisms using organic residues is important and it can be associated with several applications such as food and chemical industries and so on. The objective of this work is the production of CMCase, Xylanase, Avicelase and FPase enzymes by solid state fermentation (SSF) using as substrates: bagasse of coconut and dried cashew stem. The microorganisms employed are Penicillium chrysogenum and an isolated fungus from the coconut bark (Aspergillus fumigatus). Through the factorial design methodology and response surface analysis it was possible to study the influence of the humidity and pH. For Penicillium chrysogenum and the isolated fungus, the coconut bagasse was used as culture medium. In another fermentation, it was used the mixture of coconut bagasse and cashew stem. Fermentations were conducted using only the coconut bagasse as substrate in cultures with Penicillium chrysogenum fungus and the isolated one. A mixture with 50% of coconut and 50% of cashew stem was employed only for Penicillium chrysogenum fungus, the cultivation conditions were: 120 hours at 30 °C in BOD, changing humidity and pH values. In order to check the influence of the variables: humidity and pH, a 2 2 factorial experimental design was developed, and then two factors with two levels for each factor and three repetitions at the central point. The levels of the independent variables used in ascending order (-1, 0, +1), to humidity, 66%, 70.5% and 75% and pH 3, 5 and 7, respectively. The software STATISTICA TM (version 7.0, StatSoft, Inc.) was used to calculate the main effects of the variables and their interactions. The response surface methodology was used to optimize the conditions of the SSF. A chemical and a physic-chemical characterization of the coconut bagasse have determined the composition of cellulose (%) = 39.09; Hemicellulose (%) = 23.80, Total Lignin (%) = 36.22 and Pectin (%) = 1.64. To the characterization of cashew stem, the values were cellulose (g) = 15.91 Hemicellulose (%) = 16.77, Total Lignin (%) = 30.04 and Pectin (%) = 15.24. The results indicate the potential of the materials as substrate for semisolid fermentation enzyme production. The two microorganisms used are presented as good producers of cellulases. The results showed the potential of the fungus in the production of CMCase enzyme, with a maximum of 0.282 UI/mL and the Avicelase enzyme the maximum value ranged from 0.018 to 0.020 UI/ mL, using only coconut bagasse as substrate. The Penicillium chrysogenum fungus has showed the best results for CMCase = 0.294 UI/mL, FPase = 0.058 UI/mL, Avicelase = 0.010 UI/mL and Xylanase = 0.644 UI/ mL enzyme, using coconut bagasse and cashew stem as substrates. The Penicllium chrysogenum fungus showed enzymatic activities using only the coconut as substrate for CMCase = 0.233 UI/mL, FPase = 0.031 to 0.032 UI/ mL, Avicelase = 0.018 to 0.020 UI/mL and Xylanase = 0.735 UI/ mL. Thus, it can be concluded that the used organisms and substrates have offered potential for enzyme production processes in a semi-solid cultivation

Estratégias midiáticas na aprendizagem do tema DST/AIDS: ações em rede para reduzir vulnerabilidades de adolescentes e jovens da comunidade de Mãe Luiza, Natal-RN

Youngsters and teenagers are still a very vulnerable group of DST/AIDS. In order to combat this vulnerability the community intervention project being developed in Mãe Luiza neighborhood in the city of Natal-RN, entitled Strengthening Community Action Network for Prevention in HIV/AIDS: knowledge and Intervene emerged, popularly known as Project Viva Mãe Luiza. The project develops workshops of educomunication whose approach involves the DST/AIDS subject with the following media: video, photography, and theater playbook. This research integrates the activities of the project and has as main objective to investigate how strategies and practices of media communication developed in Project Viva Mãe Luiza through workshops of educomunication, assisted learning for the prevention of DST/AIDS and contributed to the reduction of vulnerability to DST/AIDS among adolescents and young participants of the project residents of Mãe Luiza community. The methodological basis was based on intervention research, with the technique of gathering daily field data, literature and documentary, in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation. The qualitative analysis was based on the monitoring of video workshops, photography, theater and primer, respectively, crossed by transverse to the prevention of DST/AIDS, conducted between June 2012 and December 2013 issues. Interviews with eight multipliers, aiming to understand their perceptions of vulnerability, prevention, multiplication and use of media that were part of the project were conducted. The analyzes show that learning workshops educomunication community health repercussions both in the development of individual skills in communication as changing perceptions about the vulnerabilities to which they are exposed, the awareness about prevention at the individual and differentiated actions multiplication in the community

Desempenho muscular e equilíbriu postural em idosas frágeis residentes na comunidade

Human aging is physiological process causes alterations in several systems of the organism. In the musculoskeletal system, a main change is the decreased muscle strength, that in the lower extremity, compromises the ability to respond quickly with enough strength to prevent falls, causing alterations in postural balance. Currently, many researchers have study the human frailty, defined as a multifactorial syndrome, with excess of vulnerability to stressors, reducing ability in maintaining or regulating homeostasis. Its characteristics are directly related to physical function. Aim: To analyze muscle performance and postural balance in frail and pre-frail elderly women, and to compare them according with the frailty phenotypes criteria proposed by Fried 2001. Method: 39 frail elderly women living in the community, aged 65 years and older, were assessed muscle performance of lower extremity using isokinetic dynamometer and postural balance using Berg s balance scale and computerized baropodometry. Results: There was significant difference in plantar flexor, knee flexor and knee extensor strength, in anteroposterior (AP) oscillation with eyes open and on Berg s scores between groups. A weak correlation was observed between strength and balance. Conclusion: The results suggest that the frail elderly present worse muscle performance in lower extremity and worse postural balance compared to the pre-frail elderly. There were correlations between muscle performance and balance impairments in these elderly, but several variables are also involved in maintaining postural balance