Cytotaxonomic analysis of Brazilian species of the genus Amazona (Psittacidae, Aves) and confirmation of the genus Salvatoria (Ribeiro, 1920)

The karyotypes of 12 species of Psittacidae of the genus Amazona were studied: A. aestiva, A. amazonica, A. brasiliensis, A. autumnalis, A. farinosa, A, festiva, A. kawalli, A. ochrocephala, A. pretrei, A. rhodocorytha, A. vinacea and A. xanthops. The metaphases were obtained using a short term culture of leather pulp. Eleven of the twelve analyzed species were karyotypically homogeneous, with only a few divergences in chromosomes 2 and 3. The species A. xanthops showed large karyotypic differences compared to the genus Amazona. Consequently, the genus Salvatoria (Ribeiro, Rev. Mus. Paul. 12: 1-82, 1920) was confirmed, and A. xanthops renamed Salvatoria xanthops. The study showed the chromosomic conservation of the genus Amazona and the need for further taxonomic studies of the karyotype of the Psittacidae.

Studies on the constituents of a Brazilian folk infusion. Isolation and structure elucidation of new triterpene saponins from Ilex amara leaves

The isolation of three new triterpene saponins 3beta-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha-L-2-O-acetylara-binopyranosylolean-12-en-28-oic acid 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), 3beta-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-O-arabinopyranosylurs-12-en-28-oic acid (3), and 3beta-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-O-galactopyranosylurs-12-en-28-oic acid (4) together with five known saponins and one flavonoid glycoside from the aqueous infusion of flex amara (Vellozo) Loes. leaves is reported. All structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including the concerted application of one-dimensional (H-1, TOCSY, C-13, and C-13 DEPT NMR) and two-dimensional NMR techniques (DQF-COSY, HSQC, and HMBC).

Efficacy and safety of itraconazole pulse therapy: Brazilian multicentric study on toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes

Background Itraconazole is a large spectrum triazole with known efficacy in both continuous and pulse therapy for various mycoses.Objectives Evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of itraconazole pulse therapy for onychomycosis of the toenails due to dermatophytes, in a prospective, open, non-comparative and multicentric investigation.Patients and methods the trial was completed by 72 patients of an initial total of 89. Treatment consisted of four cycles of itraconazole, 200 mg twice a day, for seven consecutive days each month. Patients were evaluated clinically, mycologically and biochemically before, during and at the end of the investigation, and were divided into two groups according to the measure of normal portion of the most affected nail (target nail), as follows: Group 1. 0-5.9 mm; and Group 2: more than 6 mm.Results Improvement was satisfactory and progressive. Results were statistically significant, when comparing the three moments of the study: pre-treatment, end of therapy (fourth month) and follow-up (ninth month) in both groups.Conclusions Itraconazole pulse therapy was efficient and safe for the treatment of onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes, although a much higher daily dosage than the known continuous administration was used. Group 1, with nails initially more extensively affected, had a more evident improvement, by the mean variation in millimeters of normal portion of the target nail. This group showed a very satisfactory response, although not reaching total cure, thus demonstrating the great importance of early treatment of this disease. A residual therapeutic effect is maintained even after suspension of the drug. Group 2 obtained better total cure rates, and four pulses were, in general, sufficient, whereas more cycles would have been beneficial for the Group 1 patients with more extensive involvement. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Recent brachiopods from the southern Brazilian shelf: Palaeontological and biogeographical implications

Until recently, the rhynchonelliform (articulated) brachiopod fauna from the Brazilian continental shelf (western South Atlantic) was represented only by the endemic species Bouchardia rosea (Mawe), reported from coastal waters of the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The present study, based on samples from coastal (<30 m), shelf, and continental slope waters (99-485 m), documents the South Atlantic brachiopod fauna and shows that this fauna is more widespread, diverse, and cosmopolitan than previously thought. Based on a total of 16,177 specimens, the following brachiopods have been identified: Bouchardia rosea (Family Bouchardiidae), Platidia anomioides (Family Platidiidae), Argyrotheca cf. cuneata (Family Megathyrididae), and Terebratulina sp. (Family Cancellothyrididae). In coastal settings, the fauna is overwhelmingly dominated by Bouchardia rosea. Rare juvenile (<2 mm) specimens of Argyrotheca cf. cuneata were also found at two shallow-water sites. In shelf settings (100-200 m), the fauna is more diverse and includes Bouchardia rosea, Terebratulina sp., Argyrotheca cf. cuneata, and Platidia anomioides. Notably, Bouchardia rosea was found in waters as deep as 485 m, extending the known bathymetric range of this genus. Also, the record of this brachiopod in waters of the state of Parana is the southernmost known occurrence of this species. The genera Platidia and Terebratulina are documented here for the first time for the western South Atlantic. The Brazilian brachiopod fauna shares similarities with those from the Atlantic and Indian shelves of southern Africa, and from the Antarctic, Caribbean and Mediterranean waters. The present-day brachiopods of the western South Atlantic are much more cosmopolitan than previously thought and their Cenozoic palaeobiogeographic history has to be reconsidered from that perspective.