Growth and physiological responses of sunflower plants exposed to ultraviolet-B radiation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The venomous toadfish Thalassophryne nattereri (niquim or miquim): report of 43 injuries provoked in fishermen of Salinópolis (Pará State) and Aracaju (Sergipe State), Brazil

Os peixes da família Batrachoididae causam um grande número de acidentes em pescadores das regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil. O gênero Thalassophryne apresenta várias espécies no Brasil e a espécie Thalassophryne nattereri é a mais comum, todas apresentando veneno. O veneno é inoculado por duas espículas ocas na nadadeira dorsal e duas nas regiões pré-operculares, ligadas a uma glândula de veneno na base. Os envenenamentos causaram dor intensa, edema e eritema iniciais em 43 pescadores observados em Salinópolis (Pará) e Aracaju (Sergipe). em todos os casos, não ocorreram fenômenos sistêmicos dignos de nota, mas ocorreu necrose local em oito pacientes e infecção bacteriana em dez. As circunstâncias dos acidentes são comentadas, assim como aspectos terapêuticos. Nossa conclusão foi que o envenenamento por Thalassophryne é importante e freqüente e deve ser considerado de média gravidade, em função de não haverem fenômenos sistêmicos, como observado nos acidentes por peixes-escorpião (Scorpaena) ou arraias marinhas e fluviais.

Observation of initial clinical manifestations and repercussions from the treatment of 314 human injuries caused by black sea urchins (Echinometra lucunter) on the southeastern Brazilian coast

INTRODUÇÃO: Os acidentes causados por ouriços-do-mar são as ocorrências por animais marinhos mais comuns no país. O ouriço-do-mar preto (Echinometra lucunter) é a espécie que mais causa ferimentos em banhistas. MÉTODOS: Este trabalho registrou e estudou 314 agravos com ênfase nas manifestações clínicas iniciais observadas e suas implicações na terapêutica recomendada. RESULTADOS: Todos os acidentes foram causados pelo ouriço-do-mar preto e aconteceram em banhistas. As lesões e a dor foram associadas ao trauma causado pela penetração das espículas (não ocorreu inflamação ou dor imediata sem pressão sobre os pontos comprometidos). As complicações deste tipo de acidente, incluindo infecções e granulomas de corpo estranho, estão associadas com a permanência das espículas nos ferimentos. CONCLUSÕES: Foi confirmado o fato do acidente causado por esta espécie ser o mais comum no Brasil e apresentar caráter traumático, sendo a principal recomendação a retirada precoce dos espinhos para prevenção de complicações tardias como as infecções e formação de granulomas de corpo estranho.

EFFECT OF APIS-MELLIFERA BEE VENOM AND GAMMA-RADIATION ON BONE-MARROW CELLS OF WISTAR RATS TREATED INVIVO

To determine whether the venom of Apis mellifera can exert a radioprotective effect, by reducing the frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by radiation, five different experiments were performed on bone marrow cells of Wistar rats.Animals weighing about 100 g were injected intraperitoneally with different venom concentrations (1.0 or 0.5 mul) 1 or 24 h before, or 30 min after being submitted to 3 or 4 Gy of gamma radiation, and sacrificed 24 h after the last treatment. For each experiment in addition to the group of animals submitted to combined treatment (venom + radiation) and to their control, there was also one group treated with radiation only and another treated with venom only. A decrease in the frequency of chromosome aberrations, and fragments in particular, as well as in the number of cells with aberrations was observed in the experiments in which venom was administered 24 h before irradiation, and the effect was more marked at the higher venom concentration (1 mul/100 g weight).

A software to process daily solar radiation data

This work presents one software developed to process solar radiation data. This software can be used in meteorological and climatic stations, and also as a support for solar radiation measurements in researches of solar energy availability allowing data quality control, statistical calculations and validation of models, as well as ease interchanging of data. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Debris perturbed by radiation pressure: relative velocities across circular orbits

In the present work we consider a dynamical system of mum size particles around the Earth subject to the effects of radiation pressure. Our main goal is to study the evolution of its relative velocity with respect to the co-planar circular orbits that it crosses. The particles were initially in a circular geostationary orbit, and the particles size were in the range between 1 and 100 mum. The radiation pressure produces variations in its eccentricity, resulting in a change in its orbital velocity. The results indicated the maximum linear momentum and kinetic energy increases as the particle size increases. For a particle of 1 mum the kinetic energy is approximately 1.56 x 10(-7) J and the momentum is 6.27 x 10(-11) kg m/s and for 100 mum the energy is approximately 1.82 x 10(-4) J and the momentum is 2.14 x 10(-6) kg m/s. (C) 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low power laser radiation at 685 nm stimulates stem-cell proliferation rate in Dugesia tigrina during regeneration

Today's scientific interest in tissue engineering for organ transplantations and regeneration from stem cells, allied with recent observations on biostimulation of tissues and cells by laser radiation, stands as a strong motivation for the present work, in which we examine the effects of the low power laser radiation onto planarians under regenerative process. To investigate those effects, a number of 60 amputated worms were divided in three study groups: a control group and two other groups submitted to daily 1 and 3 min long laser treatment sections at similar to 910 W/m(2) power density. A 685 nm diode laser with 35 mW optical power was used. Samples were sent to histological analysis at the 4th, the 7th and the 15th (lays after amputation. A remarkable increase in stem cells counts for the fourth day of regeneration was observed when the regenerating worms was stimulated by the laser radiation. Our findings encourage further research works on the influence of optical radiation onto stem cells and tissue regeneration. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation models of diffuse solar-radiation applied to the city of São Paulo, Brazil

Measurements of global and diffuse solar-radiation, at the Earth's surface, carried out from May 1994 to June 1999 in São Paulo City, Brazil, were used to develop correlation models to estimate hourly, daily and monthly values of diffuse solar-radiation on horizontal surfaces. The polynomials derived by linear regression fitting were able to model satisfactorily the daily and monthly values of diffuse radiation. The comparison with models derived for other places demonstrates some differences related mainly to altitude effects. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Work and injuries in dancers: Survey of a professional dance company in Brazil

This study examined the daily life and most important physical injuries suffered and reported by the dancers of a professional (contemporary) dance company in S (a) over tilde $o Paulo, Brazil. Through an observational, cross,sectional, retrospective procedure using a questionnaire that collected qualitative and quantitative data, we were able to gather information on 30 dancers who collaborated with the survey. We determined that the injuries considered as most important by dancers were those that prevented dance activity during some months. These injuries occurred mainly during rehearsals (which is the activity occuppying, the most time on the schedule). Articular injuries were the most frequent and mainly involved the knee and ankle. They were related to classical technique, in which most of the company's artists started their dance careers. Medical care usually was sought within 1 day, and the prescribed treatment resolved the problem, but the injury cause was not identified in all cases.

Modelling frequency distributions of 5 minute-averaged solar radiation indexes using Beta probability functions

Five minute-averaged values of sky clearness, direct and diffuse indices, were used to model the frequency distributions of these variables in terms of optical air mass. From more than four years of solar radiation observations it was found that variations in the frequency distributions of the three indices of optical air mass for Botucatu, Brazil, are similar to those in other places, as published in the literature. The proposed models were obtained by linear combination of normalized Beta probability functions, using the observed distributions derived from three years of data. The versatility of these functions allows modelling of all three irradiance indexes to similar levels of accuracy. A comparison with the observed distributions obtained from one year of observations indicate that the models are able to reproduce the observed frequency distributions of all three indices at the 95% confidence level.

Surgical treatment of erythroleukoplakia in lower lip with carbon dioxide laser radiation

Erythroplakia is considered to represent a premalignant condition and is felt to be at high risk to progress to oral cancer development. When the lesion presents with red and white mucosal alterations concomitantly, the term erythroleukoplakia is used. However, in erythroleukoplakia lesions, the red or erythroplakia areas have been shown to be most likely to demonstrate dysplastic changes compared to the white hyperkeratotic areas. We present a case of patient with erythroleukoplakia involving the lower lip that was treating with carbon dioxide laser radiation (CO2) with 0.8 mm focus, 5 W, power density of 2.5 W/cm(2) in continuous. After the surgery, the vaporized surface was protected with a fibrinolisine + chloramphenicol cream. To date, after 6 months, there has been no clinically evident recurrence on the vermilion area. The functional and esthetic results observed were judged to be excellent.