Bioactivity of Indonesian mahogany, Toona sureni (Blume) (Meliaceae), against the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

Bioactivity of Indonesian mahogany, Toona sureni (Blume) (Meliaceae), against the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). The insecticidal activity of Toona sureni (Blume) Merr. was evaluated considering repellency, mortality and progeny production of F1 adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). Dried extract of seeds of T. sureni was dissolved in acetone to prepare solution of various concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0%). To test for repellency, the insects were exposed to treated filter paper. Mortality of larvae, pupae and adults was evaluated by the treatment of spraying the insects with different concentrations of T. sureni extract. Residual effect of the extract was also evaluated considering the production of progeny of F1 adults. The highest repellency (93.30%) of T. castaneum occurred at the highest concentration (5.0% suspension of T. sureni); while the lowest (0.0%) repellency occurred at 0.5% suspension after 1 day of treatment. The highest mortality against adults (86.71%), larvae (88.32%) and pupae (85%) occurred at 5% suspension at 8 days after application. There was a negative correlation between the concentrations of T. sureni and the production of F1 adult's progeny of T. castaneum. The highest number of progeny (147) of T. castaneum occurred in the control at 7 days after treatment; and the lowest number of progeny (43) occurred at 5.0% concentration in 1 day after treatment. The results show that T. sureni is toxic to T. castaneum and has the potential to control all stages of this insect in stored wheat.

Diets based on soybean protein for Mediterranean fruit fly

The objective of this work was to develop suitable and economic diets for mass rearing Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Diets containing sugar beet bagase, wheat bran, brewer yeast, and others with wheat bran and palletized soybean protein from Brazil were tested. Diets based on soybean protein have shown promising results regarding pupal recovery, pupal weight and adult emergence. Soybean bagase in the form of pellets with 60% of protein can be a very important substitute for other expensive sources of protein.

Stability indicating HPLC method for simultaneous determination of moxifloxacin hydrochloride and ketorolac tromethamine in pharmaceutical formulations

A simple, RP-HPLC method was established for determining moxifloxacin and ketorolac in pharmaceutical formulations. Moxifloxacin, ketorolac and their degradation products were separated using C8 column with methanol and phosphate buffer pH 3.0 (55:45 v/v) as the mobile phase. Detection was performed at 243 nm using a diode array detector. The method was validated using ICH guidelines and was linear in the range 20-140 µg mL-1 for both analytes. Good separation of both the analytes and their degradation products was achieved using this method. The developed method can be applied successfully for the determination of moxifloxacin and ketorolac.

Stability-indicating RP-HPLC method for simultaneous determination of gatifloxacin and flurbiprofen in binary combination

A stability-indicating RP-HPLC method is presented for determination of gatifloxacin and flurbiprofen in binary combination. Gatifloxacin, flurbiprofen and their degradation products were detected at 254 nm using a BDS Hypersil C8 (250 X 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column and mixture of 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3.0) and methanol 30:70 v/v as mobile phase. Response was linear over the range of 15-105 mg mL-1 for gatifloxacin (r² > 0.998) and of 1.5-10.5 mg mL-1 for flurbiprofen (r² > 0.999). The developed method efficiently separated the analytical peaks from degradation products (peak purity index > 0.9999). The method developed can be applied successfully for determination of gatifloxacin and flurbiprofen in human serum, urine, pharmaceutical formulations, and their stability studies.

Cuerpo, tiempo y espacio en el estudio de comunidades Musulmanas en España: El caso de la Jama’at at-Tabligh

Resumen Este artículo aborda los modos de organización de movimiento Islámico transnacional Jama’at at-Tabligh ad-Da’wa en el área de Barcelona –España- desde los años setenta. Su labor proselitista se extiende en la actualidad a diversas zonas de la ciudad y hacia el resto de la Península Ibérica. Ello contribuye a un aumento de la influencia de este movimiento entre musulmanes de diverso origen. La Jama’at at-Tabligh promueve una experiencia piadosa del Islam que hace de su práctica en tal contexto un hecho familiar más que excepcional. Así, este movimiento pone en suspenso visiones hegemónicas sobre el Islam como religión foránea ajena a la democratización del espacio público. Sin embargo, las ciencias sociales no han sido capaces de explicar el alcance del Tabligh, que aparece infrarrepresentado en los discursos públicos. Aquí sugiero en para comprender el rol que juega entre musulmanes que viven en este contexto es necesario reconsiderar nociones de tiempo (histórico y cotidiano) y espacio (histórico y urbano) en relación a la experiencia del Islam en España. Concluyo estas páginas proponiendo el cuerpo como un puente entre la religión y la ciudad y como el necesario foco de atención en futuras etnografías, tanto para el análisis de la Jama’at at-Tabligh como para el debate sobre la presencia del Islam en la España contemporánea.

The vulnerability of Brazilian female prisoners to HIV infection

The purpose of the present study was to determine the vulnerability of women in prison to HIV infection. The study was carried out from August to October 2000 in a São Paulo State Penitentiary, where 299 female prisoners were serving time. We interviewed and obtained a blood sample from 290 females who agreed to enter the study. Sera were tested for the presence of antibodies to HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis and the odds ratio (OR) was calculated for variables related to HIV positivity on the basis of a questionnaire. The overall prevalence data were: 13.9% for HIV (37 of 267), 22.8% for syphilis (66 of 290), and 16.2% for HCV (47 of 290). Sexual partnership variables were significantly related to HIV infection. These included HIV-positive partners (OR = 7.36, P = 0.0001), casual partners (OR = 8.96, P = 0.009), injectable drug user partners (OR = 4.7, P = 0.0001), and history of sexually transmitted disease (OR = 2.07, P = 0.05). In addition, a relationship was detected between HIV infection and drug use (OR = 2.48, P = 0.04) and injectable drug use (OR = 4.2, P = 0.002). Even women with only one partner presented a significant OR for HIV infection (OR = 2.57, P = 0.009), reflecting their vulnerability due to their trust in their partner, who did not use a condom. Although the use of injectable substances is associated with HIV infection, our results point to sexual behavior as the most important component of HIV transmission in the female prisoner population.