RAPD markers utilization and other parameters in the determination of mango hybrids genitors

Actually mango (Mangifera indica, L.) is considered one of the largest Brazilian fruitbusiness for the export market. Cultivar selection having high fruit quality is a fundamental step to obtain excellent results in this business. A mango breeding program based on intervarietal hybridization may produce new improved cultivars for mango growers. Mango hybrids have been obtained by controlled or open crosses. In the last one, it is important to identify the male parent because it is useful for the genetic cultivar history, thus it is important for planning further improvements. This work presents a parentage test using among others parameters RAPD (Random amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers to estimate the male parent of the selected hybrids in an open cross plot by using five mango cultivars densely planted in a latin square design.

REPEATABILITY OF FRUITS AND SEEDS PRODUCTION AND SELECTION OF BRAZIL NUT GENOTYPES IN NATIVE POPULATIONS IN RORAIMA1

ABSTRACT This study estimates the repeatability coefficients of two production traits in two native populations of Brazil nut trees. It determines the number of years of suitable evaluations for an efficient selection process, determines the permanent phenotypic correlation between production traits and also the selection of promising trees in these populations. Populations, located in the Itã region (ITA) and in the in the Cujubim region (CUJ), are both belonging to the municipality of Caracaraí, state of Roraima - Brazil, and consist of 85 and 51 adult trees, respectively. Each tree was evaluated regarding the number of fruits per plant (NFP) and fresh seed weight per plant (SWP), for eight (ITA) and five consecutive years (CUJ). Statistical analyses were performed according to the mixed model methodology, using Software Selegen-REML/BLUP (RESENDE, 2007). The repeatability coefficients were low for NFP (0.3145 and 0.3269 for ITA and CUJ, respectively) and also for SWP (0.2957 and 0.3436 for ITA and CUJ, respectively). It on average takes nine evaluation years to reach coefficients of determination higher than 80%. Permanent phenotypic correlation values higher than 0.95 were obtained for NFP and SWP in both populations. Although trees with a high number of fruits and seed weight were identified, more evaluation years are needed to perform the selection process more efficiently.

FRUIT MORPHOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF BABASSU PALMS IN NORTHERN MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL1

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to morphologically characterize fruits of the babassu palm tree (Attalea vitrivir) and to estimate their productivity in the north of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twenty mature fruits were collected from 10 plants in three different areas in Januária, Minas Gerais. Eighteen biometric parameters of the fruits were measured, the oil contents of the seeds was determined, the adherence to normal distribution was evaluated, distribution frequencies were evaluated and the effects of individuals and areas on the variables and the correlations between them were analyzed. The production of fruit bunches per plant and the number of fruits per bunch from 10 plants were quantified in three areas and the potential production under both natural harvesting and cultivation conditions were estimated. Significant differences were found among all of the biometric parameters examined between the different individuals and the different areas, which shows wide morphological variability in the fruits. The average oil content was 45.7%, but with significant differences among individuals. The observed variability favors the selection of productive individuals in genetic improvement programs. The potential productivity of endocarps and oil based on a density of 400/plants per hectare would be respectively 6.4 and 1.2 tons/ha, which indicates the possibility of using A. vitrivir for producing charcoal, bio fuels, and for carbon fixation.

Resection of liver metastasis from neuroendocrine tumors: evaluation of results and prognostic factors

OBJECTIVES: to determine the prognostic factors that may impact on morbidity and mortality and survival of patients undergoing surgical treatment of liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors. METHODS: We studied 22 patients undergoing liver resection for metastases from neuroendocrine tumors between 1997 and 2007. Epidemiological and clinical data were correlated with morbidity and mortality and overall and disease-free survivals. RESULTS: twelve patients were male and ten female, with a mean age of 48.5 years. Bilobar disease was present in 17 patients (77.3%). In ten patients (45.5%) the primary tumor originated in the pancreas, terminal ileum in eight, duodenum in two, rectum in one and jejunum in one. Complete surgical resection (R0) was achieved in 59.1% of patients. Eight patients (36.3%) developed complications in the immediate postoperative period, one of them dying from septicemia. All patients undergoing re-hepatectomy and/or two-stage hepatectomy had complications in the postoperative period. The overall survival at one and five years was 77.3% and 44.2%. The disease-free survival at five years was 13.6%. The primary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (p = 0.006) was associated with reduced overall survival. Patients with number of metastatic nodules < 10 (p = 0.03) and asymptomatic at diagnosis (p = 0.015) had higher disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: liver metastases originating from pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors proved to be a negative prognostic factor. Symptomatic patients with multiple metastatic nodules showed a significant reduction in disease-free survival.

Characterization of six rat strains (Rattus norvegicus) by mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to examine the extent of mtDNA polymorphism among six strains of rats (Rattus norvegicus) - Wistar, Wistar Munich, Brown Norway, Wistar Kyoto, SHR and SHR-SP. A survey of 26 restriction enzymes has revealed a low level of genetic divergence among strains. The sites of cleavage by EcoRI, NcoI and XmnI were shown to be polymorphic. The use of these three enzymes allows the 6 strains to be classified into 4 haplotypes and identifies specific markers for each one. The percentage of sequence divergence among all pairs of haplotypes ranged from 0.035 to 0.33%, which is the result of a severe population constriction undergone by the strains. These haplotypes are easily demonstrable and therefore RFLP analysis can be employed for genetic monitoring of rats within animal facilities or among different laboratories.

Efficacy, safety, quality control, marketing and regulatory guidelines for herbal medicines (phytotherapeutic agents)

This review highlights the current advances in knowledge about the safety, efficacy, quality control, marketing and regulatory aspects of botanical medicines. Phytotherapeutic agents are standardized herbal preparations consisting of complex mixtures of one or more plants which contain as active ingredients plant parts or plant material in the crude or processed state. A marked growth in the worldwide phytotherapeutic market has occurred over the last 15 years. For the European and USA markets alone, this will reach about $7 billion and $5 billion per annum, respectively, in 1999, and has thus attracted the interest of most large pharmaceutical companies. Insufficient data exist for most plants to guarantee their quality, efficacy and safety. The idea that herbal drugs are safe and free from side effects is false. Plants contain hundreds of constituents and some of them are very toxic, such as the most cytotoxic anti-cancer plant-derived drugs, digitalis and the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, etc. However, the adverse effects of phytotherapeutic agents are less frequent compared with synthetic drugs, but well-controlled clinical trials have now confirmed that such effects really exist. Several regulatory models for herbal medicines are currently available including prescription drugs, over-the-counter substances, traditional medicines and dietary supplements. Harmonization and improvement in the processes of regulation is needed, and the general tendency is to perpetuate the German Commission E experience, which combines scientific studies and traditional knowledge (monographs). Finally, the trend in the domestication, production and biotechnological studies and genetic improvement of medicinal plants, instead of the use of plants harvested in the wild, will offer great advantages, since it will be possible to obtain uniform and high quality raw materials which are fundamental to the efficacy and safety of herbal drugs.

c-Myc protein expression is not an independent prognostic predictor in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

The c-myc protein is known to regulate the cell cycle, and its down-regulation can lead to cell death by apoptosis. The role of c-myc protein as an independent prognostic determinant in cervical cancer is controversial. In the present study, a cohort of 220 Brazilian women (mean age 53.4 years) with FIGO stage I, II and III (21, 28 and 51%, respectively) cervical squamous cell carcinomas was analyzed for c-myc protein expression using immunohistochemistry. The disease-free survival and relapse-rate were analyzed using univariate (Kaplan-Meier) survival analysis for 116 women who completed the standard FIGO treatment and were followed up for 5 years. Positive c-myc staining was detected in 40% of carcinomas, 29% being grade 1, 9% grade 2, and 2% grade 3. The distribution of positive c-myc according to FIGO stage was 19% (17 women) in stage I, 33% (29) in stage II, and 48% (43) in stage III of disease. During the 60-month follow-up, disease-free survival in univariate (Kaplan-Meier) survival analysis (116 women) was lower for women with c-myc-positive tumors, i.e., 60.5, 47.5 and 36.6% at 12, 36, and 60 months, respectively (not significant). The present data suggest that immunohistochemical demonstration of c-myc does not possess any prognostic value independent of FIGO stage, and as such is unlikely to be a useful prognostic marker in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Neural regulation of the stress response: glucocorticoid feedback mechanisms

The mammalian stress response is an integrated physiological and psychological reaction to real or perceived adversity. Glucocorticoids are an important component of this response, acting to redistribute energy resources to both optimize survival in the face of challenge and to restore homeostasis after the immediate challenge has subsided. Release of glucocorticoids is mediated by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, driven by a neural signal originating in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Stress levels of glucocorticoids bind to glucocorticoid receptors in multiple body compartments, including the brain, and consequently have wide-reaching actions. For this reason, glucocorticoids serve a vital function in negative feedback inhibition of their own secretion. Negative feedback inhibition is mediated by a diverse collection of mechanisms, including fast, non-genomic feedback at the level of the PVN, stress-shut-off at the level of the limbic system, and attenuation of ascending excitatory input through destabilization of mRNAs encoding neuropeptide drivers of the HPA axis. In addition, there is evidence that glucocorticoids participate in stress activation via feed-forward mechanisms at the level of the amygdala. Feedback deficits are associated with numerous disease states, underscoring the necessity for adequate control of glucocorticoid homeostasis. Thus, rather than having a single, defined feedback ‘switch’, control of the stress response requires a wide-reaching feedback ‘network’ that coordinates HPA activity to suit the overall needs of multiple body systems.

Mortality rate after open Roux-in-Y gastric bypass: a 10-year follow-up

The prevalence of obesity has increased to epidemic status worldwide. Thousands of morbidly obese individuals undergo bariatric surgery for sustained weight loss; however, mid- and long-term outcomes of this surgery are still uncertain. Our objective was to estimate the 10-year mortality rate, and determine risk factors associated with death in young morbidly obese adults who underwent bariatric surgery. All patients who underwent open Roux-in-Y gastric bypass surgery between 2001 and 2010, covered by an insurance company, were analyzed to determine possible associations between risk factors present at the time of surgery and deaths related and unrelated to the surgery. Among the 4344 patients included in the study, 79% were female with a median age of 34.9 years and median body mass index (BMI) of 42 kg/m2. The 30-day and 10-year mortality rates were 0.55 and 3.34%, respectively, and 53.7% of deaths were related to early or late complications following bariatric surgery. Among these, 42.7% of the deaths were due to sepsis and 24.3% to cardiovascular complications. Male gender, age ≥50 years, BMI ≥50 kg/m2, and hypertension significantly increased the hazard for all deaths (P<0.001). Age ≥50 years, BMI ≥50 kg/m2, and surgeon inexperience elevated the hazard of death from causes related to surgery. Male gender and age ≥50 years were the factors associated with increased mortality from death not related to surgery. The overall risk of death after bariatric surgery was quite low, and half of the deaths were related to the surgery. Older patients and superobese patients were at greater risk of surgery-related deaths, as were patients operated on by less experienced surgeons.