Detection, Determination of Chemical Composition and Chemical Profiling of Counterfeit Medicines by Raman Spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy has become a widespread technique for the analysis ofpharmaceutical solid forms. The application proposed here is the investigationof counterfeit medicines. This serious global issue requires quick and accurateidentification methods to fight against this phenomenon. Thanks to its chemicalselectivity, rapidity of analysis and potential of generating repeatable spectralprofiles, Raman spectroscopy presents distinct advantages for the analysis ofcounterfeits. Combined with chemometric tools, the technique enablesthe detection, the determination of chemical composition and the profiling ofmedicine counterfeits.

In vivo antileishmanial activity and chemical profile of polar extract from Selaginella sellowii

The polar hydroethanolic extract from Selaginella sellowii(SSPHE) has been previously proven active on intracellular amastigotes (in vitro test) and now was tested on hamsters infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (in vivo test). SSPHE suppressed a 100% of the parasite load in the infection site and draining lymph nodes at an intralesional dose of 50 mg/kg/day × 5, which was similar to the results observed in hamsters treated with N-methylglucamine antimonate (Sb) (28 mg/Kg/day × 5). When orally administered, SSPHE (50 mg/kg/day × 20) suppressed 99.2% of the parasite load in infected footpads, while Sb suppressed 98.5%. SSPHE also enhanced the release of nitric oxide through the intralesional route in comparison to Sb. The chemical fingerprint of SSPHE by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and tandem mass spectrometry showed the presence of biflavonoids and high molecular weight phenylpropanoid glycosides. These compounds may have a synergistic action in vivo. Histopathological study revealed that the intralesional treatment with SSPHE induced an intense inflammatory infiltrate, composed mainly of mononuclear cells. The present findings reinforce the potential of this natural product as a source of future drug candidates for American cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine : the past, the present and the future [Europejska Rada Medycyny Fizykalnej i Rehabilitacji: przeszłość, teraźniejszość i perspektywy]

Right from the beginning of the development of the medical specialty of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) the harmonization of the fields of competence and the specialist training across Europe was always an important issue. The initially informal European collaboration was formalized in 1963 under the umbrella of the European Federation of PRM. The European Academy of PRM and the UEMS section of PRM started to contribute in 1969 and 1974 respectively. In 1991 the European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (EBPRM) was founded with the specific task of harmonizing education and training in PRM in Europe. The EBPRM has progressively defined curricula for the teaching of medical students and for the postgraduate education and training of PRM specialists. It also created a harmonized European certification system for medical PRM specialists, PRM trainers and PRM training sites. European teaching initiatives for PRM trainees (European PRM Schools) were promoted and learning material for PRM trainees and PRM specialists (e-learning, books and e-books, etc.) was created. For the future the Board will have to ensure that a minimal specific undergraduate curriculum on PRM based on a detailed European catalogue of learning objectives will be taught in all medical schools in Europe as a basis for the general medical practice. To stimulate the harmonization of national curricula, the existing postgraduate curriculum will be expanded by a syllabus of competencies related to PRM and a catalogue of learning objectives to be reached by all European PRM trainees. The integration of the certifying examination of the PRM Board into the national assessment procedures for PRM specialists will also have to be promoted.

Health risk behavior pattern among students from Cartagena, Colombia: prevalence and associated variables

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and variables associated with the pattern of risky health behavior (PRHB) among adolescent students in Cartagena, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate PRHB in a random cluster sample of students from middle and high schools. The associations were adjusted by logistic regression. A total of 2,625 students participated in this research, with ages from 10 to 20 years, mean=13.8 years (SD=2.0), and 54.3% were women. A total of 332 students reported PRHB (12.7%, 95%CI 11.4–14.0). Age over 15 years (OR=2.19, 95%CI 1.72–2.79), not being heterosexual (OR=1.98, 95%CI 1.36-2.87), poor/mediocre academic performance (OR=1.87, 95%CI 1.47–2.38), family dysfunction (OR=1.78, 95%CI 1.40–2.28) and male gender (OR=1.58, 95%CI 1.24–2.01) were associated with PRHB. One in every eight students presented a PRHB. It is important to pay greater attention to students who are over 15 years of age, male, not heterosexual, with a poor/mediocre academic performance and a dysfunctional family.

Biotic and abiotic variables show little redundancy in explaining tree species distributions

Abiotic factors such as climate and soil determine the species fundamental niche, which is further constrained by biotic interactions such as interspecific competition. To parameterize this realized niche, species distribution models (SDMs) most often relate species occurrence data to abiotic variables, but few SDM studies include biotic predictors to help explain species distributions. Therefore, most predictions of species distributions under future climates assume implicitly that biotic interactions remain constant or exert only minor influence on large-scale spatial distributions, which is also largely expected for species with high competitive ability. We examined the extent to which variance explained by SDMs can be attributed to abiotic or biotic predictors and how this depends on species traits. We fit generalized linear models for 11 common tree species in Switzerland using three different sets of predictor variables: biotic, abiotic, and the combination of both sets. We used variance partitioning to estimate the proportion of the variance explained by biotic and abiotic predictors, jointly and independently. Inclusion of biotic predictors improved the SDMs substantially. The joint contribution of biotic and abiotic predictors to explained deviance was relatively small (similar to 9%) compared to the contribution of each predictor set individually (similar to 20% each), indicating that the additional information on the realized niche brought by adding other species as predictors was largely independent of the abiotic (topo-climatic) predictors. The influence of biotic predictors was relatively high for species preferably growing under low disturbance and low abiotic stress, species with long seed dispersal distances, species with high shade tolerance as juveniles and adults, and species that occur frequently and are dominant across the landscape. The influence of biotic variables on SDM performance indicates that community composition and other local biotic factors or abiotic processes not included in the abiotic predictors strongly influence prediction of species distributions. Improved prediction of species' potential distributions in future climates and communities may assist strategies for sustainable forest management.

Water chemistry and isotope composition of the Acquarossa thermal system, Ticino, Switzerland

The thermal springs of Acquarossa and the nearby mineral springs of Soia have outlet temperatures of 12 degrees to 25 degrees C, TDS of 2290 to 3000 mg/kg and Ca-SO4 to Ca-SO4-HCO3 composition. Chemical geothermometers suggest reservoir temperatures close to 60 degrees C. P-CO2 values at depth are estimated to range from 0.3 to 2 bar. delta D and delta(18)O values indicate a meteoric origin and recharge elevations of 1600 +/- 150 m above sea level (a.s.l.) for these thermal and mineral waters. All these waters discharge from the overturned limb of the Simano nappe, probably dose to the contact between basement and underlying cover rocks. They therefore represent rain waters that descend slowly, heat at depth and locally rise relatively quickly to the surface, preserving part of their physical and chemical characteristics. (C) 1999 CNR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adherence to nutritional recommendations and sociodemographic variables in patients with diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVETo determine if there is a relationship between adherence to nutritional recommendations and sociodemographic variables in Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODSCross-sectional observational study using a stratified random sample of 423 individuals. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used, and the Fisher's exact test was applied with 95% confidence interval (p<0.05).RESULTSOf the 423 subjects, 66.7% were women, mean age of 62.4 years (SD = 11.8), 4.3 years of schooling on average (SD = 3.6) and family income of less than two minimum wages. There was association between the female gender and adherence to diet with adequate cholesterol content (OR: 2.03; CI: 1.23; 3.34), between four and more years of education and adherence to fractionation of meals (OR: 1 92 CI: 1.19; 3.10), and income of less than two minimum wages and adherence to diet with adequate cholesterol content (OR: 1.74; CI: 1.03, 2.95).CONCLUSIONAdherence to nutritional recommendations was associated with the female gender, more than four years of education and family income of less than two minimum wages.

Abundance and temporal distribution of Gonioterma exquisita Duckworth (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae, Stenomatinae) on Byrsonima pachyphylla Griseb. (Malpighiaceae) in the Brazilian Cerrado

The seasonal characteristics of the Cerrado region strongly influence food resource predictability and vegetal tissue nutritional content. The aims of this work were to record the abundance and temporal distribution of Gonioterma exquisita Duckworth, 1964 (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) and its relation with phenological, physical, and chemical traits of the host plant Byrsonima pachyphylla Griseb. (Malpighiaceae). Four nutritional quality parameters were determined for new and mature leaves: gross protein and nitrogen content, dry matter, and in vitro digestibility. We inspected 200 plants per month, searching for G. exquisita caterpillars. About 35.8% of the 2,400 plants inspected presented caterpillars, with an abundance peak in the wet season. Caterpillar abundance was positively correlated with mature leaf availability, their food resource. Although mature leaves presented lower gross protein and nitrogen contents than new leaves, this difference was small during the abundance peak of G. exquisita.

Distribution and abundance of six species of fish larvae in peruvian waters and their relationship with physical and biological environment

Estudio de muestras recolectadas con el BIONESS a varias profundidades en trece estaciones.

Assessment of soil properties by organic matter and EM-microorganism incorporation

Properties of a claim loam soil, collected in Aranjuez (Madrid) and enriched with organic matter and microorganisms, were evaluated under controlled temperature and moisture conditions, over a period of three months. The following treatments were carried out: soil (control); soil + 50 t ha-1 of animal manure (E50); soil + 50 t ha-1 of animal manure + 30 L ha-1 of effective microorganisms (E50EM); soil + 30 t ha-1 of the combination of various green crop residues and weeds (RC30) and soil + 30 t ha-1 of the combination of various green crop residues and weeds + 30 L ha-1 of effective microorganisms (RC30EM). Soil samples were taken before and after incubation and their physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters analyzed. Significant increase was observed in the production of exopolysaccharides and basic phosphatase and esterase enzyme activities in the treatments E50EM and RC30EM, in correlation with the humification of organic matter, water retention at field capacity, and the cationic exchange capacity (CEC) of the same treatments. The conclusion was drawn that the incorporation of a mixture of effective microorganisms (EM) intensified the biological soil activity and improved physical and chemical soil properties, contributing to a quick humification of fresh organic matter. These findings were illustrated by the microbiological activities of exopolysaccharides and by alkaline phosphatase and esterase enzymes, which can be used as early and integrated soil health indicators.

Biases of the ordinary least squares and instrumental variables estimators of the intergenerational earnings elasticity : revisited in the light of panel data

The OLS estimator of the intergenerational earnings correlation is biased towards zero, while the instrumental variables estimator is biased upwards. The first of these results arises because of measurement error, while the latter rests on the presumption that the education of the parent family is an invalid instrument. We propose a panel data framework for quantifying the asymptotic biases of these estimators, as well as a mis-specification test for the IV estimator. [Author]

Microstructure and secondary phases in coevaporated CuInS2 films: Dependence on growth temperature and chemical composition

The microstructure of CuInS2-(CIS2) polycrystalline films deposited onto Mo-coated glass has been analyzed by Raman scattering, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Samples were obtained by a coevaporation procedure that allows different Cu-to-In composition ratios (from Cu-rich to Cu-poor films). Films were grown at different temperatures between 370 and 520-°C. The combination of micro-Raman and AES techniques onto Ar+-sputtered samples has allowed us to identify the main secondary phases from Cu-poor films such as CuIn5S8 (at the central region of the layer) and MoS2 (at the CIS2/Mo interface). For Cu-rich films, secondary phases are CuS at the surface of as-grown layers and MoS2 at the CIS2/Mo interface. The lower intensity of the MoS2 modes from the Raman spectra measured at these samples suggests excess Cu to inhibit MoS2 interface formation. Decreasing the temperature of deposition to 420-°C leads to an inhibition in observing these secondary phases. This inhibition is also accompanied by a significant broadening and blueshift of the main A1 Raman mode from CIS2, as well as by an increase in the contribution of an additional mode at about 305 cm-1. The experimental data suggest that these effects are related to a decrease in structural quality of the CIS2 films obtained under low-temperature deposition conditions, which are likely connected to the inhibition in the measured spectra of secondary-phase vibrational modes.

Radionuclides and heavy metal contents in phosphogypsum samples in comparison to cerrado soils

Phosphogysum (PG) or agricultural gypsum, a solid waste from the phosphate fertilizer industry, is used as soil amendment, especially on soils in the Cerrado region, in Brazil. This material may however contain natural radionuclides and metals which can be transferred to soils, plants and water sources. This paper presents and discusses the results of physical and chemical analyses that characterized samples of PG and compares them to the results found in two typical soils of the Cerrado, a clayey and sandy one. These analyses included: solid waste classification, evaluation of organic matter content and of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Al concentrations and of the mineralogical composition. Natural radionuclides and metal concentrations in PG and soil samples were also measured. Phosphogypsum was classified as Class II A - Not Dangerous, Not Inert, Not Corrosive and Not Reactive. The organic matter content in the soil samples was low and potential acidity high. In the mean, the specific 226Ra activity in the phosphogypsum samples (252 Bq kg-1) was below the maximum level recommended by USEPA, which is 370 Bq kg-1 for agricultural use. In addition, this study verified that natural radionuclides and metals concentrations in PG were lower than in the clayey Oxisol of Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. These results indicated that the application of phosphogypsum as soil amendment in agriculture would not cause a significant impact on the environment.