Evaluation of phenolic compounds in mate (Ilex paraguariensis) processed by gamma radiation

The radiation food processing has been demonstrating great effectiveness in the attack of pathogenic agents, while little compromising nutritional value and sensorial properties of foods. The mate (Ilex paraguariensis), widely consumed product in South America, generally in the form of infusions with hot or cold water, calls of chimarrao or terere, it is cited in literature as one of the best sources phenolic compounds. The antioxidants action of these constituent has been related to the protection of the organism against the free radicals, generated in alive, currently responsible for the sprouting of some degenerative illness as cancer, arteriosclerosis, rheumatic arthritis and cardiovascular clutters among others. The objective of that work was to evaluate the action of the processing for gamma radiation in phenolic compounds of terere beverage in the doses of 0, 3, 5, 7 and 10 kGy. The observed results do not demonstrate significant alterations in phenolic compounds of terere beverage processed by gamma radiation. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Aqueous Extract Decreases Intestinal SGLT1 Gene Expression but Does Not Affect Other Biochemical Parameters in Alloxan-Diabetic Wistar Rats

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is rich in polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acids. Evidence suggests that dietary polyphenols could play a role in glucose absorption and metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antidiabetic properties of yerba mate extract in alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Animals (n = 41) were divided in four groups: nondiabetic control (NDC, n = 10), nondiabetic yerba mate (NDY, n = 10), diabetic control (DC, n = 11), and diabetic yerba mate (NDY, n = 10). The intervention consisted in the administration of yerba mate extract in a 1 g extract/kg body weight dose for 28 days; controls received saline solution only. There were no significant differences in serum glucose, insulin, and hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity between the groups that ingested yerba mate extract (NDY and DY) and the controls (NDC and DC). However, the intestinal SGLT1 gene expression was significantly lower in animals that received yerba mate both in upper (p = 0.007) and middle (p < 0.001) small intestine. These results indicate that bioactive compounds present in yerba mate might be capable of interfering in glucose absorption, by decreasing SGLT1 expression.

Caffeic and chlorogenic acids in Ilex paraguariensis extracts are the main inhibitors of AGE generation by methylglyoxal in model proteins

The present study concentrates on the evaluation of the anti-glycation effect of some bioactive substances present in yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis): 5-caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid and a sapogenin (oleanolic acid). Bovine serum albumin and histones were incubated in the presence of methylglyoxal with or without the addition of 5-caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid and oleanolic acid. After the incubation period, advanced glycation end product (AGE) fluorescence spectra were performed and protein structural changes were evaluated by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid are the main substances responsible for the anti-glycation effect of mate tea. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Overweight and obesity related factors in schoolchildren in Santa Catarina State, Brazil

The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation of socioeconomic, dietary, and anthropometric-nutritional variables of parents and their children to overweight (including obesity) in schoolchildren in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. This is a transversal study conducted on 4,964, 6 to 10-year-old schoolchildren registered in 345 Santa Catarina elementary schools. The following data were acquired: the children`s current weight and height, birth weight and length, duration of breastfeeding, age at which water, herbal tea and other foods were introduced to their diet; parental income, education level, age, weight and height were also obtained. The prevalence of overweight and obese children were estimated by point and by interval with a 95% confidence; prevalence rates were obtained based on the Poisson model. An hierarchical approach was used, in which variables were adjusted within blocks and included in the model when they presented p<0.05 at the outcome (overweight including obesity). The results indicate that 47.8% of the subjects were male. The prevalence of overweight and obese students was 15.4% (C195%: 14.4%-16.5%) and 6.1% (CI95%: 5.4%-6.7%) respectively and were statistically similar among sexes and age ranges. BMI values were higher in males and among older children (p<0.05). After adjustment within and among blocks, the variables per capita household income and parents` BM I values remained associated with overweight (including obesity). Overweight (including obesity) in schoolchildren is associated with a higher per capita household income and parental overweight and obesity.

Obesity induced by neonatal treatment with monosodium glutamate impairs microvascular reactivity in adult rats: Role of NO and prostanoids

Background and aim: given that obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases we decided to investigate the mechanisms involved in microvascular dysfunction using a monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced model of obesity, which allows us to work on both normotensive and normoglycemic conditions. Methods and results: Male offspring of Wistar rats received MSG from the second to the sixth day after birth. Sixteen-week-old MSG rats displayed higher Lee index, fat accumulation, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, with no alteration in glycemia and blood pressure. The effect of norepinephrine (NE), which was increased in MSG rats, was potentiated by L-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or tetraethylammonium (TEA) and was reversed by indomethacin and NS-398. Sensitivity to acetylcholine (ACh), which was reduced in MSG rats, was further impaired by L-NAME or TEA, and was corrected by indomethacin, NS-398 and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). MSG rats displayed increased endothelium-independent relaxation to sodium nitroprusside. A reduced prostacyclin/tromboxane ratio was found in the mesenteric beds of MSG rats. Mesenteric arterioles of MSG rats also displayed reduced nitric oxide (NO) production along with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; these were corrected by BH4 and either L-NAME or superoxide dismutase, respectively. The protein expression of eNOS and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 was increased in mesenteric arterioles from MSG rats. Conclusion: Obesity/insulin resistance has a detrimental impact on vascular function. Reduced NO bioavailability and increased ROS generation from uncoupled eNOS and imbalanced release of COX products from COX-2 play a critical role in the development of these vascular alterations (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potassium Current in Mature Bovine Spermatozoa

Ion channels have been assigned a pivotal importance in various sperm functions and are therefore promising targets for contraceptive development. The lack of data on channel functionality and pharmacology has hampered this goal. This is a consequence of technical problems of applying electrophysiological techniques to spermatozoa due to their small size and form. By using a laminin coating to increase adherence of spermatozoa and nystatin in the patch pipette for pore formation, we have adapted the whole-cell recording technique to study currents in mature uncapacitated bovine spermatozoa. Employing these conditions, in the head region, patched spermatozoa could be transferred into the whole-cell configuration. For the first time we document an outward rectifying current in mature bovine spermatozoa was blocked by tetraethyl ammonium (TEA) chloride. The observation of a shift in the reversal potential as a response to changes in the extracellular concentration of K+ ions allowed us to identify this current as K+ selective. This result shows that K+ channels in the head region of mature uncapacitated bovine spermatozoa can be suitably investigated using the whole-cell recording patch-clamp technique.

Effect of some antioxidants on oxidative DNA damage induced by autoxidation of microquantities of sulfite in the presence of Ni(II)/Gly-Gly-L-His

Ni(II)GGH (GGH, glycylglycyl-L-histidine) reacts rapidly with S(IV), in air-saturated solution, to produce Ni(III)GGH. A mechanism is proposed where Ni(III) oxidizes SO(3)(2-) to SO(3)(center dot-), which reacts with dissolved oxygen to produce SO(5)(center dot-), initiating radical chain reactions. DNA strand breaks and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-20-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) formation were observed in air-saturated solutions containing micromolar concentrations of nickel(II) and S(IV). The efficacies of melatonin, (-)-epigallocatechin-gallate (from green tea), resveratrol, tannic, and ascorbic acids in terms of their inhibitory activities of DNA strand breaks and 8-oxodGuo formation were evaluated.

Determination of sorbate and benzoate in beverage samples by capillary electrophoresis - Optimization of the method with inspection of ionic mobilities

The aim of this study was to develop a fast capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of benzoate and sorbate ions in commercial beverages. In the method development the pH and constituents of the background electrolyte were selected using the effective mobility versus pH curves. As the high resolution obtained experimentally for sorbate and benzoate in the studies presented in the literature is not in agreement with that expected from the ionic mobility values published, a procedure to determine these values was carried out. The salicylate ion was used as the internal standard. The background electrolyte was composed of 25 mmol L(-1) tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and 12.5 mmol L(-1) 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, atpH 8.1.Separation was conducted in a fused-silica capillary(32 cm total length and 8.5 cm effective length, 50 mu m I.D.), with short-end injection configuration and direct UV detection at 200 nm for benzoate and salicylate and 254 nm for sorbate ions. The run time was only 28 s. A few figures of merit of the proposed method include: good linearity (R(2) > 0.999), limit of detection of 0.9 and 0.3 mg L(-1) for benzoate and sorbate, respectively, inter-day precision better than 2.7% (n =9) and recovery in the range 97.9-105%. Beverage samples were prepared by simple dilution with deionized water (1:11, v/v). Concentrations in the range of 197-401 mg L(-1) for benzoate and 28-144 mg L(-1) for sorbate were found in soft drinks and tea. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A multicommuted flow-system for spectrophotometric determination of tannin exploiting the Cu(I)/BCA complex formation

A flow system exploiting the multicommutation approach is proposed for spectrophotometric determination of tannin in beverages. The procedure is based on the reduction of Cu(II) in the presence of 4,4`-dicarboxy-2,2`-biquinoline, yielding a complex with maximum absorption at 558 nm. Calibration graph was linear (r=0.999) for tannic acid concentrations up to 5.00 mu mol L-1. The detection limit and coefficient of variation were estimated as 10 nmol L-1 (99.7% confidence level) and 1% (1.78 mu mol L-1 tannic acid, n=10), respectively. The sampling rate was 50 determinations per hour. The proposed procedure is more sensitive and selective than the official Folin-Denis method, also minimizing drastically waste generation. Recoveries within 91.8 and 115% were estimated for total tannin determination in tea and wine samples. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Luminescence enhancement of the Tb(III) ion with the thenoyltrifluoroacetonate ligand acting as an efficient sensitizer

The synthesis, structural investigation, and photophysical properties of the complex [Tb(TTA)(2)(NO(3)) (TPPO)(2)] are reported. Unlike the analog tris-diketonate complex [Tb(TTA)(3)(TPPO)(2)], the new complex presents abnormally high luminescence intensity centered on the terbium ion. Our results clearly suggest a higher energy transfer efficiency from the TEA antenna ligand to the Tb(III) ion in the bis-diketonate complex compared with that in the tris-diketonate complex. A mechanism involving the increasing of triplet state energy when one TTA ligand is replaced by the NO(3)(-) group in the first coordination sphere is suggested and experimentally investigated to explain the anomalous luminescence properties of the new complex [Tb(TTA)(2)(NO(3))(TPPO)(2)]. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of organic matter from composting of different residues by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods

Chemical and spectroscopic methods were used to characterize organic matter transformations during the composting process. Four different residue mixtures were studied: P1 - garden trimmings (GT) only, P2 - GT plus fresh cattle manure, P3 - GT plus orange pomace and P4 - GT plus filter cake. The thermophilic phase was not reached in PI compost, but the P2, P3 and P4 composts showed all three typical process phases. The thermophilic phase and CEC/C ratio stabilized after 90 days, while C/N ratio and the ash content stabilized after 60 days. The increasing E(4)/E(6) ratio indicated oxidation reactions occurring during the process in the material from P2, P3 and P4. The (13)C NMR and FTIR results suggested extraction of both pectin and lignin in the HA-like fraction. The CEC/C ratio, temperature and E(4)/E(6) ratio showed that within 90 days P2, P3 and P4 composts were humified. However, material from P1 did not show characteristics of humified compost. From these data, it is apparent that C/N ratio and ash content are not reliable methods for monitoring the composting process. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Orka hela vägen : Upplevd hälsa, idrotts- och träningsbakgrund bland studenter på en fysiskt inriktad yrkesutbildning. Lärarstudenter GIH 2008 delrapport 1: 2009

Sammanfattning Ett sammanfattande porträtt av den nyantagna lärarstudenten vid GIH med utgångspunkt från enkätsvaren ger vid handen en bild av en person, som är ca 21 år gammal, född i Sverige och uppvuxen i en medelstor stad i Mellansverige. Studenten trivdes mycket bra i skolan och var som elev något över medel med MVG i idrott och hälsa. Valet av yrkesutbildning grundade sig på ett stort intresse för idrott, samt en önskan att få jobba med barn och ungdom. Studievalet hade för många påverkats av en tidigare idrotts-lärare, kompisar och familj. En bra lärare i idrott och hälsa är enligt studenten positiv, engagerad, rättvis, bestämd och kunnig. Lärarstudenten ser sig behärska bollspel väl. Störst kunskap och färdighet uppges i fot-boll och alpin skidåkning. Minst kunskap och färdighet skattades i softboll, baseboll, bergsklättring, långfärdsskridskoåkning och i konsten att kunna valla skidor. Många ser sig ha god kunskap om sambandet mellan hälsa, livsstil och miljö, men mindre god om hur en idrottsaktivitet har betydelse för kulturarvet, samband mellan miljö och männi-skans hälsa i ett historiskt och nutidsperspektiv samt i ergonomi. På sin fritid går lärarstudenten ofta på idrottsevenemang, café, tittar på TV och video eller umgås med vänner och familj. Lärarstudenten går sällan på bio och nästan aldrig på tea-ter, museum eller vernissager. "Vad är vernissage?" undrar en student. Hälsan, både fysiskt och psykiskt, skattas som tillfredsställande och man känner ofta hopp, glädje och meningsfullhet. Emellertid finner man sig även ofta stressad på grund av tidsbrist och alla krav. Många kvinnliga studenter (41%) rapporterade ryggont och många, både kvinnor och män, beskrev att de har besvär från en skadad fotled eller knä. De flesta lärarstudenterna är regelbundet fysiskt aktiva och de finner att mängden motion delvis är tillfredsställande. Förväntningarna är höga på utbildningen både att den är mångsidig och kommer att ge ökad kunskap inom olika områden. Under studietiden förväntar man sig att utvecklas och förbättra sin egen fysiska status och hälsa. En student uttrycker det med orden: "Mitt nya liv startar idag". Den sammanfattande bilden av lärarstudenten på GIH liknar den som tidigare har redovisats av Meckbach och Wedman i en liknande studie från maj 2005. Deras studie genomfördes på studenter efter ett års studier på GIH (Meckbach & Wed-man, 2007).

Estudo do comportamento cinético e mecânico-dinâmico de resinas epóxi a base de óleo de soja epoxidado

Óleo de soja epoxidado foi curado com os anidridos: dodecenilsuccínico (DDS), maleico (MAL), ftálico (FTA), succínico e hexahidroftálico (CH). As reações foram iniciadas com aminas terciárias tais como trietilamina (TEA), N,N’-dimetilanilina (ARO) e 1,4- diazobiciclo[2,2,2]octano (DABCO). Calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC) foi aplicada com êxito no estudo da reação de cura e usada para a determinação dos parâmetros cinéticos e termodinâmicos. Foram estudados os efeitos eletrônicos, os fatores estéreos e a rigidez do segmento diéster formado devido na conversão de grupos anidridos. Foi observado que os anidridos maleico e ftálico reagem mais rápido do que os outros anidridos. A influência do iniciador e da razão molar (anidrido/grupo epóxido) foi igualmente considerada. As propriedades mecânicas e térmicas das resinas epóxi curadas usando TEA como iniciador foram investigadas por análise térmica dinâmico-mecânica (DMTA) e termogravimétrica (TGA). Todas as amostras apresentaram características de materiais termofixos. Os materiais termofixos obtidos a partir de anidridos com estruturas rígidas (FTA, MAL e CH) mostraram alta temperatura de transição vítrea e densidade de reticulação. Quando um excesso de grupos epóxido foi usado (R= 0,5), a temperatura de transição vítrea do material diminuiu. As resinas epóxi exibiram estabilidade térmica até 300ºC. Um comportamento inesperado foi observado para aquelas resinas obtidas com o anidrido dodecenilsuccínico (DDS). A influência do grau de epoxidação do óleo de soja nas propriedades mecânicas e na temperatura de transição vítrea foi investigada. Quanto maior o conteúdo de grupos epóxido, maior é a Tg e a dureza do material. As resinas epóxi preparadas a partir de óleo de soja epoxidado mostram excelente resistência química em NaOH e ácido sulfúrico, mas resistência pobre quando em contato com solventes orgânicos (tolueno, acetona, gasolina e etanol).

Alcoxisilanos como doadores de elétrons externo na polimerização de propeno

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito do grupo hidrocarboneto do doador de elétrons externo (DE), do tipo alcoxisilano, no desempenho do catalisador MgCl2.TiCl4.DI-AlEt3/DE na polimerização de propeno. Os DE testados apresentam estrutura genérica do tipo R2Si(OMe)2 e os mesmos foram avaliados com um catalisador comercial do tipo MgCl2.TiCl4.DI na polimerização de propeno em escala de laboratório. Foram empregados quatro doadores de elétrons externos, sendo um usualmente utilizado em processos industriais, o Ciclohexilmetildimetoxisilano (CHMDS). O Diciclopentildimetoxisilano (DCPDS) foi escolhido pela sua alta atividade catalítica e controle da estereoespecificidade, o 3,3,3-trifluorpropilmetildimetoxisilano (FPMDS) pela elevada sensibilidade ao hidrogênio. O quarto DE utilizado foi o Di-n-propildimetoxisilano (DPDS), sendo o mesmo escolhido pela sua elevada atividade catalítica. Os grupos hidrocarbonetos diciclopentil conferiram ao DCPDS o envenenamento seletivo dos sítios catalíticos bem como boa afinidade com o catalisador em estudo. O DCPDS propiciou elevada atividade catalítica, sendo esta em torno de 43 kg PP/g cat.2 h, bem como boa estereoespecificidade, tornando possível a produção de polipropileno com teor de solúveis em xileno da ordem de 1,7 %. O grupo hidrocarboneto 3,3,3-trifluorpropil, presente no FPMDS demonstrou favorecer a ação do hidrogênio, possibilitando a produção de polipropileno com taxa de fluidez superior em duas vezes a dos polímeros obtidos com o uso do CHMDS sob as mesmas condições de polimerização. O DPDS apresentou atividade catalítica similar a do CHMDS, ou seja de 32 kg PP/g cat.2 h, com a desvantagem de apresentar baixo controle da estereoregularidade do catalisador, indicando que os grupos hidrocarbonetos lineares n-propil presentes no DPDS não conferem boa performance a este DE Desta forma, os testes realizados ratificam as informações constantes na literatura para o DCPDS e o FPMDS, ou seja, apresentam determinadas peculiaridades e, quando estas forem requeridas, estes DE devem ser empregados em substituição ao CHMDS. Cabe salientar que o mesmo não ocorreu para o DPDS, porém, neste caso, verificou-se recentemente junto ao fornecedor deste produto que o mesmo foi produzido apenas em escala experimental devido ao seu mau desempenho. No pré-contato entre o catalisador e o cocatalisador, verificou-se que é preferível o emprego de baixas temperaturas (5°C) e pequenos tempos de pré-contato (5 min) entre ambos. Testes realizados indicaram que ao passar de 5 para 10 °C ocorre uma queda da atividade e da estereoespecificidade do catalisador. Para temperaturas de pré-contato da ordem de 10 a 35°C praticamente não houve variação da atividade catalítica, porém, observa-se uma diminuição da estereoregularidade do polipropileno. Intervalos de tempo na faixa de 15 a 120 min ocasionam uma pequena queda na atividade catalítica e os valores de taxa de fluidez deslocam-se para valores superiores. A adição de pequenas quantidades de hidrogênio possibilitou um aumento significativo da atividade catalítica. Neste caso, quando esta foi elevada de 0,004 para 0,014 % em massa (C3H6/H2) houve um acréscimo de 250 % na atividade do sistema catalítico empregado (MgCl2.TiCl4.DIBP- TEA/FPMDS).

Estudo etnobotânico das plantas utilizadas como medicinais por moradores do bairro Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre,Rio Grande do Sul

Este trabalho foi realizado com o intuito de estudar as plantas utilizadas como medicinais pelos moradores do bairro Ponta Grossa e pelos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde relacionados ao Posto de Saúde da Família do bairro Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Como metodologia, foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas, na forma de questionários, para obtenção dos dados socioculturais e semi-estruturadas para o levantamento dos dados sobre as plantas. Foram coletadas 150 espécies utilizadas pela população, sendo 9 delas identificadas somente até gênero, pertencentes a 59 famílias botânicas. As famílias mais representadas em número de espécies foram Asteraceae e Lamiaceae. As partes das plantas mais utilizadas foram folhas e partes aéreas, sendo o chá a principal forma de utilização. As doenças e/ou sintomas mais mencionados foram os relacionados aos aparelhos digestório e respiratório. Em uma análise dos nomes populares foram encontradas 56 espécies com etnohomônimos e 73 espécies com etno-sinônimos verdadeiros ou falsos. Também foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica comparativa entre as indicações de uso originais e as indicações atuais referidas no estado do Rio Grande do Sul e países limítrofes. Esta revisão teve como objetivo verificar se houve alterações do conhecimento popular. Uma espécie apresentou equivalência entre as indicações de usos originais e atuais e 140 apresentaram alteração do conhecimento popular. Para 16 espécies foi detectada alteração total do conhecimento, 61 apresentaram ampliação do conhecimento e 21 redução do conhecimento popular. Ferramentas quantitativas foram utilizadas, como Valor de Uso (UV) e a porcentagem de Concordância corrigida quanto aos Usos Principais (CUPc), para verificar quais as espécies mais importantes para a população e as mais promissoras para a realização de estudos biológicos posteriores. Para as 21 espécies mais importantes foram feitas revisões na literatura científica com o objetivo de reunir dados químicos e biológicos, que resultarão na elaboração de um manual didático, o qual será devolvido como um retorno para a população estudada.