Investigation of the immediate pre-operative physical capacity of patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery using the 6-minute walk test.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of repetition of the 6-minute walk test in patients scheduled to undergo abdominal surgery within the next 48 hours, and to verify the physical capacity of these subjects before surgery. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-two patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery within the next 48 hours. OUTCOME MEASURES: Distance walked in the 6-minute walk test, heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, dyspnoea and leg fatigue. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (74%) were able to walk for a longer distance when the test was repeated. In these subjects, the mean increase in distance walked was 35.4 [standard deviation (SD) 19.9]m. Heart rate, dyspnoea and leg fatigue increased significantly over time on both tests (P<0.05). The mean heart rate at the end of the sixth minute was significantly higher on the second test (P=0.022). Peripheral oxygen saturation remained above 90% in both tests. The furthest distance walked was, on average, 461.3 (SD 89.7)m. This value was significantly lower than that predicted for the sample (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients scheduled to undergo abdominal surgery were able to walk further when they performed a second 6-minute walk test. Moreover, they showed reduced physical ability before surgery. These findings suggest that repetition of the 6-minute walk test may increase the accuracy of the distance walked, which is useful for studies assessing the physical capacity of patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Avaliação agronômica e química de dezessete acessos de erva-cidreira [Lippia alba (Mill. ) N. E. Brown] - quimiotipo citral, cultivados no Distrito Federal / Agronomic and chemical evaluation of seventeen accessions of "erva-cidreira" [Lippia alba (Mill. ) N. E. Brown] - citral chemotype, cultivated at the Federal District, Brazil

A erva-cidreira [Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Brown] é uma espécie nativa utilizada como planta medicinal em todo o Brasil. O citral é responsável pela ação sedativa da erva cidreira, sendo um dos principais componentes do óleo essencial. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento agronômico, teor e rendimento de óleo essencial e de citral em 17 acessos de L. alba da coleção da Universidade de Brasília - UnB. O experimento foi realizado no período de 19/02/2005 a 18/03/2006, em latossolo vermelho, no Distrito Federal. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, contendo três plantas por parcela. Foram avaliados os parâmetros área foliar, comprimento da haste, produção de massa fresca (folhas e hastes), produção de massa foliar seca, teor de óleo essencial e de citral, rendimento estimado de óleo essencial e de citral por planta, além da caracterização do perfil aromático do óleo essencial. Os acessos L.41 (0,75 por cento), L.45 (0,66 por cento) e L.08 (0,62 por cento) apresentaram os maiores teores de óleo essencial. O acesso L.45 (1,32 g pl-1) apresentou o maior rendimento de óleo, seguido dos acessos L.47 (0,73 g pl-1), L.41 (0,67 g pl-1), L.34 (0,67 g pl-1) e L.33 (0,62 g pl-1). Os acessos apresentaram teores de citral variando de 51,7 por cento (L.34) a 75,1 por cento (L.09), com média de 63,6 por cento e predominância do isômero geranial (36,4 por cento) sobre o neral (27,8 por cento). O acesso L.45 (0,83 g pl-1) apresentou o maior rendimento de citral. Treze acessos apresentaram o quimiotipo citral; três o quimiotipo citral-limoneno e apenas um apresentou o quimiotipo citral-mirceno. Os resultados evidenciam o potencial de produção de citral do acesso L.45, o qual poderá ser utilizado para melhorar a qualidade da matéria prima de erva-cidreira utilizada nos programas de fitoterapia no país ou em programas de melhoramento genético para esta finalidade.

"Erva-cidreira" [Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Brown] is a native species used as a medicinal plant all over Brazil. Citral, a major constituent of L. alba essential oil, is responsible for its sedative activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agronomic behavior, content and yield of essential oil and citral in 17 accessions of L. alba from the germplasm bank of University of Brasília - UnB, Brazil. The experiment was carried out from 02/19/2005 to 03/18/2006, in red latosol, at the Federal District, Brazil. The adopted experimental design was in randomized blocks, with three replicates and three plants per plot. The following parameters were evaluated: leaf area, stem length, fresh mass (leaves and stems) production, dry leaf mass production, essential oil and citral content, estimated yield of essential oil and citral per plant, besides characterization of the essential oil aromatic profile. Accessions L41 (0.75 percent), L45 (0.66 percent) and L08 (0.62 percent) showed the highest essential oil content. Accessions L45 (1.32 g pl-1) presented the highest essential oil yield, followed by L47 (0.73 g pl-1), L41 (0.67 g pl-1), L34 (0.67 g pl-1) and L33 (0.62 g pl-1). Citral content varied from 51.7 percent (L34) to 75.1 percent (L09), with an average of 63.6 percent and predominance of the isomer geranial (36.4 percent) over neral (27.8 percent). Accession L45 (0.83 g pl-1) showed the highest citral yield. Thirteen accessions presented the chemotype citral; three, the chemotype citral-limonene, and only one had the chemotype citral-myrcene. The results evidenced the potential of accession L45 to produce citral, which can be used to improve the quality of "erva-cidreira" raw material in phytotherapy programs in the country or in breeding programs.