Comment on "Drought-induced reduction in global terrestrial net primary production from 2000 through 2009".

Zhao and Running (Reports, 20 August 2010, p. 940) reported a reduction in global terrestrial net primary production (NPP) from 2000 through 2009. We argue that the small trends, regional patterns, and interannual variations that they describe are artifacts of their NPP model. Satellite observations of vegetation activity show no statistically significant changes in more than 85% of the vegetated lands south of 70°N during the same 2000 to 2009 period.

Phylogenetic relationships within Chamaecrista sect. Xerocalyx (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) inferred from the cpDNA trnE-trnT intergenic spacer and nrDNA ITS sequences.

Chamaecrista belongs to subtribe Cassiinae (Caesalpinioideae), and it comprises over 330 species, divided into six sections. The section Xerocalyx has been subjected to a profound taxonomic shuffling over the years. Therefore, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis using a cpDNA trnE-trnT intergenic spacer and nrDNA ITS/5.8S sequences from Cassiinae taxa, in an attempt to elucidate the relationships within this section from Chamaecrista. The tree topology was congruent between the two data sets studied in which the monophyly of the genus Chamaecrista was strongly supported. Our analyses reinforce that new sectional boundaries must be defined in the Chamaecrista genus, especially the inclusion of sections Caliciopsis and Xerocalyx in sect. Chamaecrista, considered here paraphyletic. The section Xerocalyx was strongly supported as monophyletic; however, the current data did not show C. ramosa (microphyllous) and C. desvauxii (macrophyllous) and their respective varieties in distinct clades, suggesting that speciation events are still ongoing in these specimens.

Phylogenetic relationships within Chamaecrista sect. Xerocalyx (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) inferred from the cpDNA trnE-trnT intergenic spacer and nrDNA ITS sequences

Chamaecrista belongs to subtribe Cassiinae (Caesalpinioideae), and it comprises over 330 species, divided into six sections. The section Xerocalyx has been subjected to a profound taxonomic shuffling over the years. Therefore, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis using a cpDNA trnE-trnT intergenic spacer and nrDNA ITS/5.8S sequences from Cassiinae taxa, in an attempt to elucidate the relationships within this section from Chamaecrista. The tree topology was congruent between the two data sets studied in which the monophyly of the genus Chamaecrista was strongly supported. Our analyses reinforce that new sectional boundaries must be defined in the Chamaecrista genus, especially the inclusion of sections Caliciopsis and Xerocalyx in sect. Chamaecrista, considered here paraphyletic. The section Xerocalyx was strongly supported as monophyletic; however, the current data did not show C. ramosa (microphyllous) and C. desvauxii (macrophyllous) and their respective varieties in distinct clades, suggesting that speciation events are still ongoing in these specimens.

Mixoma atrial gigante simulando estenose mitral grave em paciente jovem / Giant atrial myxoma mimicking severe mitral stenosis in young patient / Mixoma atrial gigante simulando estenosis mitral grave en paciente joven

Homem de 20 anos, previamente hígido, com quadro clínico de dispneia paroxística noturna e cansaço aos médios esforços com evolução em torno de dez dias, apresentou, ao exame ecocardiográfico, mixoma em átrio esquerdo funcionando como estenose mitral grave.

The echocardiogram of a twenty-year-old man, previously healthy, suffering from paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and fatigue after moderate exertion that intensified over a period of about ten days, showed the left atrium myxoma working as severe mitral stenosis.

Hombre de 20 años, previamente sano, con cuadro clínico de disnea paroxística nocturna y cansancio a los esfuerzos medios con evolución alrededor de diez días, presentó, al examen ecocardiográfico, mixoma en atrio izquierdo funcionando como estenosis mitral grave.

Giant atrial myxoma mimicking severe mitral stenosis in young patient.

The echocardiogram of a twenty-year-old man, previously healthy, suffering from paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and fatigue after moderate exertion that intensified over a period of about ten days, showed the left atrium myxoma working as severe mitral stenosis.

Constituintes químicos voláteis e não-voláteis de Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae / Volatile and non-volatile chemical constituents of Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae

O estudo fitoquímico do extrato etanólico das folhas de Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae, resultou no isolamento dos derivados benzilnitrilas niazirina, niazirinina e 4-hidroxifenil-acetonitrila, enquanto que das cascas dos frutos somente o octacosano foi obtido. Os óleos essenciais das folhas, flores e frutos foram analisados por cromatografia gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massa. Os constituintes principais identificados foram: fitol (21,6 por cento) e timol (9,6 por cento) nas folhas, octadecano (27,4 por cento) e ácido hexadecanóico (18,4 por cento) nas flores e docosano (32,7 por cento) e tetracosano (24,0 por cento) nos frutos. As estruturas dos compostos isolados foram identificadas a partir de técnicas espectroscópicas (RMN, IV e EM). A 4-hidroxifenil-acetonitrila está sendo citada pela primeira vez para o gênero Moringa e os óleos essenciais das flores e frutos estão sendo citados pela primeira vez para a espécie M. oleifera.

Phytochemical analysis of the ethanol extract from leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae, yield the benzylnitriles: niazirine, niazirinine and 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile, while of fruit shells only octacosane was isolated. The essential oils from leaves, flowers and fruits were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major constituents identified were: phytol (21.6 percent) and thymol (9.6 percent) in the leaves oil, octadecane (27.4 percent) and hexadecanoic acid (18.4 percent) in the flowers oil, docosane (32.7 percent) and tetracosane (24.0 percent) in the fruits oil. The structures of all compounds were identified by spectroscopic analyses (NMR, IR and MS). 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile is reported for the first time to the Moringa genus and the essential oils of flowers and fruits are reported for the first time to the species M. oleifera.

Atividades biológicas e enzimáticas do extrato aquoso de sementes de Caesalpinia ferrea Mart., Leguminosae / Biological and enzymatic activities of aqueous extract of seeds from Caesalpinia ferrea Mart., Leguminosae

Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. (jucá ou pau-ferro) é uma espécie da família Leguminosae cuja ocorrência estende-se da região Nordeste ao Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Trata-se de uma espécie bastante utilizada na medicina popular pelas suas inúmeras propriedades terapêuticas tais como antiinflamatória, analgésica, antimicrobiana e antitérmica as quais indicam a presença de compostos de interesse farmacológico. Contudo, muitos estudos em plantas também investigam a presença de compostos de interesse industrial. Com base nas propriedades terapêuticas e atividades já descritas para essa espécie, esse trabalho objetivou pesquisar atividades biológicas no extrato de sementes de C. ferrea na busca por compostos de interesse industrial e farmacológico. Os resultados indicaram a presença das atividades celulásica, amilásica, anticoagulante e larvicida contra A. aegypti no extrato aquoso das sementes de C. ferrea, entretanto, não foram observadas as atividades tóxica aguda, hemolítica, heparinásica, antibacteriana e antifúngica.

Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. is a species belonging to Leguminosae family commonly known in Brazil as "jucá" or "pau-ferro". It occurs in Brazil from the Northeast Region to the State of Rio de Janeiro and it is widely utilized in folk medicine due to its several therapeutic properties such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial and antithermic, which indicate the presence of compounds of pharmacological interest. Besides, many studies with plants look for the presence of compounds with industrial applications. Based upon the therapeutic and bioactive properties described for this species so far, this work aimed to investigate several biological activities in the water extract of C. ferrea seeds. The results indicated the presence of the following activities: cellulase, amylase, anticoagulant and larvicide against A. aegypti in the water extract of C. ferrea seeds. Nevertheless, the extract did not show the other activities assayed: acute toxic activity, hemolytic, heparinasic, antibacterial and antifungal activities.

Plasma PAF-acetylhydrolase activity, inflammatory markers and susceptibility of LDL to in vitro oxidation in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: We evaluated if type 1 diabetic patients have altered levels of low-grade inflammatory markers including platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) activity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), white blood cells count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and LDL-cholesterol oxidation coefficient (OxC), and whether their levels are related to clinical complications and the metabolic profile. METHODS: We studied cross-sectionally 118 outpatients with type 1 diabetes both with (n=38) and without (n=80) clinical chronic complications, and 110 controls subjects. RESULTS: Diabetic patients had higher levels of PAF-AH activity (p=0.02), hs-CRP (p=0.001), WBC (p=0.004) and ESR (p=0.0001) than controls. Patients with type 1 diabetes had earlier OxC than the non-diabetic subjects at 1 and 3 h (p=0.01) after the addition of CuSO(4). No difference was noted between patients with and without chronic complications. In the patients, correlations were found between PAF-AH activity and OxC at 1 and 3 h. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the susceptibility of LDL to in vitro oxidation and low-grade inflammation are increased in patients with type 1 diabetes and related to each other. The presence of these markers is probably independent of the presence of chronic clinical complications and reveals the development of early pro-inflammatory state.

Serum platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase activity: a novel potential inflammatory marker in type 1 diabetes.

Plasma activity of the platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) plays an important role in inflammation and atherosclerotic process in chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the levels of PAF-AH activity and their association with the metabolic profile and chronic complications in patients with type 1 diabetes. The study included 118 outpatients (54 males) aged 27.1+/-11.3 years with disease duration of 12.3+/-8.5 years with (n=38) or without (n=80) diabetes complications and 96 control subjects (48 males) matched for age, gender, body mass index and smoking habits. The serum levels of PAF-AH activity were higher in patients either with or without chronic complications (16+/-5.3 and 14+/-5.4 nmol/(min mL), respectively) than in controls (13+/-5.1 nmol/(min mL), P=0.02). In the total population, PAF-AH activity was correlated with age, HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. In patients, PAF-AH activity was correlated with age, HbA1c, uric acid, HDL-cholesterol, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio and the LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio. It is concluded that PAF-AH plasma activity could be a novel candidate for low-grade inflammatory marker in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Indicators of healthcare quality in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery performed at a tertiary cardiology center.

BACKGROUND: Quality indicators (QI) for cardiac surgery are important instruments for measuring healthcare quality in hospital centers and allow comparison with high-quality healthcare centers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate QIs in isolated myocardial revascularization procedures (CABG) performed at a tertiary cardiology center. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four consecutive patients who had undergone isolated CABG were evaluated between October 2005 and March 2007. One hundred and eight patients were men (75%), the mean age was 65+/-11, and the EuroSCORE was 4+/-3. The following QIs were measured: time elapsed between the surgery date-setting appointment and the actual day of the CABG (TDC); surgery cancellation rate (SCR) due to problems in hospital infrastructure; length of hospital stay (LOS); operative mortality (OM) and rate of readmission (RHR) for infection in the surgical wound. RESULTS: The TDC (n=98) was 4+/-3 days (median: 4 days) and the SCR was zero. The OM recorded of 4.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2 - 9.87%) was lower than the expected OM of 5.1% (95% CI = 1.4% to 14.37%), but with no statistical significance (p=0.65). The area under the ROC curve of the EuroSCORE for the OM was 0.702 (95% CI = 0.485 - 0.919). LOS was 11+/-9 days. The area under the ROC curve of the EuroSCORE for the LOS was 0.764 (95% CI = 0.675 - 0.852). The RHR recorded was 2.1%. CONCLUSION: The measurement of the QIs showed that, in a medical center with a low annual volume of CABG, the results were compatible with the risk profile of the population involved.

Indicadores de qualidade assistencial na cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica isolada em centro cardiológico terciário / Indicators of healthcare quality in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery performed at a tertiary cardiology center

FUNDAMENTO: Indicadores de qualidade (IQ) em cirurgia cardíaca são importantes instrumentos de avaliação da assistência médica em centros hospitalares. OBJETIVO: Avaliar os IQ da cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica (CRVM) isolada em centro terciário cardiológico. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 144 pacientes consecutivos submetidos a CRVM isolada entre outubro de 2005 e março de 2007: 108 pacientes eram do sexo masculino (75 por cento), com média de idade de 65±11 anos e EuroSCORE de 4±3. Os IQ avaliados foram: intervalo de tempo entre a marcação e a realização da cirurgia (TMC); taxa de cancelamento (TxC) decorrentes de problemas ligados à infra-estrutura hospitalar; tempo de permanência hospitalar (TPH); mortalidade operatória (MO) e taxa de reinternação hospitalar por infecção em ferida cirúrgica (TxRH). RESULTADOS: O TMC (n=98) foi de 4±3 dias (mediana de 4 dias) e a TxC foi zero. A MO observada de 4,9 por cento (Intervalo de Confiança [IC] 95 por cento = 2,2 - 9,87 por cento) foi menor do que a MO esperada de 5,1 por cento (IC 95 por cento = 1,4 por cento a 14,37 por cento), mas sem significância estatística (p=0,65). A área sob a curva ROC do EuroSCORE para MO observada foi de 0,702 (IC 95 por cento = 0,485 - 0,919). O TPH foi de 11±9 dias. A área sob a curva ROC do EuroSCORE para TPH foi de 0,764 (IC 95 por cento = 0,675 - 0,852). A TxRH observada foi de 2,1 por cento. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação dos IQ demonstrou que, em um centro com baixo número anual de CRVM, os resultados alcançados foram compatíveis com o perfil de risco da população envolvida.

BACKGROUND: Quality indicators (QI) for cardiac surgery are important instruments for measuring healthcare quality in hospital centers and allow comparison with high-quality healthcare centers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate QIs in isolated myocardial revascularization procedures (CABG) performed at a tertiary cardiology center. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four consecutive patients who had undergone isolated CABG were evaluated between October 2005 and March 2007. One hundred and eight patients were men (75 percent), the mean age was 65±11, and the EuroSCORE was 4±3. The following QIs were measured: time elapsed between the surgery date-setting appointment and the actual day of the CABG (TDC); surgery cancellation rate (SCR) due to problems in hospital infrastructure; length of hospital stay (LOS); operative mortality (OM) and rate of readmission (RHR) for infection in the surgical wound. RESULTS: The TDC (n=98) was 4±3 days (median: 4 days) and the SCR was zero. The OM recorded of 4.9 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 2.2 - 9.87 percent) was lower than the expected OM of 5.1 percent (95 percent CI = 1.4 percent to 14.37 percent), but with no statistical significance (p=0.65). The area under the ROC curve of the EuroSCORE for the OM was 0.702 (95 percent CI = 0.485 - 0.919). LOS was 11±9 days. The area under the ROC curve of the EuroSCORE for the LOS was 0.764 (95 percent CI = 0.675 - 0.852). The RHR recorded was 2.1 percent. CONCLUSION: The measurement of the QIs showed that, in a medical center with a low annual volume of CABG, the results were compatible with the risk profile of the population involved.

Desafio estratégico da política pública: o ensino superior brasileiro / Public policy strategic challenge: Brazilian higher education

Poucas pessoas no Brasil são, em comparação com países desenvolvidos, portadoras de diploma de ensino superior. Admitindo-se que a qualificação da população do país, a este nível, constitua interesse estratégico nacional, este artigo examina as características do caso brasileiro e discute as opções pregressas que o país fez, bem como observa as opções futuras, que estariam abertas ao país. O Brasil deliberou, ainda que não tenha manifestado claramente tal deliberação, por expandir seu ensino terciário por meio do setor privado. Desde o final do século XX esta expansão vem adquirindo uma faceta mercantil. Ao Estado brasileiro, contudo, apetece a estratégia da "não-decisão". Escolhe o setor privado para expandir a oferta de educação superior. E escolhe a via comercial, a partir de 1997, para fazê-lo. Mas não revela tal escolha. Deixa-a ao sabor, senão olhar, do analista das políticas públicas. Resta analisar as conseqüências desta "não-decisão" brasileira. Este artigo oferece números, argumentos e sugestões sobre o tema.

Few people in Brazil, compared to developed countries, have a higher education diploma. Admitting that the qualification of the country's population at this level may constitute a national strategic interest, this article examines the characteristics of the Brazilian case and discusses the country's past choices, as well as the future ones that could be at its disposal. Brazil has decided, even thought not explicitly, to expand its tertiary education by means of the private sector. Since the end of the 20th century, this expansion has been gaining a mercantile facet. The Brazilian state, however is interested in a 'non-decision' strategy. It chooses the private sector to expand the offer of higher education. And since 1997 it has chosen the commercial path to do it. But it does not reveal this choice, leaving it to be examined according the perspective of the public policy analyst. One can only analyze the consequences of this Brazilian 'non-decision.' This article provides numbers, arguments and suggestions pertaining the issue.

Fatores de risco para morbimortalidade hospitalar em cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio / Risk factors for in-Hospital mobidity and mortality in coronary myocardial revascularization surgery

Objetivos: a) Determinar as variáveis relacionadas à mortalidade de pacientes submetidos à revascularização cirúrgica do miocárdio, durante o período hospitalar, e b) Determinar as variáveis relacionadas à morbidade (angina, infarto, angioplastia, revascularização,arritmia ventricular, acidente vascular encefálico). Métodos: Foram acompanhados os pacientes operadosconsecutivamente pela equipe, desde a cirurgia até a alta, observando-se a presença de morbidade neste período, e a mortalidade. Foi feita análise univariada das variáveis e as relevantes submetidas à análise multivariada. O nível de significância foi de 5%. Resultados: Seiscentos e cinqüenta pacientes foram operados no período de julho de 2002 a janeiro de 2003. A mortalidade foi de 5,84% (38 pacientes). Quarenta e dois eventos ocorreram em 41 pacientes (6,3%). Osfatores associados à mortalidade durante o período de internação hospitalar foram: idade, presença de doença vascular periférica, presença de comorbidade, classe funcional (NYHA), angina classe CCS, angina classe Braunwald, presença de evento pré, infarto prévio, revascularização prévia, cirurgia de urgência/ emergência, disfunção ventricular, lesão de tronco decoronária esquerda, leito distal, tempo de perfusão, tempo de pinçamento, número de anastomoses distais e associação de outro procedimento cirúrgico. Os fatores associados à morbidade durante o período deinternação hospitalar foram: idade, presença de doença vascular periférica, angina classe CCS, angina classeBraunwald, cirurgia de urgência/emergência, função de ventrículo esquerdo, leito distal,necessidade de endarterectomia, entrada em sala de operações com dor.Conclusões: Foram preditores independentes para mortalidade: leito distal, função de VE, angina classe CCS, comorbidade e idade. Foram preditoresindependentes para morbidade: leito distal e angina classe Braunwald.

Objectives: a) To determine the variables related with the mortality of patients submitted to surgical myocardial revascularization during hospital stay and b) to determine the variables related with morbidity (angina, infarction, angioplasty, revascularization, ventricular arrhythmia, and cerebral vascularaccident). Methods: The patients consecutively operated on bythe team were followed up from the time of the procedure until discharge. The occurrence of morbidity and mortality was rated. A univariate analysis of the variables was conducted and the relevant ones were submitted to a multivariate analysis. The significancelevel was 5%. Results: Six hundred and fifty patients were submitted to surgery from July 2002 to January 2003. Themortality rate was 5.84% (38 patients). Forty-two events occurred in 41 patients (6.3%). The factors associated with mortality during hospital stay were:age, presence of peripheral vascular disease, presence of comorbidity, functional class (NYHA), CCS anginaclass, Braunwald angina class, presence of pre-event, pre-infarction, previous revascularization, non-elective status of surgery, ventricular dysfunction, clamping time, number of distal anastomoses, and association with any other surgical procedure. The factorsassociated with morbidity during hospital stay were: age, presence of peripheral vascular disease, CCS angina class, Braunwald angina class, non-elective status of surgery, left ventricle function, distal flow, need of endarterectomy, and thoracic pain onadmission to the operating room.Conclusions: The variables independently associated with death were distal flow, left ventricle function, CCS angina class, comorbidity, and age. The variables independently associated to morbidity were distal flowand Braunwald class angina.

Circulating levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor are associated with mild pulmonary dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a central mediator of inflammatory response and acute lung injury that is secreted in response to corticosteroids. A rise in systemic MIF levels was described after cardiac surgery in steroid-treated patients. This study aimed to investigate the circulating levels of MIF and the possible relationship of this cytokine to pulmonary dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We included 74 patients without previous organ dysfunction undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS). The same team performed all CABS via a standard technique adding methylprednisolone (15 mg/kg) to the CPB priming solution (Group MP, n = 37). In the remaining patients (Group NS, n = 37), methylprednisolone was withdrawn from the CPB priming. MIF, C-reactive protein (CRP), and total C3 were assayed in peripheral blood sampled immediately before anesthesia induction and 3, 6, and 24 h post-CPB. Preoperative risk scores and peri- and postoperative variables were documented. Postoperative kinetics of MIF and C3 were similar for both groups. Levels of CRP 24 h post-CPB were higher in Group MP (P = 0.003). Higher MIF levels were detected 6 h post-CPB, and returned to preoperative levels 24 h after CPB. MIF levels 6 h post-CPB were inversely related to the postoperative PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P = 0.0021) and were directly related to the duration of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.014). Perioperative use of methylprednisolone did not modify the MIF response to CPB, but it was related to an enhanced acute phase response. Higher circulating MIF levels 6 h post-CPB were associated with worse postoperative pulmonary short-course outcome.

Relationships in subtribe Diocleinae (Leguminosae; Papilionoideae) inferred from internal transcribed spacer sequences from nuclear ribosomal DNA.

The complete sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS/5.8S) were determined for species belonging to six genera from the subtribe Diocleinae as well as for the anomalous genera Calopogonium and Pachyrhizus. Phylogenetic trees constructed by distance matrix, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods showed that Calopogonium and Pachyrhizus were outside the clade Diocleinae (Canavalia, Camptosema, Cratylia, Dioclea, Cymbosema, and Galactia). This finding supports previous morphological, phytochemical, and molecular evidence that Calopogonium and Pachyrhizus do not belong to the subtribe Diocleinae. Within the true Diocleinae clade, the clustering of genera and species were congruent with morphology-based classifications, suggesting that ITS/5.8S sequences can provide enough informative sites to allow resolution below the genus level. This is the first evidence of the phylogeny of subtribe Diocleinae based on nuclear DNA sequences.

Purification and physicochemical characterization of a cotyledonary lectin from Luetzelburgia auriculata.

A lectin was purified from the cotyledons of Luetzelburgia auriculata (Fr. All) Ducke by affinity chromatography on agarose-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. The lectin is a potent agglutinin for rabbit erythrocytes, reacts with human red cells, but is inactive against cow, sheep, and goat erythrocytes. Hemagglutination of rabbit erythrocytes was inhibited by either 0.39 mM N-acetyl-neuraminic acid or N-acetyl-D-galactosamin, 12.5 mM D-lactose or D-melibiose, 50 mM D-galactose or raffinose. Its hemagglutinating activity was lost at 80 degrees C, 5 min, and the activation energy required for denaturation was 104.75 kJ mol(-1). Chromatography on Sephadex G-100, at pH 7.6, showed that at this hydrogenic ionic concentration the native lectin was a homotetramer (123.5 kDa). By denaturing SDS-PAGE, LAA seemed to be composed of a mixture of 29 and 15 kDa polypeptide subunits. At acidic and basic pHs it assumed different conformations, as demonstrated by exclusion chromatography on Superdex 200 HR 10/30. The N-terminal sequence of the 29 kDa band was SEVVSFSFTKFNPNQKDII and the 15 kDa band contained a mixture of SEVVSFSFTKFNPNQKDII and KFNQIVAVEEDTDXESQPQ sequences, indicating that these bands may represent full-length and its endogenous fragments, respectively. The lectin is a glycoprotein having 3.2% neutral carbohydrate, with a pI of 5.8, containing high levels of Asp+Asn and Glu+Gln and hydroxy amino acids, and low amount or absence of sulfur amino acids. Its absorption spectrum showed a maximum at 280 nm and a epsilon (1%) x (1cm) of 5.2. Its CD spectrum was characterized by minima near 228 nm, maxima near 196 nm and a negative to positive crossover at 210 nm. The secondary structure content was 6% alpha-helix, 8% parallel beta-sheet, 38% antiparallel beta-sheet, 17% beta-turn, 31% unordered and others contribution, and 1% RMS (root mean square). In the fluorescence spectroscopy, excitation of the lectin solution at 280 nm gave an emission spectrum in the 285-445 nm range. The wavelength maximum emission was in 334.5 nm, typical for tryptophan residues buried inside the protein.

Reflorestamento de clareiras na floresta nacional do Araripe com Vanillosmopsis arborea Baker

A propagação assexuada do "Candeeiro" Vanillosmopsis arborea Baker, espécie produtora de óleo essencial rico em alfa-bisabolol, vem sendo testada com relativo sucesso em casa de vegetação localizada na Chapada do Araripe Crato, Ceará, sua área nativa. Por outro lado, o domínio dos tratos silviculturais ainda não foi atingido. O presente trabalho, teve como finalidade repovoar quatro áreas de clareiras na Chapada do Araripe, tendo em vista a preservação de uma espécie de reconhecido valor econômico e a observação do estabelecimento de 330 mudas produzidas por estaquia. As mudas mostraram-se resistentes, com crescimento médio entre 5,99-7,18 cm, lento, porém uniforme, estando o estabelecimento definitivo a mercê das condições climáticas da região.

Vanillosmopis arborea Baker is a native tree from Chapada do Araripe located in Crato city, state of Ceará, being a potencial source of essencial oil containing á-bisabolol. Its asexual propagation has been carried out in a green house nearby Crato. This work aimed at the feasibility of growth of V. arborea Baker samples in four experimental plots in Chapada do Araripe, through the transplantation of 330 plants to the field produced by cutting. Plant growing has been observed during four months and the results showed that plants growth is suitability to climate and soil conditions, whereby an average plant growth of 5.99 - 7.18 cm was obtained.

Instituicoes, poder e politica na saúde: um marco de referencia / Institutions, power and politics in health: a frame of reference

Analiza el sector salud como un sistema abierto, condicionado por un ambiente operacional amplio, donde actuan fuerzas sociales, políticas y economicas. El documento identifica a los actores mas relevantes en el proceso de reforma y los intereses que expresan; de igual manera analiza la forma como se organizan los grupos de interes, los movimientos, organizaciónes e instituciones para realizar sus propositos, senalando en general, las políticas concretas que afectan la gestión del sector y que afectan al sistema, como un todo