Floral Scent Chemistry and Pollinators of a Sexually Dimorphic Neotropical Orchid.

Catasetum is a speciose Neotropical orchid genus of which male and female flowers emit scents acting both as attractant and reward for their exclusive pollinators, male orchid bees (Euglossini: Apidae). In Catasetum, it is well known that flowers display a remarkably morphological sexual dimorphism. However, it remains poorly investigated whether this is also true for floral scents. Here, we investigated the pollination ecology and floral scent traits (chemistry and total emission) of C. maranhense, a species endemic to the Brazilian N/NE region. Males of Euglossa securigera are the only pollinators of C. maranhense. The floral scent of C. maranhense is composed of 29 volatile compounds, with eucalyptol, indole, (E)-Methyl p-methoxycinnamate, and (Z)-Methyl p-methoxycinnamate accounting for more than 80% of the scent bouquet. No sexual dimorphism was detected in any of the traits investigated. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary significance of our findings to Catasetum species and other unisexual perfume plants.

Trichoderma from Brazilian garlic and onion crop soils and description of two new species: Trichoderma azevedoi and Trichoderma peberdyi.

Fifty four Trichoderma strains were isolated from soil samples collected from garlic and onion crops in eight different sites in Brazil and were identified using phylogenetic analysis based on combined ITS region, tef1-α, cal, act and rpb2 sequences. The genetic variability of the recovered Trichoderma species was analysed by AFLP and their phenotypic variability determined using MALDI-TOF. The strain clusters from both typing techniques coincided with the taxonomic determinations made from phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic analysis showed the occurrence of Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma asperelloides, Trichoderma afroharzianum, Trichoderma hamatum, Trichoderma lentiforme, Trichoderma koningiopsis, Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Trichoderma erinaceum, in the soil samples. We also identified and describe two new Trichoderma species, both in the harzianum clade of section Pachybasium, which we have named Trichoderma azevedoi sp. nov. and Trichoderma peberdyi sp. nov. The examined strains of both T. azevedoi (three strains) and T. peberdyi (12 strains) display significant genotypic and phenotypic variability, but form monophyletic clades with strong bootstrap and posterior probability support and are morphologically distinct from their respective most closely related species.

Atendimento homeopático no Centro de Saúde da Barra Funda, SP: uma contribuição à atenção primária à saúde / Homeopathic care at Health Center of Barra Funda, São Paulo: a contribution to primary health care

Os autores analisam o conceito de doença e de doente, suas implicações no tratamento médico, na assistência médica e na adequação do tratamento homeopáticos aos pacientes que se tratam em Centros de Saúde. Estão executando um projeto de atendimento a pacientes no Centro de Saúde da Barra Funda em São Paulo, onde se propõem a analisar a eficiência terapêutica homeopática, através dos resultados do tratamento dos doentes, do tempo gasto nas consultas, das intercorrências durante o tratamento e o custo medicamentoso. O trabalho está em andamento e somente alguns dados preliminares foram avaliados. Este trabalho constitui uma contribuição para a estruturação do atendimento homeopático na rede pública. (au)

The authors analyze the notions of disease/sick person, their implications for medical treatment, medical care and the suitability of homeopathic treatment for patients cared at primary healthcare services. The authors are carrying out a project involving care delivery to patients at Health Care Center of Barra Funda, São Paulo, to analyze the efficiency of homeopathic treatment based on the outcomes of treatment, visit duration, intercurrent problems and cost. This project is in progress and only some preliminary data were evaluated. The present study represents a contribution to the implementation of homeopathic care within the public healthcare system. (au)

Clustering of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in low-income, female adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective To assess the prevalence and clustering patterns of cardiometabolic risk factors among low-income, female adolescents. Materials and methods Cross-sectional study involving 196 students of public schools (11-19 years old). The following risk factors were considered in the analysis: excess weight, central obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and high fasting glucose. The ratio between observed and expected prevalence and its confidence interval were used to identify clustering of risk factors that exceeded expected prevalence in the population. Results The most prevalent risk factors were dyslipidemia (70.9%), and central obesity (39.8%), followed by excess weight (29.6%), and high blood pressure (12.8%). A total of 42.9% of adolescents had two or more risk factors, and 24% had three or more. Excess weight, central obesity, and dyslipidemia were common risk factors in the clustering patterns that showed higher-than-expected prevalence. Conclusions Clustering of risk factors (≥ two factors) among the adolescents showed considerable prevalence, and there was a non-casual coexistence of excess weight, central obesity, and dyslipidemia (mainly low HDL-cholesterol).

Status and Impact of Acupuncture Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global and Brazilian Scientific Output from 2000 to 2014.

OBJECTIVE: This bibliometric study was designed to evaluate the scientific output of Brazilian acupuncture publications and compare that output to the global trends in the same area. METHODS: The analyzed data were retrieved from the online version of Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) database and covered the period from 2000 to 2014. The documents were searched by using the topic filter to find acupuncture-related documents (ARDs) and the title filter for acupuncture-specific documents (ASDs). The analyzed categories included number of publications, type of documents, number of citations, universities/institutions, research areas, and journals. RESULTS: A total of 9301 ARDs and 5974 ASDs were published in the past 15 years worldwide. The global average number of citations per document was 10.61 for ARDs and 9.24 for ASDs. Brazil has published 252 ARDs and 169 ASDs, which corresponds to the tenth and ninth positions on the global correspondent rankings. The United States is the most productive country, with 2503 ARD publications, followed by China with 2143 and South Korea with 925. Norway is in the first position for the ARD citation rank, with 25.77 citations per document; Switzerland is in the first position for the ASD citation rank, with 26.66. Brazil has 4.19 citations per document, which corresponds to the 20th position in the ASD citation rankings. Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine, Acupuncture in Medicine, and The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine are the leading journals in terms of numbers of ARDs and ASDs in Brazil and globally. CONCLUSION: The bibliometric analysis of the SCI-E database shows that global numbers of ARDs and ASDs and citations have constantly increased from 2000 to 2014. Brazil is among the top 10 most productive countries in the world in terms of number of acupuncture publications. However, the number of citations of Brazilian documents is below the global average.

Clustering of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in low-income, female adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and clustering patterns of cardiometabolic risk factors among low-income, female adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study involving 196 students of public schools (11-19 years old). The following risk factors were considered in the analysis: excess weight, central obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and high fasting glucose. The ratio between observed and expected prevalence and its confidence interval were used to identify clustering of risk factors that exceeded expected prevalence in the population. RESULTS: The most prevalent risk factors were dyslipidemia (70.9%), and central obesity (39.8%), followed by excess weight (29.6%), and high blood pressure (12.8%). A total of 42.9% of adolescents had two or more risk factors, and 24% had three or more. Excess weight, central obesity, and dyslipidemia were common risk factors in the clustering patterns that showed higher-than-expected prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Clustering of risk factors (≥ two factors) among the adolescents showed considerable prevalence, and there was a non-casual coexistence of excess weight, central obesity, and dyslipidemia (mainly low HDL-cholesterol).

Influence of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Shott) growth conditions on the phenolic composition and biological properties.

Colocasia esculenta (L.) Shott, commonly known as taro, is an essential food for millions of people. The leaves are consumed in sauces, purees, stews, and soups, being also used in wound healing treatment. Nowadays, the consumers' demand for bioactive compounds from the diet led to the development of new agricultural strategies for the production of health-promoting constituents in vegetables. In this work, two strategies (variety choice and irrigation conditions) were considered in the cultivation of C. esculenta. The effect on the phenolic composition of the leaves was evaluated. Furthermore, a correlation between the biological activity of the different varieties and their chemical composition was established. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the phenolic composition were observed between varieties; furthermore, the irrigation conditions also influenced the composition. C. esculenta varieties were able to scavenge several oxidant species and to inhibit hyaluronidase, but data suggest that metabolites other than phenolics are involved. The results show that cultivation strategies can effectively modulate the accumulation of these types of bioactive compounds. Furthermore C. esculenta wound healing potential can be attributed, at least in part, to the protection of the wound site against oxidative/nitrosative damage and prevention of hyaluronic acid degradation.

Further knowledge on the phenolic profile of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Shott.

Colocasia esculenta (L.) Shott, commonly called taro, is an ancient species selected for its edible tuber. Its huge "elephant ear" like leaves are also consumed in sauces and stews or as soups. Forty-one phenolic metabolites (11 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and 30 glycosylated flavonoids) were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS(n)) in the leaves of two C. esculenta varieties cultivated in Azores Islands. To our knowledge, 34 of the 41 phenolic compounds are being reported for the first time in this species. Phenolics quantification was achieved by an HPLC-DAD accurate and sensitive validated method. Although the qualitative profile of the two varieties is quite similar, quantitative differences were observed between them. "Giant white" and "red" varieties (local denomination) contain, respectively, ca. 14 and 21% of phenolic acids, 37 and 28% of flavones mono-C-glycosides, 42 and 43% of flavones di-C-glycosides, 3 and 4% of flavones mono-C-(O-glycosyl)glycosides, and both of them ca. 2% of flavones di-C-(O-glycosyl)glycosides and 2% of flavones-O-glycosides. Luteolin-6-C-hexoside was the compound present in higher amounts in both varieties. The established phenolic profile is an added value for the authenticity and quality control of C. esculenta and may be useful in the discrimination of its varieties.

A study on the pretreatment of a sugarcane bagasse sample with dilute sulfuric acid.

Experiments based on a 2(3) central composite full factorial design were carried out in 200-ml stainless-steel containers to study the pretreatment, with dilute sulfuric acid, of a sugarcane bagasse sample obtained from a local sugar-alcohol mill. The independent variables selected for study were temperature, varied from 112.5°C to 157.5°C, residence time, varied from 5.0 to 35.0 min, and sulfuric acid concentration, varied from 0.0% to 3.0% (w/v). Bagasse loading of 15% (w/w) was used in all experiments. Statistical analysis of the experimental results showed that all three independent variables significantly influenced the response variables, namely the bagasse solubilization, efficiency of xylose recovery in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate, efficiency of cellulose enzymatic saccharification, and percentages of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the pretreated solids. Temperature was the factor that influenced the response variables the most, followed by acid concentration and residence time, in that order. Although harsher pretreatment conditions promoted almost complete removal of the hemicellulosic fraction, the amount of xylose recovered in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate did not exceed 61.8% of the maximum theoretical value. Cellulose enzymatic saccharification was favored by more efficient removal of hemicellulose during the pretreatment. However, detoxification of the hemicellulosic hydrolysate was necessary for better bioconversion of the sugars to ethanol.

Fermentative behavior of Saccharomyces strains during microvinification of raspberry juice (Rubus idaeus L.).

Sixteen different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus were evaluated in the production of raspberry fruit wine. Raspberry juice sugar concentrations were adjusted to 16° Brix with a sucrose solution, and batch fermentations were performed at 22 °C. Various kinetic parameters, such as the conversion factors of the substrates into ethanol (Y(p/s)), biomass (Y(x/s)), glycerol (Y(g/s)) and acetic acid (Y(ac/s)), the volumetric productivity of ethanol (Q(p)), the biomass productivity (P(x)), and the fermentation efficiency (E(f)) were calculated. Volatile compounds (alcohols, ethyl esters, acetates of higher alcohols and volatile fatty acids) were determined by gas chromatography (GC-FID). The highest values for the E(f), Y(p/s), Y(g/s), and Y(x/s) parameters were obtained when strains commonly used in the fuel ethanol industry (S. cerevisiae PE-2, BG, SA, CAT-1, and VR-1) were used to ferment raspberry juice. S. cerevisiae strain UFLA FW 15, isolated from fruit, displayed similar results. Twenty-one volatile compounds were identified in raspberry wines. The highest concentrations of total volatile compounds were found in wines produced with S. cerevisiae strains UFLA FW 15 (87,435 µg/L), CAT-1 (80,317.01 µg/L), VR-1 (67,573.99 µg/L) and S. bayanus CBS 1505 (71,660.32 µg/L). The highest concentrations of ethyl esters were 454.33 µg/L, 440.33 µg/L and 438 µg/L for S. cerevisiae strains UFLA FW 15, VR-1 and BG, respectively. Similar to concentrations of ethyl esters, the highest concentrations of acetates (1927.67 µg/L) and higher alcohols (83,996.33 µg/L) were produced in raspberry wine from S. cerevisiae UFLA FW 15. The maximum concentration of volatile fatty acids was found in raspberry wine produced by S. cerevisiae strain VR-1. We conclude that S. cerevisiae strain UFLA FW 15 fermented raspberry juice and produced a fruit wine with low concentrations of acids and high concentrations of acetates, higher alcohols and ethyl esters.

Determination of metabolite profiles in tropical wines by 1H NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics.

Traditionally, wines are produced in temperate climate zones, with one harvest per year. Tropical wines are a new concept of vitiviniculture that is being developed, principally in Brazil. The new Brazilian frontier is located in the northeast region (São Francisco River Valley) in Pernambuco State, close to the equator, between 8 and 9 degrees S. Compared with other Brazilian and worldwide vineyards, the grapes of this region possess peculiar characteristics. The aim of this work is a preliminary study of commercial São Francisco River Valley wines, analyzing their metabolite profiles by (1)H NMR and chemometric methods.

[The nutritional status of schoolchildren living in the semi-arid area of northern Brazil]. / Estado Nutricional de Escolares do Semi-Arido do Nordeste Brasileiro.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at describing the nutritional status of 10 to 17 year old children enrolled in public and private schools from different regions having specific Brazilian semi-arid area characteristics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study using a stratified probability sample (n=1 701). 900 children were male and 801 female selected from three cities, randomly chosen from 3 cities which were representative of the regions: Leste Potiguar-RLP (n=1,158), Oeste Potiguar-ROP (n=312) and Central Potiguar-RCP (n=231). They were divided into three age groups: 10 to 12 years, 13 and 14 years and e(3)15 years. Conde and Monteiro cutoff points were used for body mass index (BMI) classification. RESULTS: Regarding the regions, there was a significant difference (p<0001) in BMI distribution. RLP presented excess weight and obesity (6.8 %, 15.2 %), ROP (16.3 %, 9.6 %) and RCP (10.4 %, 3.9 %), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents in the most favored regions (especially students in private schools in the region) had a prevalence of being overweight and suffering from obesity.

Estado nutricional de escolares do semi-árido do nordeste brasileiro / Estado nutricional de los estudiantes de la región semiárida del noreste de Brasil / The nutritional status of schoolchildren living in the semi-arid area of northern Brazil

Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo é descrever o estado nutricional de crianças com idade entre 10 a 17 anos matriculados em escolas públicas e privadas de diferentes regiões com características específicas do semi-árido brasileiro. Material e métodos Estudo transversal do tipo descritivo e comparativo, com uma amostra probabilística estratificada n=1 701(900 homens e 801 mulheres), escolhidas intencionalmente em três cidades das regiões Leste Potiguar n=1 158; Oeste Potiguar n=312; e Central Potiguar n=231, divididos em três grupos etários de 10 a 12 anos, 13 e 14 anos e ³ 15 anos. Para a classificação do índice de massa corporal, foi utilizada os pontos de corte de Conde e Monteiro. Resultados Entre as regiões existe uma diferença significativa com p<0001, na distribuição do índice de massa corporal. A RLP apresentou um excesso de peso e obesidade (16,8 por cento e 15,2 por cento), a ROP (16,3 por cento y 9,6 por cento) e a RCP (10,4 por cento e 3,9 por cento) respectivamente. Conclusões Adolescentes das regiões mais favorecidas, especialmente os estudantes pertencentes às escolas privadas do estado, tem uma prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade.

Objective This study was aimed at describing the nutritional status of 10 to 17 year old children enrolled in public and private schools from different regions having specific Brazilian semi-arid area characteristics. Material and methods This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study using a stratified probability sample (n=1 701). 900 children were male and 801 female selected from three cities, randomly chosen from 3 cities which were representative of the regions: Leste Potiguar-RLP (n=1,158), Oeste Potiguar-ROP (n=312) and Central Potiguar-RCP (n=231). They were divided into three age groups: 10 to 12 years, 13 and 14 years and e ³ 15 years. Conde and Monteiro cutoff points were used for body mass index (BMI) classification. Results Regarding the regions, there was a significant difference (p<0001) in BMI distribution. RLP presented excess weight and obesity (6.8 percent, 15.2 percent), ROP (16.3 percent, 9.6 percent) and RCP (10.4 percent, 3.9 percent), respectively. Conclusions Adolescents in the most favored regions (especially students in private schools in the region) had a prevalence of being overweight and suffering from obesity.

Objetivo El objetivo de este estudio es describir el estado nutricional de los niños de 10 a 17 años matriculados en escuelas públicas y privadas de diferentes regiones brasileñas semi-áridas. Material y métodos Estudio transversal, descriptivo y comparativo, con una muestra probabilística estratificada conformada por 1 701 escolares (900 varones y 801 mujeres), elegidos al azar en tres ciudades, representativas de regiones: Leste Potiguar-RLP, n=1158; Oeste Potiguar-ROP, n=312; Central y Potiguar-RCP, n= 231, divididos en tres grupos de edad, 10 a 12 años, 13 y 14 años y ³ 15 años. Se usó el método de los puntos de corte para Conde y Monteiro para clasificar el índice de masa corporal. Resultados Relativa a las regiones hubo una diferencia significativa con p<0001, en la distribución del índice de masa corporal. La RLP presenta exceso de peso y obesidad (16,8 por ciento, 15,2 por ciento), el ROP (16,3 por ciento y 9,6 por ciento) y RCP (10,4 por ciento y 3,9 por ciento) respectivamente, Conclusiones Adolescentes en las regiones más favorecidas, especialmente los estudiantes pertenecientes a las escuelas privadas en el estado, tienen una prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad.

Banana as adjunct in beer production: applicability and performance of fermentative parameters.

Traditionally, the raw materials for beer production are barley, hops, water, and yeast, but most brewers use also different adjuncts. During the alcoholic fermentation, the contribution of aroma compounds from other ingredients to the final beer flavor depends on the wort composition, on the yeast strain, and mainly on the process conditions. In this context, banana can also be a raw material favorable to alcoholic fermentation being rich in carbohydrates and minerals and providing low acidity. In this work, the objective was to evaluate the performance of wort adjusted with banana juice in different concentrations. For this, static fermentations were conducted at 15 degrees C at pilot scale (140 L of medium). The addition of banana that changed the concentration of all-malt wort from 10 degrees P to 12 and 15 degrees P were evaluated ( degrees P is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution, at 20 degrees C). The results showed an increase in ethanol production, with approximately 0.4 g/g ethanol yield and 0.6 g/L h volumetric productivity after 84 h of processing when concentrated wort was used. Thus, it was concluded that banana can be used as an adjunct in brewing methods, helping in the development of new products as well as in obtaining concentrated worts.

Total soluble solids from banana: evaluation and optimization of extraction parameters.

Banana, an important component in the diet of the global population, is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. This fruit is also very favorable to industry processes (e.g., fermented beverages) due to its rich content on soluble solids and minerals, with low acidity. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of factors such as banana weight and extraction time during a hot aqueous extraction process on the total soluble solids content of banana. The extract is to be used by the food and beverage industries. The experiments were performed with 105 mL of water, considering the moisture of the ripe banana (65%). Total sugar concentrations were obtained in a beer analyzer and the result expressed in degrees Plato (degrees P, which is the weight of the extract or the sugar equivalent in 100 g solution at 20 degrees C), aiming at facilitating the use of these results by the beverage industries. After previous studies of characterization of the fruit and of ripening performance, a 2(2) full-factorial star design was carried out, and a model was developed to describe the behavior of the dependent variable (total soluble solids) as a function of the factors (banana weight and extraction time), indicating as optimum conditions for extraction 38.5 g of banana at 39.7 min.

Continuous immobilized yeast reactor system for complete beer fermentation using spent grains and corncobs as carrier materials.

Despite extensive research carried out in the last few decades, continuous beer fermentation has not yet managed to outperform the traditional batch technology. An industrial breakthrough in favour of continuous brewing using immobilized yeast could be expected only on achievement of the following process characteristics: simple design, low investment costs, flexible operation, effective process control and good product quality. The application of cheap carrier materials of by-product origin could significantly lower the investment costs of continuous fermentation systems. This work deals with a complete continuous beer fermentation system consisting of a main fermentation reactor (gas-lift) and a maturation reactor (packed-bed) containing yeast immobilized on spent grains and corncobs, respectively. The suitability of cheap carrier materials for long-term continuous brewing was proved. It was found that by fine tuning of process parameters (residence time, aeration) it was possible to adjust the flavour profile of the final product. Consumers considered the continuously fermented beer to be of a regular quality. Analytical and sensorial profiles of both continuously and batch fermented beers were compared.

Batch xylitol production from wheat straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate using Candida guilliermondii in a stirred tank reactor.

Batch production of xylitol from the hydrolysate of wheat straw hemicellulose using Candida guilliermondii was carried out in a stirred tank reactor (agitation speed of 300 rpm, aeration rate of 0.6 vvm and initial cell concentration of 0.5 g l(-1)). After 54 h, xylitol production from 30.5 g xylose l(-1) reached 27.5 g l(-1), resulting in a xylose-to-xylitol bioconversion yield of 0.9 g g(-1) and a productivity of 0.5 g l(-1) h(-1).

Controle de qualidade de misturas de ácidos aminados, hidratos de carbono e emulsäo de lipídios para uso parenteral (3 em 1) / The control of the stability of the amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids, mixtures in the same solution (3x1 system) in parenteral nutrition

O trabalhos consiste na avaliaçäo dos lipossomas, através da microscopia eletrônica, nas misturas nutritivas de ácidos aminados a 10 por cento, com glicose nas concentraçöes de 10, 20 e 25 por cento e adiçäo final de emulsäo lipídica a 10 por cento (TCL) na proporçäo de uma parte desta para cada duas pates da Nutriçäo Parenteral. A emulsäo pura e as soluçöes foram analisadas nos tempos 0/12/24/48 e 72 horas após o preparo, à temperatura ambiente e em estoque sob refrigeraçäo. Concluíram que os lipossomas näo se alteraram morfologicamente e näo sofreram coalisäo mesmo nas concentraçöes de 25 por cento de HC e no tempo de até 72 h à temperatura ambiente