RESUMO
A list of echinoderms from El Salvador (tropical eastern Pacific) is presented. The results were obtained from field surveys (between the years 2000 and 2004), the scarce literature sources, and Internet information. A total of 37 species and six genera are reported. The most abundant echinoderms in rocky shores were: Phataria unifascialis, Echinometra vanbrunti, Holothuria kefersteini, as well as Astropecten armatus in soft bottoms.
Assuntos
Humanos , Animais , Ecossistema , Equinodermos/classificação , El Salvador , Museus , Densidade Demográfica , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
Two new compounds, pycnanthuquinone A (1) and pycnanthuquinone B (2), were isolated from leaves and stems of the African plant, Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb (Myristicaceae), by bioassay-guided fractionation of an ethanolic extract using a diabetic mouse model. Pycnanthuquinones A and B are the first representatives of a novel terpenoid-type quinone skeleton, and both compounds possess significant antihyperglycemic activity.
Assuntos
Ácidos Graxos Insaturados/isolamento & purificação , Hipoglicemiantes/isolamento & purificação , Naftoquinonas/isolamento & purificação , Plantas Medicinais/química , África , Animais , Glicemia/metabolismo , Peso Corporal/efeitos dos fármacos , Diabetes Mellitus/sangue , Diabetes Mellitus/genética , Ingestão de Alimentos/efeitos dos fármacos , Ácidos Graxos Insaturados/farmacologia , Hipoglicemiantes/farmacologia , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Obesos , Naftoquinonas/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/química , Folhas de Planta/química , Caules de Planta/químicaRESUMO
Post-mortem examinations performed during May and August of 1997 on three free-living green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the United Arab Emirates revealed that all had stomachs full of fresh seagrass (approximately 99% of the total ingesta) and presented with a duodenal volvulus involving a length of approximately 100 cm. Duodeni appeared empty and necrotic with diffuse purple-black mucosa. No apparent signs of obstruction by foreign objects, acute endoparasitism, or other disorders were observed. In all cases, duodenal volvulus was diagnosed, the cause of which may have been dietary in origin. The rise in water temperature, with an associated rise in the temperature of seagrass, thus enhancing the over-fermentation of ingesta with the subsequent liberation of excessive amounts of gas was the probable cause of volvulus formation. Ingestion of foreign bodies and physical movement also are discussed as causes of digestive disorders. It is recommended that handlers should avoid 360 degrees rotation when overturning turtles onto their carapaces.
Assuntos
Duodenopatias/veterinária , Obstrução Intestinal/veterinária , Tartarugas , Animais , Duodenopatias/patologia , Feminino , Obstrução Intestinal/patologia , Masculino , Água do Mar , Emirados Árabes UnidosRESUMO
Insecticidal and growth-reducing properties of extracts of 14 species of American neotropical Piperaceae were investigated by inclusion in diets of a polyphagous lepidopteran, the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis. Nutritional indices suggested most extracts acted by postdigestive toxicity.Piper aduncum, P. tuberculatum, andP. decurrens were among the most active species and were subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of the active components. Dillapiol was isolated from the active fraction ofP. aduncum, piperlonguminine was isolated fromP. tuberculatum, and a novel neolignan fromP. decurrens. The results support other studies on Asian and AfricanPiper species, which suggest that lignans and isobutyl amides are the active defence compounds in this family.
