Pitaya as a New Alternative Crop for Iberian Peninsula: Biology and Edaphoclimatic Requirements.

Pitaya is one of the fruit species whose demand has increased in recent years due to the numerous health benefits and lucrative price of the fruit and its by-products. In Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and other Mediterranean countries are the ones with favorable climatic conditions for its cultivation. This document describes much of the history of pitaya in the Iberian Peninsula and the difficulties related to its cultivation.

Molecular phylogeny of Urvillea (Paullinieae, Sapindaceae) and its implications in stem vascular diversity.

Background And Aims: The tribe Paullinieae has the highest diversity of vascular variants among the seed plants. The developmental diversity is better understood in the species-rich genera Paullinia and Serjania; however, the phylogeny and diversity of vascular variants in the smaller genera of Paullinieae remain understudied. Here we investigate the evolution of development of stem vasculatures in the small genus Urvillea.

Quick Decline and Stem Pitting Isolates Induce a Distinct Metabolomic Profile and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in the Phloem Sap of Two Citrus Species.

Susceptibility to the severe (CTV), T36, is higher for (CM) than for (CA). How host-virus interactions are reflected in host physiology is largely unknown. In this study, the profile of metabolites and the antioxidant activity in the phloem sap of healthy and infected CA and CM plants were evaluated.

Prevalence of Tinnitus in Patients Diagnosed with Cerebral Arteriovenous Fistula Treated with Endovascular Technique.

 Tinnitus is characterized as the conscious and involuntary perception of sound, and it affects ∼ 30% of the population. Despite careful physical examination, the etiology of tinnitus can be established for only 30% of patients. Tinnitus is a common symptom of cerebral arteriovenous fistulas and results from increased blood flow through the dural venous sinuses, leading to turbulent arterial flow, mainly related to sigmoid and transverse sinus lesions.

Brazilian Presidential Pronouncements in the Pandemic: Effectiveness in Crisis Communication and Rule Properties.

This work analyzed the six official statements of the president of Brazil that were broadcast on radio and television during the first 4 months of COVID-19 contamination in the country, regarding the efficacy in communicating the crisis and dimensions of rules. We observed a higher frequency of ineffective excerpts in the statements, especially in the categories "effective fear incitement" and "respect." The categories "speed" and "expression of empathy" showed high efficacy.

Trichome Density in Relation to Volatiles Emission and 1,8-Cineole Synthase Gene Expression in Thymus albicans Vegetative and Reproductive Organs.

1,8-Cineole is the main volatile produced by Thymus albicans Hoffmanns. & Link 1,8-cineole chemotype. To understand the contribution of distinct plant organs to the high 1,8-cineole production, trichome morphology and density, as well as emitted volatiles and transcriptional expression of the 1,8-cineole synthase (CIN) gene were determined separately for T.

Canine Rabies in the Brazil-Bolivia Border Region from 2006 to 2014.

Background: After 2006 the cross-border region between the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil) and the Germán Busch Province (Bolivia) became risk areas for canine rabies antigenic variant 1, previously unknown in the Brazilian territory.

Objectives: To perform a descriptive analysis of canine rabies from 2006 to 2014, analyzing the database of the official rabies diagnostic laboratory of the State Agency of Animal and Plant Health Protection of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Methods: A descriptive analysis of canine rabies from 2006 to 2014 was performed using the database of the official rabies diagnostic laboratory of the State Agency of Animal and Plant Health Protection of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Common Polygenic Variations for Psychiatric Disorders and Cognition in Relation to Brain Morphology in the General Pediatric Population.

Objective: This study examined the relation between polygenic scores (PGSs) for 5 major psychiatric disorders and 2 cognitive traits with brain magnetic resonance imaging morphologic measurements in a large population-based sample of children. In addition, this study tested for differences in brain morphology-mediated associations between PGSs for psychiatric disorders and PGSs for related behavioral phenotypes.

Method: Participants included 1,139 children from the Generation R Study assessed at 10 years of age with genotype and neuroimaging data available.

Immunodetection of hepatic stellate cells in dogs with visceral leishmaniasis.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC), or Ito cells, store vitamin A when at rest but undergo phenotypic changes in situations of liver injury, which may induce fibrosis, and they may participate in the immune response in the liver. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of HSC in the livers of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Twenty-eight livers from dogs infected with VL that were living in an area endemic for the disease were evaluated, among which 13 were asymptomatic (A) and 15 were symptomatic (S).

Cardiorespiratory parameters and glycated hemoglobin of patients with type 2 diabetes after a rehabilitation program.

Introduction: Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction reflex of the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus (DM) favors an increase in morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular events, and for this reason has been one of the most studied clinical entities.

Method: An experimental study of a randomized clinical trial type was therefore proposed to analyze the hemodynamic and glycemic response after the practice of a rehabilitation program in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this clinical trial the patients will initially be submitted to an evaluation protocol that consists of assessing blood pressure, heart rate, Borg scale, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, distance traveled through the 6-minute walk test, quality of life questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire, and still glycated hemoglobin and heart rate variability through the cardiofrequency meter.

Evaluation of the ocular surface following bariatric surgery.

Purpose:: To identify and evaluate changes in the ocular surface in obese patients with bariatric surgery.

Methods:: The study included 89 randomly selected patients; 81 (91.0%) were women, 35 were preoperative, 32 were included 0-12 months after surgery, and 22 were included >12 months after surgery.

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a monoterpene synthase isolated from the aromatic wild shrub Thymus albicans.

The essential oil of Thymus albicans Hoffmanns. & Link, a native shrub from the Iberian Peninsula, is mainly composed of monoterpenes. In this study, a 1,8-cineole synthase was isolated from the 1,8-cineole chemotype.

Controversies of antioxidant vitamins supplementation in exercise: ergogenic or ergolytic effects in humans?

The aim of this commentary was to discuss the last studies regarding the effect of antioxidant vitamins supplementation on oxidative stress in exercise in humans. The inclusion criteria encompassed published studies done in adult males and females between 2006 and 2013. The keywords used in the search engine were: endurance athlete, diet, oxidative stress, physical activity, diet, nutrition, antioxidant, antioxidant status, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, β-carotene and combinations.

[Meaning of psychosis by the subject and its effects on clinical nursing].

This study aimed to identify patients' apprehension about the psychic experience of psychosis, indicating a direction for treatment in the light of the psychoanalytic reading. This qualitative study involved nine patients. The analysis was accomplished through discourse categorization.

Neuromuscular efficiency of the vastus medialis obliquus and postural balance in professional soccer athletes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the neuromuscular efficiency of the vastus medialis obliquus and postural balance in high-performance soccer athletes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, compared to the uninvolved leg. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 22 male professional soccer players after ACL reconstruction (4-12 months postoperatively). The athletes were submitted to functional rehabilitation with an accelerated protocol on the soccer team.

The evolutionary rate of citrus tristeza virus ranks among the rates of the slowest RNA viruses.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) has been studied intensively at the molecular level. However, knowledge regarding the dynamics of its evolution is practically non-existent. In the past, diverse authors have referred to CTV as a highly variable virus, implying rapid evolution.

Effects of Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium breve on urinary oxalate excretion in nephrolithiasis patients.

It had been suggested that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may degrade oxalate in the intestinal lumen, reducing urinary oxalate excretion. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a LAB mixture containing Lactobacillus casei (LC) and Bifidobacterium breve (BB) (LC + BB) upon urinary oxalate reduction in stone-forming (SF) patients without hyperoxaluria under conditions of an oxalate-rich diet. After an oxalate restriction period (7 days washout), 14 SF patients consumed an oxalate-rich diet during 4 weeks (200 mg/day) and a lyophilized LC + BB preparation was given t.

Influence of muscle mass and physical activity on serum and urinary creatinine and serum cystatin C.

Background And Objectives: For addressing the influence of muscle mass on serum and urinary creatinine and serum cystatin C, body composition was assessed by skinfold thickness measurement and bioelectrical impedance analyses.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: A total of 170 healthy individuals (92 women, 78 men) were classified as sedentary or with mild or moderate/intense physical activity. Blood, 24-h urine samples, and 24-h food recall were obtained from all individuals.