Frequency of leisure-time physical activity and pulse pressure in the Brazilian population: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the frequency of leisure-time physical activity and brachial pulse pressure (PP), according to physical activity intensity and type, sex, and age, in the general Brazilian population. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study based on data from the Brazilian 2013 National Health Survey. METHODS: The sample consisted of 20,058 men and 20,600 women aged between 18 and 65 years. The frequency of leisure-time physical activity was obtained through a questionnaire and classified according to intensity (vigorous or moderate) and type (cyclic or acyclic). We calculated PP as the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures based on the measure of a digital pressure device. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to analyze the association of different sexes, frequency, type, and intensity of leisure-time physical activity and PP. RESULTS: Adjusted results showed that one session of moderate physical activity per week could benefit men's PP: ß = -1.87 mmHg; SE = 0.83. For women, the adjusted model reveals that physical activity undertaken twice a week is sufficient to benefit PP: ß = -1.77 mmHg; SE = 0.72. However, according to type, two times a week of acyclic activities increased PP in men: ß = 2.62 mmHg; SE = 0.62 and decreased in women: ß = -2.67 mmHg; SE = 0.72. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that low frequencies of leisure-time physical activity are sufficient to induce beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system for both sexes. Also, there are some differences between sexes in cardiac adaptations according to type, frequency, and intensity of physical activity.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 320-370.

Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from Malaysia: Castanediella eucalypti from Eucalyptus pellita, Codinaea acacia from Acacia mangium, Emarcea eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus brassiana, Myrtapenidiella eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus pellita, Pilidiella eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus brassiana and Strelitziana malaysiana from Acacia mangium. Furthermore, Stachybotrys sansevieriicola is described from Sansevieria ehrenbergii (Tanzania), Phacidium grevilleae from Grevillea robusta (Uganda), Graphium jumulu from Adansonia gregorii and Ophiostoma eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus marginata (Australia), Pleurophoma ossicola from bone and Plectosphaerella populi from Populus nigra (Germany), Colletotrichum neosansevieriae from Sansevieria trifasciata, Elsinoë othonnae from Othonna quinquedentata and Zeloasperisporium cliviae (Zeloasperisporiaceae fam. nov.) from Clivia sp. (South Africa), Neodevriesia pakbiae, Phaeophleospora hymenocallidis and Phaeophleospora hymenocallidicola on leaves of a fern (Thailand), Melanconium elaeidicola from Elaeis guineensis (Indonesia), Hormonema viticola from Vitis vinifera (Canary Islands), Chlorophyllum pseudoglobossum from a grassland (India), Triadelphia disseminata from an immunocompromised patient (Saudi Arabia), Colletotrichum abscissum from Citrus (Brazil), Polyschema sclerotigenum and Phialemonium limoniforme from human patients (USA), Cadophora vitícola from Vitis vinifera (Spain), Entoloma flavovelutinum and Bolbitius aurantiorugosus from soil (Vietnam), Rhizopogon granuloflavus from soil (Cape Verde Islands), Tulasnella eremophila from Euphorbia officinarum subsp. echinus (Morocco), Verrucostoma martinicensis from Danaea elliptica (French West Indies), Metschnikowia colchici from Colchicum autumnale (Bulgaria), Thelebolus microcarpus from soil (Argentina) and Ceratocystis adelpha from Theobroma cacao (Ecuador). Myrmecridium iridis (Myrmecridiales ord. nov., Myrmecridiaceae fam. nov.) is also described from Iris sp. (The Netherlands). Novel genera include (Ascomycetes): Budhanggurabania from Cynodon dactylon (Australia), Soloacrosporiella, Xenocamarosporium, Neostrelitziana and Castanediella from Acacia mangium and Sabahriopsis from Eucalyptus brassiana (Malaysia), Readerielliopsis from basidiomata of Fuscoporia wahlbergii (French Guyana), Neoplatysporoides from Aloe ferox (Tanzania), Wojnowiciella, Chrysofolia and Neoeriomycopsis from Eucalyptus (Colombia), Neophaeomoniella from Eucalyptus globulus (USA), Pseudophaeomoniella from Olea europaea (Italy), Paraphaeomoniella from Encephalartos altensteinii, Aequabiliella, Celerioriella and Minutiella from Prunus (South Africa). Tephrocybella (Basidiomycetes) represents a novel genus from wood (Italy). Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

Effects of realistic concentrations of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles in Prochilodus lineatus juvenile fish.

The impact of nanoparticles on fish health is still a matter of debate, since nanotechnology is quite recent. In this study, freshwater benthonic juvenile fish Prochilodus lineatus were exposed through water to three concentrations of TiO2 (0.1, 1, and 10 µg l(-1)) and ZnO (7, 70, and 700 µg l(-1)) nanoparticles, as well as to a mixture of both (TiO2 1 µg l(-1) + ZnO 70 µg l(-1)) for 5 and 30 days. Nanoparticle characterization revealed an increase of aggregate size in the function of concentration, but suspensions were generally stable. Fish mortality was high at subchronic exposure to 70 and 700 µg l(-1) of ZnO. Nanoparticle exposure led to decreased acetylcholinesterase activity either in the muscle or in the brain, depending on particle composition (muscle-TiO2 10 µg l(-1); brain-ZnO 7 and 700 µg l(-1)), and protein oxidative damage increased in the brain (ZnO 70 µg l(-1)) and gills (ZnO 70 µg l(-1) and mixture) but not in the liver. Exposed fish had more frequent alterations in the liver (necrosis, vascular congestion, leukocyte infiltration, and basophilic foci) and gills (hyperplasia and epithelial damages, e.g., epithelial disorganization and epithelial loss) than the control fish. Thus, predicted concentrations of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles caused detectable effects on P. lineatus that may have important consequences to fish health. But, these effects are much more subtle than those usually reported in the scientific literature for high concentrations or doses of metal nanoparticles.