Electron Heating by Debye-Scale Turbulence in Guide-Field Reconnection.

We report electrostatic Debye-scale turbulence developing within the diffusion region of asymmetric magnetopause reconnection with a moderate guide field using observations by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. We show that Buneman waves and beam modes cause efficient and fast thermalization of the reconnection electron jet by irreversible phase mixing, during which the jet kinetic energy is transferred into thermal energy. Our results show that the reconnection diffusion region in the presence of a moderate guide field is highly turbulent, and that electrostatic turbulence plays an important role in electron heating.

Electron-scale dynamics of the diffusion region during symmetric magnetic reconnection in space.

Magnetic reconnection is an energy conversion process that occurs in many astrophysical contexts including Earth's magnetosphere, where the process can be investigated in situ by spacecraft. On 11 July 2017, the four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft encountered a reconnection site in Earth's magnetotail, where reconnection involves symmetric inflow conditions. The electron-scale plasma measurements revealed (i) super-Alfvénic electron jets reaching 15,000 kilometers per second; (ii) electron meandering motion and acceleration by the electric field, producing multiple crescent-shaped structures in the velocity distributions; and (iii) the spatial dimensions of the electron diffusion region with an aspect ratio of 0.1 to 0.2, consistent with fast reconnection. The well-structured multiple layers of electron populations indicate that the dominant electron dynamics are mostly laminar, despite the presence of turbulence near the reconnection site.

Contribuição ao estudo farmacognóstico da Piper ovatum Vahl / Contribution to the pharmacognostic study of Piper ovatum Vahl

RESUMO: O presente estudo descreve as características morfo-anatômicas dos órgãos vegetativos e do pó da Piper ovatum Vahl de modo que os dados obtidos possam ser utilizados como referência em análises de controle de qualidade de amostras de fármacos, a fim de verificar sua autenticidade. As raízes, caules, pecíolos e folhas foram fixadas, seccionadas à mão livre e coradas, as secções transversais e paradérmicas foram analisadas por microscopia óptica e a superfície do limbo foi observada, também, por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os órgãos vegetativos da P. ovatum apresentam morfologia e anatomia similar às outras espécies de Piper. No entanto, não foram observadas inclusões celulares nas folhas de P. ovatum. Análises por MEV mostraram a presença de tricomas glandulares constituídos de pedúnculo unicelular e porção secretora globóide igualmente unicelular recoberto por cutícula, na epiderme abaxial das folhas. Também foi observada a presença de uma cutícula espessa e que origina crostas no limite entre uma célula e outra, em ambas as superfícies foliares. No mesófilo foi observada a presença de idioblastos oleíferos característica marcante de outras espécies de Piperaceae. Além disso, na microscopia do pó foram observados hipoderme e idioblastos oleíferos em fragmentos do limbo, fragmentos de fibras esclerenquimáticas do caule, além de células esclerosas isoladas ou em grupos no pecíolo. O perfil cromatográfico do extrato hidroetanólico das folhas de P. ovatum foi obtido por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE). Nas análises por CLAE foram identificados como substâncias majoritárias do extrato as amidas piperovatina e piperlonguminina nos tempos de retenção de 10,25 e 10,81 min., respectivamente.

ABSTRACT: The present study describes the morphological and anatomical characteristics of vegetative organs and powder of the Piper ovatum Vahl, in order to use the obtained data as reference in the quality control tests of pharmaceutical samples, investigating their authenticity. The roots, stems, petioles and leaves were fixed, freehand sectioned and stained according to usual microtechniques. The transverse and paradermal sections were analyzed by optical microscopy and the leaf surface was also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The vegetative organs of the P. ovatum show morphology and anatomy similar to other species of Piper. However, cellular inclusions were not observed in the P. ovatum leaves. The SEM analysis showed the presence of glandular trichomes consisting of a unicellular stalk and globular secretory portion covered by cuticle on the abaxial surface of the leaves. The SEM also had shown one thick cuticle forming crusts in the limit of the epidermal cells, on both leaf surfaces. In the mesophyll, we observed oil idioblasts, which are typical features of other species of Piperaceae. Moreover, in the powder of the P. ovatum we observed hypodermis and oil idioblasts in leaf fragments, fragments of sclerenchyma fibers from the stem and isolated sclereids or in petiole groups. The chromatographic profile of the hydroethanolic extract of the P. ovatum leaves was obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this analysis, we identified the amides piperovatine and piperlonguminine in the retention times of 10.25 and 10.81 min., respectively, as majority compounds present in the extract.

Estudo das plantas medicinais, utilizadas pelos pacientes atendidos no programa "Estratégia saúde da família" em Maringá/PR/Brasil / Study of the use of medicinal plants by population served by the family health strategy in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

RESUMO Estima-se que 80% da população mundial dependam das plantas medicinais no processo da atenção primária em saúde, e grande parte destes tem nas plantas a única fonte de medicamentos. O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar a utilização de plantas medicinais pela comunidade, pertencente à equipe 10 da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) da Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS) Pinheiros, em Maringá, Paraná, Brasil. Os dados foram coletados no período de março de 2012 a maio de 2012. A equipe de pesquisadores aplicou 95 questionários intercalando os domicílios. Observou-se que 24,2% utilizam plantas medicinais com frequência, 40% utilizam esporadicamente e 35,8% não utilizam. Entre as pessoas que utilizam, observou-se que a forma mais citada foi o uso era pela indicação de amigos ou pelos ancestrais As plantas medicinais mais citadas foram: hortelã (Mentha sp.), boldo (Plectranthus barbatus), camomila (Matricaria recutita), erva cidreira (Melissa officinalis) e guaco (Mikania glomerata). Quando perguntados se o uso de plantas medicinais somente fazem bem à saúde, 68,5% dos participantes afirmaram que plantas medicinais não causam nenhum mal à saúde. A partir destes resultados, observou-se que a utilização de plantas medicinais é bem aceita pela população e que ainda existe uma lacuna grande a ser preenchida pelos profissionais da saúde no que diz respeito à orientação sobre o uso correto desse tipo de terapia.

ABSTRACT It is estimated that 80% of the population depends on herbal medicine regarding primary health care and most of these people use plants as their only source of drugs. The current study aimed to know the profile of the community served by the staff 10 of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) of Basic Unity of Health (BUH) Pinheiros, in Maringá, Paraná State, in regard to the use of medicinal plants. The data was collected between March of 2012 and May of the same year. Ninety-five questionnaires were applied. 24.2% of people employ medicinal plants frequently, 40% use it occasionally and 35.8% do not appeal to them at all. Most of them learnt about medicinal plants with family and friends. The most mentioned medicinal plants by population were the following: Mentha sp., Plectranthus barbatus, Matricaria recutita, Melissa officinalis and Mikania glomerata. 68.5% of the participants believe that medicinal plants do not cause any harm to health. From these results, we can notice that medicinal plants are widely accepted and there is a big gap to be filled by health professional in terms of proper orientation about the use of this kind of therapy.

Plasma rico em plaquetas no tratamento de lesões condrais articulares induzidas experimentalmente em equinos: avaliação clínica, macroscópica, histológica e histoquímica / Platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of articular chondral defects experimentally induced in horses: clinical, macroscopic, histopathological and histochemical evaluation

Estudou-se a eficácia do plasma rico em plaquetas (PRP) no tratamento de lesões condrais articulares, experimentalmente induzidas em equinos. Para isso, foi induzida uma lesão condral, na tróclea medial femoral dos dois membros pélvicos de quatro animais. Após 30 dias da indução, as oito articulações foram divididas em dois grupos. Os animais do grupo 1 receberam o tratamento intralesional e intra-articular com PRP, e os do grupo 2 foram tratados apenas com solução fisiológica. As avaliações clínicas, constituídas de exames de claudicação e análises do líquido sinovial, foram realizadas antes da indução da lesão - tempo zero -, quinzenalmente, até 120 dias e aos 150 dias. Avaliações macroscópicas, histológicas e histoquímicas foram realizadas no tempo zero e aos 150 dias. Os equinos do grupo 1 apresentaram melhora do grau de claudicação em relação aos do grupo 2. Os exames macroscópicos, histológicos e histoquímicos revelaram melhor tecido de reparação igualmente no grupo 1. Concluiu-se que a administração de PRP apresentou efeitos benéficos no tratamento de lesões condrais experimentais de equinos.

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of articular cartilage defects induced experimentally in horses was studied. For this purpose, both patellofemoral joints of four animals were approached through arthroscopic surgery to perform a cartilage defect on the medial femoral trochlea. After 30 days of induction the eight joints were divided into two groups. Group 1 animals received intralesional and intra-articular treatment with PRP and Group 2 animals were treated only with saline solution. The clinical assessments, constituted by lameness signs and synovial fluid analysis, were performed before induction of injury (time zero) and every 15 days in 120 days, with last analysis on day 150. The macroscopic and morphologic analysis were performed at 0 and 150 days. During the experiment Group 1 animals showed improvement in lameness when compared to Group 2 animals. The macroscopic and morphological analysis showed a better tissue repair in the treated horses. Thus, the implantation of autologous PRP showed beneficial effects in the treatment of chondral lesions, experimentally induced in horses.

Social epidemiology? No way

Although research into social and behavioral determinants of health and illness was conducted throughout the 20th century, it has become more common since the 1980's. Research has been defined as the science, which studies the link between social environment and the development and distribution of disease in populations, a definition that emphasizes a hybrid area of interest between sociology and epidemiology.

[Acidophilus milk for therapy in gastrointestinal disorders]. / Acidophilus-Milch zur Therapie bei gastrointestinalen Störungen.

A new developed Acidophilus milk has been introduced as therapy in different disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The milk contains acid resistant tribes of L. acidophilus and is fortified with vitamins, its fat content is low. The passage of alive L. acidophilus could be proved. The preparation showed a clear response in patients suffering from intestinal disorders due to an application of antibiotics and in patients with constipations.

The effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus administration upon the survival of Salmonella in randomly selected human carriers.

The influence of Lactobacillus acidophilus in milk upon carrier time of Salmonella infected humans was compared to that in a similar population which received no acidophilus milk. The participants were 132 individuals between 3 and 73 years old of both sexes. Many were carriers of more than one infective agent. None were suffering from acute gastrointestinal symptoms nor receiving medication. The participants entered the study various times after diagnosis, and consumed acidophilus milk ad libitum continuously until 3 to 5 negative feces samples were obtained. The results were compared with a control population consisting of 160 individuals who consumed neither fermented milk products nor medication. The data show that consumption of greater than 500 ml acidophilus milk shortened the duration of the Salmonella carrier state.

Survival rate of Salmonella and Shigella in fermented milk products with and without added human gastric juice: an in vitro study.

The survival rates of Salmonella agona, Salmonella java, Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella sonnei in milk and fermented milk products were investigated with and without the addition of human gastric juice during a 7 to 10 hour test period. It was found that yoghurt inhibited the growth of Salmonella and Shigella very effectively even when the yoghurt had been heated to 100 degrees C for 15 minutes, whereas milk and the other fermented milk products showed a lower ability to inhibit the growth of pathogens. Yoghurt plus human gastric juice greatly depressed the growth rate of the pathogens; after 30 minutes no more colonies were formed. Even kefir or ropy milk plus gastric juice showed inhibition of Salmonella typhimurium after one hour. In the case of acidophilus milk plus gastric juice, the inhibition of Salmonella typhimurium occurred first after 2.5 hours and the presence of viable Shigella sonnei was noticed for 4 hours. The addition of physiological NaCl instead of human gastric juice to the fermented milk samples before inoculation changed the picture of the survival rate. Only yoghurt inhibited the growth of Salmonella java after 30 minutes; Shigella sonnei survived in yoghurt for 4 hours and in the other fermented milk samples for 5 hours. It can be assumed that yoghurt contains some antimicrobial compounds that inhibit the growth of pathogens and that this inhibiting property is enhanced by the addition of human gastric juice.

Effect of fermentation on lactose, glucose, and galactose content in milk and suitability of fermented milk products for lactose intolerant individuals.

The lactose, glucose, and galactose content in various fermented milk products was studied by enzymatic methods. Lactose was decreased in all fermented products. After 11 days storage of yogurt the lactose content decreased to about 2.3 g/100 compared to 4.8 g/100 g in nonfermented milk. During the same period, galactose content increased from traces in milk to 1.3 g/100 g in yogurt. Results were similar with acidophilus and bifidus milk. Buttermilk, kefir, and ropy milk showed 26, 30, and 20% decreases in lactose content. Eight lactose intolerant individuals showed symptoms of abdominal distress and diarrhea following consumption of 500 ml of low fat milk whereas ingestion of the same quantity of yogurt or acidophilus milk did not result in any symptoms. Fermented milk products should be considered in formulating diets for lactose-intolerant subjects.