Water deficit and salt stress diagnosis through LED induced chlorophyll fluorescence analysis in Jatropha curcas L.

LED induced chlorophyll fluorescence analysis is employed to investigate the effect of water deficit and salt stress upon the growth process of Jatropha curcas L.. Red(Fr) and far-red(FFr) chlorophyll fluorescence around 685 nm and 735 nm, respectively, were observed and examined as a function of the stress intensity(salt concentration and water deficit). The fluorescence ratio Fr/FFr which is a valuable nondestructive and nonintrusive indicator of the chlorophyll content of leaves was exploited to monitor the jatropha plants under stress. The data indicated that salinity plays a minor role in the chlorophyll concentration of leaves for NaCl concentrations in the 25 to 200 mM range. The fluorescence ratio also permitted the detection of damage caused by water deficit in the early stages of the plants growing process. A significant variation of the Fr/FFr ratio was observed in the first 10 days of the experiment, and before signs of visual stress became apparent. The results suggest that the Fr/FFr ratio is an early-warning indicator of water deficit stress.

Effects of soybean proteinase inhibitors on development of the soil mite Scheloribates praeincisus (Acari: Oribatida).

Proteinase inhibitors (PI) are present in plant tissues, especially in seeds, and act as a defense mechanism against herbivores and pathogens. Serine PI from soybean such as Bowman-Birk (BBPI) and Kunitz have been used to enhance resistance of sugarcane varieties to the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), the major pest of this crop. The use of these genetically-modified plants (GM) expressing PI requires knowledge of its sustainability and environmental safety, determining the stability of the introduced characteristic and its effects on non-target organisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate direct effects of ingestion of semi-purified and purified soybean PI and GM sugarcane plants on the soil-dwelling mite Scheloribates praeincisus (Berlese) (Acari: Oribatida). This mite is abundant in agricultural soils and participates in the process of organic matter decomposition; for this reason it will be exposed to PI by feeding on GM plant debris. Eggs of S. praeincisus were isolated and after larvae emerged, immatures were fed milled sugarcane leaves added to semi-purified or purified PI (Kunitz and BBPI) or immatures were fed GM sugarcane varieties expressing Kunitz and BBPI type PI or the untransformed near isogenic parental line variety as a control. Developmental time (larva-adult) and survival of S. praeincisus was evaluated. Neither Kunitz nor BBPI affected S. praeincisus survival. On the other hand, ingestion of semi-purified and purified Kunitz inhibitor diminished duration of S. praeincisus immature stages. Ingestion of GM senescent leaves did not have an effect on S. praeincisus immature developmental time and survival, compared to ingestion of leaves from the isogenic parental plants. These results indicate that cultivation of these transgenic sugarcane plants is safe for the non-target species S. praeincisus.

[A double-blind study of the effect of L-dopa in psychotic patients with tardive dyskinesia]. / Estudo duplo-cego sobre a ação de L-dopa em pacientes psicóticos com discinesia tardia.

Appropriate manipulation of dopaminergic systems, that probably contribute to tardive dyskinesia, may bring about a reduction in its intensity. In this study various, increasing doses of L-dopa, which is converted to dopamine in the CNS, was administered over the relatively long period of time of one month, in double-blind conditions, to psychiatric patients with stabilized psychotic symptoms, with tardive dyskinesia. With the one gram daily dose group, there was a reduction of the intensity of the involuntary movements, when compared to that of the patients who received placebo.

Estudo duplo-cego sobre a acao de L-dopa em pacientes psicoticos con discinesia tardia. / A double-blind study on the effect of L-dopa in psychotic patients tardive dyskinesia

A manipulacao adequada de sistemas dopaminergicos, que provavelmente contribuem para a Discinesia tardia, pode levar a uma diminuicao da intensidade da mesma. Assim, em pacientes psiquiatricos, com a sintomatologia psicotica estabilizada, e com Discinesia tardia, a administracao de L-dopa, que se transforma em dopamina no SNC, em diversas doses, nao muito altas, em condicoes de duplo-cego, por um periodo longo, onde a quantidade de substancia ingerida era aumentada gradativamente, levou com uma das doses, 1 grama diaria, a uma diminuicao significante da intensidade dos movimentos involuntarios, em relacao a um grupo controle que recebia placebo

Estudo duplo-cego sobre a aþÒo de L-dopa em pacientes psicóticos com discinesia tardia. / [A double-blind study of the effect of L-dopa in psychotic patients with tardive dyskinesia]

Appropriate manipulation of dopaminergic systems, that probably contribute to tardive dyskinesia, may bring about a reduction in its intensity. In this study various, increasing doses of L-dopa, which is converted to dopamine in the CNS, was administered over the relatively long period of time of one month, in double-blind conditions, to psychiatric patients with stabilized psychotic symptoms, with tardive dyskinesia. With the one gram daily dose group, there was a reduction of the intensity of the involuntary movements, when compared to that of the patients who received placebo.

Estudo duplo-cego sobre a acao de L-dopa em pacientes psicoticos con discinesia tardia. / A double-blind study on the effect of L-dopa in psychotic patients tardive dyskinesia

A manipulacao adequada de sistemas dopaminergicos, que provavelmente contribuem para a Discinesia tardia, pode levar a uma diminuicao da intensidade da mesma. Assim, em pacientes psiquiatricos, com a sintomatologia psicotica estabilizada, e com Discinesia tardia, a administracao de L-dopa, que se transforma em dopamina no SNC, em diversas doses, nao muito altas, em condicoes de duplo-cego, por um periodo longo, onde a quantidade de substancia ingerida era aumentada gradativamente, levou com uma das doses, 1 grama diaria, a uma diminuicao significante da intensidade dos movimentos involuntarios, em relacao a um grupo controle que recebia placebo

[Incidence and characteristics of involuntary movements appearing spontaneously in the elderly]. / Incidência e características dos movimentos involuntários que espontaneamente surgem em indivíduos idosos.

Involuntary repetitive movements in which several muscle groups are involved are described in connection with several mental and physical syndromes. In this study those occurring in the elderly, when age seems solely to be influencing, are focalized. We found that 36.36% of the residents in an old people home had those symptoms. They were mostly buccolinguomasticatory, less intense but similar to those found in tardive dyskinetic patients. There was a tendency of increasing their incidence with age and sometimes they appeared together with other extrapyramidal manifestations such as parkinsonism. The possibility and importance of lack of balance between dopaminergic and cholinergic systems to explain those symptoms are discussed.

Incidencia e caracteristicas dos movimentos involuntarios que espontaneamente surgem em individuos idosos. / Incidence and characteristics of involuntary movements that appear spontaneously in the elderly

Dos pacientes internados num asilo para pessoas idosas 36,36% que nao tinham tido qualquer contato anterior com neurolepticos, apresentavam movimentos involuntarios menos intensos, mas muito semelhante ao da discinesia tardia. A incidencia desses movimentos tendia a aumentar com a idade e muitas vezes eram concomitantes a sinais de parkinsonismo.Alguns achados da literatura indicariam que esses movimentos e as hipercinesias da discinesia tardia poderiam ser produzidos por mecanismos comuns. No particular, entraria em um jogo de desequilibrio entre sistemas colinergicos e dopaminergicos