Einleitung Die Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis (FSME) zählt europaweit zu den bedeutendsten Zecken-übertragenen Krankheiten und ist verantwortlich für mehrere tausend Tote jedes Jahr. Hauptüberträger in Zentraleuropa ist Ixodes ricinus, der Gemeine Holzbock. In Deutschland konzentrieren sich die humanen Fälle vorrangig auf Süddeutschland mit anteilig 83,8% der Fälle, wobei anhand einer Falldefinition, die sich auf humane Meldedaten stützt, Risikogebiete definiert werden. Dabei wird ein Landkreis dann als Risikogebiet gewertet, wenn in einem Fünf-Jahresintervall die Inzidenz von einem Fall pro 100.000 Einwohnern pro Jahr überschritten wird. In Sachsen erscheint diese Risikoabschätzung erschwert, da hier nur wenige sporadische Fälle gemeldet werden. Jedoch wurde im April 2014 der Vogtlandkreis als erstes sächsisches Risikogebiet ernannt. Ziele der Untersuchungen Eine Risikobewertung, die sich alleine auf humane gemeldete Erkrankungsfälle stützt, erscheint überholt, weshalb schon in der Vergangenheit nach einem optimalen Sentineltier für Seroprävalenzstudien gesucht wurde. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation wurden zwei Veröffentlichungen angefertigt, in denen mithilfe von Seroprävalenzstudien bei Wildtieren und bei Hunden das Risiko für eine Infektion mit der FSME in Sachsen bewertet werden sollte. Materialien und Methoden In der ersten Veröffentlichung wurden 1.886 Wildtierseren, vorrangig von Wildschweinen, auf das Vorhandensein von Antikörpern gegen das FSMEV untersucht. Die zweite Veröffentlichung befasste sich mit 331 Seren von Hunden, die Sachsen in den letzten fünf Jahren nicht verlassen hatten. Für die Untersuchung wurde zunächst ein ELISA (Enzyme-linked-immunosorbent Assay) und zur Bestätigung der positiven Proben ein SNT (Serumneutralisationstest) durchgeführt. Ergebnisse Bei den Wildtierseren wurde eine Gesamtprävalenz von 10,5% ermittelt. Im aktuell ernannten Risikogebiet Vogtlandkreis wurden 20% seropositive Tiere gefunden, im Kreis Meißen sogar 23% flächendeckend nachgewiesen. Sieben der untersuchten Hundeseren waren positiv, wobei vier Tiere hiervon Hunde von Förstern waren. Die positiven Proben kamen aus den Landkreisen Mittelsachsen (1), Erzgebirgskreis(1), Leipziger Land (2) und Sächsische-Schweiz-Osterzgebirge (3). Schlussfolgerungen In ganz Sachsen konnten Antikörper gegen das FSMEV gefunden werden was auf ein flächendeckendes Vorkommen des Virus in Sachsen hinweist. Die Eignung von Wildtieren und Hunden als Sentinels wurde bestätigt. Die jeweiligen Vor- und Nachteile werden dargestellt. Eine stichprobenhafte Untersuchung auf FSME im Rahmen von Screeningprogrammen könnte auch zukünftig zur besseren Lokalisation von FSMEV-Naturherden in Sachsen beitragen. Weiterhin ungeklärt bleibt die Diskrepanz zwischen der hohen ermittelten Seroprävalenz bei den Wildtieren und den wenigen humanen gemeldeten Fällen. Auch die Hundestudie konnte hierzu keine weiteren Informationen liefern. Eine Impfung ist vor allem für Menschen sinnvoll, die sich im Vogtlandkreis aufhalten.

<p>We review a number of compartmental models in epidemiology which leads to a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. We focus an SIR, SEIR and SIS epidemic models with and without vaccination. A threshold parameter R0 is identified which governs the spread of diseases, and this parameter is known as the basic reproductive number. The models have at least two equilibria, an endemic equilibrium and the disease-free equilibrium. We demonstrate that the disease will die out, if the basic reproductive number R0 &lt / 1. This is the case of a disease-free&nbsp / state, with no infection in the population. Otherwise the disease may become endemic if the basic reproductive number R0 is bigger than unity. Furthermore, stability analysis for both endemic&nbsp / and disease-free steady states are investigated and we also give some numerical simulations. The second part of this dissertation deals with optimal vaccination strategy in epidemiology. We&nbsp / use optimal control technique on vaccination to minimize the impact of the disease. Hereby we mean minimizing the spread of the disease in the population, while also minimizing the effort on&nbsp / vaccination roll-out. We do this optimization for the cases of SIR and SEIR models, and show how optimal strategies can be obtained which minimize the damage caused by the infectious&nbsp / disease. Finally, we describe the numerical simulations using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method.&nbsp / These are the most useful references: [G. Zaman, Y.H Kang, II. H. Jung. BioSystems 93,&nbsp / (2008), 240 &minus / 249], [K. Hattaf, N. Yousfi. The Journal of Advanced Studies in Biology, Vol. 1(8), (2008), 383 &minus / 390.], [Lenhart, J.T. Workman. Optimal Control and Applied to Biological Models.&nbsp / Chapman and Hall/CRC, (2007).], [P. Van den Driessche, J. Watmough. Math. Biosci., 7,&nbsp / (2005)], and [J. Wu, G. R&uml / ost. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, Vol 5(2), (2008), 389 &minus / 391].</p>

Yellow-eyed penguins have suffered major population declines and periodic mass mortality without an established cause. On Stewart Island a high incidence of regional chick mortality was associated with infection by a novel Leucocytozoon sp. The prevalence, structure and molecular characteristics of this leucocytozoon sp. were examined in the 2006-07 breeding season. In 2006-07, 100% of chicks (n=32) on the Anglem coast of Stewart Island died prior to fledging. Neonates showed poor growth and died acutely at approximately 10 days old. Clinical signs in older chicks up to 108 days included anaemia, loss of body condition, subcutaneous ecchymotic haemorrhages and sudden death. Infected adults on Stewart Island showed no clinical signs and were in good body condition, suggesting adequate food availability and a potential reservoir source of ongoing infections. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) survey of blood samples from the South Island, Stewart and Codfish Island found Leucocytozoon infection exclusively on Stewart Island. The prevalence of Leucocytozoon infection in yellow-eyed penguin populations from each island ranged from 0-2.8% (South Island), to 0-21.25% (Codfish Island) and 51.6-97.9% (Stewart Island). The high prevalence on Stewart Island represented the infection of 100% of chicks and 83% of adult yellow-eyed penguins when tested by PCR. Sequencing of Leucocytozoon sp. DNA found similarities between infections in yellow-eyed penguin adults and chicks, but differences to Leucocytozoon sp. DNA obtained from Fiordland crested penguins. These findings support the suggestion of cross infection between adults and chicks, and indicate that endemic infection in yellow-eyed penguins is unrelated to that in Fiordland crested penguins. Examination by histology and electron microscopy showed tissue megaloschizonts and circulating round gametocytes. Megaloschizonts up to 440µm diameter showed an affinity for hepatic and splenic tissue and were observed releasing occasional intact cytomeres. Round gametocytes were observed within leucocytes in visceral sections, but not peripheral blood smears. The morphology of Leucocytozoon sp. in yellow-eyed penguins showed similarities to the pathogenic species L. simondi and L. sakharoffi but not L. tawaki. A successful treatment protocol for leucocytozoonosis has not been established, although treatment in a Fiordland crested penguin was able to suppress parasitaemia. The role of Leucocytozoon in yellow-eyed penguins as a cause of morbidity and mortality remains unclear. Further investigation into direct pathogenicity, and the interaction of concurrent disease and environmental influences is required. The findings of this thesis provide potential management recommendations and highlight areas requiring further investigation.

Submitted in complete fulfilment for the Degree of Doctorate of Technology (Biotechnology)--Durban University of Technology, 2013. / South Africa has the largest number of people infected with HIV/AIDS. It also has more than 30 000 species of plants and many of these have a long tradition of medicinal use. It is highly likely that the treatment for HIV will come from this traditional knowledge. The need for effective preventative and therapeutic agents for HIV remains an urgent global priority. The aim of this study was to screen selected South African medicinal plants for anti-HIV activity and to identify and characterise an active compound from a plant that can be used for HIV treatment. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of the roots, leaves, flowers and stems of thirty eight plant species (108 extracts) were screened for anti-HIV activity. The plants which had anti-HIV activity were further screened for anti-reverse transcriptase activity. Thirty-two extracts exhibited varying degrees of anti-HIV activity. Cleome monophylla, Dichrostachys cinerea and Leonotis leonurus aqueous leaf extracts had anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity. The aqueous extracts of D. cinerea showed the best anti-HIV activity with a Selectivity Index of 43.5 and significant anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity. Crude phytochemical screening of D. cinerea showed that it had tannins, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids but did not contain any phlobatannins, terpenoids, steroids or phenols. D. cinerea displayed a high degree of free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 of 25 μg/ml, therefore the anti-HIV activity could be attributed to the flavonoids present in the plant. Bio-guided fractionation was used to isolate and purify the active compound from the D. cinerea extract. Compounds were isolated by thin layer chromatography and were tested for anti-HIV-1 and anti-reverse transcriptase activity. From these results the active compound was identified, and purified using preparative TLC. The active compound was characterised by High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and Ultra Performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS/MS. Structural elucidation was performed using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. From these results, it was deduced that the compound isolated from D. cinerea was a catechin. In this study we show that the catechins present in D. cinerea are responsible for the anti- HIV-I activity and inhibits the reverse transcriptase activity which is a key factor in the progression of HIV. Potentially, these results can be used to develop a new drug for the treatment of HIV or as a cost effective therapeutic agent in treating HIV-infected individuals with oxidative stress. / National Research Foundation

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / We review a number of compartmental models in epidemiology which leads to a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. We focus an SIR, SEIR and SIS epidemic models with and without vaccination. A threshold parameter R0 is identified which governs the spread of diseases, and this parameter is known as the basic reproductive number. The models have at least two equilibria, an endemic equilibrium and the disease-free equilibrium. We demonstrate that the disease will die out, if the basic reproductive number R0 < 1. This is the case of a disease-free state, with no infection in the population. Otherwise the disease may become endemic if the basic reproductive number R0 is bigger than unity. Furthermore, stability analysis for both endemic and disease-free steady states are investigated and we also give some numerical simulations. The second part of this dissertation deals with optimal vaccination strategy in epidemiology. We use optimal control technique on vaccination to minimize the impact of the disease. Hereby we mean minimizing the spread of the disease in the population, while also minimizing the effort on vaccination roll-out. We do this optimization for the cases of SIR and SEIR models, and show how optimal strategies can be obtained which minimize the damage caused by the infectious disease. Finally, we describe the numerical simulations using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method.

O Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo (ASPSP) localiza-se cerca de 1100 km do litoral do Rio Grande do Norte, e está constituído por quatro ilhas maiores dispostas em semicírculo formando uma enseada com profundidades que variam ente 3 a 18 m. Vários estudos sobre a fauna existente no ASPSP foram realizados, entretanto, este é apenas o segundo trabalho com foco na ostracofauna do arquipélago. No material analisado, coletado na enseada, foram reconhecidas 14 espécies, dez gêneros e oito famílias; dentre estes, foi descrito um gênero e espécie novos para a família Hemicytheridae e uma nova espécie para o gênero Keijcyoidea. Dez espécies foram deixadas em nomenclatura aberta, sendo muito provável a existência de outras espécies novas, já que o ASPSP é uma área muito distante tanto de outras ilhas oceânicas quanto de continentes. Aspectos ecológicos e zoogeográficos complementam o estudo da riqueza específica da fauna aqui analisada. Loxocorniculum tricornatum Krutak possui a maior abundância, perfazendo um total de 4214 espécimens (1150 coletados vivos). Keijcyoidea sp. nov. A (539 espécimens, sendo 153 vivos) e Xestoleberis sp. 2 (179 indivíduos, dos quais 69 vivos) ocupam o segundo e o terceiro lugar em abundância, respectivamente. As espécies L. tricornatum e Triebelina sertata Triebel, esta última um ostracode cosmopolita tropical, ocorrem no Brasil não somente no ASPSP, mas também no Atol das Rocas e nas regiões de águas quentes da plataforma continental brasileira; T. sertata é também registrada na Ilha da Trindade. Curiosamente, espécies pandêmicas de mares rasos e quentes, como Kangarina abyssicola (Mueller), Kotoracythere incospicua Brady, Keijia demissa Teeter, Neomonoceratina mediterranea (Ruggieri) e Tenedocythere ex. gr. transoceanica Teeter, não foram registrados no ASPSP. / The Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo (ASPSP), located about 1,100 km of the coast of the Rio Grande do Norte State, consists of four major islands arranged in a semicircle forming a cove with depths between three and 18 m. Many studies on the archipelago fauna were performed, however, this is only the second one focusing its ostracode fauna. In the study material, 14 species, ten genera and eight families were identified, including a new genus and species of Hemicytheridae, and a new species of Keijcyoidea. Ten species were left in open nomenclature, and the existence of other new ones is very probable, since the ASPSP is very distant from both other oceanic islands and continents. Ecological and zoogeographical remarks complement this faunal study. Loxocorniculum tricornatum Krutak possesses the greatest abundance, with a total of 4214 specimens (1150 collected alive). Keijcyoidea sp. nov. A (539 specimens, being 153 alive) and Xestoleberis sp. 2 (179 individuals, being 69 alive) occupy the second and third place in abundance, respectively. The species L. tricornatum and Triebelina sertata Triebel, the latter a tropical cosmopolitan ostracode, occur in Brazil not only in the ASPSP, but also in the Rocas Atoll and in the region of warm waters of the Brazilian continental shelf; T. sertata is also recorded around the Trindade Island. Surprisingly, pandemic species of shallow and warm seas, as Kangarina abyssicola (Mueller), Kotoracythere incospicua Brady, Keijia demissa Teeter, Neomonoceratina mediterranea (Ruggieri) and Tenedocythere ex. gr. transoceanica Teeter, were not found in ASPSP.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-12-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:07:49Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 lima_nraml_dr_fran_parcial.pdf: 266613 bytes, checksum: 5ccb285694d279c3f0e1c3bd6538513d (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este estudo tem como tema central a história da doença pênfigo foliáceo endêmico e do Hospital do Pênfigo de Uberaba (MG), fundado no ano de 1957 e ainda em atividade. O hospital recebe pacientes portadores desta doença, popularmente conhecida como fogo selvagem, provenientes de diversas regiões do Brasil. Considerada como uma das únicas doenças autoimunes com características endêmicas, classifica-se cientificamente como sendo uma dermatose bolhosa, comumente presente em regiões geográficas de climas tropicais, cuja etiologia, a despeito do empenho em pesquisas científicas, ainda permanece desconhecida. No Brasil, seu tratamento vem sendo realizado desde o final da década de 1960, com medicamentos à base de corticosteróides, potente anti-inflamatório descoberto no final da década de 1950. O Hospital do Pênfigo, em Uberaba, é a única instituição remanescente que se dedica de modo específico, com exclusividade, ao tratamento do pênfigo foliáceo endêmico. Instituição considerada pelo Estado como de utilidade pública, o hospital é administrado e parcialmente mantido por integrantes do segmento cultural espírita e oferece, além da terapêutica tradicional, também outras, integrativas, tais como o passe magnético, a desobsessão e a fluidificação da água. Ao registrar a história deste hospital, esta pesquisa traz também subsídios para a compreensão da evolução da doença e de seu tratamento, no Brasil. Destacamos a história da fundadora Aparecida Conceição Ferreira, da peculiar maneira por ela desenvolvida de tratar a doença e da sua amizade com o médium Francisco Cândido Xavier, desde os começos da construção e edificação do hospital, cujas raízes se fundam nos preceitos morais e na filosofia da história que sustentam a teoria doutrinária espírita do francês Allan Kardec. A escrita... / The theme of this study is the history of Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus disease, as well as of the Pemphigus Hospital of Uberaba – (MG), founded in 1957 and still active. The hospital receives patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus disease, popularly known as “fogo selvagem”, from several regions of Brazil. Regarded as one of the few autoimmune diseases with endemic features, it is scientifically classified as a bullous dermatosis, usually found in geographical regions of tropical climates, which etiology, despite all efforts in scientific researches, still remains unknown. In Brazil, its treatment has been performed since the late 1960s, with medicines based on corticosteroids, potent anti-inflammatory discovered in the late 1950s. The Pemphigus Hospital, in Uberaba, is the only remaining institution which is engaged in a specific way, exclusively to the treatment of the endemic pemphigus foliaceus disease. The institution is considered by the state as of public utility and the hospital is run and partially maintained by members of the Spiritist cultural movement. Besides the traditional therapy, the treatment offers integrative ones, such as the magnetic healing, the disobsession and the magnetization of the water. Registering the history of this Hospital this research brings subsidies concerning the evolution comprehension of the disease and its treatment in Brazil. We highlighted the history of its founder – Aparecida Conceição Ferreira and her peculiar manner of treating the disease, moreover her friendship with the medium Francisco Cândido Xavier, since the beginnings of construction and Hospital edification, whose roots are founded on moral principles of the Spiritist Doctrine philosophy of the French Allan Kardec. The history writing on this dissertation emphasizes the theoretical contribution of Michel de Certeau and the concept of historical symmetries of Hermínio Miranda as a metho

Submitted by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-07-09T19:37:57Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) clara_almeida_guerra.pdf: 1004414 bytes, checksum: 6688d13a6216ca1b6380300e85cdd209 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2018-07-18T13:16:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) clara_almeida_guerra.pdf: 1004414 bytes, checksum: 6688d13a6216ca1b6380300e85cdd209 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-18T13:16:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) clara_almeida_guerra.pdf: 1004414 bytes, checksum: 6688d13a6216ca1b6380300e85cdd209 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma metodologia de propaga??o in vitro de Lychnophora pohlii Sch. Bip., envolvendo as etapas de alongamento, enraizamento e pr?-aclimata??o de pl?ntulas cultivadas in vitro. Na etapa de alongamento, no primeiro experimento avaliou-se o efeito dos reguladores de crescimento ANA + BAP, ANA + TDZ e GA3 combinados com os meios MS e MS/2 na altura m?dia e percentual de calos. Ainda nessa etapa, no experimento dois e tr?s, utilizou-se o meio MS e concentra??es de GA3 (0; 0,5; 1; 2 e 4 mg L-1) e ANA (0,1; 0,3; 0,6; e 0,9 mg L-1), e avaliou-se a altura m?dia, percentual de enraizamento, n?mero m?dio de ra?zes e percentual de calos. Na etapa de enraizamento, nos experimento quatro e cinco foram testadas concentra??es de ANA e AIB (1,0 e 2 mg L-1) e quatro tempos de perman?ncia dos explantes no meio (7, 14, 21e 28 dias) e as avalia??es foram realizadas semanalmente quanto ao percentual de enraizamento, n?mero m?dio de raiz, altura m?dia e percentual de calos. Tamb?m nessa etapa, para os experimentos seis e sete, os tratamentos foram constitu?dos de dois tipos de meio (MS/2 e WPM/2) e concentra??es de ANA e AIB (0,1 e 0,5 mg L-1) e avaliados o percentual de enraizamento, n?mero m?dio de ra?zes, altura m?dia e percentual de calos. Na etapa de pr?-aclimata??o, as pl?ntulas foram transplantadas para copos pl?sticos (200 cm3) contendo vermiculita? autoclavada e os tratamentos foram constitu?dos por pl?ntulas cobertas com saco de polietileno intacto, pl?ntulas cobertas com saco de polietileno perfurado e aus?ncia de cobertura, onde se avaliou o percentual de sobreviv?ncia, altura m?dia, comprimento m?dio da raiz principal, mat?ria fresca da parte a?rea, mat?ria fresca da raiz, mat?ria seca da parte a?rea e mat?ria seca da raiz. Na fase de alongamento, a maior m?dia de altura foi verificada em explantes cultivados em meio MS, suplementado com ANA + BAP. A combina??o de ANA + TDZ aumentou o percentual de calo. As concentra??es de 0,9 e 0,1 mg L-1 proporcionaram a maior e menor n?mero m?dio de raiz por tratamento. O menor percentual de calo foi observado na concentra??o de 0,1 mg L-1 de ANA. Na fase de enraizamento a concentra??o de 1,0 mg L-1 de ANA proporcionou maior m?dia de altura e menor percentual de calo e na concentra??o de 2,0 mg L-1 se observou a menor m?dia de altura e o maior percentual de calo. O tempo de perman?ncia de 21 dias possibilitou a maior m?dia de altura dos explantes tratados com ANA e AIB. A concentra??o de 2,0 mg L-1 de AIB contribuiu com o maior n?mero m?dio de ra?zes. O meio WPM/2 suplementado com 0,5 mg L-1 de ANA obteve o maior n?mero m?dio de ra?zes. A maior m?dia para a altura foi encontrada nos explantes cultivados em meio WPM/2. A concentra??o de 0,1 mg L-1 de ANA proporcionou o menor percentual de calo. A concentra??o de 0,5 mg L-1 de AIB proporcionou os maiores valores para o percentual de enraizamento, n?mero m?dio de ra?zes e percentual de calo. Na fase de pr?-aclimata??o, o maior percentual de sobreviv?ncia foi observado no tratamento em que as pl?ntulas foram cobertas com sacos de polietileno intacto. As pl?ntulas cobertas com sacos de polietileno perfurado expressaram maior altura m?dia, comprimento m?dio da raiz, mat?ria fresca e seca da parte a?rea. Nessas condi??es os explantes mostraram-se responsivos quanto aos tratamentos testados, denotando boas perspectivas quanto ao cultivo in vitro dessa esp?cie. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Ci?ncia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017. / The objective of this work was to develop an in vitro propagation methodology of Lychnophora pohlii Sch. Bip. including the stretching, rooting and pre-acclimatization of seedlings grown in vitro stages. In the stretching stage, the effect of the growth regulators ANA + BAP, ANA + TDZ and GA3 combined with the MS and MS/2 media were evaluated at the mean height and callus percentage. At this stage, the effect of concentrations of GA3 (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg L-1) and ANA (0.1, 0.3, 0, 6, and 0.9 mg L-1) were evaluated at the mean height, rooting percentage, mean number of roots and percentage of callus. In the rooting stage, ANA and IBA concentrations (1.0 and 2 mg L-1) and four dwell times of the explants in the medium (7, 14, 21 and 28 days) were tested and rooting percentage, root mean number, mean height and callus percentage were evaluated weekly. Also in this step, the treatments were composed of two types of medium (MS/2 and WPM/2) and ANA and IBA concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 mg L-1). In the pre-acclimation stage, the seedlings were transplanted to plastic cups (200 cm3) containing autoclaved vermiculite?. The treatments were composed by seedlings covered with intact polyethylene bag, seedlings covered with perforated polyethylene bag and seedling uncovered It was evaluated the percentage of survival, mean height, mean length of the main root, fresh shoot matter, fresh root matter, shoot dry matter and root dry matter. In the elongation phase, the highest mean height was verified in explants grown in MS medium, supplemented with ANA + BAP. The combination of ANA + TDZ increased the callus percentage. Concentrations of 0.9 and 0.1 mg L-1 provided the highest and lowest root mean number per treatment, respectively. The lowest percentage of callus was observed for the concentration of 0.1 mg L-1 of ANA. In the rooting stage, the concentration of 1.0 mg L-1 of ANA provided a higher average height and a lower percentage of callus. At the concentration of 2.0 mg L-1, the lowest mean height and the highest percentage of callus were observed. The dwell time of 21 days allowed the highest average height of the explants treated with ANA and AIB. The concentration of 2.0 mg L-1 of AIB contributed with the highest average number of roots. The WPM/2 medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 of ANA obtained the highest mean number of roots. The highest mean height was found in the explants grown on WPM/2 medium. The concentration of 0.1 mg L-1 of ANA provided the lowest percentage of callus. The concentration of 0.5 mg L-1 of IBA provided the highest values for rooting percentage, mean number of roots and percentage of callus. In the pre-acclimatization stage, the highest percentage of survival was observed in the treatment in which the seedlings were covered with bags of intact polyethylene. Seedlings covered with perforated polythene bags expressed higher mean height, root mean length, fresh and dry shoot matter. In these conditions, the explants were responsive to the treatments tested, indicating good perspectives regarding the in vitro cultivation of this species.

O Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo (ASPSP) localiza-se cerca de 1100 km do litoral do Rio Grande do Norte, e está constituído por quatro ilhas maiores dispostas em semicírculo formando uma enseada com profundidades que variam ente 3 a 18 m. Vários estudos sobre a fauna existente no ASPSP foram realizados, entretanto, este é apenas o segundo trabalho com foco na ostracofauna do arquipélago. No material analisado, coletado na enseada, foram reconhecidas 14 espécies, dez gêneros e oito famílias; dentre estes, foi descrito um gênero e espécie novos para a família Hemicytheridae e uma nova espécie para o gênero Keijcyoidea. Dez espécies foram deixadas em nomenclatura aberta, sendo muito provável a existência de outras espécies novas, já que o ASPSP é uma área muito distante tanto de outras ilhas oceânicas quanto de continentes. Aspectos ecológicos e zoogeográficos complementam o estudo da riqueza específica da fauna aqui analisada. Loxocorniculum tricornatum Krutak possui a maior abundância, perfazendo um total de 4214 espécimens (1150 coletados vivos). Keijcyoidea sp. nov. A (539 espécimens, sendo 153 vivos) e Xestoleberis sp. 2 (179 indivíduos, dos quais 69 vivos) ocupam o segundo e o terceiro lugar em abundância, respectivamente. As espécies L. tricornatum e Triebelina sertata Triebel, esta última um ostracode cosmopolita tropical, ocorrem no Brasil não somente no ASPSP, mas também no Atol das Rocas e nas regiões de águas quentes da plataforma continental brasileira; T. sertata é também registrada na Ilha da Trindade. Curiosamente, espécies pandêmicas de mares rasos e quentes, como Kangarina abyssicola (Mueller), Kotoracythere incospicua Brady, Keijia demissa Teeter, Neomonoceratina mediterranea (Ruggieri) e Tenedocythere ex. gr. transoceanica Teeter, não foram registrados no ASPSP. / The Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo (ASPSP), located about 1,100 km of the coast of the Rio Grande do Norte State, consists of four major islands arranged in a semicircle forming a cove with depths between three and 18 m. Many studies on the archipelago fauna were performed, however, this is only the second one focusing its ostracode fauna. In the study material, 14 species, ten genera and eight families were identified, including a new genus and species of Hemicytheridae, and a new species of Keijcyoidea. Ten species were left in open nomenclature, and the existence of other new ones is very probable, since the ASPSP is very distant from both other oceanic islands and continents. Ecological and zoogeographical remarks complement this faunal study. Loxocorniculum tricornatum Krutak possesses the greatest abundance, with a total of 4214 specimens (1150 collected alive). Keijcyoidea sp. nov. A (539 specimens, being 153 alive) and Xestoleberis sp. 2 (179 individuals, being 69 alive) occupy the second and third place in abundance, respectively. The species L. tricornatum and Triebelina sertata Triebel, the latter a tropical cosmopolitan ostracode, occur in Brazil not only in the ASPSP, but also in the Rocas Atoll and in the region of warm waters of the Brazilian continental shelf; T. sertata is also recorded around the Trindade Island. Surprisingly, pandemic species of shallow and warm seas, as Kangarina abyssicola (Mueller), Kotoracythere incospicua Brady, Keijia demissa Teeter, Neomonoceratina mediterranea (Ruggieri) and Tenedocythere ex. gr. transoceanica Teeter, were not found in ASPSP.

A nutrição de iodo de uma população é avaliada por indicadores: a iodação do sal, excreção urinária de iodo e volume tiroidiano. A iodação do sal é eficiente no combate às doenças decorrentes da deficiência de iodo, sendo empregada em todo território nacional desde 1995 e o estado de São Paulo é considerado uma área iodo-suficiente. Para avaliar esta ingesta de iodo, foram selecionados aleatoriamente 964 escolares entre 6 a 14 anos, de seis regiões do Estado. Foram avaliados sob o ponto de vista ecográfico da tiróide, 484 meninas e 480 meninos. Os volumes da glândula tiróide elevaram-se progressivamente com a idade, guardando correlação positiva e significativa com a superfície corporal. Cerca de 2,9% dos escolares apresentava bócio. Outras anormalidades encontradas foram hemiagenesia (0,5%), nódulos (0,2%), cistos (0,7%) e hipoecogenicidade (11,7%). Notamos excessiva excreção urinária de iodo nesta população, com valores superiores a 300ug Iodo/L em 76,8% das amostras. As amostras de sal doméstico apresentavam valores entre 34,0 e 68,3mg Iodo/Kg de sal. Concluímos que a população de escolares estudados no estado de São Paulo apresenta excessiva ingestão diária de iodo, a qual, extrapolada para população em geral poderá induzir várias alterações da função tiroidiana, como hipertiroidismo subclínico (em idosos) e tiroidite crônica auto-imune na população adulta. / The salt iodization is efficient to prevent iodine deficient disorders and began in all of Brazil in 1995 and the state of São Paulo is considered an iodine sufficient area. To evaluate the iodine nutrition, 964 schoolchildren, aged between 6 and 14 years old (484 girls, 480 boys) were examined by ultrasonographic studies. There was a progressive increase of the thyroid volume with aging with a positive and significant correlation with the body surface area. The presence of enlarged thyroid gland was rarely seen, being present in only 2.9% of the studied cohort. A few thyroid gland abnormalities were noticed such as hemiagenesia (0.5%), nodules (0.2%), cysts (0.7%) and hypoechogenicity (11,7%). It was clearly demonstrated that the urinary excretion of iodine was elevated being above 300ug Iodine/L in 76,8% of the schoolchildren examined. Assays for the iodine concentration in domestic salt samples revealed values between 34.0 and 68.3 mgI/kg of salt. We conclude that the schoolchildren population of the State of São Paulo may be under an excessive daily ingestion of iodine. This may induce, if extrapolated to the general population, subclinical hyperthyroidism in the elderly and possibly an increment in the prevalence of cronic autoimmune thyroiditis.