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The ecological and economical importance of the Galea spixii, a hystricognath cavid rodent, has aroused the interest of the researchers at developing studies focused on the conservation of its germplasm. In this sense, this review presents published information regarding methods for obtaining and characterizing both male and female gametes. Moreover, interesting data regarding sperm freezing and vitrification of testicular and ovarian tissue are shown. Such promising studies evidence the possibilities for improving other assisted reproductive techniques focused on G. spixii multiplication and conservation

This article aims, through a theoretical reflection, examining the relationship between the ownership of the territory by the tourist activity and its impacts on culture and the environment, calling attention to the need for sustainable planning in the Bahia-Brazil. To this end, we shall analyze the speech of several authors who deal with interdisciplinary way, the theme of Planning sustainable tourism and its relationship with the regional development (Bomfim, 2008, 2006; Coriolano, 2005; Days, 2003 Becker, 2002 Yazigi, 2002, 2003, Carlos, 2002; Petrocchi, 2001; Santos, 1994, 1997; Soja, 1993; Chadefaud, 1987; Thus, this proposal highlights the need to enhance communities placed outside the economic system.

Objective: to identify the frequency of components of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among university students., Method: descriptive study with 550 students, from various courses run by a public university. The socioeconomic data, lifestyle, and components of MetS were filled out using a questionnaire. Blood sample collection was undertaken in the university itself by a contracted clinical analysis laboratory., Results: 66.2% were female, with a mean age of 22.6±4.41; 71.7% were sedentary; 1.8% stated that they smoke; and 48.5% were classified as at medium risk for alcoholism. 5.8% had raised abdominal circumference and 20.4% had excess weight; 1.3% and 18.9% had raised fasting blood glucose levels and triglycerides, respectively; 64.5% had low HDL cholesterol and 8.7% had blood pressure levels compatible with borderline high blood pressure. Thus, of the sample, 64.4% had at least one component for MetS; 11.6% had two, and 3.5% had three or more., Conclusion: a significant proportion of the population already has the components for metabolic syndrome, and this profile reinforces the importance of early diagnosis so as to reduce the risk of developing chronic comorbidities.

The objective of the study was to evaluate some risk factors for increases in systemic arterial blood pressure. This transversal study was carried out with 145 individuals from 12 to 18 years of age at two state schools in the city of Pico in the state of Piauí in Brazil. The majority were female (62.8%). The median age was 14.8 years (±3.19). It was ascertained that 13 of the subjects (9.0%) were overweight [CI% 73.0-86.0]. Elevations in waist circumference were found in 31 (21.4%) and 76 (52.4%) had elevated arterial blood levels. There was no statistically-significant association between the above-cited risk factors and gender (p=0.088; 0.999; 0.204, respectively). However, 44.8% of the adolescents had at least one risk factor associated with arterial hypertension; 15.9% had two, and 2.1% had three. The study confirms the influence of the risk factors on arterial pressure values among adolescents. Being aware of these factors means that nurses can intervene with health education measures.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which aimed to analyze the health related quality of life (HRQoL) and its relationship with gender, age, duration and indication for the use of oral anticoagulants. A total of 178 patients were interviewed and the HRQoL was assessed through eight domains of the SF-36. The descriptive statistics used were, the Student's t, ANOVA and Tukey's tests for the comparison of the means between the groups. The indication for use was predominantly the metallic prosthetic heart valve (50%) with warfarin the most widely prescribed anticoagulant (83.3%). The means of the domains of the SF-36 ranged from 82 (Social aspects) to 54.8 (Physical aspects). Women, elderly, patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and with less than one year of medication use, presented a worse HRQoL evaluation. The results obtained can guide nursing actions, in that they indicate possible associations between the HRQoL and the sociodemographic and clinical variables of the patients.

Over the past few years there has been an increase in application of minimally invasive techniques in pediatric surgery, especially in the approach of liver lesions. The mesothelial cysts are extremely rare congenital lesions that arise from celomic remnants. The authors present the clinical case of a three year old child, referred to our institution after an incidental finding of a liver cystic lesion in abdominal ultrasound. The physical examination and blood study were irrelevant. The MRI confirmed the presence of the cystic lesion and pointed, as a possible etiology, a cystic cyst adenoma of the liver. The child was submitted to laparoscopic cyst resection. There peri and postoperative periods were uneventful. He was discharged 48h after surgery. The anatomo-pathological and immunohistochemical studies concluded it was a mesotelial cyst of the liver. The mesothelial cysts of the liver are very rare lesions, with difficult preoperative diagnosis. The laparoscopic excision is a feasible and safe.

Introduction: The prevalence of tuberculosis in developing countries, such as Brazil, remains high with important morbidity and mortality rates among children. Neurological complications are frequent and tuberculous meningo-encephalitis (TBM) is the most dreaded of them in infancy., Case Report: Our case involves a 7-year-old white female patient who was previously in good health. Over a period of two weeks she suffered from high temperatures and vomiting and was given amoxicillin. She later suffered an attack of focal seizures. Electroencephalogram studies showed a temporary double focus and lesions in the left hemisphere. A cranial computerised tomography (CT) scan revealed a periventricular haemorrhage on the left side. The control CT (carried out 20 days later) showed a reduction in the haemorrhage and localised hypodensity. Owing to the suspected existence of an abscess, the patient was administered vancomycin. A new cranial CT scan (40 days after the first) showed gliosis alongside the basal nuclei with impregnation in the carotid trifurcation, which led us to suspect that we were dealing with a case of vasculitis or a granuloma. All the microbacterial cultures were negative and there was no history of contact with tuberculosis. The adenosine deaminase (ADA) value in the sample of cerebrospinal fluid (taken seven weeks after the first) was found to be 21.2 UI. Treatment was started with tuberculostatic compounds. Two weeks later the fever disappeared. The control CT scan showed decreased hypodensity and impregnation. The patient was discharged from hospital, with a slight monoparesis in the upper right limb., Discussion: The presentation of a cerebrovascular disease within a context of TBM, like the case reported here, is relatively rare in the literature. We concluded that the uncommon initial symptoms of TBM, associated with the negative cultures, contributed to the delay in reaching a diagnosis. A cerebrovascular accident must be included in the clinical picture of TBM and this disease has to be taken into account when dealing with a case of cerebrovascular accident.

Introduction: It is necessary to differentiate neurological evaluation in the different stages of development, which include the premature newborn infant (PNI), the full term newborn, the unweaned baby, the child and the teenager. Several studies have shown the importance of using the corrected age when exploring the psychomotor development of premature babies., Casuistics and Method: The population we studied was made up of a cohort of PNI who were born in the Hospital de Cl nicas de Porto Alegre and were monitored until they reached the age of 12 months. Motricity, sociability and speech were all considered., Results and Conclusions: It was possible to establish the frameworks of neurological development at the corrected ages of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The development of static balance was the only item among the motor aspects that did not agree with what was to be expected for the corrected age. The PNIs development was uniform, with regard to the perceptive and language functions for each corrected age. Such results reinforce the importance of studies like the one we present in this paper, since it is a period that can provide us with information that is useful for the early diagnosis of development disorders. It is also the best time to indicate psychomotor and affective stimulation, if we bear in mind the importance of the brain s plasticity during the first year of life.

Shrimp shell waste obtained from several industrial freezing-purchasing plants of Guaymas, Sonora, Méx., was studied as a source of value-added chitin biopolymers. In part I, the effect of different isolation conditions on the chitin yield and chemical characteristic, was investigated. Protein and mineral matter were removed with alkali and acid treatment respectively. A 2x2x3 factorial a way of a completely randomized design was used in order to evaluate the effect of the process variables, namely, NaOH concentration (0.4 and 2%) during the deproteinization and HCl concentration (3 and 5%) carried out at 40, 50 and 60 degrees C. The best processing conditions were desproteinization with 2% NaOH, and demineralization with 5% HCl at 50 degrees C, in terms of final ash and chitin content and yield. In part II, a selection of methods of isolation of chitin and chitosan was studied in order to establish the best conditions for scaling up a process to pilot plant level. The processing conditions were selected from reported methods as well as from those defined in part I. Purity of chitin samples was determined in terms of residual protein, ash and chitin each one to produce high quality chitin (0.00% protein, 0.01% ash, 99.99% chitin) and standard grade chitin (0.00% protein, 0.09% ash, 99.13% chitin). Both products were considered as of adequate quality and their manufacture process could be scaled up by further optimization of the processing conditions.