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A presente investigação focalizou atividades de Educação Ambiental realizadas em escolas públicas de educação básica, pertencentes a Diretoria Regional de Ensino de Piracicaba, São Paulo. A partir da análise documental dos Projetos Políticos Pedagógicos das escolas selecionadas, e da análise de questionários estruturados aplicados à professores, buscou-se discutir como temáticas relacionadas a Educação Ambiental são abordadas. O uso de perguntas de pesquisa norteadoras do processo e de busca por palavras-chave nos documentos, juntamente com referenciais teóricos, legislações e demais publicações orientaram a coleta de a análise dos dados obtidos e permitiram corroborar com estudos já publicados nessa mesma linha de pesquisa dentro da Educação Básica. Foram analisados 23 documentos, número esse determinado estatisticamente (33,3% das escolas da referida diretoria), e 22 professores responderam os questionários, ou seja, um de cada escola investigada. Os principais resultados obtidos pela pesquisa mostraram que: o Projeto Político Pedagógico, contrariando as definições e orientações, se tornou uma construção burocrática e sem a efetiva participação dos professores em sua elaboração; há um distanciamento, no que diz respeito ao que consta nos referidos documentos, e o que os professores alegam fazer, evidenciado nos questionários; ainda existem aspectos financeiros e burocráticos que acabam coibindo a execução efetiva de projetos nas escolas. De um modo geral, pelas falas dos professores os projetos acontecem, porém ainda não há sincronia entre o trabalho docente e os documentos oficiais da escola, o que deixam questionamentos sobre a execução, metodologias usadas e resultados obtidos nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem que seriam proporcionados nos momentos de trabalho entre professores e alunos. The present investigation focused on Environmental Education activities carried out in public primary schools, belonging to the Regional Education Board of Piracicaba, São Paulo. Based on the documental analysis of the Pedagogical Political Projects of the selected schools, and the analysis of structured questionnaires applied to teachers, we sought to discuss how the themes related to Environmental Education are approached. The use of process research questions and keyword search in the documents, along with theoretical references, legislation and other publications guided the collection of data analysis and allowed corroborating with studies already published in this same line of research within Of Basic Education. Twenty-three documents were analyzed, statistically determined (33.3% of the schools), and 22 teachers answered the questionnaires, that is, one from each school investigated. The main results obtained by the research showed that: the Political Pedagogical Project, contrary to the definitions and orientations, became a bureaucratic construction and without the effective participation of the teachers in its elaboration; There is a distancing, with respect to what is stated in those documents, and what teachers claim to do, evidenced in the questionnaires; There are still financial and bureaucratic aspects that end up impeding the effective execution of projects in schools. In general, the teachers\' statements show that the projects do happen, but there is still no synchrony between the teaching work and the official school documents, which leaves questions about the implementation, methodologies used and results obtained in the teaching and learning processes that would be The moments of work between teachers and students.

Flavonoids isolated from citrus were evaluated for their ability to affect the inflammation response through suppression of cytokine expression by human monocytes. Several polymethoxylated flavones inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced monocyte expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha). Subsequent studies centered on the compound 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HMF) which produced the highest inhibition (IC50 = 5 microM). HMF was also a potent inhibitor of macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) production, but not of IL-1beta, IL-6, or IL-8 production. Suppression of TNFalpha production was at the level of mRNA induction as determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HMF was also a potent inhibitor of human phosphodiesterase activity and was shown to induce a substantial elevation of cAMP levels in monocytes. The similarity of these results to the inhibition profile of the known phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, suggests that the polymethoxylated flavones inhibit cytokine production in part by suppression of phosphodiesterase activity. The ability of HMF to also inhibit IL-10 production suggests the additional existence of a phosphodiesterase-independent mechanism for this compound.

Ten highly oxygenated flavonoids, including four new compounds, were isolated from the leaves of Dancy tangerine. Six were identified as 5,6,7,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (sinensetin) (1), 5,6,7,8,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (tangeretin) (2), 5,6,7,8,3‘,4‘-hexamethoxyflavone (nobiletin) (3), 5-hydroxy-6,7,3‘,4‘-tetramethoxyflavone (4), 5,7-dihydroxy-6,8,3‘,4‘-tetramethoxyflavone (5), and 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3‘,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (5-O-desmethylnobiletin) (6) by direct comparison with authentic samples, comparing their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature or by simply interpreting their spectral data. The new compounds were elucidated as 5,7,8,3‘,4‘- pentamethoxyflavanone (7), 5,6,7,8,3‘,4‘-hexamethoxyflavanone (8), 7-chloro-3,5,6,8,3‘,4‘-hexamethoxyflavone (9), and 7-chloro-3,5,6,8,4‘-pentamethoxyflavone (10) on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic studies. Keywords: Citrus; Dancy tangerine leaves; polymethoxyflavone; chloride polymethoxyflavone; polymethoxyflavanone

In order to facilitate identification of possible metabolites arising from in vitro action of catechol-O-methyltransferase upon 7,8-dihydroxy- and 8,9-dihydroxy-4-n-propyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,10b-octahydrobenzo[f]quinolines (11, 12), all four possible monomethyl ether derivatives have been synthesized. Incubation of 11 and 12 with the enzyme revealed that the 8,9-dihydroxy positional isomer 12 (which contains the dopamine moiety held in the beta conformation) but not the 7,8-dihydroxy isomer 11 (which holds the dopamine moiety in the alpha conformation) was a substrate for the enzyme. The sole detectable product of 12 was 8-hydroxy-9-methoxy derivative 15 in which the "meta" hydroxy group of the dopamine moiety is etherified.

In order to facilitate identification of possible metabolites arising from in vitro action of catechol-O-methyltransferase upon 7,8-dihydroxy- and 8,9-dihydroxy-4-n-propyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,10b-octahydrobenzo[f]quinolines (11, 12), all four possible monomethyl ether derivatives have been synthesized. Incubation of 11 and 12 with the enzyme revealed that the 8,9-dihydroxy positional isomer 12 (which contains the dopamine moiety held in the beta conformation) but not the 7,8-dihydroxy isomer 11 (which holds the dopamine moiety in the alpha conformation) was a substrate for the enzyme. The sole detectable product of 12 was 8-hydroxy-9-methoxy derivative 15 in which the "meta" hydroxy group of the dopamine moiety is etherified.

Flavonoids are common in fruits and vegetables and many function as natural antioxidants, free radical scavengers, and may also chelate pro-oxidant metals, reducing their capacity to produce free radicals (Affany et al., 1987). It has been estimated that humans consume 1 gram per day of flavonoids (Kuhnau et al., 1976). The majority of citrus flavonoids are flavanones bound as glycosides (Figure 1). Hesperidin, a glycoside of hesperetin, is predominant in orange and tangerine, whereas naringin and narirutin, glycosides of naringenin, are most abundant in grapefruit. Eriocitrin and hesperidin are the predominate flavonoids found in lemon and lime. Some therapeutic effects have been reported for citrus flavanoids (Fisher et al., 1982). In 1936 citrus flavonoids were reported to decrease capillary fragility and improve blood flow and were actually labeled “Vitamin P” (Rusznyak and Szent-Gyorgyi, 1936). But further research failed to substantiate that abnormal capillary permeability was due to a deficiency in bioflavonoids. In 1950, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology recommended that the term “Vitamin P”, which had been applied to flavanoids, be discontinued (Vickery et al., 1950).

Citrus fruit and juice have long been traditional health-promoting foods. The origin of citrus is commonly thought to be in the southwest region of China, and citrus is at the very center of all Chinese traditional herbal medicine. All parts of the fruit are considered medicinal and wholesome, and this reputation has spread with citrus throughout the world. As modern science studies citrus more carefully, it seems that traditional beliefs may be founded in fact. Orange and grapefruit are excellent sources of Vitamin C, a good source of folic acid, and a fair source of niacin, and thiamine. Although the benefits of these constituents are too numerous to list in this publication, nutrition alone would be a compeUing reason to consume fresh citrus or drink juice. The vitamins are only part of the story, however. Virtually every class of phytochemical known can be found in relatively high concentration in citrus including flavonoids, triterpenes (sterols), hydroxycinnamic acids, polysaccharides (fiber), hexaric acids, monoterpenes, flavor and aroma molecules. In fact, when one drinks a glass of orange or grapefruit juice, there are more phytochemicals ingested by weight than vitamins. This review article is about these phytochemicals and their impact on mammalian and perhaps human health.

The biosynthesis of chromomycin A3 was investigated using 13C-labeled acetates, methionine and glucose, and 13C, 18O-labeled acetate. 13C NMR spectral analysis demonstrated that: Aglycone assembly occurs by combining at least two polyketide chains; three of nine oxygen atoms of the aglycone originate from acetate precursor oxygen atoms; carbon methylations on the aromatic ring at C-7, on the chromose B sugar, and two O-methylations appear to be carried out by S-adenosyl-methionine requiring methyl transferases; and glucose is the precursor for all of the sugars.

Feedings of [2-13C]- and [1,2-13C2]acetate to Streptomyces griseus gave chromomycin-A3 which was analyzed by NMR. Patterns of carbon enrichments and couplings indicate that 1 is formed from separate octa- and diketides.