Mycorrhizae in Monocotyledonae of Northeast Brazil: subclasses Alismatidae, Arecidae and Zingiberidae

 We studied the mycorrhizal condition of three subclasses (Alismatidae, Arecidae, Zingiberidae) of Liliopsida (Monocotyledonae) occurring in different natural areas of the State of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. Twenty-two of 35 specimens (62.8%) were colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. No association was found in specimens of five families (Alismataceae, Cannaceae, Cyclanthaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Limnocharitaceae), but in two other families (Costaceae, Zingiberaceae) all specimens formed mycorrhizae. Four families showed variable mycotrophy (Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Heliconiaceae, Marantaceae). This is the first evaluation of the mycorrhizal condition of 24 Monocotyledonae species from this region, 15 of which were found to form AM. Accepted: 4 July 2000     

Neolignans from Licaria rigida

Trunk wood of Licaria rigida contains the neolignans eusiderin, eusiderin-B, canellin-A and canellin-C.     

Calcium uptake and gp80 messenger RNA destabilization follows cAMP receptor down regulation in Dictyostelium discoideum

The mechanism by which high concentrations of cAMP selectively destabilize the gp80 mRNA in Dictyostelium discoideum was investigated. This treatment which leads to down-regulation of the cAMP receptor was also found to cause an increase in calcium uptake. Given this observation, we sought a role for calcium as a second messenger in the degradation of the gp80 mRNA. Changes in the mRNA levels were examined after treating cells with compounds known to alter their intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations. This included the use of A23187, Ca²⁺, 8-(N,N-diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate HCl (TMB-8), LiCl and 8-p-chlorophenylthioadenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (ClPhS-Ado-3′:5′-P). The sum of the data suggest that it is the cAMP-induced influx of Ca²⁺ acoss the plasma membrane, as opposed to a cAMP-mediated release of Ca²⁺ from intracellular stores, that initiates gp80 mRNA degradation. Treatment of cells with Concanavalin A (ConA) to induce cAMP receptor down-regulation, also causes a reduction in gp80 mRNA levels and an increase in calcium uptake.     

Time-related eating patterns and chronotype are associated with diet quality in pregnant women

Animal studies strongly suggest that timed feeding can have beneficial physiological effects, including protection against the obesogenic and metabolic consequences of a high-fat diet. However, the relationship between variables related to the timing of eating and diet quality in pregnancy women, which is considered as a period of nutritional vulnerability, is still poorly described in the literature. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between time-related eating patterns and chronotype with diet quality of pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 pregnant women in the first gestational trimester (≤12 weeks of gestation). The information regarding food intake was obtained by three 24-Hour Dietary Recall (24HR). Time-related eating patterns, i.e., the interval between the first and the last meal (eating duration), nightly fasting, time of the first and last meals, and number of meals eating on a day were determined. Chronotype was derived using the mid-sleep time on free days on weekends, with a further correction for calculated sleep debt. Diet quality was evaluated using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R), validated for the Brazilian population. Linear regression modeling analyses adjusted for confounders were used to investigate the association between time-related eating patterns and chronotype with diet quality. The BHEI-R total score was negatively associated with time of the first meal (β = ?0.355; p = 0.002; r² adjusted = 0.141), and positively associated with eating duration (β = 0.262; p = 0.024; r² adjusted = 0.086) and number of meals (β = 0.273; p = 0.019; r² adjusted = 0.091). In addition, the score of total fruit component was negatively associated with chronotype (β = ?0.236; p = 0.033; r² adjusted = 0.078), time of the first meal (β = ?0.393; p = 0.001; r² adjusted = 0.171), and positively associated with eating duration (β = 0.259; p = 0.022; r² adjusted = 0.087) and number of meals (β = 0.376; p = 0.001; r² adjusted = 0.159). The score for whole fruit component was negatively associated with time of the first meal (β = ?0.388; p = 0.001; r² adjusted = 0.152), and positively associated with number of meals (β = 0.403; p = 0.001; r² adjusted = 0.164). A longer eating duration, earlier time of the first meal, higher number of meals and morningness tendency are associated with a better diet quality in the first gestational trimester – higher scores of the total BHEI-R and/or fruit components. We suggest that nutritional guidelines should consider time-related eating patterns and chronotype to ensure good diet quality of pregnant women since the beginning of gestation, contributing on prevention of metabolic-nutritional complications.