Native medicinal plants commercialized in Brazil – priorities for conservation

A majority of the native medicinal plants that are commercialized in Brazil are harvested from natural populations. In addition to this essentially unrestrained collecting, these plants have been heavily impacted by the cutting and the fragmentation of forest formations throughout the country. Considering the limited availability of natural resources, threats to species diversity, and the necessity of conservation efforts in light of the rapid exhaustion of natural ecosystems, it is becoming exceedingly important to establish conservation priorities. The present work sought to identify the native medicinal plants harvested for industrial purposes and to establish conservation priorities for the species of highest commercial value. To that end, a survey of Brazilian industrial products that use medicinal plants was undertaken in 54 shops in the city of Recife (Pernambuco, NE Brazil). The survey noted information concerning the commercial name of the product, its plant composition and pharmaceutical presentation, therapeutic indications, as well as the laboratory that produced it. Only native species were considered. A total of 74 different native species used to produce more than 300 types of products were encountered in the present survey. Twelve species demonstrated significant versatility (Species which had the highest numbers of different therapeutic indications and body systems), and 58.33% of these plants were trees. Destructive collecting predominates (58.11%), greatly affecting taxa collected exclusively from wild populations (86.49%). The intensive use of exclusively wild species and the destructive harvesting techniques employed in gathering them create serious problems that will threaten the availability of these resources to future generations.     

Assessing joint toxicity of chemicals in Enchytraeus albidus (Enchytraeidae) and Porcellionides pruinosus (Isopoda) using avoidance behaviour as an endpoint

Contamination problems are often characterized by complex mixtures of chemicals. There are two conceptual models usually used to evaluate patterns of mixture toxicity: Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA). Deviations from these models as synergism, antagonism and dose dependency also occur. In the present study, single and mixture toxicity of atrazine, dimethoate, lindane, zinc and cadmium were tested in Porcellionides pruinosus and Enchytraeus albidus, using avoidance as test parameter. For both species patterns of antagonism were found when exposed to dimethoate and atrazine, synergism for lindane and dimethoate exposures (with the exception of lower doses in the isopod case study) and concentration addition for cadmium and zinc occurred, while the exposure to cadmium and dimethoate showed dissimilar patterns.This study highlights the importance of dose dependencies when testing chemical mixtures and that avoidance tests can also be used to asses the effects of mixture toxicity.     

Ultracentrifugation as a direct method to concentrate viruses in environmental waters: virus-like particle enumeration as a new approach to determine the efficiency of recovery

Some health important enteric viruses are considered to be emerging waterborne pathogens and so the improvement of detection of these viruses in the aquatic environment is one of the most important steps in dealing with these pathogens. Since these viruses may be present in low numbers in water, it is necessary to concentrate water samples before viral detection. Although there are several methods to concentrate viruses in environmental waters, all present some drawbacks and consequently the method should be chosen that, despite its limitations, is adequate to achieve the aim of each study. As the effectiveness of the concentration methods is evaluated by determining the efficiency of viral recovery after concentration, it is important to use a simple and effective approach to evaluate their recovery efficiency. In this work ultracentrifugation, usually used as a secondary step for virus concentration, was evaluated as the main method to concentrate directly viruses in environmental water samples, using the microscopic enumeration of virus-like particles (VLP) as a new approach to estimate the efficiency of recovery. As the flocculation method is currently employed to concentrate viruses in environmental waters, it was also used in this study to assess the efficiency of the ultracentrifugation as the main viral concentration method in environmental waters. The results of this study indicate that ultracentrifugation is an adequate approach to concentrate viruses directly from environmental waters (recovery percentages between 66 and 72% in wastewaters and between 66 and 76% in recreational waters) and that the determination of VLP by epifluorescence microscopy is a simple, fast and cheap alternative approach to determine the recovery efficiency of the viral concentration methods.     

Micronucleus and different nuclear abnormalities in wild birds in the Cerrado,Brazil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Free-living birds play an important role as bioindicators in natural environments. In this study, we used the micronucleus test and nuclear...     

Effect of the Incorporation of Lysozyme on the Properties of Jackfruit Starch Films

Jackfruit starch based biodegradable films containing lysozyme were characterized for their antimicrobial activity, thickness, solubility, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties. The biodegradable films had good appearance and antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus lysodeikticus. The thickness of the biodegradable films were not affected by the variation in pH, but the addition of lysozyme increased the thickness, the thickest films being those with the highest lysozyme concentrations. The variation in pH of the filmogenic solutions affected the solubility of the biodegradable films, water solubility being greatest at pH 7.0 and with the highest lysozyme concentration. The permeability of the biodegradable films was increased by incorporating lysozyme. The lysozyme concentration and pH variation caused changes in the mechanical properties. The addition of 8% lysozyme increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus for all the pH values studied. With respect to the release of antimicrobial activity, the diffusion of lysozyme was shown to follow Fickian transport mechanism.     

Adaptive threat management framework: integrating people and turtles

In the 35 years since its inception, the Brazilian National Program for the Conservation of Marine Turtles (TAMAR) has had great success in protecting the five species of sea turtles that occur in Brazil. It has also contributed significantly to worldwide scientific data and knowledge about these species’ biology, such as life cycles and migration patterns. TAMAR’s conservation strategies have always relied on a variety of environmental education and social inclusion (EESI) activities highly adapted to the socio-environmental evolving contexts of its 25 locations distributed across nine states. Diversity and flexibility are critical to enable timely and effective local responses to existing or potential threats to sea turtles. The intuitive, locally adapted, decentralized, and independent way EESI activities have been carried out have generated positive results in the resolution of specific and evolving local problems through the course of the project. This article brings EESI under the same conceptual framework that underlies its conservation approach by adopting an adaptive threat management framework to organize and qualify its educational and social inclusion interventions according to the main categories of threat addressed by TAMAR.     

Investigation and proposal for reuse of effluents from beneficiated bentonite products

This work is intended to show the characterization of three effluents (X, Y, and Z) derived from laboratory analyses conducted in the quality control department of a beneficiated bentonite products factory in order to present alternatives for their treatment and final disposal according to Brazil's National Solid Waste Policy (Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos – PNRS, Law 12,305/2010, Brazil). Analyses to identify the characteristics of the effluents revealed that the pH, salinity, electroconductivity, and total dissolved solids were in agreement with the organic and mineral nature of the effluent constituents: solvent, clay minerals, water, and activating agent. To assess reuse proposals, the effluents were subjected to the following tests: (a) swelling characteristic with effluent X, (b) petrochemical characterization of Y, and (c) swelling characteristic using commercial solvent and activated clay produced with effluent Z. Preliminary results indicate that each of these effluents can be reused variously in the laboratory, as a fuel, or in the original analysis/process.     

The use of multivariate statistical methods for optimization of the surface water quality network monitoring in the Paraopeba river basin,Brazil

This study sought to evaluate and propose adjustments to the water quality monitoring network of surface freshwaters in the Paraopeba river basin (Minas Gerais, Brazil), using multivariate statistical methods. A total of 13,560 valid data were analyzed for 19 water quality parameters at 30 monitoring sites, over a period of 5 years (2008–2013). The cluster analysis grouped the monitoring sites in eight groups based on similarities of water quality characteristics. This analysis made it possible to detect the most relevant monitoring stations in the river basin. The principal components analysis associated with non-parametric tests and the analysis of violation of the standards prescribed by law, allowed for identifying the most relevant parameters which must be maintained in the network (thermotolerant coliforms, total manganese, and total phosphorus). The discharge of domestic sewage and industrial wastewater, that from mining activities and diffuse pollution from agriculture and pasture areas are the main sources of pollution responsible for the surface water quality deterioration in this basin. The BP073 monitoring site presents the most degraded water quality in the Paropeba river basin. The monitoring sites BP094 and BP092 are located geographically close and they measure similar water quality, so a possible assessment of the need to maintain only one of the two in the monitoring network is suggested. Therefore, multivariate analyses were efficient to assess the adequacy of the water quality monitoring network of the Paraopeba river basin, and it can be used in other watersheds.     

Using multivariate techniques as a strategy to guide optimization projects for the surface water quality network monitoring in the Velhas river basin,Brazil

Surface water quality monitoring networks are usually deployed and rarely re-evaluated with regard to their effectiveness. In this sense, this work sought to evaluate and to guide optimization projects for the water quality monitoring network of the Velhas river basin, using multivariate statistical methods. The cluster, principal components, and factorial analyses, associated with non-parametric tests and the analysis of violation to the standards set recommended by legislation, identified the most relevant water quality parameters and monitoring sites, and evaluated the sampling frequency. Thermotolerant coliforms, total arsenic, and total phosphorus were considered the most relevant parameters for characterization of water quality in the river basin. The monitoring sites BV156, BV141, BV142, BV150, BV137, and BV153 were considered priorities for maintenance of the network. The multivariate statistical analysis showed the importance of a monthly sampling frequency, specifically the parameters considered most important.