Oak (Quercus spp.) savanna, characterized by widely scattered oaks with an understory of prairie and other specialized species, is one of the most endangered native ecosystems in North America (Nuzzo 1986, Packard and MuteI1 997). The absence of grazing and burning along with the in troduction of tillage agriculture are key factors for the loss of this ecosystem. Our objective was to determine ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate nutritional recovery patterns in 106 undernourished children assisted by the Center of Nutritional Recovery and Education (CREN, in Portuguese) between January 1995 and December 1999. DESIGN CREN assists undernourished children aged 0 to 72 months living in the southern regions of Sao Paulo, in an outpatient setting. Nutritional status was assessed by Z-scores of weight-...

This study examined the effect of zinc deficiency on food consumption and the growth of mice infected with Trypanosoma musculi or immunized with parasite products. In addition, the effects of zinc deficiency on the growth and development of parasites in vivo was studied. Infected mice consumed more food than noninfected mice, and the level of food consumption in the zinc-deficient mice was much...

BACKGROUND Non-smoking, having a normal weight and increased levels of physical activity are perhaps the three key factors for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the relative effects of these factors on healthy longevity have not been well described. We aimed to calculate and compare the effects of non-smoking, normal weight and physical activity in middle-aged populations on lif...

Humans are well used to appreciating the beauty of flowers, and breeding them to heighten their attractions but we remain largely ignorant of their seeds, something that can also be of stunning beauty, although often on an microscopic scale. A new book, Seeds: Time Capsules of Life, hopes to help redress this perception and raise awareness of conservation issues at a time of unprecedented press...

The feeding of 17 babies weighing less than 1500 g was examined retrospectively. 12 babies started breast feeding at a mean weight of 1324 g and 10 of them were fully breast fed by a mean weight of 1600 g. Their weight gains were comparable with bottle-fed babies receiving expressed breast milk. Practical aspects of breast feeding were considered to be: a knowledgeable maternal and nursing atti...

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) has initiated provision of antitubercular therapy for children with strategy of patient-wise boxes for the 4 different weight bands (6- 10 kg; 11- 17 kg; 18- 25 kg; 26- 30 kg). We evaluated the dose of individual drugs delivered by this approach to children of varying weights. The following areas of concern were identified: underdosing o...