FATORES DE RISCO PARA DOENÇAS CARDIOVASCULARES E ESTADO COGNITIVO EM IDOSOS DO SUDOESTE DO PARANÁ

The aging process causes miscellaneous changes in the human body, including neurological changes, such as the decline in cognitive capacity. Studies report a probable relationship between cardiovascular disease (hereinafter, CVDs) and dementia, as both share common risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and cognitive status in elderly people of the southwestern Parana. Cross-sectional, quantitative study carried out with elderly people, both sexes, aged 60 or over, residing in three municipalities of the Southwest Region of Parana. Sociodemographic and clinical statistical data were realized through interviews. Cognitive assessment was measured using the Mini Mental State Examination – (hereinafter, MMSE) and the functional capacity of the research participants was assessed using the Pfeffer questionnaire – (QPAF). The risk of cardiovascular diseases was assessed by factors as: lifestyle, medical history and waist circumference (WC). The research data was composed by 82 elderly people, being 74.4% of them female, with a prevalence of age between 60 and 70 years. Of the interviewees, were 7.3% smokers, were 68.3% sedentary and 48.8% reported having cardiovascular disease. The presence of cognitive decline was present in 20.7% of the elderly and the frequency of risk for cardiovascular diseases, assessed by WC, was observed in 87.8% of the sample. This frequency of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases was elevated in the studied sample, however there was no association with the presence of cognitive decline.

Physicochemical characterization, bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of bitter melon

ABSTRACT The bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is an exotic fruit that has adapted very well to the Brazilian soils, and can be found on practically all regions. Several advantages related to consumption of this fruit can be reported, highlighting its antifungal activity, reduction of glycemic indexes, and also due to the content of natural pigments, such as lycopene and β-carotene, making it promising as a functional food. Based on the demand for foods of this nature, this research aimed at the biometric characterization, physicochemical, bioactive compounds and the pulp and seeds’ antioxidant capacity of bitter melon, collected in the southwest region of Goias. The fruits were collected from plants inside a native vegetation area on Campus Rio Verde at the Instituto Federal Goiano, and the evaluations were carried out from October 2020 to April 2021. The fruits showed high variability in dimensions and weight, high concentrations of flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, total phenolics and antioxidant capacity. According to results, the bitter melon can be used as a raw material to develop food formulations with functional characteristics and drugs potentially effective in the treatment of diabetes and diseases caused by oxidative processes.

The structure of Leguminosae-Detarioideae dominant rain forest in Korup National Park, Cameroon

Background and aims – We studied a cluster of trees in the Leguminosae subfamily Detarioideae, to: (1) determine the size, structure, and tree species composition of this cluster; (2) map the size, shape, and structure of groups of individual Detarioideae tree species in the cluster.Location – Lowland rain forest in southern Korup National Park, in the Southwest Region of Cameroon.Material and methods – Trees in permanent plots were recorded using standard plot enumeration techniques. Outside plots, single-species tree groups were recorded by a rapid technique. From this data, detailed maps of groups of trees were prepared.Key results – Detarioideae tree species occur co-dominant in a cluster of at least 32 km2 with an irregular shape. The cluster contained at least 42 Detarioideae tree species; at least 29 of these occurred in groups ranging in size from 50 to 4000 m across, depending on the species. Groups usually had circular shapes, caused by ballistic seed dispersal. In a group, trees were always mixed with trees of several other Detarioideae species. Every area within the cluster contained a specific set of Detarioideae species. The percentage of Detarioideae trees ≥ 60 cm stem diameter on 50 ha was up to 76% in Detarioideae-rich forest, to 6% in Detarioideae-poor forest. Of all trees in the centre of the cluster, 2.8% belonged to pioneer forest species, which indicates that disturbance levels were low during the past generations of trees.Discussion – The forests in the Detarioideae cluster have not been subject to substantial human and natural impacts in historic or prehistoric times. Such forests are exceptional in Africa. Detarioideae clusters may indicate glacial age forest refuges, especially clusters that contain both many different Detarioideae species and some Detarioideae species endemic to the cluster.

Research on the Mental Stress of College Students in Southwest China amid the COVID-19 Epidemic

This study designed related mental health assessment questions to investigate the mental stress of college students in China’s southwest region during the epidemic. In this study, college students from 5 universities in southwest China were selected as the research objects. A total of 1890 questionnaires were distributed, and 1812 questionnaires were recovered, with the recovery rate of 95.87%, of which 1808 are valid. The valid rate of the questionnaire is 99.78%. The data on questionnaires were imported into Excel for preliminary screening and processing, and the data were analyzed using the SPSS22.0 software. The enumeration data are expressed by percentage (%), and X2 test was performed for comparison. t test was used to compare the enumeration data, with P<0.05 representing there is difference. The research results showed that college students in Southwest China generally have different degrees of mental problems, and there are many influencing factors, including the following aspects: (1) It was found that compared with non-medical students, medical students have a lower degree of anxiety; (2) sleep quality. Generally speaking, mental state is closely related to the quality of sleep; (3) The degree of understanding of COVID-19. Students who have a moderate understanding of the epidemic situation are generally more anxious, suggesting that mistakes or limited cognition of COVID-19 can result in negative emotions of students; (4) This study revealed that with the reduction in the frequency of going out per week, the degree of anxiety of college students increases significantly.

Rethinking local genius of the Merapi’s community in eruption disaster risk reduction. Does it still work?

Merapi Volcano in Central Java which has a high level of activity still holds hazard potential in the future. To reduce the disaster risks, a good disaster management is required. People who live in hazardous areas possess important social capital to enhance disaster management, in the form of local genius to cope with eruption. However, a question arises whether local genius still exists and is accepted by members of the younger generation. This paper presents a discussion about the existence of local genius on the younger generation in the southwest region of Merapi Volcano. The data were collected using some techniques which include interviews, focus group discussions, and literature study. The data were analyzed descriptively supported with scoring and statistical analysis. The results of the study show that local genius is not widely recognized and understood by the younger generation. There are no differences on the understanding of local genius among young members of the society who differ in age. The lack of teaching about local genius between generations causes a low understanding of young generation on local genius. Despite having a high motivation for preserving local genius, the younger generation perceive the local genius as a socio-cultural assets rather than as a source which enhances a disaster management. Overall, this paper presents new insights to understand the existence of local genius among the younger generation.