Several coleopterans of the Scarabaeidae family (Pleurosticti) are reported as important pests of agricultural crops, but little information on their biology is available. We describe our observations on the biology of adult Cyclocephala verticalis Burmeister collected with light traps from January, 2006 to December, 2007, in Aquidauana, MS, Brasil. Field collected adults were taken to the laboratory and kept in plastic containers containing soil and seedlings of Brachiaria decumbens under controlled conditions (26 ± 1ºC with 12h of photophase). The embrionary period of C. verticalis took 17.2 days in the average. The duration of first-, second- and third-instar larvae was 22.0, 23.7 and 138.1 days in the average, respectively. The prepupal stage took 12.7 days and the pupal stage 14.8 days. Adults obtained in laboratory lived 37.5 days. The complete cycle reached 228.6 days, making possible the development of a single generation per year. In laboratory conditions, the copulation lasted about 19 min and 20 seconds. The adults fly in a great amount in September and October, being this the main period of oviposition in the field.

Racional - Há hoje grande número de propostas para o tratamento cirúrgico da doença do refluxo gastroesofagiano e persistem controvérsias a respeito da necessidade da secção dos vasos gástricos curtos e ampla mobilização do fundo gástrico para realizar adequada fundoplicatura. Objetivo - Verificar os resultados da aplicação da modificação de Rossetti para a técnica de Nissen, no tratamento cirúrgico da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico não-complicada. Método - Catorze pacientes foram operados consecutiva e prospectivamente (média de idades de 44,07 anos); todos apresentavam esofagite erosiva sem sinais endoscópicos de Barrett (grau 3 de Savary-Miller) e foram submetidos a fundoplicatura de Nissen com modificação de Rossetti. Endoscopia, eletromanometria e pHmetria foram realizadas antes do procedimento e com cerca de 18 meses de pós-operatório. Resultados - Não houve morbidade, a disfagia transitória foi, em média, de 18,42 dias; não houve casos de deiscência ou migração da fundoplicatura e apenas um paciente revelou esofagite (leve) à endoscopia pós-operatória, os demais apresentando aspecto normal da mucosa do esôfago distal. Todos referiram grande melhora dos sintomas pré-operatórios. A pressão de repouso do esfíncter inferior do esôfago, de 5,82 mm Hg no pré-operatório em média, passou a 12 mm Hg no pós-operatório; a pressão de relaxamento do esfíncter inferior do esôfago passou de 0,38 mm Hg a 5,24 mm Hg e o índice de DeMeester, de 16,75 a 0,8. Conclusão - O procedimento de Rossetti (fundoplicatura sem secção prévia dos vasos gástricos curtos) é método cirúrgico efetivo para tratamento da doença do refluxo gastroesofagiano.

Background - There is today a significant greater number of laparoscopic antireflux procedures for the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease and there are yet controversies about the necessity of division of the short gastric vessels and full mobilization of the gastric fundus to perform an adequate fundoplication. Aim - To verify the results of the surgical treatment of non-complicated gastroesophageal reflux disease performing Rossetti modification of the Nissen fundoplication. Patients and Methods - Fourteen patients were operated consecutively and prospectively (mean age 44.07 years); all had erosive esophagitis without Barrett's endoscopic signals (grade 3, Savary-Miller) and they were submitted to the Rossetti modification of the Nissen fundoplication. Endoscopy, esophageal manometry and pHmetry were performed before the procedure and around 18 months postoperatively. Results - There was no morbidity, transient dysphagia average was 18.42 days; there was no register of dehiscence or displacement of the fundoplication and only one patient revealed a light esophagitis at postoperative endoscopy; the others presented a normal endoscopic view of the distal esophagus. All noticed a marked improvement of preoperative symptoms. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure changed from 5.82 mm Hg (preoperative mean) to 12 mm Hg (postoperative mean); lower esophageal sphincter relaxing pressure, from 0.38 mm Hg to 5.24 mm Hg and DeMeester score, from 16.75 to 0.8. Conclusion - Rossetti procedure (fundoplication without division of the short gastric vessels) is an effective surgical method to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease.

This research was conducted for two years to evaluate magnesium fertilizer application (0, 24, 48 and 96 kg ha-1 year-1 of Mg) on a permanent pasture composed by Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens as an agronomic alternative of hypomagnesaemia management in grazing herds. The effect on magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium concentration in the pasture dry matter and the ratio between cations were evaluated. The research was carried out on an Hapludand (Valdivia serie) with an initial available magnesium content of 0.8 cmol c kg-1. Pasture dry matter production was not affected by magnesium fertilization, nevertheless, the concentration of magnesium in the pasture dry matter increased proportionally to the magnesium applied. A weighed average showed an increase of 0.006 and 0.012 g kg-1 of dry matter for each kg of magnesium applied during the first and second year, respectively. In addition, the magnesium fertilization decreased the calcium dry matter concentration, but it did not affect potassium and sodium dry matter concentration. The ratios between calcium/magnesium, potassium/magnesium and sodium/magnesium decreased with the increase of the magnesium fertilization rate.

Como una alternativa de manejo agronómico de la hipomagnesemia en rebaños a pastoreo se estudió, durante dos años, el efecto de la fertilización magnésica (0, 24, 48 y 96 kg ha-1 año-1 de Mg) sobre la concentración de magnesio, calcio, potasio y sodio y sus relaciones en la materia seca del forraje cosechado de una pradera permanente compuesta por Lolium perenne y Trifolium repens. El ensayo se realizó en un suelo Hapludand (Serie Valdivia) con un nivel inicial de 0,8 cmol c kg-1 de Mg. No se detectó un efecto de la fertilización magnésica sobre la producción de materia seca de la pradera, pero la concentración de magnesio en la materia seca se incrementó proporcionalmente a la dosis de magnesio aplicada. Considerando el promedio ponderado anual el aumento de la concentración de magnesio fue de 0,006 y 0,012 g kg-1 de materia seca por cada kg de magnesio aplicado, durante el primero y segundo año, respectivamente. La fertilización magnésica disminuyó la concentración de calcio, pero no afectó la concentración de potasio ni de sodio en la materia seca del forraje cosechado. Las relaciones entre Ca/Mg, K/Mg y Na/Mg en general disminuyeron en la medida que aumentó la dosis de fertilización con magnesio.