ABSTRACT Acheflan® herbal medicine is the first medicine developed and produced in Brazil using Cordia verbenacea DC., Boraginaceae, essential oil as a constituent. C. verbenacea has anti-inflammatory properties, which have been directly related to α-humulene and trans-caryophyllene. Currently, the quantification of α-humulene and trans-caryophyllene in C. verbenacea has only been described by GC-MS. Although this technique is widely used it cannot be directly applied to finished medicinal products since they contain aqueous constituents. In this context, the objective of this work was to develop a methodology for quantifying C. verbenacea in raw materials and in pharmaceutical formulations using liquid chromatography. The Box–Behnken experimental design was used successfully to optimize the analytical method. The method developed in this study was validated and proven to be effective in the proper separation of α-humulene and trans-caryophyllene. In addition, the developed method was applied to commercial formulations (cream and aerosol) containing C. verbenacea essential oil, which resulted in very satisfactory separation without interference from excipients. C. verbenacea oil contains four times higher concentrations of trans-caryophyllene than α-humulene. Therefore, we propose that trans-caryophyllene can be used as a marker of C. verbenacea essential oil. Evaluation of trans-caryophyllene content would be especially valuable for applications where the concentrations are very low such as in permeation and release studies of dermatological formulations.

This article presents predictive statistical models for fragmentation in open pit mines using drill-and-blast data. The main contribution of this work is the proposing of statistical models to determine the correlations between operational data and fragmentation. The practical use of these models allows the drill-and-blast parameters, i.e. burden, spacing, explosive, among others, to be optimized in order to obtain a more efficient size distribution.

Objective: Assess the effects of sensorimotor training on the functional autonomy levels of sedentary elderly people. Methods: The sample was composed of 30 women (sedentary, functionally independent, χ = 65.03 ± 4.93 year), divided randomly into two groups: control (CG, n = 15) and experimental (EG, n = 15). Tests developed by the Latin American Development for the Elderly Group (GDLAM) were used to evaluate autonomy. The EG was submitted to a sensorimotor program three times a week, involving 24 thirty-minute sessions. Data were processed using the SPSS program, with a 5% significance level. Results: The EG showed a significant reduction in execution time in all the tasks, while the CG only obtained a significantly better score on the 10-M walk test. Although the EG improved in the GDLAM index (∆% = -30, 3%, p = 0.0001), it remained at a "weak" level (GDLAM index >27.42). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that sensorimotor training reduces the execution time of tasks, as well as improving functional performance in activities of daily living.

Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos do treinamento sensório-motor sobre os níveis de autonomia funcional de idosos sedentários. Métodos: A amostra foi composta por 50 mulheres (sedentárias, funcionalmente independentes, 65,03 ± 4,93 anos) divididas aleatoriamente em 2grupos: controle (CG, n = 15) e experimental (EG, n = 15). Para a avaliação da autonomia funcional foi utilizado o teste Grupo de Desenvolvimento Latino-Americano para a Maturidade (GDLAM) antes e após a intervenção. O grupo EG foi submetido a um programa de treinamento sensório-motor, 3vezes por semana, com duração de 30 minutos cada sessão, e foram realizadas durante 24 sessões. Os dados foram processados através do programa SPSS, versão 19, adotando nível de significância de p < 0,05. Resultados: No grupo experimental foi constatada uma redução significativa do tempo de execução em todas as tarefas, enquanto que o grupo CG obteve resultados significativamente menores no teste de caminhada de 10 m. No índice geral do GDLAM, o grupo experimental apresentou melhora (D% = -30, 3%, p = 0,0001), porém se manteve em nível "fraco" (índice GDLAM > 27,42). Conclusão: Os resultados mostraram que a prática do treinamento sensório-motor influência de forma positiva na redução do tempo de execução das tarefas, relacionando-se com melhor rendimento funcional das atividades cotidianas.

Objetivo: Evaluar los efectos del entrenamiento sensorio motriz en los niveles de autonomía funcional del anciano sedentario. Método: La muestra se compuso por 30 mujeres (sedentarias, independientes funcionalmente, 65,03 ± 4,93 años) divididas al azar en 2grupos: control (CG, n = 15) y experimental (EG, n = 15). Para la evaluación de la autonomía se utilizaron las pruebas del Grupo del Desarrollo Latinoamericano para la Madurez (GDLAM) antes y después de la intervención. El EG fue sometido a un programa de entrenamiento sensorio motriz, 3 veces a la semana, la duración de cada sesión fue de 30 minutos y realizaron 24 sesiones. Los datos se procesaron con el programa SPSS, versión 19, adoptando nivel de significación de la p < 0,05. Resultados: En el grupo experimental se constató una reducción significativa del tiempo de ejecución en todas las tareas, mientras el CG solo obtuvo resultado significativamente mejor en la prueba de caminata de 10 m. En el índice general de GDLAM, el grupo experimental presentó mejora (∆% = -30, 3%, p = 0,0001), pero se mantuvo en un nivel "débil" (Índice GDLAM > 27,42). Conclusión: Los resultados muestran que la práctica del entrenamiento sensorio motriz influye de forma positiva en la reducción del tiempo de ejecución de las tareas, lo que se relaciona con el mejor rendimiento funcional de las actividades cotidianas.

A transient experimental analysis of a three-phase descendent-cocurrent trickle-bed H2O/CH4-Ar/g -Al2O3 system was made using the stimulus-response technique, with the gas phase as a reference. Methane was used as a tracer and injected into the argon feed and the concentration vs time profiles were obtained at the entrance and exit of the bed, which were maintained at 298K and 1.013 10(5) Pa. A mathematical model for the tracer was developed to estimate the axial dispersion overall gas-liquid mass transfer and liquid-solid mass transfer coefficients. Experimental and theoretical results were compared and shown to be in good agreement. The model was validated by two additional experiments, and the values of the coefficients obtained above were confirmed.