The aim of this study was to compare the effect of an intermittent intense aerobic exercise session and a resistance exercise session on blood cell counts and oxidative stress parameters in middle-aged women. Thirty-four women were selected and divided into three groups: RE group (performing 60 min of resistance exercises, N = 12), spinning group (performing 60 min of spinning, N = 12), and control group (not exercising regularly, N = 10). In both exercise groups, lymphocytes and monocytes decreased after 1-h recuperation (post-exercise) compared to immediately after exercise (P < 0.05). Immediately after exercise, in both exercised groups, a significant increase in TBARS (from 16.5 ± 2 to 25 ± 2 for the spinning group and from 18.6 ± 1 to 28.2 ± 3 nmol MDA/mL serum for the RE group) and protein carbonyl (from 1.0 ± 0.3 to 1.6 ± 0.2 for the spinning group and from 0.9 ± 0.2 to 1.5 ± 0.2 nmol/mg protein for the RE group) was observed (P < 0.05). A decrease in antioxidant activities (non-protein sulfhydryl, superoxide dismutase, catalase) was also demonstrated with a negative correlation between damage markers and antioxidant body defenses (P < 0.05). These results indicate that an acute bout of intermittent or anaerobic exercise induces immune suppression and increases the production of reactive oxygen species, causing oxidative stress in middle-aged and trained women. Furthermore, we demonstrated that trained women show improved antioxidant capacity and lower oxidative damage than sedentary ones, demonstrating the benefits of chronic regular physical activity.

Tendo em vista que a ocorrência de Spodoptera frugiperda pode prejudicar a produtividade do milho e que seu controle é basicamente feito com o uso de inseticidas químicos, é fundamental que o manejo desta praga seja aprimorado através do estudo de seletividade destes produtos frente à população dos agentes de controle biológico. Assim, foram avaliadas a ação do inseticida regulador do crescimento de insetos lufenurom (Match EC - 0,3 L/ha-1) e do organofosforado clorpirifós (Clorpirifós Fersol 480 EC - 0,6 L/ha-1), na supressão de populações da lagarta-do-cartucho e seu impacto sobre alguns de seus agentes de controle biológico em Cassilândia e Chapadão do Sul, MS. As avaliações foram realizadas semanalmente em 100 plantas que ficavam distribuídas em 10 pontos ao acaso/tratamento, considerando-se as seguintes variáveis: oviposição, cartuchos atacados e ocorrência de agentes de controle biológico. A aplicação dos produtos não interferiu de maneira significativa no número de posturas encontradas nos tratamentos; o inseticida lufenurom foi o que apresentou maior eficiência no controle da lagarta-do-cartucho e teve menor efeito deletério sobre as populações dos inimigos naturais em relação ao clorpirifós. Além das aranhas e do predador Doru luteipes, as espécies de parasitoides de lagarta encontradas foram Chelonus sp., Campoletis sp. e Euplectrus sp.

Due to the fact that the occurrence of Spodoptera frugiperda can harm maize yields and is controlled basically through the use of chemical insecticides, it is crucial to improve the management of this pest by studying the insecticides' selectivity regarding the population of biological control agents. Therefore, the insecticide with insect growth regulating properties lufenuron (Match EC - 0.3 L/ha-1) and the organophosphate chlorpyrifos (Clorpirifós Fersol 480 EC - 0.6 L/ha-1), were analyzed regarding the control of fall armyworm populations and their impact on biological control agents in Cassilândia and Chapadão do Sul, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The analyses were performed weekly considering 100 plants which were distributed in 10 spots at random/treatment, regarding the variables: oviposition, attacked whorls and occurrence of biological control agents. The use of the products did not significantly affect the number of observed ovipositions in the treatments; the insecticide lufenuron showed higher efficiency on the control of fall armyworm and lower deleterious effects on the populations of natural enemies when compared to chlorpyrifos. Besides spiders and the predator Doru luteipes, the observed parasitoid species of the caterpillar were Chelonus sp., Campoletis sp. and Euplectrus sp.

As arqueas representam uma considerável fração dos procariotos nos ecossistemas marinhos e terrestes, indicando que estes organismos devem possuir um grande impacto nos ciclos energéticos. A natureza extremofílica de muitas arqueas tem estimulado intensos esforços para compreender sua adaptação fisiológica a ambientes extremos. Suas propriedades incomus as tornam uma fonte valiosa no desenvolvimento de novos processos biotecnológicos e aplicações industriais como novos fármacos, cosméticos, suplementos nutricionais, sondas moleculares, enzimas e reagentes. Na presente mini-revisão, mostramos e discutimos algumas de suas características exclusivas correlacionando-as com seu potencial biotecnológico e aplicação industrial. Os tópicos são: características das arqueas, divisão filogenética, aplicações biotecnológicas, isolamento e cultivo de novos microrganismos, genoma e metagenoma.

Archaea represent a considerable fraction of the prokaryotic world in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, indicating that organisms from this domain might have a large impact on global energy cycles. The extremophilic nature of many archaea has stimulated intense efforts to understand the physiological adaptations for living in extreme environments. Their unusual properties make them a potentially valuable resource in the development of novel biotechnological processes and industrial applications as new pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, molecular probes, enzymes, and fine chemicals. In the present mini-review, we show and discuss some exclusive characteristics of Archaea domain and the current knowledge about the biotechnological uses of the archaeal enzymes. The topics are: archaeal characteristics, phylogenetic division, biotechnological applications, isolation and cultivation of new microbes, achievements in genomics, and metagenomic.