Resumo: A cegueira botânica é definida como a incapacidade de perceber as plantas no ambiente. No intuito de verificar se a cegueira botânica pode ser superada a partir da educação analisaram-se publicações realizadas nos últimos vinte anos (1997-2017) que relacionam os termos cegueira botânica e ensino de botânica. Foram identificadas tendências de abordagens em torno do assunto, salientando-se problemáticas do ensino e estratégias para o seu aprimoramento e para a superação da cegueira botânica. Após o levantamento e a seleção das publicações, 48 artigos e resumos foram analisados e categorizados de acordo com sua abordagem em Metodologia, Concepção, Currículo e Integração. A despeito das diferentes abordagens verificadas em cada categoria, os resultados indicam que a inclusão das plantas de forma mais contextualizada e atrativa no cotidiano escolar dos estudantes representa um caminho à superação da cegueira botânica, e, por consequência, ao reconhecimento e valorização da biodiversidade vegetal.

Abstract: Plant blindness can be defined as the inability to see or notice plants in one’s own environment. In order to verify if botanical blindness can be overcome through education, an analysis of publications that relate the term botanical blindness and botany teaching published in the last twenty years (1997-2017) was made. Trends in approaches to the subject were identified, emphasizing teaching problems and strategies for its improvement and for overcoming botanical blindness. After the survey and the selection of the publications, 49 articles and abstracts were analyzed and categorized according to their approaches in terms of Methodology, Conception, Curriculum and Integration. Despite the different approaches found in each category, findings indicate that the inclusion of plants in a more contextualized and attractive fashion in students’ daily school life represents a way to overcome botanical blindness and, consequently, the recognition and appraisal of plant biodiversity.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate potential risk factors, including non-communicable diseases, for morbid obesity in women between 20 and 49 years of age. METHODS: We performed a case-control study with 110 morbidly obese women and 110 women with adequate weight who were matched by age and with a 1:1 case to control ratio. All women were between 20 to 49 years old and non-menopausal. Possible risk factors were evaluated through a self-report questionnaire assessing socio-demographic, obstetric and gynecological characteristics, presence of non-communicable diseases and habits. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio with respective confidence intervals. RESULTS: Menarche under 12 years old, teenage pregnancy and lower educational level were shown to be risk factors for morbid obesity among women of reproductive age. Incidences of non-communicable diseases (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, liver disease, lung disease, thyroid dysfunction, and joint pain) were increased in women with morbid obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Early menarche, teenage pregnancy and low education level are risk factors for the occurrence of morbid obesity in women of reproductive age. Some non-communicable diseases were already more prevalent in women with morbid obesity even before 50 years of age.

Três novos complexos de platina(IV), cis,cis,trans-[Pt(HL1-3)Cl2(OH)2] 1b-3b (HL = 2-hidroxi3-[(R¹-amino)(piridin-2-il)metil]-1,4-naftoquinona, R¹ = n-butil, HL1; n-heptil, HL2 and n-decil, HL3) foram obtidos através da oxidação dos respectivos precursores cis-[Pt(HL1-3)Cl2] 1a-3a. Estudos de voltametria cíclica de 1b-3b em MeCN mostraram o processo redox quase reversível do íon naftoquinonato (NQO-, i.e. , L-) e o processo irreversível atribuído à redução do par Pt4+/Pt2+, em potenciais aproximadamente 400 mV menos negativos que no precursor da cisplatina cis,cis,trans-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2(OH)2]. Propõe-se que este processo Pt4+/Pt2+ seja favorecido, em 1b-3b, por uma interação de hidrogênio entre o grupo 2-hidroxil da naftoquinona e um ligante hidroxil axial. Estudos de citotoxicidade contra quatro linhagens de células tumorais humanas mostraram que, em geral, os derivados de platina(IV) e platina(II) exibem o mesmo perfil citotóxico, além de serem mais ativos que a cisplatina. Valores de CI50 in vitro mais baixos foram observados para 2b-3b, cujos ligantes possuem os maiores grupos R¹ (HL2-HL3), sendo, portanto, mais lipofílicos. Além disto, os valores semelhantes de CI50 dos complexos análogos de platina(II) e platina(IV) devem-se à rápida redução de 1b-3b in vitro para gerar 1a-3a.

Three novel platinum(IV) complexes cis,cis,trans-[Pt(HL1-3)Cl2(OH)2] 1b-3b (HL = 2-hydroxy-3-[(R¹-amino)(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]-1,4-naphthoquinone, R¹ = n-butyl, HL1; n-heptyl, HL2 and n-decyl, HL3) have been obtained from the oxidation of the respective precursors cis-[Pt(HL1-3)Cl2] 1a-3a. Cyclic voltammetry studies of 1b-3b in MeCN showed the quasi-reversible naphthoquinonate (NQO-, i.e. , L-) redox process and irreversible process attributed to the reduction of the Pt4+/Pt2+ pair, at potentials about 400 mV less negative than for the cisplatin precursor cis,cis,trans-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2(OH)2]. Hydrogen bond interaction between the naphthoquinone 2-hydroxyl group and an axially coordinated hydroxide ligand in 1b-3b has been proposed to favor the Pt4+/Pt2+ reduction. The cytotoxicity studies against four human cancer cell lines have shown that in general the platinum(IV) and platinum(II)derivatives exhibit the same cytotoxic profile and are all more active than cisplatin. The lowest in vitro IC50 values have been observed for 2b-3b, which bear ligands with the largest R¹ groups (HL2-HL3) being the most lipophilic. Furthermore similar IC50 values for platinum(II) and platinum(IV) complexes of the same ligands have been associated with rapid in vitro reduction of the latter complexes to afford 1a-3a.

Novas 2-(R-fenil)amino-3-(2-metilpropenil)-[1,4]-naftoquinonas (R = H, 4-OMe, 4-Ferrocenil, 4-Me, 3-Me, 4-I, 3-I, 4-CN, 3-CN, 4-NO2 e 3-NO2) derivadas do nor-lapachol [2-hidroxi-3-(2-metilpropenil)-1,4-naftoquinona] foram obtidas em bons rendimentos. A estrutura dos compostos foi proposta com base em estudos de difração de raios-X (R = OMe, 2b), dados de RMN de ¹H e 13C e cálculos teóricos utilizando o funcional B3LYP e a base 6-311+G(2d,p). Os potenciais de meia-onda das aminonaftoquinonas e o deslocamento químico do hidrogênio da cadeia 3-propenil dos compostos 2a-k mostraram boa correlação com as constantes de Hammett dos substituintes presentes no anel fenileno. A avaliação da citotoxicidade evidenciou atividade antitumoral promissora para o substrato metóxi-nor-lapachol 1 e o derivado 4-ferrocenil 2c.

Novel 2-(R-phenyl)amino-3-(2-methyl-propenyl)-[1,4]-naphthoquinones (R = H, 4-OMe, 4-Ferrocenyl, 4-Me, 3-Me, 4-I, 3-I, 4-CN, 3-CN, 4-NO2 and 3-NO2) derived from nor-lapachol [2-hydroxy-3-(2-methylpropenyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone] were obtained in good yields. Their structures were proposed on the basis of a single crystal X-ray diffraction study (R = OMe, 2b), ¹H and 13C NMR studies and calculations using the B3LYP functional and the 6-311+G(2d,p) basis set. The half-wave potentials of the aminonaphthoquinones and ¹H NMR chemical shifts of the 3-propenyl hydrogen in 2a-k show good correlation with the substituent Hammett constants on the phenylamino ring. The antitumor assays showed promising activity for substrate methoxy-nor-lapachol 1 and the 4-ferrocenyl derivative 2c.

Uma série de novas Bases de Mannich (HL1-HL13) derivadas da 2-hidroxi-1,4-naftoquinona (lausona), benzaldeídos substituídos [C6H2R¹R²R³C(O)H] e várias aminas primárias (NH2R4, R4 = n-butil, benzil, alil, 2-furfuril) e seus complexos de Cu2+, [Cu(L1)2]-[Cu(L13)2], foram sintetizados e caracterizados por métodos analíticos e espectroscópicos. As estruturas dos complexos 1(R¹ = R² = R³ = H; R4 = Bu), 2(R¹ = R³ = H; R² = NO2; R4= Bu) e 7(R¹ = OH; R² = R³ = H; R4= Bu) foram determinadas por estudos de difração de raios-X de monocristal. Todos os compostos cristalizam em grupos espaciais centrossimétricos, com um cobre no centro de inversão. Dois L- coordenam-se através dos átomos de oxigênio do naftalen-2-olato e do nitrogênio da amina secundária, formando anéis quelatos de seis membros ao redor do átomo de cobre em um ambiente trans-N2O2. A atividade antimicrobial de todos os compostos foi testada em sete diferentes linhagens de bactérias: Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosae Staphylococcus aureus. Em geral, as bases de Mannich foram mais ativas que os complexos, sendo HL11(R¹ = OH; R² =H; R³ = Me; R4= Bn) e HL13(R¹ = OH; R² = H; R³ = Br; R4= Bn) os inibidores mais potentes. O MIC para o composto mais ativo HL11contra S. Colifoi 20 µmol L-1 (8 µg mL-1), melhor que o cloranfenicol (90 µmol L-1) e bem abaixo da maioria dos valores descritos para outras naftoquinonas.

A series of novel Mannich bases (HL1-HL13) derived from 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (lawsone), substituted benzaldehydes [C6H2R¹R²R³C(O)H] and various primary amines (NH2R4, R4 = n-butyl, benzyl, allyl, 2-furfuryl), and their Cu2+ complexes, [Cu(L1)2]-[Cu(L13)2], have been synthesized and fully characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods. The structures of complexes 1(R¹ = R² = R³ = H; R4 = Bu), 2(R¹ = R³ = H; R² = NO2; R4= Bu) and 7 (R¹ = OH; R² = R³ = H; R4= Bu) were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. All complexes crystallize in centrosymmetric space groups, with a copper atom in the inversion centre. Two L- coordinate through the naphthalen-2-olate oxygen and secondary amine-N atoms, forming six-membered chelate rings around the copper atom in a trans-N2O2 environment; spectroscopic data confirm that the other complexes exhibit similar molecular arrangement. The antimicrobial activity of all compounds has been tested on seven different strains of bacteria: Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Staphylococcus aureus. In general, Mannich bases were more active than complexes, HL11(R¹ = OH; R² =H; R³ = Me; R4= Bn) and HL13(R¹ = OH; R² = H; R³ = Br; R4= Bn) being the most potent inhibitors. The MIC for the most active compound HL11against S. Coliwas 20 µmol L-1 (8 µg mL-1), better than Chloramphenicol (90 µmol L-1) and well below most values reported for other naphthoquinones.