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PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Inselbergs are terrestrial, island‐like rock outcrop environments that present a highly adapted flora. The epilithic bromeliad Encholirium spectabile is a dominant species on inselbergs in the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. We conducted a population genetic analysis to test whether the substantial phenotypic diversity of E. spectabile could be explained by limited gene flow among populations and to assess the relative impact of pollen vs. seed dispersal on the genetic structure of the species. METHODS: Nuclear and chloroplast microsatellite markers were used to genotype E. spectabile individuals from 20 rock outcrop locations, representing four geographic regions: northern Espinhaço Range, Borborema Plateau, southwestern Caatinga and southeastern Caatinga. F‐statistics, structure, and other tools were applied to evaluate the genetic makeup of populations. KEY RESULTS: Considerable levels of genetic diversity were revealed. Genetic structuring among populations was stronger on the plastid as compared with the nuclear level, indicating higher gene flow via bat pollination as compared with seed dispersal by wind. structure and AMOVA analyses of the nuclear data suggested a high genetic differentiation between two groups, one containing all populations from the southeastern Caatinga and the other one comprising all remaining samples. CONCLUSIONS: The strong genetic differentiation between southeastern Caatinga and the remaining regions may indicate the occurrence of a cryptic species in E. spectabile. The unique genetic composition of each inselberg population suggests in situ conservation as the most appropriate protection measure for this plant lineage.

A new species of Encholirium from the campos rupestres of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described and illustrated. Encholirium reflexum is a distinctive taxon characterized by reflexed leaves, imbricate petals and sepals, as well as style and stamens included in the corolla tube. The most closely related species is E. pedicellatum (Mez) Rauh, which can be distinguished by its higher number of leaves per rosette, flowers with short pedicels, and suborbicular and imbricate sepals. /// Uma nova espécie de Encholirium procedente dos campos rupestres de Minas Gerais, Brasil é descrita e ilustrada. Encholirium reflexum caracteriza-se por apresentar folhas reflexas, pétalas e sépalas imbricadas, estames e estilete inclusos no tubo da corola. Difere de E. pedicellatum (Mez) Rauh por possuir um número muito maior de folhas por roseta, pelas flores com pedicelos reduzidos e sépalas suborbiculares e imbricadas.

Two new species of Xyridaceae, Syris jolyi and X. countensis, from Minas Gerais, Brazil, are distinguished from close relatives on the basis of morphological features including bracts, speals, and leaves.

Foram feitos estudos da vascularização de Rhizophora mangle L., que conduziram a conhecimentos que demonstraram alguma afinidade com a família Combretaceae e também à certeza de que o ovário é bicarpelar. Foram feitos, também, estudos anatómicos e pôde-se constatar a presença de laticíferos do tipo articulado em todas as peças florais e nas brácteas. Description of the morphology and vascularization of the flower of Rhizophora mangle L. is presented. In common with the Combretaceae, its vascularization plane has a carpellary ring in the top of bicarpellar ovary. It also has the same origin pattern of lateral sepal traces as happens with some Ericales, which derived from the petal's traces. The laticiferous are present in all the whorls and bracts and are articulated.

There are few studies which attest the efficacy of acupuncture on treatment of sleep disturbs in Parkinson disease. The aimed of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on sleep disturbs of 22 patients with diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson disease (Hoehn—Yahr 1 to 3) who have assistance on the Pro-Parkinson Program of Clinical Hospital at Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil. All participants were evaluated by Parkinson Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) before and after 8 weeks. The experimental group was submitted to 8 sections (once a week) which had duration of 30 minutes. The control group had no intervention. The intervention was executed using the acupuncture points LR3 (Taichong), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), LI4 (Hegu), TE5 (Wai-Guan), HT7 (Shenmen), PC6 (Neiguan), LI11 (Quchi), GB20 (Fengchi). Paired analyses were obtained by Wilcoxon test and independent analyses were made according to Mann—Whitney test. This study presented a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture on sleep disturbs of Parkinson’s disease patients. This study showed a possible therapeutic benefit through acupuncture in sleep disorders in patients with PD. However, we propose new studies related to the effects of acupuncture on the clinical symptoms and evolution of the disease.

With more than 56,000 species (excluding fungi), Brazil has one of the richest floras in the world-nearly 19% of the world flora. Our knowledge of the diversity and status of nonvascular plants in Brazil is still fragmentary, although localized studies on algae have revealed loss of species resulting from environmental pollution. Emphasis on local floral surveys, rather than wider taxonomic studies, has obscured estimates of national totals for most taxonomic groups. Knowledge of angiosperms, especially monocotyledons (of which 45% of the species are endemic), is more complete than most. For this group figures are more reliable, with some distribution patterns, endemism levels, and centers of diversity identified. Much, however, still awaits discovery. Coordinated efforts to catalog Brazil's flora are in progress and include projects such as the conservation priority-setting workshops of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, which have identified key conservation areas in the major biomes; development of threatened species lists for plants; and the assembly of type data on species of northeastern Brazil through the Darwin Initiative-all of which greatly assist in increasing our knowledge. These initiatives also underline the urgent need to expand the numbers and geographic spread of projects on plant systematics and taxonomy in Brazil, a measure that demands adequate provision of funding and training programs for plant specialists. Finally, Brazil's environmental agency (IBAMA) could play a proactive role in opening protected areas under its jurisdiction, thereby facilitating botanical research by university departments and research institutes.

Osteoporosis and the risk of falls increase the risk of fractures and events of falls. Prescriptions and programs for different forms of exercise have different impacts on the risk of falls, and exercises from multiple categories of whole-body vibration can be effective. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of whole-body vibration (WBV) protocol combined with multicomponent training (MCT) in elderly women with osteoporosis and their history of falls. Our proposal is a protocol for a randomized clinical trial, divided into two stages: First, development of a protocol for WVB combined with MCT for elderly women with osteoporosis and a history of falls, under the Guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine, and following the recommendations of the Standard Protocol Items Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT), and second, a randomized controlled clinical trial following the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). This trial will have implications for the effectiveness of a vibration protocol combined with multicomponent exercise on the risk of falls and quality of life for older women with osteoporosis. We expect that adding full-body vibration to an exercise protocol will decrease the risk of falls and improve participants’ quality of life, as well as their strength, balance, and functional capacity.

Alcantarea turgida and A. tortuosa are described and illustrated as new species from southeastern Brazil. The relationships of A. turgida with A. extensa and with A. vinicolor and of A. tortuosa with A. farneyi and with A. benzingii are discussed. /// Alcantarea turgida e A. tortuosa são descritas e ilustradas como novas espécies do Sudeste do Brasil. Os relacionamentos de A. turgida com A. extensa e com A. vinicolor e os de A. tortuosa com A. farneyi e com A. benzingii são discutidos.

During migraine attacks, patients generally have photophobia and phonophobia and seek for environments with less sensorial stimulation. Present work aimed to quantify cortical partial directed coherence (PDC) of electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings from migraine patients and controls in occipital, parietal, and frontal areas with or without photic stimulation. Our hypothesis is that migraine patients with visual aura might have neuronal networks with higher coherence than controls even in interictal periods due to a predisposition in sensory cortical processing. Eleven adult women with migraine with visual aura (at least 48 h without previous attacks) and seven healthy adult woman were submitted to EEG recording in basal state and during photic stimulation. When compared to healthy volunteers, migraine patients show different coherence profiles. Migraine patients had greater coherence than controls during the basal period (without photic stimulation), showing predisposition for sensory processing in many frequency ranges. After photic stimulation, patients showed a decrease in cortical coherence while controls had an increase. When compared to healty subjects, migraineurs show increased cortical coherence before photic stimulation, but a decrease when stimulation starts. This may be the expression of a resilience mechanism that allows migraineurs the interictal period. The PDC analysis permits to address a patient coherence profile, or \"coherence map,\" that can be utilized for management of the headache disorder or following up treatments.