Reducing the time of preoperative fasting with high carbohydrate solution until two hours before the operation as early feeding postoperatively, bring numerous benefits to the patient. The ACERTO project has shown good results and these new behaviors should be encouraged, thereby reducing the recovery time of the surgical patient.

In a context in which the nitrogen fertilizer recommendations in the literature for safflower crop show up conflicting, it was aimed by the present study to evaluate the development of safflower when subjected to nitrogen rates in an Oxisol collected under Cerrado vegetation. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using pots filled with Oxisol collected in area under Cerrado vegetation in the layer from 0.0 to 0.20 m. Each experimental unit was represented by a plastic pot of 5 dm −3 , the experimental design was completely randomized, consisting of six nitrogen rates (0, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 mg•dm −3) and six repetitions. It were assessed plant height, number of leaves, chlorophyll content, number of heads, dry mass of shoot and dry mass of root. The results were submitted to variance analysis and, when significant, to regression analysis, both at 5% probability by SISVAR program. Nitrogen rates positively influence the development of safflower, and the one that best promotes this development is between 160 and 190 mg•dm −3 .

As intensive farm development can cause changes in soil structure, it is crucial to study cultivars that can adapt to these changes, along with the climatic conditions of the Cerrado of Mato Grosso. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of soil bulk density (weight of soil in a given volume) on the agronomic performance of the safflower genotypes (Carthamus tinctorius L.). The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Mato Grosso in a greenhouse. A completely randomized design in factorial scheme with four replications was selected. The treatments comprised of five soil bulk density levels (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 Mg m -3) and ten safflower genotypes (PI 237538, PI 248385, PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173, PI 305205, PI 306596, PI 306603, PI 560202 and PI 613366). The following evaluations were done after completion of the experiments: total shoot dry mass, upper ring root dry mass, intermediate and lower total root dry mass. The data were subjected to the analysis of variance and the means were categorized by the Scott-Knott test at the 5% level of probability. The genotypes and soil bulk density influenced the components in isolation ways. The shoot dry mass production was impaired from the bulk density of 1.10 Mg m -3. For the root dry mass, the limit was 1.04 Mg m -3. In general, from the soil density of 1.20 Mg m -3 the growth and development of safflower genotypes were influenced negatively. The increase in soil density reduced the total root dry mass up to 71.11%.

Objective: Constipation is a frequent motility disorder and while a common complaint among the overall population, is particularly prevalent among the elderly. The increase of this population group is creating a growing demand for long term care institutions. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with constipation in elderly residents of long stay care institutions. Method: The study involved 87 individuals. The data collected from each participant included gender, daily intake of water and fiber, physical activity, family history of constipation and nutritional status. The diagnosis of constipation was based on Roma III criteria. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS software program (version 18.0) with a level of significance of 5% ( p≤0.05). The Student t, Mann-Whitney, Pearson's chi-square or Fischer's exact tests were employed. Results: The sample was predominantly female (80.5%), with a mean age of 79.4(±9.6) years. A 42.52% prevalence of constipation was observed. Among affected individuals, the condition was more frequent among women (89.2%), those aged over 80 years (67.6%), those who did not engage in physical activity (56.8%), those with below the recommended intake of water and fiber, those who had a family history of constipation, and those who were diagnosed with eutrophia (56.3%). Among the factors analyzed, only age ( p=0.049) and low fiber intake ( p=0.019) were significantly linked to constipation. Conclusion: The results show that constipation is a multifactorial disease that is significantly related to age and low fiber intake.

Nutrient absorption in crops can decline and their development can be hindered by increased bulk density. This study aimed at assessing the manner in which bulk density levels affect the reproductive structures of the safflower genotypes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The completely randomized design was adopted with four replications for the experiment, which was conducted in a greenhouse using Oxisol collected from 0.0 to 0.2 m depth from the region supporting Cerrado vegetation. The treatments included ten safflower genotypes (PI 237538, PI 248385, PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173, PI 305205, PI 306520, PI 306603, PI 560202 and PI 613366) and five bulk density levels (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 Mg•m −3). Evaluations were done at 90 days after emergence, in terms of the number, diameter and dry mass of the heads. The data were submitted to the analysis of variance. The means were grouped using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The diameter and dry mass of the chapters were influenced by the mean bulk density of 1.10 Mg•m −3. A notable interaction was evident between the safflower genotypes and bulk density levels for the diameter and dry mass of the head alone, revealing the high degree of genetic variability that environmental changes induce among the genotypes. The PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173 and PI 305205 genotypes exhibited greater stability to the bulk density variations compared with the others. Mean bulk density of 1.2 Mg•m −3 was found to impair the development of the reproductive components of the safflower genotypes.