A irrigação tem aumentado a produção de café em muitas regiões do Brasil. Entretanto, com o aumento das áreas de produção irrigadas, problemas relacionados à irrigação frequente e mal planejada podem surgir. Em decorrência de poucos estudos ligados às alterações fisiológicas em plantas de cafeeiro submetidas ao excesso de água, avaliaram-se os efeitos do encharcamento no metabolismo e no particionamento de carboidratos, níveis de pigmentos fotossintéticos e trocas gasosas em mudas de duas cultivares comerciais de café (Mundo Novo e Catuaí). Após aclimatação, as mudas, contendo oito pares de folhas completamente expandidas, foram cultivadas em três condições de disponibilidade de água: capacidade de campo, encharcamento intermitente e encharcamento contínuo. As trocas gasosas e os níveis de clorofilas, carotenóides e carboidratos foram avaliados por cinco meses, após o início dos tratamentos. O encharcamento reduziu as taxas de fotossíntese e transpiração, levando a uma menor atividade da etapa carboxilativa da fotossíntese, culminando com a redução do particionamento de carboidratos nas mudas de café. Apesar de os parâmetros analisados terem sido afetados pelo encharcamento, as cultivares deste estudo sobreviveram por cinco meses sob essas condições de estresse.

Irrigation has enhanced coffee production in several regions of Brazil. However, with the increase in irrigated crop areas, problems related to the frequent and poorly planned usage of irrigation may arise. Since there are few studies related to the physiological alterations in coffee plants exposed to water excess, we evaluated the effects of waterlogging on metabolism and partitioning of carbohydrates, levels of photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange in seedlings of two commercial coffee cultivars (Mundo Novo and Catuaí). After acclimation, seedlings with eight pairs of fully expanded leaves were cultivated under three water availability conditions: field capacity, intermittent waterlogging and continuous waterlogging. Gas exchange and the levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids and carbohydrates were evaluated during the five months after the beginning of the treatments. Waterlogging reduced the rates of photosynthesis and transpiration, leading to lower activity of the carboxylative step of photosynthesis and culminating in the reduction of carbohydrate partitioning in coffee seedlings. Although many physiological parameters were affected by waterlogging, the cultivars in our study survived for five months under stressful conditions.

Primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a co-morbidity that can be observed during the clinical course of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We evaluated the prevalence, clinical-evolutive aspects and form of endoscopic presentation of primary gastric NHL associated with AIDS. Two hundred and forty-three HIV patients were submitted to upper digestive endoscopy, with evaluation of clinical, endoscopic and histological data. A CD4 count was made by flow cytometry and viral load was determined in a branched-DNA assay. Six cases (five men; mean age: 37 years; range: 29-46 years) of primary gastric NHL were detected. The median CD4 count was 140 cells/mm³ and the median viral load was 40,313 copies/mL. Upper digestive endoscopy revealed polypoid (in four patients) ulcero-infiltrative (two patients) and ulcerated (two patients) lesions and combined polypoid and ulcerated lesions (two patients). Histology of the gastric lesions demonstrated B cell NHL (four patients) and T cell NHL (two patients). Five of the six patients died of complications related to gastric NHL. We concluded that primary gastric NHL is an important cause of mortality associated with AIDS.