Nutrition 22 (2006) 89 www.elsevier.com/locate/nut
In memoriam
Tribute to Dr. L. F. B. P. Costa Rosa, 1964 –2005 We were deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of Dr. L. F. B. P. Costa Rosa in a cycling accident in São Paulo, Brazil on May 19, 2005. Luiz Fernando Bicudo Pereira Costa Rosa (known to his friends as GG) was born on December 31, 1964, in São Paulo. He was the oldest child of four children (Luiz Carlos, Maria Rita, and Jose) of Antonio Fernando and Maria Cecília. Dr. Costa Rosa was a first-rate life scientist who specialized in exercise physiology and metabolism. Luiz Fernando started working in my (Rui Curi’s) laboratory in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), as an undergraduate student of biology in 1987. Luiz Fernando worked on macrophage metabolism and function under the joint supervision of myself and Yara Cury of the Butantan Institute. He was an extremely hard-working student and often was found in the laboratory late at night and during the weekends. Luiz Fernando was an outstanding student, and it was clear from an early stage that he was capable of designing, executing, and interpreting his own experiments. The possibility of new experiments always excited him. He was always happy to collaborate with other colleagues in the laboratory and with other scientists including clinicians and physical educators. Luiz Fernando married Marilia Seelaender on December 21, 1990 and I was his best man during the ceremony. Marilia subsequently joined my group. They worked wonderfully together in the laboratory. This period was a very active and productive one. The group used to have intense discussions on results and experimental protocols. Luiz Fernando and Marilia had their Ph.D. viva voce examinations on the same day (March 4, 1995), one in the morning and another in the afternoon. They concluded their examinations by being congratulated by all examiners. They were subsequently appointed as lecturers in the Department of Histology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, USP. They set up their own laboratories and organized research groups of postgraduate and undergraduate students. Luiz Fernando was recognized for his work in exercise metabolism and immune function. * Corresponding
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I, Philip Newsholme, first met with Luiz Fernando during my first collaborative research visit to Brazil, in December 1993, where I spent 2 mo working in Prof. Curi’s laboratory in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, USP. Luiz Fernando was a graduate student at that time, and I was immediately struck by his enthusiasm and productivity. I worked with Luiz Fernando on the metabolic consequences of adrenaline action in macrophages. Our findings concerning the unique reciprocal regulation of glucose-6phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme in macrophages by cyclic adenosine monophosphate were reported in the Biochemical Journal in 1995. After obtaining his Ph.D., Luiz Fernando pursued his interest in the section of Exercise Physiology and Metabolism and established the Laboratory of Metabolism in the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, USP. Our collaboration continued and he visited my laboratory in Dublin in 1996, where we examined the effect of activated complement on metabolism in lymphocytes and macrophages, resulting in publications in Cell Biochemistry and Function. In 2000 Luiz Fernando was an invited speaker at the Oxford Glutamine Symposium, held at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. Luiz Fernando’s more recent work concentrated on assessing the effect of nutritional supplementation on athletic performance and the effect of neuroendocrine factors on immune function. This area of research, stimulated by Luiz Fernando’s interest and publications, is continuing in Brazil and in Dublin, where we are currently investigating the effects of opioids and melatonin on neutrophil function at the molecular level. Luiz Fernando will be missed by his many colleagues and friends in Brazil and internationally. He is survived by his wife, Marilia, and his children, Isabel and Felipe, his brothers, Luiz Carlos and Jose, his sister, Maria Rita, and his father, Antonio Fernando. Rui Curi, Ph.D.a,* Philip Newsholme, Ph.D.b a
Departmento de Fisiologiae Biofisica, Instituto di Ciéncias Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil b Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College, Dublin, Ireland
