Paternity testing and behavioral ecology: a case study of jaguars (Panthera onca) in Emas National Park, Central Brazil.

We used microsatellite loci to test the paternity of two male jaguars involved in an infanticide event recorded during a long-term monitoring program of this species. Seven microsatellite primers originally developed for domestic cats and previously selected for Panthera oncawere used. In order to deal with uncertainty in the mother?s genotypes for some of the loci, 10000 values of Wwere derived by simulation procedures. The male that killed the two cubs was assigned as the true sire. Although the reasons for this behavior remain obscure, it shows, in principle, a low recognition of paternity and kinship in the species. Since the two cubs were not very young, one possibility is that the adult male did not recognize the cubs and killed them for simple territorial reasons. Thus, ecological stress in this local population becomes a very plausible explanation for this infanticide, without further sociobiological implications

Autocorrelação espacial da riqueza e da abundância de mamíferos ao longo do corredor Cerrado-Pantanal, Brasil Central

In this paper, we evaluated spatial patterns in mammalian fauna obtained using 75,000 camera-trap hours in 33 fragments at the Cerrado-Pantanal border, along an east-west axis and flanked by two relatively large preserved areas. This region has been proposed as an ecological corridor, connecting these two large ecosystems. The richness of species obtained (total = 33) was explained by the area and the number of habitats in each fragment. The abundance of small-bodied species tends to have significant spatial patterns, whereas variation in the abundance of large-bodied species is randomly distributed in the geographical space. No faunal transition (changes in species compositions) between the two ecosystems was identified. Key words: camera trap, Cerrado, ecological corridor, Pantanal, mammals.Neste trabalho, avaliamos o padrão espacial da mastofauna através de 75.000 horas de esforço amostral obtidas por armadilhas fotográficas instaladas em 33 fragmentos em uma região de transição entre o Cerrado e o Pantanal, ao longo de um eixo Leste-Oeste, entre duas áreas relativamente grandes e bem preservadas. Esta região tem sido proposta como um corredor ecológico, conectando estes dois grandes ecossistemas. A riqueza de espécies obtida (total de 33 espécies) foi explicada pela área e pelo número de hábitats em cada fragmento. A abundância de espécies de pequeno porte tende a apresentar padrões espaciais significativos, enquanto a variação na abundância de espécies de grande porte é aleatoriamente distribuída no espaço geográfico. Não foi identificada uma transição faunística (mudança na composição de espécies) entre os dois ecossistemas. Palavras-chave: armadilha fotográfica, Cerrado, corredor ecológico, Pantanal, mamíferos

Association between ventilation index and time on mechanical ventilation in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between time on mechanical ventilation and anthropometric, clinical and pulmonary function variables, measured early, in infants on invasive mechanical ventilation with acute respiratory failure due to viral bronchiolitis, and the temporal progression of variables with significant correlations. METHODS: Twenty-nine infants admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of UNICAMP university hospital were studied. Acute viral bronchiolitis was defined according to clinical and radiological criteria. Children with chronic diseases and those that were hemodynamically unstable were excluded. All measurements were taken after 24 to 72 hours' mechanical ventilation, using volumetric capnography and blood gas analysis. Mechanical ventilation time was divided into: 7 days. Association between time on mechanical ventilation and the variables analyzed was determined by Spearman's Correlation Coefficient (r s). RESULTS: Time on mechanical ventilation showed a significant positive correlation with PaCO2 (r s = 0.45, p = 0.01) and ventilation index (r s = 0.51, p = 0.005), and a negative correlation with pH (r s = -0.40, p = 0.03). Ventilation indices of 37, measured between day one and day five, was associated with a progressively increased risk of more than 7 days on mechanical ventilation (OR = 4.2 on the first day to 15.71 on the fourth day). CONCLUSION: Ventilation index, PaCO2 and pH, measured early, were associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, reflecting the severity of ventilatory disturbance and the need for support.OBJETIVO: Avaliar a associação entre tempo de ventilação mecânica e variáveis antropométricas, clínicas e de função pulmonar, precocemente, em lactentes com insuficiência respiratória por bronquiolite viral aguda em ventilação mecânica invasiva, e a evolução temporal das variáveis significativamente correlacionadas. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 29 lactentes admitidos na unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica do Hospital de Clínicas da UNICAMP, com diagnóstico de bronquiolite viral aguda, definido por critérios clínicos e radiológicos. Lactentes com doenças crônicas ou instabilidade hemodinâmica foram excluídos. Todas as medidas foram feitas entre 24 e 72 horas em ventilação mecânica, usando capnografia volumétrica e análise dos gases sangüíneos. O tempo de ventilação mecânica foi dividido em: menor ou igual que 7 dias e maior que 7 dias. A associação entre o tempo de ventilação e as variáveis analisadas foi determinada pelo coeficiente de correlação de Spearman (r s) RESULTADOS: O tempo de ventilação mecânica apresentou correlação positiva significativa com a PaCO2 (r s = 0,45, p = 0,01) e com o índice de ventilação (r s = 0,51, p = 0,005), e negativa com o pH (r s = -0,40, p = 0,03). Índice de ventilação com valor de 37, avaliado do primeiro ao quinto dia, foi associado a risco progressivamente aumentado de tempo de ventilação mecânica maior que 7 dias (OR = 4,2 no primeiro dia a 15,71 no quarto dia) CONCLUSÕES: Índice ventilatório, PaCO2 e pH, precocemente medidos, foram associados com tempo prolongado em ventilação mecânica, refletindo a gravidade do distúrbio ventilatório e necessidade de suporte.46647

The impact of medical education and networking on the outcome of leukemia treatment in developing countries. The experience of International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (IC-APL)

Objectives: Several clinical trials conducted in Europe and US reported favorable outcomes of patients with APL treated with the combination of all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracyclines. Nevertheless, the results observed in developing countries with the same regimen was poorer, mainly due to high early mortality mainly due bleeding. The International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (IC-APL) is an initiative of the International Members Committee of the ASH and the project aims to reduce this gap through the establishment of international network, which was launched in Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay. Methods: The IC-APL treatment protocol is similar to the PETHEMA 2005, but changing idarubicin to daunorubicin. All patients with a suspected diagnosis of APL were immediately started on ATRA, while bone marrow samples were shipped to a national central lab where genetic verification of the diagnosis was performed. The immunofluorescence using an anti-PML antibody allowed a rapid confirmation of the diagnosis and, the importance of supportive measures was reinforced. Results: The interim analysis of 97 patients enrolled in the IC-APL protocol showed that complete remission (CR) rate was 83% and the 2-year overall survival and disease-free survival were 80% and 90%, respectively. Of note, the early mortality rate was reduced to 7.5%. Discussion: The results of IC-APL demonstrate the impact of educational programs and networking on the improvement of the leukemia treatment outcome in developing countries

Amazonia Camtrap: a data set of mammal, bird, and reptile species recorded with camera traps in the Amazon forest.

Abstract : The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on Earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scatteredacross the published, peer-reviewed, and gray literature and in unpublishedraw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazonregions to compile the most extensive data set of inventories of mammal,bird, and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete data setcomprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals, and13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eightcountries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru,Suriname, and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxawere: mammals:Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds: Pauxi tuberosa (3713 records); and reptiles:Tupinambis teguixin(716 records). The infor-mation detailed in this data paper opens up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a moreaccurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climatechange, and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of themost important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The data set is not copyright restricted; please cite this data paper when usingits data in publications and we also request that researchers and educator sinform us of how they are using these data

One or two cameras per station? Monitoring jaguars and other mammals in the Amazon

Camera trapping has become a popular technique to monitor carnivore populations due to its usefulness in estimating abundance. Nevertheless, there are a number of problems associated with study design which are motivating researchers to search for a compromise that ensures improvement of precision while being cost-effective. We have used data from a capture– recapture study in a forested area in central Brazil to evaluate the effectiveness of using one versus two cameras per trapping station for determining jaguar (Panthera onca) density and capture rates of several other mammals. The capture rate for the jaguar and other species recorded with only one camera was lower than that with two cameras. The number of jaguars identified using photos from one camera ranged between six and seven animals, but reached ten individuals when twocamera sets were used where pictures of both flanks could be positively individualized. These differences, combined with different estimates of effective sampled area size, resulted in jaguar densities estimates ranging from 2.18 to 5.40 and 3.99 individuals/100 km2 when one and two cameras were used per station, respectively (using the half-MMDM and Heterogeneity model). Based on our results, we recommend the use of two cameras per station for jaguar density monitoring to ensure reasonable levels of reliability and accuracy of estimates despite a small sample size.publishe

Note on the diet of the jaguar in central Brazil

Diet of the jaguar Panthera onca in the Cerrado, central Brazil, was investigated based on a sample of genetically identified jaguar scats. At least nine prey species were observed in 35 scat samples. Giant anteaters Myrmecophaga tridactyla contributed more than 75 % of biomass to the observed diet. Tapirs Tapirus terrestris and peccaries Tayassu pecari and Pecari tajacu contributed approximately 6 % to jaguar diet each, and small mammals contributed least to the jaguar diet. At 0.121, dietary niche breadth was narrower than reported in most other studies. Due to their physical characteristics and abundance, giant anteaters are likely the most profitable prey for jaguars in Emas National Park, and as an important prey, they should be included in jaguar conservation efforts. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Peer Reviewe

Use of Camera-Trapping to Estimate Puma Density and Influencing Factors in Central Brazil

We used remotely triggered cameras to collect data on Puma (Puma concolor) abundance and occupancy in an area of tropical forest in Brazil where the species’ status is poorly known. To evaluate factors influencing puma occupancy we used data from 5 sampling campaigns in 3 consecutive years (2005 to 2007) and 2 seasons (wet and dry), at a state park and a private forest reserve. We estimated puma numbers and density for the 2007 sampling data by developing a standardized individual identification method. We based individual identification on 1) time-stable parameters (SP; physical features that do not change over time), and 2) time-variable parameters (VP; marks that could change over time such as scars and botfly marks). Following individual identification we established a capture–recapture history and analyzed it using closed population capture–mark–recapture models. Puma capture probability was influenced by camera placement (roads vs. trails), sampling year, and prey richness. Puma occupancy was positively associated with species richness and there was a correlation between relative puma and jaguar (Panthera onca) abundance. Identifications enabled us to generate 8 VP histories for each photographed flank, corresponding to 8 individuals. We estimated the sampled population at 9 pumas (SE 5 1.03, 95% CI 5 8–10 individuals) translating to a density of 3.40 pumas/100 km2. Information collected using camera-traps can effectively be used to assess puma population size in tropical forests. As habitat progressively disappears and South American felines become more vulnerable, our results support the critical importance of private forest reserves for conservationPeer reviewe