Morphostructure of the S. Vicente Canyon, Marquês de Pombal Fault and Pereira de Sousa Fault (SW Iberia margin)

The S. Vicent Canyon (SVC), Marquês de Pombal Fault (MPF) and Pereira de Sousa Fault (PSF) are located along the SW Iberian margin. The SVC appears to be controlled by the S. Vicent Fault (SVF), a steep NE-SW striking fault that outcrops along the southeast flank of the canyon. To better understand the SVC, MPF and PSF structures and the Meso-Cenozoic morphostructural evolution of this sector it is important to identify the main tectonic phases from the Mesozoic up to Plio-Quaternary. To attain this objective, the main regional structures were mapped using 2D seismic lines and multibeam swath bathymetry data, allowing the mapping of the northern prolongation of PSF and the identification of faults that do not reach the sea floor

Colon cancer chemoprevention by sage tea drinking: decreased DNA damage and cell proliferation

Salvia officinalis and some of its isolated compounds have been found to be preventive of DNA damage and increased proliferation in vitro in colon cells. In the present study, we used the azoxymethane model to test effects of S. officinalis on colon cancer prevention in vivo. The results showed that sage treatment reduced the number of ACF formed only if administered before azoxymethane injection, demonstrating that sage tea drinking has a chemopreventive effect on colorectal cancer. A decrease in the proliferation marker Ki67 and in H2O2-induced and azoxymethane-induced DNA damage to colonocytes and lymphocytes were found with sage treatment. This confirms in vivo the chemopreventive effects of S. officinalis. Taken together, our results show that sage treatment prevented initiation phases of colon carcinogenesis, an effect due, at least in part, to DNA protection, and reduced proliferation rates of colon epithelial cell that prevent mutations and their fixation through cell replication. These chemopreventive effects of S. officinalis on colon cancer add to the many health benefits attributed to sage and encourage its consumption.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grant SFRH/BD/35672/2007, SFRH/BD/64817/200

Towards a new classification of galaxies: principal component analysis of CALIFA circular velocity curves

We present a galaxy classification system for 238 (E1-Sdm) CALIFA (Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area) galaxies based on the shapes and amplitudes of their circular velocity curves (CVCs). We infer the CVCs from the de-projected surface brightness of the galaxies, after scaling by a constant mass-to-light ratio based on stellar dynamics - solving axisymmetric Jeans equations via fitting the second velocity moment $V_{\mathrm{rms}}=\sqrt{V^2+\sigma^2}$ of the stellar kinematics. We use principal component analysis (PCA) applied to the CVC shapes to find characteristic features and use a $k$-means classifier to separate circular curves into classes. This objective classification method identifies four different classes, which we name slow-rising (SR), flat (FL), round-peaked (RP) and sharp-peaked (SP) circular curves. SR are typical for low-mass, late-type (Sb-Sdm), young, faint, metal-poor and disc-dominated galaxies. SP are typical for high-mass, early-type (E1-E7), old, bright, metal-rich and bulge-dominated galaxies. FL and RP appear presented by galaxies with intermediate mass, age, luminosity, metallicity, bulge-to-disk ratio and morphologies (E4-S0a, Sa-Sbc). The discrepancy mass factor, $f_d=1-M_{*}/M_{dyn}$, have the largest value for SR and SP classes ($\sim$ 74 per cent and $\sim$ 71 per cent, respectively) in contrast to the FL and RP classes (with $\sim$ 59 per cent and $\sim$ 61 per cent, respectively). Circular curve classification presents an alternative to typical morphological classification and appears more tightly linked to galaxy evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (Minor changes), 123 pages, 19 figures, 87 Tables (containing the basic properties of the 238 E1-Sdm galaxies; the five main Principal Component Eigenvectors; the five main Principal Components - PC_i; the Multi-Gaussian Expansion models - MGEs; the circular velocity curve models and their uncertainties

A biodiversidade terrestre e dulçaquícola dos arquipélagos da Madeira e das Selvagens

As ilhas atlânticas dos Açores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canárias e Cabo Verde constituem uma das regiões da Europa mais ricas em diversidade de fungos, plantas e animais. Desde 2004 que a inventariação detalhada da diversidade destas ilhas tem sido um dos principais objectivos dos projectos ATLÂNTICO e BIONATURA (incluídos no projecto EU INTERREG IIIB). Este livro é a mais recente contribuição destes projectos, apresentando uma lista de todos os fungos, flora e fauna terrestre conhecida, incluindo a dulçaquícola, para dois arquipélagos atlânticos (Madeira e Selvagens). A lista abrange o arquipélago da Madeira, constituído por duas ilhas de maiores dimensões (Madeira e Porto Santo) e três pequenas, cujo conjunto constitui as Desertas (Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande e Bugio), e ainda o arquipélago das Selvagens, formado por duas pequenas ilhas (Selvagem Grande e Selvagem Pequena) e um ilhéu (Ilhéu de Fora).ABSTRACT: The Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cape Verde are among the richest regions in Fungi, plant and animal diversity in Europe. The main objectives of the EU INTERREG IIIB projects ATLÂNTICO and BIONATURA have been, since 2004, to carry out a detailed inventory of the terrestrial Fungi, Flora and Fauna of these archipelagos. This book, encompassing a checklist of all the known terrestrial and freshwater Fungi, Flora and Fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos is the latest contribution towards that goal. The geographic scope of this checklist includes the Madeira archipelago, composed of two large islands (Madeira and Porto Santo) and three small islands, which are globally named Desertas (Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande and Bugio), and the archipelago of Selvagens with two small islands (Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena) and one islet (Ilhéu de Fora)

Identification of characterization of novel and rare variants of human hemoglobin

Hemoglobin structural abnormalities are among the most commonly found human genetic diseases. The Laboratory of Hemoglobinopathies in the Clinical Pathology Department of the Medical Sciences School of the State University in Campinas - Unicamp, São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, carried out, in its 27 years of activity, about 130,000 diagnoses. As expected, hemoglobins S, C and D were the most frequently observed variants, but an expressive number of other abnormal, novel and rare hemoglobins, was also detected. These findings are summarized in the present article.As anormalidades estruturais da hemoglobina estão entre as doenças genéticas mais comumente encontradas nas populações humanas. O Laboratório de Hemoglobinopatias do Departamento de Patologia Clínica da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Unicamp, localizado em Campinas, no estado de São Paulo, região Sudeste do Brasil, realizou, em seus 27 anos de existência, cerca de 130.000 diagnósticos. Entre as variantes estruturais detectadas, as hemoglobinas S, C e D-Punjab foram, como esperado, as mais freqüentes, porém um número expressivo de outras hemoglobinas anômalas, novas e raras, também foi encontrado. Esses achados estão sumarizados no presente artigo.316319Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

A validação da distribuição de espécies através de modelos preditivos: casos de estudo para a ilha da madeira

Os modelos preditivos de distribuição de espécies são uma importante ferramenta para lidar com a falta de informação biogeográfica existente para a maior parte dos taxa. Com esta técnica, estabelece -se uma relação entre a variável dependente (presença/ausência de uma espécie) e um conjunto de variáveis potencialmente preditoras, e é criado um mapa com a probabilidade de presença da espécie para uma determinada área de interesse. Neste capítulo, é usado o programa Maxent para criar modelos de distribuição potencial de um conjunto seleccionado de espécies, e os resultados obtidos são discutidos com base no conhecimento de especialistas nessas espécies.ABSTRACT: Predictive models of species distribution emerge as a valuable tool for tackling the lack of distributional information on most taxa. A function between the dependente variable (presence/absence of the species) and a set of potential predictors is established, and a map is generated for the focus area, indicating the probability of presence of the species. In this chapter, we use Maxent to develop potential distribution models for a number of selected species and we discuss the results on the basis of expert knowledge

In Utero Exposure to Antiretroviral Drugs: Effect on Birth Weight and Growth Among HIV-exposed Uninfected Children in Brazil.

BACKGROUND There are concerns about the effects of in utero exposure to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) on the development of HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) children. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether in utero exposure to ARVs is associated with lower birth weight/height and reduced growth during the first 2 years of life. METHODS This cohort study was conducted among HEU infants born between 1996 and 2010 in Tertiary children's hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Weight was measured by mechanical scale, and height was measured by measuring board. Z-scores for weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ) and weight-for-length were calculated. We modeled trajectories by mixed-effects models and adjusted for mother's age, CD4 cell count, viral load, year of birth and family income. RESULTS A total of 588 HEU infants were included of whom 155 (26%) were not exposed to ARVs, 114 (19%) were exposed early (first trimester) and 319 (54%) later. WAZ were lower among infants exposed early compared with infants exposed later: adjusted differences were -0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.99 to -0.04, P = 0.02) at birth and -0.22 (95% CI: -0.47 to 0.04, P = 0.10) during follow-up. LAZ were lower during follow-up: -0.35 (95% CI: -0.63 to -0.08, P = 0.01). There were no differences in weight-for-length scores. Z-scores of infants exposed late during pregnancy were similar to unexposed infants. CONCLUSIONS In HEU children, early exposure to ARVs was associated with lower WAZ at birth and lower LAZ up to 2 years of life. Growth of HEU children needs to be monitored closely

Antimicrobial resistance of isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae in a hospital of the Brazilian public system

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant bacterial agent that affects the human population with pneumonia. This disease is an important cause of death in the elderly and the children under five years old. in this study, 29 strains of invasive S. pneumoniae were isolated from 29 patients of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis in the laboratory of the Municipal Hospital in Paulinia, Brazil, from May 2006 to October 2007. Patients' age ranged from 8 months old to 60 years old. These strains of S. pneumoniae were isolated from blood, pleural fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. After typing of encapsulated strains of S. pneumoniae through quellung reaction, their resistance to antimicrobial agents was gauged through Disc Diffusion Technique followed by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Among the 29 strains analyzed, 23 were methicillin-sensitive and six were methicillin-resistant and penicillin intermediate resistant. No strain presented full resistance to penicillin. Serotyping was performed only in two samples, which belonged to serotype 18. Our data may alert ambulatory regarding the incidence of pneumococcal strains resistant to the most common drugs due to inappropriate use of antimicrobials and also collaborate to the elaboration of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines specific to each region.NEPASHosp Municipal Paulinia, Setor Microbiol, Paulinia, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Farm Bioquim, Diadema, SP, BrazilFac Med ABC, Dept Morfol Fisiol, Lab Escrita Cientif, Santo Andre, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, Fac Filosofia & Ciencias, Dept Fonoaudiol, Marilia, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Farm Bioquim, Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc