Pollen morphology of alpine butterworts (Pinguicula L., Lentibulariaceae)

The pollen morphology of Pinguicula alpina, P. arvetii, P. grandiflora subsp. grandiflora, P. grandiflora subsp. rosea, P. hirtiflora, P. leptoceras, P. poldinii, P. reichenbachiana, and P. vulgaris, belonging to the Alpine flora, was studied. The pollen grains, coming from different populations, were investigated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen size, the shape (P/E ratio), the number of colpori and the exine ornamentation are, for Pinguicula, important diagnostic characters. Pinguicula pollen grains are medium sized ( 30 \u3bcm), trinucleate, isopolar, radially symmetric. The shape of the grains is variable from oblate spheroidal to prolate spheroidal and they are (4)\u20135\u20139\u2013(10)-zonocolporate. The prevalent ornamentation is rugulate\u2013microreticulate, P. alpina has a rugulate\u2013reticulate ornamentation and only P. hirtiflora has a perforate ornamentation. A pollen key, based on micromorphological data, is presented

Um aplicativo iPhone para a rastreabilidade da ferrugem asiática da soja no Brasil.

RESUMO: A soja é, no Brasil, um dos principais itens da produção agrícola, sendo o país o segundo maior produtor mundial deste grão. Devido ao grande crescimento da produção nas últimas décadas, a soja, tornou-se o foco dos principais órgãos relacionados ao agro-negócio brasileiro. Com a introdução da ferrugem asiática da soja no Brasil, um melhor gerenciamento no combate a essa doença se tornou necessária, sendo assim, criado em setembro de 2004, o Consórcio Antiferrugem surgiu com a finalidade de trazer soluções de manejo e controle da dispersão desta doença no Brasil. Este artigo descreve o desenvolvimento de um aplicativo iPhone, criado para dar suporte ao sistema Web do Consórcio Antiferrugem, como uma ferramenta móvel auxiliando o monitoramento da dispersão e a rastreabilidade da ferrugem asiática da soja no Brasil. ABSTRACT: Soybean is one of the major items of agricultural production in Brazil, being the country the second largest producer of this grain. Due to the large increase in production in recent decades, soybean has become the focus of the main organs related to brazilian agribusiness. With the introduction of Asian soybean rust in Brazil, a better management of this disease became necessary, therefore, created in September 2004, the Consortium Antirust emerged with the purpose to bringing solutions to help manage and control the spread of this disease in Brazil. This article describes the development of an iPhone application, designed to support the Antirust Consortium Web System as a mobile tool to assist on monitoring and tracking the dispersion of soybean rust in Brazil.Trabalho apresentado no III Simpósio de Computação Aplicada, Passo Fundo, 2011

Drug resistance in B and non-B subtypes amongst subjects recently diagnosed as primary/recent or chronic HIV-infected over the period 2013–2016: Impact on susceptibility to first-line strategies including integrase strand-transfer inhibitors

Objectives To characterize the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) by plasma analysis of 750 patients at the time of HIV diagnosis from January 1, 2013 to November 16, 2016 in the Veneto region (Italy), where all drugs included in the recommended first line therapies were prescribed, included integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InNSTI). Methods TDRMs were defined according to the Stanford HIV database algorithm. Results Subtype B was the most prevalent HIV clade (67.3%). A total of 92 patients (12.3%) were expected to be resistant to one drug at least, most with a single class mutation (60/68–88.2% in subtype B infected subjectsand 23/24–95.8% in non-B subjects) and affecting mainly NNRTIs. No significant differences were observed between the prevalence rates of TDRMs involving one or more drugs, except for the presence of E138A quite only in patients with B subtype and other NNRTI in subjects with non-B infection. The diagnosis of primary/recent infection was made in 73 patients (9.7%): they had almost only TDRMs involving a single class. Resistance to InSTI was studied in 484 subjects (53 with primary-recent infection), one patient had 143C in 2016, a total of thirteen 157Q mutations were detected (only one in primary/recent infection). Conclusions Only one major InSTI-TDRM was identified but monitoring of TDRMs should continue in the light of continuing presence of NNRTI-related mutation amongst newly diagnosed subjects, sometime impacting also to modern NNRTI drugs recommended in first-line therapy

Mobilidade e a rastreabilidade da ferrugem asiática da soja no Brasil.

A ferrugem asiática da soja, causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi possui fácil disseminação e pode causar perdas de 30% à 75% na produção. O monitoramento da ferrugem e sua identificação nos estádios iniciais são essenciais para um controle eficiente (YORINORI, 2005). Afim de permitir uma rápida visualização sobre a dispersão desta doença no Brasil, foi desenvolvida uma versão móvel para a plataforma iOS do sistema Web do Consórcio Antiferrugem. O usuário, com o uso do aplicativo em um iPhone, iPod Touch ou iPad, pode ter acesso às informações sobre a dispersão da doença diretamente no seu dispositivo, a qualquer hora e lugar, podendo perceber a aproximação dos focos da doença na sua região e adiantar-se na procura por sinais de infecção na sua lavoura, evitando grandes perdas na produção. O aplicativo traz como diferencial, além da sua mobilidade, a possibilidade de apresentação de informações completas sobre as ocorrências da doença, registradas por laboratórios conveniados ao consórcio. Permite, também, a rastreabilidade sobre a evolução da doença no decorrer das safras, apresentando pontos geolocalizados para os focos da doença. O aplicativo foi desenvolvido sob uma arquitetura de serviços disponíveis na plataforma Web do Consórcio Antiferrugem. Desde que foi disponibilizado, o aplicativo já foi baixado centenas de vezes por usuários do mundo todo, deixando claro o interesse pelas informações não só por produtores e técnicos brasileiros, mas também pelo mercado comprador de soja. Objetivando proporcionar maior agilidade na disseminação das informações, suporte a tecnologia push, para notificações automáticas, está sendo implementado e disponibilizado na loja de aplicativos da Apple (APPLE, 2011).SBIAGRO

Oral and anal high-risk human papilloma virus infection in HIV-positive men who have sex with men over a 24-month longitudinal study: Complexity and vaccine implications

BackgroundFew studies focused on longitudinal modifications over time of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) at anal and oral sites in HIV+ men who have sex with men (MSM).MethodsWe described patterns and longitudinal changes of HR-HPV detection and the prevalence of HR-HPV covered by the nonavalent HPV vaccine (vax-HPV) at oral and anal sites in 165 HIV+ MSM followed in an Italian hospital. The samples were collected at baseline and after 24months (follow-up). The presence of HPV was investigated with Inno-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra II.ResultsMedian age was 44years (IQR 36-53), median CD4+ cell count at nadir was 312 cells/mm(3) (IQR 187-450). A total of 120 subjects (72.7%) were receiving successful antiretroviral therapy (ART). At baseline and follow-up, the frequency of HR-HPV was significantly higher in the anal site (65.4% vs 9.4 and 62.4% vs 6.8%, respectively). Only 2.9% of subjects were persistently HR-HPV negative at both sites. All oral HR-HPV were single at baseline vs 54.6% at baseline at the anal site (p=0.005), and all oral HR-HPV were single at follow-up vs 54.4% at anal site at follow-up (p=0.002). The lowest rate of concordance between the oral and anal results was found for HR-HPV detection; almost all HR-HPV positive results at both anal and oral sites had different HR-HPV.The most frequent HR-HPV in anal swabs at baseline and follow-up were HPV-16 and HPV-52.At follow-up at anal site, 37.5% of patients had different HR-HPV genotypes respect to baseline, 28.8% of subjects with 1 HR-HPV at baseline had an increased number of HR-HPV, and patients on ART showed a lower frequency of confirmed anal HR-HPV detection than untreated patients (p=0.03) over time. Additionally,54.6 and 50.5% of patients had only HR-vax-HPV at anal site at baseline and follow-up, respectively; 15.2% had only HR-vax-HPV at baseline and follow-up.ConclusionsWe believe that it is important testing multiple sites over time in HIV-positive MSM. ART seems to protect men from anal HR-HPV confirmed detection. Vaccination programmes could reduce the number of HR-HPV genotypes at anal site and the risk of the first HR-HPV acquisition at the oral site

Leptin fails to blunt the lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rats

Copyright @ 2013 The authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.Obesity is a risk factor for sepsis morbidity and mortality, whereas the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a protective role in the body's defence against sepsis. Sepsis induces a profound systemic immune response and cytokines serve as excellent markers for sepsis as they act as mediators of the immune response. Evidence suggests that the adipokine leptin may play a pathogenic role in sepsis. Mouse endotoxaemic models present with elevated leptin levels and exogenously added leptin increased mortality whereas human septic patients have elevated circulating levels of the soluble leptin receptor (Ob-Re). Evidence suggests that leptin can inhibit the regulation of the HPA axis. Thus, leptin may suppress the HPA axis, impairing its protective role in sepsis.We hypothesised that leptin would attenuate the HPA axis response to sepsis.We investigated the direct effects of an i.p. injection of 2 mg/kg leptin on the HPA axis response to intraperitoneally injected 25 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the male Wistar rat. We found that LPS potently activated the HPA axis, as shown by significantly increased plasma stress hormones, ACTH and corticosterone, and increased plasma interleukin 1β (IL1β) levels, 2 h after administration. Pre-treatment with leptin, 2 h before LPS administration, did not influence the HPA axis response to LPS. In turn, LPS did not affect plasma leptin levels. Our findings suggest that leptin does not influence HPA function or IL1b secretion in a rat model of LPS-induced sepsis, and thus that leptin is unlikely to be involved in the acute-phase endocrine response to bacterial infection in rats.The section is funded by grants from the MRC, BBSRC, NIHR and an Integrative Mammalian Biology (IMB) Capacity Building Award, and by a FP7-HEALTH-2009-241592 EuroCHIP grant and is supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. This work is supported by a BBSRC Doctoral Training-Strategic Skills Award grant (BB/F017340/1)

An integrated approach to cardioprotection in lymphomas

In potentially curable cancers, long-term survival depends not only on the successful treatment of the malignancy but also on the risks associated with treatment-related toxicity, especially cardiotoxicity. Malignant lymphomas affect patients at any age, with acute and late toxicity risks that could have a severe effect on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. Although our understanding of chemotherapy-associated and radiotherapy-associated cardiovascular disease has advanced considerably, new drugs with potential cardiotoxicity have been introduced for the treatment of lymphomas. In this Review, we summarise the mechanisms of treatment-related cardiac injury, available clinical data, and protocols for optimising cardioprotection in lymphomas. We discuss ongoing research strategies to advance our knowledge of the molecular basis of drug-induced and radiation-induced toxicity. Additionally, we emphasise the potential for personalised follow-up and early detection, including the role of biomarkers and novel diagnostic tests, highlighting the role of the cardio-oncology team

Contribuição à geologia do sul de Minas Gerais edição das folhas 1: 50.000 Itumirim, Itutinga, Madre de Deus, Luminárias, Minduri e Andrelândia

Neste trabalho apresentamos o resultado de varios anos de trabalho em mapeamento geológico realizado no sul de Minas Gerais pela equipe do Núcleo de Estudos Pré-Cambrianos. Um estudo detalhado foi realizado objetivando uma melhor caracterização das litologias aflorantes, visando elaborar reconstruções paleoambientais, paleogeografías e geotectónicas. Foram editadas seis folhas na escala 1:50.000 através do processo de digitalização pelo programa SAGA/UFRJ

Meniscus maturation in the swine model: role of endostatin in cellular differentiation

The development of an engineered meniscus derives from the need to regenerate a tissue which is largely unable to self-repair with consequent loss of functionality. Hence a deeper knowledge of the native meniscus morphology and biomechanics in its different regions, including molecules involved in regulation of the maturation process, is essential. The meniscus is a complex tissue, displaying great regional variation in extracellular matrix components and in vascularization, as a result of several biomechanical stimuli. Its biochemical composition is modulated to adapt the tissue to the different functions that are required throughout growth, until a \u201cmature\u201d phase is reached in adulthood. The aim of this work is to evaluate the biological role of Endostatin in the regulation of angiogenesis as in the fibro-chondrogenic differentiation of neonatal meniscal cells in the pig. The swine is an attractive model for meniscal repair studies, as its knee joint is closely comparable to the human one in terms of anatomical structure, vascularization, and healing potential. Our preliminary data show that Endostatin contributes to the acquisition of chondrocyte phenotype in an undifferentiated but committed cellular population. Thus, a better understanding of the role of Endostatin in cell metabolism might lead to a deeper knowledge of the events regulating meniscus maturation. These findings may be crucial for the development of an engineered scaffold able to induce meniscal cell differentiation by releasing Endostatin-rich microspheres