Leaf Beetles of the Cayman Islands (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Data are presented for 29 chrysomelid species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) occurring in the Cayman Islands, West Indies, 26 of these not having been reported from these islands previously. Altica occidentalis Suffrian is removed from the genus Lysathia Bechyné and reinstated in Altica Geoffroy. Chaetocnema perplexa Blake is synonymized with Chaetocnema confinis Crotch, new synonymy. Omophoita cyanipennis octomaculata (Crotch) is synonymized with Omophoita cyanipennis (Fabricius), new synonymy. The following nine species are named and described: Apraea luciae, Apraea priscilae, Cryptocephalus catharinae, Cryptocephalus kirki, Cryptocephalus paulotigrinus, Longitarsus alisonae, Megistops adiae, Nyctiplanctus bifasciatus, Syphrea thurstonae, all are new species. Taxonomic notes and a key to species, as well as information on plant associations and extralimital distribution, are also provided

Evolução da produção de leite em pequenos ruminantes: polimorfismos do gene da hormona de crescimento

Os efetivos autóctones de pequenos ruminantes têm vindo a diminuir,em parte devido ao seu baixo potencial produtivo. A necessidade de encontrar formas mais expeditas de aumentar o potencial produtivo das nossas raças, e assim promover a sua manutenção bem como a sustentabilidade dos sistemas extensivos onde são explorados, levou à procura de marcadores moleculares, nomeadamente no gene da hormona de crescimento (GH), associados com a produção e qualidade do leite em pequenos ruminantes. Nas raças ovinas Churra da Terra Quente, Merino da Beira Baixa, Saloia e Serra da Estrela e caprinas Algarvia e Serrana verificou -se que o gene da GH é muito polimórfico, tendo sido encontrados polimorfismos específicos em algumas das raças. Os resultados sugerem que os polimorfismos do gene da GH, entre outros (e.g., nas caseínas), poderão vir a ser utilizados na seleção assistida por marcadores genéticos, de modo a melhorar da produção de leite sem afetar a sua qualidade. Contudo, a resposta à seleção será sempre condicionada pela prática de um correto maneio alimentar dos animais

Functional analysis of the mouse Nodal antagonist, Cerl2, during left-right axis formation

Although recently our understanding of how the LR asymmetry is generated in vertebrate embryos has seen rapid progress, many important questions remain to be explained. In mouse embryos, the leftward flow of the extra-embryonic fluid in the node cavity, called nodal flow, seems to be the symmetry-breaking event. However, it is not yet know how this flow functions or how the asymmetric signal(s) generated in the node is/are transferred to the lateral plate mesoderm. The mouse gene cerberus-like2(cerl2) encodes a 20-kDa protein with a predicted signal peptide sequence and a cysteine-rich domain (CRD) containing nine cysteines characteristic of the Cerberus/DAN family. Whole-mount in situ hybridization studies showed that cerl2 transcripts could be first detected in a horseshoe-shaped expression pattern in the perinodal region of the mouse embryo (E7.0), resembling Nodal expression at this stage. At stage E7.5, expression of cerl2 begins to decrease in intensity on the left side, and by early somitogenesis (E8.0), it can be strongly detected in the right side of the node, assuming a complementary expression pattern to that observed in Nodal. Furthermore, it was shown that Cerl2 activity is upstream of the Nodal receptor inhibiting Nodal and its downstream targets. A physical interaction between these two proteins exists, which suggests that Cerl2 is a secreted Nodal antagonist. Here, to elucidate the role of Cerl2 protein in the early events of symmetry breaking the functional activity of this Nodal antagonist will be discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Myxobolus sp. and Henneguya sp. (Cnidaria: Myxobolidae) natural co-infection in the kidney of Piaractus mesopotamicus(Characiformes: Serrasalmidae)

This study evaluated the myxozoan infection and histopathology of the kidney of freshwater fish Piaractus mesopotamicus from intensive fish farming in Brazil. A total of 55 fish were examined for myxozoan infection. Infected organs were processed by usual histology and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN). From the total of 55 fish analyzed, 47 (85.45%) presented myxospores, being 9.09% (5/55) only with Myxobolus sp., 5.45% (3/55) only with Henneguya sp., and 70.91% (39/55) presenting both parasites. The presence of myxospores was associated with histological alterations in both stromal and renal parenchyma. Myxospores were found mostly in the peritubular interstitial tissue and in low intensity in the glomerulus which caused nuclear hypertrophy and loss of Bowman space. An increase in the glomerular tuft and a reduction in the lumen of the collector tubules were also observed, besides the high number of melanomacrophage cells in the glomerulus. This study reports for the first time detection of myxozoan mixed infection in one organ of pacu and discuss the possible transportation of myxospores in the circulating blood

Freeze/thawing and sonication of Escherichia coli TB1 cells for cytochrome b5 recovery

The influence of sonication power, suspension volume and cell concentration on the kinetics of cytochrome b5 and intracellular protein release by sonication of Escherichia coli TB1 cells was studied. The influence of freezing and thawing of the cell suspension was also evaluated. Freezing and thawing increased the recovery yield of cytochrome b5. The sonication efficiency increased with the increase of sonication power and with the decrease of the suspension volume and cell concentration

Optimization study of Escherichia coli TB1 cell disruption for cytochrome b5 recovery in a small-scale bead mill

The recovery of a recombinant intracellular protein, cytochrome b5, from Escherichia coli TB1 cells was carried out by bead mill disintegration in a discontinuous smallscale instrument. This process was optimized by the use of experimental factorial design. Several parameters were studied: operating time, amount and size of beads, cellular suspension concentration, and presence of toluene and lysozyme. For the experimental conditions used, only the time of treatment and bead load had significant effects. The optimal values of these variables were found by applying the response surface methodology.Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (JNICT

Yarrowia lipolytica : an industrial workhorse

Yarrowia lipolytica is one of the most extensively studied ‘‘non-conventional’’ yeasts, being a strictly aerobic microorganism capable of producing important metabolites and having an intense secretory activity, which justifies efforts to use it in industry (as a biocatalyst), in molecular biology and in genetics studies. Moreover, Y. lipolytica has been considered an adequate model for dimorphism studies in yeasts. Yarrowia lipolytica presents the ability to grow on Olive Mill Wastewater (OMW) as well as to degradate organic compounds, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, often accompanied by biosurfactants production. One of the most important products secreted by this microorganism is lipase which can be exploited for several applications in the detergent, food, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries. In addition, Y. lipolytica is able to produce citric acid and aroma from a variety of carbon sources, including sugars, alkanes, plant oils, starch hydrolysates, ethanol, and glycerol. Thus, this chapter presents an overview of Yarrowia lipolytica features and its major biotechnological applications

Recurrent Upper Gastro-Intestinal Bleed Caused by a Pseudo-Aneurysm of the Gastro-Duodenal Artery

Os autores apresentam o caso clínico de um homem de 39 anos de idade com antecedentes de pancreatite crónica, que apresenta um quadro de hemorragia digestiva alta recorrente, com repercussão hemodinâmica, endoscopias altas sucessivas sem alterações, e cujos exames imagiológicos revelam presença de mal-formação vascular do tronco celíaco. Na sequência de mais um episódio de hemorragia digestiva alta com franca repercussão hemodinâmica, é internado no Serviço de Medicina,realizando arteriografia selectiva que mostrou a presença de pseudo-aneurisma da artéria gastroduodenal. Após a embolização, verificou-se uma progressiva e mantida melhoria da sua situação clínica. Descrevem os autores um quadro de hemorragia digestiva alta recorrente por malformação arterial associada à pancreatite crónica

Analysis of the effects of hyperbaric gases on S. cerevisiae cell cycle through a morphological approach

The effects of hyperbaric gases on the cell cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied in batch cultures under pressures between 0.1 and 0.6 MPa and different gas compositions (air, oxygen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide). Classification of S. cerevisiae cells based on their morphology stages was obtained using an automatic image analysis procedure. Information on the distribution of different sub-populations along the cell cycle is reported. A structured morphological model was developed and used to describe the measured data. The results herein reported demonstrate that the bud separation phase is the limiting step in cell duplication. Additionally, the influence of the environmental conditions, specially the oxygen partial pressure, on the START event is reported. Under anaerobic conditions, no significant influence of hyperbaric gases on the cell cycle was verified.CAPES/GRICES, CNPq (Brazil) Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT