Thermal image segmentation in studies of wildlife animals

Thermal imaging analysis is an important tool in the study of wildlife animals. The segmentation of thermal images has not extensively explored by the Ecology and Biology communities. In this paper we propose a new approach for segmenting thermal images using the SLIC superpixel algorithm and connected component labeling. Experiments were performed on images taken over the behaviour activity of four mammal species. The results show that our approach has a great potential for partioning animals and background.IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológica

Padrões de distribuição e ocorrência espaço-temporal de ovos e larvas de peixes nos rios Pardo e Anhanduí, bacia do alto rio Paraná, Brasil

In this study we assessed the spatial and temporal distribution of ichthyoplankton and their reproductive strategies into the Pardo and Anhanduí rivers, located on the right bank of the Paraná river, MS. Samples were obtained from October/2009 to March/2010 using conical-cylindrical plankton net for surface samples at nightfall. In general, the family  Anostomidae was the most abundant in this study. We also registered eight migratory species: Prochilodus lineatus; Salminus brasiliensis; Brycon orbignyanus; Rhaphiodon vulpinus; Hemisorubim platyrhynchos/Pseudoplastytoma corruscans; Pimelodus maculatus; Sorubim lima and Zungaro zungaro. However, the sedentary species without parental care were more representative. Considering larval stages of development, significant differences were found for the stage of post-flexion at the mouths of rivers. A spatial pattern of eggs and larvae was registered: eggs were more abundant in the upstream stretches of the rivers and larvae in the downstream stretches. Higher abundances of eggs were found from october to january, and larvae in november, december and january. We conclude that Pardo as Anhanduí are suitable areas for spawning and early development of several fish species. This was clearly observed for the marginal lagoon into the Pardo river, where we registered higher occurrences of larvae in relation to the other sampling stations performed for both rivers.O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a distribuição espacial e temporal do ictioplâncton e suas respectivas estratégias reprodutivas ao longo dos rios Pardo e Anhanduí, situados na margem direita do rio Paraná, bacia do alto rio Paraná, Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul. As coletas foram realizadas entre os meses de outubro/2009 a março/2010 na superfície ao anoitecer, com rede de plâncton cônico-cilíndrica em diversos locais de amostragem. Em geral, a família Anostomidae foi a mais abundante. Foram registradas a presença de oito espécies migradoras: Prochilodus lineatus; Salminus brasiliensis; Brycon orbignyanus; Rhaphiodon vulpinus; Hemisorubim platyrhynchos/Pseudoplastytoma corruscans; Pimelodus maculatus; Sorubim lima and Zungaro zungaro. Porém, as espécies não migradoras sem cuidado parental tiveram maior representatividade. Com relação aos estágios larvais de desenvolvimento, foram verificadas diferenças significativas para o estágio de pós-flexão na foz dos rios. Um padrão espacial de ovos e larvas foi encontrado: os ovos foram mais abundantes nos trechos mais à montante dos rios e as larvas nos trechos mais à jusante. Quanto aos meses amostrados, as abundâncias de ovos foram mais elevadas de outubro a janeiro, e de larvas em novembro, dezembro e janeiro. Assim, pode-se concluir que tanto o rio Pardo como o Anhanduí constituem locais adequados para reprodução e desenvolvimento inicial de várias espécies de peixes, especialmente a lagoa do rio Pardo, onde foram registradas as maiores ocorrências de larvas em relação aos demais pontos de amostragens realizados para ambos os rios

SETDB2 and RIOX2 are differentially expressed among renal cell tumor subtypes, associating with prognosis and metastization

Increasing detection of small renal masses by imaging techniques entails the need for accurate discrimination between benign and malignant renal cell tumors (RCTs) as well as among malignant RCTs, owing to differential risk of progression through metastization. Although histone methylation has been implicated in renal tumorigenesis, its potential as biomarker for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progression remains largely unexplored. Thus, we aimed to characterize the differential expression of histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs) in RCTs to assess their potential as metastasis biomarkers. We found that SETDB2 and RIOX2 (encoding for an HMT and an HDM, respectively) expression levels was significantly altered in RCTs; these genes were further selected for validation by quantitative RT-PCR in 160 RCTs. Moreover, SETDB2, RIOX2, and three genes encoding for enzymes involved in histone methylation (NO66, SETD3, and SMYD2), previously reported by our group, were quantified (RT-PCR) in an independent series of 62 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) to assess its potential role in ccRCC metastasis development. Additional validation was performed using TCGA dataset. SETDB2 and RIOX2 transcripts were overexpressed in RCTs compared to renal normal tissues (RNTs) and in oncocytomas vs. RCCs, with ccRCC and papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) displaying the lowest levels. Low SETDB2 expression levels and higher stage independently predicted shorter disease-free survival. In our 62 ccRCC cohort, significantly higher RIOX2, but not SETDB2, expression levels were depicted in cases that developed metastasis during follow-up. These findings were not apparent in TCGA dataset. We concluded that SETDB2 and RIOX2 might be involved in renal tumorigenesis and RCC progression, especially in metastatic spread. Moreover, SETDB2 expression levels might independently discriminate among RCC subgroups with distinct outcome, whereas higher RIOX2 transcript levels might identify ccRCC cases with more propensity to endure metastatic dissemination.This study was funded by research grants from Research Center of Portuguese Oncology Institute - Porto (CI-IPOP 4-2012 and CI-IPOP 27) and from Associacao Portuguesa de Urologia (APU-2010). ASP-L was supported by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia fellowship (SFRH/SINTD/94217/2013). CSG is supported by FCT- Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia PhD fellowships (SFRH/BD/92786/2013) and BMC is funded by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (IF/00601/2012).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Promoter methylation and large intragenic rearrangements of DPYD are not implicated in severe toxicity to 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in gastrointestinal cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Severe toxicity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) based chemotherapy in gastrointestinal cancer has been associated with constitutional genetic alterations of the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (<it>DPYD</it>).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we evaluated <it>DPYD </it>promoter methylation through quantitative methylation-specific PCR and screened <it>DPYD </it>for large intragenic rearrangements in peripheral blood from 45 patients with gastrointestinal cancers who developed severe 5-FU toxicity. <it>DPYD </it>promoter methylation was also assessed in tumor tissue from 29 patients</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two cases with the IVS14+1G > A exon 14 skipping mutation (c.1905+1G > A), and one case carrying the 1845 G > T missense mutation (c.1845G > T) in the DPYD gene were identified. However, <it>DPYD </it>promoter methylation and large <it>DPYD </it>intragenic rearrangements were absent in all cases analyzed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that <it>DPYD </it>promoter methylation and large intragenic rearrangements do not contribute significantly to the development of 5-FU severe toxicity in gastrointestinal cancer patients, supporting the need for additional studies on the mechanisms underlying genetic susceptibility to severe 5-FU toxicity.</p

Nascidos vivos com hemangioma e linfangioma no Brasil: estudo epidemiológico.

Introduction: Hemangiomas and lymphangiomas represent congenital vascular conditions affecting the circulatory and lymphatic systems, respectively. Hemangiomas consist of abnormal blood vessels, while lymphangiomas are composed of altered lymphatic vessels. Both conditions are typically identified in newborns or young children, though they can manifest at any age. Methodology: This study constitutes a descriptive epidemiological analysis focused on investigating cases of hemangioma and lymphangioma in live births in Brazil. Data collection will be conducted through the Live Birth Information System (SINASC) during the period from 2017 to 2021. Results: In the Northern region, 25 cases were recorded, representing 4.86% of the total live births with hemangioma and lymphangioma in the sample. In the Northeast region, this proportion is slightly higher, with 76 cases, accounting for 14.79% of the total. The Southeast holds the highest proportion, with 316 cases, representing a significant 61.48% of the sample. In the Southern region, 69 cases were recorded, comprising 13.42% of the total. Finally, in the Central-West region, 28 cases were counted, representing 5.45% of the sample. Conclusion: This meticulous analysis of variables related to live births with these conditions provides valuable insights that go beyond mere numerical understanding. The relevance of this profile is evident when considering various aspects.Introdução: Hemangiomas e linfangiomas representam condições vasculares congênitas que afetam o sistema circulatório e linfático, respectivamente. Os hemangiomas são formados por vasos sanguíneos anormais, enquanto os linfangiomas são compostos por vasos linfáticos alterados. Ambas as condições são geralmente identificadas em recém-nascidos ou crianças pequenas, embora possam se manifestar em qualquer idade. Metodologia: Esta pesquisa configura uma análise epidemiológica descritiva voltada para a investigação de casos de hemangioma e linfangioma em nascidos vivos no Brasil. A coleta de dados será conduzida por meio do Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC) no período compreendido entre 2017 e 2021. Resultado: Na região Norte, foram registrados 25 casos, representando 4,86% do total de nascidos vivos com hemangioma e linfangioma na amostra. Já na região Nordeste, essa proporção é um pouco maior, com 76 casos, correspondendo a 14,79% do total. O Sudeste detém a maior proporção, com 316 casos, representando expressivos 61,48% da amostra. Na região Sul, foram registrados 69 casos, compreendendo 13,42% do total. Por fim, na região Centro-Oeste, foram contabilizados 28 casos, representando 5,45% da amostra. Conclusão: Essa análise minuciosa das variáveis relacionadas a nascidos vivos com essas condições proporciona insights valiosos que transcendem a simples compreensão numérica. A relevância desse perfil é evidente ao considerar vários aspectos

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost