Genomic analysis of four strains of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bv. Equi isolated from horses showing distinct signs of infection.

The genomes of four strains (MB11, MB14, MB30, and MB66) of the species Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi were sequenced on the Ion Torrent PGM platform, completely assembled, and their gene content and structure were analyzed. The strains were isolated from horses with distinct signs of infection, including ulcerative lymphangitis, external abscesses on the chest, or internal abscesses on the liver, kidneys, and lungs. The average size of the genomes was 2.3 Mbp, with 2169 (Strain MB11) to 2235 (Strain MB14) predicted coding sequences (CDSs). An optical map of the MB11 strain generated using the KpnI restriction enzyme showed that the approach used to assemble the genome was satisfactory, producing good alignment between the sequence observed in vitro and that obtained in silico. In the resulting Neighbor-Joining dendrogram, the C. pseudotuberculosis strains sequenced in this study were clustered into a single clade supported by a high bootstrap value. The structural analysis showed that the genomes of the MB11 and MB14 strains were very similar, while the MB30 and MB66 strains had several inverted regions. The observed genomic characteristics were similar to those described for other strains of the same species, despite the number of inversions found. These genomes will serve as a basis for determining the relationship between the genotype of the pathogen and the type of infection that it causes

Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis MB20 bv. equi Isolated from a Pectoral Abscess of an Oldenburg Horse in California.

The genome of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis MB20 bv. equi was sequenced using the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) platform, and showed a size of 2,363,089 bp, with 2,365 coding sequences and a GC content of 52.1%. These results will serve as a basis for further studies on the pathogenicity of C. pseudotuberculosis bv. equi

Daily anticipatory rhythms of behavior and body temperature in response to glucose availability in rats

When food is available recurrently at a particular time of day, several species increase their locomotion in the hours that precede food delivery, a phenomenon called food anticipatory activity (FAA). In mammals, many studies have shown that FAA is driven by a food-entrained circadian oscillator (FEO) that is distinct from the light-entrained pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Few studies have investigated the effect of sugar ingestion on food anticipatory rhythms and the FEO. We aimed to extend the understanding of the role of glucose on the emergence of food anticipatory rhythms by investigating whether glucose ingestion is sufficient to produce daily food anticipation, reflected by motor activity and core body temperature rhythms. Under a 12 h/12 h light/dark cycle, chow-deprived rats had glucose solution available between Zeitgeber Time (ZT) 6 and ZT 9 for 10 days (glucose restriction group), whereas control animals had chow available within the same time window (chow restriction group). Animals in both groups exhibited anticipatory motor activity and body temperature around the fourth day of the scheduled food restriction. Glucose-fed rats ingested ~15 kcal on the days immediately before FAA emergence and reached an intake of ~20 kcal/day, whereas chow-fed rats ingested ~40 kcal/day. The glucose restriction group exhibited a pattern of food anticipation (activity and temperature) that was extremely similar to that observed in the chow restriction group. We conclude that glucose ingestion is a sufficient temporal cue to produce recurrent food anticipation, reflected by activity and temperature rhythms, in rats

Spatial and sex differences in mercury contamination of skuas in the Southern Ocean

Antarctic marine ecosystems are often considered to be pristine environments, yet wildlife in the polar regions may still be exposed to high levels of environmental contaminants. Here, we measured total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood samples from adult brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 82) from three breeding colonies south of the Antarctic Polar Front in the Southern Ocean (southwest Atlantic region): (i) Bahía Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula; (ii) Signy Island, South Orkney Islands; and, (iii) Bird Island, South Georgia. Blood THg concentrations increased from the Antarctic Peninsula towards the Antarctic Polar Front, such that Hg contamination was lowest at Bahía Esperanza/Hope Bay (mean ± SD, 0.95 ± 0.45 μg g−1 dw), intermediate at Signy Island (3.42 ± 2.29 μg g−1 dw) and highest at Bird Island (4.47 ± 1.10 μg g−1 dw). Blood THg concentrations also showed a weak positive correlation with δ15N values, likely reflecting the biomagnification process. Males had higher Hg burdens than females, which may reflect deposition of Hg into eggs by females or potentially differences in their trophic ecology. These data provide important insights into intraspecific variation in contamination and the geographic transfer of Hg to seabirds in the Southern Ocean

Rabdomiólise em militares: uma missão de reconhecimento para prevenção.

O treinamento físico regular faz parte do cotidiano militar, com intuito de aprimorar competências físicas essenciais para tarefas de combate. No entanto, quando executado de forma extenuante ou desenvolvido em condições climáticas adversas pode ocasionar o desenvolvimento da rabdomiólise por esforço físico. A rabdomiólise por esforço físico é definida como uma síndrome decorrente da necrose das células musculares, com sintomas variáveis, como dor muscular, fraqueza e aumento plasmático de enzimas musculares. A severidade da rabdomiólise por esforço físico varia individualmente, porém, pode se tornar clinicamente relevante, contribuindo para a hospitalização, insuficiência renal aguda, incapacidade permanente ou óbito. Sendo assim, o objetivo desta revisão narrativa é apresentar possíveis causas e fatores de risco para rabdomiólise, discutir sua fisiopatologia, seus possíveis diagnósticos e suas principais complicações, enfatizando o contexto militar

Working with Indigenous, local and scientific knowledge in assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people

Working with indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is vital for inclusive assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people. Indigenous peoples' concepts about what constitutes sustainability, for example, differ markedly from dominant sustainability discourses. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) is promoting dialogue across different knowledge systems globally. In 2017, member states of IPBES adopted an ILK Approach including: procedures for assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people; a participatory mechanism; and institutional arrangements for including indigenous peoples and local communities. We present this Approach and analyse how it supports ILK in IPBES assessments through: respecting rights; supporting care and mutuality; strengthening communities and their knowledge systems; and supporting knowledge exchange. Customary institutions that ensure the integrity of ILK, effective empowering dialogues, and shared governance are among critical capacities that enable inclusion of diverse conceptualizations of sustainability in assessments

The miniJPAS survey: clusters and galaxy groups detection with AMICO

Samples of galaxy clusters allow us to better understand the physics at play in galaxy formation and to constrain cosmological models once their mass, position (for clustering studies) and redshift are known. In this context, large optical data sets play a crucial role. We investigate the capabilities of the Javalambre-Physics of the Accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS) in detecting and characterizing galaxy groups and clusters. We analyze the data of the miniJPAS survey, obtained with the JPAS-Pathfinder camera and covering $1$ deg$^2$ centered on the AEGIS field to the same depths and with the same 54 narrow band plus 2 broader band near-UV and near-IR filters anticipated for the full J-PAS survey. We use the Adaptive Matched Identifier of Clustered Objects (AMICO) to detect and characterize groups and clusters of galaxies down to $S/N=2.5$ in the redshift range $0.05<z<0.8$. We detect 80, 30 and 11 systems with signal-to-noise ratio larger than 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5, respectively, down to $\sim 10^{13}\,M_{\odot}/h$. We derive mass-proxy scaling relations based on Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray data for the signal amplitude returned by AMICO, the intrinsic richness and a new proxy that incorporates the galaxies' stellar masses. The latter proxy is made possible thanks to the J-PAS filters and shows a smaller scatter with respect to the richness. We fully characterize the sample and use AMICO to derive a probabilistic membership association of galaxies to the detected groups that we test against spectroscopy. We further show how the narrow band filters of J-PAS provide a gain of up to 100% in signal-to-noise ratio in detection and an uncertainty on the redshift of clusters of only $\sigma_z=0.0037(1+z)$ placing J-PAS in between broadband photometric and spectroscopic surveys. The performances of AMICO and J-PAS with respect to mass sensitivity, mass-proxies qualityComment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, submitted to A&