17 research outputs found
Distribuição da Ictiofauna Capturada em Arrastos de Fundo na BaĂa de Guanabara - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
In order to describe the composition and the structure of the fish community and to analyze spatial distribution patterns of the most frequent and abundant groups in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, thirty-seven trawls were accomplished in September 1997, May 1998, April and August 2000, in four areas along the north-south environmental gradient of the bay. Fifty-six species, belonging to 27 families, were captured. The families Sciaenidae, Ariidae, Haemulidae, Dactylopteridae, and Triglidae in this order, were the most abundant. Habitat partitioning of the most abundant populations was observed along the bay. Ariidae, mostly represented by the marine catfish Genidens genidens, prevailed in the inner areas (I and II), with lower depths and salinities. Sciaenidae, of which the whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri was the most abundant species, prevailed in the central area (III), with higher depths while Haemulidae and Dactylopteridae were more abundant in the outermost area (IV), with less turbid and more saline waters, and the lowest content of organic matter in the sediment. The outer areas (III and IV), under oceanic influence, presented the greatest fish abundances and the highest species richness.Com o objetivo de descrever a composiçaÌo e a estrutura da comunidade de peixes na BaiÌa de Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, e analisar os padroÌes de distribuiçaÌo espacial dos grupos mais frequÌentes e abundantes, foram realizados 37 arrastos de fundo nos meses de setembro de 1997, maio de 1998, abril e agosto de 2000, em quatro aÌreas de estudo, ao longo do gradiente norte-sul da baiÌa. Foram identificadas 56 espeÌcies de peixes, pertencentes a 27 famiÌlias. As famiÌlias Sciaenidae, Ariidae, Haemulidae, Dactylopteridae e Triglidae, nesta ordem, foram as mais abundantes. Foi observada a repartiçaÌo espacial das populaçoÌes mais abundantes ao longo da baiÌa. A famiÌlia Ariidae, sendo o bagre Genidens genidens a espeÌcie mais representativa, predominou nas aÌreas mais internas (I e II), de menor profundidade e salinidade mais baixa. A famiÌlia Sciaenidae, da qual a corvina Micropogonias furnieri foi a espeÌcie mais abundante, predominou na aÌrea central da baiÌa (III), de maior profundidade. JaÌ as famiÌlias Haemulidae e Dactylopteridae foram mais abundantes na aÌrea mais externa (IV), com aÌgua mais clara e salina e com menor teor de mateÌria orgaÌnica no sedimento. Maiores valores de abundaÌncia e riqueza especiÌfica foram observadas nas aÌreas mais externas, sob maior influeÌncia oceaÌnica (aÌreas III e IV)
Evidence for Reductive Genome Evolution and Lateral Acquisition of Virulence Functions in Two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strains
Ruiz JC, D'Afonseca V, Silva A, et al. Evidence for Reductive Genome Evolution and Lateral Acquisition of Virulence Functions in Two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Strains. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(4): e18551.Background: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen, is the etiologic agent of the disease known as caseous lymphadenitis (CL). CL mainly affects small ruminants, such as goats and sheep; it also causes infections in humans, though rarely. This species is distributed worldwide, but it has the most serious economic impact in Oceania, Africa and South America. Although C. pseudotuberculosis causes major health and productivity problems for livestock, little is known about the molecular basis of its pathogenicity. Methodology and Findings: We characterized two C. pseudotuberculosis genomes (Cp1002, isolated from goats; and CpC231, isolated from sheep). Analysis of the predicted genomes showed high similarity in genomic architecture, gene content and genetic order. When C. pseudotuberculosis was compared with other Corynebacterium species, it became evident that this pathogenic species has lost numerous genes, resulting in one of the smallest genomes in the genus. Other differences that could be part of the adaptation to pathogenicity include a lower GC content, of about 52%, and a reduced gene repertoire. The C. pseudotuberculosis genome also includes seven putative pathogenicity islands, which contain several classical virulence factors, including genes for fimbrial subunits, adhesion factors, iron uptake and secreted toxins. Additionally, all of the virulence factors in the islands have characteristics that indicate horizontal transfer. Conclusions: These particular genome characteristics of C. pseudotuberculosis, as well as its acquired virulence factors in pathogenicity islands, provide evidence of its lifestyle and of the pathogenicity pathways used by this pathogen in the infection process. All genomes cited in this study are available in the NCBI Genbank database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) under accession numbers CP001809 and CP001829
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,5â7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8â11 In
the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the worldâs 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.13â15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazonâs 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 regionâs vulnerability to environmental change. 15%â18% 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%â18% 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
Design and Production of a Recombinant Hybrid Toxin to Raise Protective Antibodies against <em>Loxosceles</em> Spider Venom
Human accidents with spiders of the genus Loxosceles are an important health problem affecting thousands of people worldwide. Patients evolve to severe local injuries and, in many cases, to systemic disturbances as acute renal failure, in which cases antivenoms are considered to be the most effective treatment. However, for antivenom production, the extraction of the venom used in the immunization process is laborious and the yield is very low. Thus, many groups have been exploring the use of recombinant Loxosceles toxins, particularly phospholipases D (PLDs), to produce the antivenom. Nonetheless, some important venom activities are not neutralized by anti-PLD antibodies. Astacin-like metalloproteases (ALMPs) are the second most expressed toxin acting on the extracellular matrix, indicating the importance of its inclusion in the antigenâs formulation to provide a better antivenom. Here we show the construction of a hybrid recombinant immunogen, called LgRec1ALP1, composed of hydrophilic regions of the PLD and the ALMP toxins from Loxosceles gaucho. Although the LgRec1ALP1 was expressed as inclusion bodies, it resulted in good yields and it was effective to produce neutralizing antibodies in mice. The antiserum neutralized fibrinogenolytic, platelet aggregation and dermonecrotic activities elicited by L. gaucho, L. laeta, and L. intermedia venoms, indicating that the hybrid recombinant antigen may be a valuable source for the production of protective antibodies against Loxosceles ssp. venoms. In addition, the hybrid recombinant toxin approach may enrich and expand the alternative antigens for antisera production for other venoms
A Community-Based Participatory Framework to Co-Develop Patient Education Materials (PEMs) for Rare Diseases: A Model Transferable across Diseases
At least 50% of chronic disease patients donât follow their care plans, leading to lower health outcomes and higher medical costs. Providing Patient Education Materials (PEMs) to individuals living with a disease can help to overcome these problems. PEMs are especially beneficial for people suffering from multisystemic and underrecognized diseases, such as rare diseases. Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are ultra-rare diseases, where a need was identified for PEMs in plain language that can clearly explain complex information. Community involvement in the design of PEMs is extremely important for diseases whose needs are underserved, such as rare diseases; however, attempts to involve lay and professional stakeholders are lacking. This paper presents a community-based participatory framework to co-create PEMs for CDG, that is transferable to other diseases. A literature review and questionnaire were performed, and only four articles describing the development of PEMS for rare diseases have been found, which demonstrates a lack of standardized approaches. The framework and PEMs were co-developed with CDG families and will be crucial in increasing health literacy and empowering families. We will close a gap in the creation of PEMs for CDG by delivering these resources in lay language in several languages