Species tree phylogeny and biogeography of the Neotropical genus Pradosia (Sapotaceae, Chrysophylloideae)

Recent phylogenetic studies in Sapotaceae have demonstrated that many genera need to be redefined to better correspond to natural groups. The Neotropical genus Pradosia is believed to be monophyletic and includes 26 recognized species. Here we reconstruct the generic phylogeny by a species-tree approach using *BEAST, 21 recognized species (36 accessions), sequence data from three nuclear markers (ITS, ETS, and RPB2), a relaxed lognormal clock model, and a fossil calibration. We explore the evolution of five selected morphological characters, reconstruct the evolution of habitat (white-sand vs. clayish soils) preference, as well as space and time by using a recently developed continuous diffusion model in biogeography. We find Pradosia to be monophyletic in its current circumscription and to have originated in the Amazon basin at ~47.5Ma. Selected morphological characters are useful to readily distinguish three clades. Preferences to white-sand and/or clay are somewhat important for the majority of species, but speciation has not been powered by habitat shifts. Pradosia brevipes is a relative young species (~1.3Ma) that has evolved a unique geoxylic life strategy within Pradosia and is restricted to savannahs. Molecular dating and phylogenetic pattern indicate that Pradosia reached the Brazilian Atlantic coast at least three times: at 34.4Ma (P. longipedicellata), at 11.7Ma (P. kuhlmannii), and at 3.9Ma (weakly supported node within the red-flowered clade). © 2015 Elsevier Inc

New hopane triterpene from Eleocharis sellowiana (Cyperaceae)

A new triterpene named 3alpha-hydroxy-13alpha,17alpha,21beta-hopan-15,19-dione and E-phytyl hexadecanoate were isolated from the hexanic extract of Eleocharis sellowiana. NMR and MS experiments determined the molecular structures.Do extrato hexânico de Eleocharis sellowiana foram isolados o novo triterpeno 3alfa-hidroxi-13alfa,17alfa,21beta-hopano-15,19-diona e hexadecanoato de E-fitila, caracterizados por dados de RMN e EM.803806Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Hansen's disease : a vanishing disease?

The introduction, implementation, successes and failures of multidrug therapy (MDT) in all Hansen's disease endemic countries are discussed in this paper. The high efficacy of leprosy treatment with MDT and the global reduction of prevalence led the World Health Organization, in 1991, to establish the goal of elimination of Hansen's disease (less than 1 patient per 10,000 inhabitants) to be accomplished by the year 2000. Brazil, Nepal and East Timor are among the few countries that didn't reach the elimination goal by the year 2000 or even 2005. The implications of these aspects are highlighted in this paper. Current data from endemic and previously endemic countries that carry a regular leprosy control programme show that the important fall in prevalence was not followed by the reduction of the incidence. This means that transmission of Mycobacterium leprae is still an issue. It is reasonable to conclude that we are still far from the most important goal of Hansen's disease control: the interruption of transmission and reduction of incidence. It is necessary to emphasize to health managers the need of keeping Hansen's disease control activities to better develop control programmes in the future. The recent international proposal to interrupt the transmission of leprosy by the year 2020 seems to unrealistic and it is discussed in this paper. The possibility of epidemiological impact related to the human immunodeficiency virus/Hansen's disease coinfection is also considered

Towards a natural classification of Sapotaceae subfamily Chrysophylloideae in the Neotropics

Generic limits of Chrysophyllum and Pouteria (Chrysophylloideae, Sapotaceae) have been found to be untenable. We here search for natural lineages in Neotropical Chrysophylloideae by sampling 101 terminals for molecular sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA (external and internal transcribed spacer), the nuclear gene RPB2 and 17 morphological characters. Data were analysed with Bayesian inference and parsimony jackknifing. Morphological traits were finally optimized onto the tree to identify the most coherent characters. The resulting phylogenetic tree suggests that the limits of the well-known genera Chrysophyllum and Pouteria must be amended. Diploon, Ecclinusa and Elaeoluma can be maintained and Chrysophyllum sections Ragala section Prieurella and the satellite genera Achrouteria, Cornuella, Martiusella and Nemaluma merit generic resurrection. Lucuma may be restored if the type species belongs to the clade. The accepted genera Chromolucuma, Pradosia and Sarcaulus gain strong clade support, but are embedded in a core clade of Pouteria and may be relegated to the subgeneric level if morphological studies cannot provide evidence concurring with narrow generic concepts. Circumscriptions of Micropholis and Chrysophyllum sections Chrysophyllum and Villocuspis remain unclear and must be explored by using an extended taxon sampling. We predict that yet-to-be-analysed species of Pouteria sections Franchetella, Gayella, Oxythece and Pouteria and members of the currently accepted genera Chromolucuma, Pradosia and Sarcaulus will fall inside the core clade of Pouteria when analysed. © 2017 The Linnean Society of London

Accelerated Blood Clearance (ABC) phenomenon favors the accumulation of tartar emetic in pegylated liposomes in BALB/c mice liver.

Tartar emetic (TE) was the first drug used to treat leishmaniasis.However, its use was discontinued due to high toxicity. Association of TE with liposomes is a strategy to reduce its side effects. Pegylated liposomes (Lpeg) present lower rates of uptake by macrophages and prolonged circulation compared to their nonpegylated counterparts. However, repeated administration of Lpeg can cause an Accelerated Blood Clearance (ABC) phenomenon, whereby recognition of liposomes by antibodies results in faster phagocytosis. Thiswork evaluated the effect of TE administration on histopathological aspects and the effect of the ABC phenomenon on targeting and toxicity in mice. Our results show that treatment with free or liposomal TE had no effect on the erythrocyte count, on liver and spleen weight, and on hepatic, splenic, and cardiac histology in mice. Severe lesions were observed on the kidneys of animals treated with a single dose of free TE. Treatment with TE in Lpeg after induction of ABC phenomenon caused a significant increase in Sb level in the liver without toxicity. Furthermore, mice treated with TE in liposomes showed normal renal histopathology. These results suggest site-specific targeting of Sb to the liver after induction of ABC phenomenon with no toxicity to other organs

SARS-CoV-2 reinfection caused by the P.1 lineage in Araraquara city, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Reinfection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-COV-2) has been reported in many countries, suggesting that the virus may continue to circulate among humans despite the possibility of local herd immunity due to massive previous infections. The emergence of variants of concern (VOC) that are more transmissible than the previous circulating ones has raised particular concerns on the vaccines effectiveness and reinfection rates. The P.1 lineage was first identified in December 2020 in Manaus city and is now globally spread. We report the first case of reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 caused by the P.1 variant outside of Manaus. The potential of these new variants to escape naturally and vaccine- induced immunity highlights the need for a global vigilance

Genetic and Functional Role of TNF-alpha in the Development Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

TNF-alpha plays an important role in trypanocidal mechanisms and is related to tissue injury. This cytokine has been detected in the heart of human chagasic patients where it is associated with tissue damage. This study investigated whether TNF-alpha levels and the presence of genetic polymorphisms are associated with the presence of T. cruzi infection and/or with the development of the cardiac form in chronic chagasic patients. Genomic DNA of 300 subjects from an endemic area was extracted and analyzed by PCR using specific primers. TNF-alpha was assayed in culture supernatants by ELISA. An association was observed between the absence of the TNF-238A allele and negative serology. Furthermore, seropositive individuals carrying the TNF-238A allele produced significantly higher TNF-alpha levels without stimulation (p = 0.04) and after stimulation with LPS (p = 0.007) and T. cruzi antigens (p = 0.004). The present results suggest that the polymorphism at position -238 influences susceptibility to infection and that this allele is associated with higher TNF-alpha production in seropositive individuals

Efetividade das intervenções individual e em grupo junto a pessoas com diabetes tipo 2 1

OBJETIVO: comparar a efetividade de duas intervenções educativas, utilizadas por uma operadora de saúde, no acompanhamento ao indivíduo com diabetes mellitus Tipo 2 (DM2), quanto ao conhecimento sobre a doença, impacto na qualidade de vida e adoção de ações de autocuidado. MÉTODOS: estudo comparativo, longitudinal, prospectivo, realizado com 150 indivíduos com diabetes tipo 2, analisados conforme a modalidade de participação no programa (individual e/ou em grupo). Os participantes da intervenção individual (II) realizaram consultas de enfermagem a cada seis meses e os da intervenção em grupo (IG), reuniões semanais por três meses. Os dados foram coletados mediante quatro questionários: Questionário de identificação, Questionário de Impacto na Qualidade de Vida em Diabetes (PAID), Questionário de Autocuidado em Diabetes (QAD) e Questionário de Conhecimento do Diabetes (DKN-A). Os dados foram analisados utilizando-se o Teste de Friedman e o Teste de Mann Whitney, considerando significância estatística para p ≤ 0,05. RESULTADOS: verificou-se aumento do conhecimento sobre a doença na II (pOBJECTIVE: to compare the effectiveness of two educational interventions used by a healthcare provider in the monitoring of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), regarding knowledge of the disease, impact on quality of life and adoption of self-care actions. METHODS: comparative, longitudinal, prospective study performed with 150 subjects with type 2 diabetes, analyzed according to the type of participation in the program (individual and/or group). Participants of the individual intervention (II) received nursing consultations every six months and those of the group intervention (GI) took part in weekly meetings for three months. Data were collected through four questionnaires: Identification questionnaire, Problem Areas in Diabetes Questionnaire (PAID), Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire (SDSCA) and the Diabetes Knowledge Scale (DKN-A). Data were analyzed using the Friedman and Mann Whitney tests, considering a statistical significance of p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: there was an increase in knowledge about the disease in the II (pOBJETIVO: comparar la efectividad de dos intervenciones educativas, utilizadas por una operadora de planes de salud, en el acompañamiento al individuo con diabetes mellitus Tipo 2 (DM2), sobre al conocimiento de la enfermedad, impacto en la calidad de vida y adopción de acciones de autocuidado. MÉTODOS: estudio comparativo, longitudinal, prospectivo, realizado con 150 individuos con diabetes tipo 2, analizados conforme la modalidad de participación en el programa (individual y/o en grupo). Los participantes de la intervención individual (II) realizaron consultas de enfermería a cada seis meses y los de intervención en grupo (IG), reuniones semanales por tres meses. Los datos fueron recolectados mediante cuatro cuestionarios: Cuestionario de identificación, Cuestionario de Impacto en la Calidad de Vida en Diabetes (PAID), Cuestionario de Autocuidado en Diabetes (CAD) y Cuestionario de Conocimiento de la Diabetes (DKN-A). Los datos fueron analizados utilizando el test de Friedman y el test de Mann Whitney, considerando significación estadística para p ≤ 0,05. RESULTADOS: se verificó aumento del conocimiento sobre la enfermedad en la II (