Visual behavior of infants in the first and second months of life

Este estudo objetivou avaliar e conhecer o comportamento visual de lactentes no primeiro e segundo meses de vida. Os participantes foram 66 lactentes procedentes da região metropolitana de Campinas, nascidos no Centro de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Mulher da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (CAISM/UNICAMP), assintomáticos, com peso ao nascimento variando de 3000g a 4140g, integrantes do Programa de Detecção de Alterações Audiológicas em Neonatos (DAANE), que compareceram ao Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas em Reabilitação "Prof. Dr. Gabriel Porto" da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (CEPRE/FCM/UNICAMP) para triagem auditiva e cujos pais concordaram em participar do estudo. Para avaliação do comportamento visual utilizou-se o Método de Avaliação da Conduta Visual em Lactentes. A análise dos resultados utilizando-se o SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, versão 13) revelou, no primeiro mês, um destaque para as provas: fixação visual 97,62%, contato de olho 97,62%, sorriso 52,38%, seguimento visual horizontal 97,62% e seguimento visual vertical 52,38%. No segundo mês obteve-se 100% de resposta para as provas fixação visual, contato de olho, sorriso, seguimento visual horizontal e vertical. Os resultados obtidos no presente estudo estão em concordância com dados de estudos recentes sobre o comportamento visual de lactentes no primeiro trimestre de vida. A possibilidade de detectar oportunamente alterações no desenvolvimento visual está ligada a um diagnóstico oportuno e a um pronto encaminhamento a serviços de habilitação infantil, favorecendo, assim, a qualidade de vida das crianças e suas famílias.The aim of this study was to assess as well as understand the visual behavior of infants in the first and second months of life. The participants were 66 asymptomatic infants from Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, born at the Integral Attention Center for Women's Health at Campinas State University (CAISM/UNICAMP), with birth weight ranging from 3000g to 4140g. These infants were participants in the Program for Detecting Audiological Alterations in Newborns (DAANE) who attended the Center for Studies and Research on Rehabilitation "Prof. Dr. Gabriel Porto" at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (CEPRE/FCM/UNICAMP) for auditory trial, and whose parents consented to participate in this study. Visual behaviors were assessed through the Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants. The data analysis was performed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 13). In the first month, the infants showed: visual fixation (97.62%), eye contact (97.62%), smile (52.38%), horizontal tracking (97.62%), and vertical tracking (52.38%). In the second month, they reached 100% in these same tests. The results are in accordance with recent studies on visual behavior of infants in the first three months of life. The possibility of opportunely detecting alterations in visual development is related to a timely diagnosis and a prompt referral to rehabilitation services for infants. As a consequence, it may improve the quality of life of children and their families

Comparative phylogeography in the Atlantic forest and Brazilian savannas: pleistocene fluctuations and dispersal shape spatial patterns in two bumblebees

Background: Bombus morio and B. pauloensis are sympatric widespread bumblebee species that occupy two major Brazilian biomes, the Atlantic forest and the savannas of the Cerrado. Differences in dispersion capacity, which is greater in B. morio, likely influence their phylogeographic patterns. This study asks which processes best explain the patterns of genetic variation observed in B. morio and B. pauloensis, shedding light on the phenomena that shaped the range of local populations and the spatial distribution of intra-specific lineages. Results: Results suggest that Pleistocene climatic oscillations directly influenced the population structure of both species. Correlative species distribution models predict that the warmer conditions of the Last Interglacial contributed to population contraction, while demographic expansion happened during the Last Glacial Maximum. These results are consistent with physiological data suggesting that bumblebees are well adapted to colder conditions. Intra-specific mitochondrial genealogies are not congruent between the two species, which may be explained by their documented differences in dispersal ability. Conclusions: While populations of the high-dispersal B. morio are morphologically and genetically homogeneous across the species range, B. pauloensis encompasses multiple (three) mitochondrial lineages, and show clear genetic, geographic, and morphological differences. Because the lineages of B. pauloensis are currently exposed to distinct climatic conditions (and elevations), parapatric diversification may occur within this taxon. The eastern portion of the state of São Paulo, the most urbanized area in Brazil, represents the center of genetic diversity for B. pauloensis

Evolutionary perspectives on bee mtDNA from mito-OMICS analyses of a solitary species

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Diapause in a tropical oil-collecting bee: molecular basis unveiled by RNA-Seq

Abstract Background Diapause is a natural phenomenon characterized by an arrest in development that ensures the survival of organisms under extreme environmental conditions. The process has been well documented in arthropods. However, its molecular basis has been mainly studied in species from temperate zones, leaving a knowledge gap of this phenomenon in tropical species. In the present study, the Neotropical and solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes was employed as a model for investigating diapause in species from tropical zones. Being a bivoltine insect, Tetrapedia diversipes produce two generations of offspring per year. The first generation, normally born during the wet season, develops faster than individuals from the second generation, born after the dry season. Furthermore, it has been shown that the development of the progeny, of the second generation, is halted at the 5th larval instar, and remains in larval diapause during the dry season. Towards the goal of gaining a better understanding of the diapause phenomenon we compared the global gene expression pattern, in larvae, from both reproductive generations and during diapause. The results demonstrate that there are similarities in the observed gene expression patterns to those already described for temperate climate models, and also identify diapause-related genes that have not been previously reported in the literature. Results The RNA-Seq analysis identified 2275 differentially expressed transcripts, of which 1167 were annotated. Of these genes, during diapause, 352 were upregulated and 815 were downregulated. According to their biological functions, these genes were categorized into the following groups: cellular detoxification, cytoskeleton, cuticle, sterol and lipid metabolism, cell cycle, heat shock proteins, immune response, circadian clock, and epigenetic control. Conclusion Many of the identified genes have already been described as being related to diapause; however, new genes were discovered, for the first time, in this study. Among those, we highlight: Niemann-Pick type C1, NPC2 and Acyl-CoA binding protein homolog (all involved in ecdysteroid synthesis); RhoBTB2 and SASH1 (associated with cell cycle regulation) and Histone acetyltransferase KAT7 (related to epigenetic transcriptional regulation). The results presented here add important findings to the understanding of diapause in tropical species, thus increasing the comprehension of diapause-related molecular mechanisms