Genetic structure and conservation of Mountain Lions in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

The Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems worldwide, is also among the most important hotspots as regards biodiversity. Through intensive logging, the initial area has been reduced to around 12% of its original size. In this study we investigated the genetic variability and structure of the mountain lion, Puma concolor. Using 18 microsatellite loci we analyzed evidence of allele dropout, null alleles and stuttering, calculated the number of allele/locus, PIC, observed and expected heterozygosity, linkage disequilibrium, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, FIS, effective population size and genetic structure (MICROCHECKER, CERVUS, GENEPOP, FSTAT, ARLEQUIN, ONESAMP, LDNe, PCAGEN, GENECLASS software), we also determine whether there was evidence of a bottleneck (HYBRIDLAB, BOTTLENECK software) that might influence the future viability of the population in south Brazil. 106 alleles were identified, with the number of alleles/locus ranging from 2 to 11. Mean observed heterozygosity, mean number of alleles and polymorphism information content were 0.609, 5.89, and 0.6255, respectively. This population presented evidence of a recent bottleneck and loss of genetic variation. Persistent regional poaching constitutes an increasing in the extinction risk

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: what the neurologist should know

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a wellknown cause of disability among older people. A significant amount of these patients is asymptomatic. Once the symptoms start the worsening may follow a progressive manner. We should suspect of spondylotic myelopathy in any individual over 55 years presenting progressive changes in gait or losing fine motor control of the upper limbs. Despite its frequent prevalence, this condition is still neglected and many times confused with other supratentorial lesions regarding diagnostic. Here we address some of most important aspects of this disease, calling attention to pathophysiology, the natural history. presentation, differential diagnosis, clinical assessment and treatment.Natl Inst Traumatol & Orthoped, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Severino Sombra, Div Neurol, Grad Program Neurol Neurosci, Tavares Macedo St 95-902, BR-24220215 Vassouras, RJ, BrazilUniv Severino Sombra, Masters Program Urgencia & Emergencia Med, Vassouras, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Estado Rio de Janeiro, Sch Med, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilNeurology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP , São Paulo, SP. BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Div Neurosurg, Niteroi, RJ, BrazilNeurology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP , São Paulo, SP. BrazilWeb of Scienc

Influência da prática habitual de atividade física e da gordura de tronco sobre a glicemia de jejum em mulheres na menopausa

Study Model: Original Study. Objective: To examine the relationship between the practice of physical activity (PA) with total body fat, trunk fat and fasting glucose in postmenopausal women.Methods: Sixty postmenopausal women, mean age of 61.0 years, from the city of Presidente Prudente SP, were assessed. Body mass (BM) and height were measured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Total body fat (BF) and trunk fat mass (TFM) were estimated using DEXA. Fasting glucose was measured and classified according to the reference values of the American Diabetes Association (1997). The usual practice of PA was estimated using triaxial accelerometer, model GT3X (Actigraph,Pensacola,FL,USA) and classified according to Sasaki (2010). Comparisons were made between women with normal blood fasting glucose levels (NBG) and high blood fasting glucose(HBG) levels by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman correlation coefficient was used and then the binary logistic regression to test the association between PA level and body composition with fasting glucose.Results: Women with HBG showed higher values of BM (p=0,040), BMI (=0,002) and BF (=0,046), and lower values of light (p=0,019), moderate (p=0,041) and moderate+vigorous (p=0,041) PA. The moderate and moderate+vigorous PA showed, respectively, a significant negative correlation with BF (p=0,003 and p+0,003) and TFM (p=0,021 and p=0,021). The FM presented negative correlation with moderate + vigorous (p=0,049). Women with lower TFM and classified as active showed protective factor (OR=0.133 [CI 0.023 to 0.7841] for impaired fasting glucose. Conclusion: The practice of moderate+vigorous intensity PA, held at least 150 minutes per week, is associated with lower trunk fat, and presents protective factor for impaired fasting glucose and risk of diabetes mellitus ins postmenopausal women.Modelo de estudo: Estudo OriginalObjetivo: Examinar a relação entre a prática habitual da atividade física (AF) com a gordura corporal total, gordura do tronco e glicemia de jejum em mulheres na menopausa. Métodos: Foram avaliadas 60 mulheres na menopausa com média de idade de 61,0 anos, da cidade de Presidente Prudente - SP. A massa corporal (MC) e a estatura foram mensuradas para o cálculo de Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC). A gordura corporal total (GC) e a gordura de tronco (TrG) foram estimadas por meio do DEXA. A glicemia sanguinea foi dosada e classificada de acordo com os valores de referência da American Diabetes Association (1997). A prática habitual de AF foi estimada utilizando acelerômetro triaxial (Actigraph) e classificada de acordo com Sasaki (2010). Foi realizada a comparação entre mulheres com valores de glicemia normal e glicemia alterada por meio do teste Kruskal-Wallis. Foi utlizado o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman e em seguida a regressão logística binária para verificar a associação entre nível de AF e compoisção corporal com glicemia de jejum. Resultados: Mulheres que apresentavam hiperglicemia obtiveram maiores valores de MC (p=0,040), IMC (p=0,002) e GC (p=0,046), além de valores menores de AF (p=0,019), moderada (p=0,041) e de moderada+vigorosa (p=0,041). A variável AF moderada e moderada+vigorosa, apresentaram, respectivamente, correlação negativa significante percentual de GC (p=0,003) e com TrG(p=0,021 e p=0,021), quando analisado os valores absolutos de GC foi observado correlação negativa com a soma moderda+vigorosa (p=0,049). As mulheres que obtiveram menore valores de TrG e que foram classificadas como suficientemente ativas apresentaram fator de proteção (RC=0,133 [IC=0,023-0,784]) para glicemia de jejum alterada.Conclusão: A prática de AF de intensidade moderada-vigorosa, realizada pelo menos 150 minutos semanais, associado à baixa gordura de tronco, é um fator protetor para a hiperglicemia em mulheres na menopausa

Antifungal nanofibers made by controlled release of sea animal derived peptide

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015Candida albicans is a common human-pathogenic fungal species with the ability to cause several diseases including surface infections. Despite the clear difficulties of Candida control, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as an alternative strategy for fungal control. In this report, different concentrations of antifungal Cm-p1 (Cencritchis muricatus peptide 1) were electrospun into nanofibers for drug delivery. The nanofibers were characterized by mass spectrometry confirming the presence of the peptide on the scaffold. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy were used to measure the diameters, showing that Cm-p1 affects fiber morphology as well as the diameter and scaffold thickness. The Cm-p1 release behavior from the nanofibers demonstrated peptide release from 30 min to three days, leading to effective yeast control in the first 24 hours. Moreover, the biocompatibility of the fibers were evaluated through a MTS assay as well as ROS production by using a HUVEC model, showing that the fibers do not affect cell viability and only nanofibers containing 10% Cm-p1–PVA improved ROS generation. In addition, the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α by the HUVECs was also slightly modified by the 10% Cm-p1–PVA nanofibers. In conclusion, the electrospinning technique applied here allowed for the manufacture of biodegradable biomimetic nanofibrous extracellular membranes with the ability to control fungal infectionThis work was supported by CAPES, FUNDECT, CNPq, FAPDF, UCB, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – Ministério da Educação e Ciência (FCT-MEC, Portugal) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal

Currents issues in cardiorespiratory care of patients with post-polio syndrome

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors years after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus. Most often, polio survivors experience a gradual new weakening in muscles that were previously affected by the polio infection. The actual incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in individuals suffering from PPS is not known. However, there is a reason to suspect that individuals with PPS might be at increased risk. Method: A search for papers was made in the databases Bireme, Scielo and Pubmed with the following keywords: post polio syndrome, cardiorespiratory and rehabilitation in English, French and Spanish languages. Although we targeted only seek current studies on the topic in question, only the relevant (double-blind, randomized-controlled and consensus articles) were considered. Results and Discussion: Certain features of PPS such as generalized fatigue, generalized and specific muscle weakness, joint and/or muscle pain may result in physical inactivity deconditioning obesity and dyslipidemia. Respiratory difficulties are common and may result in hypoxemia. Conclusion: Only when evaluated and treated promptly, somE patients can obtain the full benefits of the use of respiratory muscles aids as far as quality of life is concerned.Ctr Univ Augusto Motta, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Reabilitacao, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Severino Sombra, Fac Med, Vassouras, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Psiquiatria, Lab Mapeamento Cerebral & EEG, BR-22290140 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Hosp Univ Antonio Pedro, Niteroi, RJ, BrazilInst Fed Educ Ciencia & Tecnol Rio de Janeiro, Curso Fisioterapia, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Piaui, Parnaiba, PI, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Data standardization of plant-pollinator interactions

Background: Animal pollination is an important ecosystem function and service, ensuring both the integrity of natural systems and human well-being. Although many knowledge shortfalls remain, some high-quality data sets on biological interactions are now available. The development and adoption of standards for biodiversity data and metadata has promoted great advances in biological data sharing and aggregation, supporting large-scale studies and science-based public policies. However, these standards are currently not suitable to fully support interaction data sharing. Results: Here we present a vocabulary of terms and a data model for sharing plant–pollinator interactions data based on the Darwin Core standard. The vocabulary introduces 48 new terms targeting several aspects of plant–pollinator interactions and can be used to capture information from different approaches and scales. Additionally, we provide solutions for data serialization using RDF, XML, and DwC-Archives and recommendations of existing controlled vocabularies for some of the terms. Our contribution supports open access to standardized data on plant–pollinator interactions. Conclusions: The adoption of the vocabulary would facilitate data sharing to support studies ranging from the spatial and temporal distribution of interactions to the taxonomic, phenological, functional, and phylogenetic aspects of plant–pollinator interactions. We expect to fill data and knowledge gaps, thus further enabling scientific research on the ecology and evolution of plant–pollinator communities, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and the development of public policies. The proposed data model is flexible and can be adapted for sharing other types of interactions data by developing discipline-specific vocabularies of terms.Fil: Salim, José A. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Saraiva, Antonio M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Zermoglio, Paula Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural.; ArgentinaFil: Agostini, Kayna. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; BrasilFil: Wolowski, Marina. Universidade Federal de Alfenas; BrasilFil: Drucker, Debora P.. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (embrapa);Fil: Soares, Filipi M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Bergamo, Pedro J.. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Varassin, Isabela G.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Freitas, Leandro. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Maués, Márcia M.. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (embrapa);Fil: Rech, Andre R.. Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri; BrasilFil: Veiga, Allan K.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Acosta, Andre L.. Instituto Tecnológico Vale; BrasilFil: Araujo, Andréa C. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Nogueira, Anselmo. Universidad Federal do Abc; BrasilFil: Blochtein, Betina. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Freitas, Breno M.. Universidade Estadual do Ceará; BrasilFil: Albertini, Bruno C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Maia Silva, Camila. Universidade Federal Rural Do Semi Arido; BrasilFil: Nunes, Carlos E. P.. University of Stirling; BrasilFil: Pires, Carmen S. S.. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (embrapa);Fil: Dos Santos, Charles F.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Queiroz, Elisa P.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cartolano, Etienne A.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: de Oliveira, Favízia F. Universidade Federal da Bahia; BrasilFil: Amorim, Felipe W.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Fontúrbel, Francisco E.. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso; ChileFil: da Silva, Gleycon V.. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; BrasilFil: Consolaro, Hélder. Universidade Federal de Catalão; Brasi

The Influence of Depression on the Psychometric Properties of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey: A Cross-Sectional Study With Nursing Assistants

Background: The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) is the most commonly used instrument to assess burnout. Although various factors have been reported to influence its validity, the influence of major depressive disorder (MDD) has not been previously considered. We developed this study to investigate the influence of MDD on the psychometric properties of the MBI-HSS in nursing assistants.Results: From a sample of 521 nursing assistants, we found in those with MDD (n = 138, 24.56%) a degree of data misfit into the model, revealed by non-acceptable values for the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA; 0.073; p = 0.004) and for the comparative fit index (CFI; 0.912), while in the non-MDD group these indices were acceptable and good, respectively, for RMSEA (0.048; p = 0.639) and for CFI (0.951). Also, we found higher coefficients of correlation among MBI-HSS factors and less items loading properly in their respective factors in the MDD subset, when compared to the non-MDD subset. For the total sample, while original 3-factor solution was an acceptable model, the bifactor model fitted data better.Conclusions: MDD may impair the construct validity of MBI-HSS subscales, by increasing measurement error and decreasing model fitness. Therefore, researchers and health professionals should be aware of potential changes in the psychometric properties of the MBI-HSS when applied in subjects with depression

Antigenic and molecular evidence of Brucella sp.-associated epididymo-orchitis in frugivorous (Artibeus lituratus) and nectarivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bats in Brazil

This study included 47 free-ranging bats from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Six bats (12.8%) had genital inflammatory lesions, and two of them (one Artibeus lituratus and one Glossophaga soricina, a frugivorous and a nectarivorous, respectively) were diagnosed with Brucella sp. infection through PCR, and antigens in intralesional macrophages were detected using immunohistochemistry