Electrophysiologically determined spectral responses in Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Electrophysiological methods were used to test the visual sensitivity of European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to wavelengths ranging from 300 to 700 nm. For male and females tested, a main, peak response occurred in the 460-540 nm range (blue-green wavelengths) with females having a generally lower response to wavelengths in that range. A second smaller peak was observed for both sexes at the 340-420 nm range. A general linear model indicated that males, virgin females, and mated females did not react differently to changes in wavelength. No moths showed any obvious sensitivity to wavelengths between 580 and 700 nm. Based on our retinal recording data we suggest that UV light traps (≤480 nm) could be utilized alongside pheromone traps when monitoring L. botrana in high risk areas

Effect of Maternal Retinol Status at Time of Term Delivery on Retinol Placental Concentration, Intrauterine Transfer Rate, and Newborn Retinol Status

Retinol (vitamin A) is essential, so the objective of this Institutional Review Board approved study is to evaluate retinol placental concentration, intrauterine transfer, and neonatal status at time of term delivery between cases of maternal retinol adequacy, insufficiency, and deficiency in a United States population. Birth information and biological samples were collected for mother-infant dyads (n = 260). Maternal and umbilical cord blood retinol concentrations (n = 260) were analyzed by HPLC and categorized: deficient (≤0.7 umol/L), insufficient (\u3e0.7-1.05 umol/L), adequate (\u3e1.05 umol/L). Intrauterine transfer rate was calculated: (umbilical cord blood retinol concentration/maternal retinol concentration) × 100. Non-parametric statistics used include Spearman\u27s correlations, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. p-values \u3c0.05 were statistically significant. Only 51.2% of mothers were retinol adequate, with 38.4% insufficient, 10.4% deficient. Only 1.5% of infants were retinol adequate. Placental concentrations (n = 73) differed between adequate vs. deficient mothers (median 0.13 vs. 0.10 μg/g; p = 0.003). Umbilical cord blood concentrations were similar between deficient, insufficient, and adequate mothers (0.61 vs. 0.55 vs. 0.57 μmol/L; p = 0.35). Intrauterine transfer increased with maternal deficiency (103.4%) and insufficiency (61.2%) compared to adequacy (43.1%), p \u3c 0.0001. Results indicate that intrauterine transfer rate is augmented in cases of maternal retinol inadequacy, leading to similar concentrations in umbilical cord blood at term delivery

AVALIAÇÃO DA PRESENÇA DE Sporothrix spp. EM SOLO DE ÁREA HIPERENDÊMICA PARA ESPOROTRICOSE NO EXTREMO SUL DO BRASIL

O aumento de casos de esporotricose zoonótica tornou-se um problema de saúde pública em áreas hiperendêmicas para a doença em felinos. O envolvimento dos gatos domésticos nesta transmissão e o contato contínuo destes animais com o solo sugerem que o ambiente possa ser uma importante fonte e/ou reservatório de fungos Sporothrix spp. Assim, este estudo objetivou avaliar a presença de fungos do complexo Sporothrix em amostras de solo provenientes de locais de acesso de felinos infectados no sul do Brasil. Foram coletadas amostras de solo de residências com felinos com esporotricose, de locais próximos a estas residências e também de locais públicos, totalizando 101 amostras. Estas foram processadas pela técnica de plaqueamento direto e incubadas a 25°C por até 15 dias. Dezessete amostras foram paralelamente submetidas a extração de DNA (kitNORGEN BIOTEK CORP(r)) e técnica de PCR espécie-específico e Nested-PCR. Embora em nenhuma amostra avaliada tenha sido detectada a presença de Sporothrix spp., seja por cultivo ou por biologia molecular, este estudo não descarta o papel do ambiente na tríade do processo infeccioso (solo - animal - humano), sendo necessários outros estudos ampliando área de abrangência, volume, tipo e método de coleta das amostras, bem como técnicas de detecção.Palavras-chave: Ambiente; geofílico; S. brasiliensis; S. schenckii

Accurate, rapid and high-throughput detection of strain-specific polymorphisms in Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis by next-generation sequencing

Background: In the event of biocrimes or infectious disease outbreaks, high-resolution genetic characterization for identifying the agent and attributing it to a specific source can be crucial for an effective response. Until recently, in-depth genetic characterization required expensive and time-consuming Sanger sequencing of a few strains, followed by genotyping of a small number of marker loci in a panel of isolates at or by gel-based approaches such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis, which by necessity ignores most of the genome. Next-generation, massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology (specifically the Applied Biosystems sequencing by oligonucleotide ligation and detection (SOLiD™) system) is a powerful investigative tool for rapid, cost-effective and parallel microbial whole-genome characterization. Results: To demonstrate the utility of MPS for whole-genome typing of monomorphic pathogens, four Bacillus anthracis and four Yersinia pestis strains were sequenced in parallel. Reads were aligned to complete reference genomes, and genomic variations were identified. Resequencing of the B. anthracis Ames ancestor strain detected no false-positive single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and mapping of reads to the Sterne strain correctly identified 98% of the 133 SNPs that are not clustered or associated with repeats. Three geographically distinct B. anthracis strains from the A branch lineage were found to have between 352 and 471 SNPs each, relative to the Ames genome, and one strain harbored a genomic amplification. Sequencing of four Y. pestis strains from the Orientalis lineage identified between 20 and 54 SNPs per strain relative to the CO92 genome, with the single Bolivian isolate having approximately twice as many SNPs as the three more closely related North American strains. Coverage plotting also revealed a common deletion in two strains and an amplification in the Bolivian strain that appear to be due to insertion element-mediated recombination events. Most private SNPs (that is, a, variant found in only one strain in this set) selected for validation by Sanger sequencing were confirmed, although rare falsepositive SNPs were associated with variable nucleotide tandem repeats. Conclusions: The high-throughput, multiplexing capability, and accuracy of this system make it suitable for rapid whole-genome typing of microbial pathogens during a forensic or epidemiological investigation. By interrogating nearly every base of the genome, rare polymorphisms can be reliably discovered, thus facilitating high-resolution strain tracking and strengthening forensic attribution

Efeito agudo dos estrógenos conjugados sobre o volume da tireóide em mulheres na pós-menopausa

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Efeito agudos dos estrógenos conjugados sobre marcadores séricos da função tireoidiana

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Comparative genomics of the bacterial genus Listeria: Genome evolution is characterized by limited gene acquisition and limited gene loss

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The bacterial genus <it>Listeria </it>contains pathogenic and non-pathogenic species, including the pathogens <it>L. monocytogenes </it>and <it>L. ivanovii</it>, both of which carry homologous virulence gene clusters such as the <it>prfA </it>cluster and clusters of internalin genes. Initial evidence for multiple deletions of the <it>prfA </it>cluster during the evolution of <it>Listeria </it>indicates that this genus provides an interesting model for studying the evolution of virulence and also presents practical challenges with regard to definition of pathogenic strains.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To better understand genome evolution and evolution of virulence characteristics in <it>Listeria</it>, we used a next generation sequencing approach to generate draft genomes for seven strains representing <it>Listeria </it>species or clades for which genome sequences were not available. Comparative analyses of these draft genomes and six publicly available genomes, which together represent the main <it>Listeria </it>species, showed evidence for (i) a pangenome with 2,032 core and 2,918 accessory genes identified to date, (ii) a critical role of gene loss events in transition of <it>Listeria </it>species from facultative pathogen to saprotroph, even though a consistent pattern of gene loss seemed to be absent, and a number of isolates representing non-pathogenic species still carried some virulence associated genes, and (iii) divergence of modern pathogenic and non-pathogenic <it>Listeria </it>species and strains, most likely circa 47 million years ago, from a pathogenic common ancestor that contained key virulence genes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Genome evolution in <it>Listeria </it>involved limited gene loss and acquisition as supported by (i) a relatively high coverage of the predicted pan-genome by the observed pan-genome, (ii) conserved genome size (between 2.8 and 3.2 Mb), and (iii) a highly syntenic genome. Limited gene loss in <it>Listeria </it>did include loss of virulence associated genes, likely associated with multiple transitions to a saprotrophic lifestyle. The genus <it>Listeria </it>thus provides an example of a group of bacteria that appears to evolve through a loss of virulence rather than acquisition of virulence characteristics. While <it>Listeria </it>includes a number of species-like clades, many of these putative species include clades or strains with atypical virulence associated characteristics. This information will allow for the development of genetic and genomic criteria for pathogenic strains, including development of assays that specifically detect pathogenic <it>Listeria </it>strains.</p

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens