Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguiridad Química

La Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguridad Química RITSQ, se inicia en marzo de 2008 y desde entonces ha tenido 67.479 visitas a la página web de la misma, se han registrado 1.133 personas de 41 países y desde entonces hemos realizado y presentado 57 carteles en Reuniones, Conferencias y Reuniones donde se mantienen de forma constante los Objetivos de la RITSQ: 1. Coordinar la participación de los diferentes grupos existentes en universidades y organismos de investigación de Iberoamérica, implicados en estudios relacionados con la Toxicología, 2. Fortalecer la colaboración y el intercambio académico entre los programas de Doctorado y Maestría de diferentes países iberoamericanos que tengan como objeto el estudio y la investigación en Toxicología o áreas relacionadas, 3. Favorecer la realización de proyectos de investigación conjuntos entre docentes e investigadores de Iberoamérica, pasantías estudiantiles y eventos académicos; 4. Profundizar en el estudio de métodos de ensayo de corta y larga duración utilizados en la evaluación de la carcinogenicidad, la mutagenicidad y la toxicidad para la reproducción de sustancias y mezclas de productos químicos, 5. Desarrollar y estandarizar métodos analíticos para la identificación y determinación de biomarcadores de exposición, efecto y .susceptibilidad para sustancias y productos químicos en el hombre y el medio ambiente; 6. Aplicar métodos de evaluación del riesgo para la salud humana y el medio ambiente de sustancias y productos químicos, 7. Fomentar el intercambio científico de profesionales interesados alimentaria; y 8. Propiciar el uso de métodos alternativos a la experimentación animal (www.remanet.net).Peer reviewe

Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguridad Química

La Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguridad Química RITSQ, se inicia en marzo de 2008 y desde entonces ha tenido 69.930 visitas a la página web de la misma, se han registrado 1.133 personas de 41 países y desde entonces hemos realizado y presentado 66 carteles en Reuniones, Conferencias y Reuniones donde se mantienen de forma constante los Objetivos de la RITSQ: 1. Coordinar la participación de los diferentes grupos existentes en universidades y organismos de investigación de Iberoamérica, implicados en estudios relacionados con la Toxicología, 2. Fortalecer la colaboración y el intercambio académico entre los programas de Doctorado y Maestría de diferentes países iberoamericanos que tengan como objeto el estudio y la investigación en Toxicología o áreas relacionadas, 3. Favorecer la realización de proyectos de investigación conjuntos entre docentes e investigadores de Iberoamérica, pasantías estudiantiles y eventos académicos; 4. Profundizar en el estudio de métodos de ensayo de corta y larga duración utilizados en la evaluación de la carcinogenicidad, la mutagenicidad y la toxicidad para la reproducción de sustancias y mezclas de productos químicos, 5. Desarrollar y estandarizar métodos analíticos para la identificación y determinación de biomarcadores de exposición, efecto y .susceptibilidad para sustancias y productos químicos en el hombre y el medio ambiente; 6. Aplicar métodos de evaluación del riesgo para la salud humana y el medio ambiente de sustancias y productos químicos, 7. Fomentar el intercambio científico de profesionales interesados alimentaria; y 8. Propiciar el uso de métodos alternativos a la experimentación animal (www.remanet.net).Peer reviewe

Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguridad Química

La Red Iberoamericana de Toxicología y Seguridad Química RITSQ, se inicia en marzo de 2008 y desde entonces ha tenido 70.104 visitas a la página web de la misma, se han registrado 1.133 personas de 41 países y desde entonces hemos realizado y presentado 66 carteles en Reuniones, Conferencias y Reuniones donde se mantienen de forma constante los Objetivos de la RITSQ: 1. Coordinar la participación de los diferentes grupos existentes en universidades y organismos de investigación de Iberoamérica, implicados en estudios relacionados con la Toxicología, 2. Fortalecer la colaboración y el intercambio académico entre los programas de Doctorado y Maestría de diferentes países iberoamericanos que tengan como objeto el estudio y la investigación en Toxicología o áreas relacionadas, 3. Favorecer la realización de proyectos de investigación conjuntos entre docentes e investigadores de Iberoamérica, pasantías estudiantiles y eventos académicos; 4. Profundizar en el estudio de métodos de ensayo de corta y larga duración utilizados en la evaluación de la carcinogenicidad, la mutagenicidad y la toxicidad para la reproducción de sustancias y mezclas de productos químicos, 5. Desarrollar y estandarizar métodos analíticos para la identificación y determinación de biomarcadores de exposición, efecto y .susceptibilidad para sustancias y productos químicos en el hombre y el medio ambiente; 6. Aplicar métodos de evaluación del riesgo para la salud humana y el medio ambiente de sustancias y productos químicos, 7. Fomentar el intercambio científico de profesionales interesados alimentaria; y 8. Propiciar el uso de métodos alternativos a la experimentación animal (www.remanet.net).Peer reviewe

Distinct Biochemical Pools of Golgi Phosphoprotein 3 in the Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines MCF7 and MDA-MB-231

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been implicated in the development of carcinomas in many human tissues, and is currently considered a bona fide oncoprotein. Importantly, several tumor types show overexpression of GOLPH3, which is associated with tumor progress and poor prognosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that connect GOLPH3 function with tumorigenicity are poorly understood. Experimental evidence shows that depletion of GOLPH3 abolishes transformation and proliferation of tumor cells in GOLPH3-overexpressing cell lines. Conversely, GOLPH3 overexpression drives transformation of primary cell lines and enhances mouse xenograft tumor growth in vivo. This evidence suggests that overexpression of GOLPH3 could result in distinct features of GOLPH3 in tumor cells compared to that of non-tumorigenic cells. GOLPH3 is a peripheral membrane protein mostly localized at the trans-Golgi network, and its association with Golgi membranes depends on binding to phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate. GOLPH3 is also contained in a large cytosolic pool that rapidly exchanges with Golgi-associated pools. GOLPH3 has also been observed associated with vesicles and tubules arising from the Golgi, as well as other cellular compartments, and hence it has been implicated in several membrane trafficking events. Whether these and other features are typical to all different types of cells is unknown. Moreover, it remains undetermined how GOLPH3 acts as an oncoprotein at the Golgi. Therefore, to better understand the roles of GOLPH3 in cancer cells, we sought to compare some of its biochemical and cellular properties in the human breast cancer cell lines MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 with that of the non-tumorigenic breast human cell line MCF 10A. We found unexpected differences that support the notion that in different cancer cells, overexpression of GOLPH3 functions in diverse fashions, which may influence specific tumorigenic phenotypes

Validación de una versión en español abreviada de la batería EMOTICOM (VEA-EMOTICOM) (Validation of a Spanish short version of the EMOTICOM battery (VEA-EMTICOM))

Introduction: Most scales used in the assessment of psychiatric disorders focus on the clinical status of the patient. However, it is important to quantitatively measure specific dimensions, such as cognitive, affective or social functioning, and to record their evolution in the clinical or research setting. The EMOTICOM battery includes four domains of affective cognition; processing of emotions; motivation; impulsivity; and social cognition. Here we present psychometric data from an abbreviated Spanish version (VEA-EMOTICOM). Methodology: The sample included two hundred healthy volunteers (31.68 years ± 8.38; 111 men). Forty-two subjects were re-evaluated, to determine test-retest reliability. The VEA-EMOTICOM comprises 9 tasks programmed on a laptop computer to be completed in one hour. The battery was administered in a random sequence and rest periods were allowed. Results: Small floor effects were observed for 3 outcomes and moderate for 1 outcome, as well as small ceiling effects for 3 outcomes and moderate for 1 outcome. Two tasks showed excellent test-retest reliability; four showed good reliability; seven showed moderate reliability; and two showed poor test-retest reliability. The results of most of the tasks were not correlated with age or gender. An underlying four-factor structure could not be confirmed. Conclusions: The VEA-EMOTICOM seems to be a practical and adequate battery to evaluate affective cognition in Spanish-speaking populatio

Estimating Bacterial diversity in scirtothrips dorsalis (thysanoptera: thripidae) Via Next generation sequencing

The last 2 decades have produced a better understanding of insect-microbial associations and yielded some important opportunities for insect control. However, most of our knowledge comes from model systems. Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) have been understudied despite their global importance as invasive species, plant pests and disease vectors. Using a culture and primer independent next-generation sequencing and metagenomics pipeline, we surveyed the bacteria of the globally important pest, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood. The most abundant bacterial phyla identified were Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria and the most abundant genera were Propionibacterium, Stenotrophomonas, and Pseudomonas. A total of 189 genera of bacteria were identified. The absence of any vertically transferred symbiont taxa commonly found in insects is consistent with other studies suggesting that thrips primarilly acquire resident microbes from their environment. This does not preclude a possible beneficial/intimate association between S. dorsalis and the dominant taxa identified and future work should determine the nature of these associations

Extremely Long-Lived Stigmas Allow Extended Cross-Pollination Opportunities in a High Andean Plant

High-elevation ecosystems are traditionally viewed as environments in which predominantly autogamous breeding systems should be selected because of the limited pollinator availability. Chaetanthera renifolia (Asteraceae) is an endemic monocarpic triennial herb restricted to a narrow altitudinal range within the high Andes of central Chile (3300–3500 m a.s.l.), just below the vegetation limit. This species displays one of the larger capitulum within the genus. Under the reproductive assurance hypothesis, and considering its short longevity (monocarpic triennial), an autogamous breeding system and low levels of pollen limitation would be predicted for C. renifolia. In contrast, considering its large floral size, a xenogamous breeding system, and significant levels of pollen limitation could be expected. In addition, the increased pollination probability hypothesis predicts prolonged stigma longevity for high alpine plants. We tested these alternative predictions by performing experimental crossings in the field to establish the breeding system and to measure the magnitude of pollen limitation in two populations of C. renifolia. In addition, we measured the stigma longevity in unpollinated and open pollinated capitula, and pollinator visitation rates in the field. We found low levels of self-compatibility and significant levels of pollen limitation in C. renifolia. Pollinator visitation rates were moderate (0.047–0.079 visits per capitulum per 30 min). Although pollinator visitation rate significantly differed between populations, they were not translated into differences in achene output. Finally, C. renifolia stigma longevity of unpollinated plants was extremely long and significantly higher than that of open pollinated plants (26.3±2.8 days vs. 10.1±2.2, respectively), which gives support to the increased pollination probability hypothesis for high-elevation flowering plants. Our results add to a growing number of studies that show that xenogamous breeding systems and mechanisms to increase pollination opportunities can be selected in high-elevation ecosystems

Ambient temperature does not affect fuelling rate in absence of digestive constraints in long-distance migrant shorebird fuelling up in captivity

Pre-flight fuelling rates in free-living red knots Calidris canutus, a specialized long-distance migrating shorebird species, are positively correlated with latitude and negatively with temperature. The single published hypothesis to explain these relationships is the heat load hypothesis that states that in warm climates red knots may overheat during fuelling. To limit endogenous heat production (measurable as basal metabolic rate BMR), birds would minimize the growth of digestive organs at a time they need. This hypothesis makes the implicit assumption that BMR is mainly driven by digestive organ size variation during pre-flight fuelling. To test the validity of this assumption, we fed captive knots with trout pellet food, a diet previously shown to quickly lead to atrophied digestive organs, during a fuelling episode. Birds were exposed to two thermal treatments (6 and 24°C) previously shown to generate different fuelling rates in knots. We made two predictions. First, easily digested trout pellet food rather than hard-shelled prey removes the heat contribution of the gut and would therefore eliminate an ambient temperature effect on fuelling rate. Second, if digestive organs were the main contributors to variations in BMR but did not change in size during fuelling, we would expect no or little change in BMR in birds fed ad libitum with trout pellets. We show that cold-acclimated birds maintained higher body mass and food intake (8 and 51%) than warm-acclimated birds. Air temperature had no effect on fuelling rate, timing of fuelling, timing of peak body mass or BMR. During fuelling, average body mass increased by 32% while average BMR increased by 15% at peak of mass and 26% by the end of the experiment. Our results show that the small digestive organs characteristic of a trout pellet diet did not prevent BMR from increasing during premigratory fuelling. Our results are not consistent with the heat load hypothesis as currently formulated

Análise de endemismo de táxons neotropicais de Pentatomidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

The definition of areas of endemism is central to studies of historical biogeography, and their interrelationships are fundamental questions. Consistent hypotheses for the evolution of Pentatomidae in the Neotropical region depend on the accuracy of the units employed in the analyses, which in the case of studies of historical biogeography, may be areas of endemism. In this study, the distribution patterns of 222 species, belonging to 14 Pentatomidae (Hemiptera) genera, predominantly neotropical, were studied with the Analysis of Endemicity (NDM) to identify possible areas of endemism and to correlate them to previously delimited areas. The search by areas of endemism was carried out using grid-cell units of 2.5° and 5° latitude-longitude. The analysis based on groupings of grid-cells of 2.5° of latitude-longitude allowed the identification of 51 areas of endemism, the consensus of these areas resulted in four clusters of grid-cells. The second analysis, with grid-cells units of 5° latitude-longitude, resulted in 109 areas of endemism. The flexible consensus employed resulted in 17 areas of endemism. The analyses were sensitive to the identification of areas of endemism in different scales in the Atlantic Forest. The Amazonian region was identified as a single area in the area of consensus, and its southeastern portion shares elements with the Chacoan and Paraná subregions. The distribution data of the taxa studied, with different units of analysis, did not allow the identification of individual areas of endemism for the Cerrado and Caatinga. The areas of endemism identified here should be seen as primary biogeographic hypotheses.A definição de áreas de endemismo é central aos estudos de Biogeografia Histórica e suas inter-relações são questões fundamentais. Hipóteses consistentes sobre a evolução de Pentatomidae (Hemiptera) na Região Neotropical dependem da acuidade das unidades empregadas nas análises, que no caso de estudos de biogeografia histórica, podem ser áreas endêmicas. Neste trabalho foram estudados os padrões de distribuição de 222 espécies, pertencentes a 14 gêneros de Pentatomidae, com ocorrência predominantemente neotropical, com base em uma Análise de Endemicidade (NDM) a fim de inferir possíveis áreas endêmicas e relacioná-las a áreas previamente delimitadas. A busca por áreas endêmicas foi realizada com quadrículas de 2,5° e 5° latitude-longitude. A análise com base em agrupamentos de 2,5° latitude-longitude permitiu identificar 51 áreas de endemismo, sendo que o consenso destas áreas resultou em quatro agrupamentos de quadrículas. A segunda análise, com quadrículas de 5° latitude-longitude, resultou em 109 áreas de endemismo. O consenso flexível empregado resultou em 17 áreas de endemismo. As análises foram sensíveis à identificação de áreas de endemismo na Mata Atlântica em diferentes escalas. A região Amazônica foi identificada como uma área única no consenso, sendo que a porção sudeste compartilha elementos com as sub-regiões do Chaco e Paraná. Os dados de distribuição dos táxons estudados, com diferentes unidades de análises, não permitiram a identificação de áreas endêmicas para o Cerrado e a Caatinga. As áreas de endemismo aqui identificadas devem ser tratadas como hipóteses biogeográficas primárias.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Laboratório de Entomologia Sistemática Departamento de ZoologiaUniversidade Federal do Paraná Departamento de Zoologia Programa de Pós-Graduação em EntomologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUNIFESP, Depto. de Ciências BiológicasSciEL