Genotype and phenotype correlations in diabetic patients in Uruguay

ABSTRACT. To differentiate among different types of diabetes is becom-ing an increasingly challenging task. We investigated whether the patient’s genetic profile is useful to identify the particular type of diabetes, to deter-mine the corresponding hyperglycemia pathogenesis and treat accordingly. Three hundred and thirty-eight diabetic patients, diagnosed according to American Diabetes Association criteria, were recruited from 2004 to 2008 in diabetes health reference centers. We analyzed the major gene for type 1 diabetes susceptibility (HLA DQ/DR). In order to improve our understand-ing of the pathogenesis of the resulting hyperglycemia and to implement a more adequate treatment for the patients, we reclassified our sample ac-1353 ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.brGenetics and Molecular Research 8 (4): 1352-1358 (2009) Genotype and phenotype correlations in diabetic patients cording to the presence or absence of the genetic markers. We found that a higher percentage of people than expected have immunological disease, in

Low-mass pre--main-sequence stars in the Magellanic Clouds

[Abridged] The stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF) suggests that sub-solar stars form in very large numbers. Most attractive places for catching low-mass star formation in the act are young stellar clusters and associations, still (half-)embedded in star-forming regions. The low-mass stars in such regions are still in their pre--main-sequence (PMS) evolutionary phase. The peculiar nature of these objects and the contamination of their samples by the evolved populations of the Galactic disk impose demanding observational techniques for the detection of complete numbers of PMS stars in the Milky Way. The Magellanic Clouds, the companion galaxies to our own, demonstrate an exceptional star formation activity. The low extinction and stellar field contamination in star-forming regions of these galaxies imply a more efficient detection of low-mass PMS stars than in the Milky Way, but their distance from us make the application of special detection techniques unfeasible. Nonetheless, imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope yield the discovery of solar and sub-solar PMS stars in the Magellanic Clouds from photometry alone. Unprecedented numbers of such objects are identified as the low-mass stellar content of their star-forming regions, changing completely our picture of young stellar systems outside the Milky Way, and extending the extragalactic stellar IMF below the persisting threshold of a few solar masses. This review presents the recent developments in the investigation of PMS stars in the Magellanic Clouds, with special focus on the limitations by single-epoch photometry that can only be circumvented by the detailed study of the observable behavior of these stars in the color-magnitude diagram. The achieved characterization of the low-mass PMS stars in the Magellanic Clouds allowed thus a more comprehensive understanding of the star formation process in our neighboring galaxies.Comment: Review paper, 26 pages (in LaTeX style for Springer journals), 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Space Science Review

Galaxy Collisions - Dawn of a New Era

The study of colliding galaxies has progressed rapidly in the last few years, driven by observations with powerful new ground and space-based instruments. These instruments have used for detailed studies of specific nearby systems, statistical studies of large samples of relatively nearby systems, and increasingly large samples of high redshift systems. Following a brief summary of the historical context, this review attempts to integrate these studies to address the following key issues. What role do collisions play in galaxy evolution, and how can recently discovered processes like downsizing resolve some apparently contradictory results of high redshift studies? What is the role of environment in galaxy collisions? How is star formation and nuclear activity orchestrated by the large scale dynamics, before and during merger? Are novel modes of star formation involved? What are we to make of the association of ultraluminous X-ray sources with colliding galaxies? To what do degree do mergers and feedback trigger long-term secular effects? How far can we push the archaeology of individual systems to determine the nature of precursor systems and the precise effect of the interaction? Tentative answers to many of these questions have been suggested, and the prospects for answering most of them in the next few decades are good.Comment: 44 pages, 9 figures, review article in press for Astrophysics Update Vol.

ESTs and putative line-specific (broiler and layer) SNPs identified in genes expressed in Gallus gallus pituitary and hypothalamus

Brazilian poultry industry has reached a high level of development in both meat and egg production as a result of constant technological modernization. Further improvements can be achieved through genomics, but before this can be accomplished, a better understanding of gene expression profiles and nucleotide polymorphisms is necessary. Since animal physiology is directly or indirectly controlled by the pituitary and hypothalamus, the aim of the present work was to identify and analyze genes expressed in these tissues in chicken lines with different growth potential. Two pituitary and hypothalamus cDNA libraries from 21 day broiler (TT) and layer (CC) chickens lines were constructed and allowed identification of 3,074 unique sequences and 77 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and SNPs identified in this study represents an important resource for future studies aimed at identifying genes responsible for growth in chicken