Loss of Aggressiveness of Phytophthora cinnamomi (Beta-Cinnamomin Silenced Strain) in the Infection of Castanea sativa

Several forest species are severely affected by Phytophthora cinnamomi. The contribution of this oomycete to forest decline and dieback has been broadly reported. In particular, it is consensual that it is the causal agent of ink disease in Castanea sativa. It has been associated with the severe decline of Quercus species, namely the Q. suber and Q. ilex dieback in Portugal and Spain, and has been responsible for the infection of numerous native species and crops. This pathogen persists in the soil or on plant material in the form of chlamydospores allowing the infection of living root tissues when environmental conditions are favorable. © Microscopy Society of America 2012

Involvement of the beta-cinnamomin elicitin in infection and colonisation of cork oak roots by Phytophthora cinnamomi

The virulence of two wild type (PA45 and PA37) and two genetically modified (13C: hygromycin resistant; FATSS: hygromycin resistant and β-cin knock-down) Phytophthora cinnamomi strains towards cork oak (Quercus suber) was assessed via a quantitative evaluation of disease symptoms arising from a soil infestation assay, and by a istological analysis of root colonization. Comparison of virulence, as expressed by symptom severity, resulted in the following ranking: highly virulent (wild type strains), medium virulence (strain 13C) and weakly virulent (FATSS). Both transgenic strains were compromised in their virulence, as expressed by symptom severity, but strain 13C was much less affected than FATSS. Microscopic observation showed that the FATSS strain was unable to effectively invade the root, while 13C and the two wild type strains were all able to rapidly colonize the whole root, including the vascular tissue. These results strengthen the notion that elicitins are associated, either directly or indirectly, with the infection process of Phytophthora

Multifrequency Radio Observations of a SNR in the LMC. The Case of SNR J0527-6549 (DEM l204)

We present a detailed study and results of new Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations of supernova remnant, SNR J0527-6549. This Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) ob ject follows a typical supernova remnant (SNR) horseshoe morphology with a diameter of D=(66x58)+-1 pc which is among the largest SNRs in the LMC. Its relatively large size indicates older age while a steeper than expected radio spectral index of aplha=-0.92+-0.11 is more typical for younger and energetic SNRs. Also, we report detections of regions with a high order of polarization at a peak value of ~54+-17% at 6 cm.Comment: 9 Pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in SA

Identificação de novos inibidores de urease de interesse agrícola.

FertBio 2014

Rickettsia felis infection in cat fleas Ctenocephalides felis felis

The present study evaluated the rickettsial infection in a laboratory colony of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche) in Brazil. All flea samples (30 eggs, 30 larvae, 30 cocoons, 30 males, and 30 females) tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were shown to contain rickettsial DNA. PCR products, corresponding to the rickettsial gltA, htrA, ompA and ompB gene partial sequences were sequenced and showed to correspond to Rickettsia felis, indicating that the flea colony was 100% infected by R. felis. The immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed the presence of R. felis-reactive antibodies in blood sera of 7 (87.5%) out of 8 cats that were regularly used to feed the flea colony. From 15 humans that used to work with the flea colony in the laboratory, 6 (40.0%) reacted positively to R. felis by IFA. Reactive feline and human sera showed low endpoint titers against R. felis, varying from 64 to 256. With the exception of one human serum, all R. felis-reactive sera were also reactive to Rickettsia rickettsii and/or Rickettsia parkeri antigens at similar titers to R. felis. The single human serum that was reactive solely to R. felis had an endpoint titer of 256, indicating that this person was infected by R. felisFAPESPCNP

Measuring the proton spectrum in neutron decay - latest results with aSPECT

The retardation spectrometer aSPECT was built to measure the shape of the proton spectrum in free neutron decay with high precision. This allows us to determine the antineutrino electron angular correlation coefficient a. We aim for a precision more than one order of magnitude better than the present best value, which is Delta_a /a = 5%. In a recent beam time performed at the Institut Laue-Langevin during April / May 2008 we reached a statistical accuracy of about 2% per 24 hours measurement time. Several systematic effects were investigated experimentally. We expect the total relative uncertainty to be well below 5%.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Conference Proceedings of the International Workshop on Particle Physics with Slow Neutrons 2008 held at the ILL, France. To be published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section

Evaluation of diabetic foot amputation rate

Acta Med Port. 2003 Nov-Dec;16(6):373-80. Epub 2003 Dec 1. [Evaluation of diabetic foot amputation rate]. [Article in Portuguese] Horta C, Vilaverde J, Mendes P, Gonçalves I, Serra L, Pinto PS, Almeida R, Carvalho R, Dores J, Serra MB. Serviços de Endocrinologia, Ortopedia e Cirurgia Vascular, Hospital Geral de Santo António, Porto. Abstract In 1987, it was created the first portuguese Diabetic Foot Clinic in Oporto, at the Hospital Geral de Santo António. The distinction between neuropathic and ischaemic foot was the key stone to reduce drastically the rate of major amputations in the first two years of activity. Since then and until 1995 the rate of major amputations had stabilised around 8%. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if there was any change in the last three years. A retrospective study was performed reviewing the clinical files of 843 new patients between 1998 and 2000. The 593 patients who presented with a foot ulcer with or without infection were selected: 60.4% with neuropathic foot and 39.6% with ischaemic one. Overall, 31 of the 593 patients with ulcer or infection were treated with major amputation (5.2%). There was a statistical difference between the major amputation outcome among the two types of foot (p < 0.001). Necrosis showed to carry a poor prognosis (30.7% in ischaemic foot vs 8,3% in neuropathic, p = 0.024). There was no further statistical significance for age, sex, type or duration of diabetes as risk factors for major amputation. This retrospective study has showed a slight reduction in the rate of major amputations since 1995. Poor prognosis was related to necrosis and ischaemic foot. Further improvement requires harder investment in patients' education, as well as in alerting the primary health care physicians, for the most unpredictable catastrophic complication of diabetes. PMID: 15631847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Eficiência no solo e estabilidade térmica de novos inibidores de urease.

FertBio 2014

Cultivo de Saccharomyces cerevisiae adaptada em D-xilulose sob condições aeróbias e anaeróbias

O desenvolvimento de um processo para produção de etanol com uma alta produtividade a partir de D-xilulose é de grande interesse econômico. Esse processo pode agregar maior valor aos resíduos lignocelulósicos, além de promover um aproveitamento completo da biomassa, utilizando-se suas frações celulósica e hemicelulósica para a obtenção de etanol. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar a assimilação de D-xilulose, o crescimento e a produção de etanol e xilitol em cultivo de levedura de panificação de Saccharomyces cerevisiae em condições aeróbias e anaeróbis. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em biorreator de bancada de 2L, utilizando meio mínimo contendo a mistura xilose-xilulose. Os cultivos foram realizados com colônia de levedura previamente selecionada a partir de experimentos de screening com mais de 20 colônias de isoladas de levedura comercial que apresentaram crescimento em meio mínimo contendo a mistura xilose-xilulose em condições anaeróbias. A fermentação da D-xilulose pela levedura na ausência de oxigênio resultou na produção de 4,2 g/L de etanol e 3,7 de xilitol. Já o crescimento da levedura em condições aeróbias forneceu como produto principal a biomassa, com formação de 8 g/L e como subproduto o xilitol, com concentração máxima de 2,0 g/L