Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Prestação de Contas das Santas Casas de Misericórdia do estado de São Paulo: uma Análise do Período de 2012 a 2014

A importância das Santas Casas de Misericórdia (SCM) se dá por sua distribuição geográfica, onde em quase 60% dos municípios, é o único hospital disponível. Estas, tem por obrigação a prestação de contas decorrente do poder que o Estado e a população lhe atribuem. Este artigo objetiva investigar a prestação de contas das SCM do Estado de São Paulo, dentre os anos de 2012 a 2014, buscando investigar se as mesmas estão divulgando em seus respectivos sites, os demonstrativos exigidos pela ITG 2002 e os elementos que compõe a prestação de contas relacionadas pelo Conselho Federal de Contabilidade, sendo estes, o Parecer do Conselho Fiscal, Relatório de Atividades, Parecer e Relatório da Auditoria Independente, Plano de Trabalho, Informações Bancárias e Inventário Patrimonial. A metodologia aplicada é de caráter documental e tem abordagem qualitativa. A partir dos dados coletados elaboraram-se indicadores de níveis de transparência para realizar a análise de dados. Também foi averiguada a questão da aplicação da Teoria da Agência, do conflito entre o principal (sociedade) e o agente (entidade filantrópica) na prestação de contas. De acordo com os dados analisados, observou-se que os níveis de transparência da prestação de contas das SCM do Estado de São Paulo são insatisfatórios, sendo o impacto deste resultado na sociedade preocupante. Pelo baixo nível de prestação de contas, a grande maioria das SCM não passam credibilidade, legitimidade e confiança para a sociedade e, ainda, não contribuem para a sua accountability e assimetria informacional

Análise da Prestação de Contas das Santas Casas de Misericórdia dos Estados das Regiões Norte, Nordeste, Centro-Oeste e Sul do Brasil

O estudo objetiva analisar a prestação de contas das Santas Casas de Misericórdia (SCM) dos Estados das Regiões Norte, Nordeste, Centro-Oeste e Sul do Brasil, entre os anos de 2012 a 2014, averiguando se estas estão apresentando em seus sites os demonstrativos exigidos pela ITG 2002, sendo estes, o Balanço Patrimonial, a Demonstração do Resultado do Exercício, a Demonstração das Mutações do Patrimônio Líquido, a Demonstração do Fluxo de Caixa e as Notas Explicativas, e as informações pautadas pelo Conselho Federal de Contabilidade, sendo estas o Plano de Trabalho, o Relatório de Atividades, o Parecer do Conselho Fiscal, o Parecer e Relatório da Auditoria Independente, Informações Bancárias, Inventário Patrimonial, DIPJ e RAIS. A metodologia empregada é de caráter documental, exploratório e de abordagem qualitativa. Baseando-se nos dados coletados foram produzidos os níveis de transparência para a análise de dados. Foram apurados alguns pontos sobre o aspecto qualitativo da comparabilidade e a aplicação da Teoria da Agência, das divergências entre a entidade filantrópica e a sociedade, quanto a prestação de contas. Conforme a análise, verificou-se que os níveis de transparência das prestações de contas das SCM dos Estados das quatro Regiões do Brasil estudadas são baixos, o que reflete de forma negativa na sociedade. Em decorrência do baixo nível de prestação de contas, a grande maioria das Santas Casas não transmitem confiabilidade, conformidade legal e segurança do ponto de vista do povo e de seus patrocinadores (pessoas físicas e governo) e não contribuem para a seu desenvolvimento

FAM3B/PANDER inhibits cell death and increases prostate tumor growth by modulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL cell survival genes

Abstract Background FAM3B/PANDER is a novel cytokine-like protein that induces apoptosis in insulin-secreting beta-cells. Since in silico data revealed that FAM3B can be expressed in prostate tumors, we evaluated the putative role of this cytokine in prostate tumor progression. Methods FAM3B expression was analyzed by quantitative PCR in tumor tissue clinical samples and prostate tumor cell lines. Culture growth and viability of DU145 cell line were evaluated after treatment with either exogenous FAM3B protein obtained from conditioned media (CM) of 293 T cells overexpressing FAM3B or a recombinant FAM3B protein produced in a bacterial host. DU145 cells overexpressing FAM3B protein were produced by lentiviral-mediated transduction of full-length FAM3B cDNA. Cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed in DU145/FAM3B cells after treatment with several cell death inducers, such as TNF-alpha, staurosporine, etoposide, camptothecin, and serum starvation conditions. Anchorage-independent growth in soft agarose assay was used to evaluate in vitro tumorigenicity. In vivo tumorigenicity and invasiveness were evaluated by tumor xenograft growth in nude mice. Results We observed an increase in FAM3B expression in prostate tumor samples when compared to normal tissues. DU145 cell viability and survival increased after exogenous treatment with recombinant FAM3B protein or FAM3B-secreted protein. Overexpression of FAM3B in DU145 cells promoted inhibition of DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine externalization in a time and dose-dependent fashion, upon apoptosis triggered by TNF-alpha. These events were accompanied by increased gene expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, decreased expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and diminished caspase-3, −8 and −9 proteolytic activities. Furthermore, inhibition of Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic family proteins with small molecules antagonists decreases protective effects of FAM3B in DU145 cells. When compared to the respective controls, cells overexpressing FAM3B displayed a decreased anchorage- independent growth in vitro and increased tumor growth in xenografted nude mice. The immunohistochemistry analysis of tumor xenografts revealed a similar anti-apoptotic phenotype displayed by FAM3B-overexpressing tumor cells. Conclusions Taken together, by activating pro-survival mechanisms FAM3B overexpression contributes to increased resistance to cell death and tumor growth in nude mice, highlighting a putative role for this cytokine in prostate cancer progression

Crystal structure of mature 2S albumin from Moringa oleifera seeds

2S albumins, the seed storage proteins, are the primary sources of carbon and nitrogen and are involved in plant defense. The mature form of Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera), a chitin binding protein isoform 3-1 (mMo-CBP3-1) a thermostable antifungal, antibacterial, flocculating 2S albumin is widely used for the treatment of water and is potentially interesting for the development of both antifungal drugs and transgenic crops. The crystal structure of mMo-CBP3-1 determined at 1.7 Å resolution demonstrated that it is comprised of two proteolytically processed α-helical chains, stabilized by four disulfide bridges that is stable, resistant to pH changes and has a melting temperature (TM) of approximately 98 °C. The surface arginines and the polyglutamine motif are the key structural factors for the observed flocculating, antibacterial and antifungal activities. This represents the first crystal structure of a 2S albumin and the model of the pro-protein indicates the structural changes that occur upon formation of mMo-CBP3-1 and determines the structural motif and charge distribution patterns for the diverse observed activities.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científco e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Gasdermin-D activation by SARS-CoV-2 triggers NET and mediate COVID-19 immunopathology

Abstract: Background: The release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is associated with inflammation, coagulopathy, and organ damage found in severe cases of COVID-19. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the release of NETs in COVID-19 remain unclear. Objectives: We aim to investigate the role of the Gasdermin-D (GSDMD) pathway on NETs release and the development of organ damage during COVID-19. Methods: We performed a single-cell transcriptome analysis in public data of bronchoalveolar lavage. Then, we enrolled 63 hospitalized patients with moderate and severe COVID-19. We analyze in blood and lung tissue samples the expression of GSDMD, presence of NETs, and signaling pathways upstreaming. Furthermore, we analyzed the treatment with disulfiram in a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: We found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus directly activates the pore-forming protein GSDMD that triggers NET production and organ damage in COVID-19. Single-cell transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of GSDMD and inflammasome-related genes were increased in COVID-19 patients. High expression of active GSDMD associated with NETs structures was found in the lung tissue of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we showed that activation of GSDMD in neutrophils requires active caspase1/4 and live SARS-CoV-2, which infects neutrophils. In a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the treatment with disulfiram inhibited NETs release and reduced organ damage. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that GSDMD-dependent NETosis plays a critical role in COVID-19 immunopathology and suggests GSDMD as a novel potential target for improving the COVID-19 therapeutic strategy