Effect of supplementation with extract of white bean flour in murine model

Common bean supplementation (Phaseolus vulgaris) "in natura" causes loss of body weight associated with a deficiency in nutrient absorption and histopathological changes. This effect has been attributed to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) present in high concentrations in red and white beans. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the safety of white bean flour as a dietary supplement. Animals were treated for 14 days with extract of white bean flour (WBFE) at doses of 2.65g/kg and 5.30g/kg. A significant reduction in body weight was observed, accompanied by the reduction of mean values of glycemia, in both groups in relation to the control group. Significant structural changes were also observed in the intestinal epithelium. Additionally, mice treated with WBFE 5.30g/kg presented mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate in the lamina propria of the intestinal mucosa accompanied by a dose-dependent increase in the dosage of chemokine MCP-1 and nitric oxide, although without causing intestinal and hepatic oxidative and oxidative damage.  The deleterious effects resulting from the use of the WBFE are not permanent since the treated animals after 14 days without WBFE stimuli. In conclusion, commercial bean flour did not prove to be safe as oral dietary supplementation at the dosages used because of the antinutritional and immunomodulatory effects.

Evaluation of inflammatory and oxidative profile in patients with recurrent wheezing

Wheezing is a clinical expression of numerous respiratory-related conditions. Although asthma is the leading cause of wheezing during childhood. The present study aims to evaluate the inflammatory and oxidative profile of pediatric patients with recurrent wheezing. Seventy-eight volunteers were divided into three groups according to their age (≤ 36, 36 to 72 and ≥ 73 months). Blood was collected for hematological evaluation, serum detections of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and C-reactive protein (PCRus). The oxidative profile was evaluated by total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonylated protein markers. There was no significant difference in the IgE and PCRus levels among the three groups evaluated. However, a significant positive correlation was observed for PCRus with total leukocyte and with neutrophils for the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. The intermediate age group presented significantly reduced FRAP values in the serum, while significant values of oxidative damage markers were observed in the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. When determining the correlation between inflammatory and oxidative markers, only the ≥ 73 months group showed significant. The group ≥ 73 months stands out with significant alterations of the oxidative stress markers and their correlations with the inflammatory profile

Evaluation of the oxidative profile in pediatric patients with recurring wheezing

O presente estudo tem por objetivo avaliar o perfil oxidativo de pacientes pediátricos sibilantes recorrentes, atendidos no Serviço de Pneumologia do município de Viçosa e relacioná-lo a fatores associados à asma. Contou com a participação de 109 pacientes que foram divididos em grupos de acordo com a faixa etária ( 72 meses). Os dados foram coletados por meio de um questionário semiestruturado e o soro obtido por punção venosa. A avaliação do perfil oxidativo foi realizada por meio das dosagens séricas da capacidade de redução férrica (FRAP) e óxido nítrico (NO) e marcadores de dano tecidual como peroxidação lipídica (MDA) e proteína carbonilada (PC). Crianças pertencentes ao grupo de 36-72 meses apresentaram uma menor capacidade antioxidante e menores dosagens de proteínas carboniladas quando comparadas aos demais grupos. Crianças acima de 72 meses de idade apresentaram maiores dosagens de peroxidação lipídica quando comparadas às crianças menores de 36 meses de idade e uma ampla dispersão para ambos marcadores de dano tecidual, com maior porcentagem de indivíduos obesos ou com sobrepeso. O Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) mostrou-se diretamente relacionado aos níveis da capacidade antioxidante total e da proteína carbonilada. A dosagem de óxido nítrico não apresentou diferença significativa entre os grupos analisados. De acordo com esses resultados, podemos concluir que a obesidade, o excesso de peso e níveis alterados de alguns marcadores de dano oxidativo, em associação com o avanço da idade, podem ser considerados contribuintes para a recorrência da sibilância em crianças.In this study, we evaluate the oxidative profile of recurrent wheezing pediatric patients attended in the Pneumology Service of Viçosa city - Brazil, and related it to asthma related factors. The study was made using data from 109 patients, which were divided in three groups, according to the age ranges: 72 months. Data were collected from a semi structured questionnaire. Serum was collected by venous puncture, and used to evaluate the oxidative profile by the quantification of Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP), nitric oxide (NO), and the tissue damage markers malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonylated proteins (CP). Recurrent wheezing children from the group 36 to 72-month-old showed smaller antioxidative profile and PC levels when compared to the other groups. Children older than 72-month-old showed higher levels of lipid peroxidation (represented by higher MDA levels) and PC, whose data were distributed in a broad dispersion, and a higher percentage of fat and overweight subjects. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was directly related to the levels of CP and total antioxidative capacity. There were no differences in NO levels between the analyzed groups. Together, these results lead us to conclude that obesity, overweight and changed levels of some oxidative damage markers, in association to the advancement of age, may be considered contributors to wheezing recurrence and asthma in children

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data