Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Contribuição eletrostática e não eletrostática na interação de peptídeos líticos com membranas modelo

Peptídeos bioativos são de elevado interesse como substitutos de antibióticos convencionais já que alguns destes apresentam atividade antimicrobiana. Eles são predominantemente catiônicos e tem sido mostrado que sua atividade antimicrobiana é modulada por interações eletrostáticas, hidrofóbicas e por características elásticas das membranas, seu alvo. Neste trabalho analisou-se a importância da carga elétrica líquida (Q) e hidrofobicidade na interação de quatro peptídeos com membranas modelo de caráter aniônico e zwitteriônico utilizando medidas de potencial eletrocinético, dicroísmo circular e espectroscopia de fluorescência. Estes peptídeos denominados mastoparanos apresentam carga liquida de +1 a +4, devido à presença de resíduos ácidos e básicos, foram extraídos do veneno de vespas, três dos quais de espécie nativa da bodiversidade nacional, mostraram intensa atividade antimicrobiana. Nos peptídeos com Q = +1 e +2 predomina o caráter hidrofóbico enquanto nos demais o caráter hidrofílico; o peptídeo com Q = +4 tem sua estrutura resolvida por NMR e devido à alta homologia entre essa seqüência e dos demais se supõe que eles também sejam anfipáticos. A atividade lítica é caracterizada por uma razão [P]/[L] crítica entre as concentrações totais de peptídeo e lipídeo, acima da qual ocorre um processo cooperativo de liberação de corante do interior das vesículas. A razão crítica, a eficiência do vazamento e a cooperatividade mostraram ser dependentes na densidade superficial de carga da vesícula e da carga liquida do peptídeo. Observaram-se razões [P]/[L] críticas da ordem de sub-micromolar tanto em vesícula zwitteriônica quanto em vesícula aniônica. As curvas dose-resposta tornaram-se menos cooperativas com o aumento da carga líquida dos peptídeos, mostrando que a razão crítica aumenta com a carga. Os espectros...Bioactive peptides are of high interest as substitutes of conventional antibiotics since some of them present antimicrobial action. They are predominantly cationic and it has been shown that their antimicrobial activity is modulated by electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic contributions and the elastic features of the membranes they target. In this work we analyzed the importance of charge and hidrofobicity to the interaction of four peptides with anionic and zwitterionic model membranes using electrokinetics potential, circular dicrohism and fluorescence spectrsocopy. These peptides named mastoparans, have exhibit a net charge ranging from +1 to +4 due to the presence of acidic and basic residues, and three of them, extracted from the venom of wasps native of the brazilian biodiversity showed intense antibacterial activity. The peptides with Q= +1 and +2, are hydrophobic and the other two are hydrophilic. Lytic activity of peptides, accessed by the release of fluorescent dye entrapped in lipid vesicles, showed sigmoid dose-response curves either in zwitterionic or in anionic vesicles with sub-micromolar threshold ratios. The lytic activity was characterized by a threshold [P]/[L] value, above which cooperative dye release takes place. The threshold ratio, the leakage efficiency and cooperativity were found to be dependent on the vesicle surface charge density and on the peptide net charge. Roughly the threshold ratios increase with the peptide net charge and as the net charge increases the dose response curves become less cooperative. Circular dichroism spectra of the peptides in vesicles exhibit two negative dichroic bands at 222 and 208 nm characteristic of helical structure, while they were observed to be random coil in buffer. At peptide and lipid concentrations near the threshold ratio the CD spectra have the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below

Estudos das interações do peptídeo antimicrobiano Polybia MP1 com membranas modelo: mecanismo de ação e especificidade

Bioactive peptides are of high interest as substitutes of conventional drugs since some of them present antimicrobial, antifungal and/or anticancer action. They are predominantly cationic and it has been shown that their activity is modulated by electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic contributions and the elastic features of the membranes their target. The mastoparan peptide Polybia MP1 (MP1) possesses two acidic residues (D2 and D8) and three basic ones (K4, K5 and K11), which together with the amidation of the C-terminal confers to it a relatively low net charge Q=+2. In this thesis, we analyzed the importance of the MP1 amino acid sequence, charge and hidrophobicity to the interaction with distinct model membranes, since the presence of acidic residues is a rare characteristic among the bioactive peptides and, beyond this, MP1 presents high antimicrobial and anticancer activities without being hemolytic. In search of understand its specificity and mechanism of action for bacteria and cancer cells, the activity and affinity of MP1 was assessed through circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, electrophoretic and dynamic light scattering measurements, and confocal microscopy. These techniques allowed the observation of the peptide structuration, the peptide partitioning from water to the model membranes interface, the peptide lytic activity, and the liposome aggregation due to peptide addition. From this, it was possible estimate the energetic contributions involved in the system, besides the dimension of the damages caused by MP1 on the membranes surface. MP1 showed that its low net charge and the presence of two acidic residues play an important role in modulating its structuration and activity in a wide range of lipid compositions, by equilibrating electrostatic and non-electrostatic contributions giving basis to understand its action as bioactive...Peptídeos bioativos são de grande interesse como substitutos de antibióticos e quimioterápicos convencionais já que, alguns deles apresentam atividades antimicrobiana, antifúngica e/ou anticâncer. Eles são predominantemente catiônicos e sua atividade tem se mostrado ser modulada por interações eletrostáticas, contribuições hidrofóbicas e por características elásticas da membrana, o seu alvo. O peptídeo mastoparano Polybia MP1 (MP1) possui dois resíduos ácidos (D2 e D8) e três resíduos básicos (K4, K5 and K11), que somados ao C terminal amidado conferem a ele uma carga elétrica líquida relativamente baixa, Q= +2. Nesta tese, foi analisada a importância da sequência de aminoácidos do MP1, da sua carga elétrica líquida e da sua hidrofobicidade média na interação com distintas membranas modelo, já que a presença de resíduos ácidos é rara dentre os peptídeos bioativos e além disto, o MP1 apresenta elevadas atividades antimicrobiana e anticâncer sem ser hemolítico. Para entender a sua especificidade e o seu mecanismo de ação em células bacterianas e de câncer, a atividade e a afinidade do MP1 foi acessada através de espectroscopia de fluorescência e de dicroísmo circular, medidas de potencial eletrocinético e de espalhamento de luz dinâmico e microscopia confocal. Estas técnicas permitiram a observação da estruturação do peptídeo, da sua partição da água para a interface de membranas modelo, da sua atividade lítica e da agregação dos lipossomos devido a sua adição. Assim, foi possível estimar as contribuições energéticas envolvidas no sistema além das dimensões dos danos causados pelo MP1 na superfície da membrana. MP1 mostrou que sua baixa carga elétrica líquida e a presença de dois resíduos ácidos na sua sequência de aminoácidos apresentam um papel importante em modular a sua estruturação e a sua atividade em uma ampla gama de composições lipídicas. Isso é atribuído...Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

New Trends for Controlled-Release of TBH Herbicide in the Field by Using a Biodegradable Polymer Fashion

The herbicide Tebuthiuron (TBH) is widely used to weed control in sugar cane and cotton crops. However, TBH when applied to the soil is prone to the leaching process due to its high solubility, reaching soil layers below the required control zone. Here, we present a new insight for controlled-release of TBH herbicide by using a microparticulate system on the weed plants of difficult control. For this purpose, calcium alginate (Ca-ALG) microparticles containing the TBH herbicide were developed as a strategy to reduce the groundwater contamination, caused by the mobility of the herbicide element. The obtained results are innovative since demonstrates potential application in controlled-release as well as efficiency on the weed species control of Digitaria horizontalis (Willd) and Ipomoea grandifolia (Dammer) O'Donell weed species in pre-emergence. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v12i4.1552<br /

ESTUDO DAS INFECÇÕES NO PÉ DE PACIENTE COM DIABETES MELLITUS: ANÁLISE DO PERFIL MICROBIOLÓGICO E DE RESISTENCIA ANTIMICROBIANA E SUA INFLUÊNCIA SOBRE AMPUTAÇÃO E MORTALIDADE

O Pé Diabético afeta a qualidade de vida e a mortalidade do indivíduo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil microbiológico, resistência antimicrobiana, fatores de risco para amputação e mortalidade de pacientes com pé diabético entre 2014 e 2019 em um hospital de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram avaliados 260 pacientes, maiores de 18 anos. Os dados foram analisados por estatísticas descritivas, análise de X-quadrado de Pearson e teste T. A idade média foi 66,4 anos (DP 14,43), 153 (58,8%) do sexo masculino. Quanto às comorbidades, 119 (45,8%) eram hipertensos. A maioria 249 (95,8%) eram portadores do DM tipo 2. As análises comparativas quanto às características dos pés diabéticos avaliados, mostraram que o membro inferior esquerdo 129 (49,6%) foi o mais acometido. No que se refere à parte do pé avaliada, 86 (33,0%) eram o primeiro pododáctilo, seguido do calcâneo 55 (21,1%). A deformidade mal perfurante plantar estava presente em 137 (52,7%) pacientes. Os procedimentos mais realizados foram: 80 (30,8%) amputações e 71 (27,3%) debridamento cirúrgico/curativo. Tipo de amputação mais predominante foi amputação menor 106 (40,8%). A média de pontos da PEDIS para pacientes submetidos à amputação maior foi superior quando comparados aos não amputados (2,58 e 1,64 pontos respectivamente, p < 0,0001), mas a média de PEDIS de amputação maior não diferiu estatisticamente da média de amputação menor (2,58 e 2,27 pontos respectivamente). A média de pontos da classificação de Wagner para pacientes submetidos à amputação maior foi mais elevada do que a média para pacientes não amputados (2,50 e 1,50 pontos respectivamente, p < 0,0001), entretanto a média dos pacientes submetidos à amputação maior não diferiu estatisticamente daqueles submetidos à amputação menor (2,50 e 2,27 ptos respectivamente). Isquemia crítica ocorreu com mais frequência em pacientes submetidos à amputação menor 29 (11,1%) se comparado com aqueles submetidos à amputação maior 10 (3,8%). A perda de sensibilidade aconteceu com mais frequência naqueles submetidos à amputação menor 37 (14,2%) do que os com amputação maior 15 (5,8%). Na Na avaliação microbiológica, a espécie mais frequentemente isolada foi o Staphylococcus aureus, 18,85% do total de casos, seguido d Enterococcus faecalis17,69% e Pseudomonas, 8,85% dos casos. Não houve associação estatística entre um microrganismo ou grupo específico com amputação e óbito

Antitumor potential of lipid nanoformulations with natural antioxidants

ABSTRACT: Quercetin (QUE), tannic acid (TA) and ascorbic acid (AA) are among the antioxidants that have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment and prevention of cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the optimal method of administering these compounds for therapeutic purposes is not well understood, especially when considering their differences in size and solubility. In this context, nanoencapsulation rises as a promising strategy, since this technology could protect active ingredients and maximize their absorption. In this study, the aforementioned antioxidants were encapsulated in a lipid mixture with the objective of developing nontoxic and effective materials for antitumor therapy. The results demonstrated that the compounds were satisfactorily encapsulated in Large Unilamellar Vesicles (LUVs) composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). The formulations exhibited good homogeneity in average size as well as stability, as investigated by dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements. The encapsulation efficiency was as follows: QUE (78.76%) > TA (61.93%) > AA (47.13%). The Korsmeyer-Peppas model was employed to analyze the release kinetics, illustrating that the delivery of antioxidants follows Fick's law. Biological tests using bioactive-loaded LUVs demonstrated that the encapsulation of these antioxidants resulted in low-toxicity formulations. Quercetin-loaded LUVs (QUE-LUVs) stood out among the formulations studied, as tumor cell viability was significantly reduced after treatment with QUE-LUVs when compared to untreated cells. Furthermore, QUE-LUVs exhibited a differential cytotoxic effect between tumor cells and non-tumor cells, suggesting potential applications in anticancer therapy. Aligned with the demand for innovative treatments as well as drug delivery methods that show less toxicity and adverse effects, the approach developed in the present study resulted in formulations with significant potential and versatility, and could serve as a potential mixed lipid-based delivery system in tumor management using antioxidant therapy

ATLANTIC POLLINATION: a data set of flowers and interaction with nectar-feeding vertebrates from the Atlantic Forest

Flowering plant species and their nectar-feeding vertebrates exemplify some of the most remarkable biotic interactions in the Neotropics. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, several species of birds (especially hummingbirds), bats, and non-flying mammals, as well as one lizard feed on nectar, often act as pollinators and contribute to seed output of flowering plants. We present a dataset containing information on flowering plants visited by nectar-feeding vertebrates and sampled at 166 localities in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. This dataset provides information on 1902 unique interactions among 515 species of flowering plants and 129 species of potential vertebrate pollinators and the patterns of species diversity across latitudes. All plant-vertebrate interactions compiled were recorded through direct observations of visits, and no inferences of pollinators based on floral syndromes were included. We also provide information on the most common plant traits used to understand the interactions between flowers and nectar-feeding vertebrates: plant growth form, corolla length, rate of nectar production per hour in bagged flowers, nectar concentration, flower color and shape, time of anthesis, presence or absence of perceptible fragrance by human, and flowering phenology as well as the plant's threat status by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification. For the vertebrates, status of threat by IUCN classification, body mass, bill or rostrum size are provided. Information on the frequency of visits and pollen deposition on the vertebrate's body is provided from the original source when available. The highest number of unique interactions is recorded for birds (1771) followed by bats (110). For plants, Bromeliaceae contains the highest number of unique interactions (606), followed by Fabaceae (242) and Gesneriaceae (104). It is evident that there was geographical bias of the studies throughout the southeast of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that most effort was directed to flower-hummingbird interactions. However, it reflects a worldwide tendency of more plants interacting with birds compared with other vertebrate species. The lack of similar protocols among studies to collect basic data limits the comparisons among areas and generalizations. Nevertheless, this dataset represents a notable effort to organize and highlight the importance of vertebrate pollinators in this hotspot of biodiversity on Earth and represents the data currently available. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or scientific events