Fish assemblage associated with aquatic macrophytes bank in mananged lakes of Central Amazon, Amazonas, Brazil

The co-management of fishery resources developed by Amazonian riverine people is concerned with the maintenance of suitable environments for fish stock conservation. This type of co-management strategy is based on rules of access and use for fishery resources. In this research we investigated the influence of using lakes (preserved and managed for subsistence) and its distance from the river (near and far) in the structure of the fish assemblages associated with floating meadows bank in floodplain lakes, Central Amazonian. Fish were caught during flood period using seine nets in six lakes in a distance ranging from 0.87 to 10.9 km from the river. In floating meadows bank were captured a total of 623 specimens of fish, over 56 species. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicates that the co-management of lakes and distance did not influence significantly the ecological attributes of fish assemblages (abundance, richness, total weight, Shannon-Weaver and Berger-Parker diversity, evenness and dominance). According to analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) there was no difference in species composition among the lakes. These results suggest other factors, such as: short time of effective management, the agriculture as the most important economic activity of subsistence, the lack of fisheries in large-scale which cause significant environmental changes and the existence of an ecological factor of great intensity, "the flood pulse", overlapping others of less intensity.O co-manejo dos recursos pesqueiros que vem sendo desenvolvido pelos ribeirinhos da Amazônia têm a preocupação de assegurar ambientes adequados para a conservação dos estoques. Esta estratégia de co-manejo é baseada em regras de acesso e uso dos recursos pesqueiros. Nesse estudo, foi investigada a influência do tipo de uso de lagos (preservados e manejados para subsistência) e a sua distância do rio (próximos e distantes) na estrutura das assembleias de peixes associadas aos bancos de macrófitas aquáticas em lagos de várzea, Amazônia Central. Os peixes foram capturados na cheia com rede de cerco em seis lagos com distância do rio variando de 0,87 a 10,9 km. Nas macrófitas aquáticas e capins flutuantes dos lagos foram capturados um total de 623 exemplares de peixes, distribuídos em 56 espécies. A análise de covariância (ANCOVA) indica que o co-manejo dos lagos e distância não influenciaram significativamente nos atributos ecológicos das assembleias (abundância, riqueza, peso total, diversidade de Shannon-Weaver, diversidade Berger-Parker, equitabilidade e dominância). A análise de similaridade (ANOSIM) também mostrou que não existe diferença na composição de espécies entre os tipos de lago. Estes resultados sugerem outros fatores, como o pouco tempo de manejo efetivo, a agricultura como sendo a principal atividade econômica de subsistência, inexistência de pescarias em larga escala que produzam alterações ambientais significativas e a existência de um fator ecológico de grande intensidade, o pulso de inundação, sobrepondo a outros de menor intensidade

Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study

A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4

Effects of maternal iron restriction in the rat on blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipids in the 3-month-old offspring

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated associations between low birth weight and increased rates of adult diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Maternal iron restriction in the rat has been reported to both reduce birth weight and to elevate blood pressure at 40 days of age. The aim of the present study was to extend these findings to investigate the effects of maternal iron restriction on glucose tolerance and serum lipids, 2 important components of the metabolic syndrome, in adult offspring. Blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipids were measured in the 3-month-old offspring of iron-restricted dams. Rats were placed on control or iron-restricted diets 1 week before mating. At term, dams on the iron-restricted diet were anemic with decreased haemoglobin, red blood cell (RBC) count, hematocrit, and mean RBC volume compared with controls. Neonates from iron-restricted litters were more severely anemic than the dams. At birth, body weight was lower in the offspring of iron-restricted dams than in controls and was still decreased at 3 months of age. At this same age, systolic blood pressure was significantly elevated in the offspring of iron-restricted dams. Glucose tolerance was improved in the maternal iron-restricted group. Fasting serum insulin levels were not different between the control and maternal iron-restricted groups. Fasting serum triglyceride was decreased in the offspring of iron-restricted dams compared with controls. Fasting serum cholesterol and free fatty acid concentrations were similar in both groups. These results suggest that maternal iron restriction has long-term effects on physiology and metabolism in the offspring. Some of these findings are comparable to those reported for the maternal protein-restriction model. It is thus speculated that the long-term effects of maternal dietary restriction may result from common fetal metabolic responses to this restriction

Long-term programming of blood pressure by maternal dietary iron restriction in the rat

We have reported that blood pressure was elevated in 3-month-old rats whose mothers were Fe-restricted during pregnancy. These animals also had improved glucose tolerance and decreased serum triacylglycerol. The aim of the present study was to determine whether these effects of maternal nutritional restriction, present in these animals at 3 months of age, can be observed in the same animals in later life. Pulmonary and serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) concentrations were also measured to investigate whether the renin-angiotensin system was involved in the elevation of blood pressure observed in the offspring of Fe-restricted dams. Systolic blood pressure was higher in the offspring of Fe-restricted dams at 16 months of age. Heart and kidney weight were increased as a proportion of body weight in the offspring of Fe-restricted dams. The pulmonary ACE concentration was not significantly different between the groups. The serum ACE concentration was significantly elevated in the offspring of Fe-restricted dams at 3 but not 14 months of age. There was a strong correlation between serum ACE levels at 3 and 14 months of age. Glucose tolerance and serum insulin were not different between the maternal diet groups. Serum triacylglycerol tended to be lower in the offspring of Fe-restricted dams. There were no differences in serum non-esterified fatty acids or serum cholesterol between the maternal diet groups. This study provides further evidence that maternal nutrition has effects on the offspring that persist throughout life. At 16 months of age, the elevation of blood pressure in Fe-restricted offspring does not appear to be mediated via changes in ACE levels. Both cardiac hypertrophy and decreased serum triacylglycerol have also been observed in Fe-restricted fetuses, suggesting that these changes may be initiated in utero

Effect of maternal iron restriction during pregnancy on renal morphology in the adult rat offspring

In rats, maternal anaemia during pregnancy causes hypertension in the adult offspring, although the mechanism is unknown. The present study investigated the renal morphology of adult rats born to mothers who were Fe-deficient during pregnancy. Rats were fed either a control (153 mg Fe/kg diet, n 7) or low-Fe (3 mg/kg diet, n 6) diet from 1 week before mating and throughout gestation. At delivery, the Fe-restricted (IR) mothers were anaemic; the IR pups were also anaemic and growth-retarded at 2 d of age. At 3 and 16 months, systolic blood pressure in the IR offspring (163 (SEM 4) and 151 (SEM 4) mmHg respectively, n 13) was greater than in control animals (145 (SEM 3) and 119 (SEM 4) mmHg respectively, n 15, P<0·05). At post mortem at 18 months, there was no difference in kidney weight between treatment groups, although relative kidney weight as a fraction of body weight in the IR offspring was greater than in control animals (P<0·05). Glomerular number was lower in the IR offspring (11·4 (SEM 1·1) per 4 mm2, n 13) compared with control rats (14·8 (SEM 0·7), n 15, P<0·05). Maternal treatment had no effect on glomerular size, but overall, female rats had smaller and more numerous glomeruli per unit area than male rats. When all animals were considered, inverse relationships were observed between glomerular number and glomerular size (r-0·73, n 28, P<0·05), and glomerular number and systolic blood pressure at both 3 months (r-0·42, n 28, P<0·05) and 16 months of age (r-0·64, n 28, P<0·05). Therefore, in rats, maternal Fe restriction causes hypertension in the adult offspring that may be due, in part, to a deficit in nephron number

Common polymorphic variation in the genetically diverse African insulin gene and its association with size at birth

The insulin variable number of tandem repeats (INS VNTR) has been variably associated with size at birth in non-African populations. Small size at birth is a major determinant of neonatal mortality, so the INS VNTR may influence survival. We tested the hypothesis, therefore, that genetic variation around the INS VNTR in a rural Gambian population, who experience seasonal variation in nutrition and subsequently birth weight, may be associated with foetal and early growth. Six polymorphisms flanking the INS VNTR were genotyped in over 2,500 people. Significant associations were detected between the maternally inherited SNP 27 (rs689) allele and birth length [effect size 17.5 (5.2-29.8) mm; P = 0.004; n = 361]. Significant associations were also found between the maternally inherited African-specific SNP 28 (rs5506) allele and post-natal weight gain [effect size 0.19 (0.05-0.32) z score points/ year; P = 0.005; n = 728). These results suggest that in the Gambian population studied there are associations between polymorphic variation in the genetically diverse INS gene and foetal and early growth characteristics, which contribute to overall polygenic associations with these traits