Variabilidade Percentual da Glândula Digestiva do Mexilhão Marron, Perna Perna (Mollusca - Bivalvia), Cultivado em Santa Catarina

Moluscos bivalves são os organismos marinhos mais cultivados no litoral de Santa Catarina. Os bivalves são organismos filtradores que alimentam-se de partículas orgânicas suspensas na água. Devido a característica alimentar e fisiológica do mexilhão marrom (Perna perna), este organismo adquiriu o status de biomonitor ambiental marinho sendo amplamente utilizados em estudos de impactos ambientais. Em muitos dos protocolos e métodos de análises são necessários à dissecação de tecidos e estruturas dos moluscos.  Conhecer a variação da porcentagem do trato digestivo dos mexilhões em relação ao peso total do organismo permite que as técnicas de análises sejam otimizadas. Foram sendo utilizadas amostras de mexilhão provenientes dos diversos parques aquícolas catarinenses que participam do programa de monitoramento higiênico e sanitário de moluscos bivalves de Santa Catarina. Das 120 amostras recebidas neste período foram retiradas sub-amostras de 10 indivíduos. Para o cálculo da proporção (%GD) da glândula digestiva (GD), em relação ao peso total (PT), utilizou-se a seguinte equação: %GD = GD/(PT+GD) x 100. Foram analisadas e processadas 192 amostras de mexilhões provenientes dos diversos parques aquícolas catarinenses. A porcentagem média da glândula digestiva representa aproximadamente 9% do peso total do molusco. Estatisticamente (ANOVA) não apresentam diferenças na proporção da glândula digestiva entre as diferentes classes de tamanho e/ou estágio de maturação dos mexilhões. Da mesma forma, entre os pontos amostrados também não se evidencia uma diferença significativa entre as porcentagens da glândula digestiva. Outro aspecto importante a ser comentado refere-se ao fato que entre os locais de produção observa-se uma diferença entre os pesos totais, ou seja, alguns locais de produção apresentam mexilhões com maior biomassa e outros com menor biomassa, dentro de um mesmo período de produção

The phytoplankton biodiversity of the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of this study is to compile the inventory of nearly 100 years of research about the phytoplankton species cited for the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A state-of-the-art study on the local biodiversity has long been needed to provide a baseline for future comparisons. This type of data is scattered in old scientific journals and in the so-called "grey literature", and are in need of nomenclature updating. Twenty-six publications are considered. The earliest sampling record is from 1913 (?) and the most recent from 2002. This checklist compiled from the literature was complemented with primary data collected between August 2004 and July 2006, recent surveys of the surf-zone of 20 beaches located along the coast and of a mariculture farm at the Cocanha Beach, Caraguatatuba. The complete species list includes 572 taxa: most are diatoms (82%), seconded by dinoflagellates (16%), with a minor contribution of silicoflagellates, coccolithophorids, ebriideans and cyanobacteria. The most investigated areas were: Ubatuba, São Sebastião, Santos and Cananéia. The recent surveys have a broader spatial coverage. The objectives of the studies have changed over the years from purely taxonomic to process-oriented investigations. Therefore, the longest species lists and most first records for the area were published before the 1980's and later publications, even those in which cell counts were performed, mention only the most abundant/frequent species. Electron microscopy was used for the first time in the present surveys, and new records include 38 diatoms, 42 dinoflagellates, 1 silicoflagellate, 1 ebriidean and 2 cyanobacteria. The use and interpretation of this species list require the perception of some constraints. It is not our role to question the identification made by other researchers. On the other hand, the ability to sample, analyze and identify species has evolved over the years and some considerations in this regard are presented

Maternal lipids and leptin concentrations are associated with large-for-gestational-age births:A prospective cohort study

AbstractThe change in maternal lipid, leptin and adiponectin concentrations during pregnancy and infant birth weight (BW) is still poorly characterized. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the association of maternal lipids, leptin and adiponectin throughout pregnancy with large-for-gestational-age (LGA) births and BW z-score. A prospective cohort of 199 mothers was followed during pregnancy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statistical analyses comprised multiple logistic and linear regression. Women delivered 36 LGA and 11 small-for-gestational-age newborns. HDL-c rate of change throughout pregnancy was negatively associated with BW z-score (β = −1.99; p = 0.003) and the delivery of a LGA newborn (OR = 0.02; p = 0.043). Pregnancy baseline concentration of log leptin was positively associated (OR = 3.92; p = 0.025) with LGA births. LDL-c rate of change throughout pregnancy was positively associated with BW z-score (β = 0.31; p = 0.004). Log triglycerides and log adiponectin were not significantly associated with BW z-score or LGA birth. In conclusion, a higher log leptin pregnancy baseline concentration and a lower HDL-c rate of change during pregnancy were associated with higher odds of having a LGA newborn. These maternal biomarkers are important to foetal growth and could be used in prenatal care as an additional strategy to screen women at risk of inadequate BW.</jats:p