Erratum to: The study of cardiovascular risk in adolescents – ERICA: rationale, design and sample characteristics of a national survey examining cardiovascular risk factor profile in Brazilian adolescents

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Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

Biomassa e sazonalidade das raízes finas em savanas da Amazônia Oriental

Este trabalho objetivou comparar a biomassa de raízes finas em diferentes fisionomias e avaliar a influência da sazonalidade sobre a massa de raízes finas em savanas amazônicas localizadas no Amapá e Pará. Amostras de solos foram coletadas em cinco profundidades, de 10 em 10 cm, em três pontos no Cerrado sensu stricto, quatro no Campo Cerrado e dois no Campo Limpo, com 4 repetições em cada posição. A influência da sazonalidade foi verificada apenas no Campo Cerrado, em abril (pico das chuvas), julho (final das chuvas) e outubro (pico da seca) de 2010 e em janeiro de 2011 (inicio das chuvas). As fisionomias foram diferenciadas pela massa de raízes, quando analisadas nas diferentes classes diamétricas de raízes e nas diferentes profundidades. A maior massa de raízes finas ocorreu no pico da estação seca. Esses resultados sugerem estratégias diferentes das fisionomias na alocação das raízes mais finas em diferentes profundidas do solo e na dinâmica das raízes para aumentar o potencial de absorção durante a seca

Anti-asthmatic effect of nitric oxide metallo-donor FOR811A [cis-[Ru(bpy)2(2-MIM)(NO)](PF6)3] in the respiratory mechanics of Swiss mice.

We aimed at evaluating the anti-asthmatic effect of cis-[Ru(bpy)2(2-MIM)(NO)](PF6)3 (FOR811A), a nitrosyl-ruthenium compound, in a murine model of allergic asthma. The anti-asthmatic effects were analyzed by measuring the mechanical lung and morphometrical parameters in female Swiss mice allocated in the following groups: untreated control (Ctl+Sal) and control treated with FOR811A (Ctl+FOR), along asthmatic groups untreated (Ast+Sal) and treated with FOR811A (Ast+FOR). The drug-protein interaction was evaluated by in-silico assay using molecular docking. The results showed that the use of FOR811A in experimental asthma (Ast+FOR) decreased the pressure-volume curve, hysteresis, tissue elastance, tissue resistance, and airway resistance, similar to the control groups (Ctl+Sal; Ctl+FOR). However, it differed from the untreated asthmatic group (Ast+Sal, p<0.05), indicating that FOR811A corrected the lung parenchyma and relaxed the smooth muscles of the bronchi. Similar to control groups (Ctl+Sal; Ctl+FOR), FOR811A increased the inspiratory capacity and static compliance in asthmatic animals (Ast+Sal, p<0.05), showing that this metallodrug improved the capacity of inspiration during asthma. The morphometric parameters showed that FOR811A decreased the alveolar collapse and kept the bronchoconstriction during asthma. Beyond that, the molecular docking using FOR811A showed a strong interaction in the distal portion of the heme group of the soluble guanylate cyclase, particularly with cysteine residue (Cys141). In summary, FOR811A relaxed bronchial smooth muscles and improved respiratory mechanics during asthma, providing a protective effect and promising use for the development of an anti-asthmatic drug