Colonização de palmeiras por Rhodnius neglectus e invasão domiciliar em área urbana, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brasil

The objective of this study is to report on the colonization of palm trees by Rhodnius neglectus, its invasion in an urban area, in Araçatuba - São Paulo, and the control and surveillance measures that have been put in place. Domiciliary triatomine searches occurred in apartments upon the inhabitants' notification. The collected insects were identified and examined for natural infection and food sources with a precipitin test. To search the palm trees, tarps were used to cover the floor, and a “Munck” truck equipped with a tree-pruning device was utilized. Chemical control was performed with the utilization of a manual compression. In 2009, 81 specimens of Rhodnius neglectus were collected from the domiciles by the population. The precipitin test revealed a presence of human blood in 2.7% of the samples. Entomological studies were carried out in these domiciles and in those located within a radius of 200 meters. The search performed in the palm trees resulted in the capture of 882 specimens of triatomines, negative for tripanosomatids. Mechanical and chemical controls were carried out. New searches conducted in the palm trees in the same year resulted in the capture of six specimens. The mechanical and chemical controls of the palm trees, together with the population's work, proved to be effective, therefore preventing these insects' colonization of the city's domiciles.O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar a colonização de palmeiras por Rhodnius neglectus, sua invasão em área urbana, na cidade de Araçatuba - São Paulo, o controle e as medidas de vigilância instituídas. As pesquisas de triatomíneos nos domicílios ocorreram nos apartamentos quando da notificação pelo morador. Os insetos coletados foram identificados, examinados quanto à infecção natural e teste de precipitina. Na pesquisa das palmeiras foram utilizados lonas para forração do chão e caminhão Munck equipado com moto poda. O controle químico foi realizado com a utilização de compressor manual. No ano de 2009, foram coletados pela população 81 exemplares de Rhodnius neglectus em domicílios. O teste de precipitina acusou presença de sangue humano em 2,7% das amostras. Pesquisas entomológicas foram realizadas nestas edificações e naquelas situadas em um raio de 200 metros onde ocorreram as invasões. A pesquisa realizada nas palmeiras resultou na captura de 882 exemplares de triatomíneos, negativos para tripanosomatídeos. Foi realizado controle mecânico e químico. Novas pesquisas realizadas nas palmeiras avaliadas no mesmo ano resultaram na coleta de seis exemplares. Os controles mecânicos e químicos das palmeiras aliado ao trabalho de participação popular mostraram-se factíveis impedindo a colonização destes insetos nos domicílios da cidade

APLICAÇÃO DE CONTROLADORES FUZZY E PROPORCIONAL PARA UM ROBÔ SEGUIDOR DE PAREDE AUTÔNOMO EM AMBIENTE ESTÁTICO

A navegação de robôs móveis apresenta uma vari- edade de problemas, como a presença de ruídos e distúrbios, necessidade de fusão sensorial e a dificuldade na obtenção do modelo matemático que representa as interações físicas do ambiente. Cabe ao sistema de controle prover comandos para a correta execução dos movimentos do robô, de forma a alcançar algum objetivo proposto mesmo diante das adversidades do ambiente. Este artigo apresenta a aplicação de diferentes tipos de sistemas de controle, como controladores fuzzy convencional, fuzzy hierárquico e proporcional, para a navegação de um robô seguidor de parede em ambiente estático, cujo objetivo é evitar colisões e manter o robô a uma distância segura da parede. Foram feitas simulações em dois ambientes 3D e um experimento real para validação da abordagem proposta. As simulações foram feitas por meio do simulador V-REP em associação com a linguagem C++, utilizando um robô diferencial autônomo munido de sensores ultrassônicos. O experimento real fez uso de sensores e da placa Arduíno acoplados ao chassi de um robô diferencial. Os resultados mostram que o objetivo é alcançado de forma satisfatória por todas as técnicas propostas

High-throughput sequencing of black pepper root transcriptome

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most popular spices in the world. It is used in cooking and the preservation of food and even has medicinal properties. Losses in production from disease are a major limitation in the culture of this crop. The major diseases are root rot and foot rot, which are results of root infection by Fusarium solani and Phytophtora capsici, respectively. Understanding the molecular interaction between the pathogens and the host’s root region is important for obtaining resistant cultivars by biotechnological breeding. Genetic and molecular data for this species, though, are limited. In this paper, RNA-Seq technology has been employed, for the first time, to describe the root transcriptome of black pepper.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The root transcriptome of black pepper was sequenced by the NGS SOLiD platform and assembled using the multiple-k method. Blast2Go and orthoMCL methods were used to annotate 10338 unigenes. The 4472 predicted proteins showed about 52% homology with the Arabidopsis proteome. Two root proteomes identified 615 proteins, which seem to define the plant’s root pattern. Simple-sequence repeats were identified that may be useful in studies of genetic diversity and may have applications in biotechnology and ecology.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud This dataset of 10338 unigenes is crucially important for the biotechnological breeding of black pepper and the ecogenomics of the Magnoliids, a major group of basal angiosperms.FAPESPAUFPAFINEPCAPE

Predictive models for mutations in mismatch repair genes: implication for genetic counseling in developing countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common form of inherited predisposition to colorectal cancer (CRC), accounting for 2-5% of all CRC. LS is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by mutations in the mismatch repair genes mutL homolog 1 (MLH1), mutS homolog 2 (MSH2), postmeiotic segregation increased 1 (PMS1), post-meiotic segregation increased 2 (PMS2) and mutS homolog 6 (MSH6). Mutation risk prediction models can be incorporated into clinical practice, facilitating the decision-making process and identifying individuals for molecular investigation. This is extremely important in countries with limited economic resources. This study aims to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of five predictive models for germline mutations in repair genes in a sample of individuals with suspected Lynch syndrome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples from 88 patients were analyzed through sequencing MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 genes. The probability of detecting a mutation was calculated using the PREMM, Barnetson, MMRpro, Wijnen and Myriad models. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the models, receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 88 patients included in this analysis, 31 mutations were identified: 16 were found in the MSH2 gene, 15 in the MLH1 gene and no pathogenic mutations were identified in the MSH6 gene. It was observed that the AUC for the PREMM (0.846), Barnetson (0.850), MMRpro (0.821) and Wijnen (0.807) models did not present significant statistical difference. The Myriad model presented lower AUC (0.704) than the four other models evaluated. Considering thresholds of ≥ 5%, the models sensitivity varied between 1 (Myriad) and 0.87 (Wijnen) and specificity ranged from 0 (Myriad) to 0.38 (Barnetson).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The Barnetson, PREMM, MMRpro and Wijnen models present similar AUC. The AUC of the Myriad model is statistically inferior to the four other models.</p

Amantadine for Dyskinesias in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Dyskinesias are some of the major motor complications that impair quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of amantadine in Parkinson's disease patients suffering from dyskinesias. METHODS: In this multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial, 36 patients with Parkinson's disease and dyskinesias were randomized, and 62 interventions, which included amantadine (300 mg/day) or placebo treatment for 27 days, were analyzed. At 15 days after washout, the treatments were crossed over. The primary outcome measure was the changes in the Rush Dyskinesia Rating Scale (RDRS) during each treatment period. The secondary outcome measures were changes in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part IVa (UPDRS-IVa, dyskinesias), part IVb (motor fluctuations), and part III (motor function). RESULTS: RDRS improved in 64% and 16% of patients treated with amantadine or placebo, respectively, with significant differences between treatments. The adjusted odds-ratio for improvement by amantadine was 6.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 31.5). UPDRS-IVa was improved to a significantly greater degree in amantadine-treated patients [mean (SD) of 1.83 (1.56)] compared with placebo-treated patients [0.03 (1.51)]. However, there were no significant effects on UPDRS-IVb or III scores. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the present study demonstrated that amantadine exhibited efficacious effects against dyskinesias in 60-70% of patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trial Registry UMIN000000780