Identification of Schistosoma mansoni microRNAs

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a class of single-stranded RNAs which play a crucial role in regulating development and controlling gene expression by targeting mRNAs and triggering either translation repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation. miRNAs are widespread in eukaryotes and to date over 14,000 miRNAs have been identified by computational and experimental approaches. Several miRNAs are highly conserved across species. In Schistosoma, the full set of miRNAs and their expression patterns during development remain poorly understood. Here we report on the development and implementation of a homology-based detection strategy to search for miRNA genes in Schistosoma mansoni. In addition, we report results on the experimental detection of miRNAs by means of cDNA cloning and sequencing of size-fractionated RNA samples. Results: Homology search using the high-throughput pipeline was performed with all known miRNAs in miRBase. A total of 6,211 mature miRNAs were used as reference sequences and 110 unique S. mansoni sequences were returned by BLASTn analysis. The existing mature miRNAs that produced these hits are reported, as well as the locations of the homologous sequences in the S. mansoni genome. All BLAST hits aligned with at least 95% of the miRNA sequence, resulting in alignment lengths of 19-24 nt. Following several filtering steps, 15 potential miRNA candidates were identified using this approach. By sequencing small RNA cDNA libraries from adult worm pairs, we identified 211 novel miRNA candidates in the S. mansoni genome. Northern blot analysis was used to detect the expression of the 30 most frequent sequenced miRNAs and to compare the expression level of these miRNAs between the lung stage schistosomula and adult worm stages. Expression of 11 novel miRNAs was confirmed by northern blot analysis and some presented a stage-regulated expression pattern. Three miRNAs previously identified from S. japonicum were also present in S. mansoni. Conclusion: Evidence for the presence of miRNAs in S. mansoni is presented. The number of miRNAs detected by homology-based computational methods in S. mansoni is limited due to the lack of close relatives in the miRNA repository. In spite of this, the computational approach described here can likely be applied to the identification of pre-miRNA hairpins in other organisms. Construction and analysis of a small RNA library led to the experimental identification of 14 novel miRNAs from S. mansoni through a combination of molecular cloning, DNA sequencing and expression studies. Our results significantly expand the set of known miRNAs in multicellular parasites and provide a basis for understanding the structural and functional evolution of miRNAs in these metazoan parasites

Abordagem holística no sistema educativo português para desenvolver a(s) Literacia(s) das Ciências integradas com o Inglês

Numa orientação CTS do currículo de Ciências almeja-se o desenvolvimento da literacia científica dos alunos, que os torne sujeitos participantes envolvidos na discussão responsável de questões socio-científicas. Para participar, é fundamental saber comunicar sobre as Ciências e através delas, e usar outras línguas para a discussão ao nível global. Este trabalho – alicerçado numa perspetiva socio-construtivista da aprendizagem das Línguas estrangeiras e das Ciências – visa compreender, no âmbito de um projeto escolar no 3.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, o cruzamento entre a construção de conceitos e contextos das Ciências com a(s) sua(s) “língua(s)” e a prática do Inglês na mesma sala de aula, através de uma abordagem que confere mais importância à Língua (CLIL), em geral e das Ciências. Trata-se de um estudo de caso descritivo-interpretativo que envolve quatro turmas, duas professoras de Ciências Naturais e uma de Inglês. Os dados foram recolhidos através de inquérito por entrevista (professoras) e por questionário (alunos) e através da observação. Serão apresentadas as respostas dos alunos às questões relacionadas com as Ciências, o Inglês e a sua articulação, e integradas com as informações preliminares resultantes de observações, as quais pretendem caraterizar o contexto. Recorreu-se à análise de conteúdo para interpretar as respostas abertas e à análise estatística para as fechadas. Emergem evidências de que esta abordagem fomenta a comunicação e consciencialização em e sobre Ciência. Considera-se oportuno continuar a recolha/análise dos dados para um cruzamento mais complexo das fontes, e para aprofundar como a presença de uma outra língua pode enriquecer a cultura científica.The goal of an STS-oriented Science curriculum is to develop students’ scientific literacy that makes them fully engaged participants in the responsible discussion of socio-scientific issues. Participation fundamentally requires the ability to communicate about and by means of Science, as well as the use of other languages in international discussions. This work – framed in a socio-constructivist perspective of both foreign Language and Science learning – aims to understand, within a school project of 7th, 8th and 9th grades, the intersection between the construction of Science concepts and contexts with its “language(s)” and the practice of English in the same class, through an approach that confers more importance to Language (CLIL), in general and that of Science, in particular. This descriptive-explanatory case study involves four classes, two Natural Science teachers and one English teacher. Data has been collected through (teacher) interviews, a (student) questionnaire and observation. Student’s answers to questions related to Science, English and their combination will be shown and integrated with preliminary information resulting from observations, aimed at characterizing the context. Content analysis has been used for interpreting open-ended answers while statistical analysis was employed on the close-ended ones. There is evidence that this approach fosters communication and awareness of and about Science. Data collection/analysis should be continued for a more complex source correlation, and to enhance the understanding on how the presence of another language may enrich the scientific culture.In un orientamento STS del curricolo di Scienze é auspicabile che si lavori allo sviluppo della literacy scientifica degli alunni, affinché questi diventino soggetti impegnati nella partecipazione alla discussione responsabile di questioni socio-scientifiche. Per partecipare, è fondamentale che si sappia comunicare di e tramite le Scienze, e utilizzare altre lingue per discutere a livello globale. Questo lavoro – basato su una prospettiva socio-costruttivista dell’apprendimento delle Lingue straniere e delle Scienze – ha come obiettivo comprendere, nell’ambito di un progetto scolastico nella Scuola Secondaria di I grado, l’intersezione tra la costruzione di concetti e contesti delle Scienze con la/le sua/sue “lingua/lingue” e la pratica dell’Inglese nella stessa aula, mediante un approccio che conferisce più importanza alla Lingua (CLIL), in generale e delle Scienze. Si tratta di uno studio di caso descrittivo-interpretativo che coinvolge quattro classi, due insegnanti di Scienze naturali e una di Inglese. I dati sono stati raccolti attraverso interviste (insegnanti), questionario (studenti) e osservazioni. Saranno presentate le risposte degli alunni alle domande legate alle Scienze, all’Inglese e alla loro articolazione, e integrate con le informazioni preliminari, risultanti dall’osservazione, finalizzata a caratterizzare il contesto. È stata utilizzata l’analisi del contenuto per l’interpretazione delle risposte aperte e l’analisi statistica per quelle chiuse. Sussistono alcune evidenze che questo approccio favorisce la comunicazione e la consapevolezza riguardo la Scienza. È opportuno continuare a raccogliere/analizzare i dati per un incrocio delle fonti più complesso, e per approfondire come la presenza di un’altra lingua possa arricchire la cultura scientifica

An introduction to the SCOUT-AMMA stratospheric aircraft, balloons and sondes campaign in West Africa, August 2006: rationale and roadmap

A multi-platform field measurement campaign involving aircraft and balloons took place over West Africa between 26 July and 25 August 2006, in the frame of the concomitant AMMA Special Observing Period and SCOUT-O3 African tropical activities. Specifically aiming at sampling the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, the high-altitude research aircraft M55 Geophysica was deployed in Ouagadougou (12.3° N, 1.7° W), Burkina Faso, in conjunction with the German D-20 Falcon, while a series of stratospheric balloon and sonde flights were conducted from Niamey (13.5° N, 2.0° E), Niger. The stratospheric aircraft and balloon flights intended to gather experimental evidence for a better understanding of large scale transport, assessing the effect of lightning on NOx production, and studying the impact of intense mesoscale convective systems on water, aerosol, dust and chemical species in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The M55 Geophysica carried out five local and four transfer flights between southern Europe and the Sahel and back, while eight stratospheric balloons and twenty-nine sondes were flown from Niamey. These experiments allowed a characterization of the tropopause and lower stratosphere of the region. We provide here an overview of the campaign activities together with a description of the general meteorological situation during the flights and a summary of the observations accomplished

Nutritional Evaluation Of Children With Chronic Cholestatic Disease

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)To evaluate the nutritional status of children with persistent cholestasis and to compare the anthropometric indices between children with and without liver cirrhosis and children with and without jaundice. Methods Children with persistent cholestasis, i.e. increased direct bilirrubin or changes in the canalicular enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), were included. The anthropometric measures were weight (W), height or length (H), arm circumference (AC), triceps skinfold thickness (TST), arm muscle circumference (AMC), and body mass index (BMI). Results Ninety-one children with cholestasis, with current median age of 12 months, were evaluated. W/age (A) and H/A indices below -2 Z-scores were observed in 33% and 30.8% of patients, respectively. Concerning the W/H index and BMI, only 12% and 16% of patients, respectively, were below -2 Z-scores. Regarding AC, 43.8% of 89 evaluated patients had some depletion. Observing the TST, 64% of patients had depletion, and 71.1% of the 45 evaluated patients had some degree of depletion regarding the ACM index. Conclusion Evaluation using weight in patients with chronic liver diseases may overestimate the nutritional status due to visceromegaly, subclinical edema, or ascites. Indices that correlate weight and height, such as W/H and BMI, may also not show depletion because of the chronic condition in which there are depletion of both weight and height. TST, AC, and ACM are parameters that better estimate nutritional status and should be part of the management of patients with liver diseases and cholestasis. © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.922197205CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Pharmacological activity of the hydroalcoholic extract from Hovenia dulcis thunberg fruit and the flavonoid dihydromyricetin during hypercholesterolemia induced in rats

Cerebrovascular accidents and coronary artery disease are the leading causes of cardiovascular mortalities in Brazil and high levels of LDL cholesterol are one of the main risk factors. In this context, several plant extracts and natural substances have shown promise as cholesterol-lowering. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of the hydroalcoholic extract of the fruit of H. dulcisand of dihydromyricetin in cholesterol reduction in hypercholesterolemic rats. Forty-two Wistar male rats were distributed into seven groups of six animals that received diets supplemented with 1% cholesterol and 0.3% cholic acid, with the exception of the control group, which received conventional diets. Animals were treated with oral suspensions containing: atorvastatin 1.0 mg/kg; H. dulcisextract at 50.0 and 100.0 mg/kg and dihydromyricetin at 25.0 and 50.0 mg/kg vehicle (control group). The following biochemical markers were evaluated; total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase. The hypercholesterolemic diet was effective in inducing hypercholesterolemia, increasing total cholesterol by 112.7% relative to the control group. The treatments with two doses of the extract proved to be promising hypocholesterolemic agents, as they were able to substantially reduce total cholesterol and LDL-C, without significantly altering triglycerides, hepatic transaminases, and alkaline phosphatase, thereby encouraging the studies with the plant H. dulcis. The groups treated with the flavonoid dihydromyricetin, although they showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL-C, and found increases in triglycerides and hepatic transaminases, which is unwanted in the context of hypercholesterolaemia