THE GEOCHEMICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL ASPECTS OF AREAS AFFECTED BY THE DEPOSIT OF URBAN WASTE IN PALMAS PARANÁ

Domestic waste from human daily activities has been suffering a direct influence of the increasing population, the intensity of industrialization and the change in the consumers habits, sometimes with harmful consequences for the environment. In Palmas, estate of Paraná, the domestic waste has been accumulated in an uncontrolled surface deposit for about ten years, at the Hydrographic micro-basin of the Passa Três River, on effusive acid rocks of the Serra Geral formation (Mesozoic of the Paraná basin). Such area is about to be closed for environmental recovery due to the serious social and environmental problems it has created. Aiming at evaluating the impact caused by the waste on the water quality, geophysical investigation by means of electrical profiling and nearby surface water monitoring was carried out. This was performed through analysis of physical, chemical and bacteriological variables, along two different periods, a rainy and a dry season. The influence of the superficial flow on the surface water quality where evidenced. However, the concentration of contaminants is restricted to the micro-basin which hosts the waste deposit, without a significant influence on the water of the Passa Três River. Resistivity sections evidence conductive zones which may reflect the contaminants, changing the salinity and consequently degrading the groundwater quality.A produção de lixo doméstico como resultado das atividades diárias do homem vem sofrendo a influência direta do aumento populacional, da intensidade da industrialização e da mudança dos hábitos de consumo, muitas vezes com conseqüências danosas ao meio ambiente. No município de Palmas - PR, o lixo doméstico gerado na cidade vem sendo depositado em superfície há aproximadamente dez anos em uma área situada na micro-bacia hidrográfica do Rio Passa Três, sobre rochas efusivas ácidas da Formação Serra Geral (Mesozóico da Bacia do Paraná). Tal atividade encontra-se na iminência de ser interrompida visando-se a recuperação da área, devido a suas sérias implicações ambientais e sociais. Com o objetivo de avaliar o impacto causado sobre a qualidade das águas pela deposição de resíduos sólidos no lixão e seu entorno, realizaram-se ensaios geofísicos utilizando-se a técnica de caminhamento elétrico e monitorou-se a qualidade da água superficial em córregos próximos ao depósito de lixo e no Rio Passa Três, através da análise de variáveis físicas, químicas e bacteriológicas, abrangendo dois períodos de regime hídrico: estação seca e chuvosa. A análise dos resultados evidenciou a influência do escoamento superficial sobre a qualidade das águas superficiais. Porém, a concentração dos contaminantes fica restrita à micro-bacia que abriga o lixão, não exercendo influência significativa sobre as águas do Rio Passa Três. As seções de resistividade obtidas nos ensaios de caminhamento elétrico evidenciam zonas condutoras que devem refletir a presença de chorume proveniente do lixão, alterando a salinidade e conseqüentemente a qualidade das águas do aqüífero superficial

Acoustic monitoring of black-tufted marmosets in a tropical forest disturbed by mining noise

Simple Summary: Communication is one way that animals use to obtain and defend resources, escape predators and attract sexual partners. However, this process can be disrupted by anthropogenic noise, which often differs from natural sounds in frequency, duration and intensity. This study aimed to understand whether, and how, calls emitted by black-tufted marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) are affected by mining noise. We compared ambient noise and the acoustic parameters of the contact calls of these animals in two study areas, one near and one far from the Brucutu Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We found background noise to be higher in the area near the mine, and marmoset vocalizations more frequent, compared to the far area. Calls emitted in the near area also differed in spectral parameters from the far area, which suggests an effort by the animals to adapt their vocal activity to a noisier environment. Our results indicate that mining noise may affect the acoustic communication of black-tufted marmosets. These results may be taken as a starting point for establishing public policies to promote preventive and/or mitigative measures to protect wildlife around sites of mining activity. Moreover, measures to regulate any noisy activities in relation to wild animals are pressing since these are lacking in Brazil. Abstract: All habitats have noise, but anthropogenic sounds often differ from natural sounds in terms of frequency, duration and intensity, and therefore may disrupt animal vocal communication. This study aimed to investigate whether vocalizations emitted by black-tufted marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) were affected by the noise produced by mining activity. Through passive acoustic monitoring, we compared the noise levels and acoustic parameters of the contact calls of marmosets living in two study areas (with two sampling points within each area)—one near and one far from an opencast mine in Brazil. The near area had higher anthropogenic background noise levels and the marmosets showed greater calling activity compared to the far area. Calls in the near area had significantly lower minimum, maximum and peak frequencies and higher average power density and bandwidth than those in the far area. Our results indicate that the mining noise affected marmoset vocal communication and may be causing the animals to adjust their acoustic communication patterns to increase the efficiency of signal propagation. Given that vocalizations are an important part of social interactions in this species, concerns arise about the potential negative impact of mining noise on marmosets exposed to this human activity

Subconjunctival use of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells to treat chronic superficial keratitis in German shepherd dogs: Pilot study

Background: Chronic superficial keratitis (CSK) is an ocular condition in dogs characterized by corneal opacification leading to visual function impairment. Control of this chronic condition requires the use of topical immunomodulators or corticosteroids daily. Regenerative medicine has shown promising results in several fields of medicine. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effect of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of adipose tissue applied via subconjunctival in dogs with CSK. Methods: A series of cases of eight dogs diagnosed with CSK were divided into two groups, four dogs each; the conventional treatment group received prednisolone 1% as topical eye drops and the experimental group (EG) received allogeneic MSCs transplantation. The dogs had not previously been treated for CSK. Systemic and ophthalmologic examinations were performed to exclude other abnormalities. An administered amount of MSC (1 × 106 cells each time) was injected via subconjunctival in the peri-limbal region at 0 and 30 days. The animals were followed for 110 days for clinical evaluation, and, at the same time, the images of the corneal abnormalities were obtained and analyzed in the ImageJ software. The statistical analysis was performed in the GrandPrism 7.0 software. Results: Initial and final images revealed that areas with neovascularization, inflammatory infiltrate, and opacity regressed in most eyes in both groups (7/8 eyes in each group) at the end of the 110 days, p = 0.0391 and p = 0.0078 respectively, but this response was minor in the EG comparing to conventional group (CG) (p = 0.026). No local or systemic side effects were observed. Conclusions: Despite the small melioration, MSCs treatment suggests clinical improvement in patients with CSK after 110 days without any local or systemic side effects. However, the improvement achieved was significantly less than the observed within CG. Further studies still are needed to evaluate the use and benefits of stem cells as an adjunct treatment for CSK

Efeitos do estresse crônico variado sobre o estresse oxidativo em hipocampo e córtex cerebral

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Efeitos no labirinto em cruz elevado do tratamento crônico com lítio e estradiol em ratas submetidas a estresse crônico variado

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Leptin receptor co-expression gene network moderates the effect of early life adversity on eating behavior in children

Leptin influences eating behavior. Exposure to early adversity is associated with eating behaviour disorders and metabolic syndrome, but the role of the leptin receptor on this relationship is poorly explored. We investigated whether individual differences in brain region specific leptin receptor (LepR) gene networks could moderate the effects of early adversity on eating behavior and metabolism. We created an expression-based polygenic risk score (ePRS) reflecting variations in the function of LepR gene network in prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus to investigate the interactions between a cumulative index of postnatal adversity on eating behavior in two independent birth cohorts (MAVAN and GUSTO). To explore whether variations in the prefrontal cortex or hypothalamic genetic scores could be associated with metabolic measurements, we also assessed the relationship between LepR-ePRS and fasting blood glucose and leptin levels in a third independent cohort (ALSPAC). We identified significant interaction effects between postnatal adversity and prefrontal-based LepR-ePRS on the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire scores. In MAVAN, we observed a significant interaction effect on food enjoyment at 48 months (β = 61.58, p = 0.015) and 72 months (β = 97.78, p = 0.001); food responsiveness at 48 months (β = 83.79, p = 0.009) satiety at 48 months (β = −43.63, p = 0.047). Similar results were observed in the GUSTO cohort, with a significant interaction effect on food enjoyment (β = 30.48, p = 0.006) food fussiness score (β = −24.07, p = 0.02) and satiety score at 60 months (β = −17.00, p = 0.037). No effects were found when focusing on the hypothalamus-based LepR-ePRS on eating behavior in MAVAN and GUSTO cohorts, and there was no effect of hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex based ePRSs on metabolic measures in ALSPAC. Our study indicated that exposure to postnatal adversity interacts with prefrontal cortex LepR-ePRS to moderate eating behavior, suggesting a neurobiological mechanism associated with the development of eating behavior problems in response to early adversity. The knowledge of these mechanisms may guide the understanding of eating patterns associated with risk for obesity in response to fluctuations in stress exposure early in life

Amygdala 5-HTT gene network moderates the effects of postnatal adversity on attention problems : anatomo-functional correlation and epigenetic changes

Variations in serotoninergic signaling have been related to behavioral outcomes. Alterations in the genome, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, are affected by serotonin neurotransmission. The amygdala is an important brain region involved in emotional responses and impulsivity, which receives serotoninergic input. In addition, studies suggest that the serotonin transporter gene network may interact with the environment and influence the risk for psychiatric disorders. We propose to investigate whether/how interactions between the exposure to early life adversity and serotonin transporter gene network in the amygdala associate with behavioral disorders. We constructed a co-expression-based polygenic risk score (ePRS) reflecting variations in the function of the serotonin transporter gene network in the amygdala and investigated its interaction with postnatal adversity on attention problems in two independent cohorts from Canada and Singapore. We also described how interactions between ePRS-5-HTT and postnatal adversity exposure predict brain gray matter density and variation in DNA methylation across the genome. We observed that the expression-based polygenic risk score, reflecting the function of the amygdala 5-HTT gene network, interacts with postnatal adversity, to predict attention and hyperactivity problems across both cohorts. Also, both postnatal adversity score and amygdala ePRS-5-HTT score, as well as their interaction, were observed to be associated with variation in DNA methylation across the genome. Variations in gray matter density in brain regions linked to attentional processes were also correlated to our ePRS score. These results confirm that the amygdala 5-HTT gene network is strongly associated with ADHD-related behaviors, brain cortical density, and epigenetic changes in the context of adversity in young children

A multicentric evaluation of the recombinant Leishmania infantum antigen-based immunochromatographic assay for the serodiagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious public health challenge in Brazil and dogs are considered to be the main urban reservoir of the causative agent. The culling of animals to control VL in some countries makes the accurate diagnosis of canine VL (CVL) essential. Recombinant antigens rLci1A and rLci2B were selected from a cDNA library of Leishmania infantum amastigotes due to their strong potential as candidates in diagnostic testing for CVL. The present multicentric study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of a prototype test using these antigens (DPPrLci1A/rLci2B) against 154 sera obtained from symptomatic dogs within three endemic areas of VL in Brazil. The specificity was evaluated using 40 serum samples from negative dogs and dogs infected with other pathogens. Sensitivity and specificity rates of DPP rLci1A/rLci2B prototype were compared to rates from other diagnostic tests currently in use by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, including DPP?LVC, EIE?LVC. Findings: DPP rLci1A/rLci2B prototype offered similar performance to that offered by DPP?LVC rapid test, as follows: sensitivity of 87% (CI 81?91) and 88% (CI 82?93) and specificity of 100% (CI 91?100) and 97% (CI 87?100), respectively for DPP rLci1A/rLci2B and DPP?LVC. When results of these two tests were considered concomitantly, sensitivity increased to 93.5% (CI 89?96). Conclusions: The recombinant antigens rLci1A and rLci2B represent promising candidates for use in a multi-antigen rapid test for CVL. The inclusion of novel antigens to the DPP rLci1A/rLci2B prototype model could offer additionally enhanced sensitivity to detect animals infected by L. infantum

A construção e o caminhar do grupo união agroecológica de inconfidentes: agroecologia como/é resistência/autonomia estudantil

O relato apresentado aborda sobre a construção de um grupo de agroecologia em uma instituição federal de ensino. O grupo foi idealizado por discentes e vem sendo construído pela autonomia e resistência estudantil, autogestionado de maneira horizontal. São inúmeras as atividades desenvolvidas, em parcerias com diversos movimentos sociais, sindicais, estudantis e culturais. A postura tomada pelos discentes do grupo, que deveria ser vista como positiva pelos demais envolvidos e apoiada pela instituição, ocorre de maneira contrária. São poucos os docentes e servidores que apóiam a iniciativa e por parte da instituição não existe apoio algum para a autonomia estudantil, ainda mais quando se diz respeito a uma construção coletiva. O perfil e objetivo do grupo são: jovens que estão buscando conhecimento, através de estudos, pesquisas, extensão e debates nas diversas áreas temáticas da agroecologia que perpetuam questões ambientais e sociais.Eje: B6 Desarrollo rural, movimientos sociales, Estado y agroecología (Relatos de experiencias)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

A construção e o caminhar do grupo união agroecológica de inconfidentes: agroecologia como/é resistência/autonomia estudantil

O relato apresentado aborda sobre a construção de um grupo de agroecologia em uma instituição federal de ensino. O grupo foi idealizado por discentes e vem sendo construído pela autonomia e resistência estudantil, autogestionado de maneira horizontal. São inúmeras as atividades desenvolvidas, em parcerias com diversos movimentos sociais, sindicais, estudantis e culturais. A postura tomada pelos discentes do grupo, que deveria ser vista como positiva pelos demais envolvidos e apoiada pela instituição, ocorre de maneira contrária. São poucos os docentes e servidores que apóiam a iniciativa e por parte da instituição não existe apoio algum para a autonomia estudantil, ainda mais quando se diz respeito a uma construção coletiva. O perfil e objetivo do grupo são: jovens que estão buscando conhecimento, através de estudos, pesquisas, extensão e debates nas diversas áreas temáticas da agroecologia que perpetuam questões ambientais e sociais.Eje: B6 Desarrollo rural, movimientos sociales, Estado y agroecología (Relatos de experiencias)Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale