Substantial Decrease in Contaminant Concentrations in the Sediments of the Venice (Italy) Canal Network in the Last Two Decades—Implications for Sediment Management

The Venice canal network requires periodic intervention to remove sediments that progressively accumulate. The most recent dredging operation was carried out in the second half of the 1990s and early 2000s. These sediments had accumulated over a period of more than 30 years and were highly contaminated with Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn and PAHs. Sediments deposited after the dredging work were investigated in 2005, 2009, 2014 and 2017 by analysing sediment cores collected from three sites in the canal network. Arsenic, heavy metal and PAH concentrations were observed to be much lower than past values, although Cu, Hg and PAH levels were still relatively high. The high Cu concentrations (mean 161 mg kg−1) are partly due to the widespread use of Cu-based antifouling paint. Current Italian regulations forbid the disposal of dredged sediments with these concentrations inside the lagoon, thereby increasing the cost of canal network maintenance

Measuring and managing changes in estuaries and lagoons: Morphological and eco-toxicological aspects

No abstract available

Liquid-based medium used to prepare cytological breast nipple fluid improves the quality of cellular samples automatic collection

Background: Breast cancer is the second cause of death in women worldwide. The spontaneous breast nipple discharge may contain cells that can be analyzed for malignancy. Halo® Mamo Cyto Test (HMCT) was recently developed as an automated system indicated to aspirate cells from the breast ducts. The objective of this study was to standardize the methodology of sampling and sample preparation of nipple discharge obtained by the automated method Halo breast test and perform cytological evaluation in samples preserved in liquid medium (SurePath™). Methods: We analyzed 564 nipple fluid samples, from women between 20 and 85 years old, without history of breast disease and neoplasia, no pregnancy, and without gynecologic medical history, collected by HMCT method and preserved in two different vials with solutions for transport. Results: From 306 nipple fluid samples from method 1, 199 (65%) were classified as unsatisfactory (class 0), 104 (34%) samples were classified as benign findings (class II), and three (1%) were classified as undetermined to neoplastic cells (class III). From 258 samples analyzed in method 2, 127 (49%) were classified as class 0, 124 (48%) were classified as class II, and seven (2%) were classified as class III. Conclusion: Our study suggests an improvement in the quality and quantity of cellular samples when the association of the two methodologies is performed, Halo breast test and the method in liquid medium

mGlu1 Receptors Monopolize the Synaptic Control of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells by Epigenetically Down-Regulating mGlu5 Receptors

In cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) type-1 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu1) receptors play a key role in motor learning and drive the refinement of synaptic innervation during postnatal development. The cognate mGlu5 receptor is absent in mature PCs and shows low expression levels in the adult cerebellar cortex. Here we found that mGlu5 receptors were heavily expressed by PCs in the early postnatal life, when mGlu1α receptors were barely detectable. The developmental decline of mGlu5 receptors coincided with the appearance of mGlu1α receptors in PCs, and both processes were associated with specular changes in CpG methylation in the corresponding gene promoters. It was the mGlu1 receptor that drove the elimination of mGlu5 receptors from PCs, as shown by data obtained with conditional mGlu1α receptor knockout mice and with targeted pharmacological treatments during critical developmental time windows. The suppressing activity of mGlu1 receptors on mGlu5 receptor was maintained in mature PCs, suggesting that expression of mGlu1α and mGlu5 receptors is mutually exclusive in PCs. These findings add complexity to the the finely tuned mechanisms that regulate PC biology during development and in the adult life and lay the groundwork for an in-depth analysis of the role played by mGlu5 receptors in PC maturation

TRACING ORIGIN AND COLLAPSE OF HOLOCENE BENTHIC BASELINE COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA

The shallow northern Adriatic Sea has a long history of anthropogenic impacts that reaches back many centuries. While the effects of eutrophication, overfishing, pollution, and trawling over recent decades have been extensively studied, the major ecological turnovers during the Holocene as a whole remain poorly explored. In this study, we reconstruct ecological baselines defining benthic ecosystem composition prior to major anthropogenic changes at four stations characterized by low sedimentation and millennial-scale time averaging of molluscan assemblages. We discriminate between natural and anthropogenic drivers based on (1) stratigraphic changes in the composition of molluscan communities observed in sediment cores and (2) changes in concentrations of heavy metals, pollutants, and organic enrichment. The four 1.5-m long sediment cores reach back to the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary, allowing for a stratigraphic distinction of the major sea-level phases of the Holocene. During the transgressive phase and maximum flooding, sea-level and establishment of the modern circulation pattern determined the development of benthic communities in shallow-water, vegetated habitats with epifaunal biostromes and, in deeper waters, with bryozoan meadows. After sea-level stabilization, the composition of these baseline communities remained relatively uniform and started to change markedly only with the intensification of human impacts in the late highstand, leading to a dominance of infauna and a decline of epifauna at all sites. This profound ecological change reduced species richness, increased the abundance of infaunal suspension feeders, and led to a decline of grazers and deposit feeders. We suggest that modern soft-bottom benthic communities in the northern Adriatic Sea today do not show the high geographic heterogeneity in composition characteristic of benthos prior to anthropogenic influences

Uso do teste Lercafé para a caracterização de danos em sementes de cafeeiro

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of the Lercafé test for estimating the germination and characterizing different types of injuries in coffee seeds. Seeds of arabica coffee cultivar Catuaí IAC 44 were submitted to the following treatments: nondamaged seeds, heat damage (at 40 and 60ºC), and bug damage. Seeds were assessed by the tests of germination and Lercafé. The germination results estimated by Lercafé test had high correlation with the results from the germination test for the two types of injuries. The heat damage, by drying seeds at high temperatures, was characterized by scattered green stains, partially or totally covering the seed endosperm. A sunken lesion surrounded by a green ring characterized the damage by coffee berry borer. Lercafé test is efficient to estimate the germination and to characterize the injuries by heat and coffee berry borer, in coffee seeds.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a utilização do teste Lercafé, para estimar a germinação e caracterizar diferentes tipos de danos em sementes de cafeeiro. Utilizaram-se sementes de cafeeiro arábica cultivar Catuaí IAC 44, submetidas aos seguintes tratamentos: sementes sem dano, sementes com dano por secagem a 40 e 60ºC, e sementes brocadas. As sementes foram avaliadas pelos testes de germinação e Lercafé. Em relação aos dois tipos de danos, os resultados de germinação, estimada pelo Lercafé, apresentaram alta correlação com os obtidos pelo teste de germinação. O dano por secagem à alta temperatura caracterizou-se pelo aparecimento de manchas esverdeadas espalhadas, que atingiram parcial ou totalmente o endosperma da semente. O dano por broca caracterizou-se por uma depressão circundada por um anel de coloração verde. O teste Lercafé é eficiente para estimar a germinação e caracterizar os danos por secagem à alta temperatura e os causados por broca, em sementes de cafeeiro

Eficácia de métodos para predição do Pré-eclampsia por Doppler das artérias uterinas no primeiro trimestre da gestação / Effectiveness of Preeclampsia prediction methods using Uterine Artery Doppler Imaging in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

Avaliar a eficácia de dois métodos, vaginal e abdominal, do Doppler das artérias uterinas utilizando o IP médio para predição do Pré-eclampsia (PE) no primeiro trimestre da gravidez.Estudo observacional prospectivo avaliando 351 mulheres em gestação única no período de setembro de 2015 a dezembro de 2016 em duas instituições: Clínica Origem e o Instituto da Mama de Ubá.Para o IP médio vaginal, foram obtidas as estimativas de 77,8% de valor preditivo positivo, 81,7% de valor preditivo negativo, 30,4% de sensibilidade, 98,1% de especificidade, 1,9% de taxa de falso positivo, 69,6% de taxa de falso negativo e 0,37 do índice Kappa. Basicamente, o IP médio vaginal possibilitou melhores resultados para dois índices: valor preditivo positivo e índice de Kappa.A probabilidade de detecção da PE aumenta em função dos aumentos do IP médio e IMC. Caso de utilizar o IP médio vaginal a qualidade da relação passa para 22,6%.O método vaginal tem melhor capacidade de predição da PE comparado ao método abdominal. O aumento do IMC aumenta a chance de ocorrência da PE. Os valores de referências recomendados para IP abdominal e vaginal são iguais a 2,5 e 3, respectivamente.

Desenvolvimento radicular e influxo de nitrogênio em duas cultivares de arroz

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the genotypical differences on rates of nitrogen absorption, as related to root developmental patterns, on two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars. The cultivars IAC 4440 and Comum Branco, adapted to irrigated and upland tillage respectively, were grown in nutrient solution, when seven harvests were performed at ten days intervals. Regardless the narrow differences between cultivars on root dry mass production, IAC 4440 showed greater total root surface area, with finer roots and higher specific root area, as a consequence of a more intensive tillering, associated with higher nitrogen concentration in leaves and stems. Nitrogen influxes into roots were significantly higher in Comum Branco between 35 and 55 days after planting, when differences on root developmental patterns of cultivars have initiated. The lower nitrogen influx of IAC 4440 was compensated by its greater production of root area, resulting in similar nitrogen accumulation rates on both cultivars.Foi conduzido um experimento para avaliar as diferenças genotípicas nas taxas de absorção de nitrogênio, associadas aos padrões de desenvolvimento radicular, em duas cultivares de arroz (Oryza sativa L.). As cultivares IAC 4440 e Comum Branco, adaptadas, respectivamente, ao cultivo sob irrigação e sequeiro, foram crescidas em solução nutritiva, efetuando-se sete coletas em intervalos de dez dias. Apesar das pequenas diferenças entre as cultivares na produção de massa seca radicular, IAC 4440 apresentou maior área radicular total, com raízes mais finas e maior área radicular específica, como conseqüência de um maior perfilhamento, associado a maiores teores de nitrogênio em folhas e colmos. Os influxos radiculares de nitrogênio foram significativamente superiores em Comum Branco entre 35 e 55 dias após plantio, estádio em que principiaram as diferenças nos padrões de desenvolvimento radicular das cultivares. O menor influxo de nitrogênio em IAC 4440 foi compensado pela maior produção de área radicular, resultando em taxas de acumulação de nitrogênio similares nas duas cultivares

Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877 e Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) associados a Eucalyptus spp.

The process of producing eucalyptus seedlings hosts a complex of arthropods, which can highlight sucking insects, such as aphids. The aim was to study aphids on seedlings and mini-stumps in a clonal mini-garden of eucalyptus in Brazil, through their identification, studies of population growth and host preference of these insects in different species of eucalyptus. In this study, it is registered, for the first time in Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil, the species Aphis gossypii Glover 1887 and Aphis spiraecola Patch 1914 (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Aphid colonies were observed in April and March 2018 infesting Eucalyptus pellita and Eucalyptus brassiana seedlings in the greenhouse of the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI), in Teresina, Piauí; and in a clonal mini-garden of Eucalyptus spp. from the PlantBem seedling production nursery in Monsenhor Gil, Piauí. The population growth of Aphis spiraecola was evaluated using the instantaneous growth rate (ri) in six species of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus pellita, Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus brassiana, Eucalyptus urophylla, Eucalyptus tereticornis e Corymbia citriodora), as well as the aphid host preference for these species was tested through a choice test. Only in Corymbia citriodora there was no population growth of Aphis spiraecola. Aphis spiraecola showed less host preference for Corymbia citriodora, while Eucalyptus pellita and Eucalyptus urophylla were the preferred species. This is the first record of Aphis gossypii in a clonal mini-garden of eucalyptus and of Aphis spiraecola in seedlings of Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil.No processo de produção de mudas de eucalipto ocorre um complexo de artrópodes, podendo destacar os insetos sugadores, como pulgões. Objetivou-se estudar pulgões em mudas e minicepas em minijardim clonal de eucalipto no Brasil, através de sua identificação, estudos de crescimento populacional e preferência hospedeira desses insetos em diferentes espécies de eucalipto. Neste estudo registra-se, pela primeira vez em Eucalyptus spp. no Brasil, as espécies Aphis gossypii Glover, 1887 e Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Colônias de pulgões foram observadas em abril e março de 2018 infestando mudas de Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell e Eucalyptus brassiana S.T. Blake na casa de vegetação da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), em Teresina, Piauí; e em minijardim clonal de Eucalyptus spp. do viveiro de produção de mudas PlantBem, em Monsenhor Gil, Piauí. O crescimento populacional de Aphis spiraecola foi avaliado através da utilização da taxa instantânea de crescimento (ri) em seis espécies de eucalipto (Eucalyptus pellita, Eucalyptus grandis W.Hill ex Maiden, Eucalyptus brassiana, Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake, Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith e Corymbia citriodora (Hook.) K.D. Hill & L.A.S. Johnson), assim como foi testada a preferência hospedeira do pulgão por essas espécies através de teste com chance de escolha. Apenas em Corymbia citriodora não houve crescimento populacional de A. spiraecola. Aphis spiraecola demonstrou menor preferência hospedeira por Corymbia citriodora, enquanto as espécies Eucalyptus pellita e Eucalyptus urophylla foram as preferidas. Este é o primeiro registro de Aphis gossypii em minijardim clonal de eucalipto e de Aphis spiraecola em mudas de Eucalyptus spp. no Brasil

Acupuntura de equilíbrio como coadjuvante no tratamento de disfunções temporomandibulares

No presente estudo apresenta-se um relato de caso clínico sobre o uso da acupuntura, uma terapia milenar desenvolvida na China, como adjuvante à terapia clínica tradicional para dores orofaciais, com o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia dessa prática integrativa nesses casos. Utilizando-se pontos energéticos, busca-se a liberação natural de substâncias que bloqueiam estímulos dolorosos, impedindo sua percepção pelo cérebro, atuando no relaxamento e com ação anti-inflamatória. A paciente, que fazia uso de diversos medicamentos, com dor orofacial como queixa principal e apertamento dos dentes à noite, após três sessões de 30 minutos de acupuntura realizadas na Clínica I da Unoesc Joaçaba por profissional especializado, conforme indicação, relatou redução das dores e melhora na qualidade do sono, o que leva à conclusão de que a acupuntura, como na literatura revisada, se utilizada de forma correta e dentro de suas limitações, é uma terapia complementar útil, eficaz e de baixo custo no tratamento das disfunções temporomandibulares. Palavras-chave: Acupuntura. Terapia. Dor orofacial