Uso de dardos anestésicos para a captura de veados campeiros (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) no Pantanal.

Existem poucos relatos sobre a captura de cervídeos na América do Sul. Até hoje, a captura do veado campeiro (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) em vida livre foi feita principalmente com uso de redes, seguida de contenção química. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a viabilidade de captura de indivíduos da espécie utilizando dardos anestésicos, lançados à distância. Essa técnica, também conhecida como ?darting?, nunca havia sido reportada para captura de O. bezoarticus na natureza, pois se acreditava que os animais morreriam em fuga, devido ao estresse relacionado ao tiro. A fim de evitar tal possibilidade, a técnica apresentada incluiu uma fase longa de abordagem dos animais. No geral, a trajetória descrita durante a aproximação teve formato de espiral em torno dos alvos e, via de regra, o atirador adotou ângulos oblíquos para aproximar-se, até alcançar a condição de tiro (<20 m). Entre os anos de 2005 e 2006, foram realizadas 23 capturas de veados campeiros com uso de Zolazepan + Tiletamina (1:1), na dosagem de 10 mg/kg ou Telazol + Xilazina (2:1), na dosagem de 3 a 4,5 mg/kg e 1,5 a 2,25 mg/kg, respectivamente. Os dardos foram lançados com de pistola de gás comprimido ?dartgun? ou zarabatana. Todos os animais capturados recuperam-se após a captura e nenhuma injúria visível foi registrada. Apenas uma mortalidade foi observada durante o estudo. O método mostrou-se eficaz e pode substituir com vantagens o anterior, uma vez que a equipe necessária é menor e o risco de mortalidade mais baixo. A alternativa apresentada é recomendada para futuras capturas de O. bezoarticus. A experiência do atirador é um fator limitante ao método.bitstream/CPAP/55937/1/BP71.pdfFormato eletrônic

Registro de Ocorrência de Jacaré-paguá (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), na RPPN Engenheiro Eliezer Batista, Pantanal, Brasil

O objetivo central do estudo foi identificar riachos, registrar a ocorrência do jacaré-paguá, Paleosuchus palpebrosus, dentro da área da Reserva e no seu entorno, e propor ações de pesquisas com a espécie em longo prazo.bitstream/item/161350/1/COT60.pdfComunicado Técnico Formato Eletrônico

Optical frequency fiber dissemination at 10^&#8722;19 uncertainty level in Italy

We describe the realization of a coherent optical fiber link for the metrological frequency dissemination on the national scale. This infrastructure will improve the frequency references used in radio-astronomy and in atomic physics and will benefit several laboratories in Italy involved in high resolution spectroscopy, matter physics and radioastronomy. The present infrastructure will be part of a forthcoming European network of optical links. This paper describes the haul implementation, the characterization and the future applications of this backbone. © 2014 AEIT

Human immunotypes impose selection on viral genotypes through viral epitope specificity

BACKGROUND: Understanding the genetic interplay between human hosts and infectious pathogens is crucial for how we interpret virulence factors. Here, we tested for associations between HIV and host genetics, and interactive genetic effects on viral load (VL) in HIV+ ART-naive clinical trial participants. METHODS: HIV genomes were sequenced and the encoded amino acid (AA) variants were associated with VL, human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed HLA alleles, using generalized linear models with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Human (388,501 SNPs) and HIV (3,010 variants) genetic data was available for 2,122 persons. Four HIV variants were associated with VL (p-values<1.66×10 -5). Twelve HIV variants were associated with a range of 1-512 human SNPs (p-value<4.28×10 -11). We found 46 associations between HLA alleles and HIV variants (p-values<1.29×10 -7). We found HIV variants and immunotypes when analyzed separately, were associated with lower VL, whereas the opposite was true when analyzed in concert. Epitope binding prediction showed HLA alleles to be weaker binders of associated HIV AA variants relative to alternative variants on the same position. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show the importance of immunotype specificity on viral antigenic determinants, and the identified genetic interplay puts emphasis that viral and human genetics should be studied in the context of each other

Clone-specific expression, transcriptional regulation, and action of interleukin-6 in human colon carcinoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many cancer cells produce interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine that plays a role in growth stimulation, metastasis, and angiogenesis of secondary tumours in a variety of malignancies, including colorectal cancer. Effectiveness of IL-6 in this respect may depend on the quantity of basal and inducible IL-6 expressed as the tumour progresses through stages of malignancy. We therefore have evaluated the effect of <it>IL-6 </it>modulators, i.e. IL-1β, prostaglandin E₂, 17β-estradiol, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, on expression and synthesis of the cytokine at different stages of tumour progression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We utilized cultures of the human colon carcinoma cell clones Caco-2/AQ, COGA-1A and COGA-13, all of which expressed differentiation and proliferation markers typical of distinct stages of tumour progression. IL-6 mRNA and protein levels were assayed by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. DNA sequencing was utilized to detect polymorphisms in the <it>IL-6 </it>gene promoter.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>IL-6 </it>mRNA and protein concentrations were low in well and moderately differentiated Caco-2/AQ and COGA-1A cells, but were high in poorly differentiated COGA-13 cells. Addition of IL-1β (5 ng/ml) to a COGA-13 culture raised IL-6 production approximately thousandfold via a prostaglandin-independent mechanism. Addition of 17β-estradiol (10^-7M) reduced basal IL-6 production by one-third, but IL-1β-inducible IL-6 was unaffected. Search for polymorphisms in the <it>IL-6 </it>promoter revealed the presence of a single haplotype, i.e., -597A/-572G/-174C, in COGA-13 cells, which is associated with a high degree of transcriptional activity of the <it>IL-6 </it>gene. IL-6 blocked differentiation only in Caco-2/AQ cells and stimulated mitosis through up-regulation of c-<it>myc </it>proto-oncogene expression. These effects were inhibited by 10^-8M 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In human colon carcinoma cells derived from well and moderately differentiated tumours, IL-6 expression is low and only marginally affected, if at all, by PGE₂, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, and 17β-estradiol. However, IL-6 is highly abundant in undifferentiated tumour cells and is effectively stimulated by IL-1β. In case of overexpression of an <it>IL-6 </it>gene variant with extreme sensitivity to IL-1β, massive release of the cytokine from undifferentiated tumour cells may accelerate progression towards malignancy by paracrine action on more differentiated tumour cells with a still functioning proliferative IL-6 signalling pathway.</p