Species Composition and WNV Screening of Mosquitoes from Lagoons in a Wetland Area of the Algarve, Portugal

The aim of this study was to evaluate mosquito abundance, species diversity, larval and adult population dynamics in seven lagoons integrated in the wetland coastal system of the Algarve, Portugal, in the summer of 2007, as well as the screening of these for West Nile virus (WNV). WNV has been isolated from mosquitoes in this region, in the summer of 2004, next to the putative area of infection of two linked human WN cases. Adult mosquitoes were collected with CDC traps baited with CO2, and potential breeding sites were surveyed for immature stages. Morphological identification of 1,432 adult mosquitoes and 85 larvae revealed the presence of 10 species: Anopheles atroparvus, Anopheles algeriensis, Coquillettidia richiardii, Culex modestus, Culex pipiens, Culex theileri, Culex univittatus, Culiseta longiareolata, Aedes caspius, and Aedes detritus. Adult mosquito peak densities were recorded in July, contrasting with null larval breeding in the same month in the surveyed biotopes. Most abundant species were C. pipiens (52%), C. theileri (29%), and A. caspius (11%). Lagoon Salgados and Quinta das Salinas, exhibited the highest similarity of culicid fauna, despite being most distant from each other, Female mosquitoes (1,249 specimens) screened by RT-PCR, did not reveal WNV products. However, previous detection of WNV activity in this area, susceptible to re-introductions, demands for continued vigilance

O olhar dos psiquiatras brasileiros sobre os fenômenos de transe e possessão

BACKGROUND: Trance and possession experiences have raised interest among Brazilian psychiatrists resulting in a variety of approaches. OBJECTIVES: To describe and analyze how Brazilian psychiatrists approached trance and possession experiences: these experiences impact on theory, research and clinical practice between 1900 and 1950. METHOD: Analysis of papers, thesis, and books on trances and possessions written by Brazilian psychiatrists between 1900 and 1950. RESULTS: We detected two main approaches, the first one, related to schools of medicine in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, under strong influence of French researchers, focused on the dangers of spiritism to mental health. They advocated a repressive action to be enforced by governmental authorities. Psychiatrists from schools of medicine in Bahia and Pernambuco formed the second group. Although having not denied the "primitive" or pathological nature of trance and possession phenomena, they held a more anthropological and cultural approach. Some psychiatrists considered these experiences as racial or cultural manifestations, and claimed that the education and medical control of people would make them give up these primitive practices. Others have not considered that mediumistic phenoma are related to mental disorders or inferior cultural level. DISCUSSION: Mediumistic religions were the subject of a long-term investigation conducted by Brazilian psychiatrists resulting in diversified theories and practices which represent a valuable opportunity for the study of sociocultural factors impact on the psychiatric activity.CONTEXTO: Os fenômenos de transe e possessão despertaram o interesse da comunidade psiquiátrica brasileira, gerando posturas diversificadas. OBJETIVOS: Descrever e analisar como os fenômenos de transe e possessão foram tratados pelos psiquiatras brasileiros: seu impacto na teoria, na pesquisa e na prática clínica entre 1900 e 1950. MÉTODO: Análise de artigos científicos e leigos, teses e livros sobre transes e possessões produzidos pelos psiquiatras brasileiros entre 1900 e 1950. RESULTADOS: Identificam-se duas correntes de pensamento entre os psiquiatras. A primeira, vinculada às Faculdades de Medicina do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, sob forte influência de autores franceses, deteve-se mais na periculosidade do espiritismo para a saúde mental. Defendia a adoção de medidas repressivas com o poder público. O segundo grupo de psiquiatras, ligado às Faculdades de Medicina da Bahia e Pernambuco, embora não desconsiderasse o caráter patológico ou "primitivo" dos fenômenos de transe e possessão, apresentou uma visão mais antropológica e culturalista. Considerando tais fenômenos como manifestações étnicas ou culturais, alguns defenderam o controle médico e a educação do povo para o abandono dessas práticas "primitivas". Outros não consideravam os fenômenos mediúnicos como desencadeadores da loucura, mas manifestações não-patológicas de um universo cultural, além de não vinculá-los ao atraso cultural da população. CONCLUSÕES: As religiões mediúnicas foram objeto de estudo por longo período, resultando hipóteses e práticas diferenciadas por parte da comunidade psiquiátrica brasileira, constituindo-se oportunidade privilegiada para o estudo do impacto dos fatores socioculturais na atividade psiquiátrica

Forage Intake and Nitrogen Retention in Wethers Fed Ryegrass Haylage Supplemented with Maize Silage

Many decision support tools have been developed to predict herbage intake with herbivore ruminants indoors (Faverdin 1992) or at grazing, both using short-term (Baumont et al. 2004) or daily scale input variables (Heard et al. 2004; Delagarde et al. 2011). However, the ingestive and digestive interactions when diets with more than one type of forage are used have not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maize silage supplementation to wethers receiving ryegrass haylage on OM intake, OM digestibility, microbial protein synthesis and N retention

Hippocampal Astrocytes in Migrating and Wintering Semipalmated Sandpiper

Seasonal migratory birds return to the same breeding and wintering grounds year after year, and migratory long-distance shorebirds are good examples of this. These tasks require learning and long-term spatial memory abilities that are integrated into a navigational system for repeatedly locating breeding, wintering, and stopover sites. Previous investigations focused on the neurobiological basis of hippocampal plasticity and numerical estimates of hippocampal neurogenesis in birds but only a few studies investigated potential contributions of glial cells to hippocampal-dependent tasks related to migration. Here we hypothesized that the astrocytes of migrating and wintering birds may exhibit significant morphological and numerical differences connected to the long-distance flight. We used as a model the semipalmated sandpipe

Usefulness of circulating E-selectin to early detection of the atherosclerotic process in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud This cross-sectional analysis evaluated whether determination of E-selectin concentrations could identify deterioration of cardiometabolic risk profile or subclinical atherosclerosis in individuals at low-to-moderate risk included in The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health—ELSA-Brasil.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud A sample of 984 individuals from ELSA-Brasil (35–54 years) without cardiovascular disease or diabetes was stratified according to E-selectin tertiles. Traditional risk factors, inflammatory markers and categories of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores were evaluated across the tertiles by ANOVA or Chi-squared test. In linear regression models, associations of E-selectin levels with insulin resistance index, adjusted for age, sex and adiposity were tested.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The mean age of the participants was 45.8 (SD 4.9) years and 55 % were women. Mean values of age, anthropometric data, biochemical variables and inflammatory status increased across E-selectin tertiles. Also, a gradual deterioration of the cardiometabolic profile was reflected by increments in frequencies (95 % CI) of BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 [53.7 % (48.5–58.8), 61.0 % (56.1–66.5) and 64.2 % (59.0–69.4), p = 0.019], hypertension [18.0 % (14.1–22.8), 19.8 % (15.4–24.6) and 24.8 % (20.4–29.9), p = 0.048], pre-diabetes [62.5 % (57.4–68.3), 63.1 % (58.4–69.6) and 73.8 % (68.8–78.3), p = 0.003] and hypertriglyceridemia [22.4 % (17.9–27.2), 27.3 % (22.5–32.8) and 33.4 % (28.3–38.5), p = 0.013]. Insulinemia and HOMA-IR were independently associated with E-selectin concentration. A greater proportion of individuals with CAC scores different from zero was found in the third tertile when compared with the first and second tertiles (16.1 versus 11 %, p = 0.04, respectively).\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud Direct associations of E-selectin with traditional risk factors slightly above their normal ranges, components of the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and presence of CAC suggest that this biomarker may indicate an initial atherogenic process.The ELSA-Brasil baseline study was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of\ud Health (Science and Technology Department) and the Brazilian Ministry of\ud Science and Technology and CNPq—National Research Council) (Grants # 01\ud 06 0010.00 RS, 01 06 0212.00 BA, 01 06 0300.00 ES, 01 06 0278.00 MG, 01 06\ud 0115.00 SP, 01 06 0071.00 RJ). The current work was supported by grant from\ud the São Paulo State Foundation for Research Support (Fundação de Amparo\ud à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP—Protocol 2010/00074-6), São\ud Paulo, SP, Brazil

Usefulness of circulating E-selectin to early detection of the atherosclerotic process in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud This cross-sectional analysis evaluated whether determination of E-selectin concentrations could identify deterioration of cardiometabolic risk profile or subclinical atherosclerosis in individuals at low-to-moderate risk included in The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health—ELSA-Brasil.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud A sample of 984 individuals from ELSA-Brasil (35–54 years) without cardiovascular disease or diabetes was stratified according to E-selectin tertiles. Traditional risk factors, inflammatory markers and categories of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores were evaluated across the tertiles by ANOVA or Chi-squared test. In linear regression models, associations of E-selectin levels with insulin resistance index, adjusted for age, sex and adiposity were tested.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The mean age of the participants was 45.8 (SD 4.9) years and 55 % were women. Mean values of age, anthropometric data, biochemical variables and inflammatory status increased across E-selectin tertiles. Also, a gradual deterioration of the cardiometabolic profile was reflected by increments in frequencies (95 % CI) of BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 [53.7 % (48.5–58.8), 61.0 % (56.1–66.5) and 64.2 % (59.0–69.4), p = 0.019], hypertension [18.0 % (14.1–22.8), 19.8 % (15.4–24.6) and 24.8 % (20.4–29.9), p = 0.048], pre-diabetes [62.5 % (57.4–68.3), 63.1 % (58.4–69.6) and 73.8 % (68.8–78.3), p = 0.003] and hypertriglyceridemia [22.4 % (17.9–27.2), 27.3 % (22.5–32.8) and 33.4 % (28.3–38.5), p = 0.013]. Insulinemia and HOMA-IR were independently associated with E-selectin concentration. A greater proportion of individuals with CAC scores different from zero was found in the third tertile when compared with the first and second tertiles (16.1 versus 11 %, p = 0.04, respectively).\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud Direct associations of E-selectin with traditional risk factors slightly above their normal ranges, components of the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and presence of CAC suggest that this biomarker may indicate an initial atherogenic process.The ELSA-Brasil baseline study was supported by the Brazilian Ministry of\ud Health (Science and Technology Department) and the Brazilian Ministry of\ud Science and Technology and CNPq—National Research Council) (Grants # 01\ud 06 0010.00 RS, 01 06 0212.00 BA, 01 06 0300.00 ES, 01 06 0278.00 MG, 01 06\ud 0115.00 SP, 01 06 0071.00 RJ). The current work was supported by grant from\ud the São Paulo State Foundation for Research Support (Fundação de Amparo\ud à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP—Protocol 2010/00074-6), São\ud Paulo, SP, Brazil

Diversity of ferns and lycophytes in Brazil

This compilation of ferns and lycophytes in Brazil is an update of the one published in 2010 in Catálogo de Plantas e Fungos do Brasil. The methodology consisted in collecting data from regional checklists, taxonomic revisions, and selected databases. Invited specialists improved the list accessing a website housed at the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. The results show 1,253 species: 1,111 of ferns and 142 of lycophytes. This number is 6.5% higher than the previous one (1,176 spp.). The percentage of endemic species decreased from 38.2% to 36.7%. We recognized 36 families and 133 genera (vs. 33 families, 121 genera in 2010). The 10 most diverse families are Pteridaceae (196 spp.), Dryopteridaceae (179), Polypodiaceae (164), Hymenophyllaceae (90), Thelypteridaceae (86), Aspleniaceae (78), Lycopodiaceae (64), Selaginellaceae (55), Anemiaceae (51), and Cyatheaceae (45). The three most diverse genera are still Elaphoglossum (87 spp.), Thelypteris (85), and Asplenium (74). The richest phytogeographic domain continues to be in the Atlantic Rainforest with 883 species which also has the largest number of endemic and threatened species, followed by the Amazon Rainforest (503), Cerrado (269), Pantanal (30), Caatinga (26), and Pampa (eight). Minas Gerais remains as the richest state (657 spp. vs. 580 in 2010).Esta compilação de samambaias e licófitas do Brasil é uma atualização daquela de 2010, no Catálogo de Plantas e Fungos do Brasil. A metodologia consistiu na reunião de dados de listas regionais, revisões de grupos e bancos de dados selecionados. Especialistas convidados melhoraram a lista através do acesso a um sítio da web do Jardim Botânico do Rio Janeiro. Os resultados apontam uma diversidade de 1.253 espécies, sendo 1.111 samambaias e 142 licófitas. Este número é 6,5% maior que o anterior (1.176 espécies). As espécies endêmicas decresceram de 38,2% para 36,7%. Foram reconhecidas 36 famílias e 133 gêneros (vs. 33 famílias, 121 gêneros em 2010). As dez famílias mais diversas são: Pteridaceae (196 espécies), Dryopteridaceae (179), Polypodiaceae (164), Hymenophyllaceae (90), Thelypteridaceae (86), Aspleniaceae (78), Lycopodiaceae (64), Selaginellaceae (55), Anemiaceae (51) e Cyatheaceae (45). Os três gêneros mais diversos continuam sendo Elaphoglossum (87 espécies), Thelypteris (85) e Asplenium (74). O Domínio Fitogeográfico mais rico continua sendo a Mata Atlântica (883 espécies) e também com mais espécies endêmicas e ameaçadas, seguido pela Amazônia (503 espécies), Cerrado (269), Pantanal (30), Caatinga (26) e Pampa (oito). Minas Gerais permanece como o estado com maior riqueza (657 espécies vs. 580 em 2010)

Sialic Acid Glycobiology Unveils Trypanosoma cruzi Trypomastigote Membrane Physiology.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the flagellate protozoan agent of Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis, is unable to synthesize sialic acids de novo. Mucins and trans-sialidase (TS) are substrate and enzyme, respectively, of the glycobiological system that scavenges sialic acid from the host in a crucial interplay for T. cruzi life cycle. The acquisition of the sialyl residue allows the parasite to avoid lysis by serum factors and to interact with the host cell. A major drawback to studying the sialylation kinetics and turnover of the trypomastigote glycoconjugates is the difficulty to identify and follow the recently acquired sialyl residues. To tackle this issue, we followed an unnatural sugar approach as bioorthogonal chemical reporters, where the use of azidosialyl residues allowed identifying the acquired sugar. Advanced microscopy techniques, together with biochemical methods, were used to study the trypomastigote membrane from its glycobiological perspective. Main sialyl acceptors were identified as mucins by biochemical procedures and protein markers. Together with determining their shedding and turnover rates, we also report that several membrane proteins, including TS and its substrates, both glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, are separately distributed on parasite surface and contained in different and highly stable membrane microdomains. Notably, labeling for α(1,3)Galactosyl residues only partially colocalize with sialylated mucins, indicating that two species of glycosylated mucins do exist, which are segregated at the parasite surface. Moreover, sialylated mucins were included in lipid-raft-domains, whereas TS molecules are not. The location of the surface-anchored TS resulted too far off as to be capable to sialylate mucins, a role played by the shed TS instead. Phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase-C activity is actually not present in trypomastigotes. Therefore, shedding of TS occurs via microvesicles instead of as a fully soluble form

High precision astrometry mission for the detection and characterization of nearby habitable planetary systems with the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope (NEAT)

(abridged) A complete census of planetary systems around a volume-limited sample of solar-type stars (FGK dwarfs) in the Solar neighborhood with uniform sensitivity down to Earth-mass planets within their Habitable Zones out to several AUs would be a major milestone in extrasolar planets astrophysics. This fundamental goal can be achieved with a mission concept such as NEAT - the Nearby Earth Astrometric Telescope. NEAT is designed to carry out space-borne extremely-high-precision astrometric measurements sufficient to detect dynamical effects due to orbiting planets of mass even lower than Earth's around the nearest stars. Such a survey mission would provide the actual planetary masses and the full orbital geometry for all the components of the detected planetary systems down to the Earth-mass limit. The NEAT performance limits can be achieved by carrying out differential astrometry between the targets and a set of suitable reference stars in the field. The NEAT instrument design consists of an off-axis parabola single-mirror telescope, a detector with a large field of view made of small movable CCDs located around a fixed central CCD, and an interferometric calibration system originating from metrology fibers located at the primary mirror. The proposed mission architecture relies on the use of two satellites operating at L2 for 5 years, flying in formation and offering a capability of more than 20,000 reconfigurations (alternative option uses deployable boom). The NEAT primary science program will encompass an astrometric survey of our 200 closest F-, G- and K-type stellar neighbors, with an average of 50 visits. The remaining time might be allocated to improve the characterization of the architecture of selected planetary systems around nearby targets of specific interest (low-mass stars, young stars, etc.) discovered by Gaia, ground-based high-precision radial-velocity surveys.Comment: Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy. The full member list of the NEAT proposal and the news about the project are available at http://neat.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co