Biotechnological potential of growth-promoting bacteria in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crop

Studies involving plant growth-promoting bacteria are attracting increasing attention in the agricultural sector due to their potential to improve growth and production, and to protect plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of three species of plant growth-promoting bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Priestia megaterium, and Priestia aryabhattai) on the growth and morphological and biochemical aspects of Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton) seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with four treatments (one control and three inoculations) and five replications per treatment. The seeds were inoculated by immersion in bacterial suspensions (109CFU/mL) and then sown in pots. The plants were monitored for 60 days. During collection, the plants were measured for the fresh mass of roots and shoots, the height of the shoots, stem diameter, and number of leaves. Leaf samples were collected and used for biochemical analyses. The results obtained showed that seeds treated with P. aryabhattaihad significant improvements in the parameters of fresh mass, plant height, stem diameter, and number of leaves, and in the contents of chlorophyll (a, b, and total), nitrogen, and proteins concerning plants in the control treatment. Plants treated with P. megaterium also achieved improvements in fresh mass, stem diameter, nitrogen, and protein contents. These results indicate the potential of these plant growth-promoting bacteria for use in cotton crops and can be employed in the preparation of biostimulants and biofertilizers.Estudos envolvendo bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas vêm chamando cada vez mais atenção no setor agrícola, devido ao seu potencial para melhorar o crescimento, produção e proteger as plantas dos estresses bióticos e abióticos. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de três espécies de bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas (Bacillus subtilis, Priestia megaterium e Priestia aryabhattai) no crescimento e nos aspectos morfológicos e bioquímicos de plântulas de Gossypium hirsutumL. (algodão). O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação com quatro tratamentos (um controle e três inoculações) e cinco repetições por tratamento. As sementes foram inoculadas por imersão em suspensões bacterianas (109 UFC/mL) e então semeadas em vasos. As plantas foram acompanhadas por 60 dias. Na coleta, as plantas foram mensuradas quanto à massa fresca das raízes e da parte aérea, à altura da parte aérea, ao diâmetro do caule e número de folhas. Amostras foliares foram submetidas às análises bioquímicas. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que sementes tratadas com P. aryabhattai tiveram melhorias significativas nos parâmetros de massa fresca, altura da planta, diâmetro do caule e número de folhas e nos teores de clorofila (a, b e total), nitrogênio e proteínas em relação às plantas do tratamento controle. Plantas tratadas com P. megaterium também obtiveram melhorias na massa fresca, no diâmetro do caule e nos teores de nitrogênio e proteínas. Esses resultados indicam um potencial dessas bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas para utilização em culturas do algodão, podendo ser empregadas na elaboração de bioestimulantes e biofertilizantes

ASSOCIAÇÃO DO CARCINOMA PAPILÍFERO DE TIREÓIDE E TIREOIDITE DE HASHIMOTO

RESUMO: Este relato de caso pretende mostrar a relação entre Carcinoma Papilar da Tireóide (CPT) e Tireoidite de Hashimoto (TH) ocorrendo em uma mulher jovem, uma vez que representam os tipos de tumor mais comuns da tireóide e as principais causas de hipotireoidismo respectivamente e ambos são de ocorrência mais comum em mulheres. Acredita-se que haja um background genético comum em relação ao CPT e a TH. Levanta-se a questão acerca da necessidade de atenção no manejo de pacientes com TH.ASSOCIATION OF PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA AND HASHIMOTOThis case report intents to show the relationship between Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) occurring in a young woman as they are the most common neoplasm and the main cause for hypothyroidism respectively and both are more commonly to occur in women. It is believed that there is a genetic background concerned to PTC and HT. It issues the need of attention while managing patients with HT.Keywords: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. papillary thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid

Uso seguro de anticoncepcionais hormonais injetáveis segundo critérios médicos de elegibilidade / Safe use of injectable hormonal contraceptives according to medical eligibility criteria

Objetivo: Classificar usuárias de anticoncepcionais hormonais injetáveis (AHI) quanto ao uso seguro segundo os critérios médicos de elegibilidade da Oraganização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) e verificar a associação entre tipo de injetável e tempo de uso com o uso seguro. Métodos: Estudo transversal, descritivo e exploratório. A população foi composta pelas 52 usuárias de AHI. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista, que seguiu formulário elaborado pelas autoras, sendo identificado fatores que contraindicassem ou indicassem o uso do método, classificando-as em categorias de 1 a 4. O Projeto foi aprovado pelo Comitê de ética e pesquisa da Universidade Federal do Ceará, CAEE:36668314.3.0000.5054. Resultados:Foram identificadas 44 (84,7%) mulheres em uso seguro e 8 (15,3%) inseguro. Usuárias há mais de um ano tiveram uma frequência maior de uso inseguro (p=0,001). Conclusão: Seguir as recomendações da OMS deve ser rotina nas cosultas de enfermagem visando à proteção e segurança da mulher.

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots

Tropical forests are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. While better understanding of these forests is critical for our collective future, until quite recently efforts to measure and monitor them have been largely disconnected. Networking is essential to discover the answers to questions that transcend borders and the horizons of funding agencies. Here we show how a global community is responding to the challenges of tropical ecosystem research with diverse teams measuring forests tree-by-tree in thousands of long-term plots. We review the major scientific discoveries of this work and show how this process is changing tropical forest science. Our core approach involves linking long-term grassroots initiatives with standardized protocols and data management to generate robust scaled-up results. By connecting tropical researchers and elevating their status, our Social Research Network model recognises the key role of the data originator in scientific discovery. Conceived in 1999 with RAINFOR (South America), our permanent plot networks have been adapted to Africa (AfriTRON) and Southeast Asia (T-FORCES) and widely emulated worldwide. Now these multiple initiatives are integrated via ForestPlots.net cyber-infrastructure, linking colleagues from 54 countries across 24 plot networks. Collectively these are transforming understanding of tropical forests and their biospheric role. Together we have discovered how, where and why forest carbon and biodiversity are responding to climate change, and how they feedback on it. This long-term pan-tropical collaboration has revealed a large long-term carbon sink and its trends, as well as making clear which drivers are most important, which forest processes are affected, where they are changing, what the lags are, and the likely future responses of tropical forests as the climate continues to change. By leveraging a remarkably old technology, plot networks are sparking a very modern revolution in tropical forest science. In the future, humanity can benefit greatly by nurturing the grassroots communities now collectively capable of generating unique, long-term understanding of Earth's most precious forests.Additional co-authors: Susan Laurance, William Laurance, Francoise Yoko Ishida, Andrew Marshall, Catherine Waite, Hannsjoerg Woell, Jean-Francois Bastin, Marijn Bauters, Hans Beeckman, Pfascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Charles De Canniere, Thales de Haulleville, Jean-Louis Doucet, Olivier Hardy, Wannes Hubau, Elizabeth Kearsley, Hans Verbeeck, Jason Vleminckx, Steven W. Brewer, Alfredo Alarcón, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Ezequiel Chavez, Todd Fredericksen, René Guillén Villaroel, Gloria Gutierrez Sibauty, Timothy Killeen, Juan Carlos Licona, John Lleigue, Casimiro Mendoza, Samaria Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Guido Pardo, Marielos Peña-Claros, Lourens Poorter, Marisol Toledo, Jeanneth Villalobos Cayo, Laura Jessica Viscarra, Vincent Vos, Jorge Ahumada, Everton Almeida, Jarcilene Almeida, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Wesley Alves da Cruz, Atila Alves de Oliveira, Fabrício Alvim Carvalho, Flávio Amorim Obermuller, Ana Andrade, Fernanda Antunes Carvalho, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Ana Carla Aquino, Luiz Aragão, Ana Claudia Araújo, Marco Antonio Assis, Jose Ataliba Mantelli Aboin Gomes, Fabrício Baccaro, Plínio Barbosa de Camargo, Paulo Barni, Jorcely Barroso, Luis Carlos Bernacci, Kauane Bordin, Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros, Igor Broggio, José Luís Camargo, Domingos Cardoso, Maria Antonia Carniello, Andre Luis Casarin Rochelle, Carolina Castilho, Antonio Alberto Jorge Farias Castro, Wendeson Castro, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Flávia Costa, Rodrigo Costa de Oliveira, Italo Coutinho, John Cunha, Lola da Costa, Lucia da Costa Ferreira, Richarlly da Costa Silva, Marta da Graça Zacarias Simbine, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura, Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Lia de Oliveira Melo, Luciano de Queiroz, José Romualdo de Sousa Lima, Mário do Espírito Santo, Tomas Domingues, Nayane Cristina dos Santos Prestes, Steffan Eduardo Silva Carneiro, Fernando Elias, Gabriel Eliseu, Thaise Emilio, Camila Laís Farrapo, Letícia Fernandes, Gustavo Ferreira, Joice Ferreira, Leandro Ferreira, Socorro Ferreira, Marcelo Fragomeni Simon, Maria Aparecida Freitas, Queila S. García, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Paulo Graça, Frederico Guilherme, Eduardo Hase, Niro Higuchi, Mariana Iguatemy, Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa, Margarita Jaramillo, Carlos Joly, Joice Klipel, Iêda Leão do Amaral, Carolina Levis, Antonio S. Lima, Maurício Lima Dan, Aline Lopes, Herison Madeiros, William E. Magnusson, Rubens Manoel dos Santos, Beatriz Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Roberta Marotti Martelletti Grillo, Luiz Martinelli, Simone Matias Reis, Salomão Medeiros, Milton Meira-Junior, Thiago Metzker, Paulo Morandi, Natanael Moreira do Nascimento, Magna Moura, Sandra Cristina Müller, Laszlo Nagy, Henrique Nascimento, Marcelo Nascimento, Adriano Nogueira Lima, Raimunda Oliveira de Araújo, Jhonathan Oliveira Silva, Marcelo Pansonato, Gabriel Pavan Sabino, Karla Maria Pedra de Abreu, Pablo José Francisco Pena Rodrigues, Maria Piedade, Domingos Rodrigues, José Roberto Rodrigues Pinto, Carlos Quesada, Eliana Ramos, Rafael Ramos, Priscyla Rodrigues, Thaiane Rodrigues de Sousa, Rafael Salomão, Flávia Santana, Marcos Scaranello, Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Juliana Schietti, Jochen Schöngart, Gustavo Schwartz, Natalino Silva, Marcos Silveira, Cristiana Simão Seixas, Marta Simbine, Ana Claudia Souza, Priscila Souza, Rodolfo Souza, Tereza Sposito, Edson Stefani Junior, Julio Daniel do Vale, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Dora Villela, Marcos Vital, Haron Xaud, Katia Zanini, Charles Eugene Zartman, Nur Khalish Hafizhah Ideris, Faizah binti Hj Metali, Kamariah Abu Salim, Muhd Shahruney Saparudin, Rafizah Mat Serudin, Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri, Serge Begne, George Chuyong, Marie Noel Djuikouo, Christelle Gonmadje, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Bonaventure Sonké, Hermann Taedoumg, Lise Zemagho, Sean Thomas, Fidèle Baya, Gustavo Saiz, Javier Silva Espejo, Dexiang Chen, Alan Hamilton, Yide Li, Tushou Luo, Shukui Niu, Han Xu, Zhang Zhou, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Juan Carlos Andrés Escobar, Henry Arellano-Peña, Jaime Cabezas Duarte, Jhon Calderón, Lina Maria Corrales Bravo, Borish Cuadrado, Hermes Cuadros, Alvaro Duque, Luisa Fernanda Duque, Sandra Milena Espinosa, Rebeca Franke-Ante, Hernando García, Alejandro Gómez, Roy González-M., Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta, Eliana Jimenez, Rubén Jurado, Wilmar López Oviedo, René López-Camacho, Omar Aurelio Melo Cruz, Irina Mendoza Polo, Edwin Paky, Karen Pérez, Angel Pijachi, Camila Pizano, Adriana Prieto, Laura Ramos, Zorayda Restrepo Correa, James Richardson, Elkin Rodríguez, Gina M. Rodriguez M., Agustín Rudas, Pablo Stevenson, Markéta Chudomelová, Martin Dancak, Radim Hédl, Stanislav Lhota, Martin Svatek, Jacques Mukinzi, Corneille Ewango, Terese Hart, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, Janvier Lisingo, Jean-Remy Makana, Faustin Mbayu, Benjamin Toirambe, John Tshibamba Mukendi, Lars Kvist, Gustav Nebel, Selene Báez, Carlos Céron, Daniel M. Griffith, Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino, David Neill, Walter Palacios, Maria Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Gorky Villa, Sheleme Demissie, Tadesse Gole, Techane Gonfa, Kalle Ruokolainen, Michel Baisie, Fabrice Bénédet, Wemo Betian, Vincent Bezard, Damien Bonal, Jerôme Chave, Vincent Droissart, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Annette Hladik, Nicolas Labrière, Pétrus Naisso, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Plinio Sist, Lilian Blanc, Benoit Burban, Géraldine Derroire, Aurélie Dourdain, Clement Stahl, Natacha Nssi Bengone, Eric Chezeaux, Fidèle Evouna Ondo, Vincent Medjibe, Vianet Mihindou, Lee White, Heike Culmsee, Cristabel Durán Rangel, Viviana Horna, Florian Wittmann, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Ernest Foli, Michael Balinga, Anand Roopsind, James Singh, Raquel Thomas, Roderick Zagt, Indu K. Murthy, Kuswata Kartawinata, Edi Mirmanto, Hari Priyadi, Ismayadi Samsoedin, Terry Sunderland, Ishak Yassir, Francesco Rovero, Barbara Vinceti, Bruno Hérault, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Kanehiro Kitayama, Armandu Daniels, Darlington Tuagben, John T. Woods, Muhammad Fitriadi, Alexander Karolus, Kho Lip Khoon, Noreen Majalap, Colin Maycock, Reuben Nilus, Sylvester Tan, Almeida Sitoe, Indiana Coronado G., Lucas Ojo, Rafael de Assis, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, Douglas Sheil, Karen Arévalo Pezo, Hans Buttgenbach Verde, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jimmy Cesar Cordova Oroche, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Massiel Corrales Medina, Nallaret Davila Cardozo, Jano de Rutte Corzo, Jhon del Aguila Pasquel, Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Luis Freitas, Darcy Galiano Cabrera, Roosevelt García Villacorta, Karina Garcia Cabrera, Diego García Soria, Leticia Gatica Saboya, Julio Miguel Grandez Rios, Gabriel Hidalgo Pizango, Eurídice Honorio Coronado, Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Yuri Tomas Huillca Aedo, Jose Luis Marcelo Peña, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Vanesa Moreano Rodriguez, Percy Núñez Vargas, Sonia Cesarina Palacios Ramos, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Antonio Peña Cruz, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, José Reyna Huaymacari, Carlos Reynel Rodriguez, Marcos Antonio Ríos Paredes, Lily Rodriguez Bayona, Rocio del Pilar Rojas Gonzales, Maria Elena Rojas Peña, Norma Salinas Revilla, Yahn Carlos Soto Shareva, Raul Tupayachi Trujillo, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Jim Vega Arenas, Christian Amani, Suspense Averti Ifo, Yannick Bocko, Patrick Boundja, Romeo Ekoungoulou, Mireille Hockemba, Donatien Nzala, Alusine Fofanah, David Taylor, Guillermo Bañares-de Dios, Luis Cayuela, Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda, Manuel Macía, Juliana Stropp, Maureen Playfair, Verginia Wortel, Toby Gardner, Robert Muscarella, Hari Priyadi, Ervan Rutishauser, Kuo-Jung Chao, Pantaleo Munishi, Olaf Bánki, Frans Bongers, Rene Boot, Gabriella Fredriksson, Jan Reitsma, Hans ter Steege, Tinde van Andel, Peter van de Meer, Peter van der Hout, Mark van Nieuwstadt, Bert van Ulft, Elmar Veenendaal, Ronald Vernimmen, Pieter Zuidema, Joeri Zwerts, Perpetra Akite, Robert Bitariho, Colin Chapman, Eilu Gerald, Miguel Leal, Patrick Mucunguzi, Miguel Alexiades, Timothy R. Baker, Karina Banda, Lindsay Banin, Jos Barlow, Amy Bennett, Erika Berenguer, Nicholas Berry, Neil M. Bird, George A. Blackburn, Francis Brearley, Roel Brienen, David Burslem, Lidiany Carvalho, Percival Cho, Fernanda Coelho, Murray Collins, David Coomes, Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Greta Dargie, Kyle Dexter, Mat Disney, Freddie Draper, Muying Duan, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Robert Ewers, Belen Fadrique, Sophie Fauset, Ted R. Feldpausch, Filipe França, David Galbraith, Martin Gilpin, Emanuel Gloor, John Grace, Keith Hamer, David Harris, Tommaso Jucker, Michelle Kalamandeen, Bente Klitgaard, Aurora Levesley, Simon L. Lewis, Jeremy Lindsell, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Jon Lovett, Yadvinder Malhi, Toby Marthews, Emma McIntosh, Karina Melgaço, William Milliken, Edward Mitchard, Peter Moonlight, Sam Moore, Alexandra Morel, Julie Peacock, Kelvin Peh, Colin Pendry, R. Toby Pennington, Luciana de Oliveira Pereira, Carlos Peres, Oliver L. Phillips, Georgia Pickavance, Thomas Pugh, Lan Qie, Terhi Riutta, Katherine Roucoux, Casey Ryan, Tiina Sarkinen, Camila Silva Valeria, Dominick Spracklen, Suzanne Stas, Martin Sullivan, Michael Swaine, Joey Talbot, James Taplin, Geertje van der Heijden, Laura Vedovato, Simon Willcock, Mathew Williams, Luciana Alves, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Gabriel Arellano, Cheryl Asa, Peter Ashton, Gregory Asner, Terry Brncic, Foster Brown, Robyn Burnham, Connie Clark, James Comiskey, Gabriel Damasco, Stuart Davies, Tony Di Fiore, Terry Erwin, William Farfan-Rios, Jefferson Hall, David Kenfack, Thomas Lovejoy, Roberta Martin, Olga Martha Montiel, John Pipoly, Nigel Pitman, John Poulsen, Richard Primack, Miles Silman, Marc Steininger, Varun Swamy, John Terborgh, Duncan Thomas, Peter Umunay, Maria Uriarte, Emilio Vilanova Torre, Ophelia Wang, Kenneth Young, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Lionel Hernández, Rafael Herrera Fernández, Hirma Ramírez-Angulo, Pedro Salcedo, Elio Sanoja, Julio Serrano, Armando Torres-Lezama, Tinh Cong Le, Trai Trong Le, Hieu Dang Tra

Mieux comprendre le gène PTK2B, un facteur de risque de la maladie d'Alzheimer, par l'utilisation de neurones dérivés de cellules souches pluripotentes induites humaines

La maladie d'Alzheimer (MA) est le principal type de démence et représente un défi majeur pour la santé publique mondiale. Elle se caractérise par un déclin progressif de la cognition, de la mémoire et des fonctions comportementales et touche plus de 55 millions de personnes dans le monde. Au niveau moléculaire, la MA se définit par la présence d'enchevêtrements neurofibrillaires agrégés dans les neurones et par l'accumulation de plaques d'amyloïde-β (Aβ) dans le cerveau. Ces caractéristiques pathologiques sont associées à des altérations de l'activité neuronale, à la perte de synapses, à la gliose et à la neuroinflammation, conduisant à une neurodégénérescence irréversible. L'étiologie et la physiopathologie de la MA impliquent une interaction complexe entre des facteurs génétiques et environnementaux. Les études d'association à l'échelle du génome ont permis d'identifier plusieurs loci porteurs de polymorphismes de nucléotides simples (SNP) associés au risque de maladie d'Alzheimer. Parmi ces loci, celui qui héberge la Protéine Tyrosine Kinase 2β (PTK2B) est mis en évidence dans le présent travail. Ce gène code pour une protéine tyrosine kinase qui est impliquée dans la régulation des canaux ioniques induite par le calcium et dans l'activation de nombreuses voies de signalisation, telles que la MAP kinase. Des variations génétiques non synonymes dans le locus PTK2B ont été associées à un risque accru de maladie d'Alzheimer et on pense qu'elles régulent l'expression de PTK2B. Cependant, les rôles physiologiques et physiopathologiques de la PTK2B ne sont pas entièrement compris. Dans le cerveau humain, l'expression de la PTK2B est principalement observée dans les neurones glutamatergiques. Au cours de la progression de la maladie d'Alzheimer, son expression diminue et peut contribuer aux dysfonctionnements neuronaux observés, tels que l'augmentation de l'excitabilité électrique et les altérations synaptiques. Par conséquent, la compréhension du rôle de la PTK2B dans les neurones humains peut contribuer à révéler les mécanismes des dysfonctionnements neuronaux dans la MA. Dans cette optique, les objectifs de cette thèse sont de découvrir les processus cellulaires et les voies moléculaires régulés par la PTK2B dans les neurones humains. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé des cellules souches pluripotentes induites humaines (hiPSC) isogéniques pour générer des neurones exprimant différents niveaux de PTK2B. Ensuite, nous avons utilisé des tests fonctionnels et moléculaires pour étudier les conséquences de l'altération de l'expression de la PTK2B dans un contexte physiologique et dans un contexte similaire à celui de la MA. Nous montrons qu'une réduction de l'expression de PTK2B entraîne une augmentation de la phosphorylation de TAU à divers épitopes associés à la pathologie de la MA, ce qui suggère un rôle central de PTK2B dans la régulation de l'agrégation de TAU. En utilisant la transcriptomique à noyau unique, nous montrons également que l'expression réduite de la PTK2B entraîne des altérations transcriptionnelles spécifiques liées à l'activité électrique neuronale et à la transmission synaptique, principalement dans les neurones glutamatergiques. Les expériences d'imagerie calcique indiquent que la réduction de l'expression de PTK2B contribue à augmenter la fréquence des pointes de calcium sans affecter la synchronisation, ce qui indique une activité électrique neuronale élevée. En outre, les résultats des enregistrements électrophysiologiques effectués à partir de réseaux multi-électrodes (MEA) montrent une activité électrique accrue et des schémas d'éclatement perturbés dans les neurones mutants PTK2B. Dans l'ensemble, ces travaux mettent en lumière l'implication de PTK2B dans les processus cellulaires liés à la maladie d'Alzheimer, en donnant un aperçu des mécanismes moléculaires et des altérations fonctionnelles associés à la dysrégulation de PTK2B dans les cellules neuronales humaines dérivées des iPSCs.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main type of dementia and poses a significant global public health challenge. It is characterized by a progressive decline in cognition, memory, and behavioral functions and affects more than 55 million people worldwide. At the molecular level, AD is defined by the presence of aggregated neurofibrillary tangles within neurons and the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain. These pathological features are associated with alterations in neuronal activity, synapse loss, gliosis, and neuroinflammation, leading to irreversible neurodegeneration. AD etiology and pathophysiology involves a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Genome-Wide Association Studies have identified several loci carrying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with AD risk. Among these loci, the one harboring the Protein Tyrosine Kinase 2β (PTK2B) is highlighted in the present work. This gene encodes a protein tyrosine kinase that is involved in calcium-induced regulation of ion channels and activation of numerous signaling pathways, such as MAP kinase. Non-synonimous genetic variations in the PTK2B locus have been associated with an increased risk of AD and are thought to regulate PTK2B expression. However, both the physiological and pathophysiological roles of PTK2B are not fully understood. In the human brain, PTK2B expression is mainly observed in glutamatergic neurons. Its expression declines during AD progression and may contribute to neuronal dysfunctions observed in the disease, such as increased electrical excitability and synaptic alterations. Therefore, understanding the role of PTK2B in human neurons may contribute to reveal the mechanisms of neuronal dysfunctions in AD. Considering that, the aims of this thesis are to uncover the cellular processes and molecular pathways regulated by PTK2B in human neurons. To that, we took advantage of isogenic human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to generate neurons expressing different levels of PTK2B. Next, we employed functional and molecular assays to probe the consequences of altered PTK2B expression both in a physiological and in an AD-like context. We show that reduced PTK2B expression leads to increased TAU phosphorylation at various epitopes associated with AD pathology, suggesting a central role of PTK2B in regulating TAU aggregation. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we also show that reduced PTK2B expression leads to specific transcriptional alterations related to neuronal electrical activity and synaptic transmission mainly in glutamatergic neurons. Calcium imaging experiments indicate that PTK2B downregulation contributes to increased calcium spikes frequency without affecting synchronization, indicating an elevated neuronal electrical activity. Additionally, results from electrophysiological recordings from multi-electrode array (MEA) show increased electrical activity and disrupted bursting patterns in PTK2B mutant neurons. Overall, this work sheds light on the involvement of PTK2B in AD-related cellular processes, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms and functional alterations associated with PTK2B dysregulation in human iPSC-derived neural cells

Prevalência da sintomatologia depressiva em estudantes de medicina de uma universidade no nordeste brasileiro

Introdução: A depressão é uma doença complexa, em que seu surgimento e desenvolvimento são marcados pela influência de diversos fatores. Os estudantes do curso de medicina tendem a compreender um grupo vulnerável à doença, visto que os mesmos lidam diariamente com fatores estressores durante toda a graduação. Objetivo: Estudar a prevalência dos sintomas do transtorno depressivo maior nos discentes de medicina de uma instituição de ensino superior no estado de Alagoas, nordeste do Brasil. Metodologia: Estudo epidemiológico elaborado com a participação de 259 estudantes do curso de medicina de uma instituição de ensino superior do nordeste do país, no período de agosto de 2019 e julho de 2020. O instrumento de coleta dos dados foi um questionário sociodemográfico e o Inventário de Beck (IDB). Resultados: Foi encontrada, no estudo dos sintomas depressivos nessa população, a prevalência de 51,80%. Sobre a realização de tratamento psicológico e psiquiátrico, grande parte respondeu jamais ter procurado ajuda profissional, apesar de 29,3% fazer uso de algum psicofármaco. Conclusão: As informações coletadas poderão ser utilizadas para contribuição dos dados epidemiológicos do país, de modo a propiciar melhorias na formação dos estudantes da graduação, uma vez que o reconhecimento do problema e suas variáveis prevalentes poderão determinar novas abordagens, bem como a conscientização acerca dessa patologia e de seu cuidado adequado.Introduction: Depression is a complex disease, and its onset and development are influenced by several factors. Medical students represent a group that is vulnerable to the disease, as they deal with daily stressors throughout their undergraduate studies. Objective: To study the prevalence of symptoms of major depressive disorder among medical students at a higher education institution in the state of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. Methodology: Epidemiological study carried out with the participation of 259 medical students from a higher education institution in the northeast region of the country, from August 2019 to July 2020. The data collection instruments were a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: In this study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 51.80%. Regarding psychological and psychiatric treatment, most students answered that they had never sought professional help, although 29.3% were using psychotropic drugs. Conclusion: The information collected can contribute to the country’s epidemiological data, enabling improvements in the training of undergraduate students, as the identification of the problem and its associated variables may help in the development of new approaches and raise awareness about this pathology and its proper care