Systems chemo-biology analysis of DNA damage response and cell cycle effects induced by coal exposure

Cell cycle alterations are among the principle hallmarks of cancer. Consequently, the study of cell cycle regulators has emerged as an important topic in cancer research, particularly in relation to environmental exposure. Particulate matter and coal dust around coal mines have the potential to induce cell cycle alterations. Therefore, in the present study, we performed chemical analyses to identify the main compounds present in two mineral coal samples from Colombian mines and performed systems chemo-biology analysis to elucidate the interactions between these chemical compounds and proteins associated with the cell cycle. Our results highlight the role of oxidative stress generated by the exposure to the residues of coal extraction, such as major inorganic oxides (MIOs), inorganic elements (IEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) on DNA damage and alterations in the progression of the cell cycle (blockage and/or delay), as well as structural dysfunction in several proteins. In particular, IEs such as Cr, Ni, and S and PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene may have influential roles in the regulation of the cell cycle through DNA damage and oxidative stress. In this process, cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, zinc finger proteins such as TP53, and protein kinases may play a central role

Effects of grazing pressure on activity and richness of bats in a Portuguese silvo-pastoral system

Background High Nature Value Farmlands (HNVF) harbor species dependent upon habitats maintained by low-intensity farming. Among HNVF, the montado (dehesa in Spain) is a multifunctional system declining due to droughts, pathogens, and increasing grazing pressure. Specifically, grazing pressure leads to compact soils and hinders natural tree regeneration. Regrettably, there is a dearth of information supporting management decisions on the side-effects of high grazing pressure on HNVF-dwelling biodiversity. In particular, little is known about the impact of grazing pressure on bats, a group of species of special conservation concern that may provide key ecosystem services such as biological pest control. Purpose We investigated patterns of activity levels and community composition of insectivorous bats to test the hypothesis that there is a significant relationship between the level of livestock grazing pressure within montado HNVF parcels and patterns of insectivorous bats’ presence and activity. Our specific aims were to (i) assess separately the effects of grazing pressure on bat activity and species composition, (ii) test the predictive significance of key covariates (e.g., insect availability). Methods We conducted this study in 2014 in the Natura 2000 network site “Monfurado”, southern Portugal. This site is specifically acknowledged for its well-preserved montados providing feeding areas for bat species. We quantified acoustically bat flight activity and species richness in farm parcels dominated by cork oak trees. Per parcel, we selected two separate locations (high vs. low grazing pressure) based on landowners’ interviews and grazing pressure indicators, totaling 42 sampling locations. We then used linear mixed-effects modeling to evaluate the effects of grazing pressure and covariates on activity and species richness. Results Bat activity and bat species richness peaked at low grazing pressure locations. Bat activity also increased with tree cover and in locations where livestock grazing signs were old or absent. Conversely, bat activity at low grazing pressure locations decreased with distance to the nearest standing water body. Discussion Our study clearly demonstrated that locations maintained under high grazing pressure within HNVF can have negative consequences for bats, which are acknowledged as good bioindicators of habitat quality. In order to promote better habitat for bats, practitioners should avoid favoring grazing-prone areas (e.g., rotating the location of livestock feeders, drinkers, and gates) across montado HNVF. Broadly, ecosystem services provided by bats for HNVF must be enhanced through sustainability oriented agro-environment schemes under the Economic Community Rural Development Program, including the reduction of stocking density

Impact of acute kidney injury exposure period among liver transplantation patients

Background: Acute kidney injury is a common complication of liver transplantation. in this single-centre retrospective observational study, we investigated the impact of acute kidney disease on liver recipient survival.Methods: the study population consisted of patients who underwent a liver engraftment between January 2002 and November 2006, at a single transplantation centre in São Paulo, Brazil. Acute kidney injury diagnosis and staging were according to the recommendations of the Acute Kidney Injury Network and consisted of scanning the daily serum creatinine levels throughout the hospital stay. Patients requiring renal replacement therapy prior to transplantation, those who developed acute kidney injury before the procedure or those receiving their second liver graft were excluded from the study.Results: A total of 444 liver transplantations were performed during the study period, and 129 procedures (29%) were excluded. the remaining 315 patients constituted the study population. in 207 procedures, the recipient was male (65%). the mean age of the population was 51 years. Cumulative incidence of acute kidney injury within 48 h, during the first week after transplantation, and throughout the hospital stay was 32, 81 and 93%, respectively. Renal replacement therapy was required within a week after the transplantation in 31 procedures (10%), and another 17 (5%) required replacement therapy after that period. Mean follow-up period was 2.3 years. Time in days from acute kidney injury diagnosis to initiation of replacement therapy or reaching serum creatinine peak was associated with lower overall survival even when adjusted for significant potential confounders (HR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01, 1.05; p=0.002). Overall, patients experiencing acute kidney injury lasting for a week or more before initiation of replacement therapy experienced a threefold increase in risk of death (HR 3.02; 95% CI 2.04, 4.46; p<0.001).Conclusions: Acute kidney injury after liver transplantation is remarkably frequent and has a substantial impact on patient survival. Delaying the initiation of renal replacement therapy in such population may increase mortality by more than 20% per day.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Transplantes Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini, Liver Unit, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, BrazilTufts Univ, New England Med Ctr, Div Nephrol, Medford, MA 02155 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Nephrol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Flutuação populacional do percevejo-preto, Cyrtomenus mirabilis (Perty, 1836) (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) com o uso de armadilhas em amendoim / Population fluctuation of burrower bug, Cyrtomenus mirabilis (Perty, 1836) (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) with the use of traps in peanut

O percevejo-preto, Cyrtomenus mirabilis (Perty, 1836) (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) é a principal praga de solo em amendoim. Seu principal prejuízo está relacionado ao ataque em vagens na fase de desenvolvimento dos grãos. No entanto, estudos sobre sua ocorrência ao longo da cultura do amendoim no Brasil são escassos. Assim, o objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a flutuação populacional do percevejo com o auxílio de armadilhas luminosas e de queda em diferentes locais. Para isso, foram instaladas armadilhas luminosas e de queda com o objetivo de coletar adultos do percevejo-preto, em Pindorama e Votuporanga, Estado de São Paulo. Observou-se que durante o período avaliado ocorreram alguns picos de captura em todas as localidades nas armadilhas luminosas. Nas armadilhas de queda, observou-se a ocorrência de dois picos de coleta do percevejo-preto antes da semeadura do amendoim. Após o preparo do solo para a semeadura do amendoim, as coletas foram escassas. Nos dois tipos de armadilha, observou-se que após a presença de vagens maduras nas plantas de amendoim não há captura de insetos. Concluiu-se que ambas as armadilhas são eficientes para monitoramento de C. mirabilis na área e que a após a presença de vagens maduras nas plantas de amendoim não ocorre dispersão do percevejo-preto. 

Robust orienting to protofacial stimuli in autism

Newborn infants exhibit a remarkable tendency to orient to faces. This behavior is thought to be mediated by a subcortical mechanism tuned to the protoface stimulus: a face-like configuration comprising three dark areas on a lighter background. When this unique stimulus translates across their visual field, neurotypical infants will change their gaze or head direction to track the protoface [1–3] . Orienting to this low spatial frequency pattern is thought to encourage infants to attend to faces, despite their poor visual acuity [2,3] . By biasing the input into the newborn’s visual system, this primitive instinct may serve to ‘canalize’ the development of more sophisticated face representation. Leading accounts attribute deficits of face perception associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) [4] to abnormalities within this orienting mechanism. If infants who are later diagnosed with ASD exhibit reduced protoface orienting, this may compromise the emergence of perceptual expertise for faces [5] . Here we report a novel effect that confirms that the protoface stimulus captures adults’ attention via an involuntary, exogenous process (Experiment 1). Contrary to leading developmental accounts of face perception deficits in ASD, we go on to show that this orienting response is intact in autistic individuals (Experiment 2)

Occurrence of Helicobacter pylori and Epstein-Barr virus infection in endoscopic and gastric cancer patients from Northern Brazil

Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have been associated with cancer development. We evaluated the prevalence of HP, HP CagA(+) and EBV infection in gastric cancer (GC) samples from adults and in gastric tissues from patients who underwent upper endoscopy (UE).Methods: Samples from UE and GC were collected to investigate the presence of HP infection and the HP virulence factor CagA by a urease test and PCR. the presence of EBV was detected by Eber-1 in situ hybridization.Results: in UE, 85.5% of juvenile patients showed some degree of gastritis (45.3% of patients with mild gastritis and 54.7% with moderate/severe gastritis) and patients with mild gastritis were younger than patients with moderate/severe gastritis. Among adults, 48.7% presented mild gastritis and 51.3% moderate/severe gastritis. HP infection was detected in 0% of normal mucosa, 58.5% of juvenile gastritis patients, 69.2% of adult gastritis patients and 88% of GC patients. in these same groups, HP CagA(+) was detected in 0%, 37.7%, 61.5% and 67.2% of tissue samples, respectively. in juvenile patients, HP infection was more common in those with gastritis than in normal samples (p = 0.004). the patients with either HP or HP CagA(+) were older than patients without these pathogens (p < 0.05). in juvenile patients, HP infection was more frequent in cases of moderate/severe gastritis than in cases of mild gastritis (p = 0.026). Moreover, in patients with GC, HP infection was more frequent in males than in females (p = 0.023). GC patients with HP CagA(+) were older than patients with HP CagA-(p = 0.027). HP CagA(+) was more common in intestinal-type than diffuse-type GC (p = 0.012). HP CagA(+) was also associated with lymph-node (p = 0.024) and distal (p = 0.005) metastasis. No association between EBV infection and HP infection or any clinicopathological variable was detected.Conclusions: Our results suggest that HP is involved in the pathophysiology of severe gastric lesions and in the development of GC, particularly when CagA(+) is present. EBV was not the primary pathogenic factor in our samples.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fed Univ Para, Inst Ciencias Biol, Lab Citogenet Humana, BR-66075110 Belem, PA, BrazilFed Univ Para, Inst Ciencias Saude, BR-66075110 Belem, PA, BrazilCtr Univ Para, Belem, PA, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ortopedia & Traumatol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Morfol & Genet, Disciplina Genet, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ Para, BR-66075110 Belem, PA, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Fac Odontol, Dept Oral Pathol, Fortaleza, CE, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ortopedia & Traumatol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Morfol & Genet, Disciplina Genet, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc