Posição trófica de peixes exploradores de fundo na planície de inundação do Alto Rio Paraná

The δ15N composition of bottom-feeding fish (iliophagous = Apareiodon affinis, Cyphocharax nagelii, Prochilodus lineatus, Steindachnerina brevipinna and S. insculpta; detritivorous = Loricariichthys platymetopon and Liposarcus anisitsi; benthophagous = Satanoperca pappaterra and Hoplosternum littorale) and their primary food sources were investigated in the upper Paraná River floodplain during rainy seasons in different environments (lotic and lentic). Two hypotheses were tested: i) that the trophic position and isotopic values of the investigated organisms (fish and food resources) vary spatially; and ii) that trophic position and isotopic compositions differ among iliophagous, detritivorous and benthophagous fish. C4 macrophytes, periphyton and phytoplankton were isotopically different in sites analyzed. Significant isotopic differences occurred in the species of each trophic category. Spatial differences were observed in the isotopic composition of P. lineatus and L. platymetopon, whose values were more enriched in the Paraná River and Pau Véio Lake. Significant spatial differences in trophic position were observed for L. platymetopon and H. littorale, which presented the highest values in the Paraná and Baía rivers, respectively. Trophic positions were significantly different among the species that composed each trophic category. These findings demonstrate that in energy-flow studies in detrital food chains generalizations concerning the grouping of fish into trophic categories and/or habitats should only be carried out after careful investigations of the local/specific trophic dynamics of the organisms.A composição de δ15N de peixes exploradores de fundo (iliófagos = Apareiodon affinis, Cyphocharax nagelii, Prochilodus lineatus, Steindachnerina brevipinna e S. insculpta; detritívoros = Loricariichthys platymetopon e Liposarcus anisitsi; e bentófagos = Satanoperca pappaterra e Hoplosternum littorale) e suas fontes alimentares foram investigadas na planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná durante a estação de chuvas em ambientes lóticos e lênticos. Duas hipóteses foram testadas: i) que a posição trófica e os valores isotópicos dos organismos investigados (peixes e fontes alimentares) variam espacialmente; e ii) que a posição trófica e a composição isotópica diferem entre os peixes iliófagos, detritívoros e bentófagos. Macrofitas C4, perifíton e fitoplâncton foram isotopicamente diferentes entre os locais analisados. Diferenças isotópicas ocorreram entre as espécies de cada categoria trófica. Diferenças espaciais foram observadas na composição isotópica de P. lineatus e L. platymetopon, as quais tiveram valores mais enriquecidos no rio Paraná e ressaco do Pau Véio. Diferenças espaciais significativas nas posições tróficas foram verificadas para L. platymetopon e H. littorale, as quais apresentaram os maiores valores nos rios Paraná e Baía, respectivamente. As posições tróficas foram significativamente diferentes entre as espécies que compuseram cada categoria trófica. Estes resultados demonstram que em estudos de fluxo de energia em cadeias alimentares detritais generalizações a respeito do agrupamento de peixes em categorias tróficas e/ ou habitats devem ser conduzidos somente após investigações criteriosas da dinâmica trófica local/ específica dos organismos.UEM - Post-Graduate Program in the Ecology of Continental Aquatic Environment

A comparison of Helicobacter pylori and non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter spp. Binding to Canine Gastric Mucosa with Defined Gastric Glycophenotype

Background: The gastric mucosa of dogs is often colonized by non-Helicobacter pylori helicobacters (NHPH), while H. pylori is the predominant gastric Helicobacter species in humans. The colonization of the human gastric mucosa by H. pylori is highly dependent on the recognition of host glycan receptors. Our goal was to define the canine gastric mucosa glycophenotype and to evaluate the capacity of different gastric Helicobacter species to adhere to the canine gastric mucosa. Materials and Methods: The glycosylation profile in body and antral compartments of the canine gastric mucosa, with focus on the expression of histo-blood group antigens was evaluated. The in vitro binding capacity of FITC-labeled H. pylori and NHPH to the canine gastric mucosa was assessed in cases representative of the canine glycosylation pattern. Results: The canine gastric mucosa lacks expression of type 1 Lewis antigens and presents a broad expression of type 2 structures and A antigen, both in the surface and glandular epithelium. Regarding the canine antral mucosa, H. heilmannii s.s. presented the highest adhesion score whereas in the body region the SabA-positive H. pylori strain was the strain that adhered more. Conclusions: The canine gastric mucosa showed a glycosylation profile different from the human gastric mucosa suggesting that alternative glycan receptors may be involved in Helicobacter spp. binding. Helicobacter pylori and NHPH strains differ in their ability to adhere to canine gastric mucosa. Among the NHPH, H. heilmannii s.s. presented the highest adhesion capacity in agreement with its reported colonization of the canine stomach.We kindly thank Prof. Thomas Boren from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umea University, Sweden for providing the 17875/Leb and 17875babA1A2H. pylori strains. The authors thank Dr. Fernando Rodrigues, Dr. Ana Laura Saraiva, and Cristina Bacelar who kindly provided technical support. I. Amorim (SFRH/BD/76237/2011) and A. Magalhães (SFRH/BPD/75871/2011) acknowledge FCT for financial support. This study was partially funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/CTM-BPC/121149/2010; PTDC/CVT/117610/2010; PTDC/BBB-EBI/0786/2012). The Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP) is an Associate Laboratory of the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and is partially supported by FCT

Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

COVID-19 in a Pediatric Cohort—Retrospective Review of Chest Computer Tomography Findings

Background: Radiological features of the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been mainly described in adults. Available literature states that imaging findings in children are similar but less pronounced. The aim of this study is to describe and illustrate the chest computer tomography (CT) features of pediatric COVID-19. Results: This retrospective study was based on the review of all the chest CTs performed in pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease between March 8th and May 26th 2020 (n = 24). The presence of comorbidities and coinfection was assessed, as well as timing of CT examination in relation to the onset of symptoms. CT findings were categorized as typical, indeterminate, atypical, and negative for COVID-19 according to International Expert Consensus Statement on Chest Imaging in Pediatric COVID-19 Patient Management. This study found that CT findings were abnormal in 17 (71%) patients, with 5 (21%), 9 (38%), and 3 (13%) patients considered to have typical, indeterminate, and atypical findings, respectively. The most common CT patterns were multiple ground-glass opacities (58%), followed by consolidations (50%). Six patients showed predominantly peripheral distribution of parenchymal abnormalities. A halo sign was identified in 3 patients and a perilobular pattern was identified in one of the cases with typical findings. Conclusions: Chest CT findings in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 can be subtle or absent. Besides recognizing typical findings, radiologists should be able to identify features that favor different or concomitant diagnosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Information Literacy Needs Open Access or: Open Access is not Only for Researchers

The Open Access was initially (blandly) conceived in view not only of researchers but also of lay readers, then this perspective slowly faded out. The Information Literacy movement wants to teach citizens how to arrive at trustable information but the amount of paywalled knowledge is still big. So, their lines of development are somehow complementary: Information Literacy needs Open Access for the citizens to freely access high quality information while Open Access truly fulfils its scope when it is conceived and realized not only for the researchers (an aristocratic view which was the initial one) but for the whole society

Life-threatening acute acalculous cholecystitis in a patient with renal cell carcinoma treated by sunitinib: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Sunitinib, an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is widely used in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumor and has had a variety of adverse events. However, sunitinib-related acute cholecystitis has been reported in only two patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor and renal cell carcinoma (clear cell subtype).</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 75-year-old Japanese woman with a right sided abdominal swelling was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) showed a hypervascular bulky tumor in her right kidney, suggesting right renal cell carcinoma in clinical T4N0M0. Although sunitinib therapy was started as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, during the fourth week of the first cycle, she developed acute acalculous cholecystitis and disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with sunitinib. Sunitinib therapy was discontinued immediately and she recovered after subsequent treatment with antibiotics and gabexate mesilate followed by percutaneous cholecystostomy. Cholecystectomy and right radical nephrectomy were performed and pathological examination showed that her renal tumor was a chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (pT2) with necrosis. Inflammation and ischemia were observed in the gallbladder wall, which was compatible with acute acalculous cholecystitis. There has been no evidence of disease recurrence for more than six months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We described the third case of sunitinib-related acute cholecystitis in a patient with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Attention is required to sunitinib-related acute cholecystitis which, while uncommon, could be life-threatening.</p

Tracking Holocene palaeostratification and productivity changes in the Western Irish Sea: A multi-proxy record

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The Western Irish Sea preserves an exceptionally thick (ca. 40 m) Holocene succession that is ideally suited to understanding the pattern of palaeostratification and water mass productivity changes in the region, and their relationship with sea level, sedimentation, and biota. Additionally, the presence of shallow-buried methane provides an opportunity to explore its potential impact on the local pattern of Holocene marine environmental change. Multi-proxy investigation of a cored borehole succession through the Holocene interval tracks changes from mixed to seasonally stratified conditions. In the earliest Holocene (11.2–10 ka), high productivity, mixed water conditions prevailed, with abundant and diverse foraminifera and dominant heterotrophic dinoflagellate cysts. Productivity was probably driven by high nutrient fluxes related to high rates of sedimentation (>1600 cm/kyr), in turn influenced by relatively low sea level and restricted sediment accommodation space across shelf areas to the east of the borehole site (eastern Irish Sea Basin). With rising sea level in the later part of the Early Holocene, the region evolved into a relatively lower productivity mixed water mass system, with significant changes in ecology revealed by dinoflagellate cysts and foraminifera. In the latest Early Holocene and earliest Mid Holocene (ca. 8.4–8.2 ka) a return to higher productivity is signalled by dinoflagellate cyst data; a result of seasonal stratification becoming established, evidenced by sharply increased summer sea surface temperature estimates (typically 16–17 °C) that contrast with an opposite (more positive) trend in δ18O values for benthic foraminifera. Reductions in turbulent mixing associated with stratification might have exacerbated the palaeoecological impact of shallow-buried methane associated with the borehole site, potentially evidenced by a significant change in dominant benthic foraminifera and strong, localised excursions in the benthic δ13C/δ18O record