World Checklist of Opiliones species (Arachnida). Part 2: Laniatores – Samooidea, Zalmoxoidea and Grassatores incertae sedis

Including more than 6500 species, Opiliones is the third most diverse order of Arachnida, after the megadiverse Acari and Araneae. This database is part 2 of 12 of a project containing an intended worldwide checklist of species and subspecies of Opiliones, and it includes the members of the suborder Laniatores, infraorder Grassatores of the superfamilies Samooidea and Zalmoxoidea plus the genera currently not allocated to any family (i.e. Grassatores incertae sedis). In this Part 2, a total of 556 species and subspecies are listed.Fil: Kury, Adriano Brilhante. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional; BrasilFil: Souza, Daniele R.. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional; BrasilFil: Pérez González, Abel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; Argentin

Changes of the digestive tract of Golden Retriever dogs affected by muscular dystrophy

O modelo experimental canino Golden Retriever portador da Distrofia Muscular (GRMD) é o melhor substituto entre os modelos animais para estudar a Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne. Além da musculatura estriada, a doença pode afetar a musculatura estriada cardíaca e a musculatura lisa, e desta forma, o funcionamento do trato digestório, já que o músculo liso é o elemento primário dos órgãos tubulares. Através de estudo morfológico descritivo, o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se a distrofia muscular afeta a arquitetura geral do trato digestório e como se dispõe sua estrutura muscular em animais afetados. Foram realizadas avaliações descritivas macro e microscópicas com colorações de Hematoxilina-Eosina, Tricrômio de Masson e Picrosirius. Entre os resultados apresentados, verificou-se que o esôfago e o fígado dos animais afetados encontraram-se alterados, assim como o estômago não ocupava seu lugar habitual. O músculo diafragma apresentava-se atrofiado e diferenças histológicas foram encontradas na camada muscular do sistema gastrointestinal, em geral. Outras estruturas do tubo digestório de GRMDs apresentaram-se de maneira similar a de um animal normal.The experimental canine model Golden Retriever carrier of Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) is the best substitute of animal models to study Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Above striated muscle, the disease can affect the heart and smooth muscle, so the functioning of the digestive tract, as the smooth muscle is the primary element of tubular organs. Through morphological description, the purpose of this study was to determine whether the muscular dystrophy affects the overall architecture of the digestive tract and how is willing this muscular structure. Were evaluated macroscopic and microscopic optical description staining with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome and Sirius. The esophagus and liver of affected animals were altered. The stomach of the animals did not occupy the usual space. The diaphragm muscle had atrophied. The general histological structure of the digestive tract presented in a manner similar to a normal animal. Changes and histological differences were found in the muscle layer.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Identification of Cell-Free Circulating MicroRNAs for the Detection of Early Breast Cancer and Molecular Subtyping

Early detection is crucial for achieving a reduction in breast cancer mortality. Analysis of circulating cell-free microRNAs present in the serum of cancer patients has emerged as a promising new noninvasive biomarker for early detection of tumors and for predicting their molecular classifications. The rationale for this study was to identify subtype-specific molecular profiles of cell-free microRNAs for early detection of breast cancer in serum. Fifty-four early-stage breast cancers with 27 age-matched controls were selected for circulating microRNAs evaluation in the serum. The 54 cases were molecularly classified (luminal A, luminal B, luminal B Her2 positive, Her-2, triple negative). NanoString platform was used for digital detection and quantitation of 800 tagged microRNA probes and comparing the overall differences in serum microRNA expression from breast cancer cases with controls. We identified the 42 most significant (P ≤ 0.05, 1.5-fold) differentially expressed circulating microRNAs in each molecular subtype for further study. Of these microRNAs, 19 were significantly differentially expressed in patients presenting with luminal A, eight in the luminal B, ten in luminal B HER 2 positive, and four in the HER2 enriched subtype. AUC is high with suitable sensitivity and specificity. For the triple negative subtype miR-25-3p had the best accuracy. Predictive analysis of the mRNA targets suggests they encode proteins involved in molecular pathways such as cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. This study identified subtype-specific molecular profiles of cell-free microRNAs suitable for early detection of breast cancer selected by comparison to the microRNA profile in serum for female controls without apparent risk of breast cancer. This molecular profile should be validated using larger cohort studies to confirm the potential of these miRNA for future use as early detection biomarkers that could avoid unnecessary biopsy in patients with a suspicion of breast cancer.Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP process 2015/21082-0) and Public Ministry of Labor Campinas (Research, Prevention, and Education of Occupational Cancer)

transcrater a tool for automatic speech recognition quality estimation

We present TranscRater, an open-source tool for automatic speech recognition (ASR) quality estimation (QE). The tool allows users to perform ASR evaluation bypassing the need of reference transcripts and confidence information, which is common to current assessment protocols. TranscRater includes: i) methods to extract a variety of quality indicators from (signal, transcription) pairs and ii) machine learning algorithms which make possible to build ASR QE models exploiting the extracted features. Confirming the positive results of previous evaluations, new experiments with TranscRater indicate its effectiveness both in WER prediction and transcription ranking tasks

O papel do enfermeiro na prevenção das lesões na síndrome do pé diabético

The aim was to identify the role of nurses in preventive care for Diabetic Foot injuries. Descriptive-exploratory study, of a quantitative nature. Carried out in a health clinic located in the city of São Paulo, with 65 diabetic patients, between 18 and 90 years old. Among the study participants, the highest percentage of those who showed signs and symptoms of Diabetic Foot Syndrome were among those who had the diagnosis a longer time ago, had greater resistance to changes in habits and adherence to treatment, did not follow the guidelines on foot care and/or had other associated chronic diseases. The nurse is fundamental in early diagnosis, interventions and education on preventive care. The prevention of Diabetic Foot complications depends on the commitment, communication and training of the multidisciplinary team to reduce amputations and morbidity and mortality of diabetics.Objetivou-se identificar o papel do enfermeiro nos cuidados preventivos das lesões do Pé Diabético. Estudo descritivo-exploratório, de natureza quantitativa. Realizado em uma clínica de saúde localizada no município de São Paulo, com 65 pacientes diabéticos, entre 18 e 90 anos. Entre os participantes do estudo, a maior porcentagem dos que apresentavam sinais e sintomas da Síndrome do Pé Diabético, estavam entre os que tiveram o diagnóstico há mais tempo, possuíam maior resistência a mudanças de hábito e adesão ao tratamento, não seguiam as orientações sobre os cuidados com os pés e/ou possuíam outras doenças crônicas associadas. O enfermeiro é fundamental no diagnóstico precoce, intervenções e educação sobre cuidados preventivos. A prevenção das complicações do Pé Diabético depende do empenho, comunicação e treinamento da equipe multidisciplinar para a redução das amputações e morbimortalidade dos diabéticos

Hypothalamic Inhibition Of Acetyl-coa Carboxylase Stimulates Hepatic Counter-regulatory Response Independent Of Ampk Activation In Rats.

Hypothalamic AMPK acts as a cell energy sensor and can modulate food intake, glucose homeostasis, and fatty acid biosynthesis. Intrahypothalamic fatty acid injection is known to suppress liver glucose production, mainly by activation of hypothalamic ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels. Since all models employed seem to involve malonyl-CoA biosynthesis, we hypothesized that acetyl-CoA carboxylase can modulate the counter-regulatory response independent of nutrient availability. In this study employing immunoblot, real-time PCR, ELISA, and biochemical measurements, we showed that reduction of the hypothalamic expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by antisense oligonucleotide after intraventricular injection increased food intake and NPY mRNA, and diminished the expression of CART, CRH, and TRH mRNA. Additionally, as in fasted rats, in antisense oligonucleotide-treated rats, serum glucagon and ketone bodies increased, while the levels of serum insulin and hepatic glycogen diminished. The reduction of hypothalamic acetyl-CoA carboxylase also increased PEPCK expression, AMPK phosphorylation, and glucose production in the liver. Interestingly, these effects were observed without modification of hypothalamic AMPK phosphorylation. Hypothalamic ACC inhibition can activate hepatic counter-regulatory response independent of hypothalamic AMPK activation.8e6266

Structural and spectroscopic investigation of the charge-ordered, short-range ordered, and disordered phases of the Co3O2BO3 ludwigite

Charge ordering is prone to occur in crystalline materials with mixed-valence ions. It is presumably accompanied by a structural phase transition, with possible exceptions in compounds that already present more than one inequivalent site for the mixed-valence ions in the charge-disordered phase. In this work, we investigate the representative case of the homometallic Co ludwigite Co2+2Co3+O2BO3 (Pbam space group) with four distinct Co crystallographic sites [M1–M4] surrounded by oxygen octahedra. The mixed-valent character of the Co ions up to at least T=873 K is verified through x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) experiments. Single crystal x-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) confirm that the Co ions at the M4 site are much smaller than the others at low temperatures, consistent with a Co3+ oxidation state at M4 and Co2+ at the remaining sites. The size difference between the Co ions in the M4 and M2 sites is continuously reduced upon warming above ≈370 K, indicating a gradual charge redistribution within the M4−M2−M4 (424) ladder in the average structure. Minor structural anomalies with no space group modification are observed near 475 and 495 K, where sharp phase transitions were previously revealed by calorimetry and electrical resistivity data. An increasing structural disorder, beyond a conventional thermal effect, is noted above ≈370 K, manifested by an anomalous increment of XRD Debye-Waller factors and broadened vibrational modes observed by Raman scattering. The local Co-O distance distribution, revealed by Co K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data and analyzed with an evolutionary algorithm method, is similar to that inferred from the XRD crystal structure below ≈370 K. At higher temperatures, the local Co-O distance distribution remains similar to that found at low temperatures, at variance with the average crystal structure obtained with XRD. We conclude that the oxidation states Co2+ and Co3+ are instantaneously well defined in a local atomic level at all temperatures, however the thermal energy promotes local defects in the charge-ordered configuration of the 424 ladders upon warming. These defects coalesce into a phase-segregated state within a narrow temperature interval (475<T<495 K). Finally, a transition at ≈500 K revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the iron ludwigite Fe3O2BO3 is discussed

Avaliação química e da atividade antidiarréica das folhas de Byrsonima cinera DC. (Malpighiaceae)

Folhas e cascas de algumas especies do gênero Byrsonima (Malpighiaceae) são empregadas popularmente contra diarréia. Contudo, não existem dados na literatura à respeito de investigacões químicas ou farmacológicas dos extratos de B. cinera. Neste estudo, nós avaliamos a atividade antidiarreica dos extratos metanólico e hidrometanólico das folhas de B. cinera em ratos Swiss. Os resultados mostraram que ambos os extratos reduziram signitivamente a motilidade intestinal. Investigacão fitoquímica do extrato metanólico levou ao isolamento e identificacão da (+)-catequina e da quercetina-3-O-a-L-arabinopiranosídeo. A atividade observada pode estar correlacaionada com a presença dessas substâncias nos extratos.Leaves and bark of some Byrsonima species (Malpighiaceae) are popularly employed against diarrhoeal diseases. However, no data were reported in the literature about the chemisty and pharmacology of extracts from B. cinera leaves. In the present study we evaluated the anti-diarrhoeal activity of methanolic and hydromethanolic extracts obtained from the leaves of B. cinera in Swiss mice. Results showed that both extracts reduced significantly the gastrintestinal motility. Phytochemical evaluation of the methanolic extract led to the isolation and identification of (+)-catechin and quercetin-3-O-a-L-arabinopyranoside. The observed activity may be correlated to the presence of these compounds in the extract

Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies $E>E_{th}=5.5\times 10^{19}$ eV. These show a correlation with the distribution of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at $E>E_{th}$ are heavy nuclei with charge $Z$, the proton component of the sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies $E/Z$. We here report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above $E_{th}/Z$ (for illustrative values of $Z=6,\ 13,\ 26$). If the anisotropies above $E_{th}$ are due to nuclei with charge $Z$, and under reasonable assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies