As reflexões atuais sobre as reformas

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Drought tolerance conferred to sugarcane by association with Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus: a transcriptomic view of hormone pathways

Sugarcane interacts with particular types of beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria that provide fixed-nitrogen and plant growth hormones to host plants, promoting an increase in plant biomass. Other benefits, as enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses have been reported to some diazotrophs. Here we aim to study the effects of the association between the diazotroph Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus PAL5 and sugarcane cv. SP70-1143 during water depletion by characterizing differential transcriptome profiles of sugarcane. RNA-seq libraries were generated from roots and shoots of sugarcane plants free of endophytes that were inoculated with G. diazotrophicus and subjected to water depletion for 3 days. A sugarcane reference transcriptome was constructed and used for the identification of differentially expressed transcripts. The differential profile of non-inoculated SP70-1143 suggests that it responds to water deficit stress by the activation of drought-responsive markers and hormone pathways, as ABA and Ethylene. qRT-PCR revealed that root samples had higher levels of G. diazotrophicus 3 days after water deficit, compared to roots of inoculated plants watered normally. With prolonged drought only inoculated plants survived, indicating that SP70-1143 plants colonized with G. diazotrophicus become more tolerant to drought stress than non-inoculated plants. Strengthening this hypothesis, several gene expression responses to drought were inactivated or regulated in an opposite manner, especially in roots, when plants were colonized by the bacteria. The data suggests that colonized roots would not be suffering from stress in the same way as non-inoculated plants. On the other hand, shoots specifically activate ABA-dependent signaling genes, which could act as key elements in the drought resistance conferred by G. diazotrophicus to SP70-1143. This work reports for the first time the involvement of G. diazotrophicus in the promotion of drought-tolerance to sugarcane cv. SP70-1143, and it describes the initial molecular events that may trigger the increased drought tolerance in the host plant

Accuracy of the Simplified Thylstrup & Fejerskov Index in Rural Communities with Endemic Fluorosis

The aim of the present study was to compare the values of the Thylstrup & Fejerskov Index (TF index) for the determination of the prevalence of dental fluorosis using either all teeth (gold standard) or six upper anterior teeth (simplified TF index). The sample was made up of 396 individuals aged six to 22 years from three Brazilian cities with endemic fluorosis caused by the ingestion of water with high fluoride concentration. The prevalence of dental fluorosis was evaluated by a single trained examiner with excellent intraexaminer agreement (kappa = 0.95). Intraexaminer reproducibilities were calculated at tooth level. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the simplified TF compared to gold standard were 90.6 (95%CI: 86.6 to 93.6), 100 (95%CI: 95.3 to 100), 100 (95%CI: 98.3 to 100) and 77.5 (95%CI: 69.8 to 83.5), respectively. The ROC value was 0.953 (95%CI: 0.933 to 0.973). The simplified TF index proved suitable for determining the prevalence of dental fluorosis in regions with endemic fluorosis caused by the ingestion of water with high concentrations of fluoride

Efeito do extrato etanólico de própolis verde sobre a produção de anticorpos após imunização contra parvovírus canino (CPV) e coronavírus canino (CCoV)

Este estudo foi realizado para avaliar se extrato etanólico de própolis verde (EEP) pode interferir na produção de anticorpos específicos após imunização contra parvovírus (CPV) e coronavírus canino (CCoV). Camundongos foram vacinados com CPV e CCoV (0.75, 1.5 e 3 x 106 TCID50) com ou sem 400 μg/dose de EEP. Vinte e um dias após a terceira dose foi mensurado IgG sérica. A coadministração de EEP aumentou significativamente os níveis de IgG específica para o CPV em animais inoculados com a maior concentração do antígeno, e não teve influência sobre os níveis de anticorpos para CCoV. Os resultados indicam que o EEP tem ação imunomoduladora intimamente dependente do tipo e concentração do antígeno utilizado, sendo capaz de aumentar os níveis de anticorpos contra CPV.This study was designed to evaluate whether an ethanolic extract of green propolis (EEP) can interfere with production of specific antibodies after immunization against parvovirus (CPV) and canine coronavirus (CCoV). Mice were vaccinated with CPV and CCoV (0.75, 1.5 and 3 x 106 TCID50) with or without 400 μg/dose of the EEP. Twenty one days after the third dose was measured serum IgG. The co-administration of the EEP significantly enhanced serum specific IgG responses to CPV in animals inoculated with the highest concentration of the antigen, and had no influence on levels of antibodies to CCoV. The results indicate that the EEP has immunomodulatory action closely dependent on the type and concentration of antigen used, being able to increase the levels of antibodies to CPV

Supplementation with lipid sources in diets for Jersey cows in the first third of lactation

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da adição de grãos integrais das oleaginosas linhaça, girassol e soja na dieta de vacas Jersey, no primeiro terço da lactação, sobre as seguintes características: consumo, digestibilidade aparente dos nutrientes, produção de leite e suas variáveis, leite com correção energética, eficiência alimentar, balanço energético, perfil de ácidos graxos do leite e perfil metabólico sanguíneo. Oito vacas Jersey multíparas foram utilizadas em delineamento duplo quadrado latino. Os tratamentos foram as dietas experimentais com as oleaginosas, e sais de cálcio de ácidos graxos foram utilizados como o controle. A digestibilidade da proteína foi menor para a soja, enquanto a do extrato etéreo foi maior no controle, sem diferir entre as oleaginosas. Não houve diferença entre as oleaginosas para produção de leite, produção de leite corrigida para gordura, conteúdo nutricional do leite, eficiência alimentar, balanço energético e perfil metabólico sanguíneo. Os teores de ácidos graxos monoinsaturados no leite aumentaram com uso do girassol. Níveis mais altos de ácido linoleico conjugado cis-9 trans-11 no leite foram observados no controle. A adição das oleaginosas integrais avaliadas na dieta de vacas Jersey, no primeiro terço da lactação, não afeta as variáveis de produção de leite, a eficiência alimentar, o balanço energético e o perfil metabólico sanguíneo, mas altera o perfil de ácidos graxos.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of whole-crude oilseeds of linseed, sunflower, and soybean to the diet of Jersey cows, in the first third of lactation, on the following characteristics: intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, milk production and its variables, energy-corrected milk, feed efficiency, energy balance, milk fatty acid profile, and blood metabolic profile. Eight multiparous Jersey cows were used in a double Latin square design. The treatments were the experimental diets with the oilseeds, and calcium salts of fatty acids were used as the control. Protein digestibility was lower for soybean, whereas that of ether extract was higher in the control, not differing between the evaluated oilseeds. There was no difference between oilseeds for milk production, milk production corrected for fat, milk nutritional content, feed efficiency, energy balance, and blood metabolic profile. The levels of milk monounsaturated fatty acids increased with the use of sunflower. Higher levels of cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in milk were observed in the control. The addition of the evaluated whole-crude oilseeds to the diet of Jersey cows in the first third of lactation does not affect milk production variables, feed efficiency, energy balance, and blood biochemical profile, but alters the fatty acid profile

Genomic evolution and complexity of the Anaphase-promoting Complex (APC) in land plants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The orderly progression through mitosis is regulated by the Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC), a large multiprotein E₃ubiquitin ligase that targets key cell-cycle regulators for destruction by the 26 S proteasome. The APC is composed of at least 11 subunits and associates with additional regulatory activators during mitosis and interphase cycles. Despite extensive research on APC and activator functions in the cell cycle, only a few components have been functionally characterized in plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we describe an in-depth search for APC subunits and activator genes in the Arabidopsis, rice and poplar genomes. Also, searches in other genomes that are not completely sequenced were performed. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that some APC subunits and activator genes have experienced gene duplication events in plants, in contrast to animals. Expression patterns of paralog subunits and activators in rice could indicate that this duplication, rather than complete redundancy, could reflect initial specialization steps. The absence of subunit APC7 from the genome of some green algae species and as well as from early metazoan lineages, could mean that APC7 is not required for APC function in unicellular organisms and it may be a result of duplication of another tetratricopeptide (TPR) subunit. Analyses of TPR evolution suggest that duplications of subunits started from the central domains.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The increased complexity of the APC gene structure, tied to the diversification of expression paths, suggests that land plants developed sophisticated mechanisms of APC regulation to cope with the sedentary life style and its associated environmental exposures.</p

Epidemiological profile of congenital hypothyroidism at a southern Brazilian state

Objective: To determine the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) over a 10-year period at the Reference Service in Neonatal Screening of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RSNS-RS). Subjects and methods: Historical cohort study including all newborns screened for CH by the RSNS-RS from January 2008 until December 2017. Data of all newborns with neonatal TSH (neoTSH; heel prick test) values ≥ 9 mIU/L were collected. According to neoTSH values, the newborns were allocated into two groups: Group 1 (G1), comprising newborns with neoTSH ≥ 9 mIU/L and serum TSH (sTSH) < 10 mIU/L, and Group 2 (G2), comprising those with neoTSH ≥ 9 mIU/L and sTSH ≥ 10 mIU/L. Results: Of 1,043,565 newborns screened, 829 (0.08%) had neoTSH values ≥ 9 mIU/L. Of these, 284 (39.3%) had sTSH values < 10 mIU/L and were allocated to the G1 group, while 439 (60.7%) had sTSH ≥ 10 mIU/L and were allocated to the G2 group, and 106 (12.7%) were considered missing data. The overall incidence of CH was 42.1 per 100,000 newborns screened (95% confidence interval [CI] 38.5- 45.7/100,000) or 1:2377 screened newborns. The sensibility and specificity of neoTSH ≥ 9 mIU/L were 97% and 11%; of neoTSH 12.6 mUI/L, 73% and 85% respectively. Conclusion: In this population, the incidence of permanent and transitory CH was 1:2377 screened newborns. The neoTSH cutoff value adopted during the study period showed excellent sensibility, which matters for a screening test

School Psychology and Childhood – a public school experience

This work reports an activity performed as part of coursework in Psychology class during a school semester which aimed to provide students an effective experience of what public school psychologists do, based on the critical presumptions about Psychology and also aimed to present reflections on the performance of this professional together with children. The proposal involved encounters with teachers and children and the undergraduates were responsible for the preparation and execution of activities under the supervision of professors. The Psychology students highlighted the importance of this practice for their professional training, which provided discussions on key questions such as childhood, education and the impact of School Psychology in the Brazilian educational scope

Disfunções da microbiota gastrointestinal e o desenvolvimento de transtornos comportamentais / Dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal microbiota and the development of behavioral disorders

A microbiota intestinal é composta por variados tipos de bactérias e desenvolve papel essencial no funcionamento do organismo humano, como modulação do sistema imune e absorção de nutrientes, sendo considerada essencial para o estado de homeostase no organismo, assim parte importante na operação do eixo bilateral cérebro-intestino. No passado seria um equívoco dizer que o microbiota intestinal viria a ser explicação do humor dos indivíduos, mas atualmente sabe-se que tem papel importante mesmo que ainda pouco compreendido. Este artigo buscou investigar a influência e relação da microbiota intestinal com o desenvolvimento dos transtornos comportamentais, uma vez que compreender esse processo é essencial para o estabelecimento de alternativas diagnósticas e terapêuticas. Foram analisados dados de 20 artigos publicados entre 2010 e 2021 quanto aos mecanismos que impactam na disbiose intestinal e o potencial terapêutico de terapias alternativas com pré e probióticos. Como comprovam alguns estudos, indivíduos que sofrem de disbiose intestinal e são acometidos por transtornos comportamentais podem ser abordados por estratégias nutricionais para minimizar os impactos desse desequilíbrio. Apesar da ainda atual necessidade de mais ensaios clínicos em humanos, conclui-se que a inter-relação entre a ocorrência e fisiopatologia de disbioses e transtornos comportamentais é expressiva

PCR-RLFP characterization of Leishmania spp. in domestic animals from the south-western border of Brazil

Abstract The aim of this study was to characterize Leishmania spp. from canine and feline samples using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). It was conducted in the southern region of Brazil, located at border crossings to Argentina and Uruguay. Samples were collected from 116 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and 89 cats (Felis catus). The PCR was performed to screen for an LT1 fragment from kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) target gene, and positive samples were subjected to a second PCR for an internal transcribed spacers (ITS1) region from ribosomal DNA (rDNA) target. RFLP was performed using the Haemophilus aegyptius (HAE III) restriction endonuclease (Fermentas ®). Positive samples by PCR ITS1 were sequenced and deposited in NCBI GenBank, and a phylogenetic analysis was developed. We found that 12.9% (15/116) of the samples from dogs were positive. All the 89 cat samples were negative. Positive samples were tested against Leishmania reference strains presenting different patterns in PCR-RFLP, and these samples showed bands denoting similarity to the standard species of Leishmania infantum, proven through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The RFLP technique, alone, was shown to be feasible for practical application and confirmation of the involved Leishmania spp