A new species of Pimelodus La Cépède, 1803 (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from rio Ribeira de Iguape basin, Brazil

Pimelodus multicratifer, a new species, is described from the rio Ribeira de Iguape basin. The new species differs from the other Pimelodus species by the following features: 26 to 30 gill rakers on the first branchial arch; a combination of three to six rows of dark spots regularly or irregularly scattered on the flanks and several small dark spots irregularly scattered on the dorsal surface of head, supraoccipital process, and sometimes on the dorsal and caudal fins; striated lips; maxillary barbels reaching between posterior tip of the pelvic-fin rays and posterior tip of the middle caudal-fin rays.Pimelodus multicratifer, espécie nova, é descrita da bacia do rio Ribeira de Iguape. A espécie nova difere das demais espécies de Pimelodus pelas seguintes características: 26 a 30 rastros branquiais sobre o primeiro arco branquial; a combinação de três a seis fileiras de máculas regular ou irregularmente distribuídas sobre os flancos e várias máculas menores irregularmente distribuídas sobre a superfície dorsal da cabeça e processo supraoccipital, e algumas vezes, nas nadadeiras dorsal e caudal; lábios estriados; barbilhões maxilares alcançando a extremidade posterior dos raios da nadadeira pélvica e a extremidade posterior dos raios médios da nadadeira caudal.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) - BIOT

Dementia in Latin America : paving the way towards a regional action plan

Regional challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) to fight dementia, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instabilities, and socioeconomic disparities, can be addressed more effectively grounded in a collaborative setting based on the open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidence-based strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into actions with transformative power. Then, by characterizing genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions and mapping these to the above challenges, we provide the basic mosaics of knowledge that will pave the way towards a KtAF. We describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

A new fish species of Roeboides from Panamá (Characiformes: Characidae)

A freshwater fish Roeboides loftini n.sp. is described from the Río Coclé del Norte drainage of the Atlantic versant of Panamá. The new species differs from other species of the Roeboides guatemalensis-group by the number of perforated scales on the lateral line (83-100), body depth (31.8-36.1%), predorsal distance (49.1-51.9%) and the shape of the humeral spot

A new fish species of Roeboides from Panamá (Characiformes: Characidae)

A freshwater fish Roeboides loftini n.sp. is described from the Río Coclé del Norte drainage of the Atlantic versant of Panamá. The new species differs from other species of the Roeboides guatemalensis-group by the number of perforated scales on the lateral line (83-100), body depth (31.8-36.1%), predorsal distance (49.1-51.9%) and the shape of the humeral spot. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (4): 1663-1667. Epub 2011 December 01Roeboides loftini n.sp., se describe en la desembocadura del río Coclé del Norte en la Vertiente Atlántica de Panamá. La nueva especie se diferencia de otras especies del grupo del Roeboides guatemalensis, por el número de escamas perforadas en la línea lateral (83-100), la profundidad del cuerpo (31.8-36.1%), distancia predorsal (49.1- 51.9%) y la forma de la mancha humera

Tetragonopterus bahiensis Steindachner

Notes on Tetragonopterus bahiensis Steindachner Eigenmann (1921), without examining the syntypes, but considering the area from where the species was described (Bahia, but precise locality is imprecise), places Tetragonopterus bahiensis Steindachner, 1877 as a junior synonym of Astyanax bimaculatus vittatus. Recently, Lima et al. (2003) provisionally considered A. bahiensis in the synonymy of Astyanax bimaculatus Linnaeus. Considering that there is little knowledge on the species, and judging from its taxonomic history, it is plausible to suppose that it can be treated as a species of the Astyanax bimaculatus group. It is for this reason that we include this note. Examination of photographs, radiographs and data obtained from syntypes showed that A. bahiensis is a valid species. The following facts have led us to this conclusion:(1) Steindachner (1877), upon describing the species, mentions the presence of an oval humeral spot, as well as the resemblance of his specimens with Tetragonopterus maculatus Muller & Troschel, 1845 (= Astyanax bimaculatus). Among the three specimens examined that are part of the syntypic series — NWM 57251 (2 specs.) and NWM 57252 (1 spec.) — in two of them (NWM 57251) the humeral spots are higher than long and not horizontally elongated (vs. the horizontally oval shape characteristically present in the A. bimaculatus group).The humeral region of specimen NWM 57252 is damaged, impeding observation of the shape, or even whether one was present; (2) specimens NWM 57251 - 1 and NWM 57252 have five cusps on teeth of the external series of the premaxilla (F. Carvalho pers. comm.)(vs. presence of teeth with three cusps in species of the A. bimaculatus group). Garutti & Britski (2000) mentioned that the posteriormost tooth could have four or five cusps in Astyanax altiparanae; (3) all of the syntypes present two teeth on the maxilla (F. Carvalho pers. comm.) (vs. species of the Astyanax bimaculatus group that have either one tooth on the maxilla, especially those occurring in the Amazon basin and to the north, or teeth absent from this bone, especially those species occurring in drainages of the east and northeast of South America; see Discussion); and (4) the specimens do not present a continuous dark lateral band (present in the Astyanax bimaculatus black lateral stripe subgroup). Due to the facts exposed, we suggest the removal of A. bahiensis from the synonymy of A. bimaculatus and, in consequence, of any subgroup of the species related to this name.Published as part of De Lucena, Carlos Alberto S. & Soares, Helena Gouvea, 2016, Review of species of the Astyanax bimaculatus " caudal peduncle spot " subgroup sensu Garutti & Langeani (Characiformes, Characidae) from the rio La Plata and rio São Francisco drainages and coastal systems of southern Brazil and Uruguay, pp. 101-125 in Zootaxa 4072 (1) on page 120, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4072.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/25646