Pinus Susceptibility to Pitch Canker Triggers Specific Physiological Responses in Symptomatic Plants:An Integrated Approach

Fusarium circinatum, the causal agent of pine pitch canker (PPC), is an emergent and still understudied risk that threatens Pinus forests worldwide, with potential production and sustainability losses. In order to explore the response of pine species with distinct levels of susceptibility to PPC, we investigated changes in physiology, hormones, specific gene transcripts, and primary metabolism occurring in symptomatic Pinus pinea, Pinus pinaster, and Pinus radiata upon inoculation with F. circinatum. Pinus radiata and P. pinaster exhibiting high and intermediate susceptibility to PPC, respectively, suffered changes in plant water status and photosynthetic impairment. This was associated with sink metabolism induction, a general accumulation of amino acids and overexpression of pathogenesis-related genes. On the other hand, P. pinea exhibited the greatest resistance to PPC and stomatal opening, transpiration increase, and glycerol accumulation were observed in inoculated plants. A stronger induction of pyruvate decarboxylase transcripts and differential hormones regulation were also found for inoculated P. pinea in comparison with the susceptible Pinus species studied. The specific physiological changes reported herein are the first steps to understand the complex Pinus–Fusarium interaction and create tools for the selection of resistant genotypes thus contributing to disease mitigation

Barcoding the largest animals on Earth: ongoing challenges and molecular solutions in the taxonomic identification of ancient cetaceans.

Over the last few centuries, many cetacean species have witnessed dramatic global declines due to industrial overharvesting and other anthropogenic influences, and thus are key targets for conservation. Whale bones recovered from archaeological and palaeontological contexts can provide essential baseline information on the past geographical distribution and abundance of species required for developing informed conservation policies. Here we review the challenges with identifying whale bones through traditional anatomical methods, as well as the opportunities provided by new molecular analyses. Through a case study focused on the North Sea, we demonstrate how the utility of this (pre)historic data is currently limited by a lack of accurate taxonomic information for the majority of ancient cetacean remains. We then discuss current opportunities presented by molecular identification methods such as DNA barcoding and collagen peptide mass fingerprinting (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry), and highlight the importance of molecular identifications in assessing ancient species' distributions through a case study focused on the Mediterranean. We conclude by considering high-throughput molecular approaches such as hybridization capture followed by next-generation sequencing as cost-effective approaches for enhancing the ecological informativeness of these ancient sample sets.This article is part of the themed issue 'From DNA barcodes to biomes'

Pneumothorax secondary to a Pulmonary Bullae in a dog

Background: Pulmonary bullae are thin-walled cavitary lesions within the subpleural parenchyma. They are a result of the destruction, dilatation and coalescence of bordering alveoli and their rupture is the most common cause of pneumothorax in dogs. Radiographic and CT imaging are excellent tools for identifying and quantifying pneumothorax. Surgical treatment is considered standard for treatment of pneumothorax consequential to pulmonary bullae. The aim of this report was to describe a case of pneumothorax secondary to pulmonary bullae in a dog.Case: A 5-year-old male crossbreed dog, weighing 11.5 kg, was presented to the Uberaba’s Veterinary Hospital due to becoming easily tired in the previous 3 weeks, and its worsening in the last 2 days by presenting panting. The dog’s guardian did not witness any traumas, but informed that the animal resided with other 14 dogs and also that it frequently collided the thorax against the door when it came down from the bed. Physical examination showed diaphragmatic breathing, inspiratory dyspnea and stridor lung sound. Thoracocentesis revealed presence of air in the pleural cavity and pneumothorax. Radiographic images confirmed this condition. The dog stayed in the hospital and chest drains were placed. Since the amount of sucked air did not reduce with time and due to the emergence of subcutaneous emphysema, the dog went through exploratory thoracotomy that revealed impairment of the right caudal lung lobe, proceeding to lobectomy. The dog stayed in the hospital with chest drains until the contents of the suctions reduced significantly. With the removal of the drains, the dog was sent home and had a full recovery. Histopathology of the impaired lung revealed pulmonary bullae.Discussion: The dog from this report presented clinical signs consistent with pneumothorax, such as dyspnea, diaphragmatic breathing and exercise intolerance. Radiography of the chest region revealed images consistent with this condition, as it is an excellent tool for identifying it. This dog’s guardian was unable to confirm if there was occurrence of trauma due to the large number of cohabitants. In dogs, spontaneous pneumothorax commonly results from the rupture of pulmonary bullae, and these bullae may result from trauma, infectious diseases, thrombosis, obstructive, neoplastic, congenital or idiopathic conditions. Except from trauma, there were no evidence to support any of the other causes of pulmonary bullae in this case.  Traumatic injuries are very common in veterinary medicine, and blunt thoracic traumas with consequential pneumothorax are especially common. The emerging of subcutaneous emphysema, as happened with this dog, is frequently associated with pneumomediastine, and rarely has pathophysiologic impairments. The patient stayed in the hospital for support therapy and thoracocentesis, corroborating with literature; but since there was no improvement, it went through exploratory lobectomy, which revealed impairment of the right caudal lung lobe, proceeding to its exeresis. Surgical intervention is standard procedure in these cases. Histopathology of the impaired lung suggested the presence of pulmonary bullae. In literature, histopathological definitions for this condition are inconsistent, but usually locate the bullae within the pulmonary parenchyma, having walls less than 1 mm thick. Through radiology, unlike with cysts, identifying pulmonary bullae is challenging. In conclusion, this report showed that pulmonary bullae should be considered as a differential diagnose in patients showing pneumothorax considering it is hard to identify through imaging, and that it is important to adopt early therapy and surgical intervention for better outcomes.Keywords: dyspnea, panting, pulmonary lobectomy, thoracotomy, chest drain.Titulo:  Pneumotórax secundário a bolha pulmonar em cão.Descritores: dispneia, ofegante, lobectomia pulmonar, toracotomia, dreno torácico

A relação entre o estilo de vida e o sucesso académico dos estudantes de Imagem Médica e Radioterapia

Objetivo: Avaliar a relação entre o estilo de vida (EV) dos estudantes do Curso de Licenciatura em Imagem Médica e Radioterapia (IMR) e o seu sucesso académico. Materiais e Métodos: Os dados foram recolhidos através de um conjunto de instrumentos: questionário sociodemográfico, “Questionário de Estilos de Vida” e “Questionário de Caracterização de Estilo de Vida”, ambos distribuídos on-line aos estudantes a frequentar os quatro anos curriculares do Curso de Licenciatura em Imagem Médica e Radioterapia, nas seis instituições universitárias públicas portuguesas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O atendimento médico de pacientes surdas: uma revisão integrativa

A Lei Federal nº 10.436/2002 reconhece a Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras) como a primeira língua dos surdos e estabelece que eles têm direito a serem atendidos por profissionais capacitados em Libras. Estudos revelam que os surdos enfrentam dificuldades no atendimento médico, como medo, desconfiança e frustração, devido à falta de preparo dos profissionais de saúde para cuidar de pacientes surdos. A falta de conhecimento e habilidades em Libras por parte dos médicos compromete a qualidade do atendimento. Dessa forma, o objetivo da pesquisa é realizar uma revisão integrativa de literatura sobre a relação entre médicos e pacientes surdas do sexo feminino. A revisão integrativa de literatura de abordagem qualitativa, foi realizada nos bancos de dados, da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SciELO) e Portal de Periódico da CAPES. Foram analisados seis artigos. Os resultados evidenciaram que a principal barreiras na assistência médica durante o ciclo gravídico-puerperal de mulheres surdas, é a falta de acessibilidade e comunicação. Este estudo ressalta a urgência de transformar a forma como os profissionais de saúde interagem com pacientes surdos. A comunicação eficaz, o respeito aos direitos e a compreensão das barreiras enfrentadas por essa comunidade são fundamentais para garantir um atendimento inclusivo e de alta qualidade

Seroprevalence of rodent-borne viruses in Afro-descendent communities in Brazil

During the Brazilian slavery period, many African migrants were brought to the American continent. Historically, some of these migrants escaped from the Brazilian gold mines and farms to which they had been brought and settled in remote valleys and this was the main mode of resistance to the slavery system. These runaway-slave descendant communities are called quilombos, a group with distinct ethnic identity, specific behavioral habits, including geographic isolation and conservative practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of rodent-borne viruses in two Afro-descendent communities from Mato Grosso do Sul State, Midwestern Brazil. A total of 319 individuals from rural and urban quilombola communities were enrolled. Twelve (3.76%) had anti-rodent-borne virus IgG antibodies. Seven (2.19%) were anti-mammarenavirus reactive and nine (2.82%) had anti-orthohantavirus antibodies. The literature includes limited data on the health status of quilombola communities, but all the studies emphasize the disparity of attention of local healthcare personnel to these communities compared to the general population. The findings of this study highlight the vulnerability and the precarious health conditions of quilombola groups, especially those living in rural areas and thus, point to the need of preventive measures to improve access to healthcare for this ethnic group

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Proteomics in Patients with Suspected Lung Cancer

All experiments including MS analysis were supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia project EXPL/DTP-PIC/0616/2013. RM is supported by FCT investigator program 2012 (IF/01002/2012). ASC is supported by grant SFRH/BPD/85569/2012 funded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia.Lung cancer configures as one of the deadliest types of cancer. The future implementation of early screening methods such as exhaled breath condensate analysis and low dose computed tomography (CT) as an alternative to current chest imaging based screening will lead to an increased burden on bronchoscopy units. New approaches for improvement of diagnosis in bronchoscopy units, regarding patient management, are likely to have clinical impact in the future. Diagnostic approaches to address mortality of lung cancer include improved early detection and stratification of the cancers according to its prognosis and further response to drug treatment. In this study, we performed a detailed mass spectrometry based proteome analysis of acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples on an observational prospective cohort consisting of 90 suspected lung cancer cases which were followed during two years. The thirteen new lung cancer cases diagnosed during the follow up time period clustered, based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data, with lung cancer cases at the time of BAL collection. Hundred and thirty-tree potential biomarkers were identified showing significantly differential expression when comparing lung cancer versus non-lung cancer. The regulated biomarkers showed a large overlap with biomarkers detected in tissue samples.publishersversionpublishe