TAXONOMIC STATUS OF CHIRONIUS MULTIVENTRIS AND CHIRONIUS COCHRANAE (SERPENTES)

Recently four subspecies of Chironius multiventris were recognized as valid distinct species: C. in. foveatus, C. in. multiventris, C. in. cochranae, and C. m. septentrionalis. Although C. foveatus and C. septentrionalis clearly deserve specific status, a re-evaluation of the characters pointed in the literature as diagnostic of C. multiventris and C. cochranae does not support their recognition as valid distinct taxa. Additionally, our analysis of the scutellation pattern, continuous characters, and hemipenial morphology of 34 specimens, and of the available data in literature, shows that there are no significant differences between them. We therefore suggest that C. cochranae should be synonymized with C. multiventris.

Morphology of the Gas Bladder in Bumblebee Catfishes (Siluriformes, Pseudopimelodidae)

The gross morphology of the gas bladder is described and compared for representatives of all valid genera of Pseudopimelodidae (Siluriformes). Cephalosilurus albomarginatus and species of Batrochoglanis, and Microglanis have the most basic form: a large, cordiform gas bladder with a simple internal T-shaped septum. Cephalosilurus apurensis, C. fowleri, and C. nigricauda also have a large, cordiform gas bladder, but they have well-developed trabeculae associated with the internal T-shaped septum, and a pair of well-developed constrictor muscles inserted on the external wall; the latter feature is present in most species of Pimelodidae, but absent in all other catfishes. The monotypic Lophiosilurus alexandri also has well-developed constrictor muscles, and its gas bladder is moderately sized. The species of Pseudopimelodus and Cruciglanis have a diminutive gas bladder partially divided into two lateral sacs without internal communication, and lack constrictor muscles. The parapophysis of the fourth vertebra is a wide and long shelf connected to the dorsal surface of the gas bladder in most pseudopimelodid genera. However, in the species of Pseudopimelodus and Cruciglanis the parapophysis of the fourth vertebra is shorter and has its anterior ramus folded back, partially covering the gas bladder anteroventrally; and the tympanic opening is smaller than in species of the other genera. Five phylogenetic characters are proposed based on the morphology of the gas bladder and associated structures in species of Pseudopimelodidae, and the evolution of those characters in the family is discussed. J. Morphol. 272:890-896, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Comparative morphology of the gas bladder in driftwood catfishes (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae)

The gross morphology of the gas bladder is described and illustrated for representatives of most species and all valid genera of the Auchenipteridae (Siluriformes). Although, a simple cordiform gas bladder is present in some species of the family, others are characterized by their distinctive gas-bladder shape and diverticula disposition. An acute posterior end of the gas bladder characterizes Centromochlus heckelii and C. macracanthus, and is variably present in specimens of Auchenipterus. Tocantinsia piresi and Asterophysus batrachus have distinctive gas bladders differing in number of diverticula (two or many). The two species of Trachycorystes are diagnosed based on their gas bladder morphology: T. menezesi has a simple cordiform bladder, whereas T. trachycorystes has a pair of lateral diverticulum and, usually, a well-developed terminal diverticulum. Species of Auchenipterichthys are characterized by having a secondary bladder with simple chamber. Short or elongate and divergent terminal diverticula are exclusive to most cis-andine species of Trachelyopterus. Tetranematichthys and trans-andine species of Trachelyopterus share a well-developed secondary chamber or terminal diverticula ventrally or dorsally connected to the posterior chambers. The small-sized species of Ageneiosus have well-developed gas bladders with a pair of posterior diverticula, whereas large-sized species have a reduced gas bladder with tunica externa varying from non-, partially, or completely ossified. Eight phylogenetic characters are proposed based on the morphology of the gas bladder and associated structures in species of Auchenipteridae, and the evolution of those characters in the family discussed. J. Morphol., 2012. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The workers role in knowledge management and sustainability policies

Based on the concepts of sustainability and knowledge management, this article seeks to identify points of contact between the two themes through an exploratory study of existing literature. The first objective is to find, in international literature, the largest number of papers jointly related to the theme of knowledge management and sustainability. In these documents, the authors looked at the kind of relationship existing between the two themes and what the benefits introduced in organizations are. Based on an ergonomic point of view, the second objective of this article is to analyze the role of the worker (whether at the strategic or operational level) and his importance in this context. The results demonstrate that there is very little literature that addresses the two themes together. The few papers found, however, can be said to show the many advantages of introducing sustainability policies supported by adequate knowledge management. Very little has been studied with regards to the role of workers, which could be interpreted as meaning that little importance is given to the proactive role they may play. On the other hand, there is a high potential for future research in these areas, based on the high level of consideration of workers in knowledge management and sustainability literature, as well as in literature in the areas of ergonomics and sociology.

Loss of male secondary sexual structures in allopatry in the Neotropical butterfly genus Arcas (Lycaenidae: Iheclinae: Eumaeini)

Male secondary sexual characters in Lepidoptera may be present or absent in species that otherwise appear to be closely related, an observation that has led to differences of opinion over the taxonomic usefulness of these structures above the species level. An evolutionary issue raised by this debate is whether male secondary sexual characters (1) can be regained after being lost evolutionarily, (2) are not lost after being evolved, or (3) are 'switched on and off' by genes that regulate development. A second evolutionary issue is the conditions under which male secondary sexual characters might be lost or gained evolutionarily. Because these structures are thought to promote species recognition, theory predicts evolutionary losses to be most likely in allopatry; evolutionary gains to be most likely during the process of secondarily establishing sympatry or during sympatric speciation. We updated the species-level taxonomy of the brilliant emerald winged Neotropical lycaenid butterfly genus Arcas and performed an analysis of phylogenetic relations among species to assess these evolutionary issues. We morphologically detail a scent pouch on the ventral hindwing of Areas and report that six species possess the pouch with androconia, one possesses the pouch without androconia, and the remaining two species have neither pouch nor androconia. In addition, eight Areas species have a morphologically species-specific male forewing scent pad, and one lacks a scent pad. This variation appears to be the result of three evolutionary losses and no gains of male secondary sexual organs. The four Areas species lacking a scent pouch or a scent pad are allopatric with their closest phylogenetic relatives while four of five with both of these structures are sympatric. Although Arcas is a small genus, these results are significantly more extreme than predicted by chance. For taxonomy, this study provides a rationale for the evolutionary loss of male secondary sexual structures and suggests that their absence, but itself, does not indicate a lack of relationship above the species level.

Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) in stable preterm newborns

Objective: To observe the behavior of the plotted vectors on the RXc (R - resistance - and Xc - reactance corrected for body height/length) graph through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PA) values in stable premature infants, considering the hypothesis that preterm infants present vector behavior on BIVA suggestive of less total body water and soft tissues, compared to reference data for term infants. Methods: Cross-sectional study, including preterm neonates of both genders, in-patients admitted to an intermediate care unit at a tertiary care hospital. Data on delivery, diet and bioelectrical impedance (800 mA, 50 kHz) were collected. The graphs and vector analysis were performed with the BIVA software. Results: A total of 108 preterm infants were studied, separated according to age (< 7 days and >= 7 days). Most of the premature babies were without the normal range (above the 95% tolerance intervals) existing in literature for term newborn infants and there was a tendency to dispersion of the points in the upper right quadrant, RXc plan. The PA was 4.92 degrees (+/- 2.18) for newborns < 7 days and 4.34 degrees (+/- 2.37) for newborns >= 7 days. Conclusion: Premature infants behave similarly in terms of BIVA and most of them have less absolute body water, presenting less fat free mass and fat mass in absolute values, compared to term newborn infants.

Adalimumab induced-inflammatory myopathy in rheumatoid arthritis

The application of immunobiologics for the rheumatoid arthritis treatment may present as a rare complication the development of inflammatory myopathy. Until this moment, there have been described in literature only seven cases of inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor induced-myositis. In this paper, we report the case of the patient with 39 years-old with eight years of arthritis rheumatoid and that due to refractory to various immunosuppressive drugs, the adalimumab was introduced, and evolved to dermatomyositis status.

New mutations in the GLA gene in Brazilian families with Fabry disease

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism that results from mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) gene. Evaluating the enzymatic activity in male individuals usually performs the diagnosis of the disease, but in female carriers the diagnosis based only on enzyme assays is often inconclusive. In this work, we analyzed 568 individuals from 102 families with suspect of FD. Overall, 51 families presented 38 alterations in the GLA gene, among which 19 were not previously reported in literature. The alterations included 17 missense mutations, 7 nonsense mutations, 7 deletions, 6 insertions and 1 in the splice site. Six alterations (R112C, R118C, R220X, R227X, R342Q and R356W) occurred at CpG dinucleotides. Five mutations not previously described in the literature (A156D, K237X, A292V, I317S, c.1177_1178insG) were correlated with low GLA enzyme activity and with prediction of molecular damages. From the 13 deletions and insertions, 7 occurred in exons 6 or 7 (54%) and 11 led to the formation of a stop codon. The present study highlights the detection of new genomic alterations in the GLA gene in the Brazilian population, facilitating the selection of patients for recombinant enzyme-replacement trials and offering the possibility to perform prenatal diagnosis. Journal of Human Genetics (2012) 57, 347-351; doi:10.1038/jhg.2012.32; published online 3 May 2012

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children with obstructive sleep apnea and primary snoring

Objective: To evaluate the systemic blood pressure (BP) during daytime and nighttime in children with sleep breathing disorders (SBD) and compare parameters of BP in children with diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) to those one with primary snoring (PS). Methods: Children, both genders, aged from 8 to 12 years, with symptoms of SBD realized an overnight polysomnography followed by a 24 h recording of ambulatory BP. Results: All subjects presented with a history of snoring 7 nights per week. Children who have apnea/hipoapnea index >= four or a apnea index >= one presented a mean BP of 93 +/- 7 mmHg and 85 +/- 9 mmHg diurnal and nocturnal respectively whereas children who have a apnea/hipoapnea < four or a apnea index < one presented 90 +/- 7 mmHg and 77 +/- 2 mmHg. Eight children out of fourteen, from OSA group, lost the physiologic nocturnal dipping of the blood pressure. Among OSA children 57% were considered non-dippers. Two (16%) have presented absence of nocturnal dipping among children with primary snoring. The possibility of OSA children loosing physiologic blood pressure dipping was 6.66 higher than the possibilities of patients from PS group. Discussion: Our results indicate that children with sleep apnea syndrome exhibit a higher 24 h blood pressure when compared with those of primary snoring in form of decreased degree of nocturnal dipping and increased levels of diastolic and mean blood pressure, according to previous studies in literature. OSA in children seems to be associated to the development of hypertension or other cardiovascular disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

History and Epistemology of Science in the Classroom: The Synthesis of Quinine as a Proposal

The history of the quinine synthesis can be used as a case study to emphasize that science is influenced by social and historical processes. The first efforts toward the synthesis of this substance, which until recently was the only treatment for malaria, were by Perkin in 1856 when, trying to obtain quinine,,. he synthesized mauveine. Since then, the quest for the total synthesis of quinine involved several characters in a web of controversies. A major step in this process was made in 1918 by Rabe and Kindler, who proposed the synthesis of quinine from quinotoxine. Twenty-six years later, after obtaining the total synthesis of quinotoxine, Woodward and Doering announced the total synthesis of quinine. However, the lack of experimental details about Rabe and Kindler's process, associated with Woodward and Doering's failure to reproduce it, raised a series of doubts about the synthesis. Stork and colleagues questioned the veracity of the experimental data and even the scientific reputation of the involved researchers. Doubts remained alive until 2008, when Williams and Smith reported, not without reservations, the reproducibility of Rabe and Kindler's protocol. The scientific knowledge as a social and historical development, its legitimating process, and the absence of neutrality in science constitute aspects that can be discussed from this case study, providing significant contributions to science education, in particular, to the initial or continued training of chemistry teachers.