Effect of laser on the remnant liver after the first 24 hours following 70% hepatectomy in rats

PURPOSE: To evaluate the mitochondrial function of the remnant liver (RL) in the early phase of liver regeneration in rats after 70% partial hepatectomy (PH). METHODS: Sixty male Wistar rats (200-250g) submitted to 70% PH were divided into five groups according to the time of euthanasia and application or not of laser light: C = Control, time zero; 2 minutes, 4, 6 and 24 hours after PH. The dose of laser radiation was 22.5 J/cm², wavelength of 660 nm (visible/red), in the remnant liver. We studied the respiration activated by ADP (state 3), basal mitochondrial respiration (state 4), respiratory control ratio (RCR) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). RESULTS: The mitochondrial function of RL changed at 4 and 6 hours after PH, with a significant increase in state 3 and a concomitant increase in state 4 and with maintenance of RCR. MMP differed significantly between the groups biostimulated with laser radiation and the control group 4 hours after HP, with a substantial reduction in the non-laser groups. CONCLUSION: The laser light at the dose used in this study did not induce additional damage to the RL and seems to have delayed the hepatocellular metabolic overload of the remnant liver.

HR Del REMNANT ANATOMY USING TWO-DIMENSIONAL SPECTRAL DATA AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL PHOTOIONIZATION SHELL MODELS

The HR Del nova remnant was observed with the IFU-GMOS at Gemini North. The spatially resolved spectral data cube was used in the kinematic, morphological, and abundance analysis of the ejecta. The line maps show a very clumpy shell with two main symmetric structures. The first one is the outer part of the shell seen in H alpha, which forms two rings projected in the sky plane. These ring structures correspond to a closed hourglass shape, first proposed by Harman & O'Brien. The equatorial emission enhancement is caused by the superimposed hourglass structures in the line of sight. The second structure seen only in the [O III] and [N II] maps is located along the polar directions inside the hourglass structure. Abundance gradients between the polar caps and equatorial region were not found. However, the outer part of the shell seems to be less abundant in oxygen and nitrogen than the inner regions. Detailed 2.5-dimensional photoionization modeling of the three-dimensional shell was performed using the mass distribution inferred from the observations and the presence of mass clumps. The resulting model grids are used to constrain the physical properties of the shell as well as the central ionizing source. A sequence of three-dimensional clumpy models including a disk-shaped ionization source is able to reproduce the ionization gradients between polar and equatorial regions of the shell. Differences between shell axial ratios in different lines can also be explained by aspherical illumination. A total shell mass of 9 x 10(-4) M(circle dot) is derived from these models. We estimate that 50%-70% of the shell mass is contained in neutral clumps with density contrast up to a factor of 30.

Colonization and extinction of land planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant

Long-term assessments of species assemblages are valuable tools for detecting species ecological preferences and their dispersal tracks, as well as for assessing the possible effects of alien species on native communities. Here we report a 50-year-long study on population dynamics of the four species of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) that have colonized or become extinct in a 70-year-old Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant through the period 1955-2006. On the one hand, the two initially most abundant species, which are native to the study site, Notogynaphallia ernesti and Geoplana multicolor have declined over decades and at present do not exist in the forest remnant. The extinction of these species is most likely related with their preference for open vegetation areas, which presently do not exist in the forest remnant. On the other hand, the neotropical Geoplaninae 1 and the exotic Endeavouria septemlineata were detected in the forest only very recently. The long-term study allowed us to conclude that Geoplaninae 1 was introduced into the study area, although it is only known from the study site. Endeavouria septemlineata, an active predator of the exotic giant African snail, is originally known from Hawaii. This land flatworm species was observed repeatedly in Brazilian anthropogenic areas, and this is the first report of the species in relatively well preserved native forest, which may be evidence of an ongoing adaptive process. Monitoring of its geographic spread and its ecological role would be a good practice for preventing potential damaging effects, since it also feeds on native mollusk fauna, as we observed in lab conditions.

Forest restoration in an indigenous land considering a forest remnant influence (Avai, Sao Paulo State, Brazil)

The expansion of agricultural and pasture areas over native forest areas has been broadly documented and represents the main cause of deforestation that has occurred for the last decades. Such reality is not different in indigenous lands, and has been considered as an important obstacle for individuals who directly depend upon the appropriate management of natural resources to maintain their traditions. We investigated the seed rain, seed bank and natural regeneration of native woody species within a degraded pasture land in different distances from an adjacent seasonal semideciduous forest fragment to define methodological procedures based on ecological processes that might subsidize forest restoration in an indigenous land. Most seeds and seedlings picked from the seed rain and seed bank belonged to anemochoric and autochoric dispersing shrubby and herbaceous species originated in the pasture land. The woody species regeneration, on the other hand, reached higher levels, in terms of abundance and richness, as the forest fragment became closer. Zoochoric dispersal was predominant among such species and was mainly detected closer to the forest fragment. Several woody species picked in the forest fragment were also found in the pasture land, thus reinforcing their important role in supplying propagules and easing the successional process. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New species of Anastrepha Schiner (Diptera, Tephritidae) from remnant area of the Atlantic Rain Forest and surroundings in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil

Four new species of Anastrepha Schiner were collected in McPhail-type traps hung in trees in a natural reserve and in commercial papaya orchards in Linhares, Espirito Santo state, Brazil. They are described and named herein as follows: Anastrepha atlantica n. sp., Anastrepha glochin n. sp., Anastrepha linharensis n. sp. and Anastrepha martinsi n. sp. Only the latter was collected in traps hung in papaya orchards. The classification of these species in species groups of Anastrepha is also discussed.

Fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) and their associations with native host plants in a remnant area of the highly endangered Atlantic Rain Forest in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil

The results presented in this paper refer to a host survey, lasting approximately three and a half years (February 2003-july 2006), undertaken in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve, a remnant area of the highly endangered Atlantic Rain Forest located in Linhares County, State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. A total of 330 fruit samples were collected from native plants, representing 248 species and 51 plant families. Myrtaceae was the most diverse family with 54 sampled species. Twenty-eight plant species, from ten families, are hosts of ten Anastrepha species and of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Among 33 associations between host plants and fruit flies, 20 constitute new records, including the records of host plants for A. fumipennis Lima and A. nascimentoi Zucchi. The findings were discussed in the light of their implications for rain forest conservation efforts and the study of evolutionary relationships between fruit flies and their hosts.

Continuous reproduction and recruitment in the narrowback mud crab Panopeus americanus (Brachyura, Panopeidae) in a remnant human-impacted mangrove area

The population structure, reproductive period, and juvenile recruitment of Panopeus americanus were studied in order to enhance knowledge of its life cycle and reproductive strategy and promote the maintenance of its natural stocks in an impacted region. Specimens were collected in the remnant human-impacted mangrove at Araca, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at two-month intervals from January to November 2005, at low tide, with a capture effort by three people. The crabs were measured (carapace width, CW) and sexed. The total catch was 275 animals, including 132 males (48.0%); 127 females (46.2%), of which 39 were ovigerous (14.2% of total catch); and 16 individuals whose sex could not be identified (5.8%). No correlation was observed between water temperature and the number of collected individuals; however, there was a significant, positive correlation with salinity. Males were significantly larger than females. The size-frequency distribution was bimodal, reflecting the occurrende of more than one recruitment pulse and the differential abundance of adults during the period of study. The overall sex ratio was 1:0.97 favoring males, and was not significantly different from the expected value, i.e., this population fits the anomalous pattern of sex occurrence in size classes. Ovigerous females were captured in all sampled months, which explain the continuous recruitment observed. Expected low levels of individuals of different size classes in the population were not confirmed. All population aspects found here allowed us to infer that this population of P. americanus is well established in the impacted mangrove by virtue of its reproductive strategy.

Microdistribution of juveniles and adults of the mud crab Panopeus americanus (Brachyura, Panopeidae) in a remnant mangrove area in the southwest Atlantic

The distribution and density of a population of the narrowback mud crab Panopeus americanus were evaluated, with emphasis on the different developmental stages (juveniles and adults) and sexes. Specimens were collected in a remnant human-impacted mangrove at Araca on the northern coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at two-month intervals from January through July 2006, using 1m x 1m sample plots randomly distributed in the intertidal zone. The population was abundant, with a mean density of 14.3 +/- 9.3 individuals/m(2). Larger individuals were more abundant in the upper and middle intertidal zones, whereas smaller crabs were predominant in the lower intertidal and thus remained submerged longer. Males and juveniles were homogeneously distributed. Females preferred regions farther from the waterline. A clustered distribution pattern suggested gregarious behaviour and settling of juveniles in the vicinity of the adults` habitats, in an adaptive process as a function of tidal rhythms.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Delivered at the Subcapsule of the Kidney Ameliorate Renal Disease in the Rat Remnant Kidney Model

Stem cells (SC) are potential therapeutic tools in the treatment of chronic renal diseases. Number and engraftment of SC in the injured sites are important for possible differentiation into renal cells and paracrine effect. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of subcapsular injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in the 5/6 nephrectomy model (5/6 Nx). MSC obtained from Wistar rats were isolated by their capacity to adhere to plastic surfaces, characterized by flow cytometry, and analyzed by their differentiation potential into osteoblasts. MSC (2 X 105) were injected into the subcapsule of the remnant kidney of male Wistar rats, and were followed for 15 or 30 days. 5/6 Nx rats showed significant hypertension at 15 and 30 days, which was reduced by MSC at 30 days. Increased albuminuria and serum creatinine at 15 and 30 days in 5/6 Nx rats were also reduced by subcapsular injection of MSC. We also observed a significant reduction of glomerulosclerosis index 30 days after injection of MSC. 4-6 diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI)-stained MSC showed a migration of these cells into renal parenchyma 5, 15, and 30 days after subcapsular injection. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that subcapsular injection of MSC in 5/6 Nx rats is associated with renoprotective effects. These results suggest that locally implanted MSC in the kidney allow a large number of cells to migrate into the injured sites and demonstrate that subcapsular injection represent an effective route for MSC delivery.

The supernova remnant CTB 37B and its associated magnetar CXOU J171405.7-381031: evidence for a magnetar-driven remnant

We discuss the association between the candidate magnetar CXOU J171405.7-381031 and the supernova remnant CTB 37B. The recent detection of the period derivative of the object allowed an estimation of a young characteristic age of only similar to 1000 yr. This value is too small to be compatible even with the minimum radius of the remnant being >= 10 pc, the value corresponding to the lower limit of the estimated distance of 10.2 +/- 3.5 kpc, unless the true distance happens to be even smaller than the lower limit. We argue that a consistent scenario for the remnant`s origin, in which the latter is powered by the energy injected by a young magnetar, is indeed more accurate to explain the young age, and demonstrates its non-standard (i.e. magnetar-driven) nature.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate Renal Fibrosis Through Immune Modulation and Remodeling Properties in a Rat Remnant Kidney Model

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have regenerative properties in acute kidney injury, but their role in chronic kidney diseases is still unknown. More specifically, it is not known whether MSCs halt fibrosis. The purpose of this work was to investigate the role of MSCs in fibrogenesis using a model of chronic renal failure. MSCs were obtained from the tibias and femurs of male Wistar-EPM rats. Female Wistar rats were subjected to the remnant model, and 2 vertical bar x vertical bar 10(5) MSCs were intravenously administrated to each rat every other week for 8 weeks or only once and followed for 12 weeks. SRY gene expression was observed in female rats treated with male MSCs, and immune localization of CD73(+)CD90(+) cells at 8 weeks was also assessed. Serum and urine analyses showed an amelioration of functional parameters in MSC-treated animals at 8 weeks, but not at 12 weeks. Masson`s trichrome and Sirius red staining demonstrated reduced levels of fibrosis in MSC-treated animals. These results were corroborated by reduced vimentin, type I collagen, transforming growth factor beta, fibroblast specific protein 1 (FSP-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and Smad3 mRNA expression and alpha smooth muscle actin and FSP-1 protein expression. Renal interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased after MSC treatment, whereas IL-4 and IL-10 expression levels were increased. All serum cytokine expression levels were decreased in MSC-treated animals. Taken together, these results suggested that MSC therapy can indeed modulate the inflammatory response that follows the initial phase of a chronic renal injury. The immunosuppressive and remodeling properties of MSCs may be involved in the decreased fibrosis in the kidney. STEM CELLS 2009;27:3063-3073

GEOCHEMISTRY AND U-PB ZIRCON AGE OF THE INTERNAL OSSA-MORENA ZONE OPHIOLITE SEQUENCES: A REMNANT OF RHEIC OCEAN IN SW IBERIA

The Early Paleozoic geodynamic evolution in SW Iberia is believed to have been dominated by the opening of the Rheic Ocean. The Rheic Ocean is generally accepted to have resulted from the drift of peri-Gondwanan terranes such as Avalonia from the northern margin of Gondwana during Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician times. The closure of the Rheic Ocean was the final result of a continent-continent collision between Gondwana and Laurussia that produced the Variscan orogen. The Ossa-Morena Zone is a peri-Gondwana terrane, which preserves spread fragments of ophiolites - the Internal Ossa-Morena Zones Ophiolite Sequences (IOMZOS). The final patchwork of the IOMZOS shows a complete oceanic lithospheric sequence with geochemical characteristics similar to the ocean-floor basalts, without any orogenic fingerprint and/or crustal contamination. The IOMZOS were obducted and imbricated with high pressure lithologies. Based on structural, petrological and whole-rock geochemical data, the authors argue that the IOMZOS represent fragments of the oceanic lithosphere from the Rheic Ocean. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronological data on metagabbros point to an age of ca. 480 Ma for IOMZOS, providing evidence of a well-developed ocean in SW Iberia during this period, reinforcing the interpretation of the Rheic Ocean as a wide ocean among the peri-Gondwanan terranes during Early Ordovician times.

Influence of the length of remaining root canal filling and post space preparation on the coronal leakage of Enterococcus faecalis

This study evaluated the sealing ability of different lengths of remaining root canal filling and post space preparation against coronal leakage of Enterococcus faecalis. Forty-one roots of maxillary incisors were biomechanically prepared, maintaining standardized canal diameter at the middle and coronal thirds. The roots were autoclaved and all subsequent steps were undertaken in a laminar flow chamber. The canals of 33 roots were obturated with AH Plus sealer and gutta-percha. The root canal fillings were reduced to 3 predetermined lengths (n=11): G1=6 mm, G2=4 mm and G3=2 mm. The remaining roots served as positive and negative controls. Bacterial leakage test apparatuses were fabricated with the roots attached to Eppendorf tubes keeping 2 mm of apex submerged in BHI in glass flasks. The specimens received an E. faecalis inoculum of 1 x 107 cfu/mL every 3 days and were observed for bacterial leakage daily during 60 days. Data were submitted to ANOVA, Tukey's test and Fisher's test. At 60 days, G1 (6 mm) and G2 (4 mm) presented statistically similar results (p>0.05) (54.4% of specimens with bacterial leakage) and both groups differed significantly (p<0.01) from G3 (2 mm), which presented 100% of specimens with E. faecalis leakage. It may be concluded that the shortest endodontic obturation remnant leaked considerably more than the other lengths, although none of the tested conditions avoids coronal leakage of E. faecalis.

Birds from cerradão woodland, an overlooked forest of the Cerrado region, Brazil

The Cerrado region still receives relatively little ornithological attention, although it is regarded as the only tropical savanna in the world considered to be a biodiversity hotspot. Cerradão is one of the least known and most deforested Cerrado physiognomies and few recent bird surveys have been conducted in these forests. In order to rescue bird records and complement the few existing inventories of this under-studied forest type in the state of São Paulo, we looked for published papers on birds of cerradão. Additionally we surveyed birds at a 314-ha cerradão remnant located in central São Paulo, Brazil, from September 2005-December 2006 using unlimited distance transect counts. Out of 95 investigations involving cerradão bird studies, only 17 (18%) investigations teased apart bird species recorded inside cerradão from those recorded in other physiognomies of Cerrado. Except for one study, no research found more than 64 species in this type of forest, a result shared within many regions from Brazil and Bolivia. Differences in species richness do not seem be related with levels of disturbance of landscape or fragment size. Considering all species recorded in cerradão in Brazil and Bolivia, a compilation of data accumulated 250 species in 36 families and 15 orders. In recent surveys at central São Paulo, we recorded 48 species in 20 families, including the Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin Neopelma pallescens, threatened in São Paulo, and the Helmeted Manakin Antilophia galeata, near threatened in the state and endemic to the Cerrado region. Among the most abundant species inside this fragment, none was considered to be neither threatened nor endemic.

Lipid Metabolism in Subclinical Hypothyroidism: Plasma Kinetics of Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins and Lipid Transfers to High-Density Lipoprotein Before and After Levothyroxine Treatment

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been associated with atherosclerosis, but the abnormalities in plasma lipids that can contribute to atherogenesis are not prominent. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients with normocholesterolemic, normotriglyceridemic SCH display abnormalities in plasma lipid metabolism not detected in routine laboratory tests including abnormalities in the intravascular metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, lipid transfers to high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and paraoxonase 1 activity. The impact of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment and euthyroidism in these parameters was also tested. Methods: The study included 12 SCH women and 10 matched controls. Plasma kinetics of an artificial triglyceride-rich emulsion labeled with radioactive triglycerides and cholesteryl esters as well as in vitro transfer of four lipids from an artificial donor nanoemulsion to HDL were determined at baseline in both groups and after 4 months of euthyroidism in the SCH group. Results: Fractional clearance rates of triglycerides (SCH 0.035 +/- 0.016 min(-1), controls 0.029 +/- 0.013 min(-1), p=0.336) and cholesteryl esters (SCH 0.009 +/- 0.007 min(-1), controls 0.009 +/- 0.009 min(-1), p=0.906) were equal in SCH and controls and were unchanged by LT4 treatment and euthyroidism in patients with SCH, suggesting that lipolysis and remnant removal of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins were normal. Transfer of triglycerides to HDL (SCH 3.6 +/- 0.48%, controls 4.7 +/- 0.63%, p=0.001) and phospholipids (SCH 16.2 +/- 3.58%, controls 21.2 +/- 3.32%, p=0.004) was reduced when compared with controls. After LT4 treatment, transfers increased and achieved normal values. Transfer of free and esterified cholesterol to HDL, HDL particle size, and paraoxonase 1 activity were similar to controls and were unchanged by treatment. Conclusions: Although intravascular metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins was normal, patients with SCH showed abnormalities in HDL metabolism that were reversed by LT4 treatment and achievement of euthyroidism.