Metagenômica comparativa de solo de regiões de mata atlântica e caatinga do estado do Rio Grande do Norte - Brasil

The microorganisms play very important roles in maintaining ecosystems, which explains the enormous interest in understanding the relationship between these organisms as well as between them and the environment. It is estimated that the total number of prokaryotic cells on Earth is between 4 and 6 x 1030, constituting an enormous biological and genetic pool to be explored. Although currently only 1% of all this wealth can be cultivated by standard laboratory techniques, metagenomic tools allow access to the genomic potential of environmental samples in a independent culture manner, and in combination with third generation sequencing technologies, the samples coverage become even greater. Soils, in particular, are the major reservoirs of this diversity, and many important environments around us, as the Brazilian biomes Caatinga and Atlantic Forest, are poorly studied. Thus, the genetic material from environmental soil samples of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes were extracted by direct techniques, pyrosequenced, and the sequences generated were analyzed by bioinformatics programs (MEGAN MG-RAST and WEBCarma). Taxonomic comparative profiles of the samples showed that the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes were the most representative. In addition, fungi of the phylum Ascomycota were identified predominantly in the soil sample from the Atlantic Forest. Metabolic profiles showed that despite the existence of environmental differences, sequences from both samples were similarly placed in the various functional subsystems, indicating no specific habitat functions. This work, a pioneer in taxonomic and metabolic comparative analysis of soil samples from Brazilian biomes, contributes to the knowledge of these complex environmental systems, so far little explored

Metagenômica comparativa de solo de regiões de mata atlântica e caatinga do estado do Rio Grande do Norte - Brasil

The microorganisms play very important roles in maintaining ecosystems, which explains the enormous interest in understanding the relationship between these organisms as well as between them and the environment. It is estimated that the total number of prokaryotic cells on Earth is between 4 and 6 x 1030, constituting an enormous biological and genetic pool to be explored. Although currently only 1% of all this wealth can be cultivated by standard laboratory techniques, metagenomic tools allow access to the genomic potential of environmental samples in a independent culture manner, and in combination with third generation sequencing technologies, the samples coverage become even greater. Soils, in particular, are the major reservoirs of this diversity, and many important environments around us, as the Brazilian biomes Caatinga and Atlantic Forest, are poorly studied. Thus, the genetic material from environmental soil samples of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes were extracted by direct techniques, pyrosequenced, and the sequences generated were analyzed by bioinformatics programs (MEGAN MG-RAST and WEBCarma). Taxonomic comparative profiles of the samples showed that the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes were the most representative. In addition, fungi of the phylum Ascomycota were identified predominantly in the soil sample from the Atlantic Forest. Metabolic profiles showed that despite the existence of environmental differences, sequences from both samples were similarly placed in the various functional subsystems, indicating no specific habitat functions. This work, a pioneer in taxonomic and metabolic comparative analysis of soil samples from Brazilian biomes, contributes to the knowledge of these complex environmental systems, so far little explored

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

SOARES, Elvira Maria Mafaldo et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertility and Sterility, v.89, n.3, p.649-655, mar. 2008

Dream characteristics in a Brazilian sample: an online survey focusing on lucid dreaming

During sleep, humans experience the offline images and sensations that we call dreams, which are typically emotional and lacking in rational judgment of their bizarreness. However, during lucid dreaming (LD), subjects know that they are dreaming, and may control oneiric content. Dreaming and LD features have been studied in North Americans, Europeans and Asians, but not among Brazilians, the largest population in Latin America. Here we investigated dreams and LD characteristics in a Brazilian sample (n=3,427; median age=25 years) through an online survey. The subjects reported recalling dreams at least once a week (76%), and that dreams typically depicted actions (93%), known people (92%), sounds/voices (78%), and colored images (76%). The oneiric content was associated with plans for the upcoming days (37%), memories of the previous day (13%), or unrelated to the dreamer (30%). Nightmares usually depicted anxiety/fear (65%), being stalked (48%), or other unpleasant sensations(47%). These data corroborate Freudian notion of day residue in dreams, and suggest that dreams and nightmares are simulations of life situations that are related to our psychobiological integrity. Regarding LD, we observed that 77% of the subjects experienced LD at least once in life (44% up to 10 episodes ever), and for 48% LD subjectively lasted less than 1 min. LD frequency correlated weakly with dream recall frequency (r =0.20,p< 0.01), and LD control was rare (29%). LD occurrence was facilitated when subjects did not need to wake up early (38%), a situation that increases rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) duration, or when subjects were under stress (30%), which increases REMS transitions into waking. These results indicate that LD is relatively ubiquitous but rare, unstable, difficult to control, and facilitated by increases in REMS duration and transitions to wake state. Together with LD incidence in USA, Europe and Asia, our data from Latin America strengthen the notion that LD is a general phenomenon of the human species.

Avaliação da atividade antimalárica e citotóxica de plantas medicinais dos Biomas Caatinga e Amazônico

Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to the usual antimalarials, as well as their adverse effects and high cost, has led to the search of new drugs against malaria. Several of these have been developed from medicinal plants based on ethnopharmacology, including the most widely used antimalarials today: quinine and artemisinin. In the present study schizonticide activity of extracts and fractions of a number of medicinal plants from the Caatinga and Amazon biomes were assessed based on ethnopharmacological and chemosystematic information. These included Ximenia americana, Maytenus rigida, Sideroxylon obtusifolium, Stryphnodendro coriaceum, Bowdichia virgiliodes, Schinopis brasiliensis and Picrolemma sprucei, the last, an Amazon species. Antimalarial tests of blood schizonticides were conducted in Swiss mice infected with P. berghei and in vitro against P. falciparum. In vitro cytotoxicity studies were carried out using HeLa, CHO, 3T3, Raw and HEPG2 cell lines. Except for X. americana, all species exhibited in vivo or in vitro antimalarial activity, inhibiting parasitic growth by up to 79%. Extracts exhibited moderate toxicity with dosedependent kinetics. In this sense, ethnopharmacological and chemosystematic approaches were shown to be useful and promising tools in the search of new drugs. These findings represent a significant contribution to scientific knowledge of the antimalarial potential of Brazilian flora, thereby opening perspectives for the development of new antimalarials

Fungos gasteroides (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) de três áreas de semiárido no Estado do Ceará, Brasil

Gasteroid fungi include several distinct lineages of basidiomycetes that were grouped by presenting some striking features in common like angiocarpic development and passive release of basidiospores. For a long period these fungi were accomodate in Gasteromycetes class. However, biochemistry and molecular studies showed the polyphyly of this group and curriently this class lies devoid of taxonomic value. These organisms influence the ecology of the various biomes, however, are poorly studied and knowledge of their diversity in neotropical ecosystems remains insufficient, despite studies that have been developed in recent years. The Brazilian semiarid region has many areas with an unexplored mycobiota. Ceará State has many areas of extreme biological importance and for this study three protected areas were chosen: Área de Proteção Ambiental da Serra da Ibiapaba, Parque Nacional de Ubajara and Área de Proteção Ambiental de Baturité. Therefore, the aim of this study was to inventory gasteroid fungi ocorring in these three areas in the semiarid region of Ceará. The expeditions, herborization and analysis of specimes were based in traditional methodology used to identify gasteroid fungi. Were identified 16 species belong to 5 families: Agaricaceae, Clathraceae, Geastraceae, Nidulariceae and Phallaceae. Morganella nuda Alfredo & Baseia is recorded for the second time in the world, Blumenavia angolensis (Welw. & Curr) Dring and Mutinus elegans (Mont.) E. Fisch. corresponds to a first record in the Brazilian Northeastern. Except for Abrachium floriforme (Baseia & Calonge) Baseia & T.S. Cabral and Geastrum lloydianum Rick, all remaining species are new records for Ceará, increasing the list of gasteroid fungi in the region of 3 for 17 species. Identified species were deposited in the collection of the Herbarium of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Although these areas have proved conducive to the study of gasteroid fungi, more efforts are still needed to increase knowledge of these fungi in the region