Histological, histochemical and morphometric study of female corpora allata of Pachycondyla striata ants (Hymenoptera: Ponerinae)

In this study we utilized both histological/histochemical tests and morphometric/statistical tests to observe developmental differences in the corpora allata in Pachycondyla striata workers and queens ants. The general structure of corpora allata was similar between workers and queens. The differences found among the volumes was not statistically significant when the probability value was set at 5%. Although the queen corpora allata volume has been observed smaller than those of the worker and the right gland volume has been smaller than those of the left one. Differences also were observed histologically, the worker corpora allata cells showed homogeneous cytoplasm and sparse nuclear chromatin in well defined nuclei. It was the reverse in the queens, in which the corpora allata cells showed some secretory cytoplasmic vesicles and nuclei with a different morphology, i. e., from extremely large with sparse chromatin to small with condensed chromatin. Employing histochemical tests verified that the corpora allata in both castes contained large amounts of RNA and protein in the cytoplasm of their cells and an absence of polysaccharides. Differences in the lipid amounts in worker's glands were found, whereas, in the queens' corpora allata lipids always occur.

Temporal and morphological differences in post-embryonic differentiation of the mushroom bodies in the brain of workers, queens, and drones of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

On the Apterous Line of the Termite Velocitermes heteropterus (Isoptera: Termitidae): Developmental Pathways and Cellulose Digestion

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Developmental changes in cold tolerance and ability to autoresuscitate from hypothermic respiratory arrest are not linked in rats and hamsters

In adult mammals, severe hypothermia leads to respiratory and cardiac arrest, followed by death. Neonatal rats and hamsters can survive much lower body temperatures and, upon artificial rewarming, spontaneously recover from respiratory arrest (autoresuscitate), typically suffering no long-term effects. To determine developmental and species differences in cold tolerance (defined here as the temperature of respiratory arrest) and its relation to the ability to autoresuscitate, we cooled neonatal and juvenile Sprague-Dawley rats and Syrian hamsters until respiration ceased, followed by rewarming. Ventilation and heartbeat were continuously monitored. In rats, cold tolerance did not change throughout development, however the ability to autoresuscitate from hypothermic respiratory arrest did (lost between postnatal days, P, 14 and 20), suggesting that the mechanisms for maintaining breathing at low temperatures was retained throughout development while those initiating breathing on rewarming were altered. Hamsters, however, showed increased cold tolerance until P26-28 and were able to autoresuscitate into adulthood (provided the heart kept beating throughout respiratory arrest). Also, hamsters were more cold tolerant than rats. We saw no evidence of gasping to initiate breathing following respiratory arrest, contributing to the hypothesis that hypothermic respiratory arrest does not lead to anoxia. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MORPHOLOGICAL CASTE DIFFERENCES IN POLYBIA AEQUATORIALIS (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE: POLISTINAE: EPIPONINI), A SOCIAL WASP of THE HIGHLANDS of COSTA RICA

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Apoptotic and developmental effects of bovine Herpesvirus type-5 infection on in vitro-produced bovine embryos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of developmental changes in bovine in vitro produced embryos following exposure to bovine Herpesvirus type 5

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Developmental and behavioral effects of postnatal amitraz exposure in rats

The effects of postnatal amitraz exposure on physical and behavioral parameters were studied in Wistar rats, whose lactating dams received the pesticide (10 mg/Kg) orally on days 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19 of lactation; control dams received distilled water (1 ml/kg) on the same days. A total of 18 different litters (9 of them control and 9 experimental) born after a 21- day gestation were used. The results showed that the median effective time (ET50) for fur development, eye opening, testis descent and onset of the startle response were increased in rats postnatally exposed to amitraz (2.7, 15.1, 21.6 and 15.3 days, respectively) compared to those of the control pups (1.8, 14.0, 19.9 and 12.9 days, respectively). The ages of incisor eruption, total unfolding of the external ears, vaginal and ear opening and the time taken to perform the grasping hindlimb reflex were not affected by amitraz exposure. Pups from dams treated with amitraz during lactation took more time (in seconds) to perform the surface righting reflex on postnatal days (PND) 3 (25.0 ±2.0), 4 (12.3 ± 1.2) and 5 (8.7 ± 0.9) in relation to controls (10.6 ± 1.2; 4.5 ± 0.6 and 3.4 ± 0.4, respectively); the climbing response was not changed by amitraz. Postnatal amitraz exposure increased spontaneous motor activity of male and female pups in the open-field on PND 16 (140± 11)and 17(124± 12), and 16 (104±9), 17 (137 ± 9) and 18 (106 ± 8), respectively. Data on spontaneous motor activity of the control male and female pups were 59 ± 11 and 69 ± 10 for days 16 and 17 and 49 ± 9, 48 ± 7 and 56 ± 7 for days 16, 17 and 18, respectively. Some qualitative differences were also observed in spontaneous motor behavior; thus, raising the head, shoulder and pelvis matured one or two days later in the amitraz- treated offspring. Postnatal amitraz exposure did not change locomotion and rearing frequencies or immobility time in the open-field on PND 30, 60 and 90. The present findings indicate that postnatal exposure to amitraz caused transient developmental and behavioral changes in the exposed offspring and suggest that further investigation of the potential health risk of amitraz exposure to developing human and animal offsprings may be warranted.

Growth and developmental outcomes of the extremely preterm infant

Objetive: To provide information for pediatricians and neonatologists to create realistic outcome expectations and thus help plan their actions. Sources of data: Searches were made of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Lilacs databases. Summary of the findings: The assessment of growth and development over the first 2-3 years must adjust chronological age with respect of the degree of prematurity. There is special concern regarding the prognoses of small for gestational age preterm infants, and for those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Attention must be directed towards improving the nutrition of extremely low birth weight infants during their first years of life; these infants have high prevalence levels of failure to catch-up on growth, diseases and rehospitalizations during their first 2 years. They are frequently underweight and shorter than expected during early childhood, but delayed catch-up growth may occur between 8 and 14 years. Extremely low birth weight infants are at increased risk of neurological abnormalities and developmental delays during their first years of life. Educational, psychological, and behavioral problems are frequent during school years. Teenage and adult outcomes show that although some performance differences persist, social integration is not impaired. Conclusions: The growth and neurodevelopment of all ELBW infants must be carefully monitored after discharge, to ensure that children and their families receive adequate support and intervention to optimize prognoses. Copyright © 2005 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

A study of the role of the FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 genes in persistent developmental stuttering

A number of speech disorders including stuttering have been shown to have important genetic contributions, as indicated by high heritability estimates from twin and other studies. We studied the potential contribution to stuttering from variants in the FOXP2 gene, which have previously been associated with developmental verbal dyspraxia, and from variants in the CNTNAP2 gene, which have been associated with specific language impairment (SLI). DNA sequence analysis of these two genes in a group of 602 unrelated cases, all with familial persistent developmental stuttering, revealed no excess of potentially deleterious coding sequence variants in the cases compared to a matched group of 487 well characterized neurologically normal controls. This was compared to the distribution of variants in the GNPTAB, GNPTG, and NAGPA genes which have previously been associated with persistent stuttering. Using an expanded subject data set, we again found that NAGPA showed significantly different mutation frequencies in North Americans of European descent (p = 0.0091) and a significant difference existed in the mutation frequency of GNPTAB in Brazilians (p = 0.00050). No significant differences in mutation frequency in the FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 genes were observed between cases and controls. To examine the pattern of expression of these five genes in the human brain, real time quantitative reverse transcription PCR was performed on RNA purified from 27 different human brain regions. The expression patterns of FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 were generally different from those of GNPTAB, GNPTG and NAPGA in terms of relatively lower expression in the cerebellum. This study provides an improved estimate of the contribution of mutations in GNPTAB, GNPTG and NAGPA to persistent stuttering, and suggests that variants in FOXP2 and CNTNAP2 are not involved in the genesis of familial persistent stuttering. This, together with the different brain expression patterns of GNPTAB, GNPTG, and NAGPA compared to that of FOXP2 and CNTNAP2, suggests that the genetic neuropathological origins of stuttering differ from those of verbal dyspraxia and SLI. Published by Elsevier Inc.