Quantitative comparisons and models of time-averaging in bivalve and brachiopod shell accumulations

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

Evaluation of Pupillary Diameter in Preschool Children

Few quantitative data exist on pupil diameter, particularly in children. In this article we describe an analysis of pupil diameter and pupil area in normal preschool children during attentive gaze (AG) and spontaneous gaze (SG) using digital imaging. The pupil diameter and pupil area of 200 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years were evaluated. The images were recorded with a digital camera, transferred to a computer, processed by movie software and submitted to the Invert filter of Adobe Photoshop (R) software. Three consecutive measures of pupil diameter and pupil area were taken for both eyes during AG and SG. Arithmetic means of each parameter were calculated and data were expressed in millimeters. Mean pupil diameter was similar for both eyes, presenting values of 4.9 mm during AG and 4.1 mm during SG. Mean pupil area was also similar for both eyes, presenting values of 15.6 mm(2) and 9.1 mm(2) during AG and SG, respectively. There were no differences between boys and girls. However, 6-year-old children showed lower pupil diameter and area under both evaluation conditions.

Satisfação e percepção do usuário do SUS sobre o serviço público de saúde

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

Identification of suitable internal control genes for expression studies in Coffea arabica under different experimental conditions

Background: Quantitative data from gene expression experiments are often normalized by transcription levels of reference or housekeeping genes. An inherent assumption for their use is that the expression of these genes is highly uniform in living organisms during various phases of development, in different cell types and under diverse environmental conditions. To date, the validation of reference genes in plants has received very little attention and suitable reference genes have not been defined for a great number of crop species including Coffea arabica. The aim of the research reported herein was to compare the relative expression of a set of potential reference genes across different types of tissue/organ samples of coffee. We also validated the expression profiles of the selected reference genes at various stages of development and under a specific biotic stress.Results: The expression levels of five frequently used housekeeping genes (reference genes), namely alcohol dehydrogenase (adh), 14-3-3, polyubiquitin (poly), beta-actin (actin) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) was assessed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR over a set of five tissue/organ samples (root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruits) of Coffea arabica plants. In addition to these commonly used internal controls, three other genes encoding a cysteine proteinase (cys), a caffeine synthase (ccs) and the 60S ribosomal protein L7 (rpl7) were also tested. Their stability and suitability as reference genes were validated by geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper programs. The obtained results revealed significantly variable expression levels of all reference genes analyzed, with the exception of gapdh, which showed no significant changes in expression among the investigated experimental conditions.Conclusion: Our data suggests that the expression of housekeeping genes is not completely stable in coffee. Based on our results, gapdh, followed by 14-3-3 and rpl7 were found to be homogeneously expressed and are therefore adequate for normalization purposes, showing equivalent transcript levels in different tissue/ organ samples. Gapdh is therefore the recommended reference gene for measuring gene expression in Coffea arabica. Its use will enable more accurate and reliable normalization of tissue/organ-specific gene expression studies in this important cherry crop plant.

Can seasonal differences influence food web structure on preserved habitats? Responses from two Brazilian streams

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

Radioautographic study of the seasonal distribution of leukocytes in turtles Phrynops hilarii (Chelonia Chelidae)

The aim of this study was to present a morphological description of the leukocytes of Phrynops hilarii turtles according to the seasonal distribution of these cells and to show their replacement in the blood circulation using a radioautographic method. Five animals of both sexes weighing 600-1200 g were used. The animal's blood was aspirated, smeared on glass slides, and stained with the Romanowsky stain, and 500 cells of each animal were counted during each season. The results obtained were analyzed statistically by analysis of variance followed by the Bonferrom test (NCSS), with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. The radioautographic analysis of turtle blood exposed to 1000 mu Ci of H-3-thymidine and developed after 30 days showed a large number of silver grains incorporated into the cells, except for basophils, with cell renewal occurring every seven days. Quantitative data demonstrated a seasonal influence on the distribution of some leukocyte types, with the following p values: heterophils (p = 0.0007), basophils (p = 0.0002), monocytes (p = 0.0016), eosinophils (p = 0.0073). However, using this statistical method, it was not possible to detect a significant difference related to seasonal influence on lymphocytes (p = 0. 16295) or thrombocytes (p = 0. 1046). Using this experimental animal model, a seasonal influence on the distribution of some leukocyte types was observed, and the radioautographic method revealed a cell renewal system occurring every seven days, except for basophils. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mistletoes Play Different Roles in a Modular Host-Parasite Network

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

Temporal patterns of parasitism in Diatraea saccharalis Fabr. (Lep., Crambidae) populations at different spatial scales in sugarcane fields in Brazil

Biological control of Diatraea saccharalis is regarded as one of the best examples of successful classical biological control in Brazil. Since the introduction of the exotic parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes, from Pakistan at the beginning of the 1970s, decrease in D. saccharalis infestation in sugarcane fields has been attributed to the effectiveness of this agent. Recently, the native Tachinidae fly parasitoids (Lydella minense and Paratheresia claripalpis) have also been implicated in this success. However, quantitative data confirming the actual contribution of these agents to the control of D. saccharalis are rather limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of the interactions between D. saccharalis and its parasitoids, emphasizing the temporal patterns of parasitism. To investigate this question, a large data set comprising information collected from two sugarcane mills located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil (Barra and Sao Joao sugarcane mills), was analysed. Basically, the data set contained monthly information about the number of D. saccharalis larvae and their parasitoids in each sample (man-hour per sample), the sugarcane varieties cultivated, the age of the sugarcane plants (only at the Sao Joao sugarcane mill) as well as the sugarcane cut at sampling time. The data were collected from March 1984 to March 1997 and from May 1982 to December 1996 for the Barra and Sao Joao sugarcane mills, respectively. Temporal inverse density-dependent parasitism was predominant for both parasitoid species with respect to all spatial scales. Although the temporal pattern of parasitism was not directly density dependent, it was evident that the tachinids and C. flavipes presented positive numerical responses according to variations in D. saccharalis densities through time.

Depression in patients with Parkinson's disease: Impact on functioning

Depression is a frequently observed neuropsychiatric phenomenon in Parkinson's disease (PD) and it has been lately considered as a manifestation of such disease. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between depression and clinical aspects of PD and to assess the impact of the co-occurrence of such condition on the burden imposed by PD. Fifty Outpatients diagnosed with idiopathic PD according to the London Brain Bank criteria were examined. PD was evaluated using Hoehn & Yahr staging (H&Y), United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Schwab & England (S&E) functional capacity evaluation. A semi-structured clinical interview was used. The diagnosis of PD was made by neurologist experts on movement disorders, and the diagnosis of depression was trade by a psychiatrist, according to the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Depressive symptoms were additionally measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale. The analysis of quantitative data was performed using descriptive statistics, Univariate linear regression, T-Student Test and ANOVA. Seventeen (34%) patients were diagnosed as clinically depressed and, when compared to the non-depressed ones, presented the following results: H&Y: 3.2 vs. 2.8; UPDRS total: 75.7 vs. 65.3; S&E: 53.5% vs. 65.8% and PD duration: 114.4 months vs. 125.8 months. Depressed patients showed more advanced staging (H&Y), a more severe global clinical condition (UPDRS) and also a greater decrease in their functional capacity (S&E). These data reinforce the hypothesis that depression is associated to poorer functioning in patients with PD. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

The Effects of a 785-nm AlGaInP Laser on the Regeneration of Rat Anterior Tibialis Muscle After Surgically-Induced Injury

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on muscle regeneration. For this purpose, the anterior tibialis muscle of 48 male Wistar rats received AlGaInP laser treatment (785 nm) after surgically-induced injury.Background Data: Few studies have been conducted on the effects of LLLT on muscle regeneration at different irradiation doses.Materials and Methods: The animals were randomized into four groups: uninjured rats (UN); uninjured and laser-irradiated rats (ULI); injured rats (IN); and injured and laser-irradiated rats (ILI). The direct contact laser treatment was started 24 h after surgery. An AlGaInP diode laser emitting 75 mW of continuous power at 785 nm was used for irradiation. The laser probe was placed at three treatment points to deliver 0.9 J per point, for a total dose of 2.7 J per treatment session. The animals were euthanized after treatment sessions 1, 2, and 4. Mounted sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and used for quantitative morphological analysis, in which the number of leukocytes and fibroblasts were counted over an area of 4480 mu m(2). The data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni t-test.Results: Quantitative data showed that the number of both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocytes in the inflammatory infiltrate at the injury site was smaller in the ILI(1), ILI(2), and ILI(4) subgroups compared with their respective control subgroups (IN(1), IN(2), and IN(4)) for sessions 1, 2, and 4, respectively (p < 0.05). on the other hand, the number of fibroblasts increased after the fourth treatment session (p < 0.05). With regard to the regeneration of muscle fibers following injury, only after the fourth treatment session was it possible to find muscle precursor cells such as myoblasts and some myotubes in the ILI(4) subgroup.Conclusion: During the acute inflammatory phase, the AlGaInP laser treatment was found to have anti-inflammatory effects, reducing the number of leukocytes at the injury site and accelerating the regeneration of connective tissue.

Osteology and Intraspecific Variation of Leptodactylus podicipinus (Anura: Leptodactylidae), with Comments on the Relationship between Osteology and Reproductive Modes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Nas franjas do rural-urbano: meninas entre a tradição e a modernidade

Este artigo gira em torno da possibilidade de reinterpretar dados de pesquisa do passado, à luz das Teorias da Complexidade, conectando-os a dados atuais para conseguir explicações mais compreensivas. São tomados então alguns dados de minhas pesquisas sobre o rural-urbano, a saber: dados quantitativos do Censo de Assentamentos Rurais do Estado de São Paulo sobre as expectativas dos pais em relação à escolarização de meninos e meninas (anos 90); dados qualitativos de uma pesquisa com redações escolares realizada na região de Araraquara no início dos anos 80. Construindo-se uma ponte entre as duas situações, o argumento central é o de que questão das meninas na zona rural deve ser discutida levando-se em conta a relação rural-urbano e superando-se essa dicotomia sob a ótica da história recente do país. Observa-se então que as transformações pelas quais passa a sociedade nacional se refeletem no campo e a conexão entre os dois momentos enfocados (anos 90 versus início dos anos 80) é reveladora de que os germens dessas mudanças já se anunciavam nas relações de algumas meninas que criticavam a sobrecarga do trabalho doméstico sobre os próprios ombros, principalmente sobre os de suas mães.

Work and injuries in dancers: Survey of a professional dance company in Brazil

This study examined the daily life and most important physical injuries suffered and reported by the dancers of a professional (contemporary) dance company in S (a) over tilde $o Paulo, Brazil. Through an observational, cross,sectional, retrospective procedure using a questionnaire that collected qualitative and quantitative data, we were able to gather information on 30 dancers who collaborated with the survey. We determined that the injuries considered as most important by dancers were those that prevented dance activity during some months. These injuries occurred mainly during rehearsals (which is the activity occuppying, the most time on the schedule). Articular injuries were the most frequent and mainly involved the knee and ankle. They were related to classical technique, in which most of the company's artists started their dance careers. Medical care usually was sought within 1 day, and the prescribed treatment resolved the problem, but the injury cause was not identified in all cases.

Alternative saline solutions to float foraminiferal tests

Flotation has been widely used in studies of recent foraminifera in order to concentrate tests and save time during picking. In this paper, four flotation agents with different densities were compared: (1) trichloroethylene, TCE (C2HCl3), with a density of 1.46 g mL(-1); (2) sodium nitrate/sodium thiosulfate solution, SNT (NaNO3 + Na2O3S2 center dot 5H(2)O), with a density of 1.46 g mL(-1); (3) zinc chloride Solution, ZC (ZHCl(2)), with a density of 1.70 g mL(-1); and (4) sodium polytungstate solution, SPT (3Na(2)WO(4) center dot 9WO(3) center dot 5H(2)O), with a density of 2.50 g mL(-1). Comparison was carried out by means of qualitative and quantitative data. Results showed that ZC and SPT were the best flotation agents, recovering 91% and 96% of the total tests, respectively, whereas TCE and SNT recovered 59.1% and 72.8%, respectively. Both quantitative and qualitative results significantly improved with a higher density of the flotation liquid. Therefore, substitution of TCE with ZC or SPT solutions is strongly encouraged, because they are, additionally, less harmful to health and the environment. ZC is the most cost-effective, since its results were not significantly different from those of the SPT treatment. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was not considered in this comparative study, because it has been banned in many countries and it is highly harmful to health and the environment.