Cytological and isoenzyme analysis of the Bucay and Quevedo cytotypes of the onchocerciasis vector Simulium exiguum (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Ecuador

Four cytotypes of Simulium exiguum occur in Ecuador, where this morphospecies is the primary vector of onchocerciasis. In this paper, we give the first full description of the banding pattern of the larval polytene chromosomes of the Quevedo cytotypes differ from the chromosomal standard sequence (of the Cayapa cytotype) by the fixed inversions IIL-5 and IIL-6. The Quevedo cytotype additionally differs from the standard and Bucay cytotypes by processing a differentiated X chromosome, wich is indicated by the inversion IIS-A. As the degree of reproductive isolation between the Bucay and Quevedo cytotypes has not yet been estabilished, they must be regarded as intraspecific variants of the same species. In fact, isoenzyme characterizations showed that the Bucay and Quevedo cytotypes are differentiated only to the extent expected of incipient species or geographical populations. Moreover, the sibiling species status previously given to the Bucay cytotype needs be reassessed, there being inadequate analysis from areas in Ecuador where Bucay occurs in sympatry with the standard Cayapa cytotype. No isoenzyme electromorphs were discovered that identified all or mostadult females of any one (cytotype-pure) collection.

Variation between geographical populations of Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) sensu lato (Diptera:Psychodidae:Phlebotominae) in Brazil

Phylogenetic analysis of morphometric and biological characters indicated that there are two distinct forms of Lutzomyia whitmani in Brazil: one is present both north and south of the River Amazonas in the State of Pará while the other occurs in northeast Brazil, in the State of Ceará, and further south, including the type locality in State of Bahia. The Amazonian form is reportedly neither strongly anthropophilic nor synanthropic, and it is the vector of Leishmania shawi; whereas the southern form is often collected peridomestically, while biting man, and has been found infected with Le.(V.) braziliensis. The ratio of the length of the genital filaments to that the genital pump was found to be consistently smaller in males of the Amazonian populations. A middle repetitive DNA element was isolated by differentially screening a genomic library made using Amazonian material, and the sequence was diagnostic for this form of Lu. whitmani (being absent or occurring in low copy number in the southern form). The total evidence suggests there are at least two, geographically-isolated forms of Lu. whitmani, which may represent different cryptic species.

A Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeny Indicates Close Relationships between Populations of Lutzomyia whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) from the Rain-forest Regions of Amazônia and Northeast Brazil

Phylogenetic analysis of all 31 described mitochondrial (cytochrome b) haplotypes of Lutzomyia whitmani demonstrated that new material from the State of Rondônia, in southwest Amazônia, forms a clade within a lineage found only in the rain-forest regions of Brazil. This rain-forest lineage also contains two other clades of haplotypes, one from eastern Amazônia and one from the Atlantic forest zone of northeast Brazil (including the type locality of the species in Ilhéus, State of Bahia). These findings do not favour recognizing two allopatric cryptic species of L. whitmani, one associated with the silvatic transmission of Leishmania shawi in southeast Amazônia and the other with the peridomestic transmission of Le. braziliensis in northeast Brazil. Instead, they suggest that there is (or has been in the recent past) a continuum of inter-breeding populations of L. whitmani in the rain-forest regions of Brazil.

Sand fly evolution and its relationship to Leishmania transmission

The evolutionary relationships of sand flies and Leishmania are discussed in this report, which draws distinctions between co-association, co-evolution and co-speciation (or co-cladogenesis). Examples focus on Phlebotomus vectors of Le. infantum and Le. major in the Mediterranean subregion.

Schistosomiasis epidemiology and control: how did we get here and where should we go?

Although a disease of great antiquity, scientific studies of schistosomiasis began only 150 years ago. The complete life-cycle was not described until just before the First World War, making it possible at last to plan proper community control programmes. Inadequate tools prevented their effective implementation until well after the Second World War when new tools became available, thanks to the newly formed World Health Organization. Molluscicides spearheaded control programmes until the late 1970s but were then replaced by the newly developed, safe drugs still used today. Whatever the method used, the initial goal of eradication was, in the light of experience and cost, gradually replaced by less ambitious targets; first to stop transmission and then to reduce morbidity. The most successful programmes combined several methods to minimise reinfection after chemotherapy. Comparisons between different programmes are difficult without using appropriate, standardised diagnostic techniques and the correct epidemiological measurements. Some examples will be presented, mainly from our studies on Schistosoma mansoni in Kenya. Drug resistance on a scale comparable with malaria has not occurred in schistosomiasis but the likely withdrawal of all drugs except praziquantel leaves its control extremely vulnerable to this potential problem. An effective, affordable vaccine for use in endemic countries is unlikely to be ready for at least 5 years, and developing strategies for its use could take a further decade or more, judging from experience with drugs and molluscicides. In the interim, by analogy with malaria, the most cost-effective approach would the use of drugs combined with other methods to stop transmission, including molluscicides. The cost of molluscicides needs to be reduced and fears allayed about their supposedly adverse ecological effects.

Characteristics of leprosy diagnosed through the surveillance of contacts: a comparison with index cases in Rio de Janeiro, 1987-2010

Contact surveillance is an important strategy to ensure effective early diagnosis and control of leprosy; passive detection may not be as efficient because it is directly tied to the ready availability of heath care services and health education campaigns. The aim of this study was to reinforce that contact surveillance is the most effective strategy for the control of leprosy. The analysed data were obtained from a cohort of contacts and cases diagnosed through a national referral service for leprosy. We analysed data from patients diagnosed between 1987-2010 at the Souza Araújo Ambulatory in Rio de Janeiro. Epidemiological characteristics of leprosy cases diagnosed through contact surveillance and characteristics of passively detected index cases were compared using a conditional logistic regression model. Cases diagnosed by contact surveillance were found earlier in the progression of the disease, resulting in less severe clinical presentations, lower levels of initial and final disability grades, lower initial and final bacterial indices and a lower prevalence of disease reaction. In this respect, contact surveillance proved to be an effective tertiary prevention strategy, indicating that active surveillance is especially important in areas of high endemicity, such as Brazil.

Lipid and energy contents in the bodies of queens of Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): pre-and post-nuptial flight

The nuptial flight allows males and females to meet and copulate and both need energy to perform this activity. Before leaving the nest, males and females are well nourished and ready to mate. However, little is known about the lipid and energy contents in females before the nuptial flight (virgins) and after it (mated females). In this work we measured lipid concentrations in relation to body weight in these individuals. Our results showed that 16.82% of the bodies of young virgin females one month before mating flight are composed of lipids, contrasting with the 32.62% lipid content in mated females who had not excavated their nest yet, and 32.88% in those who had. The energy content measured for virgin females was 2942.63 J, contrasting with 6110.01 J for queens before excavating the nest and 5677.51 J after excavation. Based on our results, we conclude that the body mass, and therefore the lipid and energy contents in the bodies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa queens double during the last month before the nuptial flight. This energy resource is fundamental to the activities required during the nuptial flight, digging the nest and the founding of the colony.

Manejo de capim pé-de-galinha em lavouras de soja transgênica resistente ao glifosato

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resistência de capim pé-de-galinha (Eleusine indica) ao glifosato, em lavouras de soja transgênica; avaliar o efeito de aplicações de glifosato em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento; identificar práticas agronômicas associadas à seleção de biótipos resistentes; e avaliar a eficiência dos herbicidas cletodim, fluazifope-P-butílico, clomazona, glufosinato de amônio e glifosato nas plantas resistentes. Plantas escapes ao tratamento com glifosato foram coletadas em 24 propriedades, no Rio Grande do Sul. As plantas foram cultivadas em casa de vegetação, tendo-se avaliado a sua resistência ao glifosato. Os acessos resistentes foram selecionados e avaliados quanto ao efeito da aplicação do glifosato em diferentes estádios de crescimento e quanto à sensibilidade aos herbicidas. Foi aplicado um questionário aos produtores para identificação das práticas agronômicas associadas às falhas no controle. O controle de E. indica pelo glifosato é mais efetivo com a aplicação em estádios iniciais de desenvolvimento. Práticas agronômicas, como uso contínuo de baixas doses do herbicida, aplicação em estádios de desenvolvimento avançados das plantas daninhas (mais de um afilho) e a ausência de rotação de culturas foram relacionadas às falhas de controle observadas. Os herbicidas cletodim, fluazifope-P-butílico e glufosinato de amônio são alternativas eficientes para o controle de E. indica.

Chest magnetic resonance imaging: a protocol suggestion

Abstract In the recent years, with the development of ultrafast sequences, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been established as a valuable diagnostic modality in body imaging. Because of improvements in speed and image quality, MRI is now ready for routine clinical use also in the study of pulmonary diseases. The main advantage of MRI of the lungs is its unique combination of morphological and functional assessment in a single imaging session. In this article, the authors review most technical aspects and suggest a protocol for performing chest MRI. The authors also describe the three major clinical indications for MRI of the lungs: staging of lung tumors; evaluation of pulmonary vascular diseases; and investigation of pulmonary abnormalities in patients who should not be exposed to radiation.

Possibilidades e limitações no uso da temperatura em cromatografia líquida de fase reversa

High-temperature liquid chromatography (HTLC) is a technique that presents a series of advantages in liquid phase separations, such as: reduced analysis time, reduced pressure drop, reduced asymmetry factors, modified retentions, controlled selectivities, better efficiencies and improved detectivities, as well as permitting green chromatography. The practical limitations that relate to instrumentation and to stationary phase instability are being resolved and this technique is now ready to be applied for routine determinations.

In vitro sensitivity of Fusarium graminearum isolates to fungicides

Head blight of wheat is a disease of global importance. In Brazil, it can cause damage of up to 27%. As resistant cultivars are not available yet, short-term disease control relies on the use of fungicides. The first step to reach effective management is to identify potent fungicides. In vitro experiments were conducted to determine the inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) for mycelial growth or conidial germination, according to the chemical group of fungicides, of five Fusarium graminearum isolates of different origins. The following demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides were tested: epoxiconazole, cyproconazole, metconazole, prochloraz, protioconazole and tebuconazole. In addition, azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin were included in the study, representing Quinone outside inhibitor fungicides (QoI), as well as a tubulin synthesis inhibitor, carbendazim and two ready mixtures, trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole or trifloxistrobin + prothioconazole. DMI's showed lower IC50 values compared to the QoI's. For the five tested isolates, in the overall mean, IC50 considering mycelial growth ranged for DMI's from 0.01 mg/L (metconazole, prochloraz and prothioconazole) to 0.12 mg/L (cyproconazole) and considering conidial germination for QoI's from 0.21 mg/L (azoxystrobin) to 1.33 mg/L (trifloxystrobin). The IC50 for carbendazim was 0.07 mg/L. All tested isolates can be considered sensitive to the studied DMI's, although certain differences in sensitivity could be detected between the isolates originating from one same state.

Percepção do Estudante de Medicina acerca do Ambiente Educacional Utilizando o Dreem

RESUMO Introdução A percepção sobre o ambiente educativo pode influenciar o desempenho acadêmico, e a sua análise fornece subsídios importantes para melhorá-lo. Objetivo Avaliar a percepção do estudante acerca do ambiente educativo do Hospital Dom Malan/Imip durante o internato médico. Método Estudo do tipo survey, envolvendo 105 estudantes no período de abril a setembro de 2013. Foi utilizado o questionário Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (Dreem). Resultados Foram considerados os seguintes resultados: questões individuais, as cinco dimensões e o Dreem global. A percepção geral foi considerada “more positive than negative” (pontuação 144,4/200), e a análise das dimensões revelou: percepção da aprendizagem: “a more positive perception”; percepção sobre os preceptores: “model course organisers” (49,5%); percepção dos resultados acadêmicos: “feeling more on the positive side” (70,5%); percepção do ambiente geral: “a more positive atitude” (55,2%); percepção das relações sociais: “not a nice place” (90,5%); e percepção geral do ambiente educativo: “more positive than negative” (69,5%). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante quando comparados os dois grupos (p >0,05). Conclusões A percepção geral foi positiva, e a dimensão das relações sociais foi apontada como problemática.

SOFTWARE TO ASSESS BEEF CATTLE BODY MASS THROUGH THE FUZZY BODY MASS INDEX

ABSTRACT The Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used by farmers to help determine the time of evaluation of the body mass gain of the animal. However, the calculation of this index does not reveal immediately whether the animal is ready for slaughter or if it needs special care fattening. The aim of this study was to develop a software using the Fuzzy Logic to compare the bovine body mass among themselves and identify the groups for slaughter and those that requires more intensive feeding, using "mass" and "height" variables, and the output Fuzzy BMI. For the development of the software, it was used a fuzzy system with applications in a herd of 147 Nellore cows, located in a city of Santa Rita do Pardo city – Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) state, in Brazil, and a database generated by Matlab software.

Deposição de glyphosate aplicado para controle de plantas daninhas em soja transgênica

Inúmeros fatores estão envolvidos na tecnologia de aplicação de um herbicida, sendo a deposição correta fundamental para que o produto possa expressar sua eficiência. Com o objetivo de avaliar a deposição de uma solução traçante constituída de glyphosate Roundup Ready (0,96 kg e.a. ha-1) + corante FDC-1 (1.500 ppm), foi conduzido um experimento em área semeada com soja transgênica e infestada com amendoim-bravo (Euphorbia heterophylla), localizada em Londrina-PR. As aplicações foram efetuadas em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento da cultura, correspondendo a 17, 24, 31, 38 e 45 dias após a emergência da soja. Os alvos, plantas de soja, amendoim-bravo e placas na superfície do solo (linha e entrelinha), foram coletados após pulverização, e a solução traçante foi nestes depositada, posteriormente recuperada através de lavagem com agitação em água destilada. As amostras das soluções recuperadas foram submetidas à análise, utilizando-se procedimentos espectrofotométricos, e os resultados de absorbância convertidos para concentração em µL cm-2 e µL por planta. As freqüências acumuladas dos dados originais de depósito foram adequadamente ajustadas segundo modelo de Gompertz, apresentando elevada precisão (R² > 0,95). Os resultados indicaram que o depósito da calda de pulverização nas plantas de soja e amendoim-bravo reduziu progressivamente com o desenvolvimento da cultura e infestação, sugerindo que a maior garantia de eficiência de controle pode ser conseguida com aplicações precoces.

Seletividade de diferentes herbicidas à base de glyphosate a soja RR

Com o objetivo de avaliar a seletividade de variedades de soja transgênica (CD 214 RR e M-SOY 8008 RR) a diferentes herbicidas à base de glyphosate (Roundup Ready, Roundup Transorb, Roundup Original, Roundup WG, Polaris, Gliz, Glifosato Nortox e Trop), foi desenvolvido experimento em condições de campo, no ano agrícola 2005/2006, na Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Produção da UNESP, campus de Jaboticabal, SP. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, num esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições. Os herbicidas foram aplicados na dose de 1,2 kg ha-1 de equivalente ácido de glyphosate, quando as plantas de soja se encontravam com a segunda folha trifoliolada totalmente expandida. Não foram observados sintomas de intoxicação dos herbicidas nas plantas de soja. Quanto às demais características avaliadas, a interação variedade x herbicida não foi significativa, indicando que os fatores comportaram-se de forma independente. Entre as variedades, as plantas de M-SOY 8008 RR apresentaram maior altura e número de nós, porém obtiveram menor produtividade de grãos que as de CD 214 RR, devido ao menor número de grãos por vagem. No tocante aos herbicidas, não houve diferença significativa entre eles, ou seja, eles não influenciaram o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo das plantas de soja.