Ticks associated with armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) and anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) of Emas National Park, State of Goias, Brazil

This study was conducted in October 1998 and November 1999 in the Emas National Park (131,868 ha), a savanna-type cerrado region situated in the far south of Goias State, Brazil, near the geographic center of South America (15degrees-23degrees S; 45degrees-55degrees W). Animals were captured with the aid of nets and anesthetized (15 mg/kg ketamine + 1 mg/kg xylasine) in order to collect ticks for identification and to establish laboratory colonies. They included giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) (n = 4) and yellow armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) (n = 6). Free-living ticks (larvae, nymphs, and adults) were collected from the field by using a 1 X 2-m flannel cloth. Free-living ticks were identified as Amblyomma sp., A. cajennense, and A. triste. Adult ticks collected from anteaters were identified as Amblyomma cajennense and A. nodosum and from armadillos as A. pseudoconcolor and A. nodosum. The relevance of these host-tick relationships to possible mechanisms underlying emergence of tick-borne pathogens of importance to public health is discussed.

Soilborne filamentous fungi in Brazil

The Atlantic Rainforest is a Brazilian ecosystem that is being rapidly being destroyed, along with the abiotic and biotic factors present in it. Among the biotic factors, the fungi are found in the soil which, besides being of major importance in terms of ecological niches, also have broad and significant applications in biotechnology. In order to assess the biodiversity of these microorganisms in this type of ecosystem, the Banhado Grande region was chosen at the Jureia-Itatins Ecology Station, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Within this region, two areas were delimited for study, one covered with natural (primary) vegetation and the other containing vegetation that regenerated following the planting of rice crops, referred to here as secondary. Collection of compound soil samples were taken (depth 0-15 cm) over a period of two and a half years, with the litter first being removed, during dry/cold and humid/hot periods. After sifting the samples, they were appropriately processed using the serial dilution technique to isolate the fungi from the soil. Six different culture media were used, having pHs of 4.5, 7.0 and 9.0. Altogether, 1,211 strains were isolated, divided into the following groups: Hyphomycetes, the most abundant followed by Ascomycetes, Zygomycetes, Coelomycetes, and Oomycetes. From these, 112 species were identified, 8 down to the genus level, and those that did not produce conidia were grouped as Mycelia sterilia. Among the strains, 67 were cellulolytic, 32 originated solely in soil under natural vegetation, and 26 originated solely in soil under secondary vegetation.

Design and ergonomics of package inserts of drugs in Brazil: a reality in construction

This research deals with the design of leaflets of medicines, evidencing the problems resulting from the lack of Brazilian normalization to promote the use of the graphical representation of instructional texts warnings. It approaches studies related to the effectiveness and efficiency of information systems, highlighting the semiotics and the cultural and informational ergonomics. The analysis of the context uses as method, an analytical study on selected warnings of thirty leaflets of medicines, followed by interviews lead with the public managers involved with the regulation of the pharmaceutical companies, and two experiments with users performed in city of Recife, in State of Pernambuco: one aiming at to identify how they interact with the leaflets of medicines, and the second one testing their understanding concerning standardized illustrations in the United States and the South Africa. The results show the need for improvements in presentation and graphic representation of leaflets of medicines, powering them to the role of communication, to ensure the consumption of medicine safely by its users. The conclusion congregates parameters and recommendations for the graphic representation of warnings in leaflets of medicines in Brazil.

Fruit maturation as a parameter for selection of sweet orange cultivars in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ceramic raw materials from the State of Maranhao, Brazil. Part 1: chemical and mineralogical characterization and technological properties of clays from Sao Luis, Rosario, Pinheiro and Mirinzal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Temporal trends in incidence of Type 1 diabetes between 1986 and 2006 in Brazil

Background: Scarce information is available about the variation in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in the Brazilian population in the last decades. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the long-term trends (1986-2006) in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil. Subjects and methods: The annual incidence of Type 1 diabetes (per 100,000 per yr) from 1986 to 2006 was determined in children yr of age, using the capture and recapture method. Results: A total of 176 cases were diagnosed in the study population. The overall incidence was 10.4/100,000 with a range of 2.82/100,000 in 1987 to 18.49/100,000 in 2002 representing a 6.56-fold increase within the same population. The estimated incidence, using the capture and recapture method varied from 2.82/100,000 per yr in 1987 to 27.20/100,000 per yr in 2002, representing a 9.6-fold variation. The global pattern of incidence variation was categorized as high (10-19.99/100,000 per yr), and very high (20/100,000 per yr) in 71.43% of the study-years. Incidence was slightly higher among females, Caucasians, children in the 5-9 yr of age range and belonging to lower socio-economic classes. Most diagnoses were established during the colder months and/or with higher pluviometric indexes. Conclusions: The incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children is increasing in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil, and the global pattern of incidence was classified as high or very high, mainly in the last 10 yr. All Brazilian regions should be involved in the study. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 33: 373-377, 2010) (C)2010, Editrice Kurtis

Effects of research and extension on agricultural growth and equity in Brazil.

Studies the effects of investment in research and extension on total agricultural production and on production of individual crops. Some distributional effects are briefly discussed. Due to the lack of data, the first part of the analysis is restricted to the State of Sao Paulo, and the second part covers the entire country.-from Author

Environmental impact assessment in Brazil

Brazilian environmental impact assessment (EIA) had a relatively late birth and is still far from being operative by international standards. Currently, geological, economic, and social considerations are more highly valued. Nevertheless, EIA has become important in shaping governmental environmental policy. The state of São Paulo is responsible for 40% of all EIAs produced in Brazil, and the number of EIAs produced is proportional to state population density.

Bacillus thuringiensis development from 1971 to 1996: Cases of a research group in Brazil

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

Wetland projects developed in Brazil

The first studies with constructed wetlands undertaken in Brazil were the result of observations made from the Amazon flood plains. The first attempt to use this capacity to change the quality of the water, in the sense of purification performed in Brazil using constructed wetland systems, was made by Salati et al. After that, new technologies were developed in a focused attempt to increase the efficiency of the system and reduce investments. Over these 18 years, persuading the Brazilian scientific community as well as the environmental control agencies to give due attention to this kind of research has required endless efforts. Only in recent years have major institutions responsible for sewage treatment and potable water supply been concerned with this type of technology for solving real problems. These institutions are as follows: SABESP (Basic Sanitation Company of Sao Paulo State), SANEPAR (Sanitation Company of Parana State) and CESP (Electric Company of Sao Paulo State). One of the private institutions that has systematically worked in the design and projects of constructed wetlands is the Institute of Applied Ecology. This institution has enhanced and developed a water depuration system based on the purifying capacity of the soil. The wetlands with filtering soils are systems formed by overlapping layers of crushed stone, gravel and soil planted with rice. This technology has been used in sewage treatment and also in water supply systems.

The Bauru Group: A continental Cretaceous unit in Brazil - Concepts based on micropaleontological, oxygen isotope and stratigraphical data

The integration of outcrop and subsurface information, including micropaleontological data, facies and sequence stratigraphic studies, and oxygen isotope analysis, allow us to present a new stratigraphic model for the Cretaceous continental deposits of the Bauru Group, Brazil. Thirty-eight fossil taxa were recovered from these deposits, including 29 species of ostracodes and 9 species of charophytes. Seven of these ostracode species and three subspecies are new and formally described here. The associations of Chara barbosai - Ilyocypris cf. riograndensis, found in the Adamantina Formation, and Amblyochara sp. - Neuquenocypris minor mineira nov. subsp., found in the Marília Formation. Ponte Alta Member, represent two distinct groups that are respectively Turonian-Santonian and Maastrichtian (probably Late Maastrichtian) in age. Therefore, a hiatus, encompassing more than 11 Ma, separates those two formations. From bottom to top, four depositional cycles were recognized in the Bauru Group in western São Paulo: cycles 1 and 2 belong to Caiuá Formation (fluvio-lacustrine and lacustrine deposits in the Presidente Prudente region), cycle 3 to the Santo Anastácio and lower Adamantina Formation (respectively fluvial and lacustrine deposits), and cycle 4 to the upper Adamantina Formation (fluvio-lacustrine facies). An erosional unconformity separates the Caiuá and Santo Anastácio Formations (between cycles 2 and 3). The Marília Formation is a distinct unit from the underlying succession; it does not occur in western São Paulo, but is found in restricted areas of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás States. During the deposition of the Bauru Group (Aptian? to Maastrichtian) the climate was hot and arid-semiarid. Shallow lakes underwent fluctuations in expansion (wet phases) and contraction (dry phases), as well as variations in salinity. During the deposition of the Adamantina Formation (Turonian-Santonian) there were long, dry periods that caused segmentation of large lakes (due to topographic irregularities in the basaltic substrate) and sometimes exposures of the lake floors; when flooded these lake floors were colonized by extensive meadows of single species of charophytes. Small ephemeral ponds, that were hydrochemically unstable and colonized by multiple species of charophytes, were the depositional sites for the marls and mudstones of Ponte Alta Member (Maastrichtian, Late Maastrichtian?). Our micropaleontological age control, combined with the Late Cretaceous ages of volcanic ashes found in the southeastern Brazil coastal basins, and the stratigraphic position of analcimites from the Jaboticabal-SP region, suggest a Late Coniacian-Santonian age for important magmatic events occurred in the interior of Brazil (north-central São Paulo State, Triângulo Mineiro, and southwestern Goiás State).

Nutrients foliar content for high productivity cultivars of guava in Brazil

Commonly grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions, guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an important fruit crop of Brazil. It is cultivated on a large scale in São Paulo state, and covers about 6,500 hectares. As a result of the guava selection program developed at FCAV/UNESP, two new cultivars were created: 'Rica' and 'Paluma' with a high productivity, and also with higher nutritional requirement. Leaves analysis has become a powerful tool in mineral-nutrition research with fruit crops, not only to determine response to different nutrients, but also for diagnostic techniques in making fertilizer recommendations and assessing deficiency symptoms. Nutrient composition of the leaves varies depending on the leaf maturity, tree age, variety and nutrient supply. For the interpretation of analytical values, selection of the index tissue is important. The results of experiments conducted in the field during 1989-2000 were studied. The nutritional status was evaluated by annual leaf sampling, carried out at full bloom. Recent fully developed leaves, corresponding to the third pair (with the petiole) were collected, starting at the end of the branch, all around the tree, at a height of 1.5 m from the soil, with a total of 30 leaf pairs per sample. The yield was evaluated by weighing all the fruits in the useful area of each lot. Foliar chemical analysis showed excellent correlation with the fruit production. Through the results it was verified that the maximum yield was associated to the following levels: N = 22-26; P = 1.5-1.9; K = 17-20; Ca = 11-15; Mg = 2.5-3.5; S = 3.0-3.5 g kg -1; B = 20-25; Cu = 10-40; Fe = 50-150; Mn = 180-250; Zn = 25-35 mg kg-1 DW in the leaves of the 'Rica' guava and to N = 20-23; P = 1.4-1.8; K = 14-17; Ca = 7-11; Mg = 3.4-4.0; S = 2.5-3.5 g kg-1; B = 20-25; Cu = 20-40; Fe = 60-90; Mn = 40-80; Zn = 25-35 mg kg-1 DW in the leaves of the 'Paluma' guava.

Morphologic and Cytogenetic Description of the Small Red Brocket (Mazama bororo Duarte, 1996) in Brazil

We evaluated morphological and cytogenetic data for three animals similar to the species of deer previously described as the Small Red Brocket (Mazama bororo Duarte, 1996). We compared these animals with five M. americana, five M. nana and three hybrids between M. americana and M. nana. The M. bororo chromosomes can be standardized as follows : 8 group A chromosomes (large bi-armed) ; 2 group C chromosomes (small bi-armed) ; 4 group D chromosomes (large acrocentric) ; and 18 group E chromosomes (small acrocentric). There were great differences between this karyotype and those of M. nana and M. americana. With respect to external morphology, the animals in the present study had some similarities to M. americana and M. nana and great similarities with their hybrids. Most of the body measurements of M. bororo were significantly different from those of M. americana and M. nana, but similar to those of the hybrids. Mazama bororo is distributed in the last remnants of the Atlantic forest, extending from the southeastern part of the State of São Paulo to the northeastern part of the State of Paraná, Brazil. The rapid destruction of the Atlantic Forest requires urgent conservation measures for the species.

Tuberculosis survey of free-ranging marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) in Brazil

Esophageal-pharyngeal fluids from 53 free-ranging marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) captured for a research program in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, were assayed for tuberculosis. Total DNA was extracted, amplified by polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. microti, and M. africanum), and observed by agarose gel electrophoresis stained with ethidium bromide. All samples were negative. This, along with necropsy and histopathology data, suggests that these animals are not shedding and probably do not have active disease.

An outbreak of chlamydiosis in captive blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) in Brazil

Fifty-eight blue-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva) nestlings, recovered from the illegal trade, became ill at a wildlife rehabilitation center in São Paulo State, Brazil. Clinical signs observed were nonspecific, and the mortality rate was 96.5% despite initial treatment with norfloxacin. Postmortem examinations were performed on 10 birds. Liver and spleen smears showed structures suggestive of Chlamydophila psittaci in four cases. Diagnosis was confirmed by seminested polymerase chain reaction on tissue samples. Other birds from the same location showed no clinical signs of the disease, although high complement fixation titers to C. psittaci were found in 10 adult psittacines. All birds in the facility were treated with doxycycline. The two surviving nestlings did not recover after two doxycycline treatments and were euthanatized. The high mortality rate observed in this outbreak was attributed to poor conditions of husbandry and delays in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. After diagnosis, improved control measures for chlamydiosis were instituted.