Puncture wounds by driftwood catfish during bucket baths: Local habits of riverside people and fish natural history in the Amazon

Objective. - To assess the prevalence of stings by small spiny driftwood catfish (carataí) of the genus Centromochlus (Auchenipteridae) accidentally caught in buckets during bucket bathing by riverside people along the Brazilian Amazon and to determine the probability of catching specimens of these fish during random throws of a bucket into the river. Methods. - We interviewed 27 adult residents living at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers in Brazil regarding whether or not they had ever been stung by driftwood catfish while bucket bathing. To assess the likelihood of catching catfish in bathing buckets, we randomly threw a typical plastic bucket used for bathing in 4 series of 10 throws into the river at dusk or night around a floating house. Results. - Seventeen of the 27 subjects (63%) reported being injured by driftwood catfish during bucket bathing. Three individuals (17.6%) had been injured 2 to 3 times, totaling 23 puncture accidents. All stings occurred at dusk or early night. In the 4 series of 10 bucket throws, we caught 3 driftwood catfish (in 1 series we did not catch any fish). Thus, the chance of catching a driftwood catfish in a single bucket throw at dusk was slightly less than 10%. Conclusions. - The prevalence of stings by driftwood catfish to people bucket bathing in this section of the Brazilian Amazon is high, partly because of the relatively high chances of catching these small catfish during random throws of a bathing bucket into the river.

Lepidobatrachus asper Budgett,1899 (Amphibia: Anura: Ceratophryidae): New country record, distribution map and natural history notes

Lepidobatrachus asper is a large to medium frog known from the Chaco lowlands of Paraguay and Argentina. We provide the first species record for the Brazilian Chaco, which extends the species geographical distribution ca. 73 km northeast from Puerto Casado, Alto Paraguay Departament, Paraguay. We also provide a distribution map and information about the species habitat conditions and diet. The Brazilian Chaco is still poorly surveyed, and the rapid environmental degradation can lead to local extinctions of certain species. © 2013 Check List and Authors.

A comparison of molecular markers to detect Lutzomyia longipalpis naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum

The aim of the present study was to detect natural infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in Lutzomyia longipalpis captured in Barcarena, state of Pará, Brazil, through the use of three primer sets. With this approach, it is unnecessary to previously dissect the sandfly specimens. DNA of 280 Lu. longipalpis female specimens were extracted from the whole insects. PCR primers for kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA), the mini-exon gene and the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene of Leishmania were used, generating fragments of 400 bp, 780 bp and 603 bp, respectively. Infection by the parasite was found with the kDNA primer in 8.6% of the cases, with the mini-exon gene primer in 7.1% of the cases and with the SSU-rRNA gene primer in 5.3% of the cases. These data show the importance of polymerase chain reaction as a tool for investigating the molecular epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis by estimating the risk of disease transmission in endemic areas, with the kDNA primer representing the most reliable marker for the parasite.

Caracterização citogenética e molecular das espécies Cichla kelberi e Cichla piquiti e seu possível híbrido interespecífico coletados em ambientes naturais

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBB

Cyatta abscondita: Taxonomy, Evolution, and Natural History of a New Fungus-Farming Ant Genus from Brazil

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

The role of TMPRSS2:ERG in molecular stratification of PCa and its association with tumor aggressiveness: a study in Brazilian patients

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

Alloxan-Induced Diabetes Causes Morphological and Ultrastructural Changes in Rat Liver that Resemble the Natural History of Chronic Fatty Liver Disease in Humans

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Genome-wide methylation and transcriptome analysis in penile carcinoma: uncovering new molecular markers

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Development of SCAR molecular markers in Eucalyptus saligna and Eucalitus tereticornis

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

Review of Deep Time and the Texas High Plains: History and Geology by Paul H. Carlson

This brief book is a history of the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a nationally recognized archeological site located on the Texas southern High Plains on the north side of the city of Lubbock. The location has been the subject of intense investigations by archaeologists since 1939. Paul H. Carlson, a noted author and professor of history at Texas Tech University, states that his purpose was to go back through what John McPhee called "deep time" to show how the Lubbock Lake location was formed and was used by humans through time. He accomplishes this in five chapters.

A new Brazilian species of Loxandrus LeConte, 1852, with description of immatures and notes on natural history (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Loxandrini)

Loxandrus oophagus sp. nov. is described (type-locality: Uberlandia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil). Larvae, pupae and adults of the new species of the carabid beetle were collected on foam nests of the anuran Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) in the surroundings of Uberlandia, 18 degrees 55S, 48 degrees 17W (Brazil, Minas Gerais), at 750 m altitude. The new species is compared with the similar Loxandrus quinarius Will & Liebherr, 1997, only known from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, differing by the morphology of tarsomeres. Larvae prey on anuran eggs. Description of the immatures and the natural history of the species are provided. The larva differs from the known larvae of Loxandrus species mainly by being eruciform, glabrous and depigmented, its small head and legs, and the lack of stemmata and urogomphi, representing an unusual last instar type among the Carabidae.

Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of bovine coronavirus based on the spike glycoprotein gene

Bovine coronavirus has been associated with diarrhoea in newborn calves, winter dysentery in adult cattle and respiratory tract infections in calves and feedlot cattle. In Cuba, the presence of BCoV was first reported in 2006. Since then, sporadic outbreaks have continued to occur. This study was aimed at deepening the knowledge of the evolution, molecular markers of virulence and epidemiology of BCoV in Cuba. A total of 30 samples collected between 2009 and 2011 were used for PCR amplification and direct sequencing of partial or full S gene. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic studies were conducted using partial or complete S gene sequences as phylogenetic markers. All Cuban bovine coronavirus sequences were located in a single cluster supported by 100% bootstrap and 1.00 posterior probability values. The Cuban bovine coronavirus sequences were also clustered with the USA BCoV strains corresponding to the GenBank accession numbers EF424621 and EF424623, suggesting a common origin for these viruses. This phylogenetic cluster was also the only group of sequences in which no recombination events were detected. Of the 45 amino acid changes found in the Cuban strains, four were unique. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville determined by AFLP molecular markers

Bark extracts of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart) Coville a Leguminosae species, well known in Brazil as barbatimao, are popularly used as healing agent. The objective of this work was to determine the genetic diversity of S. adstringens populations and to correlate genetic distances to the production of tannins. S. adstringens accessions from populations found in Cerrado regions in the states of Goias, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo were analyzed using the AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) technique. A total of 236 polymorphic bands were scored and higher proportion of genetic diversity was found inter populations (70.9%), rather than intra populations (29.1%). F-ST value was found to be significantly greater than zero (0.2906), demonstrating the complex genetic structure of S. adstringens populations. Accessions collected in Cristalina, GO, showed higher percentage of polymorphic loci (87.3%) and the highest genetic diversity. The lowest genetic variability was detected among accessions from the population growing in Caldas Novas, GO. The genetic distance among populations was estimated using the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA), which grouped populations into 3 clusters. Moreover, chemotypes with tannin concentration above 40% showed higher genetic similarity. AFLP analysis proved to be an efficient gene mapping technique to determine the genetic diversity among remaining populations of S. adstringens. Obtained results may be employed to implement further strategies for the conservation of this medicinal plant. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonographic and laboratory markers of metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective To evaluate whether the presence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) alters multiple ultrasonographic and laboratory markers of metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk in obese women without any other health condition that could interfere with combined oral contraceptive (COC) eligibility criteria. Methods This was a case- control study evaluating 90 obese women ( body mass index ( BMI) = 30.0 kg/m2 and < 40 kg/m2) aged between 18 and 40 years without any other health condition that could interfere with COC eligibility criteria, of whom 45 had PCOS and 45 were age- matched controls. BMI, waist and hip circumference, arterial blood pressure, fasting insulin and glucose, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index ( QUICKI), highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, low- density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, testosterone, sex hormone- binding globulin, free androgen index ( FAI), carotid stiffness index, intima media thickness, flowmediated dilatation ( FMD) of the brachial artery and non- alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD) were assessed. Results In women with PCOS, we observed a higher frequency of NAFLD ( 73.3 vs. 46.7%, P < 0.01) and higher FAI ( 10.4 vs. 6.8%, P < 0.01). We also observed a trend towards increased insulin levels ( 10.06 +/- 6.66 vs. 7.45 +/- 5.88 mu IU/mL, P = 0.05), decreased QUICKI ( 0.36 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.39 +/- 0.07, P = 0.05) and decreased FMD ( 7.00 +/- 3.87 vs. 8.41 +/- 3.79%, P = 0.08). No other significant difference was observed. Conclusions NAFLD is frequent in obese women without any other health condition that could interfere with COC eligibility criteria, especially in those with PCOS. This should be considered when choosing the best contraceptive option. Copyright (C) 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.