Heterospecific sociality of birds on beaches from southeastern Brazil

Studies on the sociality of heterospecific assemblages of birds have promoted a greater understanding of the types of interactions and survivorship between coexisting species. This study verified the group compositions in bird assemblages and analyzed the sociality of migratory and resident species on sandy beaches of southeastern Brazil. A transect was established on the median portion of beaches and all the groups of bird species (monospecific, heterospecific) and solitary individuals were registered four days per month from November 2006 to April 2007. The sociality of each species was calculated by its frequency in heterospecific groups, its proportional number of contacts with other species in heterospecific groups, and the number of species that it associated with. Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) and Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, 1825 (both migratory) had the highest degree of sociality and did not show a preference to associate with either residents or migratory species. Sanderling Calidris alba (Pallas, 1764) (migratory) occupied the third position in the sociality rank and associated with migratory species frequently. Southern Caracara Carara plancus (Miller, 1777) and Black Vulture Coragyps atratus (Beschstein, 1793) (both resident) were uniquely found among heterospecific groups with necrophagous and resident species. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823 (resident) associated more frequently with resident species. The sociality in assemblages of birds may promote advantages such as an increased collective awareness in dangerous situations and indication of sites with abundant food sources.

Birds from cerradão woodland, an overlooked forest of the Cerrado region, Brazil

O Cerrado ainda recebe pouca atenção no que diz respeito à ornitologia embora seja a única savana tropical do mundo considerada um hotspot de biodiversidade. O cerradão é uma das fisionomias menos conhecidas e mais desmatadas do bioma e poucos levantamentos avifaunísticos foram realizados nessas florestas. Para revisar os estudos sobre aves de cerradão e complementar os poucos inventários já existentes realizados nesse tipo florestal no estado de São Paulo, foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico dos estudos publicados sobre aves de cerradão. Adicionalmente foi conduzido um levantamento das aves de um fragmento de cerradão de 314 ha localizado na região central do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, entre setembro de 2005 e dezembro de 2006 com a utilização de transecções lineares com raio ilimitado de detecção. de 95 estudos envolvendo aves de cerradão, apenas 17 (18%) discriminaram espécies registradas dentro desta fisionomia daquelas que obtiveram registros em outros ambientes de Cerrado. Exceto por um estudo, nenhuma outra investigação encontrou mais de 64 espécies de aves neste ambiente, resultado compartilhado com diversas regiões do Brasil e também da Bolívia. Diferenças no número de espécies entre cerradões não puderam ser atribuídas à degradação dos ambientes estudados ou tamanho de fragmento. Considerando os registros de cerradões no Brasil e na Bolívia, a compilação de dados acumulou 250 espécies distribuídas em 36 famílias e 15 ordens. Durante nossos trabalhos de campo em localidade do interior paulista foram registradas 48 espécies distribuídas em 20 famílias, incluindo o fruxu-do-cerradão (Neopelma pallescens), ameaçada em São Paulo, e o soldadinho (Antilophia galeata), quase ameaçada no estado e endêmica do Cerrado. Dentre as espécies mais abundantes no fragmento, nenhuma delas é ameaçada ou endêmica do bioma.

Two new genera and five new species of the feather mite subfamily Proctophyllodinae (Astigmata : Proctophyllodidae) from suboscine birds in Brazil

Two new genera and five new species of feather mites of the family Proctophyllodidae are described from passerine birds from Brazil: Tyranniphyllodes pitangi gen. n., sp. n. from Pitangus sulphuratus (Tyrannidae); Atrichophyllodes delalandi gen. n., sp. n. from Corythopis delalandi (Tyrannidae); A. mentalis gen. n., sp. n. from Dysithamnus mentalis (Thamnophilidae); Anisophyllodes candango sp. n. from Elaenia chiriquensis (Tyrannidae); and Platyacarus sittasomi sp. n. from Sittasomus griseicapillus (Dendrocolaptidae). The discovery of these taxa might give data for a better understanding of the evolution of the family Proctophyllodidae in general and the dispersion of these mites on passerines in South America in paricular.

The immune system of insects and the control of some parasitary human diseases

Parasitic diseases in humans, transmitted by insects, affect about 500 million people living mainly in countries of low economic power, the control of these diseases is difficult to carry out, mainly die to social and political problems, enhanced bg the capacity of these organisms to develop resistance to insecticides used to for their destruction.Some recent advances in the area of insect immunology have open the possibility for abetter epidemiological control of these diseases.The immune system of these insects, as well as that of other organisms, have the ability to recognize the infecting parasites and liberate a series of reactions which stop the infection. These reactions involve the circulating cells (hemocytes) against the parasite. These cells have the ability of phagocytize and liberate the production of various humoral factors, neutralizing the infection.Some promising results, obtained by the study of the immune system of malaria-transmitting insects, the sleeping disease, and dengue, are an example of this new sanitary strategy.

BLOOD-CONSTITUENTS AND ELECTROPHORETIC PATTERNS IN ANTARCTIC BIRDS - PENGUINS AND SKUAS

1. A survey has been carried out on the blood constituents of penguins from the Pygoscellidae family, Pygoscellis antartica, P. papua and P. adeliae, and of skuas (Chataracta maccormicki).2. Glucose, non-protein nitrogen compounds, proteins, lipids and inorganic compounds and the electrophoretic patterns for hemoglobin, serum proteins and lipoproteins were studied.3. The values obtained for glucose partition in the blood, glycosylated hemoglobin and non-protein nitrogen compounds, are discussed.

Experimental alcoholism and pathogenesis of prostatic diseases in UChB rats

Previous studies have shown that long-term alcohol treatment has negative effects on prostatic stromal-epithelial interaction. Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze the histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural alterations that occur in the prostatic stroma and epithelium of rats submitted to chronic alcohol ingestion and alcohol abstinence, as well as to establish the relationship between these changes and prostatic diseases. Thirty male rats (10 Wistar and 20 UChB rats) were divided into three experimental groups: the control group received tap water, the alcoholic group received ethanol diluted to 10 degrees G.L. for 150 days, and the abstinent group received the same liquid diet as the alcoholic group up to 120 days of treatment and only tap water for 30 days thereafter. At the end of treatment, all animals were sacrificed and the ventral lobe of the prostate was removed and processed for histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses. In addition, plasma testosterone levels were measured. The results showed, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, infolding of the epithelium towards the stroma, stromal hypertrophy and the presence of inflammatory cells in alcoholic animals. In the abstinent group, alterations were noted mainly in the stromal area. In conclusion, ethanol triggers alterations in prostatic epithelial and stromal compartments, affecting the stromal microenvironment and predisposing the organ to pathological processes. (C) 2006 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum iron and plasma fibrinogen concentrations as indicators of systemic inflammatory diseases in horses

Background: Detection of systemic inflammation, which is important for proper diagnosis and prompt treatment, can be challenging.Hypothesis: Measurement of plasma iron concentration is a sensitive method for detecting systemic inflammation in horses compared with measurements of plasma Fibrinogen concentration, a traditional marker for inflammation in the horse.Animals: Ninety-seven horses hospitalized with diseases causing systemic inflammation, 22 horses with localized inflammation, and 12 clinically normal horses were included in this study.Methods: A retrospective study was made on hospitalized horses that had both plasma iron and fibrinogen concentrations measured on hospital admission.Results: Plasma iron concentration was lower in horses with systemic inflammation (64 +/- 45 mu g/dL) than the reference interval minimum (105 mu g/dL) and were significantly lower (P = .001) than the value in a group of horses with local inflammation (123 +/- 45 mu g/dL) and in healthy transported horses (143 +/- 29 mu g/dL). Low plasma iron and high fibrinogen concentrations were both sensitive indicators of systemic inflammation in horses with sensitivity of 90 and 82%, respectively. There was a similar correlation between either continued decreases in iron concentration (R-sp of 0.239) or increases in fibrinogen concentration (R-sp of 0.280) during hospitalization and a worse prognosis.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Measurement of plasma iron concentration better reflected acute inflammation than did fibrinogen concentration.