Novel polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay to determine internal transcribed spacer-2 group in the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille, 1811)

Triatoma dimidiata is the most important Chagas disease insect vector in Central America as this species is primarily responsible for Trypanosoma cruzi transmission to humans, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. T. dimidiata sensu lato is a genetically diverse assemblage of taxa and effective vector control requires a clear understanding of the geographic distribution and epidemiological importance of its taxa. The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) is frequently used to infer the systematics of triatomines. However, oftentimes amplification and sequencing of ITS-2 fails, likely due to both the large polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product and polymerase slippage near the 5' end. To overcome these challenges we have designed new primers that amplify only the 3'-most 200 base pairs of ITS-2. This region distinguishes the ITS-2 group for 100% of known T. dimidiata haplotypes. Furthermore, we have developed a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) approach to determine the ITS-2 group, greatly reducing, but not eliminating, the number of amplified products that need to be sequenced. Although there are limitations with this new PCR-RFLP approach, its use will help with understanding the geographic distribution of T. dimidiata taxa and can facilitate other studies characterising the taxa, e.g. their ecology, evolution and epidemiological importance, thus improving vector control.

Using a top predator as a sentinel for environmental contamination with pathogenic bacteria: the Iberian wolf and leptospires

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus) is the top predator in the Iberian environments in which it lives, feeding on a wide range of species, thus encountering a wide range of disease agents. Therefore, the wolf can serve as sentinel of environmental contamination with pathogens. We investigated the exposure of free-living wolves to 14 serovars of Leptospira interrogans sensu lato. Kidney samples from 49 wolves collected from 2010-2013 in northwestern Spain were analysed by culture, direct immunofluorescence and polymerase chain reaction. Tissue fluids were analysed for antibodies by a microscopic agglutination test. Ten wolves (observed prevalence: 20%, 95% confidence interval = 11-33%) showed evidence of contact with leptospires, eight through direct detection and nine through serology (7 wolves were positive according to both techniques). Titres below the cut-off level were also detected in seven cases. Serovars confirmed were Canicola (n = 4), Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 3) and Sejroë, Ballum and Grippotyphosa (n = 1 each), indicating that wolves were infected with serovars for which dogs, rodents and ungulates, are the natural hosts and supporting the utility of the wolf and other large predators as environmental sentinels for pathogens.

Lectura Averrois super Physica.

On a ajouté (82) une liste des dignitaires de l'ordre des Dominicains. — En tête, fragment d'un compte de la ville de Paris en 1357.

Panorama brasileiro do ensino de Enfermagem On-line

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os cursos de Ensino Superior Nacional de EAD por área de concentração, região geográfica, nível de formação e os cursos de EAD no ensino superior de Enfermagem. O método adotado foi um estudo exploratório descritivo em que foi realizado um levantamento nos sites e portais governamentais e não-governamentais relacionados à educação nacional e EAD das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) que praticam EAD. Nos resultados foram identificados apenas dois cursos de pós-graduação lato sensu oferecidos especificamente em Enfermagem. Assim, há necessidade de maior investimento das IES de Enfermagem na criação e avaliação de cursos de EAD, bem como de infra-estrutura e de implementação de uma política de capacitação tecnológica.

Caracterização do estresse nos enfermeiros de unidades de terapia intensiva

O estudo propõe uma caracterização dos enfermeiros que atuam em unidades de terapia intensiva (UTIs) das Regiões Brasileiras e a associação do nível de estresse relatado com idade, cargo ocupado, tempo de formado e freqüência a cursos de pós-graduação. Os dados foram coletados utilizando-se a Escala Bianchi de Stress, constituída por caracterização sociodemográfica e 51 itens das atividades desempenhadas por enfermeiros. A amostra foi composta por 263 enfermeiros, sendo feminina (91,6%), jovem (80,2% < 40 anos), entre 2 e 5 anos de formado (34,6%), 87,8% atuando como enfermeiros assistenciais, 74,5% com pós-graduação lato sensu. Os enfermeiros obtiveram nível de estresse entre médio e alerta (60,1%). Houve associação estatisticamente significante (p<0,05) entre domínios C (administração de pessoal) e D (assistência de enfermagem) e realização de curso de pós-graduação. Concluindo, tanto os enfermeiros como hospitais devem investir esforços para obter subsídios para a prestação de assistência e estratégias de enfrentamento do estresse.

Phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily Psychodinae (Diptera, Psychodidae)

Thanks to recent advances in molecular systematics, our knowledge of phylogenetic relationships within the order Diptera has dramatically improved. However, relationships at lower taxonomic levels remain poorly investigated in several neglected groups, such as the highly diversified moth-fly subfamily Psychodinae (Lower Diptera), which occurs in numerous terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we aimed to understand the phylogenetic relationships among 52 Palearctic taxa from all currently known Palearctic tribes and subtribes of this subfamily, based on mitochondrial DNA. Our results demonstrate that in light of the classical systematics of Psychodinae, none of the tribes sensu Je?ek or sensu Vaillant is monophyletic, whereas at least five of the 12 sampled genera were not monophyletic. The results presented in this study provide a valuable backbone for future work aiming at identifying morphological synapomorphies to propose a new tribal classification.

Weak and Strong Altruism in Trait Groups: Reproductive Suicide, Personal Fitness, and Expected Value

A simple variant of trait group selection, employing predators as the mechanism underlying group selection, supports contingent reproductive suicide as altruism (i.e., behavior lowering personal fitness while augmenting that of another) without kin assortment. The contingent suicidal type may either saturate the population or be polymorphic with a type avoiding suicide, depending on parameters. In addition to contingent suicide, this randomly assorting morph may also exhibit continuously expressed strong altruism (sensu Wilson 1979) usually thought restricted to kin selection. The model will not, however, support a sterile worker caste as such, where sterility occurs before life history events associated with effective altruism; reproductive suicide must remain fundamentally contingent (facultative sensu West Eberhard 1987; Myles 1988) under random assortment. The continuously expressed strong altruism supported by the model may be reinterpreted as probability of arbitrarily committing reproductive suicide, without benefit for another; such arbitrary suicide (a "load" on "adaptive" suicide) is viable only under a more restricted parameter space relative to the necessarily concomitant adaptive contingent suicide.

Estudos citogenéticos em formigas neotropicais do gênero Gnamptogenys Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ectatomminae)

Foram caracterizados os cariótipos de três espécies neotropicais do gênero Gnamptogenys Roger: Gnamptogenys striatula Mayr, Gnamptogenys sp. e Gnamptogenys annulata Mayr, coletadas em Viçosa (Minas Gerais) e Ilhéus (Bahia). O número cromossômico de G. striatula nas duas localidades foi 2n=34, com fórmula cariotípica 2K=24M+10A. Em Gnamptogenys sp., o número cromossômico foi de 2n=46 (fêmea) e n=23 (machos), com a fórmula cariotípica 2K=18M+28A. O número cromossômico de G. annulata foi 2n=68 com a fórmula cariotípica 2K= 6M+62A. Esse tipo de estudo complementa outros estudos iniciados por nosso grupo sobre a citogenética das formigas poneromorfas (sensu Bolton) e poderá contribuir no melhor entendimento da evolução das formigas deste grupo considerado primitivo.

Influence of Apion sp. (Brentidae, Apioninae) stem-galls on induced resistance and leaf area of Diospyros hispida (Ebenaceae)

We addressed the influence of the stem galls induced by an unidentified species of Apion sensu lato (Brentidae, Apioninae) on the host plant, Diospyros hispida (Ebenaceae) leaf area and induced resistance against a Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) leaf galls. The study was performed in a cerrado vegetation in Serra do Cipó, southeastern Brazil. Although the number of leaves produced on galled and ungalled shoots did not differ statically (p>0.05), the presence of the apionid galls influenced the area of the leaves on the attacked shoots of D. hispida. Leaves on galled stems were approximately 50% smaller compared to leaves in healthy stems. The average of the cecidomyiid leaf galls successfully induced on healthy shoots was higher compared to galls successfully induced on shoots galled by the apionid. The same pattern was found for the abundance of hypersensitive reactions against the cedidomyiid gall induction. Therefore, the ability of the cecidomyiid to successfully induce galls was not influenced by the apionid galler.

Pre-hatching maternal effects inhibit nestling humoral immune response in the tawny owl Strix aluco

Although evidence is accumulating that mothers can transfer antibodies to their offspring, little is known about the consequences of such a transfer to the offspring immune system. Because maternal antibodies are effective only during a short period of time after their transfer to offspring, one hypothesis is that maternal antibodies provides a transitory antigen-specific protection to offspring, thus lessening the need for offspring to mount their own humoral immune response towards these specific antigens. In birds, this scenario predicts that offspring immune response towards a specific antigen is inhibited to a larger extent in hatchlings than in older nestlings. We tested this hypothesis in tawny owls Strix aluco by cross-fostering clutches between nests and then challenging siblings with a vaccine either two times (at 4- and 11-d-old) or only one time at 11-d-old to compare the strength of the humoral response between nestlings born from mothers with naturally high and low levels of antibodies against this vaccine. Because maternal antibodies are expected to be effective only during a short period of time after hatching, we predict that maternal antibodies should inhibit the immune response of nestlings vaccinated from the fourth day after hatching more than in nestlings vaccinated only at a later age. As expected, the inhibitory effect of maternal antibodies was stronger in nestlings vaccinated soon after hatching than in siblings injected at a later age. Therefore, in wild avian populations pre-hatching maternal effects may confer offspring with a transitory immune protection in the first days following hatching.