Sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis in a cutaneous leishmaniasis focus in central Colombia

Lutzomyia longipalpis, 15 other species of the genus Lutzomyia, and one species of Brumptomyia were collected in an endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a river canyon 450 m above sea-level, in Rio Claro, Antioquia, Colombia. The presence of Lu. longipalpis is associated with the destruction of the primary forest and the development of new farmland and rural settlement in this region. The composition of species identified a different habitat for Lu. longipalpis in Colombia. Lu. yuilli and Lu. longipalpis were predominant (68.26%) followed by Lu. trapidoi, Lu. hartmani, Lu. triramula, Lu. panamensis, Lu. gomezi.

Social insect genomes exhibit dramatic evolution in gene composition and regulation while preserving regulatory features linked to sociality.

Genomes of eusocial insects code for dramatic examples of phenotypic plasticity and social organization. We compared the genomes of seven ants, the honeybee, and various solitary insects to examine whether eusocial lineages share distinct features of genomic organization. Each ant lineage contains ∼4000 novel genes, but only 64 of these genes are conserved among all seven ants. Many gene families have been expanded in ants, notably those involved in chemical communication (e.g., desaturases and odorant receptors). Alignment of the ant genomes revealed reduced purifying selection compared with Drosophila without significantly reduced synteny. Correspondingly, ant genomes exhibit dramatic divergence of noncoding regulatory elements; however, extant conserved regions are enriched for novel noncoding RNAs and transcription factor-binding sites. Comparison of orthologous gene promoters between eusocial and solitary species revealed significant regulatory evolution in both cis (e.g., Creb) and trans (e.g., fork head) for nearly 2000 genes, many of which exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Our results emphasize that genomic changes can occur remarkably fast in ants, because two recently diverged leaf-cutter ant species exhibit faster accumulation of species-specific genes and greater divergence in regulatory elements compared with other ants or Drosophila. Thus, while the "socio-genomes" of ants and the honeybee are broadly characterized by a pervasive pattern of divergence in gene composition and regulation, they preserve lineage-specific regulatory features linked to eusociality. We propose that changes in gene regulation played a key role in the origins of insect eusociality, whereas changes in gene composition were more relevant for lineage-specific eusocial adaptations.

La Societat rural de les riberes del Xúquer davant la inundació de 1864

Entre el quatre i el cinc de novembre del 1864 la vall baixa del Xúquer va patir la major inundació del segle i una de les més greus de les que es tenen registre històric. En 1864 el volum d’aigua desbordada, reflectit en l'altura inundada en diferents punts de referència, va ultrapassar el d'anteriors revingudes. A més, per l’extensió invadida i el nombre de localitats i de població afectades (les Riberes reunien 95.000 habitants i a la resta de la zona implicada vivien 88.000 persones més) l'episodi va constituir una de les majors catàstrofes naturals en Espanya durant aquell segle. Un fet diferencial destacat és que la inundació de 1864 s’esdevenia en una etapa històrica nova. La construcció de l’Estat liberal es podia considerar culminada a la dècada dels seixanta,encara que les disensions internes entre les èlits polítiques i el descontent social creixien i estaven a prop de provocar la ruptura de 1868.

Mejora del medio ambiente y nivel de desarrollo: elementos explicativos de las diferentes opciones en los programas de desarrollo rural (2007-2013) de la Unión Europea

Los programas de desarrollo rural del actual período de programación (2007-13) se han estructurado en 4 ejes. El eje 2 correspondiente a la Mejora del medio ambiente y del entorno rural es, con casi la mitad de los recursos públicos, el principal. El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar los elementos que explican los diferentes niveles de gasto adjudicados a este eje, que oscilan entre el 82,5% y el 25% del gasto público total según Estado Miembro. Se aprecia que el nivel de gasto en el eje 2 está correlacionado con el nivel de renta pero no guarda relación alguna con los indicadores que la Comisión Europea ha establecido en la priorización del la problemática e interés agroambiental de los diferentes territorios europeos.

Lipid composition of fingermark residue and donor classification using GC/MS

Lipids available in fingermark residue represent important targets for enhancement and dating techniques. While it is well known that lipid composition varies among fingermarks of the same donor (intra-variability) and between fingermarks of different donors (inter-variability), the extent of this variability remains uncharacterised. Thus, this worked aimed at studying qualitatively and quantitatively the initial lipid composition of fingermark residue of 25 different donors. Among the 104 detected lipids, 43 were reported for the first time in the literature. Furthermore, palmitic acid, squalene, cholesterol, myristyl myristate and myristyl myristoleate were quantified and their correlation within fingermark residue was highlighted. Ten compounds were then selected and further studied as potential targets for dating or enhancement techniques. It was shown that their relative standard deviation was significantly lower for the intra-variability than for the inter-variability. Moreover, the use of data pretreatments could significantly reduce this variability. Based on these observations, an objective donor classification model was proposed. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on the pre-treated data and the fingermarks of the 25 donors were classified into two main groups, corresponding to "poor" and "rich" lipid donors. The robustness of this classification was tested using fingermark replicates of selected donors. 86% of these replicates were correctly classified, showing the potential of such a donor classification model for research purposes in order to select representative donors based on compounds of interest.

Epidemiological Characteristics of Schistosoma mansoni Infection in Rural and Urban Endemic Areas of Minas Gerais, Brazil

To compare the epidemiological profile and socioeconomic factors associated to the infection by Schistosoma mansoni in a rural and an urban endemic area a cross-sectional study was performed in Água Branca de Minas (rural area) and Bela Fama (urban area), both situated in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Two hundred and eighty eight individuals were surveyed in the rural area and 787 in the urban area. Water contact and socioeconomic questionnaires were used to identify risk factors for the infection. The prevalences of 38.8% and 9.7% and the geometric mean of eggs per gram of faeces of 117.8 and 62.3 were found in the rural and urban areas, respectively. By multivariate statistical analysis age groups over nine years old and previous specific treatment were associated with the infection in rural area. In urban area age over nine years old, low quality housing, weekly fishing and swimming were associated after adjustment by logistic regression

Factors Involved in Schistosoma mansoni Infection, in Rural Areas of Northeast Brazil

Two contiguous villages in Tracunhaém county (State of Pernambuco), endemic for schistosomiasis, were studied: Itapinassu (138 inhabitants) and São Joaquim (91 inhabitants). Agriculture predominates in the former region while ceramics is the main activity in the latter. Although no statistical difference was found regarding prevalence, severe infection (>400 epg) predominated in Itapinassu, probably related to the kind of occupation. No association was found between parasite burden and severity of disease, in spite of the high infection rates for Schistosoma mansoni in both communities (approx. 60%). Typical epidemiological features of schistosomiasis such as age-related prevalences and intensities of infection (high in children, low in adults) were also mutual characteristics. Nutritional status determined through anthropometric evaluation was carried out by measuring specific anthropometric indicators. A deficit of energy intake, as well as vitamin A and riboflavin deficiencies were detected. The prevalence of moderate or severe undernutrition in patients under 18 years old was 21.9% in Itapinassu and 24.1% in São Joaquim. In this group an association was found between prevalence of schistosomiasis and chronic undernutrition. Similarly, for patients over 18 year old the prevalence of undernutrition was higher than 20%. However, in this case no association between nutritional status and either prevalence of schistosomiasis or parasite burden could be detected. The two communities had not been treated for eight years.

Determination of chemical composition and its relationship with optical properties of Ti-N and Ti-V-N sputtered thin films

In the investigation of thin films of transition metal nitrides, an essential role is played by the accurate determination of their chemical composition. Actually the chemical composition depends on the deposition parameters and influences the optical properties. These relations are illustrated in thin films of TiNx and (Ti1-yVy)N-x deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering from composite targets of the elements. By variation of the nitrogen partial pressure and the target composition, different samples have been obtained. The chemical composition has been measured by electron probe microanalysis at low irradiation voltages. The optical properties are evaluated by ex-situ ellipsometry. Using the screened Drude model, they are correlated with the differences in composition. Adding vanadium or nitrogen in Ti-N is shown to have the same effect on the optical properties.

Sectoral composition and macroeconomic dynamics

We analyze the transitional dynamics of a model with heterogeneous consumption goods. In this model, convergence is driven by two different forces: the typical diminishing returns to capital and the sectoral change inducing the variation in relative prices. We show that this second force affects the growth rate if the two consumption goods are not Edgeworth independent and if these two goods are produced with technologies exhibiting different capital intensities. Because the afore mentioned dynamic sectoral change arises only under heterogeneous consumption goods, the transitional dynamics of this model exhibits striking differences with the growth model with a single consumption good. We also show that these differences in the transitional dynamics can give raise to large discrepancies in the welfare cost of shocks between the economy with a unique consumption good and the economy with multiple consumption goods.

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in a Rural Area of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was evaluated by ELISA in 40 children and teenagers and in 164 adults from a rural area of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Antibodies to H. pylori were detected in the serum of 31 (77.5%) children and teenagers and in 139 (84.7%) adults. The prevalence of infection increased with age (c2 for trend, p < 0.01) even though no variations occurred in the region in the present century in terms of living conditions or sanitation, economical development and migratory influx supporting the hypothesis that the infection is also acquired during later life in developing countries. An inverse correlation was observed between the prevalence of infection and annual family income (c2 for trend, p < 0.013). There was no correlation between type of system for sewage disposal and prevalence of infection (p = 0.8). In conclusion, the prevalence of H. pylori infection in Nossa Senhora do Livramento, a rural area from Brazil, is very high and similar to that observed in other developing countries. Furthermore, the increase in the prevalence of infection with age observed in this population seems to be due to both, cohort effect and acquisition of the infection during later life

A Many-to-many 'rural hospital theorem'

We show that the full version of the so-called 'rural hospital theorem' (Roth, 1986) generalizes to many-to-many matching where agents on both sides of the market have separable and substitutable preferences.

Schistosomiasis control based on repeated chemotherapy in a rural village of the sugar-cane zone in Northeast Brazil

A schedule of repeated chemotherapy with oxamniquine, consisting of biannual treatment of school-aged (7-13 years) children and annual treatment of all other age groups, was used in a representative rural village from a highly endemic area of schistosomiasis in Pernambuco. Significant reductions in infection were obtained only after two cycles of treatment, as the overall prevalence decreased from 72.6% to 41.7% and the geometric mean egg counts per gram of faeces among positives fell from 188.4 to 76. In a school-aged cohort (n=29) three treatments at six-month intervals were necessary to significantly reduce the proportion of positives (from 75.9% to 51.7%). In a cohort of children under 7 years of age (n=20) the proportion of positives actually increased (from 30% to 45%) despite two annual treatments. Water contact was intense and host snail density was relatively high. As there is no short-term perspective of improved sanitation, auxiliary measures such as focal mollusciciding are needed for an adequate control of schistosomiasis in this and alike areas.

A Preliminary Investigation on the Chemical Composition of the Cell Surface of Five Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Serotypes

The cell surfaces of five enteropathogenic Escherichia coli serotypes (O111:H2; O111:H12; O125:H9; O119:H6; O26:H11) were assayed by chemical methods, lectin agglutination tests and spectroscopy associated to transmission electron microscopy. Results of lectin agglutination assays showed that all strains reacted with mannosebinding lectins. Strains belonging to serotype O125:H9 also agglutinated with lectins which recognize galactose and Nacetylgalactosamine residues. The bacterial cells were treated with 0.01M phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.0) at 100oC for 2 hr and the extracts were submitted to precipitation and fractionated by Cetavlon. Phosphate, total sugar and protein contents were determined. Gas liquid chomatography-mass spectrometry analysis of alditol acetates showed the presence of galactose, mannose, fucose, glucose and traces of ribose. Spectroscopic analysis of intact cells showed the presence of a capsule-like structure which was not totally preserved after extraction. Some cells were still surrounded by an amorphous capsular-like material after polysaccharide extraction.

Fatty Acid and Sterol Composition of Three Phytomonas Species

Fatty acid and sterol analysis were performed on Phytomonas serpens and Phytomonas sp. grown in chemically defined and complex medium, and P. françai cultivated in complex medium. The three species of the genus Phytomonas had qualitatively identical fatty acid patterns. Oleic, linoleic, and linolenic were the major unsaturated fatty acids. Miristic and stearic were the major saturated fatty acids. Ergosterol was the only sterol isolated from Phytmonas sp. and P. serpens grown in a sterol-free medium, indicating that it was synthesized de novo. When P. françai that does not grow in defined medium was cultivated in a complex medium, cholesterol was the only sterol detected. The fatty acids and sterol isolated from Phytomonas sp. and P. serpens grown in a chemically defined lipid-free medium indicated that they were able to biosynthesize fatty acids and ergosterol from acetate or from acetate precursors such as glucose or threonine.