Proposta de Plano de Gestão de Zonas Húmidas Boa Vista/Cabo verde

As regiões da Terra classificadas como zonas húmidas têm um elemento em comum – a água. Estes ecossistemas, muito produtivos, são essencias para a conservação da biodiversidade, razão que justifica as campanhas elaboradas contra sua degradação e o desaparecimento (Ramsar). A Convenção de Ramsar1 sobre as zonas húmidas define estes ecossistemas como zonas ou “Extensões de marismas, pântanos e turfas, ou superfícies cobertas de água, sejam estas de regime natural ou artificial, permanentes ou temporárias, estagnada ou corrente, doces, salobras ou saladas, incluindo as extensões de água marinha cuja profundidade em maré baixa não exceda de seis metros". Ainda se estipula que as zonas húmidas: "podem compreender zonas de ribeiras ou costeiras adjacentes, assim como as ilhas ou extensões de água marinha de uma profundidade superior aos seis metros em maré baixa, quando se encontrem dentro da zona húmida". Esta convenção tem a adesão de 157 países que abrigam em seus territórios 1701 zonas húmidas, equivalentes a 157 milhões de hectares(Ramsar). Como resultado destas diposições, o alcance da Convenção compreende uma ampla variedade de tipos de habitat, inclusive rios e lagos, lagoa costeiras, mangais e até recifes de corais. Por outro lado, existem zonas húmidas artificias, como criadouros de peixes e camarões, terras agrícolas irrigadas, salinas, diques, campos de tratamento de águas e canais.

Statuts, ordonnances et règlemens pour les longueurs, largeurs et qualitez des draps, serges et autres étoffes de laine et de fil [août 1669]. [- Lettres patentes du [ ] août 1669 portant approbation desdits statuts.]

[Acte royal. 1669-08-00]

The death domain-containing protein Unc5CL is a novel MyD88-independent activator of the pro-inflammatory IRAK signaling cascade.

The family of death domain (DD)-containing proteins are involved in many cellular processes, including apoptosis, inflammation and development. One of these molecules, the adapter protein MyD88, is a key factor in innate and adaptive immunity that integrates signals from the Toll-like receptor/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (TLR/IL-1R) superfamily by providing an activation platform for IL-1R-associated kinases (IRAKs). Here we show that the DD-containing protein Unc5CL (also known as ZUD) is involved in a novel MyD88-independent mode of IRAK signaling that culminates in the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Unc5CL required IRAK1, IRAK4 and TNF receptor-associated factor 6 but not MyD88 for its ability to activate these pathways. Interestingly, the protein is constitutively autoproteolytically processed, and is anchored by its N-terminus specifically to the apical face of mucosal epithelial cells. Transcriptional profiling identified mainly chemokines, including IL-8, CXCL1 and CCL20 as Unc5CL target genes. Its prominent expression in mucosal tissues, as well as its ability to induce a pro-inflammatory program in cells, suggests that Unc5CL is a factor in epithelial inflammation and immunity as well as a candidate gene involved in mucosal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Plantas na Medicina Tradicional de Cabo Verde

Neste trabalho apresenta-se o resultado de uma pesquisa pormenorizada sobre as plantas medicinais e aromáticas que se desenvolvem no arquipélago de Cabo Verde, apoiada na bibliografia actualmente disponível sobre o assunto. Indicam-se as famílias, nomes científicos e vernáculos, e distribuição no arquipélago, bem como os respectivos princípios activos, propriedades terapêuticas e as partes das plantas utilizadas na medicina popular tradicional. Foram identificados 157 táxones, pertencentes a 68 famílias, com interesse medicinal e aromático conhecido. Estas plantas são maioritariamente alóctones, introduzidas, subespontâneas, naturalizadas ou cultivadas. Cabo Verde, devido a diversos condicionalismos, nomeadamente, situação geográfica, humidade e altitude das diferentes ilhas, é rico em espécies endémicas com interesse medicinal mas cujas potencialidades são ainda pouco conhecidas. Neste estudo foram localizados 27 táxones com interesse medicinal, distribuídos por 21 famílias. Conclui-se que é necessário proceder a mais estudos sobre os endemismos, de forma a melhor avaliar o seu potencial interesse como plantas medicinais e aromáticas. No âmbito da medicina tradicional, urge realizar os seguintes estudos: (1) etnobotânicos; (2) composição química dos vários órgãos das plantas referidas com interesse, sobretudo, para combater as patologias para as quais ainda não foi encontrada resolução satisfatória; (3) distribuição geográfica e habitat precisos das plantas; (4) avaliação e experimentação do seu possível cultivo, de forma a evitar a extinção ou erosão genética motivada pela sua colheita excessiva; (5) propriedades terapêuticas; (6) toxicológicos, a fim de se conhecer os doseamentos eficientes e seguros e as respectivas contra-indicações.

Biblia [Vetus et Novum Testamentum].

La Bible s’ouvre par deux compositions poétiques d’Alcuin qui encadrent l’Épître de saint Jérôme à Paulinus, « Frater Ambrosius... » (ff. 1-2r : Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Poetae latinae, I, 1, p. 287, LXVIII-LXX, v. 1-200 ; ff. 4r-v : Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Poetae latinae, I, 1, p. 283-284, LXV, I-III). La fin manque: la Bible s'interrompt à la fin de l'Epître de saint Paul aux Colossiens.

Expression of neutral endopeptidase, endothelin-1, and nuclear factor kappa B in prostate cancer: interrelations and associations with prostate-specific antigen recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

Objective. To study the impact of the neutral endopeptidase (NEP)/neuropeptides (NPs) axis and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) as predictors of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP). Patients and Methods. 70 patients with early-stage PC were treated with RP and their tumor samples were evaluated for expression of NEP, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and NFκB (p65). Time to PSA recurrence was correlated with the examined parameters and combined with preoperative PSA level, Gleason score, pathological TNM (pT) stage, and surgical margin (SM) assessment. Results and Limitations. Membranous expression of NEP (P < 0.001), cytoplasmic ET-1 (P = 0.002), and cytoplasmic NFκB (P < 0.001) were correlated with time to PSA relapse. NEP was associated with ET-1 (P < 0.001) and NFκB (P < 0.001). ET-1 was also correlated with NFκB (P < 0.001). NEP expression (P = 0.017), pT stage (P = 0.013), and SMs (P = 0.036) were independent predictors of time to PSA recurrence. Conclusions. There seems to be a clinical model of NEP/NPs and NFκB pathways interconnection, with their constituents following inverse patterns of expression in accordance with their biological roles and molecular interrelations.

Efficacy of clinical guideline implementation to improve the appropriateness of chest physiotherapy prescription among inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Although there is no strong evidence of benefit, chest physiotherapy (CP) seems to be commonly used in simple pneumonia. CP requires equipment and frequently involves the assistance of a respiratory therapist, engendering a significant medical workload and cost. AIM: To measure and compare the efficacy of two modalities of chest physiotherapy (CP) guideline implementation on the appropriateness of CP prescription among patients hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured the CP prescription rate and duration in all consecutive CAP inpatients admitted in a division of general internal medicine at an urban teaching community hospital during three consecutive one-year time periods: (1) before any guideline implementation; (2) after a passive implementation by medical grand rounds and guideline diffusion through mailing; (3) after adding a one-page reminder in the CAP patient's medical chart highlighting our recommendations. Death and recurrent hospitalisation rates within one year after hospitalisation were recorded to assess whether CP prescription reduction, if any, impaired patient outcomes. RESULTS: During the three successive phases, 127, 157, and 147 patients with similar characteristics were included. Among all CAP inpatients, the CP prescription rate decreased from 68% (86/127) to 51% (80/157), and to 48% (71/147), respectively (P for trend <0.01 for trend). A significant reduction in CP duration was observed after the active guideline implementation (12.0, 11.0, 7.0days, respectively) and persisted after adjustment for length of stay. Reductions in CP prescription rate and duration were also observed among CAP patients with COPD CP prescription rate: 97% (30/31), 67% (24/36), 75% (35/47), respectively (P<0.01 for trend). The mean cost of CP per patient was reduced by 56%, from $709 to $481, and to $309, respectively. Neither the in-hospital deaths, the one-year overall recurrent hospitalisation nor the one-year CAP-specific recurrent hospitalisation significantly differed between the three phases. CONCLUSION: Both passive and active implementation of guidelines appear to improve the appropriateness of CP prescription among inpatients with CAP without impairing their outcomes. Restricting CP use to patients who benefit from this treatment might be an opportunity to decrease CAP medical cost and workload.

A CRTC1 deficient mouse line study : relevance to mood disorders

Summary Mood disorders are among the most prevalent, psychosocial^ debilitating, chronic and relapsing forms of psychiatric illnesses. Despite considerable advances in their characterization, the heterogeneous nature of susceptibility factors and patient's symptoms could account for the lack of totally effective and remissive treatment. The neurobiological hypothesis of mood disorders etiology has evolved since the monoamine and neurotrophin theories and current evidence is pointing toward their integration in a broader polygenic epistatic model resulting in defective neuroplasticity of circuitries involved in emotion processing. Consequently, the unraveling of molecular underpinning pathways involved in neuronal plasticity, commonly altered among mood disorder syndromes and symptoms, should shed light on their etiology and provide new drug target. The transcription factor CREB has been critically involved in the long-lasting forms of neuronal plasticity and in the regulation of several mood disorders susceptibility genes. In addition, altered CREB activity has been associated with mood disorders pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy. Interestingly, the newly-identified protein CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) was shown by previous studies in the laboratory to be a neuroactivity- dependent cAMP and calcium sensor, a potent activator of CREB-dependent transcription and involved in neuroplasticity mechanisms associated with long-term synaptic potentiation. Furthermore, the major mood disorder susceptibility gene Bdnf was suggested to be transcriptional regulated by CRTC1. Therefore, we aimed to investigate a role for CRTC1 in mood disorders by generating and characterizing a Crtcl deficient mouse model at the behavioral and molecular levels. Interestingly, their comprehensive characterization revealed a behavioral profile mirroring several major symptoms comorbid in mood disorders, including altered social interactions, aggressive behaviors, obesity, psychomotor retardation, increased emotional response to stress, decreased sexual drive and depression-like behaviors. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these pathological behaviors and the implication of CRTC1 in the regulation of CREB-regulated genes in vivo, we also quantified transcript levels of several relevant CREB-regulated susceptibility genes in brain structures involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Strikingly, we found the underexpression of primary components of the neurotrophin system: Bdnf and its cognate receptor TrkB, a marked decrease in the Nr4a family of transcription factors, implicated in neuroplasticity and associated with dopamine-related disorders, as well as in several other relevant CREB regulated genes. Moreover, neurochemical analysis revealed that Crtcl null mice presented alteration in prefrontal cortical monoamine turnover as well as in hippocampal and accumbal serotonin levels, similarly associated with mood disorders etiology and pharmacotherapy. Together, the present thesis supports the involvement of CRTC1 pathway hypofunction in the pathogenesis of mood disorders and specifically in pathological aggression, obesity and depression-related behavior comorbidities. Ultimately, CRTC1 may represent an interesting antidepressant, antiaggressive or mood stabilizer drug target candidate through the modulation of major CREB regulated susceptibility genes. Les troubles de l'humeur comptent parmi les maladies psychiatriques les plus prévalentes, psychosocialement débilitantes, chroniques et avec le plus grand risque de rechute. Malgré de considérable avancées dans leur caractérisation, la nature hétérogène des facteurs de susceptibilité et des symptômes présentés par les patients, semble justifier l'absence de traitement entraînant une rémission complète de la maladie. L'hypothèse de l'étiologie neurobiologique des troubles de l'humeur a évolué depuis la théorie des monoamines et des neurotrophines. Actuellement, elle tend à les englober dans un modèle polygénique épistatique induisant une déficience de la neuroplasticité des circuits impliqué dans la régulation des émotions. Par conséquent, il apparaît particulièrement relevant de caractériser des voies moléculaires impliquées dans la plasticité neuronale, communément altérées parmi les différents syndromes et symptômes des maladies de l'humeur, afin d'améliorer leur compréhension ainsi que de proposer de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques potentielles. Le facteur de transcription CREB a été de façon répétée et cohérente impliqué dans les mécanismes à long terme de la plasticité neuronale, ainsi que dans la régulation de plusieurs gènes de susceptibilité aux maladies de l'humeur. De plus, une altération dans l'activité de CREB a été impliqué dans leur étiologie et pharmacothérapie. De façon intéressante, des résultats préliminaires sur la protéine récemment découverte CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) ont indiqué que son activation était dépendante de l'activité neuronale, qu'il était un senseur du calcium et de l'AMPc, ainsi qu'un coactivateur de CREB requis et puissant impliqué dans les mécanismes de plasticité neuronale associés à la potentialisation à long terme. En outre, des résultats ont suggéré que le gène majeur de susceptibilité Bdnf est régulé par CRTC1. Ainsi, notre objectif a été d'investiguer un rôle éventuel de CRTC1 dans les maladies de l'humeur en générant et caractérisant une lignée de souris déficiente pour Crtcl, tant au niveau comportemental que moléculaire. De façon intéressante, leur caractérisation détaillée a révélé un profil comportemental reflétant de nombreux aspects des maladies de l'humeur incluant une altération des interactions sociales, une agression pathologique, l'obésité, un retard psychomoteur, une réponse émotionnelle au stress accrue, une diminution de la motivation sexuelle, et des comportements reliés à la dépression. Afin d'investiguer les mécanismes moléculaires sous- jacents cette altération du comportement, ainsi que l'implication de CRTC1 dans l'expression des gènes régulés par CREB in vivo, nous avons quantifié les niveaux de transcrits de plusieurs gènes de susceptibilité régulés par CREB et impliqués dans la physiopathologie des maladies de l'humeur. Remarquablement, nous avons trouvé la sous-expression de composants primordiaux du système neurotrophique: Bdnf et son récepteur TrkB, une diminution majeure de la famille des facteurs de transcription Nr4a, impliqués dans la neuroplasticité et associés à des désordres liés à la dopamine, ainsi que de nombreux autres gènes relevants régulés par CREB. De plus, une analyse neurochimique a révélé que les souris déficientes pour Crtcî présentent une altération du turn-over des monoamines du cortex préfrontal ainsi que des niveaux hippocampaux et accumbaux de sérotonine, associés de façon similaire dans l'étiologie et la pharmacothérapie des maladies de l'humeur. Vue dans son ensemble, la présente thèse supporte l'implication d'une sous-régulation de la voie de CRTCI dans la pathogenèse des maladies de l'humeur ainsi que dans la comorbidité de l'agression pathologique, l'obésité et la dépression. En conclusion, CRTCI pourrait représenter une cible médicamenteuse intéressante aux propriétés antidépressante, antiagressive ou stabilisatrice de l'humeur au travers de la modulation de gènes de susceptibilité majeurs régulés par CREB.

Wood ants protect their brood with tree resin

Social insects use multiple lines of collective defences to combat pathogens. One example of a behav- ioural group defence is the use of antimicrobial plant compounds to disinfect the nest. Indeed, wood ants collect coniferous tree resin, and the presence of resin in their nest protects them against fungal and bacterial pathogens. Many questions remain on the mechanisms of resin use, including which factors elicit resin collection and placement within nests. Here, we investigated whether the presence of brood induces Formica paralugubris workers to collect more resin, and whether the workers preferentially place resin near the brood. We also tested whether the collection and placement of resin depends on the presence of the fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana. Workers brought more resin to their nest when brood was present, and preferentially placed the resin near the brood. In contrast, workers did not increase resin collection in response to exposure to B. bassiana, nor did they place resin closer to contaminated brood or contaminated areas of the nest. This lack of response may be explained by a limited effect of resin against the germination and growth of B. bassiana in vitro. Overall, our main result is that woods ants actively position resin near the brood, which probably confers prophylactic protection against other detrimental microorganisms.

Desenvolvimento e exigências térmicas de Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera, Anthocoridae)

A temperatura exerce grande influência no desenvolvimento dos insetos e o conhecimento desse aspecto é essencial para subsidiar o uso de inimigos naturais como agentes de controle biológico, bem como para a sua criação massal. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de diferentes temperaturas no desenvolvimento de Orius insidiosus (Say, 1832), bem como as suas exigências térmicas. O experimento foi conduzido em câmaras climáticas, a 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 e 31±1°C; UR de 70±10% e fotofase de 12 horas. Como alimento foram utilizados ovos de Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller, 1879). O período embrionário foi de 14,0; 8,9; 6,6; 4,8; 3,9 e 3,3 dias nas temperaturas de 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 e 31°C, respectivamente. Ninfas de todos os instares (independente do sexo que deram origem) foram influenciadas pela temperatura quanto ao seu desenvolvimento, com redução nesse período com o aumento da temperatura. Machos e fêmeas, na temperatura de 25°C, apresentaram um período de desenvolvimento em torno de 12 dias. A temperatura base da fase de ovo foi de 11,78°C e a da fase ninfal foi de 12,27°C e de 13,03°C, para machos e fêmeas, respectivamente. A constante térmica para a fase de ovo foi de 63,75 e para a fase de ninfa de 161,97 e 157,24 graus-dia, para machos e fêmeas, respectivamente. A temperatura de 25°C foi a mais adequada para o desenvolvimento de O. insidiosus.