Occurrence of Akodon cursor (Rodentia, Cricetidae) with 14, 15 and 16 chromosome cytotypes in the same geographic area in Southern Brazil

The karyotype of Akodon cursor (initially identified as A. arviculoides) had been reported with chromosomal numbers 14 and 15 in the South and Southeast and 16 in Northeastern Brazil. We found the three cytotypes in a region of Southern Brazil. The G-band patterns of these specimens were the same as those from southeastern and northeastern regions. Seventeen different combinations of chromosomes due to a complex rearrangement in pair 1 and pericentric inversions in pairs 2 and 3 were identified. Seven of these combinations are new to in the literature.

Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine of Brazilian children and adolescents aged 6 to 14 years

The authors performed a study of bone mass in eutrophic Brazilian children and adolescents using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in order to obtain curves for bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) by chronological age and correlate these values with weight and height. Healthy Caucasian children and adolescents, 120 boys and 135 girls, 6 to 14 years of age, residents of São Paulo, Brazil, were selected from the Pediatric Department outpatient clinic of Hospital São Paulo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo). BMC, BMD and the area of the vertebral body of the L2-L4 segment were obtained by DXA. BMC and BMD for the lumbar spine (L2-L4) presented a progressive increase between 6 and 14 years of age in both sexes, with a distribution that fitted an exponential curve. We identified an increase of mineral content in female patients older than 11 years which was maintained until 13 years of age, when a new decrease in the velocity of bone mineralization occurred. Male patients presented a period of accelerated bone mass gain after 11 years of age that was maintained until 14 years of age. At 14 years of age the mean BMD values for boys and girls were 0.984 and 1.017 g/cm², respectively. A stepwise multiple regression analysis of paired variables showed that the "vertebral area-age" pair was the most significant in the determination of BMD values and the introduction of a third variable (weight or height) did not significantly increase the correlation coefficient.

14-3-3 proteins in apoptosis

The once obscure members of the 14-3-3 protein family play significant roles in the determination of cell fate. By inhibiting the pro-apoptotic BAD (Bcl-2-antagonist of cell death) and the transcription factor FKHRL-1, 14-3-3 displays important anti-apoptotic characteristics. To date, five points of interaction of 14-3-3 with the apoptotic machinery have been identified. How these interactions are regulated still remains a mystery.

Detection of multiple mycoplasma infection in cell cultures by PCR

A total of 301 cell cultures from 15 laboratories were monitored for mycoplasma (Mollicutes) using PCR and culture methodology. The infection was detected in the cell culture collection of 12 laboratories. PCR for Mollicutes detected these bacteria in 93 (30.9%) samples. Although the infection was confirmed by culture for 69 (22.9%) samples, PCR with generic primers did not detect the infection in five (5.4%). Mycoplasma species were identified with specific primers in 91 (30.2%) of the 98 samples (32.6%) considered to be infected. Mycoplasma hyorhinis was detected in 63.3% of the infected samples, M. arginini in 59.2%, Acholeplasma laidlawii in 20.4%, M. fermentans in 14.3%, M. orale in 11.2%, and M. salivarium in 8.2%. Sixty (61.2%) samples were co-infected with more than one mycoplasma species. M. hyorhinis and M. arginini were the microorganisms most frequently found in combination, having been detected in 30 (30.6%) samples and other associations including up to four species were detected in 30 other samples. Failure of the treatments used to eliminate mycoplasmas from cell cultures might be explained by the occurrence of these multiple infections. The present results indicate that the sharing of non-certified cells among laboratories may disseminate mycoplasma in cell cultures.

Meditationes sancti evangelii 14

Invokaatio: Deo duce.

Chlorpheniramine impairs functional recovery in Carassius auratus after telencephalic ablation

We determined the effect of an H1 receptor antagonist on the functional recovery of Carassius auratus submitted to telencephalic ablation. Five days after surgery the fish underwent a spatial-choice learning paradigm test. The fish, weighing 6-12 g, were divided into four groups: telencephalic ablation (A) or sham lesion (S) and saline (SAL) or chlorpheniramine (CPA, ip, 16 mg/kg). For eight consecutive days each animal was trained individually in sessions separated by 24 h (alternate days). Training trials (T1-T8) consisted of finding the food in one of the feeders, which were randomly blocked for each subject. Animals received an intraperitoneal injection of SAL or CPA 10 min after the training trials. The time spent by the animals in each group to find the food (latency) was analyzed separately at T1 and T8 by the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Student Newman-Keuls test. At T1 the latencies (mean ± SEM) of the A-SAL (586.3 ± 13.6) and A-CPA (600 ± 0) groups were significantly longer than those of the S-SAL (226.14 ± 61.15) and S-CPA (356.33 ± 68.8) groups. At T8, the latencies of the A-CPA group (510.11 ± 62.2) remained higher than those of the other groups, all of which showed significantly shorter latencies (A-SAL = 301.91 ± 78.32; S-CPA = 191.58 ± 73.03; S-SAL = 90.28 ± 41) compared with T1. These results support evidence that training can lead to functional recovery of spatial-choice learning in telencephalonless fish and also that the antagonist of the H1 receptor impairs it.

Meditationes sanctarum epistolarum 14

Arkit: A-B4.

Historia Bibliothecae Regiae Academiae Aboensis 14

Invokaatio: D.A.G.

De bibliothecariis Academiae Aboënsis 14

Arkit: 1 arkintunnukseton lehti, S4.

Artificium Delilae mysticum 14

Invokaatio: In nomine Jesu!

De cognitione Dei et Christi usum rationis supponente, locos Joh. XVII:3. & I Cor. II:14. illustratura

Invokaatio: D.D.

Lytrodoxia Jesu 14

Variantti B.

Increased levels of glutamate in the central nervous system are associated with behavioral symptoms in experimental malaria

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication resulting from Plasmodium falciparum infection. This condition has been associated with cognitive, behavioral and motor dysfunctions, seizures and coma. The underlying mechanisms of CM are incompletely understood. Glutamate and other metabolites such as lactate have been implicated in its pathogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of glutamate in the behavioral symptoms of CM. Seventeen female C57BL/6 mice (20-25 g) aged 6-8 weeks were infected with P. berghei ANKA by the intraperitoneal route using a standardized inoculation of 10(6) parasitized red blood cells suspended in 0.2 mL PBS. Control animals (N = 17) received the same volume of PBS. Behavioral and neurological symptoms were analyzed by the SmithKline/Harwell/Imperial College/Royal Hospital/Phenotype Assessment (SHIRPA) battery. Glutamate release was measured in the cerebral cortex and cerebrospinal fluid of infected and control mice by fluorimetric assay. All functional categories of the SHIRPA battery were significantly altered in the infected mice at 6 days post-infection (dpi) (P ≤ 0.05). In parallel to CM symptoms, we found a significant increase in glutamate levels in the cerebral cortex (mean ± SEM; control: 11.62 ± 0.90 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 10.36 ± 1.17 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 26.65 ± 0.73 nmol/mg protein; with EGTA, control: 5.60 ± 1.92 nmol/mg protein; infected at 3 dpi: 6.24 ± 1.87 nmol/mg protein; infected at 6 dpi: 14.14 ± 0.84 nmol/mg protein) and in the cerebrospinal fluid (control: 128 ± 51.23 pmol/mg protein; infected: 301.4 ± 22.52 pmol/mg protein) of infected mice (P ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest a role of glutamate in the central nervous system dysfunction found in CM.

Disquisitiones practicae 14

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