Utilização da Berberina na Identificação dos Mastócitos do Molusco Anomalocardia brasiliana

Berberine is an alkaloid used as a fluorochrome in the identification of heparin and DNA. Enerback, 1974, described the technique used until today to study granules rich in heparin of vertebrate mast cells. Santos et al., 2003, studied mast cells of the mollusk Anomalocardia brasiliana using biochemical and histological analysis. This work used the fluorescent dye berberine technique to improve characterization of these cells. Mollusk organs (ctenidium and mantle) were processed with routine histological techniques. Tissue sections were treated with berberine 0,02% in redistilled water acidified to pH 4, by the addition of citric acid for 20 minutes. The visualization was made through fluorescence microscopy with ultraviolet region emission. The mast cell fluorescence had a strong yellow color, where cell nuclei appeared more greenish. This result was very similar to the ones reported before. Mast cells are location at the epithelium surface is the same in both organs, mantle and ctenidium. The fluorescence was easily observed in the granules. Therefore, this technique showed to be good and sensitive to study mast cell of invertebrates

Utilização da berberina na identificação dos mastócitos do molusco Anomalocardia brasiliana

Berberine is an alkaloid used as a fluorochrome in the identification of heparin and DNA. Enerback, 1974, described the technique used until today to study granules rich in heparin of vertebrate mast cells. Santos et al., 2003, studied mast cells of the mollusk Anomalocardia brasiliana using biochemical and histological analysis. This work used the fluorescent dye berberine technique to improve characterization of these cells. Mollusk organs (ctenidium and mantle) were processed with routine histological techniques. Tissue sections were treated with berberine 0,02% in redistilled water acidified to pH 4, by the addition of citric acid for 20 minutes. The visualization was made through fluorescence microscopy with ultraviolet region emission. The mast cell fluorescence had a strong yellow color, where cell nuclei appeared more greenish. This result was very similar to the ones reported before. Mast cells are location at the epithelium surface is the same in both organs, mantle and ctenidium. The fluorescence was easily observed in the granules. Therefore, this technique showed to be good and sensitive to study mast cell of invertebrates

Ecologia humana e manejo participativo da pesca do búzio Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791) (Bivalvia: Veneridae) na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Estadual Ponta do Tubarão (RN)

Coastal and marine protected areas are created to protect habitat, avoid biodiversity loss, and to help maintain viable fisheries. However, most of these areas in tropical countries occurs in impoverished regions and directly affect the livelihood and survival of coastal communities which directly depend on fisheries and shellfisheries. Therefore, socioeconomic and conservation goals overlap. In this context, fishers should have a central place in resource management. They are critical resource users and their behavior directly affects the system. Shellfish resources are important sources of food, employment and income to fishing communities in Latin America. But despite its widespread use for food and income, there is an urgent need of more research on shellfish management. This research discusses the artisanal fisheries of Venus clam (Anomalocardia brasiliana) (Gmelin, 1791) (Bivalvia: Veneridae) in Brazil, and points out strategies to improve the system. Venus clam is a small and commonly exploited species for food and income on the Brazilian coast. This research was carried out at Ponta do Tubarão Sustainable Development Reserve (Brazilian Northeast coast), where there was no information available about who harvest, where or how much Venus clam has been harvested, despite this resource being exploited for generations. Clam fishery follows the pattern of socio-economic invisibility that general clam exploitation has in Brazil. Methods used were interviews, participatory monitoring and focal follow observation from January 2010 to May 2011. Results include: (a) the identification of shell fishers, (b) how harvest and meat processing are performed (mollusk beds, time spent, gross and net production), (c) the analisis of shell fisher income and their economic sustentability, and (d) the involvement of shell fisher families in data gathering and analyses for the first time. Based on the acquired knowledge, we propose a new institutional arrangement for clam fishery including co-management, fisheries agreement, compensatory arrangements and improvements for the Venus clam value chain such as the establishment of a minimum price for clam meat. This research also includes two other results: a general description for Venus clam harvesting in the Brazilian Northeast coast and a specific discussion about co-management of Venus clam in Brazil. The first one was possible through the meeting of several shell fisherwomen from other states during activities promoted by People of the Tides (PoT) project. PoT was an international initiative aiming to develop coastal communities that depend on mollusk for their livelihood. The second one is a comparison between PoT and Venus clam management at Pirajubaé Marine Extractive Reserve (Santa Catarina). It evaluates the success and failures of these only two initiatives involving co-management of A. brasiliana in Brazil

Significant genetic differentiation among populations of Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791): a bivalve with planktonic larval dispersion

Four Brazilian populations of Anomalocardia brasiliana were tested for mutual genetic homogeneity, using data from 123 sequences of the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene. A total of 36 haplotypes were identified, those shared being H3 (Canela Island, Prainha and Acupe) and both H5 and H9 (Prainha and Acupe). Haplotype diversity values were high, except for the Camurupim population, whereas nucleotide values were low in all the populations, except for that of Acupe. Only the Prainha population showed a deviation from neutrality and the SSD test did not reject the demographic expansion hypothesis. Fst values showed that the Prainha and Acupe populations represent a single stock, whereas in both the Canela Island and Camurupim stocks, population structures are different and independent. The observed structure at Canela Island may be due to the geographic distance between this population and the remainder. The Camurupim population does not share any haplotype with the remaining populations in northeastern Brazil. The apparent isolation could be due to the rocky barrier located facing the mouth of the Mamanguape River. The results highlight the importance of wide-scale studies to identify and conserve local genetic diversity, especially where migration is restricted.

Perfil de ácidos graxos, composição centesimal e valor calórico de moluscos crus e cozidos com leite de coco da cidade de Maceió-Al

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ensaismo, ação coletiva e Estado nacional : uma metainterpretação de obras selecionadas da literatura Brasiliana

O objetivo da tese é expor o movimento de coordenação coletiva que subjaz a um conjunto selecionado de obras de autores brasileiros da primeira metade do século XX reunidas sob o título Coleção Brasiliana. Sustenta-se a hipótese de que esse grupo de intelectuais interveio regularmente no debate público durante três ou quatro décadas do século passado de forma racional e concertada com vistas a construir no futuro próximo um Estado nacional no Brasil. Se o diagnóstico procede, esteve-se às voltas com um problema de ação coletiva, posto que um Estado de tipo nacional é um bem público. A estratégia de solução intraelite consistiu na criação de uma cultura política de massas baseada na idéia de ?imperativo nacional? que, mobilizando ideologicamente a opinião pública e os governantes, logrou êxito quanto aos objetivos inscritos de antemão em sua retórica: por fim à desordem, restituir a organização da nação e criar instituições políticas congruentes com a realidade do país. Para efeito do trabalho ora apresentado, os processos de state building envolvem, entre os itens de maior importância, a territorialização eficaz, a legitimação da autoridade pública e a organização da solidariedade social. No caso do Brasil, uma vez resolvido o dilema de ação coletiva relativamente aos intelectuais, emergiria mais tarde, em 1937, a estrutura institucional destinada a fixar regras, reduzir incertezas e/ou custos de informação, dotar os atores de expectativas recíprocas, enfim, trazer regularidade e curso estável às trocas entre os indivíduos: o Estado Novo. O trabalho se divide em quatro capítulos, seguidos de considerações finais ligeiras. No Capítulo I, realizo um balanço pessoal sobre a recepção da rationalchoice no meio acadêmico brasileiro, além de chamar a atenção para certas estigmatizações comuns. No Capítulo II, o conceito de racionalidade individual é submetido a exame epistêmico e ontológico não exaustivo. Busco ainda aproximá-lo de aspectos externos que tendem a alterar sua substância na origem. No Capítulo III, ofereço o referencial geral sobre a formação dos estados nacionais, afora indicações rápidas quanto aos desafios que os esperam no século XXI. No Capítulo IV, última parte do texto, observo de maneira panorâmica as etapas de formação do Estado nacional no Brasil para depois discutir o modelo de país que os intelectuais brasilianos tinham em mente para o século XX. Também procuro especificar o método de trabalho (escolha dos autores, organização por tópicos e aplicação da perspectiva neo-institucionalista). As páginas restantes se destinam à exposição das idéias brasilianas. Fecho a tese com uma síntese geral acrescida de análise sobre a coordenação dos intelectuais em torno do projeto de Estado-nação no Brasil

Use Of Micro-Stereology And Quantitative Cyto-Chemistry To Determine The Effects Of Crude Oil-Derived Aromatic-Hydrocarbons On Lysosomal Structure And Function In A Marine Bivalve Mollusk Mytilus-Edulis

The marine bivalve mollusc,Mytilus edulis (blue mussel), is a noted accumulator of many environmental pollutants and is increasingly used for the chemical and biological assessment of environmental impact. The toxic effects of crude oil-derived aromatic hydrocarbons (30 μg/l total hydrocarbons) on the lysosomal-vacuolar system of the digestive cells have been investigated in cryostat sections of hexane-frozen digestive glands. Exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons reduced the cytochemically determined latency of lysosomal β-N-acetylhexosaminidase; lysosomal volume density and surface density increased while the numerical density decreased. Experimental exposure resulted in the formation of very large lysosomes which are believed to be largely autophagic in function and these results indicate a significant structural and functional disturbance of digestive cell lysosomes in response to hydrocarbons.

Comparative study between the effects of hyaluronic acid and acid galactan purified from eggs of the mollusk Pomacea sp in wound healing

To compare the effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) and of AG on the healing of intestine wounds. Methods: The semi-purified extract of the eggs of the mollusc was obtained by fractionation with ammonium sulfate and purification for ion-exchange chromatography. The obtained galactans were eluted in water (neutral galactan) and in 0.1 and 0.2M NaCl (acidic galactans). The in vivo study was performed with 45 “Wistar” rats, separated in three groups (n=15). Solutions containing HA 1%, GA 1% or saline solution 0,9%, was placed topically on the sutures of wounds in the small intestine of the rats. After 05, 10 and 21 days the animals were sacrificed and biopsy of the healing tissue was done. Results: The hystologic grading was more significant for HA and AG groups when compared to the group C. AG stimulated the appearance of macrophages, giant cells and increase in the concentration of collagen in the area of the wound when compared to HA. Conclusion: The topical use of GA in intestinal wounds promoted the anticipation of events that are important in the wound healing

Inhibition of Neurotoxic Secretory Phospholipases A(2) Enzymatic, Edematogenic, and Myotoxic Activities by Harpalycin 2, an Isoflavone Isolated from Harpalyce brasiliana Benth

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Schistosome/mollusk: genetic compatibility

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Quantitative fidelity of recent freshwater mollusk assemblages from the Touro Passo River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

O presente estudo teve como objetivo apresentar uma das primeiras contribuições ao conhecimento sobre a fidelidade quantitativa de associações de moluscos recentes em rios subtropicais. Tanatocenoses e biocenoses foram estudadas em seções retilínea e meandrante tendendo a anastomosada, no curso médio do rio Touro Passo, um tributário de 4ª ordem do rio Uruguai, localizado no extremo oeste do Rio Grande do Sul. As amostragens foram realizadas por meio de quadrats de 5 m², cinco em cada seção, amostrando-se um total de 50 m². Também foram feitas amostragens em um ambiente lêntico, com comunicação intermitente com o Touro Passo, objetivando detectar a existência de transporte de comunidades lênticas para o interior do rio. Os resultados obtidos mostram que, apesar da freqüente oscilação do nível da água, a biocenose do Touro Passo apresenta uma alta fidelidade ecológica e sofre pouca influência de espécies de ambientes lênticos. A composição taxonômica e características de estrutura de comunidades, especialmente as espécies dominantes, refletem, ainda, diferenças ecológicas relacionadas às duas seções amostradas, como a maior complexidade de habitats da estação meandrante. Quanto à fidelidade quantitativa, 60% das espécies encontradas vivas também foram encontradas mortas e 47,3% das espécies encontradas mortas também foram encontras vivas em escala de rio. Porém, 72% dos exemplares coletados mortos são representantes de espécies encontradas vivas. Essa percentagem alta pode estar relacionada à boa correlação entre o ranking de dominância das associações vivas e mortas e, conseqüentemente, as espécies dominantes das tanatocenoses podem ser utilizadas para inferir características ecológicas das biocenoses. Todos os índices analisados variaram muito em escala local (quadrat) e seus valores são mais aproximados aos de outros, registrados em estudos prévios, apenas quando analisados em escala mais ampla (seção, área total).

Comparative analysis of drilling frequencies in recent brachiopod-mollusk associations from the Southern Brazilian Shelf

Over 14,000 specimens-5,204 brachiopods, 9,137 bivalves, and 178 gastropods-acquired from 30 collecting stations (0 to 45 m depth) in the Ubatuba and Picinguaba bays, southern Brazil, were compared for drilling frequencies. Beveled (countersunk) circular-to-subcircular borings (Oichnus-like drill holes) were found in diverse bivalves but also in the rhynchonelliform brachiopod Bouchardia rosea-a small, semi-infaunal to epifaunal, free-lying species that dominates the brachiopod fauna of the southern Brazilian shelf. Drill holes in bivalve mollusks and brachiopods are comparable in their morphology, average diameter, and diameter range, indicating attacks by a single type of drilling organism. Drill holes in brachiopods were rare (0.4%) and found only at five sampling sites. Drillings in bivalves were over 10 times as frequent as in brachiopods, but the average drilling frequency was still low (5.6%) compared to typical boring frequencies of Cenozoic mollusks. Some common bivalve species, however, were drilled at frequencies up to 50 times higher than those observed for shells of B. rosea from the same samples. Due to scarcity of drilled brachiopods, it is not possible to evaluate if the driller displayed a nonrandom (stereotyped) site, size, or valve preference. Drilled brachiopods may record (1) naticid or muricid predation, (2) predation by other drillers, (3) parasitic drillings, and (4) mistaken or opportunistic attacks. Low drilling frequency in brachiopods is consistent with recent reports on ancient and modern examples. The scarcity of drilling in brachiopods, coupled with much higher drilling frequencies observed in sympatric bivalves, suggests that drilling in brachiopods may have been due to facultative or erroneous attacks. The drilling frequencies observed here for the brachiopod-bivalve assemblages are remarkably similar to those reported for Permian brachiopod-bivalves associations. This report adds to the growing evidence for an intriguing macroecological stasis: multiple meta-analytical surveys of present-day and fossil rhynchonelliform brachiopods conducted in recent years also point to persistent scarcity and low intensity of biotic interactions between brachiopods and drilling organisms throughout their evolutionary history.