Abstract Background Insects can be found in numerous diverse environments, being exposed to pathogenic organisms like fungi and bacteria. Once these pathogens cross insect physical barriers, the innate immune system operates through cellular and humoral responses. Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules produced by immune signaling cascades that develop an important and generalist role in insect defenses against a variety of microorganisms. In the present work, a cecropin B-like peptide (AgCecropB) sequence was identified in the velvetbean caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis and cloned in a bacterial plasmid vector for further heterologous expression and antimicrobial tests. Methods AgCecropB sequence (without the signal peptide) was cloned in the plasmid vector pET-M30-MBP and expressed in the Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) expression host. Expression was induced with IPTG and a recombinant peptide was purified using two affinity chromatography steps with Histrap column. The purified peptide was submitted to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and structural analyses. Antimicrobial tests were performed using gram-positive (Bacillus thuringiensis) and gram-negative (Burkholderia kururiensis and E. coli) bacteria. Results AgCecropB was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) at 28°C with IPTG 0.5 mM. The recombinant peptide was purified and enriched after purification steps. HRMS confirmed AgCrecropB molecular mass (4.6 kDa) and circular dichroism assay showed α-helix structure in the presence of SDS. AgCrecropB inhibited almost 50% of gram-positive B. thuringiensis bacteria growth. Conclusions The first cecropin B-like peptide was described in A. gemmatalis and a recombinant peptide was expressed using a bacterial platform. Data confirmed tertiary structure as predicted for the cecropin peptide family. AgCecropB was capable to inhibit B. thuringiensis growth in vitro.

Objective: To study anxiety as a variable of the mid- and long-term psychological impact of pre-symptomatic testing for three autosomal dominant late-onset disorders – Huntington’s disease (HD), Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) and familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) TTR V30M – in a Portuguese sample. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 203 participants: 170 (83.7%) underwent pre-symptomatic testing for FAP, 29 (14.3%) for HD, and 4 (2%) for MJD. Of the 203 participants, 73 (36.0%) were asymptomatic carriers, 29 (14.5%) were symptomatic carriers, 9 (4.5%) were diagnosed with FAP and had a liver transplant, and 89 (44.5%) were non-carriers. Most were women (58.1%) and married (66.5%). The anxiety variable was assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Results: The anxiety scores were higher for symptomatic carriers and for those who underwent psychological support consultations over the years. For symptomatic carriers, the mean scores were superior to 40 points, which reflects clinical anxiety. Conclusion: Although it was not possible to differentiate between the mid- and long-term psychological impacts, this study supports the conclusion that the proximity to the age of symptoms onset might be a trigger for anxiety.

Ácidos húmicos (HA) extraídos de vermicompostos (VC) de estercos de ovelhas (SHHA), bovinos (COHA), caprinos (GOHA) e coelhos (RAHA) foram analisados com o auxílio das espectroscopias de ressonância paramagnética eletrônica e ressonância magnética nuclear de hidrogênio. Estas substâncias húmicas (HS) recentes são compostas por ácidos carboxílicos, fenóis, funções amina, amida, éster, éter, estruturas carbônicas alifáticas saturadas, alifáticas com ligações conjugadas, duplas e simples, ao lado de cadeias aromáticas. Foram caracterizados complexos de Mn2+ de esfera externa (SHHA, COHA), complexos de Fe3+ em estruturas axiais (GOHA, RAHA) e rômbicas (SHHA, COHA, GOHA e RAHA) e complexos de Cu2+ de campo fraco (COHA, GOHA, RAHA) e de campo forte (SHAHA, COHA, GOHA, RAHA).

Humic acids (HA) extracted from sheep (SHHA), cow (COHA), goat (GOHA) and rabbit (RAHA) vermicomposted manure were analyzed by electron paramagnetic resonance and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Carboxylic acids, amine, amide, ester, ether and phenol functions bonded to saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic conjugated double and single bonds, and aromatic chains constitute the backbone structure of these fresh humic substances (HS). Mn2+ outer sphere complexes (SHHA, COHA), Fe3+ axial (COHA, RAHA) or rhombic (SHAHA, COHA, GOHA, RAHA) complexes and Cu2+ as weak field (COHA, GOHA, RAHA) and strong field (SHAHA, COHA, GOHA, RAHA) complexes were characterized.