Acessibilidade / Reportar erro
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Volume: 94 Suplemento 3, Publicado: 2022
  • Special volume on Paleontology at the AABC Editorial Note

    KELLNER, ALEXANDER W.A.
  • Is dysbiosis a preponderant factor for the occurrence of oral lesions in SARS-CoV- 2 positive patients? A critical analysis Letter To The Editor

    SANTANA, LUCAS A.M.; CONCEIÇÃO, ROBERTY N.M.; REZENDE-SILVA, ERIKA; BARBOSA, BRENO F.; BORGES, LYSANDRO P.; TRENTO, CLEVERSON LUCIANO
  • Post-pandemic concerns about our microbiome Letter To The Editor

    RAMOS, RODRIGO F.; RODRIGUES, AMABELLI S.; SOBUCKI, LISIANE; ANDRADE, NARIANE DE; JURELEVICIUS, DIOGO A.
  • Should this letter go to my Lattes? Letter To The Editor

    DIELE-VIEGAS, LUISA MARIA
  • Predicting COVID-19 cases in various scenarios using RNN-LSTM models aided by adaptive linear regression to identify data anomalies Mathematical Sciences

    ARANTES FILHO, LUIS RICARDO; RODRIGUES, MARCOS L.; ROSA, REINALDO R.; GUIMARÃES, LAMARTINE N.F.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The evolution of the Sars-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus pandemic has revealed that the problems of social inequality, poverty, public and private health systems guided by controversial public policies are much more complex than was conceived before the pandemic. Therefore, understanding how COVID-19 evolves in society and looking at the infection spread is a critical task to support efficient epidemiological actions capable of suppressing the rates of infections and deaths. In this article, we analyze daily COVID-19 infection data with two objectives: (i) to test the predictive power of a Recurrent Neural Network - Long Short Term Memory (RNN-LSTM) on the daily stochastic fluctuation in different scenarios, and (ii) analyze, through adaptive linear regression, possible anomalies in the reported data to provide a more realistic and reliable scenario to support epidemic control actions. Our results show that the approach is even more suitable for countries, states or cities where the rate of testing, diagnosis and prevention were low during the virus dissemination. In this sense, we focused on investigating countries and regions where the disease evolved in a severe and poorly controlled way, as in Brazil, highlighting the favelas in Rio de Janeiro as a regional scenario.
  • Bartlett and Bartlett-type corrections in heteroscedastic symmetric nonlinear regression models Mathematical Sciences

    ARAÚJO, MARIANA C.; CYSNEIROS, AUDREY H.M.A.; MONTENEGRO, LOURDES C.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract This paper provides general expressions for Bartlett and Bartlett-type correction factors for the likelihood ratio and gradient statistics to test the dispersion parameter vector in heteroscedastic symmetric nonlinear models. This class of regression models is potentially useful to model data containing outlying observations. Furthermore, we develop Monte Carlo simulations to compare size and power of the proposed corrected tests to the original likelihood ratio, score, gradient tests, corrected score test, and bootstrap tests. Our simulation results favor the score and gradient corrected tests as well as the bootstrap tests. We also present an empirical application.
  • Synthesizing the connections between environmental disturbances and zoonotic spillover Biomedical Sciences

    ELLWANGER, JOEL HENRIQUE; FEARNSIDE, PHILIP MARTIN; ZILIOTTO, MARINA; VALVERDE-VILLEGAS, JACQUELINE MARÍA; VEIGA, ANA BEATRIZ G. DA; VIEIRA, GUSTAVO F.; BACH, EVELISE; CARDOSO, JÁDER C.; MÜLLER, NÍCOLAS FELIPE D.; LOPES, GABRIEL; CAESAR, LÍLIAN; KULMANN-LEAL, BRUNA; KAMINSKI, VALÉRIA L.; SILVEIRA, ETIELE S.; SPILKI, FERNANDO R.; WEBER, MATHEUS N.; ALMEIDA, SABRINA E. DE MATOS; HORA, VANUSA P. DA; CHIES, JOSÉ ARTUR B.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Zoonotic spillover is a phenomenon characterized by the transfer of pathogens between different animal species. Most human emerging infectious diseases originate from non-human animals, and human-related environmental disturbances are the driving forces of the emergence of new human pathogens. Synthesizing the sequence of basic events involved in the emergence of new human pathogens is important for guiding the understanding, identification, and description of key aspects of human activities that can be changed to prevent new outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. This review synthesizes the connections between environmental disturbances and increased risk of spillover events based on the One Health perspective. Anthropogenic disturbances in the environment (e.g., deforestation, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, wildlife exploitation) lead to changes in ecological niches, reduction of the dilution effect, increased contact between humans and other animals, changes in the incidence and load of pathogens in animal populations, and alterations in the abiotic factors of landscapes. These phenomena can increase the risk of spillover events and, potentially, facilitate new infectious disease outbreaks. Using Brazil as a study model, this review brings a discussion concerning anthropogenic activities in the Amazon region and their potential impacts on spillover risk and spread of emerging diseases in this region.
  • Lycopene induces bone marrow lymphopoiesis and differentiation of peritoneal IgA-producing cells Biomedical Sciences

    ELIAS, MONIQUE B.; TEODORO, ANDERSON J.; LEMOS, FELIPE S.; BERNARDES, EMERSON S.; SANTOS, SOFIA N.; PACHECO, SIDNEY; OLIVEIRA, FELIPE LEITE DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Lycopene is a hydrocarbon-carotenoid commonly found in red fruits intake with major function correlated to antioxidative capacity in several pathological conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, lycopene has been associated with hematopoiesis, although the effects on B lymphocyte differentiation and antibody production are poorly understood. In this work, the principal aim was to investigate whether lycopene affects B lymphopoiesis and terminal differentiation into plasma cells. Distinct in vivo and in vitro strategies based on lycopene supplementation were used direct in Balb/c mice or in culture systems with cells derived of these mice. In the bone marrow, lycopene expanded B220+IgM- progenitor B cells and B220+IgM+ immature B lymphocytes. In the spleen, lycopene induced terminal CD138+ plasma cell generation. In the blood, we found prominent IgA and low IgM levels after lycopene administration. Interestingly, the pattern of peritoneal IgM+ and IgA+ B cells indicated a significant IgM-to-IgA class switching after lycopene injection. These data indicated that lycopene induces B cell differentiation into IgA-producing plasma cells. Thus, a new cellular function has been attributed to lycopene for B lymphocyte biology and possibly associated with humoral responses and mucosal immunity.
  • Kidney functions adaptations of professional soccer players in response to an entire game season Biomedical Sciences

    PERES, RODRIGO A.S.; BARBOSA, IRNAK MARCELO; AROUCA, IGOR R.; PAIVA, KAREN V.; COUTINHO, TAINÁ B.; TADEU, VICTOR C.; MORALES, ANDERSON P.; RIBEIRO, BEATRIZ G.; FEITOSA, NATÁLIA MARTINS; BARROS, CINTIA M. DE; FONSECA, RODRIGO N. DA; SOUZA-MENEZES, JACKSON DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract This study investigated the renal function of soccer players after an entire game-season. Thirty-five athletes recruited to play for the Macae Futebol Clube were invited for this study, of which 18 athletes completed the entire game season. Blood and 24-hour urine were collected at the beginning (Pre-Season) and the end of the game season (Post-Season). Kidney functions were assessed by calculating the urinary excretion, clearance, and fractional excretion of the selected solutes. Plasma creatinine, sodium, total protein, and osmolality were lower in the Post-Season . In contrast, plasma urea was higher in the Post-Season period. Urinary excretion of urea was reduced while albumin excretion was higher in comparison to Pre-Season. The clearances of creatinine, total proteins, and albumin were higher in the Post-Season period. In accordance, the fractional excretion of albumin increased. On the other hand, the clearance and fractional excretion of urea was lower in the Post-Season period. These results show that soccer-associated exercise throughout the entire game-season induces kidney functions adaptations that may prevent dehydration in these athletes through increased urea reabsorption to conserve water. In addition, this data corroborates to increased glomerular permeability to plasma proteins, such as albumin, that soccer players may experience.
  • Kinkan orange protects hypercholesterolemic rats against dyslipidemia and oxidative stress Health Sciences

    SILVA, DAYSE LÚCIA; SILVA, NICOLLE CAMILLA R. DA; AGUILAR, EDENIL C.; SILVA, MARCELO EUSTÁQUIO; OLIVEIRA, DIRCE R. DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract We investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with kinkan orange on growth, adiposity, metabolic parameters, and oxidative stress in rats with diet-induced hypercholesterolemia. Female Wistar rats (6-8 weeks) were fed a AIN-93M diet (Control); AIN-93M diet containing 5% kinkan orange (CTkinkan); Hypercholesterolemic diet, containing 1% cholesterol and 25% fat (Hyper); or Hypercholesterolemic diet containing 5% kinkan orange (Hyperkinkan). Hypercholesterolemic diet increased body weight, adiposity, serum alanine transaminase (ALT), creatinine, cholesterol and triglycerides, hepatic total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and hepatic oxidative stress. Supplementation with kinkan reduced the serum and hepatic lipid content, decreased serum ALT, besides improving the antioxidant status in liver tissue of hypercholesterolemic animals. Moreover, HDL-cholesterol increased in both groups supplemented with kinkan orange (CTkinkan and Hyperkinkan). Our data suggest that diet supplementation with kinkan orange may consist of a valid strategy to prevent or reduce dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemic rats.
  • Microencapsulation of DEET in Solid Lipid Microparticles: production, characterization and safety evaluation Health Sciences

    SANTOS, PAULA A.; SILVA, MÁRCIO R.M. DA; TAVARES, MELANIE; RICCI-JUNIOR, EDUARDO

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract DEET is considered the gold standard for insect repellent products. However, it behaves as a strong skin permeant. DEET was encapsulated in Solid Lipid Microparticles (SLM) and characterized in terms of morphology, particle size, cytotoxicity and ex vivo permeation. The particles exhibited micrometric size with a spherical shape. In addition, we developed and validated an analytical method for DEET quantification by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which was selective, linear, precise, accurate and robust. The toxicity test in cell culture of keratinocytes, fibroblasts and macrophages showed that the formulation did not present cytotoxicity. The SLM were able to decrease the skin permeation of DEET in relation to the free active in ethanol with gain in the safe. Microparticles were able to increase the skin retention of DEET, which can contribute to extend the time of repellent action. The results showed that Solid Lipid Microparticles are safe and promising topical formulation to insect bite prevention.
  • Toxicological assessment of SGLT2 inhibitors metabolites using in silico approach Health Sciences

    JESUS, JÉSSICA B. DE; CONCEIÇÃO, RAISSA A. DA; MACHADO, THAYNÁ R.; BARBOSA, MARIA L.C.; DOMINGOS, THAISA F.S.; CABRAL, LUCIO M.; RODRIGUES, CARLOS R.; ABRAHIM-VIEIRA, BÁRBARA; SOUZA, ALESSANDRA M.T. DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are the latest class of drugs approved to treat type 2 DM (T2DM). Although adverse effects are often caused by a metabolite rather than the drug itself, only the safety assessment of disproportionate drug metabolites is usually performed, which is of particular concern for drugs of chronic use, such as SGLT2i. Bearing this in mind, in silico tools are efficient strategies to reveal the risk assessment of metabolites, being endorsed by many regulatory agencies. Thereby, the goal of this study was to apply in silico methods to provide the metabolites toxicity assessment of the SGLT2i. Toxicological assessment from SGLT2i metabolites retrieved from the literature was estimated using the structure and/or statistical-based alert implemented in DataWarrior and ADMET predictorTM softwares. The drugs and their metabolites displayed no mutagenic, tumorigenic or cardiotoxic risks. Still, M1-2 and M3-1 were recognized as potential hepatotoxic compounds and M1-2, M1-3, M3-1, M3-2, M3-3 and M4-3, were estimated to have very toxic LD50 values in rats. All SGLT2i and the metabolites M3-4, M4-1 and M4-2, were predicted to have reproductive toxicity. These results support the awareness that metabolites may be potential mediators of drug-induced toxicities of the therapeutic agents.
  • Strength training with and without arteriovenous blood flow restriction improves performance, regardless of changes in muscle hypertrophy, in Wistar rats Health Sciences

    GARCIA, NÁDIA F.; MORAES, CAMILA DE; REBELO, MACÁRIO A.; PETERS, SAVANAH MARIA G.R.; CASTRO, FÁBIO M.P. DE; PUGGINA, ENRICO F.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Strength training (ST) with blood flow restriction (BFR) is known to promote increases in hypertrophy and strength sometimes similar to traditional ST despite the effects of the arterial BFR on muscle adaptations and safety are not well established. The aim of this study was to assess whether ST with arterial BFR is able to improve muscular adaptations, performance and its safety in Wistar rats. Animals aging 8 weeks were divided in four groups: sedentary sham (S/S), sedentary with arterial BFR (S/BFR), trained sham (T/S), and trained with arterial BFR (T/BFR). Training protocol consisted of four weeks of ST composed by six sets of 10 ladder climbing with 50% of 1 maximal voluntary contraction. Body weight, epididymal fat, maximum loaded weight, manual grip strength, muscular hypertrophy index, systolic blood pressure, enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase, nitrite/nitrate concentration and tumor necrosis factor alpha were analyzed. The BFR rate was between 36% and 38%. T/BRF was effective to promote strength and hypertrophy. T/S is an alternative to improve strength, but it did not promote hypertrophy. Furthermore, we found no significant cardiac and metabolic changes. Thus, T/BFR is able to improve muscle adaptations and performance in rats, without causing cardiovascular and metabolic damage.
  • Association between ACE and ACTN3 genetic polymorphisms and the effects of different physical training models on physically active women aged 50 to 75 Health Sciences

    RODRIGUES, KARINE P.; PRADO, LAIS S.; ALMEIDA, MARIANA LUCIANO DE; TRAPE, ATILA ALEXANDRE; BUENO JUNIOR, CARLOS ROBERTO

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the association between ACE (DD + ID versus II) and ACTN3 (TT + TC versus CC) polymorphisms in the response of multicomponent physical training programs and combined in the health parameters of physically active women aged 50 to 75 years. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: multi-component training and combined training. Intervention lasted 14 weeks, 180 minutes a week. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples and genotyping analyzes were performed by conventional and real-time PCR. Associations were observed between polymorphisms in anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, physical capacity and quality of life in both models physical training, with improvement in group II - (ACE- multicomponent training in terms of abdominal circumference and sit-to - Combined training in terms of waist circumference) and TT + TC group (ACTN3 - multicomponent training in tests of muscle strength and mental quality of life domain, and combined training in body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, upper limb strength and cardiorespiratory capacity). Fourteen weeks of multicomponent and combined physical training in physically active women aged 50 to 75 years resulted in greater health benefits for genotypes II (ACE) and TT + TC (ACTN3).
  • Even without changing the bone mineral density, alcohol consumption decreases the percentage of collagen, the thickness of bone trabeculae, and increases bone fragility Health Sciences

    SEABRA, ODIVAL; PEREIRA, VANDAIR G.; ESPINDULA, ANA PAULA; CARDOSO, FABRIZIO A.G.; VOLPON, JOSÉ B.; PEREIRA, SANÍVIA A.L.; ROSA, RODRIGO C.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Excessive alcohol consumption is considered a risk factor for bone health, as it causes a reduction in mass and increases the risk of fracture. However, the determination of bone mineral density (BMD) has not always been an adequate predictor of bone fragility. Thus, the hypothesis arises that chronic alcohol consumption interferes with collagen synthesis and the quality of bone trabeculae, with consequent bone fragility. Groups: Control (n = 6; water intake only during the entire study period); Ethanol (n = 6; ingestion of ethyl alcohol according to the protocol for inducing chronic alcohol consumption). The chronic alcohol consumption model did not cause a significant change in BMD, but there was a significant reduction of 20% in the thickness of the bone trabeculae and of 1.56% in the collagen located in the neck region of immature rat femurs. Although there was no significant change in the mineral matrix, the changes in the organic matrix were able to provide a significant reduction in bone strength. The results suggest harmful effects of alcohol intake on the bone quality of young adult animals and draw attention to the need to also consider methods for the diagnosis of collagen as an element of bone fragility.
  • Global scientific production in the pre-Covid-19 Era: An analysis of 53 countries for 22 years Health Sciences

    OLIVEIRA, EDUARDO A.; OLIVEIRA, MARIA CHRISTINA L.; COLOSIMO, ENRICO A.; MARTELLI, DANIELLA B.; SILVA, LUDMILA R.; SILVA, ANA CRISTINA SIMÕES E; MARTELLI-JÚNIOR, HERCÍLIO

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Based on an extensive analysis of public databases, we provide an overview of the global scientific output and describe the dynamics of the profound changes in the scientific enterprise during the last decades. The analysis included the scientific production of 53 countries over the 1996-2018 period. During this period, the production of articles per year has tripled. There was a strong correlation between the growth of the global gross domestic product and the increase in the number of articles (R2 = 0.973, P<0.001). Six countries showed a robust increment of their scientific production and are currently among the top 20 in the ranking of world scientific production (China, India, South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, and Iran). The mean annual growth rate was about 12.7% for these six countries. The share of the global scientific production of these countries increased from 7% in 1996 to 27.8% in 2018. Conversely, the participation of the 10 most traditional countries has dropped from 73% to 45% during the same period. In conclusion, we believe that our findings may contribute to further studies aiming to evaluate the impact and changes of the scientific endeavor over the next years in light of the forthcoming new world framework.
  • Protein-coding gene interaction network prediction of bioactive plant compound action against SARS-CoV-2: a novel hypothesis using bioinformatics analysis Health Sciences

    SANTOS SOBRINHO, ELIANE M.; SANTOS, HÉRCULES O.; MARTINS, ERNANE R.; FONSECA, FRANCINE SOUZA ALVES DA; FARIAS, LUCYANA C.; AGUILAR, CHARLES M.; PEREIRA, ULISSES A.; NICOLAU JUNIOR, NILSON; GOMES, MATHEUS S.; SOUZA, CINTYA N. DE; RAVNJAK, JOÃO MATHEUS A.; PORTO, RAPHAEL R.; ALMEIDA, ANNA CHRISTINA DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract This study aimed to verify the action of bioactive compounds from Brazilian plants on the leader genes involved in the SARS-CoV-2 pathway. The main human genes involved were identified in GeneCards and UNIPROT platforms, and an interaction network between leader genes was established in the STRING database. To design chemo-biology interactome networks and elucidate the interplay between genes related to the disease and bioactive plant compounds, the metasearch engine STITCH 3.1 was used. The analysis revealed that SMAD3 and CASP3 genes are leader genes, suggesting that the mechanism of action of the virus on host cells is associated with the molecular effects of these genes. Furthermore, the bioactive plant compounds, such as ascorbate, benzoquinone, ellagic acid, and resveratrol was identified as a promising adjuvant for the treatment inhibiting CASP3-mediated apoptosis. Bioactive plant compounds were verified as the main pathways enriched with KEGG and related to viral infection, assessments/immune/infections, and cell proliferation, which are potentially used for respiratory viral infections. The best-ranked molecule docked in the CASP3 binding site was rutin, while the SMAD3 binding site was resveratrol. In conclusion, this work identified several bioactive compounds from Brazilian plants showing potential antiviral functions that can directly or indirectly inhibit the new coronavirus.
  • Schools reopening and the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study from Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Health Sciences

    POZZOBON, ALLAN P. B.; PETRY, ANA C.; ZILBERBERG, CARLA; BARROS, CINTIA M. DE; NEPOMUCENO-SILVA, JOSÉ L.; FEITOSA, NATÁLIA M.; GOMES NETO, LUPIS R.; RODRIGUES, BRUNO C.; BRINDEIRO, RODRIGO M.; NOCCHI, KEITY JAQUELINE C.V.; MURY, FLAVIA B.; SOUZA-MENEZES, JACKSON DE; SILVA, MANUELA L. DA; MEDEIROS, MARCIO JOSÉ DE; GESTINARI, RAQUEL S.; ALVARENGA, ALESSANDRA S. DE; SILVA, CARINA A.O.; SANTOS, DANIELE G. DOS; SILVESTRE, DIEGO HENRIQUE; SOUSA, GRAZIELE F. DE; ALMEIDA, JANIMAYRI F. DE; SILVA, JHENIFER N. DA; BRANDÃO, LAYZA M.; DRUMMOND, LEANDRO O.; CARPES, RAPHAEL M.; SANTOS, RENATA C. DOS; PORTAL, TAYNAN M.; TANURI, AMILCAR; NUNES-DA-FONSECA, RODRIGO

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Brazil, the public and private educational system started to close. Up to November 2020, scientific discussions about the return of schooling activities have been rarely performed by the national scientific community and police-makers. The great delay of school returning in Brazil contrasts with successful international strategies of school reopening worldwide and seems counterintuitive with the reopening of non-essential activities. Here, important issues to be considered before and during school reopening are reviewed and discussed. COVID-19 testing is essential to avoid disease spreading, but high cost of individual RT-qPCRs impairs an extensive testing strategy for school returning. To reduce costs and increase the speed of diagnosis, we tested the efficiency of a pooled-sample PCR strategy in a cohort of the educational staff in the city of Macaé/RJ, finding five asymptomatic individuals (0,66%) among the 754 people tested. Thus, a polled-sample PCR testing strategy of the educational staff might prevent infection spreading in schools at a reasonable cost. We discuss how our test strategy could be coupled with internationally recognized safety rules to allow for a safe school return and how countries from different world regions are dealing with educational activities during COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Development of a validation protocol method for nucleic acid testing to detect human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus Health Sciences

    SILVA, MARCELE C.C. DA; ABREU, LETÍCIA C.L. DE; CARMO, FLAVIA A. DO; RODRIGUES, CARLOS R.; SOUSA, VALERIA P. DE; CABRAL, LUCIO M.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The concern about the risks of viral infections transmission through blood transfusion has led into a search for improvements on screening tests used for the selection of blood donors. Molecular biology techniques applied in researches of viral genomes, known as Nucleic Acid-amplification-Test (NAT), represent a technology capable of increasing transfusion safety by shortening the diagnostic window period. In Brazil, the implementation of this technology for the detection of HIV, HCV and HBV occurred due to the implantation of the NAT Kit – produced by Immunobiological Technology Institute (Biomanguinhos-FIOCRUZ), in the Brazilian blood centers. The National Health Surveillance Agency attaches great importance to validation, since it standardizes, disciplines and regulates criteria for the registration of health products. This work aims to establish a protocol of performance validation by real-time PCR method, taking as the object of study the Bio-Manguinhos NAT Kit, in order to update the product registration or to meet any future needs to ensure all regulatory requirements for the performance validation of the real-time PCR diagnostic kit. The protocol developed followed the ICH recommendations. The results revealed that the adopted methodology contemplates the necessary requirements for compliance with the Brazilian legislation, as well as the established validation parameters.
  • An in vitro Approach to Protective Effect of Lactoferrin on Acrylamide-induced Oxidative Damage Health Sciences

    BODUR, MAHMUT; AYDOĞDU, GÜLIZAR; ÖZÇELİK, AYŞE ÖZFER; YILMAZ, ERKAN

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Acrylamide is a compound that occurs with high temperature during food processing and causes oxidative damage. Recently, the importance of antioxidative components is increasing to prevent oxidative damage. Lactoferrin is an antioxidant protein mainly found in milk. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the dose-dependent protective effects of lactoferrin on oxidative damage caused by acrylamide. In this study, HepG2 cell lines were treated with lactoferrin doses (0, 25, 50, 100µM) and half maximal inhibitory concentration of acrylamide. After 24 hours malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase levels were measured. Acrylamide significantly increased malondialdehyde levels in HepG2 cells compared to the control group; however, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductace significantly reduced. On the other hand, added lactoferrin doses (50-100µM) significantly reduced lipid peroxidation levels. Besides, it was found that glutathione reductase, catalase and superoxide dismutase levels significantly increased. As a result, the protective effect of lactoferrin against the oxidative damage caused by acrylamide in HepG2 cells was determined. This effect is thought to be due to the antioxidant capacity of lactoferrin. In this context, it is recommended that more studies are carried out on the mechanism of action of lactoferrin on oxidative stress caused by acrylamide.
  • COVID-19 and Acute Kidney Injury ― Direct and Indirect Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underlying Lesion Development Health Sciences

    SILVA, ANTÔNIO V.B. DA; CAMPANATI, JOÃO DE A.G.; BARCELOS, ISADORA DE S.; SANTOS, ALBERTO C.L.; DEUS, UILDSON P. DE; SOARES, TELMA DE J.; AMARAL, LILIANY S. DE B.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Although the respiratory system is the main target of COVID-19, the disease can affect other organs, including the kidneys. Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), commonly seen in patients infected with COVID-19, has a multifactorial cause. Several studies associate this injury with the direct involvement of the virus in renal cells and the indirect damage stimulated by the infection. The direct cytopathic effects of SARS-CoV-2 are due to the entry and replication of the virus in renal cells, changing several regulatory pathways, especially the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), with repercussions on the kallikrein-kinin system (KKS). Furthermore, the virus can deregulate the immune system, leading to an exaggerated response of inflammatory cells, characterizing the state of hypercytokinemia. The such exaggerated inflammatory response is commonly associated with hemodynamic changes, reduced renal perfusion, tissue hypoxia, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), endothelial damage, and coagulopathies, which can result in severe damage to the renal parenchyma. Thereby, understanding the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology of kidney injuries induced by SARS-COV-2 is of fundamental importance to obtaining new therapeutic insights for the prevention and management of AKI.
  • Investigation of biomarkers in Endometriosis-associated infertility: Systematic Review Health Sciences

    EGASHIRA, ERIKA M.; TROVÓ-MARQUI, ALESSANDRA B.; TANAKA, SARAH C.S.V.; CINTRA, MARIANGELA T.R.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is still unknown, but it is possible that genetic polymorphisms influence these two variables. This study aims to identify, in the literature, which polymorphisms are related to infertility in women with endometriosis. A search was performed in databases using the descriptors: polymorphisms genetics and infertility and endometriosis. 386 articles were identified, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 33 case-control studies were included. Genes and their respective polymorphisms, which exhibited statistically significant values, were classified into three categories: related to metabolic/cellular processes, steroidogenesis and sex hormone receptors, inflammation and immune response. In summary, the results of these studies suggest that the polymorphisms rs882605 of MUC4 gene, rs16826658 of WNT4 gene, rs10953316 of MUC17 gene, rs10928050 of KAZN gene, rs1799889 of PAI-1 gene, (TA)n repeats of ESR1 gene, (CA)n repeats of ESR2 gene, rs605059 of HSD17B1 gene, rs743572 of CYP17A1 gene, insLQ of LHR gene, p.Ile49Ser of AMH gene, rs12700667 of NPVF/NFE2L3 gene, G1502A of LHβ gene, G + 1730A of ERβ gene, rs7528684 of FCRL3 gene, rs3761549 of FOXP3 gene and rs28362491 of NFKβ1 gene are implicated in the etiology of infertility in women with endometriosis.
  • Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of extract of Celtis iguanaea (Jacq.) Sargent leaves in mice Cellular And Molecular Biology

    MORAES, WEULLER FILHO DE; SILVA, DAIANY PRISCILLA B. DA; FLORENTINO, IZIARA F.; ALMEIDA, DIONYS S.; MOREIRA, LORRANE KELLE S.; NASCIMENTO, MARCUS VINÍCIUS M.; CARVALHO, PABLINNY M.G. DE; COUTO, RENÊ O. DO; PAULA, JOSÉ R. DE; COSTA, ELSON A.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of crude ethanolic extract of Celtis iguanaea leaves and their active fractions are reported. The oral treatment with crude ethanolic extract (CEE; 100, 300 or 1000 mg/Kg) inhibited the number of writhings in a dose-dependent manner. The intermediate dose also inhibited formalin-induced nociception in both phases. The oral treatment with dichloromethane fraction (DF; 9 mg/Kg) produced antinociceptive effect in both phases of formalin test; however, the treatment with ethyl acetate fraction (EAF; 16 mg/Kg) reduced pain only in the second phase of this test. The oral treatments with CEE (300 mg/Kg) or DF (9 mg/Kg) reduced the nociception induced by capsaicin and pre-treatment with naloxone did not change these effects. The oral administration of CEE (300 mg/Kg), DF (9 mg/Kg) or ethyl EAF (16 mg/Kg) reduced ear edema, leukocytes migration and myeloperoxidase activity. Furthermore, the oral treatment with CEE (300 mg/Kg) or EAF (16 mg/Kg) reduced the level of Tumor Necrosis Factor - Alpha (TNF-α) in the pleurisy test. In conclusion, the DF showed antinociceptive activity that involves the vanilloid system as well as anti-inflammatory effect and the EAF showed anti-inflammatory activity involving the reduction of TNF-α cytokine.
  • Further evidence for the hybrid status of the Brazilian native fern Hypolepis ×paulistana (Dennstaedtiaceae) Cellular And Molecular Biology

    YAÑEZ, AGUSTINA; SCHWARTSBURD, PEDRO B.; MARQUEZ, GONZALO J.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Hypolepis ×paulistana was described in 2016 as a putative hybrid, known from a single gathering. The hybrid status of these plants was based solely on the intermediate morphology of the sporophyte, when compared to its presumed parent species. These were thought to be H. stolonifera and H. rugosula, but, H. rigescens (Kunze) T. Moore could not be explicitly ruled out either. In the present work, we tested the hybrid status of Hypolepis ×paulistana adding palynological evidence and by using chloroplast sequences to unambiguously identify the maternal progenitor of the species. We find that sporangia of Hypolepis ×paulistana contain both well-formed spores, as well as spores with morphological and developmental anomalies. The size of the regular spores and the abnormal spores suggest that H. ×paulistana is likely a diploid, and probably infertile hybrid. The ornamentation of the regular spores of H. ×paulistana is similar to that of H. stolonifera. The chloroplast sequences of H. ×paulistana are identical to those of H. stolonifera, as well as their sister position within the global phylogeny of the genus. Thus, we provide new evidence for the hybrid status of H. ×paulistana, and we corroborate the earlier finding that H. stolonifera is the maternal parent.
  • Comparison of senescence phenotype of short- and long- term cultured rat mesenchymal stem cells in vitro Cellular And Molecular Biology

    LEMOS, VANESSA P.A.; PORTO, MICHELE; CEZAR, RAFAEL DA S.; SANTOS, BRUNO P. DOS; SOUZA, MELISSA R. DE; SILVA, JULIANA DA; NARDI, NANCE B.; CAMASSOLA, MELISSA

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells present clinical potential to recover and regenerate injured tissues in diverse pathologies. The in vitro expansion and characterization of these cells contribute to elucidation of the mechanisms of senescence and strategies involving cell therapies. This study aimed to compare specific characteristics between initial and advanced passages of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow. Both cell types were characterized according to immunophenotype, osteogenic differentiation, genomic instability, migration assay, doubling population time and colony forming ability. Our results demonstrated that both cell types were able to maintain an immunophenotypic profile typical of mesenchymal stem cells during increasing passages. Adipose stem cells at initial passage presented greater migration capacity compared to advanced passage cells, and advanced passage cells proliferated faster than initial passage cells. Bone marrow stem cells at early passages presented higher osteogenic potential than advanced. At advanced passages they presented higher colony forming capacity and genetic damage than those at initial passage. These results suggest that mesenchymal stem cells maintained in culture presented characteristics of senescence that should be monitored prior the use in regenerative medicine and cells derived from bone marrow at initial passage have better potential for therapeutic use in bone tissue engineering.
  • Correlation of cGAS, STING, INF-α and INF-β gene expression with Zika virus kinetics in primary culture of microglia and neurons from BALB/c mice Cellular And Molecular Biology

    SOUZA, MAYQUE PAULO M. DE; FREITAS, BÁRBARA CAROLINE G.; HOLANDA, GUSTAVO M.; DINIZ JUNIOR, JOSÉ ANTÔNIO P.; CRUZ, ANA CECÍLIA R.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Pattern recognition receptors participate in the innate immune response. Among PRRs, the cGAS/STING pathway is known to detect cytosolic DNA and cyclic dinucleotides, but it’s also important in RNA virus infection. We aimed to evaluate the gene expression of some important genes of cGAS/STING pathway and to correlate this expression with Zika virus kinetics in mice microglia and neurons. Cells were infected by MOI = 1.0. Indirect immunofluorescence, plaque titration of supernatant, extraction, and quantification of total intracellular RNA, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed. Plaque titration profile in microglia and neurons was similar, including higher titers of plaque forming units at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hpi, respectively. ZIKV kinetics evaluated by RT-qPCR was similar in both cells, with highest viral titers at 48, 72, 24 and 96 hpi, respectively. Expression profile of cGAS, STING, INF-α and INF-β was quite different between the cells, including gene suppression, as observed for cGAS in neurons. Our results showed a differentiated expression profile of cGAS/STING pathway genes in mice microglia and neurons, which can be explained by the different mechanisms that ZIKV uses to bypass the immune response of these cells. Furthermore, each cell type responds differently to combat the viral infection.
  • Production of Endoglucanase by Exiguobacterium mexicanum OB24 Using Waste Melon Peels as Substrate Microbiology

    BALTACI, MUSTAFA O.; OMEROGLU, MEHMET A.; ALBAYRAK, SEYDA; ADIGUZEL, GULSAH; ADIGUZEL, AHMET

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Millions of tons of agricultural waste are produced globally every year. A practical solution to this global problem is to convert this waste into value-added products. In this study, endoglucanase enzyme production was carried out by using waste melon peels as a carbon source. To use this important resource, its stubborn structure must be broken down. Rumen bacteria are regarded as unique for this job. Therefore, firstly endoglucanase producing rumen bacteria was isolated and the bacteria with the best activity (OB24) were identified by molecular methods (16S rRNA gene squencing). As a result of the sequence analysis, it was determined that isolate belonged to Exiguobacterium mexicanum. Then, by optimizing the culture conditions, the enzyme production potential was increased. The optimal conditions were determined as 50 g/L MPP, 2g/L yeast extract, 60 h incubation time, pH: 6.0, and 40°C temperature. Under optimized conditions the enzyme activity increased approximately 3.8-fold.
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus BIOTECH 1900 decreases the transepithelial mucosal-to-serosal transport of colchicine in an ex vivo non-everted gut sac model Microbiology

    TORRE, GERWIN LOUIS T. DELA; BUNGAY, ALICE ALMA C.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Colchicine (COL) is a permeability-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate drug used for familial Mediterranean fever, acute pericarditis, and the management of acute gout. It has a narrow therapeutic index which implies that a small change in the drug’s absorption profile may lead to either toxicity or therapeutic failure. Absorption can be altered by modulating the function of P-gp via the concomitant use of drugs, herbal medicines, or food supplements such as probiotics. Here, we investigated the effect of probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus BIOTECH 1900 on COL’s transepithelial mucosal-to-serosal transport in the jejunum of ICR mice. A high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) method for the assay of COL was developed and validated. The HPLC-PDA method was applied in an ex vivo non-everted gut sac model to measure COL’s cumulative mucosal-to-serosal transport and apparent permeability (Papp). Treatment of L. acidophilus BIOTECH 1900 resulted to a significantly lower COL transport and Papp value compared to the control group. Additionally, the activity of L. acidophilus BIOTECH 1900 was found to be similar to dexamethasone, a known P-gp inducer. We report that L. acidophilus BIOTECH 1900 decreases the transepithelial mucosal-to-serosal transport of COL, suggesting possible P-gp induction. Further studies are recommended to substantiate this transporter-based drug-probiotic interaction.
  • Cordyceps cateniannulata and Cordyceps javanica: first report of pathogenicity to Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) Microbiology

    DOMINGUES, MAURÍCIO M.; SANTOS, PAULA L.; GÊA, BIANCA C.C.; CARVALHO, VANESSA R.; OLIVEIRA, FABRICIO N.; SOLIMAN, EVERTON P.; PEREIRA, FABRICIO F.; ZANUNCIO, JOSÉ C.; WILCKEN, CARLOS F.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Cultivation of species of the genus Eucalyptus is important for the Brazilian economy, with 6.97 million hectares planted. Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae), detected in Brazil in 2003, has dispersed and now damages Eucalyptus crops in all regions of this country. The location and identification of entomopathogenic fungi isolates may increase the options for integrated pest management. The objective of this research was to evaluate the pathogenicity of Cordyceps cateniannulata and Cordyceps javanica isolates to G. brimblecombei. Ten nymphs of G. brimblecombei, with or without lerps, were placed per Eucalyptus leaf cut with one of its edges on hydroretentive gel inside Petri dishes. The fungi isolates were suspended in a solution of Tween 80 (0.1%) at the concentration of 1.0 x 108 conidia mL-1 and sprayed on the G. brimblecombei nymphs. The mortality of this insect was evaluated daily for seven days, and the dead individuals were transferred to humid chambers. The conidia viability of the isolates was greater than 93%. The mortality of G. brimblecombei nymphs, seven days after the application of the fungi, was 100%. This is the first report of the pathogenicity of C. cateniannulata and C. javanica isolates, occurring naturally in the field, to G. brimblecombei.
  • In silico evaluation of genomic characteristics of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius for application in fermentations Microbiology

    BRITO, LEANDRO P. DE; SANTOS, DAYANE S.; FREITAS, NARA SUZY A. DE; MEDEIROS, ROSÁLIA S. DE; SOUZA, PAULO ROBERTO E. DE; SOARES, MARIA TACIANA C.V.; PORTO, ANA LÚCIA F.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract This study aims to evaluate the in silico genomic characteristics of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius, isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba, Brazil, with a view to application in lactic fermentations. rRNA sequences from the 16S ribosomal region were used as input to GenBank, in the search for patterns that could reveal a non-pathogenic behavior of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius, comparing mobile genetic elements, antibiotic resistance genes, pan-genome analysis and multi-genome alignment among related species. S. infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18 was the only complete genome reported by BLAST/NCBI with high similarity and after comparative genetics with complete genomes of Streptococcus agalactiae (SAG153, NJ1606) and Streptococcus thermophilus (ST106, CS18, IDCC2201, APC151) revealed that CJ18 showed a low number of transposases and integrases, infection by phage bacteria of the Streptococcus genus, absence of antibiotic resistance genes and presence of bacteriocin, folate and riboflavin producing genes. The genome alignment revealed that the collinear blocks of S. thermophilus ST106 and S. agalactiae SAG153 have inverted blocks when compared to the CJ18 genome due to gene positioning, insertions and deletions. Therefore, the strains of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba showed genomic similarity with CJ18 and the mobility of genes analyzed in silico showed absence of pathogenicity throughout the genome of CJ18, indicating the potential of these strains for the dairy industry.
  • How do distribution mapping methods perform in estimating beta diversity at macroecological scales? A case study with Neotropical anurans Ecosystems

    SOUZA, BRUNO S.; COLETTA, BRUNA B. DELLA; VASCONCELOS, TIAGO S.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Species distribution mapping methods have their advantages and limitations concerning their use on theoretical and/or applied macroecological approaches. However, it remains underexplored how the estimates of community ecology metrics vary across the distributions generated by different mapping methods. Here, we mapped the distribution patterns of the anuran beta diversity in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado hotspots generated by three mapping methods: point-to-grid (PTG), extent-of-occurrence (EOO), and ecological niche modelling (ENM) maps, so we were able to compare the congruence of the local contribution to beta diversity index (LCBD) among them, as well as their turnover and nestedness components. PTGs generated the most divergent LCBD values probably due to the more resolved spatial scale in which species’ presence are considered, so EEO and ENM generated similar beta diversity estimates for both hotspots. High LCBD values in the Cerrado were recorded in ecotone regions, whereas in the Atlantic Forest the highest beta diversity values were found along the Atlantic coast. The structure of beta diversity of PTG showed way too high values of importance for the turnover component compared to the EEO and ENM maps, which also recorded higher importance for the turnover than for the nestedness component.
  • Differences in Wildlife Roadkill Related to Landscape Fragmentation in Central Brazil Ecosystems

    FRAGA, LEONARDO P.; MACIEL, SAMARA; ZIMBRES, BÁRBARA DE Q.C.; CARVALHO, PAULLA J. DE; BRANDÃO, REUBER A.; ROCHA, CLARISSE R.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The interaction between animal movement and roads is pervasive, but little is known of the effects of the land-use patterns in roadside landscapes on roadkill events. Here, we compared wildlife roadkill along two road stretches that cross landscapes with different land-use patterns, including the presence of protected areas in Central Brazil. Sampling was conducted in 2017 and 2018 in two seasons (dry and rainy). We expected roadkill events to be more frequent bordering the protected area. Roadkill occurred more frequently in the rainy season in the unprotected landscape. Birds were most frequently recorded in the unprotected (44%, n = 76) than in the protected landscape (37%, n = 48). The least recorded group in the unprotected landscape was Squamata (11%, n = 18), while mammals were less detected in the protected landscape (14%, n = 18). Classes ‘agriculture’ and ‘savanna’ were related to amphibian roadkill numbers. For Squamata, we observed the effect of the presence of forests in the protected landscape. Bird roadkill was affected by protection level, while the presence of pasture and the level of protection explained mammal roadkill. Differences in roadkill patterns reinforce the need for long-term management of this source of mortality for the Cerrado fauna.
  • The effect of arsenic on the structure and composition of stream hyphomycetes assemblages Ecosystems

    BERTOL, EMANUEL C.; BIASI, CRISTIANE; LOUREIRO, RAFAEL C.; MIELNICZKI-PEREIRA, ALBANIN A.; RESTELLO, ROZANE M.; HEPP, LUIZ U.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Aquatic hyphomycetes are fungi with a fundamental ecological role in forested streams. These organisms are responsible for cycling of nutrients in aquatic environments. However, their structure and composition can be affected when exposed to certain pollutants. Arsenic (As) is a trace element with high toxicity for the aquatic biota. Here we evaluated the effects of different concentrations of Arsenite (AsIII) and Arsenate (AsV) on aquatic hyphomycetes assemblages. To test As toxicity, we conditioned Nectandra megapotamica leaves in a stream and after this period, we incubated leaf discs with stream water and different concentrations of AsIII and AsV. Species richness was negatively affected by both As form. Likewise, the hyphomycetes assemblages presented variation in the composition of species. However, the sporulation rates were not influenced by As. The As showed toxicity on species of hyphomycetes more sensitive, remaining only in species tolerant to its toxicity. In this way, As generated a change in the aquatic hyphomycetes composition. We observed that As had a negative effect on the aquatic hyphomycetes assemblages, regardless of the chemical form. Our results point to the toxicity of this element and its effects on a group that is fundamental to the streams ecosystems functioning.
  • Effects of Iron on oxidative stress of Cecropia hololeuca and Carica papaya plants Ecosystems

    RODRIGUES FILHO, JOSINEI; CORTE, VIVIANA B.; PERIN, IDALINA T.A.L.; FREITAS, JADERSON F.N. DE; WAICHERT, RODOLPHO H.; SANTOS, CAMILA R. DOS

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Iron is essential to plant development. However, its excess can provoke an increase in reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress in plants. The objective of this work was to verify the effects of high concentrations of iron on the oxidative stress of seeds and young plants of Cecropia hololeuca and Carica papaya. The species were submitted to concentrations of 0.045, 4 and 8mM of iron in the form of ferrous sulfate and FeEDTA. The experiments of germination and initial growth took place in a growth chamber, with temperature of 25ºC and 12h photoperiod. We performed the lipid peroxidation test by extraction and quantification of malonaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. The application of iron did not cause a significant elevation in the contents of malonaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide in the germination of C. hololeuca and C. papaya. In the young plants, the hydrogen peroxide did not change in any of the treatments. However, it was possible to observe an expressive increase in malonaldehyde concentration in both species when exposed to FeEDTA 4 to 8mM. The results indicate a sensibility of C. hololeuca and C. papaya to high iron levels, amplifying the oxidative stress process that can harm their growth and initial development.
  • Scomberomorus brasiliensis (Scombridae) fishery on southern and southeastern coast of Brazil Ecosystems

    JANKOWSKY, MAYRA; MENDONÇA, JOCEMAR T.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Fishing for serra Spanish mackerel takes place along the Brazilian coast. Studies in northern and northeastern regions show that has socioeconomic importance although risk of overexploitation. This article provides an assessment of fisheries in the southeastern and southern regions, where there is a gap in knowledge. To build a regional perspective, fishing monitoring data from Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná were used. For more detailed analyses, data from São Paulo and Paraná were chosen. In these two states, census data were collected on the species and quantities caught, fishing gear used and sales value. This fishery, mostly artisanal, has socioeconomic importance. Santa Catarina has the largest production. However, Rio de Janeiro has the most significant industrial fishery. São Paulo and Paraná produces approximately 110 t/year, mainly using drift gillnets and encircling gillnets with a mesh size of 10 to 12 cm between knots. The harvest period is during the cooler months, between May and August for São Paulo and between June and September for Paraná. The ANOVA test did not show any significant variations in CPUE, thus indicating stability. The results reinforce the need for adequate management.
  • Update of Dicrocoeliidae (Digenea) parasitizing rodents from the Americas with a description of a new Platynosomoides species from Argentina Ecosystems

    MARTINS, NATALIA B. GUERREIRO; PANISSE, GUILLERMO; ROBLES, MARÍA DEL ROSARIO; DIAZ, JULIA I.; NAVONE, GRACIELA T.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Digeneans are common parasites of small mammals. Dicrocoeliidae is a family with a cosmopolitan distribution, with 18 genera previously recorded from mammals in the Americas, six of them parasitizing rodents in Argentina. In this study, an updated compilation is provided of Dicrocoeliidae from rodents in the Americas. Also, a new Platynosomoides species is described parasitizing the cricetid rodent Akodon montensis of the Atlantic Forest in Argentina. Digital repositories were used to search for Dicrocoeliidae from rodents in the Americas. Rodents were collected in four localities of the Atlantic Forest, Argentina. Digeneans were removed from the rodent’s bile duct, and conventional studies were used for the morphological description. A total of 15 Dicrocoeliidae species were found parasitizing 18 rodent species from eight countries in the Americas. The new species of Platynosomoides from Akodon montensis differs from the other two species of genus by the size of body, testes, ovary, cecum length and position and length of the vitelline bands. Dicrocoeliidae show growing diversity, and the compilation of species in a rodent host base allows a clearer comparison and identification of new taxa in the future.
  • Palynological analysis of the genus Ctenitis (C. Chr.) C. Chr. (Dryopteridaceae) in the Southern Cone of America Ecosystems

    GORRER, DANIEL A.; GIACOSA, JUAN P. RAMOS; GIUDICE, GABRIELA ELENA

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The spore morphology and wall ultrastructure of 12 species of Ctenitis from Southern Cone of America were studied using light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope. The study was carried out with herbarium material from Argentine and Brazilian institutions. Equatorial diameters, polar diameters and laesura length were measured. The spores are monolete with echinate or folded ornamentation. In the echinate type, the spines are conical, with broad base and attenuate apex. In the rugate type, the folds are inflated, linear, sinuous, subglobose or handle-shape. The perispore surface is scabrate, rugulate, microverrucose or psilate. Stratification and ultrastructure in the species analyzed are very similar. The exospore is smooth and two-layered in section. Simple and branched channels are observed mainly in the outer exospore. The perispore is composed of two layers, the inner one forms the ornamentation and the outer covers all the outer and inner surfaces. Immature spores were found in all samples of C. fenestralis. The characteristics of the studied spores like macro-ornamentation, color and fold length provide relevant information to differentiate some species or groups of species within the genus.
  • Species composition and abundance of free-living turbellarians in three different wetlands in Southern Brazil Ecosystems

    REYES, JHOE; BINOW, DANIELA; VIANNA, ROGÉRIO T.; BRUSA, FRANCISCO; COLPO, KARINE D.; MARTINS, SAMANTHA E.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Free-living turbellarians mostly live in marine and freshwater environments, but they have been little considered in ecological studies. The coastal plain in southern Brazil harbors a diverse fauna and flora, but only a few studies have related environmental factors to the abundance, richness, and distribution of turbellarians. Hence, we analyzed the structure of turbellarian communities in floating vegetation in three differently sized limnic environments. We aimed to determine differences in abundance, density, and richness of turbellarians among these habitats in relation to environmental factors. We found 1,225 turbellarians (34 species) distributed among 6 taxa. The most abundant was Tricladida with 49.4% relative abundance; the remaining (Catenulida, Dalytyphloplanida, Macrostomorpha, Kalyptorhynchia, and Prorhynchida) were less abundant. We found no significant differences among population parameters and environments. Small shallow lakes are a potentially rich environment, while water channels are the richest environment. Larger shallow lakes are not very diverse for turbellarians. Similarities regarding turbellarian communities among close limnic systems could be explained by the connectivity of bodies of water that presents similar aquatic macrophytes and hydrological subsystems, while larger shallow lakes have a different community because they have their own contributing basin and could be influenced by other factors.
  • Seasonal changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of lizard communities in southern Brazilian Pantanal Ecosystems

    SILVA, KAROLINE R. DA; GOMES, LIARA G.; FERREIRA, VANDA L.; STRÜSSMANN, CHRISTINE; MOREIRA, LEONARDO F.B.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Seasonal changes play a key ecological role, structuring biotic processes and communities. Yet we generally lack an understanding of how seasonal flood regimes affect communities in floodplains. Herein, we investigated the effects of seasonal changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of lizard communities in southern Pantanal ecoregion. Lizards were sampled in seven sites encompassing seasonally flooded grasslands and dense arboreal savannas, across rainy and dry seasons (2005-2006). Functional diversity metrics were based on three morphological traits and included intraspecific variability. We collected a total of 810 lizards from 13 species. Species richness did not differ across seasons or months. Lizard abundance varied among sampling months, but did not differ between rainy and dry season. Low values of abundance were recorded at drawdown period. Community composition did not vary between seasons. Functional diversity metrics exhibited random distributions, and both functional richness and evenness were not influenced by seasons. Although communities seem to be resilient to seasonal variations, our findings highlighted that transition from rainy to dry season may represent an important constraint on lizard abundance. Including traits related to food acquisition and predator avoidance could provide new insights into the effects of seasonal floods on floodplains’ lizard communities.
  • Spatial structure of the Caatinga woody flora: abundance patterns have environmental, Pleistocene, and indigenous drivers Ecosystems

    SILVA, AUGUSTO C.; SOUZA, ALEXANDRE F.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Despite growing knowledge on the distribution and functioning of dryland vegetation types, their internal biodiversity structure (i.e., subregions) is much less studied. In the delineation of subregions, the use of species occurrence or abundance data may reveal different aspects of metacommunity structure. We revisit the issue of the bioregionalization of the woody flora of the Caatinga, the largest block of the dry forest and woodland biome in Latin America, using abundance data. We also evaluated the drivers of the spatial distribution of plant subregions: historical, current environmental and human effects. Using a K-means partition on interpolated NMDS axes, we identified 10 abundance subregions. Aridity, topography and soil, biome stability since the Pleistocene, and historical indigenous effects were retained by a Multinomial Logistic regression model, and their combined fractions explained most of the abundance variability in subregions. The subregions we present may support spatialized conservation and management decisions in the lack of detailed local data. The present results confirm the Caatinga woody flora broad composition patterns uncovered using presence-absence data in previous studies. Additionally, we found larger subregions than those identified with presence and absence data, suggesting the existence of oligarchies of dominant species in distinct parts of the Caatinga biome.
  • Effect of frugivory on the germination of cumbaru (Dipteryx alata) seeds ingested by tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) in the area of Cerrado, Brazil Ecosystems

    OLIVEIRA, ADEMIR KLEBER M. DE; MATIAS, ROSEMARY; FERNANDES, RICHARD MATHEUS; PINA, JOSÉ CARLOS

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Endozoochory refers to the ingestion of fruits by animals and their release through faeces as it plays an important role in maintaining ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cumbaru fruit ingestion by tapirs on cumbaru seed germination. In latrines, fruits ingested and excreted by the animals were collected among tapir faeces. The collected material was taken to the laboratory and placed in a germination chamber and greenhouse. Fruit ingestion and its subsequent defection propitiated a higher germination rate and germination vigor compared to non-ingested fruit grown in a germination chamber and greenhouse. The results in the greenhouse showed that the latrines (decomposing organic matter) have different thermal conditions (higher temperature), in relation to the external environment, which probably accelerated the germination processes. Evaluation of seedlings grown in a greenhouse and germination chamber indicated that growth in the greenhouse was better due to humic and fulvic acids, which are common stimulants of seed germination and seedling growth. Therefore, tapirs can be considered good fruit dispersers and inducers of cumbaru seeds germination.
  • Study of salt-induced changes in the Leptinito Gneiss of a column from the Mosteiro de São Bento in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Geosciences

    FELIX, CARLA C.; MANSUR, KÁTIA L.; RIBEIRO, ROBERTO CARLOS C.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The object of this study can be found among the various ornamental rocks used in historic buildings in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is a degraded Leptinito Gneiss that makes up one of the support columns of the kitchen of the Mosteiro de São Bento (Monastery of Saint Benedict) in Rio de Janeiro. The main aim of the present study is to identify the causes of the high degree of degradation of said column. Non-destructive tests were performed, and laboratory evaluation of the disintegrated fragments may help restore and conserve this column in the future. Results obtained from the tests performed on the altered column were compared to those obtained from another column in the monastery, also built in Leptinito, which is more intact and is a sound Leptinito Gneiss. The results showed that degradation of the column is caused by the crystallization of salts (halite) inside the rock, which is reducing its mechanical strength and causing an imminent risk of collapse.
  • Landslides associated with recent road constructions in the Río Lucma catchment, eastern Cordillera Blanca, Peru Geosciences

    EMMER, ADAM; HÖLBLING, DANIEL; ABAD, LORENA; ŠTĚPÁNEK, PETR; ZAHRADNÍČEK, PAVEL; EMMEROVÁ, ILONA

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Extensive road construction works recently took place in the remote eastern part of the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca, aiming at a better connection of isolated mountain communities with regional administrative centres. Here we document and characterize landslides associated with these road construction efforts in the Río Lucma catchment, Peru. We show that a total area of 321,332 m2 has been affected by landslides along the 47.1 km of roads constructed between 2015 and 2018. While landslides downslope the roads (48.2%) and complex landslides crossing the roads (46.4%) were the most frequent landslide types in relation to the position of the road; slide-type movement (60.7%) prevails over the flow-type movement (39.3%). Timewise, we found that 75.0% of landslides were observed simultaneously with road construction work, while the remaining 25.0% occurred up to seven months after the roads had been constructed. We plotted the lagged occurrence of these subsequent landslides against precipitation data, showing that 85.7% of them were observed during the wet season (November to April). We conclude that the majority of mapped landslides were directly associated with road constructions and that the road constructions also may set preconditions for landslides, which mainly occurred during the subsequent wet season.
  • Geochemistry of a spheroidal weathering profile in a tropical mountainous landscape, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Geosciences

    SILVEIRA, CARLA S.; RODRIGUES, JULIANA G.; ARARIPE, DENISE R.; BERNEDO, ALFREDO V.B.; MANTOVANO, JOSÉ L.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Boulders are an important material in debris flow and their source is coupled with spheroidal weathering profiles that produce corestones. The goal of this work was to establish the geochemical transformations that produced corestones and distinguished them from the surrounding grus in two tropical granite weathering profiles (P1 and P2). Sampling was not performed in a vertical profile; instead, we gathered 13 (P1) to 16 (P2) samples displaying different weathering degrees (corestone and saprolite) and spatial positions in the profiles. We conducted the geochemistry (EDXRF/EDX and INAA) and mineralogy (petrography and XRD) of the samples. The CIA values ranged from 46 (corestones) to 93 (saprolite). Granite spheroidal weathering under a tropical mountainous slope develops mostly due to feldspar weathering (foremost plagioclase) in the following sequence: porosity growth, kaolinite, and gibbsite crystallization. Zircon weathering stability and its probable mobility as grain along the weathering profile play an important role in REE concentration. Spheroidal weathering is mainly a lixiviation process, yet specific locations (below the individualized corestones) presented REE enrichment due to translocation. They are hosted mainly by clay minerals and, to some extent, by amorphous Fe oxyhydroxide. The evolution of spheroidal weathering results in a vertical patchy weathering profile.
  • Performance assessment of spatio-temporal regression kriging with GAMLSS models as trends Geosciences

    MEDEIROS, ELIAS S. DE; LIMA, RENATO R. DE; OLINDA, RICARDO A. DE; DANTAS, LEYDSON G.; SANTOS, CARLOS A.C. DOS

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The main objective of this study is to propose different probabilistic models for adjusting the trend component, since it significantly influences the quality of the spatio-temporal interpolation of rainfalls. We used the monthly total precipitation data of the São Francisco River Basin (SFRB) for the period of 31 years, 1989–2019. The SFRB occupies 8% of the whole Brazilian territory, mostly located in the Northeast Brazilian region. For the trend component, we propose the fitted GAMLSS models by comparing different probability distribution families, which in most cases include the characteristics of these data. The results indicate the existence of a spatio-temporal pattern of the residues obtained from the adjustment of the trend with zero adjusted Gamma distribution for the accumulated monthly precipitation. The adjustment revealed a spatial dependence of up to 873 km between the pluviometric stations and temporal autocorrelation of approximately 1.6 months. The methodology used in this study enabled us to create rainfall maps, interpolating unobserved locations in differences years. The projection of these maps to the SFRB is considered extremely important for planning and implementing activities related to water resources across the river basin.
  • Bibliometric analysis of isotopic studies on Quaternary megafauna available in the Scopus database Paleontology

    FRANÇA, LUCAS DE M.; DANTAS, MÁRIO ANDRÉ T.; ARAÚJO-JÚNIOR, HERMÍNIO ISMAEL DE

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The number of isotopic studies on Quaternary megafauna has increased over the last decades, yet, there is no published data addressing the status of scientific production of this research field. The present study shows the results of a bibliometric research carried out in the Scopus database where the publishing trends within this scientific field was analyzed using the open source software tool SciMAT. We retrieved 278 papers published from 1980 to 2019 and observed that a significant increase in publishing has mainly occurred in the last decade analyzed here. We also identified some of the field´s most influential articles and journals; recognized that carbon, oxygen and nitrogen isotopes are the most used markers in these studies; and that the most cited taxa are representatives of Equidae, Bovidae and Proboscidae. Also, Paleoecology is the basic thematic area, whereas Climate and Paleoenvironmental Changes is the one with the greatest development potential. Our results clearly show that the isotopic study on Quaternary megafauna is still under development and that some subjects could be further explored, such as analyzing more taxa within Carnivora, Pilosa, Notoungulata, Cetartiodactyla and Perissodactyla as well as using other less frequent stable isotope markers, such as strontium, calcium and hydrogen.
  • A new genus and species of Neotropical Hybosorinae Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Hybosoridae) Animal Science

    BASÍLIO, DANIEL S.; VAZ-DE-MELLO, FERNANDO Z.; ALMEIDA, LÚCIA M.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Among the 26 Hybosorinae genera, seven are present exclusively in the Neotropical region. However, Hybosorinae from the New World have been less studied. One new genus and new species collected in Brazil is herein described to this subfamily. The genus is recognizable by the following combination of characters: labium with semicircular mentum; mandibles with lateral projection excavated, separated in the middle by longitudinal carina, inner side sheltering the labrum; antennae with nine antenomeres; scutellar shield with strong punctures at the proximal half; elytra with single rows formed by punctures; and protibia without well-defined denticles.
  • Epidemiologic profile and histopathological findings in Neotropical Primates during and after the yellow fever outbreak in Espírito Santo, Brazil Animal Science

    GUIMARÃES, ANDRESA; OLIVEIRA, MARIANA C.; KIERULFF, MARIA CECILIA M.; MENDONÇA-FURTADO, OLIVIA; BAPTISTA, MICHELLE N.M.; MENDES, SÉRGIO L.; ALMADA, GILTON LUIZ

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Yellow fever (YF) is a viral disease whose transmission involves non-human primates (NHP), mosquitoes, and humans. Between 2016 and 2018 occurred the largest YF outbreak in the last 100 years in Brazil. We analyzed epidemiologic profile and geographic distribution of epizootics and described most frequent histopathological findings in NHP that died during YF outbreak in the state of Espírito Santo. We consider 487 epizootics notifications registered at the State Health Department from January 2017 to July 2020. Throughout the state, 51 (65.4%) municipalities reported epizootics, with more cases in central and metropolitan areas. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were laboratory tests performed for diagnosis of yellow fever, with 160 (32.9%) positive results, 314 (64.5%) negative and 13 (2.7%) inconclusive. Histopathological findings were compared statistically between positive and negative animals for YF. The liver was the most affected organ. Hemorrhage, hepatocyte necrosis, steatosis, cholestasis and eosinophilic degeneration were statistically more frequent in positive animals. Tubular necrosis, nephritis, congestion and lymphoid hypoplasia on spleen were statistically correlated to positive animals. Knowledge of pathogenic aspect of YF is necessary to guarantee that samples from Neotropical primates are properly used for YF surveillance purposes, to ensure appropriate diagnoses and subsequent public health responses.
  • Co-occurrence patterns between false coral snake Atractus latifrons (Günther, 1868) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) and venomous coral snakes from the Amazon Animal Science

    ALMEIDA, PAULA CAROLINA R. DE; FEITOSA, DARLAN T.; TERRIBILE, LEVI CARINA; FREITAS-OLIVEIRA, RONIEL; PRUDENTE, ANA LÚCIA C.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Batesian mimicry may result in remarkable cases of phenotypic convergence that represent classic examples of evolution through natural selection. The existence of mimicry systems among coral snakes, however, remains controversial because of contradictions between the predictions of mimetic theory and the empirical patterns of co-occurrence and species abundance. Here, we analyze the geographic distribution of coral snake species of the genus Micrurus and populations of the false coral snake Atractus latifrons in Amazonia, and perform ecological niche modeling (ENM) analyzes to generate potential geographic distributions of species of Micrurus and A. latifrons, identify patterns of co-occurrence and assess whether the distribution of A. latifrons coincides with the distribution of Micrurus species, which could suggest the existence of a possible mimetic relationship between the species. We identified six Micrurus species that may represent mimetic models for A. latifrons. The results of the co-occurrence analysis corroborates the results from ENM, indicating that chromatic patterns of A. latifrons and their respective model species are aggregated. Our study suggests that all color patterns of A. latifrons – including the tricolor monads, and the more common tricolor dyads and tricolor tetrads – may benefit from the resemblance with other Micrurus species as perfect and imperfect mimics.
  • CSN1S1 and CSN3 gene variants in female Murrah buffaloes in the Brazilian Amazon Animal Science

    MEDEIROS, NATALIA B.C.; GUERREIRO, SÁVIO L.M.; PEREIRA, RAIRIANA S.R.; SÁ, ANDRE L.; RODRIGUES, MARCOS; MEZZOMO, RAFAEL; MACIEL, RAYLON P.; HAMOY, IGOR G.; RODRIGUES, MARÍLIA D.N.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The characteristics of milk are controlled by several genes, with emphasis on the four genes from casein, CSN1S1; CSN1S2; CSN2 and CSN3, which are responsible encoding of fractions the milk protein. The study of genetic variants in these genes, seek to investigate alleles, insertions or deletions, that can directly reflect on productive characteristics, indicating differences in milk quality, composition and yield. The CSN1S1 and CSN3 genes were analyzed in lactating Murrah buffaloes using nucleotide sequencing. An SNP was found in the amplified fragment of the CSN1S1 gene, located in nucleotide number 2,123 of the promoter region in position nt-258 (A/G). As for the CSN3 gene, two SNPs of exon number 4 were identified in codons 33 (ACC/ATC) and 34 (ACC/ACT) of the analyzed fragment. This study contributes to important associations between genetic variants and the desired characteristics of milk and its derivatives in future studies, because the variants found may be associated with the quality of milk, enabling genetic selection to be assisted by molecular markers, indicating a major advance that makes it possible to select animals early.
  • Immature stages of the limnephilid caddisfly Verger lutzi (Navás 1918) (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae): description and larval life-history traits in seasonal forested wetlands of Northwestern Patagonia Animal Science

    SGANGA, JULIETA V.; VALVERDE, ALEJANDRA DEL C.; JARA, FABIÁN G.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The genus Verger Navás 1918 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), is a Neotropical genus exclusive to the Andean region, with most of its species distributed from Tierra del Fuego to north central Chile and Argentina. Currently, 20 species of the genus have been described from adults and only six larvae have been associated and diagnosed. The ecology of the species is completely unknown. In this work, we describe and illustrate the immature stages of Verger lutzi (Navás 1918) and study its breeding phenology, larval growth and adult emergence. The main characters that enable the separation of this species are the coloration the body, shape of the anterior ventral apotome, shape and distribution of metanotal setal areas, distribution of tracheal gills and number of accessory teeth in the anal prolegs. Reproduction occurs during the summer and females lay their eggs on the wetland basin formed by humid leaf litter and organic debris, covered by herbaceous vegetation. Larvae hatch after flooding and overwinter in the wetland. Larvae develop fast during spring and emergence begins in December before the wetland dries up. Description of the immature stages is helpful for use of macroinvertebrates biomonitoring, ecological studies and understanding their ecosystem services in seasonal-lentic habitats.
  • Eye morphology of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) and Clymene dolphins (Stenella clymene) Animal Science

    RODRIGUES, FERNANDA M.; SÁ, FABRICIO B. DE; LANGUIDEY, PABLO H.; VERGARA-PARENTE, JOCIERY E.; GUIMARÃES, JULIANA P.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Recent studies showed that vision and hearing in dolphins are mechanisms for perception of the environment, and transmission of information among individuals. Considering that Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) are distributed in costal regions, and Clymene dolphins (Stenella clymene) are found in oceanic environments, the objective of this study was to compare the morphology of the eyes of these two species, assessing the differences in eye structures in both environments. Five specimens of Sotalia guianensis and four specimens of Stenella clymene were analyzed. All the specimens were found stranded in the northeastern coast of Brazil. Samples were fixated in 10% formaldehyde, dissected, photographed, processed, and analyzed by optical microscopy. The inferior palpebral region of the two species showed a granular layer, subcutaneous lymphoid tissue, and innervation. Morphometric values of the eyelid structures and eye bulb were greater in S. clymene. The cornea showed four layers in S. clymene: anterior epithelium, anterior lamina, stroma, and posterior lamina. The sclera of S. guianensis showed more melanocytes and presence of mechanoreceptors next to the Harderian gland. It is possible to suggest that the geographical distribution of these cetaceans determine their eye morphology, which is an adaptation to the intrinsic characteristics of the aquatic environment.
  • Analgesic, cardiorespiratory effects and motor block characteristics of epidural levobupivacaine alone or in combination with methadone or dexmedetomidine in bitches undergoing unilateral total mastectomy Animal Science

    CARAMALAC, SIMONE M.; ALBUQUERQUE, VERONICA B.; OLIVEIRA, ALICE R.; CARAMALAC, SILVANA M.; JARDIM, PAULO HENRIQUE DE A.; BARBOSA, CAROLYNNE F.; FRAZÍLIO, FABRÍCIO DE O.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the latency, extent of analgesia, and duration of motor block of levobupivacaine alone and combined with methadone or dexmedetomidine after epidural administration during and after mastectomy in dogs. Twenty-four mature, mixed-breed female dogs were randomly divided into three experimental groups with eight animals each, according to the agents used in lumbosacral epidural analgesia: levobupivacaine 0.75% alone (1.5mg/kg - control group), levobupivacaine 0.75% (1.5 mg/kg) + methadone 1% (0.3 mg/kg), or levobupivacaine 0.75% (1.5 mg/kg) + dexmedetomidine 0.05% (3 µg/kg). During surgery, cardiorespiratory parameters were evaluated. Rescue analgesia was given when there were signs of nociception and was necessary in all three treatment groups. Since all animals received rescue analgesia during the surgery and immediately post-surgery, the duration of the sensitive block were not evaluated. The extent of sensory block was between the 12º and 13º thoracic vertebrae for the control group, 7º thoracic vertebra to 5º lumbar vertebra (methadone group), and 8º thoracic vertebra to 4º lumbar vertebra for the dexmedetomidine group. Methadone or dexmedetomidine combined with levobupivacaine increased the extent of the sensory block and the duration of the motor block in bitches when administered via the epidural route.
  • ID please: Evaluating the utility of Facebook as a source of data for snake research and conservation Animal Science

    ANGARITA-SIERRA, TEDDY; MONTAÑO-LONDOÑO, LUISA FERNANDA; BRAVO-VEGA, CARLOS ANDRÉS

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Social media has the potential to provide large amounts of biological data, especially for notoriously difficult groups of organisms to study in nature such as snakes. Here, we explored the utility of various Facebook communities to provide data for research on Colombian snakes. Specifically, we determined the richness, distribution, rarity, and popularity of snake species and compiled information on natural history observations and human–snake interactions. We also explored the spatial structure of posts using a geographically weighted regression model. Queries relating to species identifications made up 86.1% of Facebook posts. The portion of the snake community “sampled” by snake-related Facebook posts was not representative of the total richness of snake species in Colombia; however, these posts permitted a greater proportion of snake species to be sampled more rapidly compared with traditional snake sampling approaches. Facebook posts provided new distributional records for 9–21% of Colombian snake species. Rainfall, rural population, and internet availability were the strongest predictors of snake-related Facebook posts. Although the use of Facebook for compiling information on snakes is not free of bias, our findings demonstrate that Facebook communities provide a potentially powerful source of data that could aid studies of snake biology.
  • Post-harvest quality and sensory analysis of ‘Prata’ bananas produced in different cultivation field locations Crop Science

    CONSTANTINO, LEONEL VINICIUS; GONÇALVES, LEANDRO S.A.; CORTE, LIGIA ERPEN-DALLA; BABA, VIVIANE Y.; ZEFFA, DOUGLAS M.; GIACOMIN, RENATA M.; CÁSSIA, RAUL MARIA; RESENDE, JULIANO TADEU V.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Banana ‘Prata’ has a significant demand in the Brazilian market, and Minas Gerais is one of the largest banana producers in the country. Scientific studies that evaluate the bananas quality produced in different cultivation regions are still incipient. Thus, this study evaluated the physical, biochemical and sensory attributes of banana ‘Prata’ from south and north of Minas Gerais and Vale do Ribeira (SP). Bananas from south were also cultivated in different production systems, organic and conventional. Data were submitted to multivariate analysis that provided the discrimination of the samples according to the cultivation regions. Bananas from southern presented higher levels of soluble solids and acidity, better taste, higher diameter and overall acceptance, where in the organic bananas were the most preferred by consumers. Fruit from northern stood out in appearance, texture, aroma and color, in addition to greater length. Fruit from Vale do Ribeira had higher levels of total phenolics and antioxidant activity. With these results we can assume that fruit quality is highly related to the specific climatic conditions from each producing region. Bananas from the south of Minas Gerais showed superiority for most of the evaluated traits, reflecting on consumer preference.
  • Bacillus subtilis strain F62 against Fusarium oxysporum and promoting plant growth in the grapevine rootstock SO4 Crop Science

    RUSSI, ALESSANDRA; ALMANÇA, MARCUS ANDRÉ K.; SCHWAMBACH, JOSÉLI

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease that causes economic losses to viticulture, whose causal agent Fusarium sp. has been associated with the decline and death of young vines. This work had the objective of evaluating the antagonistic potential of Bacillus subtilis F62 against F. oxysporum in vitro and in vivo, as well as the growth promotion in the grapevine rootstock SO4. In the in vitro assay, the antagonism by diffusible and volatile compounds of B. subtilis F62 and the inhibition of conidial germination of four Fusarium sp. isolates were evaluated. In the in vivo assay, cuttings and micropropagated plants of SO4 were submitted to four treatments: control, Bac (B. subtilis F62 inoculation), Fus (F. oxysporum inoculation) and Bac + Fus. We observed that inhibition of mycelial growth occurred mainly by diffusible compounds. B. subtilis F62 had a positive effect on the growth promotion and in the biocontrol of F. oxysporum, reducing the frequency of pathogen re-isolation in cuttings (18.1%) and in micropropagated plants (52.4%). These results demonstrate the ability of B. subtilis F62 to upgrade plant development and assist in controlling of the Fusarium wilt in the grapevine rootstock SO4.
  • Twenty Years of the National Protected Areas System: are Brazilian National Parks achieving their legal objectives? Forestry Science

    OMENA, MICHEL TADEU R.N. DE; MACEDO-SOARES, LUIS CARLOS P.; HANAZAKI, NATALIA

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Among the policies for the creation of protected areas, the “Park” category is the best known worldwide. In Brazil, the national parks are important areas for the conservation of biodiversity and for ecotourism, but twenty years after the enactment of the law that regulates the National System of Protected Areas, there is no clear scenario of the National Parks’ current situation regarding the fulfillment of their legal objectives. Aiming to understand this scenario in the six main Brazilian biomes, we evaluated variables related to: level of land regularization, existence and updating of management plans, number of authorized scientific research studies, variation in the number of visitors, development of recreation activities, ecotourism, and existence of an Advisory Council. For all biomes, the results regarding the legal objectives’ attainment are negative, mostly in terms of land regularization, with the worst results being found in the Caatinga biome < 2% of the area within parks regularized. We concluded that only in specific cases the legal objectives of these protected areas are being accomplished and, therefore, if we keep the pace and the implementation and management policies of the last 20 years, the outlook is pessimistic for the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity.
  • Contact Failure Identification in Multilayered Media via Artificial Neural Networks and Autoencoders Engineering Sciences

    JARDIM, LUCAS C.S.; KNUPP, DIEGO C.; DOMINGOS, ROBERTO P.; ABREU, LUIZ ALBERTO S.; CORONA, CARLOS C.; SILVA NETO, ANTÔNIO JOSÉ

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract The estimation of defects positioning occurring in the interface between different materials is performed by using an artificial neural network modeled as an inverse heat conduction problem. Identifying contact failures in the bonding process of different materials is crucial in many engineering applications, ranging from manufacturing, preventive inspection and even failure diagnosis. This can be modeled as an inverse heat conduction problem in multilayered media, where thermography temperature measurements from an exposed surface of the media are available. This work solves this inverse problem with an artificial neural network that receives these experimental data as input and outputs the thermalphysical properties of the adhesive layer, where defects can occur. An autoencoder is used to reduce the dimension of the transient 1D thermography data, where its latent space represents the experimental data in a lower dimension, then these reduced data are used as input to a fully connected multilayer perceptron network. Results indicate that this is a promising approach due to the good accuracy and low computational cost observed. In addition, by including different noise levels within a defined range in the training process, the network can generalize the experimental data input and estimate the positioning of defects with similar quality.
  • Elaboration of wild passion fruit (Passiflora cincinnata Mast.) liqueur: a sensory and physicochemical study Engineering Sciences

    CAFIEIRO, CINARA S.P.; TAVARES, PEDRO PAULO L.G.; SOUZA, CAROLINA O. DE; CRUZ, LARISSA F.S.; MAMEDE, MARIA EUGÊNIA O.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Liqueur is an alcoholic beverage composed of a mixture of water, alcohol, sugar and substances that add flavour and aroma. Wild passion fruit is a product with good agricultural and nutritional characteristics, and is a low-cost, regional fruit that could be used to elaborate new products. The goal of this study was to develop passion fruit (Passiflora cincinnata Mast.) liqueurs and evaluate their chemical, physical and sensory characteristics. 5 formulations were prepared with defined pulp and syrup concentrations (F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5). The following physicochemical parameters were evaluated: alcohol degree (ºGL), density, pH, total titratable acidity, total soluble solids (TSS), reducing and non-reducing sugars and colour parameters. A sensory acceptance test was applied. The formulations F4 and F5, produced with 640g pulp/70ºBrix syrup and 500g pulp/55ºBrix syrup, respectively, showed the highest acceptance scores, probably due to their acid pH, high acidity and soluble solids values. In general, the beverages developed were considered feasible, aimed at aggregating value to a regional fruit and increasing family incomes. The high sensory acceptance indicated market potential for this aggregated value product.
  • Implications of microbial enhanced oil recovery and waterflooding for geochemical interpretation of recovered oils Engineering Sciences

    SODRÉ, LUCIANA G.P.; MARTINS, LAERCIO L.; ARAUJO, LORRAINE LOUISE G.C. DE; FRANCO, DANIELLE M.M.; VAZ, BONIEK G.; ROMÃO, WANDERSON; MERZEL, VALÉRIA M.; CRUZ, GEORGIANA F. DA

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Biosurfactants and waterflooding have been widely reported thus far for enhancing oil production. Nevertheless, there is a lack of literature to explore enhanced oil recovered methods effects on its chemical composition. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of a biosurfactant produced by Bacillus safensis and brine injection on the recovered petroleum composition, and their implications for geochemical interpretation. Original and oils recovered from displacement tests were analyzed by gas chromatography and ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry, emphasizing saturated and aromatic biomarkers and basic and acidic polar compounds. Geochemical parameters based on some saturated compounds were subtly affected by the recovery methods, showing their reliable applicability in geochemical studies. Contrarily, parameters based on some aromatic compounds were more affected by biosurfactant flooding, mostly the low molecular weight compounds. Thus, these aromatic parameters should be applied with caution after such methods. The distribution of basic and acidic polar compounds can also be modified affecting the geochemical interpretation. In the case of the basic ones, the biosurfactant greatly influenced the N class species with favorable loss of lower aromaticity compounds. In addition to water solubilization, the compositional changes described in this study can be related to fractionation due to adsorption on reservoir rocks.
  • Natural and artificial pollination of white-fleshed pitaya Engineering Sciences

    MOREIRA, RENATA A.; RODRIGUES, MARIANE A.; SOUZA, RAFAELA C. DE; SILVA, ALEXANDRE D. DA; SILVA, FÁBIO O.R.; LIMA, CAROLINA G.; PIO, LEILA A.S.; PASQUAL, MOACIR

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract To produce pitaya (Hylocereus spp.), it is essential that pollination occur, either artificially or by pollinating agents. This study evaluated the viability of self-pollination, cross-pollination, and natural pollination, as well as pollen viability, stigma receptivity and ideal pollination window in pitaya flowers (Hylocereus spp.). An experiment was conducted with a randomized block design consisting of four treatments: T1: manual self-pollination; T2: nocturnal open pollination; T3: diurnal open pollination; and T4: manual cross-pollination - red-fleshed pitaya [ Hylocereus polyrhizus] pollen placed on white-fleshed pitaya [ Hylocereus undatus] stigma. The experiment had four replicates, with two plants per replicate (two flowers per plant), totaling 16 flowers per treatment. The analyzed variables were fruit weight, length, diameter, titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids, and SS/TA ratio; the germination percentage of pollen grains; and the receptivity of stigmas. Artificial pollination (self- and cross-pollination) of white-fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is viable, resulting in larger fruits than natural pollination, with cross-pollination being the most recommended. Throughout the floral opening period, the pitaya flower (Hylocereus spp.) has receptive stigma capable of receiving pollen. The flowers exhibit the highest pollen germination rate at 7 p.m, which is the ideal pollination window for pitaya.
  • Development of Extruded Noodles Incorporated with Dried Vegetables and the Evaluation of Quality Characteristics Engineering Siences

    CUMHUR, AYSE M.; TIGA, BURCU H.; KUMCUOGLU, SEHER; TAVMAN, SEBNEM

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract In this study, extruded noodles incorporated with dried green bean, tomato, and okra seed powder was produced using an extruder at 80 °C and 100 °C barrel temperatures. Vegetable powder was blended with wheat flour at weight ratios of 0:100, 4:96, 8:92, and 12:88 to formulate composite flour. Quality characteristics, such as cooking properties, color, and textural properties together with antioxidant activities, total phenolic contents, sensory properties, and microstructures of the products were determined. In addition, the lycopene and β-carotene contents in noodles enriched with tomato powder were determined. The increase in the ratio of vegetable powder caused a decrease in the cooking time and water absorption capacity. The noodle products exhibited low cooking loss (less than 4%) and cooking time (less than 6 min). The L*, a*, and b*values of noodles varied from 53.76–78.30, 2.29–15.23, and 14.52–28.85, respectively. The β-carotene and lycopene contents increased with the increase of the tomato powder ratio. The antioxidant activity and the total phenolic content increased as the ratio of the vegetable powder used in all enriched noodle products increased. The noodles enriched with green bean and tomato powder gave the highest score of 7.40 in terms of the overall acceptance.
  • Metric indicators for the evaluation of graduate programs in Brazil: from Qualis to multi-criteria Engineering Sciences

    CASTRO, PEDRO HENRIQUE G.R.P.; OLIVEIRA FILHO, DELLY

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Brazilian scientific production has been mostly developed (90%) by Brazilian universities, mainly graduate programs, which must be assessed and ranked by the Brazilian government for their maintenance. The Qualis system is used for this classification by valuing the scientific production of graduate programs, stratifying journals and assigning grades. Several Brazilian researchers affirm that the Qualis system is inaccurate and subjective because it is carried out by a group of researchers. This work aimed to propose methods to evaluate Brazilian scientific production in order to improve the assessment of graduate programs through multi-criteria methods in addition to Qualis. The application of different metrics presented results significantly different from Qualis, including the over valuation of journals with a low international impact factor. The proposed metrics considered: (i) web of science impact factor of the journals; (ii) Citations from articles; (iii) Citations of citations, i.e., a new metric; and (iv) H-Index for researchers. It was proposed the multi-criteria method, composed of the mentioned criteria, in addition to Qualis. For the sample of researchers, it was demonstrated that multi-criteria methods can assess scientific production more accurately. Therefore, they are more adequate to assess the Brazilian graduate programs, considering several internationally accepted criteria.
  • Stochastic simulation in reservoir sedimentation estimation: application in a PCH Engineering Sciences

    TEIXEIRA, EMMANUEL K.C.; COELHO, MÁRCIA MARIA L.P.; PINTO, EBER JOSÉ A.; RINCO, ALBERTO V.; SALIBA, ALOYSIO P.M.

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract In reservoir projects it is important to estimate when the accumulated sediments will start to interfere with their functions. However, predicting silting is difficult because the processes involved have some uncertainties. Thus, the study is not only deterministic, as currently performed, but also stochastic. Thus, the objective of this paper was to develop a stochastic method and evaluate its performance in estimating silting in reservoirs. The method has as originalities the fact of having coupled a deterministic model widely used in the area of Hydraulics to a stochastic one. Another originality was to validate the stochastic method developed from silting data obtained in the reduced model of a Small Hydroelectric Power Plant (SHP). Thus, it was observed that the real silting was always between the 1st and 3rd quartile of probability of the stochastic result. Thus, the main advantage of the stochastic model developed was to allow obtaining the probabilities of silted heights in the stretches of interest. In addition, the variability of the results in the simulations indicated the sections that may suffer greater silting. In this way, hydraulic structures can be better positioned. Preventive and corrective measures can also be better planned and executed.
Academia Brasileira de Ciências Rua Anfilófio de Carvalho, 29, 3º andar, 20030-060 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil, Tel: +55 21 3907-8100 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: aabc@abc.org.br