Une coopération exemplaire entre entomologistes enançais et américains pendant la crise du Phylloxera en France (1868–1895)

Résumé

Ce travail retrace les événements qui ont conduit à une collaboration exemplaire entre entomologistes enançais et américains (principalement le professeur C. V. Riley) pendant la crise du Phylloxera en France, grâce aux nombreuses archives existant de part et d’autre de I’Atlantique. Une des premiéres questions a été de savoir si le Phylloxera était identique dans les deux pays, prouvant ainsi son origine américaine. Une autre question a été de savoir si ce parasite était la cause ou la conséquence de la maladie de la vigne. Cette question, primordiale car lourde de conséquences sur les plans économique et politique, a vu s’afenonter certains entomologistes enançais (le professeur J. E. Planchon et J. Lichtenstein), tenant de I’hypothèse causale, à ?autres (V. A. Signoret) qui soutenaient que le puceron ne s’installait que sur des vignes malades. II s’est établi une collaboration remarquable entre les entomologistes enançais et C. V. Riley, qui a pu apporter des résultats très convaincants à la thèse causale. Enfin son rôle a été déterminant pour conforter la seule solution à long terme défendue par Planchon et Lichtenstein : la greffe de la vigne enançaise sur des vignes américaines résistantes.     

Bivariate and Multivariate Analyses of the Influence of Blood Variables of Patients Submitted to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on the Stability of Erythrocyte Membrane against the Chaotropic Action of Ethanol

The stability of the erythrocyte membrane, which is essential for the maintenance of cell functions, occurs in a critical region of fluidity, which depends largely on its composition and the composition and characteristics of the medium. As the composition of the erythrocyte membrane is influenced by several blood variables, the stability of the erythrocyte membrane must have relations with them. The present study aimed to evaluate, by bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, the correlations and causal relationships between hematologic and biochemical variables and the stability of the erythrocyte membrane against the chaotropic action of ethanol. The validity of this type of analysis depends on the homogeneity of the population and on the variability of the studied parameters, conditions that can be filled by patients who undergo bariatric surgery by the technique of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass since they will suffer feeding restrictions that have great impact on their blood composition. Pathway analysis revealed that an increase in hemoglobin leads to decreased stability of the cell, probably through a process mediated by an increase in mean corpuscular volume. Furthermore, an increase in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) leads to an increase in erythrocyte membrane stability, probably because higher values of MCH are associated with smaller quantities of red blood cells and a larger contact area between the cell membrane and ethanol present in the medium.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole derivatives as potential nNOS/iNOS selective inhibitors. Part 2: Influence of diverse substituents in both the phenyl moiety and the acyl group

In a preliminary article, we reported a series of 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole derivatives as neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitors. Here we present the data about the inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) of these compounds. In general, we can confirm that these pyrazoles are nNOS selective inhibitors. In addition, taking these compounds as a reference, we have designed and synthesized a series of new derivatives by modification of the heterocycle in 1-position, and by introduction of electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents in the aromatic ring. These derivatives have been evaluated as nNOS and iNOS inhibitors in order to identify new compounds with improved activity and selectivity. Compound 3r, with three methoxy electron-donating groups in the phenyl moiety, is the most potent nNOS inhibitor, showing good selectivity nNOS/iNOS.     

Diversity and abundance of climbers from the Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil

Climbing plant community composition and abundance was compared between the Alto da Serra de Paranapiacaba Biological Reserve (ASPRB) and the Nascentes de Paranapiacaba Municipal Natural Park (NPMNP), two protected areas in the largest Atlantic Forest remnant, southeastern Brazil. Climbing plants ≥1 cm in diameter were sampled in 52 quadrats of 10 × 20 m (1.04 ha). From these data we calculated the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, calculated abundance and importance values for families, performed a principal coordinate analysis, and created a similarity dendrogram (TWINSPAN). The composition and abundance of species between ASPRB and NPMNP differed significantly due to the successional state of the ASPRB forest, which was affected by more recent disturbance. There we found 34 species, while in the NPMNP, species richness was 72, with only 24 species in common. The two areas formed two groups corresponding to two distinct floristic subsets. These montane forests were characterized by a predominance of species of the Asteraceae. The high species richness, floristic composition, and community composition reflect the greater degree of conservation in the area of NPMNP. The high density and community composition of climbers in the more conserved area of rainforest may be due to the low intensity of disturbance.     

Salivary Anionic Changes after Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Objectives

To investigate the salivary anionic changes of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by radiotherapy.

Material and Methods

Thirty-eight patients with T1-4, N0-2, M0 NPC received conventional radiotherapy. Stimulated whole saliva was collected at baseline and 2, 6 and 12 months after radiotherapy. Salivary anions levels were measured using ion chromatography.

Results

A reduction in stimulated saliva flow and salivary pH was accompanied by sustained changes in anionic composition. At 2 months following radiotherapy, there was a significant increase in chloride, sulphate, lactate and formate levels while significant reductions in nitrate and thiocyanate levels were found. No further changes in these anion levels were observed at 6 and 12 months. No significant changes were found in phosphate, acetate, or propionate levels throughout the study period.

Conclusions

Conventional radiotherapy has a significant and prolonged impact on certain anionic species, likely contributing to increased cariogenic properties and reduced antimicrobial capacities of saliva in NPC patients post-radiotherapy.     

Homogeneous Canine Chest Phantom Construction: A Tool for Image Quality Optimization

Digital radiographic imaging is increasing in veterinary practice. The use of radiation demands responsibility to maintain high image quality. Low doses are necessary because workers are requested to restrain the animal. Optimizing digital systems is necessary to avoid unnecessary exposure, causing the phenomenon known as dose creep. Homogeneous phantoms are widely used to optimize image quality and dose. We developed an automatic computational methodology to classify and quantify tissues (i.e., lung tissue, adipose tissue, muscle tissue, and bone) in canine chest computed tomography exams. The thickness of each tissue was converted to simulator materials (i.e., Lucite, aluminum, and air). Dogs were separated into groups of 20 animals each according to weight. Mean weights were 6.5 ± 2.0 kg, 15.0 ± 5.0 kg, 32.0 ± 5.5 kg, and 50.0 ± 12.0 kg, for the small, medium, large, and giant groups, respectively. The one-way analysis of variance revealed significant differences in all simulator material thicknesses (p < 0.05) quantified between groups. As a result, four phantoms were constructed for dorsoventral and lateral views. In conclusion, the present methodology allows the development of phantoms of the canine chest and possibly other body regions and/or animals. The proposed phantom is a practical tool that may be employed in future work to optimize veterinary X-ray procedures.     

Dynamics of Cattle Production in Brazil

Movement of livestock production within a country or region has implications for genetics, adaptation, well-being, nutrition, and production logistics, particularly in continental-sized countries, such as Brazil. Cattle production in Brazil from 1977 to 2011 was spatialized, and the annual midpoint of production was calculated. Changes in the relative production and acceleration of production were calculated and spatialized using ARCGIS®. Cluster and canonical discriminant analyses were performed to further highlight differences between regions in terms of cattle production. The mean production point has moved from the Center of Minas Gerais State (in the southeast region) to the North of Goiás State (in the Midwest region). This reflects changes in environmental factors, such as pasture type, temperature and humidity. Acceleration in production in the northern region of Brazil has remained strong over the years. More recently, “traditional” cattle-rearing regions, such as the south and southeast, showed a reduction in growth rates as well as a reduction in herd size or internal migration over the period studied. These maps showed that this movement tends to be gradual, with few regions showing high acceleration or deceleration rates.     

Arsenic toxicity: cell signalling and the attenuating effect of nitric oxide in Eichhornia crassipes

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule involved in the perception of stress induced by toxic compounds such as arsenic (As). The present study investigated the role of NO applied as sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in cell signalling and the ability of NO to attenuate the toxic effects of As (in the form of sodium arsenate) in water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Water hyacinth plants were collected and assigned to one of the following treatments: control; 100 μM SNP; 20 μM As; or 20 μM As + 100 μM SNP. The plants remained under these conditions for 0, 4, 12, and 24 h. After each time interval, the plants were collected and As absorption, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), integrity of membranes, and antioxidant enzyme activities were evaluated. The plants were able to absorb and accumulate large amounts of As, even after only four hours of exposure to the pollutant. The absorption and bioaccumulation factor of As was even greater when plants were exposed to both As and SNP. The accumulation of As triggered increases in ROS production and cell membrane damage. In the presence of SNP, the tolerance index to As increased and damage was mitigated. Therefore, from the present work, it was possible to conclude that exogenous NO influenced the ability of plants to tolerate As; this finding has implications for phytoremediation in areas contaminated by As.