Phylogeny of Greya (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae), based on nucleotide sequence variation in mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and II: congruence with morphological data

The phylogeny of Greya Busck (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) was inferred from nucleotide sequence variation across a 765-bp region in the cytochrome oxidase I and II genes of the mitochondrial genome. Most parsimonious relationships of 25 haplotypes from 16 Greya species and two outgroup genera (Tetragma and Prodoxus) showed substantial congruence with the species relationships indicated by morphological variation. Differences between mitochondrial and morphological trees were found primarily in the positions of two species, G. variabilis and G. pectinifera, and in the branching order of the three major species groups in the genus. Conflicts between the data sets were examined by comparing levels of homoplasy in characters supporting alternative hypotheses. The phylogeny of Greya species suggests that host-plant association at the family level and larval feeding mode are conservative characters. Transition/transversion ratios estimated by reconstruction of nucleotide substitutions on the phylogeny had a range of 2.0-9.3, when different subsets of the phylogeny were used. The decline of this ratio with the increase in maximum sequence divergence among taxa indicates that transitions are masked by transversions along deeper internodes or long branches of the phylogeny. Among transitions, substitutions of A-->G and T-->C outnumbered their reciprocal substitutions by 2-6 times, presumably because of the approximately 4:1 (77%) A+T-bias in nucleotide base composition. Of all transversions, 73%-80% were A<-->T substitutions, 85% of which occurred at third positions of codons; these estimates did not decrease with an increase in maximum sequence divergence of taxa included in the analysis. The high frequency of A<-->T substitutions is either a reflection or an explanation of the 92% A+T bias at third codon positions.      

Zero‐modified Poisson model: Bayesian approach,influence diagnostics,and an application to a Brazilian leptospirosis notification data

In this paper, a Bayesian method for inference is developed for the zero‐modified Poisson (ZMP) regression model. This model is very flexible for analyzing count data without requiring any information about inflation or deflation of zeros in the sample. A general class of prior densities based on an information matrix is considered for the model parameters. A sensitivity study to detect influential cases that can change the results is performed based on the Kullback–Leibler divergence. Simulation studies are presented in order to illustrate the performance of the developed methodology. Two real datasets on leptospirosis notification in Bahia State (Brazil) are analyzed using the proposed methodology for the ZMP model.     

Short Sleep Is Associated with Obesity among Truck Drivers

Recent studies suggest that short‐sleep duration is independently associated with obesity in the general population. The population of truck drivers is of particular interest, because they frequently work irregular shifts that in turn are associated with short‐sleep duration. In addition, truck drivers have a high prevalence of sedentary habits, poor diet, and obesity. The present study aimed at verifying the association between sleep patterns and factors associated with obesity in this population. The study sample consisted in 4,878 truck drivers who participated in a campaign promoted by a highway company in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. This campaign offered highway truck drivers a medical and laboratorial evaluation. The truck drivers completed a questionnaire concerning demographic data, sleep duration, consumption of medications, and medical problems, such as diabetes, cardiopathy, and hypertension; as well as the Berlin questionnaire, which is able to discriminate low and high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Blood samples were collected to measure glucose and cholesterol levels. Also, body weight and height were registered to calculate the body mass index (BMI). The mean age (±SD) of the truck drivers studied was 40±10 years. Out of the truck drivers analyzed, 28.3% (n=1,379) had a BMI ≥30.0 Kg/m² (obesity). Among the 4,878 drivers included in the study, 1,199 (24.6%) were on medications and 334 (6.8%) were diabetic. Drivers (26.9%) with the greater BMI had a short sleep length. The independent factors associated with obesity were sleep duration <8 h/day (OR=1.24), age >40 years (OR=1.20), glucose levels >200 (OR=2.02), cholesterol levels >240 (OR=1.57), snoring (OR=1.74), and hypertension (OR=2.14). Smoking was not associated with obesity (OR=0.69), and diabetes was considered a control variable. In conclusion, this study supports the hypothesis that short sleep duration as well as age >40 years are independently associated with obesity. This particular combination (short‐sleep duration and obesity) is independently associated with several healthcare problems, including high levels of cholesterol, glucose, snoring, and hypertension. However, due to the cross‐sectional nature of this study, no cause–effect relationship can be drawn from these results.     

High risk for obstructive sleep apnea in truck drivers estimated by the Berlin questionnaire: prevalence and associated factors

The health issues that attract our attention when analyzing the truck driver population are the high prevalence of sedentary habits, inadequate diet, obesity, and proportion of hypertensive. All these are either considered risk factors for or a consequence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The objective of this study was to investigate the risk for OSA among 10,101 truck drivers and to correlate it with potentially related factors, such as serum glucose and cholesterol levels, smoking habits, alcohol and drug consumption, and self-reported physical activity. The drivers were invited to participate in the campaign "Saúde na Boléia" (Health Behind the Wheel) promoted by a Brazilian company responsible for the maintenance of approximately 360km of roads in the country. Drivers who spontaneously stopped at the campaign booths placed along the roads were invited to answer a questionnaire covering sociodemographic data such as age, alcohol, and drug consumption. All participants completed a Berlin Questionnaire and were classified as low- or high-risk subjects for OSA based on questions about snoring, tiredness during the day, and the presence of hypertension or obesity. Blood collection was accomplished at the same site by nurses and/or nursing students collaborating with the campaign for subsequent laboratory studies. Approximately 26% of the truck drivers were found to be at high-risk group for OSA. An adjusted multiple logistic model found the independent risk factors of smoking (OR=1.16; p=0.014) and drug use (OR= 1.32; p < 0.0001) were associated with high risk for OSA. The presence of self-reported occasional (OR=0.62; p<0.0001) and regular (OR=0.53; p < 0.0001) physical activity was found to be an independent factor protective of OSA. Educational programs, including ones aimed at improving one's health habits, such as engagement in physical exercise, should be considered in the development of initiatives to reduce the risk for OSA among the truck driver population.     

Sleep patterns of day-working, evening high-schooled adolescents of São Paulo, Brazil

Children who grow up in developing countries of the world must work to help financially support their families, and they must also attend school. We investigated the impact of work on the sleep of working vs. nonworking high school students. Twenty-seven S?o Paulo, Brazil, public high school students (eight male and eight female working students plus six nonworking female and five nonworking male students) 14-18 yrs of age who attended school Monday-Friday between 19:00 to 22:30h participated. A comprehensive questionnaire about work and living conditions, health status, and diseases and their symptoms was also answered. The activity level and rest pattern (sleep at night and napping during the day) were continuously assessed by wrist actigraphy (Ambulatory Monitoring, USA). The main variables were analyzed by a two-factor ANOVA with application of the Tukey HSD test for multiple comparisons, and the length of sleep during weekdays vs. weekends was compared by Student t-test. Working students went to sleep earlier weekends [F(1,23)=6.1; p=0.02] and woke up earlier work days than nonworking students [F(1,23) = 17.3; p = 0.001]. The length of nighttime sleep during weekdays was shorter among all the working [F(1,23)= 16.7; p <0.001] than all the nonworking students. The sleep duration of boys was shorter than of girls during weekends [F(1,23)= 10.8; p <0.001]. During weekdays, the duration of napping by working and nonworking male students was shorter than nonworking female students. During weekdays working girls took the shortest naps [F(1,23)= 5.6; p = 0.03]. The most commonly reported sleep complaint during weekdays was difficulty waking up in the morning [F(1,23) = 6.5; p = 0.02]. During weekdays, the self-perceived sleep quality of working students was worse than nonworking students [F(1,23) = 6.2; p = 0.02]. The findings of this study show that work has negative effects on the sleep of adolescents, with the possible build-up of a chronic sleep debt with potential consequent impact on quality of life and school learning.     

Analysis of plastid DNA-like sequences within the nuclear genomes of higher plants

A wide-ranging examination of plastid (pt)DNA sequence homologies within higher plant nuclear genomes (promiscuous DNA) was undertaken. Digestion with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes and Southern analysis was used to distinguish plastid and nuclear DNA in order to assess the extent of variability of promiscuous sequences within and between plant species. Some species, such as Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), and Chenopodium quinoa, showed homogenity of these sequences, while intraspecific sequence variation was observed among different cultivars of Pisum sativum (pea), Hordeum vulgare (barley), and Triticum aestivum (wheat). Hypervariability of plastid sequence homologies was identified in the nuclear genomes of Spinacea oleracea (spinach) and Beta vulgaris (beet), in which individual plants were shown to possess a unique spectrum of nuclear sequences with ptDNA homology. This hypervariability apparently extended to somatic variation in B. vulgaris. No sequences with ptDNA homology were identified by this method in the nuclear genome of Arabidopsis thaliana.      

Clock polymorphisms and circadian rhythms phenotypes in a sample of the Brazilian population

A Clock polymorphism T to C situated in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) has been associated with human diurnal preference. At first, Clock 3111C had been reported as a marker for evening preference. However these data are controversial, and data both corroborating and denying them have been reported. This study hypothesizes that differences in Clock genotypes could be observed if extreme morning-type subjects were compared with extreme evening-type subjects, and the T3111C and T257G polymorphisms were studied. The possible relationship between both polymorphisms and delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) was also investigated. An interesting and almost complete linkage disequilibrium between the polymorphisms T257G in the 5' UTR region and the T3111C in the 3' UTR region of the Clock gene is described. Almost always, a G in position 257 corresponds to a C in position 3111, and a T in position 257 corresponds to a T in position 3111. The possibility of an interaction of these two regions in the Clock messenger RNA structure that could affect gene expression was analyzed using computer software. The analyses did not reveal an interaction between those two regions, and it is unlikely that this full allele correspondence affects Clock gene expression. These results show that there is no association between either polymorphism T3111C or T257G in the Clock gene with diurnal preference or delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). These controversial data could result from the possible effects of latitude and clock genes interaction on circadian phenotypes.     

Circadian rhythm of physiological color change in the amphibian Bufo ictericus under different photoperiods

Ectothermic vertebrates can exhibit chromatic adaptation to the environment. The aim of this work was to characterize the rhythm of color change of the amphibian Bufo ictericus, submitted to different photoperiodic regimens, as quantified by skin reflectance values. Adult males were maintained under a 12:12 Light/Dark (LD) cycle during seven days before every experiment. During the experiments, animals were kept in individual boxes for 8 days, under the following photoperiodic regimens: LD 12:12, LD 14:10, DD and LL. In the last 3 days of the treatments, the reflectance of the toad dorsal skins was measured at 3-h intervals, with the aid of a reflectometer. A 3-day time series consisting of 8 data points per day was obtained, which was analyzed by the Cosinor method. The analysis demonstrated that the reflectance values exhibited significant circadian oscillations in the regimens LD 12:12, LD 14:10 and DD, suggesting that the specie B. ictericus shows an effective circadian rhythm of color change. The reflectance values did not exhibit a significant circadian rhythm in the LL regimen showing that this is a condition not permissive for the expression of the color change rhythm.     

Effects of Degradation and Replacement of Southern Brazilian Coastal Sandy Vegetation on the Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

In this paper we address the effects of anthropogenic disturbance and replacement of Brazilian Coastal sandy vegetation (restingas) on dung beetles communities. We sampled dung beetles in the four main vegetative physiognomies of Guriri Island, Espírito Santo State: forest restinga, restinga Clusia, disturbed restinga (from burning events), and pastures. We placed four sets of two pitfall traps (baited with horse and human dung) in four independent areas of each vegetation type, and collected 14,534 individuals of 13 dung beetle species. Neither log₁₀ of individuals nor log₁₀ of species richness were good predictors of restinga disturbance. However, a significant amount of variation in dung beetle abundance and richness could be explained by bait type. Ordination of these sites using hybrid multidimensional scaling revealed a gradient of habitat disturbance from undisturbed restinga samples to pasture. Dung beetle communities along this gradient demonstrated a complete turnover in species composition, from restinga‐specialists to invasive and generalists species respectively. This complete turnover signals the local extirpation of forest‐adapted species in disturbed and converted areas. Only a single dung beetle species in preserved restingas is protected by Brazilian law (Dichotomius schiffleri). Given the extent of the clearing of restinga habitat, the conservation status of dung beetles associated with restinga forest gives cause for concern.