A complex biogeographic history of diversification in Neotropical lancehead pitvipers (Serpentes,Viperidae)

Based on the literature, we had predicted that the diversification within the Neotropical snake genus Bothrops occurred along a latitudinal gradient from north to south, with diversification into unoccupied niches through ecological opportunity, not correlated with geoclimatic events. Using a dated phylogeny and estimating likelihoods of ancestral states at cladogenesis events, we reconstructed ancestral areas and assessed major events of the diversification of Bothrops clades, and we also discuss systematic implications for this group. Based on the phylogeny we produced, B. lojanus was not considered as part of the genus Bothrops since the results recovered this species nested within the Bothrocophias clade. We infer that the diversification of the Miocene Bothrops pictus and Bothrops alternatus clades may be related to the uplift of the western slopes of the Andes and the Argentinian Patagonian Andes, respectively. The Pliocene Bothrops taeniatus and Bothrops osbornei clades may be related to the uplift of the eastern and northern Andes, respectively. The Plio-Pleistocene Bothrops neuwiedi clade may be related to the habitat transitions from a warmer and forested environment to a cooler and open landscape; the Bothrops jararaca (i.e. island endemic species) and Bothrops lanceolatus clades to over-water dispersal with island speciation; and Bothrops atrox clade to the appearance of the Panamanian land bridge. We found that a multitemporal and multidirectional history of diversification may be correlated with geoclimatic and dispersalist events. We argue that the vacant niche hypothesis by itself does not explain Bothrops diversification.     

Trophic resource partitioning among five flatfish species (Actinopterygii, Pleuronectiformes) in a tropical bay in south-eastern Brazil

Five species of flatfishes in a tropical bay in south-eastern Brazil were studied to test the hypothesis that resource partitioning along the spatial and size dimensions has been used as a mechanism to enable coexistence. Three zones in the study area were defined according to environmental characteristics (inner, middle and outer). Sampling was conducted by otter trawl tows during daylight hours, between October 1998 and September 1999. Achiridae species ( Achirus lineatus and Trinectes paulistanus ) showed narrow niche width, indicating a specialized feeding strategy, preying on Polychaeta, and occurring mainly in the inner bay zone. Paralichthyidae ( Citharichthys spilopterus and Etropus crossotus ) and the Cynoglossidae ( Symphurus tessellatus ) showed broad niche width and a generalized feeding strategy preying on a large number of Crustacea. Symphurus tessellatus did not change diet with size-dimension feeding on Amphipoda and Polychaeta, whereas C. spilopterus and E. crossotus shifted diet with growth. Citharichthys spilopterus fed mainly on Mysida and secondarily on shrimps, with juvenile preying on large amounts of Calanoida, whereas adults consumed large amounts of fishes. Isaeidae amphipods were a significant prey for both small and large E. crossotus , whereas Polychaeta Errantia were used mainly by large fishes. Etropus crossotus and S. tessellatus share similar feeding resources in outer bay zone preying on Isaeidae and Polychaeta Errantia. Differences in the Pleuronectiformes diet composition along with spatial and size changes in the use of the available resources contributed to allow the organisms' coexistence in Sepetiba Bay. The high item diversity used by flatfishes indicates that the system plays an important role as a feeding ground, and that interspecific competition for food was unlikely.     

Does fin damage allow discrimination among wild,escaped and farmed Sparus aurata (L.) and Dicentrarchus labrax (L.)?

The present study compares fin damages in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) according to their wild, escaped or farmed origins. In addition, the potential applicability of fin condition indices (Fin Erosion Index ‘FEI’ and Fin Splitting Index ‘FSI’) as identification tools is discussed. Farmed seabream fins evidenced more erosion and splitting (FEI ± SD: 2.1 ± 0.3; FSI ± SD: 1.9 ± 0.6) than wild seabream fins (FEI: 0.8 ± 0.6; FSI: 1.2 ± 0.9), a result of farming conditions in open‐sea cages. Escaped seabream fin erosion was between that of farmed and wild seabream (FEI: 1.6 ± 0.4), which could indicate that fins in farmed fish recover over time from farming abrasions once they are in the wild. However, the fins of escaped seabream seem to be weaker than those of the wild fish, and therefore might be more susceptible to suffer other types of erosion such as splitting or nipping (FSI: 2.3 ± 0.7). No significant differences were found in seabass FEI according to their origins, although wild seabass presented significantly more split caudal fins (FSI: 3.3 ± 2.8) than the farmed seabass (FSI: 1.2 ± 1.1) and escapees (FSI: 2.5 ± 1.6). Therefore, FEI for seabream could be used as tools not only to distinguish between wild and farmed fish, but also to identify recent escapees, improving further assessments on the contribution of seabream escapees in fishery landings. However, the healing potential of damaged fins must be considered for the proper identification of escapees. Use of fin condition indices from both species could be helpful for aquaculture management, to assess fish welfare in fish farms stocks, and improve the knowledge of handling, stock densities and open‐sea cage environment conditions.     

Algistatic effect of a quinonamethide triterpene on Microcystis novacekii

Cyanobacteria proliferation represents a problem to water treatment for human consumption supply. Species of the genus Microcystis, commonly found in continental waters, can bloom and produce microcystine and other toxic compounds associated to human and animal poisoning, depending on the nutrient levels present in the water. The use of natural products to control cyanobacteria blooms is promising since they are less harmful to the environment than compounds obtained by organic syntheses. Triterpenes, which are associated with several biological activities, have been isolated from species of the genus Maytenus (Celastraceae), commonly found in Cerrado regions of Brazil. Tingenone is a pentacyclic triterpene that has cytotoxic properties and induces growth inhibition in some microorganisms. In this study, the effects of tingenone isolated from Maytenus gonoclada at distinct concentrations (e.g., 50, 150, 500, 1,500, and 4,500 μg? L^?1) on the growth rates of Microcystis novacekii was investigated. The algicide activity was verified using M. novacekii cultures growing in ASM1 culture medium at 23 °C and continuous illumination for 96 h. Growth inhibition was monitored by light microscopy and optical density (OD_680 nm). The median effective concentration associated to the M. novacekii inhibition growth induced by tingenone was 12.2 μg? L^?1. The result indicates that tingenone has algicide effect and can be potentially applied in water management for public supply, replacing synthetic algicides.     

Pam3CSK4 adjuvant given intranasally boosts anti-Leishmania immunogenicity but not protective immune responses conferred by LaAg vaccine against visceral leishmaniasis

The use of adjuvants in vaccine formulations is a well-established practice to improve immunogenicity and protective immunity against diseases. Previously, we have demonstrated the feasibility of intranasal vaccination with the antigen of killed Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes (LaAg) against experimental leishmaniasis. In this work, we sought to optimize the immunogenic effect and protective immunity against murine visceral leishmaniasis conferred by intranasal delivery of LaAg in combination with a synthetic TLR1/TLR2 agonist (Pam3CSK4). Intranasal vaccination with LaAg/PAM did not show toxicity or adverse effects, induced the increase of delayed-type hypersensitivity response and the production of inflammatory cytokines after parasite antigen recall. However, mice vaccinated with LaAg/PAM and challenged with Leishmania infantum presented significant reduction of parasite burden in both liver and spleen, similar to those vaccinated with LaAg. Although LaAg/PAM intranasal vaccination had induced higher frequencies of specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells and increased levels of IgG2a antibody isotype in serum, both LaAg and LaAg/PAM groups presented similar levels of IL-4 and IFN-y and decreased production of IL-10 when compared to controls. Our results provide the first evidence of the feasibility of intranasal immunization with antigens of killed Leishmania in association with a TLR agonist, which may be explored for developing an effective and alternative strategy for vaccination against visceral leishmaniasis.     

Intraoperative breast radiotherapy: survival,local control and risk factors for recurrence

BackgroundWhole breast irradiation reduces loco-regional recurrence and risk of death in patients submitted to breast-conserving treatment. Data show that radiation to the index quadrant alone may be enough in selected patients.AimTo report the experience with intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT) with Electron-beam Cone in Linear Accelerator (ELIOT) and the results in overall survival, local control and late toxicity of patients submitted to this treatment.Materials and Methods147 patients treated with a median follow up of 6.9 years (0.1?11.5 years). The actuarial local control and overall survival probabilities were estimated using the Kaplan Meier method. All tests were two-sided and p ? 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOverall survival of the cohort in 5 years, in the median follow up and in 10 years was of 98.3%, 95.1% and 95.1%, respectively, whereas local control in 5 years, in the median follow up and in 10 years was of 96%, 94.9% and 89.5%, respectively. Two risk groups were identified for local recurrence depending on the estrogen or progesterone receptors, axillary or margin status and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (p = 0.016).ConclusionsIORT is a safe and effective treatment. Rigorous selection is important to achieve excellent local control results.     

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing,Delivery Systems,and Tissue Engineering

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a nanocellulose form produced by some nonpathogenic bacteria. BC presents unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that make it a very versatile material and has found application in several fields, namely in food industry, cosmetics, and biomedicine. This review overviews the latest state‐of‐the‐art usage of BC on three important areas of the biomedical field, namely delivery systems, wound dressing and healing materials, and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine. BC will be reviewed as a promising biopolymer for the design and development of innovative materials for the mentioned applications. Overall, BC is shown to be an effective and versatile carrier for delivery systems, a safe and multicustomizable patch or graft for wound dressing and healing applications, and a material that can be further tuned to better adjust for each tissue engineering application, by using different methods.