Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with small terrestrial mammals in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil

From June 2005 to November 2010, 43 small mammals encompassing 6 species of Didelphimorphia, 8 species of Rodentia, and 1 species of Lagomorpha were found parasitized by ticks in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Nine tick species, in total 186 specimens, were identified as follows: Amblyomma cajennense (larvae and nymphs) on opossums and rodents; Amblyomma ovale (nymphs) on rodents; Amblyomma parvum (nymphs) on rodents; Amblyomma coelebs (nymphs) on opossums; Amblyomma dubitatum (nymph) on opossums; Ixodes amarali (females, nymphs, and larvae) on opossums and rodents; Ixodes loricatus (male, females, nymph) on opossums; Ixodes schulzei (female) on rodents; and Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (female) on rabbits. Most of the tick-host associations found in the present study have never been recorded in the literature; those include three new host records for I. amarali, four for A. cajennense, one for A. dubitatum, two for A. ovale, and one for A. coelebs. In addition, we provide the first record of A. coelebs in the state of Minas Gerais.     

Brain size affects responsiveness in mating behaviour to variation in predation pressure and sex ratio

Despite ongoing advances in sexual selection theory, the evolution of mating decisions remains enigmatic. Cognitive processes often require simultaneous processing of multiple sources of information from environmental and social cues. However, little experimental data exist on how cognitive ability affects such fitness‐associated aspects of behaviour. Using advanced tracking techniques, we studied mating behaviours of guppies artificially selected for divergence in relative brain size, with known differences in cognitive ability, when predation threat and sex ratio was varied. In females, we found a general increase in copulation behaviour in when the sex ratio was female biased, but only large‐brained females responded with greater willingness to copulate under a low predation threat. In males, we found that small‐brained individuals courted more intensively and displayed more aggressive behaviours than large‐brained individuals. However, there were no differences in female response to males with different brain size. These results provide further evidence of a role for female brain size in optimal decision‐making in a mating context. In addition, our results indicate that brain size may affect mating display skill in male guppies. We suggest that it is important to consider the association between brain size, cognitive ability and sexual behaviour when studying how morphological and behavioural traits evolve in wild populations.     

Metals and arsenic in marine fish commercialized in the NE Brazil: Risk to human health

Abstract

Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in fish is the result of long-term biomagnification in the food chain and is of public concern, due to the toxicity they engender. The objective of this research was to determine the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in 13 species of marine fish broadly commercialized in Aracaju, SE, Brazil and to evaluate the risks of fish consumption associated with these trace elements, using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ). As, Cd, and Pb levels were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and mercury was analyzed via cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicate a large variability in concentrations for arsenic (0.07–2.03?mg kg^–1) and mercury (0.01–1.44?mg kg^–1), associated with the animal dietary category. Cadmium (0.04–0.19?mg kg^–1) and lead (<0.01–0.45?mg kg^–1), on the other hand showed a mild variability. None of the evaluated specimens had As, Cd, and Pb THQ values higher than 1. The THQ values for mercury were higher but indicated no consumption risk, except for amberjack, and snook fish. Overall THQ indicates lower risk of consumption in fish that are at the base of the food chain, than in those that are top predators.     

Acute responses of muscle oxygen saturation during different cluster training configurations in resistance-trained individuals

This study compared the perceptual responses, physiological indicators and technical parameters between different training protocols focused on upper body exercises. A randomized crossover design was performed, and 12 trained individuals (age: 27.1 ± 5.7 years; height: 173.7 ± 10.7 cm; BMI: 23.9 ± 2.3) completed three resistance training sessions under different protocols separated by at least 72 h: traditional training (TT) (4 x 6 repetitions at 85% of 1RM with 120 s of rest between sets), cluster 1 (CL1) (4 x 2+2+2 repetitions at 85% of 1RM with 15 s of intra-rep rest and 80 s between sets), and cluster 2 (CL2) (24 repetitions at 85% of 1RM with 15 s of inter-set recovery). Before training, arterial blood pressure (BP) and repetitions to failure of pull-up and push-up (FT) were collected. Muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂) in the chest and movement velocity were evaluated in barbell bench press during the training session. After finishing, lactate, BP, rate of perceived exertion and FT were assessed. The percentage of velocity loss (TT: 19.24%; CL1: 5.02% and CL2: 7.30%) in the bench press and lactate concentration (TT: 8.90 mmol·l^-1; CL1: 6.13 mmol·l^-1 and CL2: 5.48 mmol·l^-1) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for TT compared to both CLs. RPE values were higher (p < 0.05) in TT compared to CL1 (7.95 a.u. vs. 6.91 a.u., respectively). No differences (p > 0.05) were found between protocols for SmO₂, BP, FT, pain or heart rate between set configurations. Cluster configurations allow one to maintain higher movement velocity and lower lactate and RPE values compared to a traditional configuration, but with similar concentrations of SmO₂.     

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Ezetimibe on Major Cardiovascular Endpoints: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) about Ezetimibe''s efficacy on patient-oriented outcomes have given discordant results. The aim of this study was to determine the net effect of Ezetimibe and of the widely marketed combination, Ezetimibe+simvastatin, on mortality and morbidity outcomes.

Methods and Findings

We searched for RCT on Ezetimibe using MEDLINE, CCTR, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov databases up to December 2013, Merck and Novartis online registers, and personal communications. Two authors independently selected trials fulfilling these criteria: RCTs comparing Ezetimibe±statin or another lipid-lowering drug against placebo, or against the same lipid-lowering drug at the same dosage, with a follow-up at least 24 weeks and one or more of these outcomes: all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), cancer, serious adverse events (SAEs); we assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane checklist. We extracted the data for major clinical events as a dichotomous measure, with the patient the unit of analysis. Pooled analysis was done with random and fixed effect based models. Trials comparing Ezetimibe plus a lipid-lowering drug against the same lipidlowering drug representing the net effect of Ezetimibe, showed a nonsignificant tendency toward damage for cancer, MI, stroke and SAEs. Ezetimibe+simvastatin vs. simvastatin alone showed a stronger tendency towards a higher risk for all-cause death (2.52; 0.65-9.74), CV death (3.04; 0.48-19.21), non-CV death (3.03; 0.12-73.50), MI (1.91; 0.42-8.70), stroke (2.38; 0.46-12.35), cancer (RR 11.11; 0.62-198.29), and SAEs (1.45; 0.95-2.23). Limitations include small numbers of events and inadequate power of the pooling. Trials comparing Ezetimibe+simvastatin vs placebo showed non-significant effects: MI (0.81; 0.66-1.00 p = 0.051), all-cause death (1.02; 0.95-1.09), CV death (0.91; 0.80-1.04), non-CV death (108; 0.99-1.18), stroke (0.86; 0.72-1.04), cancer (1.18; 0.80-1.74), SAEs (1.01; 0.96-1.06).

Conclusions

Ezetimibe±simvastatin had inconsistent effects on important outcomes. No firm conclusions are possible, but findings indicative of damage suggest much more selective use of Ezetimibe±simvastatin.     

Production of Rhamnolipids by Pseudomonas chlororaphis, a Nonpathogenic Bacterium

Rhamnolipids, naturally occurring biosurfactants constructed of rhamnose sugar molecules and β-hydroxyalkanoic acids, have a wide range of potential commercial applications. In the course of a survey of 33 different bacterial isolates, we have identified, using a phenotypic assay for rhamnolipid production, a strain of the nonpathogenic bacterial species Pseudomonas chlororaphis that is capable of producing rhamnolipids. Rhamnolipid production by P. chlororaphis was achieved by growth at room temperature in static cultures of a mineral salts medium containing 2% glucose. We obtained yields of roughly 1 g/liter of rhamnolipids, an amount comparable to the production levels reported in Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown with glucose as the carbon source. The rhamnolipids produced by P. chlororaphis appear to be exclusively the mono-rhamnolipid form. The most prevalent molecular species had one monounsaturated hydroxy fatty acid of 12 carbons and one saturated hydroxy fatty acid of 10 carbons. P. chlororaphis, a nonpathogenic saprophyte of the soil, is currently employed as a biocontrol agent against certain types of plant fungal diseases. The pathogenic nature of all bacteria previously known to produce rhamnolipids has been a major obstacle to commercial production of rhamnolipids. The use of P. chlororaphis therefore greatly simplifies this matter by removing the need for containment systems and stringent separation processes in the production of rhamnolipids.     

Circadian rhythm gene regulation in the housefly Musca domestica

The circadian mechanism appears remarkably conserved between Drosophila and mammals, with basic underlying negative and positive feedback loops, cycling gene products, and temporally regulated nuclear transport involving a few key proteins. One of these negative regulators is PERIOD, which in Drosophila shows very similar temporal and spatial regulation to TIMELESS. Surprisingly, we observe that in the housefly, Musca domestica, PER does not cycle in Western blots of head extracts, in contrast to the TIM protein. Furthermore, immunocytochemical (ICC) localization using enzymatic staining procedures reveals that PER is not localized to the nucleus of any neurons within the brain at any circadian time, as recently observed for several nondipteran insects. However, with confocal analysis, immunofluorescence reveals a very different picture and provides an initial comparison of PER/TIM-containing cells in Musca and Drosophila, which shows some significant differences, but many similarities. Thus, even in closely related Diptera, there is considerable evolutionary flexibility in the number and spatial organization of clock cells and, indeed, in the expression patterns of clock products in these cells, although the underlying framework is similar.