Laboratory-Induced Endolithic Growth in Calcarenites: Biodeteriorating Potential Assessment

This study is aimed to assess the formation of photosynthetic biofilms on and within different natural stone materials, and to analyse their biogeophysical and biogeochemical deterioration potential. This was performed by means of artificial colonisation under laboratory conditions during 3 months. Monitoring of microbial development was performed by image analysis and biofilm biomass estimation by chlorophyll extraction technique. Microscopy investigations were carried out to study relationships between microorganisms and the mineral substrata. The model applied in this work corroborated a successful survival strategy inside endolithic microhabitat, using natural phototrophic biofilm cultivation, composed by cyanobacteria and algae, which increased intrinsic porosity by active mineral dissolution. We observed the presence of mineral-like iron derivatives (e.g. maghemite) around the cells and intracellularly and the precipitation of hausmannite, suggesting manganese transformations related to the biomineralisation.     

Mapping allelic deletions on the short arm of human chromosome 3 in kidney neoplasms]

Allelic deletions along the short arm of human chromosome 3 were mapped in 57 pairs of DNA samples from tumor and normal tissue of renal carcinoma patients in order to locate potential tumor suppressor genes. Twenty highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were used for deletion mapping. Allelic deletions were found in most of the samples (91%). Extended terminal deletions (56%) prevailed over shorter internal and multiple deletions and dominated (65%) in the most aggressive histopathological kidney cancer subtype, clear-cell carcinoma. Frequency analysis of loss of heterozygosity allowed detection of the human chromosome 3 regions most essential for renal carcinomas: the region adjacent to the gene VHL (3p26-p25), the region of homozygous deletions AP20 (3p22-p21.33), and a new region between markers D3S2420 and D3S2409 (3p21.31, 2.2 Mbp).     

Late Hauterivian coralline algae (Rhodophyta,Corallinales) from the Iberian Chain (E Spain). Taxonomy and the evolution of multisporangial reproductive structures

Upper Hauterivian reefal carbonates of the Llàcova Formation (Maestrat Basin, Iberian Chain, E Spain) contain Sporolithon phylloideum (Bucur and Dragastan) Tomás, Aguirre, Braga and Martín-Closas comb. nov. and Sporolithon rude (Lemoine) Ghosh and Maithy (1996). Moussavian et al. (1993) identified them as Parakymalithon phylloideum (Bucur and Dragastan) Moussavian 1987 and Archaeolithothamnium rude Lemoine 1925. The re-assessment of the type of P. phylloideum and additional material indicate that the diagnostic characters of the genus do not warrant separation from Sporolithon and the new combination Sporolithon phylloideum is proposed. The lectotype of Sporolithon rude presents sporangial cavities grouped in sori that can be merged originating a structure that resembles the multiporate tetrasporangial conceptacles of the Hapalidiaceae. We hypothesize that multiporate tetrasporangial conceptacles could have originated from the fusion of several sporangial cavities, suggesting a phylogenetic linkage between Sporolithaceae and Hapalidiaceae supported by other anatomical features, molecular phylogeny and the fossil record.     

Application of a formulation of the nematophagous fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Duddingtonia</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">flagrans</Emphasis> in the control of cattle gastrointestinal nematodiosis

The viability of a formulation of Duddingtonia flagrans was assessed in the control of parasite gastrointestinal nematodes of cattle. Two groups (A and B) of eight crossbred Holstein × Zebu cattle, approximately one year old, were placed in Brachiaria decumbens pasture. Each animal in group B (treated) received orally 20 g sodium alginate pellets containing mycelial mass of the D. flagrans fungus, while the animals in the group A (control) received pellets without fungus for seven months, starting in March 2005. The egg per gram of feces counting the gastrointestinal nematodes showed a difference (P < 0.05) in the treated group in June, July and August, with reductions of 58% (June), 47% (July) and 51% (August) compared to the control group. The infective larvae recovered in the pastures collected up to 20 cm from distance of the fecal dung in group B differed (P < 0.01) from the larvae recovered in group A. At the end of the experimental period, the animals in group B presented a greater weight gain (P < 0.01) compared to the untreated group (A). The treatment of cattle with pellets containing the D. flagrans nematophagous fungus, at the dose and duration used was effective in controlling the infective larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes of cattle.     

Seasonal and intraspecific varation of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins in Cecropia glaziovi sneth. Leaves from native and cultivated specimens

Cecropia glaziovi Sneth. (syn. C. glaziovii, C. glazioui) (Cecropiaceae) is a South American medicinal plant whose antihypertensive activity is attributed to its flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents. The seasonal and intraspecific variations of these two classes of compounds in C. glaziovi leaves were assayed by spectrophotometry in samples of young and mature leaves collected from native, cultivated and micropropagated trees in the dry and rainy periods of the year. The total flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents ranged from (0.64 +/- 0.21)% to (3.44 +/- 0.45)% and (2.23 +/- 0.92)% to (5.36 +/- 0.95)%, respectively, among the assayed populations. The flavonoid contents in native plants did not differ statistically between young and mature leaves within the same season, whereas it was higher in both young and mature leaves collected in the dry compared to those collected in the rainy period. For cultivated specimens, the results pointed to higher contents in the dry season, whereas no significant difference was observed for leaves of micropropagated (clone) plants collected in both periods. For the assayed populations, higher proanthocyanidin contents were found in the dry season, excepting the micropropagated (clone) plants, whose contents did not differ significantly between the dry and the rainy periods. Leaves of micropropagated (clone) and cultivated specimens showed less intraspecific variation in the flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents than those from native trees. These features suggest that, as expected, cultivation of C. glaziovi is of great interest providing raw herbal material of better uniform quality.     

Evaluation of three methods for manually counting fish in dam turbines using DIDSON

Hydrobiologia - Mortality of fish entering the turbine draft tube (DT) from the tailrace is common during turbine startup or dewatering in Brazilian hydropower dams. Mortality can be reduced if...     

Polymerase chain reaction detection of Leishmania DNA in skin biopsy samples in Sri Lanka where the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis is Leishmania donovani

Leishmania donovani is the known causative agent of both cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. CL is considered to be under-reported partly due to relatively poor sensitivity and specificity of microscopic diagnosis. We compared robustness of three previously described polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods to detectLeishmania DNA in 38 punch biopsy samples from patients presented with suspected lesions in 2010. Both, Leishmaniagenus-specific JW11/JW12 KDNA and LITSR/L5.8S internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 PCR assays detected 92% (35/38) of the samples whereas a KDNA assay specific forL. donovani (LdF/LdR) detected only 71% (27/38) of samples. All positive samples showed a L. donovani banding pattern upon HaeIII ITS1 PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. PCR assay specificity was evaluated in samples containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, and human DNA, and there was no cross-amplification in JW11/JW12 and LITSR/L5.8S PCR assays. The LdF/LdR PCR assay did not amplify M. leprae or human DNA although 500 bp and 700 bp bands were observed in M. tuberculosis samples. In conclusion, it was successfully shown in this study that it is possible to diagnose Sri Lankan CL with high accuracy, to genus and species identification, using Leishmania DNA PCR assays.     

Similar hypotensive responses to resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Low intensity resistance exercise (RE) with blood flow restriction (BFR) has gained attention in the literature due to the beneficial effects on functional and morphological variables, similar to those observed during traditional RE without BFR, while the effects of BFR on post-exercise hypotension remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to compare the blood pressure (BP) response of trained normotensive individuals to RE with and without BFR. In this cross-over randomized trial, eight male subjects (23.8 ± 4 years, 74 ± 3 kg, 174 ± 4 cm) completed two exercise protocols: traditional RE (3 x 10 repetitions at 70% one-repetition maximum [1-RM]) and low intensity RE (3 x 15 repetitions at 20% 1-RM) with BFR. Blood pressure measurements were performed after 15 min of seated rest (0), immediately after and 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min and 60 min after the experimental sessions. Similar hypotensive effects for systolic BP (SBP) were observed for both protocols (P < 0.05) after exercise, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05) and no statistically significant difference for diastolic BP (P > 0.05). These results suggest that in normotensive trained individuals, both traditional RE and RE with BFR induce hypotension for SBP, which is important to prevent cardiovascular disturbances.     

Effects of general,specific and combined warm-up on explosive muscular performance

The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of general, specific and combined warm-up (WU) on explosive performance. Healthy male (n = 10) subjects participated in six WU protocols in a crossover randomized study design. Protocols were: passive rest (PR; 15 min of passive rest), running (Run; 5 min of running at 70% of maximum heart rate), stretching (STR; 5 min of static stretching exercise), jumping [Jump; 5 min of jumping exercises – 3x8 countermovement jumps (CMJ) and 3x8 drop jumps from 60 cm (DJ60)], and combined (COM; protocols Run+STR+Jump combined). Immediately before and after each WU, subjects were assessed for explosive concentric-only (i.e. squat jump – SJ), slow stretch-shortening cycle (i.e. CMJ), fast stretch-shortening cycle (i.e. DJ60) and contact time (CT) muscle performance. PR significantly reduced SJ performance (p =0.007). Run increased SJ (p =0.0001) and CMJ (p =0.002). STR increased CMJ (p =0.048). Specific WU (i.e. Jump) increased SJ (p =0.001), CMJ (p =0.028) and DJ60 (p =0.006) performance. COM increased CMJ performance (p =0.006). Jump was superior in SJ performance vs. PR (p =0.001). Jump reduced (p =0.03) CT in DJ60. In conclusion, general, specific and combined WU increase slow stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) muscle performance, but only specific WU increases fast SSC muscle performance. Therefore, to increase fast SSC performance, specific fast SSC muscle actions must be included during the WU.