Brevipalpus mites associated with coffee plants (Coffea arabica and C. canephora) in Chiapas,Mexico

Experimental and Applied Acarology - Tenuipalpid mites of the genus Brevipalpus are of significant economic and quarantine importance in agriculture. They can damage and vector phytopathogenic...     

New conservation opportunities: Using citizen science in monitoring non-native species in Neotropical region

The combination of highly equipped smartphones, with the increased use of social media, has offered a wide database. Given this, citizen science can be used to record and monitor non-native fish fauna, target new samples and collaborate with monitoring occurrences in new areas. We aimed to demonstrate the efficiency of social media in citizen science as a tool to cooperate with monitoring studies of non-native species. Consequently, we determined the occurrence points of S. brasiliensis in the Iguaçu River basin, indicating sites of greatest occurrence and analyzing the impact of the invasion on the native fauna of the basin. Files and information available on the YouTube^® and Facebook^® media platforms were used as data, was carried out from April 2019 to April 2020. The results were 40 records, 22 videos obtained from Youtube, and seven videos and 11 photos from Facebook, the oldest record was from April 2013, while the largest number of posts was in 2016. Fish records available from online platforms can reveal the occurrence and progressive dispersion of species, in the context of biological invasions, these tools can be of great value in studies that aim to follow the progress of introduced species, contributing by helping to direct new sampling programs and corroborating the occurrence of species in new areas in conjunction with standard monitoring programs. Based on citizen science records, it was possible to update the range of occurrence of the non-native S. brasiliensis in the Iguaçu River basin, cooperating with scientific knowledge. Innovative monitoring and control measures are necessary to deal with invasive species, with citizen science proving to be competent for determining the occurrence of species and showing promise in the entire field of ichthyology.     

Gamma-Decanolactone Alters the Expression of GluN2B,A1 Receptors,and COX-2 and Reduces DNA Damage in the PTZ-Induced Seizure Model After Subchronic Treatment in Mice

Neurochemical Research - Gamma-decanolactone (GD) has been shown to reduce epileptic behavior in different models, inflammatory decreasing, oxidative stress, and genotoxic parameters. This study...     

Effects of different branched-chain amino acids supplementation protocols on the inflammatory response of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages

Although branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are commonly used as a strategy to recover nutritional status of critically ill patients, recent findings on their role as immunonutrients have been associated with unfavorable outcomes, especially in obese patients. The present study aimed to explore the effects of different BCAA supplementation protocols in the inflammatory response of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Cell cultures were divided into five groups, with and without BCAA supplementation, (2 mmol/L of each amino acid). Then, cell cultures followed three different treatment protocols, consisting of a pretreatment (PT), an acute treatment (AT), and a chronic treatment (CT) with BCAA and LPS stimulation (1 µg/mL). Cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay, NO production was assessed by the Griess reaction and IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and PGE2 synthesis, was evaluated by ELISA. BCAA significantly increased cell viability in AT and CT protocols, and NO and IL-10 synthesis in all treatment protocols. IL-6 synthesis was only increased in PT and CT protocols. TNF-α and PGE2 synthesis were not altered in any of the protocols and groups. BCAA supplementation was able to increase both pro and anti-inflammatory mediators synthesis by RAW 264.7 macrophages, which was influenced by the protocol applied. Moreover, these parameters were significantly increased by isoleucine supplementation, highlighting a potential research field for future studies.

     

Using untapped telemetry data to explore the winter biology of freshwater fish

Winter is a challenging period for aquatic research—weather is uncomfortable, ice is hazardous, equipment fails, and daylength is short. Consequently, until recently relatively little research on freshwater fishes has included winter. Telemetry methods for tracking fish and observing movement behavior are an obvious solution to working in harsh conditions because much of the data can be collected remotely, and passive methods collect data year-round without winter maintenance. Yet, many telemetry studies do not collect data during winter or, if they do, only report data from the ice-free seasons while the remaining data are unused. Here, we briefly summarize the advantages and limitations of using telemetry methods in winter, including acoustic and radio telemetry and passive integrated transponder technology, then review the range of questions related to fish ecology, behavior, bioenergetics, and habitat use that can be addressed in winter using telemetry. Our goals are to highlight the untapped potential of winter fish biology and to motivate scientists to revisit their four-season telemetry data and incorporate objectives specific to winter biology in future study plans.

     

Antitumor activity via apoptotic cell death pathway of water soluble copper(II) complexes: effect of the diamino unit on selectivity against lung cancer NCI-H460 cell line

BioMetals - The cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines (THP-1, U937, Molt-4, Colo-205 and NCI-H460) of three water soluble copper(II) coordination compounds containing the ligands...     

Aerobic training prevents cardiometabolic changes triggered by myocardial infarction in ovariectomized rats

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of aerobic training (AT) on autonomic, cardiometabolic, ubiquitin‐proteasome activity, and inflammatory changes evoked by myocardial infarction (MI) in ovariectomized rats. Female Wistar rats were ovariectomized and divided into four groups: sedentary + sham (SS), sedentary + MI (SI), AT + sham surgery (TS), AT + MI (TI). AT was performed on a treadmill for 8 weeks before MI. Infarcted rats previously subjected to AT presented improved physical capacity, increased interleukin‐10, and decreased pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Metabolomic analysis identified and quantified 62 metabolites, 9 were considered significant by the Vip Score. SS, SI, and TS groups presented distinct metabolic profiles; however, TI could not be distinguished from the SS group. MI dramatically increased levels of dimethylamine, and AT prevented this response. Our findings suggest that AT may be useful in preventing the negative changes in functional, inflammatory, and metabolic parameters related to MI in ovariectomized rats.     

Evaluation of Porcine Intestinal Epitheliocytes as an In vitro Immunoassay System for the Selection of Probiotic Bifidobacteria to Alleviate Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - The use of in vitro systems that allow efficient selection of probiotic candidates with immunomodulatory properties could significantly minimize the use of...     

PEtab—Interoperable specification of parameter estimation problems in systems biology

Reproducibility and reusability of the results of data-based modeling studies are essential. Yet, there has been—so far—no broadly supported format for the specification of parameter estimation problems in systems biology. Here, we introduce PEtab, a format which facilitates the specification of parameter estimation problems using Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) models and a set of tab-separated value files describing the observation model and experimental data as well as parameters to be estimated. We already implemented PEtab support into eight well-established model simulation and parameter estimation toolboxes with hundreds of users in total. We provide a Python library for validation and modification of a PEtab problem and currently 20 example parameter estimation problems based on recent studies.