Computer-aided comparison of protein electrophoretic patterns for grouping and identification of heterotrophic bacteria from mineral water

The microflora of a natural mineral water was studied immediately after bottling (T0) and after 7 d storage (T7) during 6 months, and isolates were clustered by SDS-PAGE of wholecell protein profiles. Isolates from each cluster were further characterized by API 20NE, fatty acid composition and quinone profiles. The numerical analysis of the electrophoregrams of all bacteria isolated from the mineral water formed 15 clusters and five unclustered strains. Except for five minor clusters, all clusters were composed of strains isolated over several months. The numerical analysis of the electrophoregrams of bacteria isolated immediately after bottling formed 15 clusters while after 7 d storage only four of these populations could be isolated, indicating that populations present in the mineral water were stable and that changes occurring after bottling probably resulted from a selection process. Only one unclustered strain was identified simultaneously by all the systems, as Sphingomonas paucimobilis. The monitoring of the aquifer and the bottling system, and the construction of a large database with bacteria of the autochthonous flora allows the detection of alterations in the aquifer by changes in the microflora.     

Correction to: Determining ecosystem functioning in Brazilian biomes through foliar carbon and nitrogen concentrations and stable isotope ratios

Biogeochemistry - The initial online publication contained typesetting mistakes in the author information. The original article has been corrected.     

Mindfulness and self-compassion along the chronotype: a cross-sectional study

It is well established in the literature that morning-type individuals present better health indicators than evening-types. Mindfulness is considered an adaptive self-regulation skill associated with well-being and physical and mental health. However, there is scarce studies that relate chronotype and mindfulness. Thus, in this research, our aim was to study the relationship between chronotype and mindfulness-related variables. For this purpose, a sample composed of 483 participants from the community was recruited through an online survey and invited to fill out the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Composite Morningness Scale. Regarding mindfulness measure, the results indicated that morning-types presented higher levels of “acting with awareness” than intermediate and evening-types. Additionally, as to self-compassion measure, morning-types presented higher levels of “mindfulness” and “overall self-compassion” than intermediate and evening-types. The remaining associations examined were not statistically significant. In sum, the morning-types showed higher scores in some of the mindfulness and self-compassion scales which seem to suggest that this morningness tendency may function as protective factor concerning eventual disorders´ development. Nonetheless, more systematic studies are needed to better understand this association and subsequently foster changes for psychological intervention.     

Photodynamic therapy with redaporfin targets the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus

Preclinical evidence depicts the capacity of redaporfin (Redp) to act as potent photosensitizer, causing direct antineoplastic effects as well as indirect immune‐dependent destruction of malignant lesions. Here, we investigated the mechanisms through which photodynamic therapy (PDT) with redaporfin kills cancer cells. Subcellular localization and fractionation studies based on the physicochemical properties of redaporfin revealed its selective tropism for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus (GA). When activated, redaporfin caused rapid reactive oxygen species‐dependent perturbation of ER/GA compartments, coupled to ER stress and an inhibition of the GA‐dependent secretory pathway. This led to a general inhibition of protein secretion by PDT‐treated cancer cells. The ER/GA play a role upstream of mitochondria in the lethal signaling pathway triggered by redaporfin‐based PDT. Pharmacological perturbation of GA function or homeostasis reduces mitochondrial permeabilization. In contrast, removal of the pro‐apoptotic multidomain proteins BAX and BAK or pretreatment with protease inhibitors reduced cell killing, yet left the GA perturbation unaffected. Altogether, these results point to the capacity of redaporfin to kill tumor cells via destroying ER/GA function.     

The ‘Island Rule’ Acting on Anuran Populations (Bufonidae: Rhinella ornata) of the Southern Hemisphere

Darwin and Wallace, in the mid‐nineteenth century, were the first to document examples of natural selection acting on island dwellers. A century later a pattern of morphological differences among organisms on islands was coined the ‘island rule’, which states that on islands species with small individuals tend toward gigantism and large individuals tend toward dwarfism. Selective pressures such as limited resources and increased intraspecific competition modulate the size of organisms in these environments. Of the several works that have tested vertebrates for adherence to the island rule only two have addressed amphibians. This work is the third record of body size variation of island amphibian populations, and the first for the Southern Hemisphere. The islands investigated were once continuous with mainland, and now are isolated as a result of sea level fluctuations that took place in the Pleistocene and Holocene. This study compared morphometric variation in populations of Rhinella ornata (Bufonidae) occurring on three islands of the Costa Verde to populations on five continental areas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We measured 18 morphometric variables of 177 individuals. There was a shift toward smaller body size (dwarfism) in two of the three island populations studied. We attribute this general pattern to geographic factors, verifying the expression of the island rule in tropical frogs populations (insular dwarfism) operating inversely in relation to those of temperate environments (island gigantism).     

Evaluation of dental enamel caries assessment using Quantitative Light Induced Fluorescence and Optical Coherence Tomography

An in vitro study of morphological alterations between sound dental structure and artificially induced white spot lesions in human teeth, was performed through the loss of fluorescence by Quantitative Light‐Induced Fluorescence (QLF) and the alterations of the light attenuation coefficient by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). To analyze the OCT images using a commercially available system, a special algorithm was applied, whereas the QLF images were analyzed using the software available in the commercial system employed. When analyzing the sound region against white spot lesions region by QLF, a reduction in the fluorescence intensity was observed, whilst an increase of light attenuation by the OCT system occurred. Comparison of the percentage of alteration between optical properties of sound and artificial enamel caries regions showed that OCT processed images through the attenuation of light enhanced the tooth optical alterations more than fluorescence detected by QLF System.

QLF versus OCT imaging of enamel caries: a photonics assessment     

Admixture and Genetic Diversity Distribution Patterns of Non-Recombining Lineages of Native American Ancestry in Colombian Populations

Genetic diversity of present American populations results from very complex demographic events involving different types and degrees of admixture. Through the analysis of lineage markers such as mtDNA and Y chromosome it is possible to recover the original Native American haplotypes, which remained identical since the admixture events due to the absence of recombination. However, the decrease in the effective population sizes and the consequent genetic drift effects suffered by these populations during the European colonization resulted in the loss or under-representation of a substantial fraction of the Native American lineages. In this study, we aim to clarify how the diversity and distribution of uniparental lineages vary with the different demographic characteristics (size, degree of isolation) and the different levels of admixture of extant Native groups in Colombia. We present new data resulting from the analyses of mtDNA whole control region, Y chromosome SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes, and autosomal ancestry informative insertion-deletion polymorphisms in Colombian individuals from different ethnic and linguistic groups. The results demonstrate that populations presenting a high proportion of non-Native American ancestry have preserved nevertheless a substantial diversity of Native American lineages, for both mtDNA and Y chromosome. We suggest that, by maintaining the effective population sizes high, admixture allowed for a decrease in the effects of genetic drift due to Native population size reduction and thus resulting in an effective preservation of the Native American non-recombining lineages.     

Partial protection of mice against Trypanosoma cruzi after immunizing with the TcY 72 antigenic preparation

A 72 kDa Trypanosoma cruzi glycoprotein recognized by the 164C11 monoclonal antibody (IgM isotype) was purified by preparative electrophoresis. The antigenic preparation obtained, named TcY 72, was used to immunize C57Bl/10 mice. The following results were observed after immunization: (1) induction of higher titres of IgG than IgM antibodies, as evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence; (2) significant DTH after injection of epimastigotes in mice footpads; (3) peak parasitemia in immunized mice was significantly reduced and animals were negative by 13 days post-infection, although the mice still succumb to infection; (4) the phenotypic analysis of spleen cell populations showed a decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio in immunized mice. Taken as a whole, these findings indicate that TcY 72 is immunogenic and potentially important for protective immunity.     

Germination of Geonoma brevispatha (Arecaceae) in laboratory and its relation to the palm spatial distribution in a swamp forest

Geonoma brevispatha is a clonal palm species commonly found as tussocks in swamp and riparian forests in SE Brazil, occurring in the very transition between flooded pits/channels and dry mounds. Aiming to verify whether the germination responses could explain the spatial pattern of the palm tussocks in swamp forests, we investigated the germination in relation to the main environmental factors to which the seeds are subjected in their natural habitat. The seeds are recalcitrant since germination percentage is reduced with loss of moisture content. Germination did not differ on moist filter paper, semi-immersion (water up to half of the seed diameter) or complete immersion (water up to double of the seed diameter). Seeds did not germinate when stored in a closed bottle with water (that is, under low oxygen concentration), but remained viable for up to 8 weeks under this condition. The capacity to germinate in water with minimum oxygen availability may be considered ecologically advantageous in a swamp habitat. On the other hand, the capacity to germinate in moist filter paper indicates that, in natural conditions, the seed can germinate, provided there is a critical minimum of water availability. We concluded that the germination responses per se are not enough to explain the palm tussocks spatial pattern, but they are very well tuned with the conditions of the transitional zone between channels/pits (ever flooded micro-sites) and mounds (well-drained micro-sites), in which the species occurs in the swamp forest.     

Imbalanced circulating matrix metalloproteinases in polycystic ovary syndrome

Altered levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may reflect relevant pathogenetic mechanisms of disease conditions. The objective of this study was to compare the plasma levels of MMPs and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients with those found in healthy ovulatory controls and to examine whether the levels of these biomarkers are associated with clinical and biochemical features of this syndrome. Sixty-five healthy ovulatory subjects (controls) and 80 patients with PCOS were include in this study. MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 concentrations were measured in plasma samples by gelatin zymography or enzyme-linked immunoassays. MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 levels were similar in PCOS patients and in healthy controls (P > 0.05). PCOS patients had lower plasma TIMP-2 levels than healthy controls (P < 0.05). We found higher MMP-2/TIMP-2 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios in PCOS patients than in healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Testosterone levels correlated positively with the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio and negatively with TIMP-2 levels (r = 0.26, P < 0.01 and r = -0.21, P = 0.02, respectively). In addition, only testosterone was an independent predictor of TIMP-2 levels (estimate = -0.35, P = 0.04) and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio (estimate = 0.01, P = 0.04). We found evidence indicating that the balance between MMPs and TIMPs in women with PCOS is altered, probably due to androgen excess found in these women.