Ethnozoology in Brazil: current status and perspectives

Ancient connections between animals and human are seen in cultures throughout the world in multiple forms of interaction with the local fauna that form the core of Ethnozoology. Historically, ethnozoological publications grew out of studies undertaken in academic areas such as zoology, human ecology, sociology and anthropology - reflecting the interdisciplinary character of this discipline. The rich fauna and cultural diversity found in Brazil, with many different species of animals being used for an extremely wide diversity of purposes by Amerindian societies (as well as the descendents of the original European colonists and African slaves), presents an excellent backdrop for examining the relationships that exist between humans and other animals. This work presents a historical view of ethnozoological research in Brazil and examines its evolution, tendencies, and future perspectives. In summary, literature researches indicated that ethnozoology experienced significant advances in recent years in Brazil, although from a qualitative point of view improvement is still needed in terms of methodological procedures, taxonomic precision, and the use of quantitative techniques. A wide range of methodologies and theories are available in different areas of learning that can be put to good use in ethnozoological approaches if the right questions are asked. The challenges to studying ethnozoology in Brazil are not insignificant, and the tendencies described in the present study may aid in defining research strategies that will maintain the quantitative growth observed in the recent years but likewise foster needed qualitative improvements.     

Detection of African horse sickness virus in Culicoides imicola pools using RT‐qPCR

African horse sickness (AHS) is an infectious, non‐contagious arthropod‐borne disease of equids, caused by the African horse sickness virus (AHSV), an orbivirus of the Reoviridae family. It is endemic in sub‐Saharan Africa and thought to be the most lethal viral disease of horses. This study focused on detection of AHSV in Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) pools by the application of a RT‐qPCR. Midges were fed on AHSV‐infected blood. A single blood‐engorged female was allocated to pools of unfed nulliparous female midges. Pool sizes varied from 1 to 200. RNA was extracted and prepared for RT‐qPCR. The virus was successfully detected and the optimal pool size for the limit of detection of the virus was determined at a range between 1 to 25. Results from this investigation highlight the need for a standardized protocol for AHSV investigation in Culicoides midges especially for comparison among different studies and for the determination of infection rate.     

Cobalt complexes of terpyridine ligand: crystal structure and photocleavage of DNA

Two new cobalt complexes, [Co(pytpy)(2)](ClO(4))(2), 1, and [Co(pytpy)(2)](ClO(4))(3), 2 where pytpy=pyridine terpyridine, have been synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray structure of both the complexes has been resolved. The structure shows the complexes to be a monomeric cobalt(II) and cobalt(III) species with two pytpy ligands coordinated to the metal ion to give a six coordinate complex. Both cobalt(II) and cobalt(III) complexes crystallize in meridional configuration. The interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA has been explored by using absorption, emission spectral, electrochemical studies and viscosity measurements. From the experimental results the DNA binding constants of 1 and 2 are found to be (1.97+/-0.15)x10(4)M(-1) and (2.7+/-0.20)x10(4)M(-1) respectively. The ratio of DNA binding constants of 1 and 2 have been estimated to be 0.82 from electrochemical studies, which is in close agreement with the value of 0.73 obtained from spectral studies. The observed changes in viscosity of DNA in the presence of increasing amount of complexes 1 and 2 suggest intercalating binding of these complexes to DNA. Results of DNA cleaving experiments reveal that complex 2 efficiently cleaves DNA under photolytic conditions while complex 1 does not cleave DNA under similar conditions.     

Cinnamomum cassia Suppresses Caspase-9 through Stimulation of AKT1 in MCF-7 Cells but Not in MDA-MB-231 Cells

Background

Cinnamomum cassia bark is a popular culinary spice used for flavoring and in traditional medicine. C. cassia extract (CE) induces apoptosis in many cell lines. In the present study, particular differences in the mechanism of the anti-proliferative property of C. cassia on two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, were elucidated.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The hexane extract of C. cassia demonstrated high anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells (IC₅₀, 34±3.52 and 32.42 ±0.37 μg/ml, respectively). Oxidative stress due to disruption of antioxidant enzyme (SOD, GPx and CAT) activity is suggested as the probable cause for apoptosis initiation. Though the main apoptosis pathway in both cell lines was found to be through caspase-8 activation, caspase-9 was also activated in MDA-MB-231 cells but suppressed in MCF-7 cells. Gene expression studies revealed that AKT1, the caspase-9 suppressor, was up-regulated in MCF-7 cells while down-regulated in MDA-MB-231 cells. Although, AKT1 protein expression in both cell lines was down-regulated, a steady increase in MCF-7 cells was observed after a sharp decrease of suppression of AKT1. Trans-cinnamaldehyde and coumarin were isolated and identified and found to be mainly responsible for the observed anti-proliferative activity of CE (Cinnamomum cassia).

Conclusion

Activation of caspase-8 is reported for the first time to be involved as the main apoptosis pathway in breast cancer cell lines upon treatment with C. cassia. The double effects of C. cassia on AKT1 gene expression in MCF-7 cells is reported for the first time in this study.     

Biochemical predictors for Sars-Cov-2 severity

It is of interest to assess the inflammatory marker profile in SARS-CoV-2 patients and to correlate the levels of systemic inflammatory biomarkers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-Reactive Protein CRP, Ferritin, Creatine kinase (CK), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and liver function analytes total serum proteins, albumin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) with the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections. A total of 1000 COVID-19 positive patient''s data were collected. Laboratory assessments consisted of NLR (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) by cell counter, C Reactive Protein (CRP) by immunoturbidimetry, Ferritin by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) and Creatine Kinase (CK), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin, Total Protein and Albumin by spectrophotometry. The mean plasma CRP levels, NLR, ferritin, CK and LDH levels were higher in severe cases than in non-severe cases, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). All liver function tests such as the total and direct bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP, total protein and albumin were higher in severe patients than non-severe patients and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Data indicate that NLR, CRP, Ferritin, CK, LDH and liver function analytes have a crucial role as prognostic markers for SARS-CoV-2 infections and hence should be routinely recommended for risk assessment and stratification of the patients to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality.     

Algorithms and software for support of gene identification experiments

MOTIVATION: Gene annotation is the final goal of gene prediction algorithms. However, these algorithms frequently make mistakes and therefore the use of gene predictions for sequence annotation is hardly possible. As a result, biologists are forced to conduct time-consuming gene identification experiments by designing appropriate PCR primers to test cDNA libraries or applying RT-PCR, exon trapping/amplification, or other techniques. This process frequently amounts to 'guessing' PCR primers on top of unreliable gene predictions and frequently leads to wasting of experimental efforts. RESULTS: The present paper proposes a simple and reliable algorithm for experimental gene identification which bypasses the unreliable gene prediction step. Studies of the performance of the algorithm on a sample of human genes indicate that an experimental protocol based on the algorithm's predictions achieves an accurate gene identification with relatively few PCR primers. Predictions of PCR primers may be used for exon amplification in preliminary mutation analysis during an attempt to identify a gene responsible for a disease. We propose a simple approach to find a short region from a genomic sequence that with high probability overlaps with some exon of the gene. The algorithm is enhanced to find one or more segments that are probably contained in the translated region of the gene and can be used as PCR primers to select appropriate clones in cDNA libraries by selective amplification. The algorithm is further extended to locate a set of PCR primers that uniformly cover all translated regions and can be used for RT-PCR and further sequencing of (unknown) mRNA.      

Variants of ST8SIA1 are associated with risk of developing multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown etiology with both genetic and environmental factors playing a role in susceptibility. To date, the HLA DR15/DQ6 haplotype within the major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6p, is the strongest genetic risk factor associated with MS susceptibility. Additional alleles of IL7 and IL2 have been identified as risk factors for MS with small effect. Here we present two independent studies supporting an allelic association of MS with polymorphisms in the ST8SIA1 gene, located on chromosome 12p12 and encoding ST8 alpha-N-acetyl-neuraminide alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase 1. The initial association was made in a single three-generation family where a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4762896, was segregating together with HLA DR15/DQ6 in MS patients. A study of 274 family trios (affected child and both unaffected parents) from Australia validated the association of ST8SIA1 in individuals with MS, showing transmission disequilibrium of the paternal alleles for three additional SNPs, namely rs704219, rs2041906, and rs1558793, with p = 0.001, p = 0.01 and p = 0.01 respectively. These findings implicate ST8SIA1 as a possible novel susceptibility gene for MS.