Morphologic analysis of the venom gland of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in populations of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

In Apis mellifera L. the venom gland (also called acid gland) is composed of secretory cells that surround a channel that opens into a reservoir devoid of musculature. This gland can present apical branching. In this study the frequency of branched venom glands in Africanized honeybee workers (A. mellifera) from eleven localities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul was recorded. The relations among the length of the main duct, the length of the duct from the reservoir to the beginning of branching, the length of the branched segment (when present) and the total length of the gland were also analyzed. The frequency of branched glands varied from 50% to 83% in the workers, indicating that this characteristic is primitive in those bees. The results of the Analysis of Discriminant Functions indicated significant differences in the morphometrical segments of the venom gland (Wilks Lambda = 0.092; F (40, 55) = 3.43; P < 0.001), and permitted a differentiation of the populations studied. Using the Mantel test we verified that there does not exist a significant correlation between the morphologic characteristics and the geographical distance between the localities evaluated (Mantel r = -0.006, P = 0.48). The high frequency of workers with large venom gland in all the apiaries considered makes viable the development of a selection program in order to obtain bees with longer venom glands, aimed at the commercial production of venom by the beekeepers of those localities of Mato Grosso do Sul.     

Piezoelectric biosensors for biorecognition analysis: application to the kinetic study of HIV-1 Vif protein binding to recombinant antibodies

In this work three piezoelectric sensors modified with anti-HIV-1 Vif (virion infectivity factor) single fragment antibodies (4BL scFV), single domains (VH) and camelized single domains (VHD) were constructed and used to detect HIV1 Vif in liquid samples. Dithio-bis-succinimidyl-undecanoate (DSU) and 11-hydroxy-1-undecanethiol (HUT) mixed self assembled monolayers (SAM) were generated at the sensors surface onto which the antibodies were immobilized. All sensors detected specifically the target HIV1-Vif antigen in solution and no unspecific binding was monitored. Impedance analysis was performed to quantify electroacoustic and viscoelastic interferences during antibody immobilization and antigen recognition. The elimination of such interferences enabled the quantitative use of the piezoelectric immunosensors to estimate the antibody surface density as well as antigen binding and equilibrium constants. In spite of the possible limitation regarding mass transport and other related molecular phenomena, which were not considered in the binding model used, this work demonstrates the usefulness of piezoelectric biosensors in biorecognition analysis and evidences the advantages on using simultaneous impedance analysis to bring analytical significance to measured data, and thus to improve piezoelectric sensors sensitivity and applicability.     

Antinociceptive effects of tetrahydrophthalimides and related compounds

This paper describes the antinociceptive effects of tetrahydrophthalimides and related compounds in mice. Twenty compounds were obtained by the reaction of cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride with appropriate amines, dehydration, and addition to the imidic double bond. They were analyzed in the writhing test at 10 mg/kg given intraperitoneally. The most active compound 2-benzyl-5-morpholin-4-yl-hexahydroisoindole-1,3-dione (19) was studied on formalin, capsaicin, glutamate and hot plate models. The antinociceptive activity demonstrated by some studied compounds is promising, and some of them were more active than acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol used as reference drugs in writhing tests in mice. Compound 19 was about 5-fold more potent than the reference drugs, being also effective by oral route and against the inflammatory response in the formalin test. The results suggest that compound 19 could be used as a model to obtain new and more potent antinociceptive agents. It exhibits an interesting antinociceptive profile, and does not interact with opioid systems.     

Factors influencing genetic counseling attendance rate: a geographically based study

A study of factors influencing genetic counseling attendance rate has been conducted in the Bouches-du-Rh?ne area, in the south of France. In this area, a birth defects monitoring system (Eurocat n. 22) annually covers 23,000 births. All the genetic services are delivered by only one genetic center located in Marseilles, and the data collected are computerized. The comparison of these two data bases gives an opportunity to estimate the rate of genetic counseling attendance after the occurrence of an affected stillbirth or live birth. Among the parents of 358 infants born in 1983-84 in this area with a pathology requiring genetic counseling, 226 (63 per cent) attended the Genetic Center within the first year after birth. The rate of attendance is statistically higher (p less than 0.01) for the parents who had a stillbirth (78 per cent) than for those who had a live birth (57 per cent). It is also higher (p less than 0.01) for the Marseilles maternities group (68 per cent) than for the group outside Marseilles (50 per cent). The referral delays are also analyzed according to malformation etiology and to viability of the child by the eighth day of life. Besides evaluating a particular genetic center's effectiveness in diffusing information to the public concerned, this work shows that couples' request is strongly dependent on a psychological need.     

Translational machinery of the chaetognath <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spadella cephaloptera</Emphasis>: a transcriptomic approach to the analysis of cytosolic ribosomal protein genes and their expression

Background  

Chaetognaths, or arrow worms, are small marine, bilaterally symmetrical metazoans. The objective of this study was to analyse ribosomal protein (RP) coding sequences from a published collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a chaetognath (Spadella cephaloptera) and to use them in phylogenetic studies.     

Abscisic acid and ethylene content in Gerbera jamesonii plants submitted to drought and rewatering

Gerbera jamesonii plants were subjected to a drying and rewatering for 10 d under greenhouse conditions. Transpiration rate and leaf water potential decreased with the application of stress and recovered to a level similar to that observed in the control plants. Leaf abscisic acid concentration increased while ethylene production decreased under stress. After rewatering, each of the parameters recovered, to similar levels, as in the control. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha2 gene and trainability of cardiorespiratory endurance: the HERITAGE family study.

The Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase plays an important role in the maintenance of electrolyte balance in the working muscle and thus may contribute to endurance performance. This study aimed to investigate the associations between genetic variants at the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha2 locus and the response (Delta) of maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2 max)) and maximal power output (W(max)) to 20 wk of endurance training in 472 sedentary Caucasian subjects from 99 families. VO(2 max) and W(max) were measured during two maximal cycle ergometer exercise tests before and again after the training program, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms at the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha2 (exons 1 and 21-22 with Bgl II) gene were typed. Sibling-pair linkage analysis revealed marginal evidence for linkage between the alpha2 haplotype and DeltaVO(2 max) (P = 0.054) and stronger linkages between the alpha2 exon 21-22 marker (P = 0.005) and alpha2 haplotype (P = 0.003) and DeltaW(max). In the whole cohort, DeltaVO(2 max) in the 3.3-kb homozygotes of the exon 1 marker (n = 5) was 41% lower than in the 8.0/3.3-kb heterozygotes (n = 87) and 48% lower than in the 8.0-kb homozygotes (n = 380; P = 0.018, adjusted for age, gender, baseline VO(2 max), and body weight). Among offspring, 10.5/10.5-kb homozygotes (n = 14) of the exon 21-22 marker showed a 571 +/- 56 (SE) ml O(2)/min increase in VO(2 max), whereas the increases in the 10.5/4.3-kb (n = 93) and 4.3/4.3-kb (n = 187) genotypes were 442 +/- 22 and 410 +/- 15 ml O(2)/min, respectively (P = 0.017). These data suggest that genetic variation at the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha2 locus influences the trainability of VO(2 max) in sedentary Caucasian subjects.     

Structure of pulmonary surfactant membranes and films: the role of proteins and lipid-protein interactions

The pulmonary surfactant system constitutes an excellent example of how dynamic membrane polymorphism governs some biological functions through specific lipid-lipid, lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions assembled in highly differentiated cells. Lipid-protein surfactant complexes are assembled in alveolar pneumocytes in the form of tightly packed membranes, which are stored in specialized organelles called lamellar bodies (LB). Upon secretion of LBs, surfactant develops a membrane-based network that covers rapidly and efficiently the whole respiratory surface. This membrane-based surface layer is organized in a way that permits efficient gas exchange while optimizing the encounter of many different molecules and cells at the epithelial surface, in a cross-talk essential to keep the whole organism safe from potential pathogenic invaders. The present review summarizes what is known about the structure of the different forms of surfactant, with special emphasis on current models of the molecular organization of surfactant membrane components. The architecture and the behaviour shown by surfactant structures in vivo are interpreted, to some extent, from the interactions and the properties exhibited by different surfactant models as they have been studied in vitro, particularly addressing the possible role played by surfactant proteins. However, the limitations in structural complexity and biophysical performance of surfactant preparations reconstituted in vitro will be highlighted in particular, to allow for a proper evaluation of the significance of the experimental model systems used so far to study structure-function relationships in surfactant, and to define future challenges in the design and production of more efficient clinical surfactants.     

Methods for assessing the burden of parasitic zoonoses: echinococcosis and cysticercosis

Cysticercosis and echinococcosis cause illness and productivity losses in human and agricultural animal populations. Recent studies suggest that these diseases have large societal impacts on endemic areas. Estimates of burden provide essential, evidence-based data for conducting cost-benefit and cost-utility analyses that will secure political will, and financial and technical resources. To evaluate the burden, the monetary and non-monetary impacts of these zoonoses on human health, agriculture and society must be considered comprehensively. In this article, we review the framework used to assess the burden of cysticercosis and echinococcosis, and the data needed to estimate the extent of the problem for societies.