Effects of pasture implantation on the termite (Isoptera) fauna in the Central Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado)

The advance of agricultural frontier may cause the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) to disappear before 2030. This work focuses on measuring the impact of pasture implantation on a cerrado’s termite fauna. Termites were sampled in a cerrado sensu stricto and a pasture, originally cerrado. All species were classified as their feeder group, accumulation curves were made and Shannon-Wiener indexes and β diversity were calculated for both areas. Cerrado was richer than pasture and species composition differed considerably, leading β diversity to a high value. The humivorous was the most representative species, followed by grass/litter feeders, xylophagous and, less representative, the intermediates. There were more xylophagous and intermediates species on cerrado than in pasture; the grass/litter feeders were more abundant in pasture, but didn’t differed in number or species; and humivorous didn’t differed neither in richness nor in abundance. This work shows that the simplification of the habitat is indeed causing the extinction of populations that depend on some specifics resource.     

Structure–function relationships of the peptide Paulistine: A novel toxin from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista

Background

The peptide Paulistine was isolated from the venom of wasp Polybia paulista. This peptide exists under a natural equilibrium between the forms: oxidised — with an intra-molecular disulphide bridge; and reduced — in which the thiol groups of the cysteine residues do not form the disulphide bridge. The biological activities of both forms of the peptide are unknown up to now.

Methods

Both forms of Paulistine were synthesised and the thiol groups of the reduced form were protected with the acetamidemethyl group [Acm-Paulistine] to prevent re-oxidation. The structure/activity relationships of the two forms were investigated, taking into account the importance of the disulphide bridge.

Results

Paulistine has a more compact structure, while Acm-Paulistine has a more expanded conformation. Bioassays reported that Paulistine caused hyperalgesia by interacting with the receptors of lipid mediators involved in the cyclooxygenase type II pathway, while Acm-Paullistine also caused hyperalgesia, but mediated by receptors involved in the participation of prostanoids in the cyclooxygenase type II pathway.

Conclusion

The acetamidemethylation of the thiol groups of cysteine residues caused small structural changes, which in turn may have affected some physicochemical properties of the Paulistine. Thus, the dissociation of the hyperalgesy from the edematogenic effect when the actions of Paulistine and Acm-Paulistine are compared to each other may be resulting from the influence of the introduction of Acm-group in the structure of Paulistine.

General significance

The peptides Paulistine and Acm-Paulistine may be used as interesting tools to investigate the mechanisms of pain and inflammation in future studies.     

Taxonomy and First Records of Two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megaselia</Emphasis> Rondani Species (Diptera: Phoridae) Preying upon Eggs of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllomedusa iheringii</Emphasis> Boulenger (Anura: Phyllomedusidae)

Non-aquatic reproductive modes have evolved among frogs possibly favored by some advantages such as the avoidance of aquatic predators. These reproductive modes, however, make the egg clutches susceptible to terrestrial predators, among which Diptera larvae are some of the most harmful. The present work reports the predation by phorid flies of 22 egg clutches of Phyllomedusa iheringii Boulenger in the South of Brazil. Phorid specimens were identified as Megaselia bruchiana (Borgmeier & Schmitz) and Megaselia necrophaga (Enderlein), species that were reported previously to be associated with ants and dead beetles, respectively. Frog-feeding in these species is hypothesized to be use of an alternative seasonal food source. We amend the diagnoses of both Megaselia species and provide new illustrations to facilitate their identification. We also describe the male of M. bruchiana for the first time and associate males with females of both species.     

Testing the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis: physiological responses and predator pressure in wild rabbits

Predation is a strong selective force with both direct and indirect effects on an animal’s fitness. In order to increase the chances of survival, animals have developed different antipredator strategies. However, these strategies have associated costs, so animals should assess their actual risk of predation and shape their antipredator effort accordingly. Under a stressful situation, such as the presence of predators, animals display a physiological stress response that might be proportional to the risk perceived. We tested this hypothesis in wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), subjected to different predator pressures, in Doñana National Park (Spain). We measured the concentrations of fecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) in 20 rabbit populations. By means of track censuses we obtained indexes of mammalian predator presence for each rabbit population. Other factors that could modify the physiological stress response, such as breeding status, food availability and rabbit density, were also considered. Model selection based on information theory showed that predator pressure was the main factor triggering the glucocorticoid release and that the physiological stress response was positively correlated with the indexes of the presence of mammalian carnivore predators. Other factors, such as food availability and density of rabbits, were considerably less important. We conclude that rabbits are able to assess their actual risk of predation and show a threat-sensitive physiological response.     

Metals and arsenic in marine fish commercialized in the NE Brazil: Risk to human health

Abstract

Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in fish is the result of long-term biomagnification in the food chain and is of public concern, due to the toxicity they engender. The objective of this research was to determine the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in 13 species of marine fish broadly commercialized in Aracaju, SE, Brazil and to evaluate the risks of fish consumption associated with these trace elements, using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ). As, Cd, and Pb levels were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and mercury was analyzed via cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicate a large variability in concentrations for arsenic (0.07–2.03?mg kg^–1) and mercury (0.01–1.44?mg kg^–1), associated with the animal dietary category. Cadmium (0.04–0.19?mg kg^–1) and lead (<0.01–0.45?mg kg^–1), on the other hand showed a mild variability. None of the evaluated specimens had As, Cd, and Pb THQ values higher than 1. The THQ values for mercury were higher but indicated no consumption risk, except for amberjack, and snook fish. Overall THQ indicates lower risk of consumption in fish that are at the base of the food chain, than in those that are top predators.     

In vivo measurements of electrical conductivity of porcine organs at low frequency: New method of measurement

Calculations of the induced currents created in the human body by external electromagnetic fields would be more accurate provided that more realistic experimental values of the electrical properties of the body were available. The purpose of this work is to experimentally obtain values for the conductivity of living organs in conditions close to the real situation. Two‐electrode in vivo measurements of the bioimpedance of some porcine organs have been performed. From these measurements and taking into account geometrical considerations, the electrical conductivity for the kidney, liver, heart, and spinal cord has been obtained and were found to be higher than the values reported in the literature. Furthermore, a new experimental procedure is proposed where the conductivity is determined from the values of the electrical potential and currents that are induced by an external electromagnetic field created by a coil placed close to the organ under study. Bioelectromagnetics 33:612–619, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The surface free energy of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis.

Surface charge of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis was investigated by direct zeta-potential determination and ultrastructural cytochemistry, and its surface tension was studied by measurements of the advancing contact angle formed by the parasite monolayers with drops of liquids of different polarities. Both virulent and avirulent promastigotes exhibited negatively charged surfaces with a zeta-potential of about -15 mV. Treatment of these cells with trypsin, alkaline phosphatase, or phospholipase C rendered their surfaces less negatively charged, whereas neuraminidase did not alter the parasite negativeness. Cytochemically, we could observe a reduction in the cationized ferritin binding after the parasite treatment with each of the former enzymes, but not with neuraminidase. The surface free energy of parasites was calculated by taken to account the London dispersion, the Keeson dipole-dipole, and the Debye dipole-induced forces, as well as the surface polarity of the parasites and their zeta-potentials, by considering their adhesion to polystyrene surfaces. The delta G values of -6.4 and -18.1 mJ.m-2 were obtained for avirulent and virulent promstigotes, respectively.     

In vitro and in vivo characterization of an interleukin‐15 antagonist peptide by metabolic stability, 99mTc‐labeling,and biological activity assays

Interleukin (IL)–15 is an inflammatory cytokine that constitutes a validated therapeutic target in some immunopathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previously, we identified an IL‐15 antagonist peptide named [K6T]P8, with potential therapeutic application in RA. In the current work, the metabolic stability of this peptide in synovial fluids from RA patients was studied. Moreover, [K6T]P8 peptide was labeled with ^99mTc to investigate its stability in human plasma and its biodistribution pattern in healthy rats. The biological activity of [K6T]P8 peptide and its dimer was evaluated in CTLL‐2 cells, using 3 different additives to improve the solubility of these peptides. The half‐life of [K6T]P8 in human synovial fluid was 5.88 ± 1.73 minutes, and the major chemical modifications included peptide dimerization, cysteinylation, and methionine oxidation. Radiolabeling of [K6T]P8 with ^99mTc showed a yield of approximately 99.8%. The ^99mTc‐labeled peptide was stable in a 30‐fold molar excess of cysteine and in human plasma, displaying a low affinity to plasma proteins. Preliminary biodistribution studies in healthy Wistar rats suggested a slow elimination of the peptide through the renal and hepatic pathways. Although citric acid, sucrose, and Tween 80 enhanced the solubility of [K6T]P8 peptide and its dimer, only the sucrose did not interfere with the in vitro proliferation assay used to assess their biological activity. The results here presented, reinforce nonclinical characterization of the [K6T]P8 peptide, a potential agent for the treatment of RA and other diseases associated with IL‐15 overexpression.