Regularity of Daily Activities in Stroke

Various studies have been performed using the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM), though none has been developed with stroke patients. Stroke is a pathology that provokes a strong physical and social impact caused by an abnormality in cerebral circulation. Consequently, we performed two studies to validate the SRM and translate it into Portuguese, and to evaluate the regularity of the daily activities of stroke patients. Both healthy individuals and patients with unilateral cerebral lesions were evaluated. Subjects were of both sexes and between 45 and 65 yrs of age. Participants underwent clinical evaluation and recorded the time of 17 daily activities on the SRM for two weeks. Data were analyzed by the Pearson correlation and Fisher tests. After conceptual translation into Portuguese, corrections were made to arrive at the final version. Normative SRM scores varied from 3.2 to 7.0, suggesting that the activities presented in SRM adequately represented the daily routines of the patients. A correlation was found in SRM between the weeks (r=0.84; p=0.0001), indicating instrument reliability. The mean (±SD) score of the stoke patients was 4.8 (±1.0), and the correlation between the SRM and level of neurological damage showed that patients with lower SRM values were more physically compromised (r=?0.29; p=0.04), suggesting that SRM may be a clinical predictor. Activities related to eating and the sleep‐wake cycle were rated by most patients. In all, 71% of the patients did not work, while 84% of healthy individuals did (p=0.001). Only 64% of patients left home compared to 90% of the healthy subjects (p=0.001), and 59% of patients recorded the activity of going home compared to 82% of healthy individuals (p=0.001). According to the results, there is evidence of the validity and reliability of the SRM, enabling it to be reliably used in chronobiological studies of stroke patients. Given that a less regular lifestyle may be associated with neurological compromise and a decrease in social activities, we suggest new studies with the repeated application of this instrument over the clinical evolution of the disease to better define improvement or worsening of the patient's condition in terms of their social and health aspects.     

Chloride cell responses to long-term exposure to distilled and hard water in the gill of the armored catfish, Hypostomus tietensis (Loricariidae)

The morphological changes in the gill chloride cells of the armored catfish, Hypostomus tietensis , were investigated after 15 days' exposure to either distilled or hard water. The thickness of the water–blood barrier in the lamellae increased significantly in fish kept in distilled water due to the high proliferation of chloride cells. The apical surface of about 68% of chloride cells was sharply reduced by the development of an apical crypt with a sponge-like surface, although no change in the chloride cell fractional area was found. In contrast, H. tietensis kept in Na⁺, Cl⁻ and Ca²⁺ rich water displayed no significant changes in the number of chloride cells or in their apical surface morphology compared with the control fish. Chloride cell response to ion challenge in H. tietensis suggested the involvement of different strategies to maintain homeostasis in ion-poor water, which may be related to the life history of species.     

Mapping the interactions between a RUN domain from DENND5/Rab6IP1 and sorting nexin 1

Eukaryotic cells have developed a diverse repertoire of Rab GTPases to regulate vesicle trafficking pathways. Together with their effector proteins, Rabs mediate various aspects of vesicle formation, tethering, docking and fusion, but details of the biological roles elicited by effectors are largely unknown. Human Rab6 is involved in the trafficking of vesicles at the level of Golgi via interactions with numerous effector proteins. We have previously determined the crystal structure of Rab6 in complex with DENND5, alternatively called Rab6IP1, which comprises two RUN domains (RUN1 and RUN2) separated by a PLAT domain. The structure of Rab6/RUN1-PLAT (Rab6/R1P) revealed the molecular basis for Golgi recruitment of DENND5 via the RUN1 domain, but the functional role of the RUN2 domain has not been well characterized. Here we show that a soluble DENND5 construct encompassing the RUN2 domain binds to the N-terminal region of sorting nexin 1 by surface plasmon resonance analyses.     

Sequential sampling of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Frankliniella schultzei Trybom (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on cotton crop

The goal of this research was to use the sequential probability ratio test to establish a sequential sampling plan for Aphis gossypii Glover and Frankliniella schultzei Trybom infesting cotton. Field work was conducted at the agricultural experimental station of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados during the 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 agricultural years. Aphid colonies and individual thrips in the sampling area were counted and their numbers were recorded. The spatial distribution pattern of A. gossypii and F. schultzei in the cotton culture was aggregated. Sequential sampling plans were developed for aphids and thrips with type I and type II errors set at 0.1, common Kc = 0.6081 (aphids) and = 0. 9449 (thrips), and safety and management levels of 20% (aphids) and 40% (thrips) of infested plants. The sampling plans resulted in two decision boundaries for each species, as follows: the upper boundary, indicating when management (population control) is recommended: S1 = 4.6546 + 0.2849n (aphids), and S1 = 3.6514 + 0.1435n (thrips); and the lower boundary, indicating when population control is not necessary: S0 = -4.6546 + 0.2849n (aphids) and S0 = - 3.6514 + 0.1435n (thrips). The highest probability of error when making a decision was 3% for aphids and 2% for thrips, respectively. The maximum number of samples required to reach a decision was 63 for aphids and 95 for thrips.     

Dihydrochalcones, coumarins and alkaloids from Metrodorea nigra

Two novel dihydrochalcones, 2′,3,4′,6′-tetrahydroxy-4-methoxy-3′,5-di-(3,3-dimethylallyl)-dihydrochalcone and 2′,.3,6′-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-5-(3,3-dimethylallyl)-3′,4′-(2″,2″-dimethyldihydropyran)-dihydrochalcone, have been isolated from fresh fruits of Metrodorea nigra. Stems and leaves showed a similar composition and we have isolated common steroids, simple coumarins, several furocoumarins, furoquinoline alkaloids and a furofuran lignan. From stems, we have also isolated the pentacyclic 6-C-monoterpenyl-5,7-dioxycoumarin, deoxybruceol. Structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectral data.     

Partial characterization ofAspergillus fumigatus polygalacturonases for the degumming of natural fibers

Summary Aspergillus fumigatus strain 4, cultured on citrus pectin as the sole carbon source, produced polygalacturonases whose activity was optimum at 65°C and pH 3.5–4.5. The enzymes presented a bimodal thermostability for 10 min, but not 60 min, of incubation. Polygalacturonases showed pH stability between 3.0 to 9.0. The enzymes were stable when stored at 4–6°C for 90 days, but their activity was reduced by 24% when they were stored at 26–30°C. Orange pulp was the best pectic carbon source tested for the production of pectinases capable of retting ramie fibers. The reutilization of these enzymes was possible, suggesting the viability of industrial use of pectinases for degumming ramie fibers.     

Regulation of inflammatory chemokine receptors on blood T cells associated to the circulating versus liver chemokines in dengue fever

Little is known about the role of chemokines/chemokines receptors on T cells in natural DENV infection. Patients from DENV-2 and -3- outbreaks were studied prospectively during the acute or convalescent phases. Expression of chemokine receptor and activation markers on lymphocyte subpopulations were determined by flow cytometry analysis, plasma chemokine ligands concentrations were measured by ELISA and quantification of CCL5/RANTES(+) cells in liver tissues from fatal dengue cases was performed by immunochemistry. In the acute DENV-infection, T-helper/T-cytotoxic type-1 cell (Th1/Tc1)-related CCR5 is significantly higher expressed on both CD4 and CD8 T cells. The Th1-related CXCR3 is up-regulated among CD4 T cells and Tc2-related CCR4 is up-regulated among CD8 T cells. In the convalescent phase, all chemokine receptor or chemokine ligand expression tends to reestablish control healthy levels. Increased CCL2/MCP-1 and CCL4/MIP-1β but decreased CCL5/RANTES levels were observed in DENV-patients during acute infection. Moreover, we showed an increased CD107a expression on CCR5 or CXCR3-expressing T cells and higher expression of CD29, CD44(HIGH) and CD127(LOW) markers on CCR4-expressing CD8 T cells in DENV-patients when compared to controls. Finally, liver from dengue fatal patients showed increased number of cells expressing CCL5/RANTES in three out of four cases compared to three death from a non-dengue patient. In conclusion, both Th1-related CCR5 and CXCR3 among CD4 T cells have a potential ability to exert cytotoxicity function. Moreover, Tc1-related CCR5 and Tc2-related CCR4 among CD8 T cells have a potential ability to exert effector function and migration based on cell markers evaluated. The CCR5 expression would be promoting an enhanced T cell recruitment into liver, a hypothesis that is corroborated by the CCL5/RANTES increase detected in hepatic tissue from dengue fatal cases. The balance between protective and pathogenic immune response mediated by chemokines during dengue fever will be discussed.     

Interspecific Associations between Cycloneda sanguinea and Two Aphid Species (Aphis gossypii and Hyadaphis foeniculi) in Sole-Crop and Fennel-Cotton Intercropping Systems

Aphids cause significant damage to crop plants. Studies regarding predator-prey relationships in fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crops are important for understanding essential ecological interactions in the context of intercropping and for establishing pest management programs for aphids. This study evaluated the association among Hyadaphis foeniculi (Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Cycloneda sanguinea (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in cotton with coloured fibres, fennel and cotton intercropped with fennel. Association analysis was used to investigate whether the presence or absence of prey and predator species can indicate possible interactions between aphids and ladybugs. Significant associations among both apterous and alate H. foeniculi and C. sanguinea were observed in both the fennel and fennel-cotton intercropping systems. The similarity analysis showed that the presence of aphids and ladybugs in the same system is significantly dependent on the type of crop. A substantial amount of evidence indicates that the presence of the ladybug C. sanguinea, is associated with apterous or alate A. gossypii and H. foeniculi in fennel-cotton intercropping system. We recommend that future research vising integrated aphid management taking into account these associations for take decisions.     

Structural and Phylogenetic Studies with MjTX-I Reveal a Multi-Oligomeric Toxin – a Novel Feature in Lys49-PLA2s Protein Class

The mortality caused by snakebites is more damaging than many tropical diseases, such as dengue haemorrhagic fever, cholera, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease. For this reason, snakebite envenoming adversely affects health services of tropical and subtropical countries and is recognized as a neglected disease by the World Health Organization. One of the main components of snake venoms is the Lys49-phospholipases A₂, which is catalytically inactive but possesses other toxic and pharmacological activities. Preliminary studies with MjTX-I from Bothrops moojeni snake venom revealed intriguing new structural and functional characteristics compared to other bothropic Lys49-PLA₂s. We present in this article a comprehensive study with MjTX-I using several techniques, including crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering, analytical size-exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, myographic studies, bioinformatics and molecular phylogenetic analyses.Based in all these experiments we demonstrated that MjTX-I is probably a unique Lys49-PLA₂, which may adopt different oligomeric forms depending on the physical-chemical environment. Furthermore, we showed that its myotoxic activity is dramatically low compared to other Lys49-PLA₂s, probably due to the novel oligomeric conformations and important mutations in the C-terminal region of the protein. The phylogenetic analysis also showed that this toxin is clearly distinct from other bothropic Lys49-PLA₂s, in conformity with the peculiar oligomeric characteristics of MjTX-I and possible emergence of new functionalities inresponse to environmental changes and adaptation to new preys.