Ovarian and Uterine Ultrasonography in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aotus azarai infulatus</Emphasis>

We evaluated the uterus and ovaries of owl monkeys (Aotus azarai infulatus) via gynecological ultrasound examination. We evaluated the subjects in 2 different time periods. The first period (P1) was characterized by the absence of mating, with daily examinations, during 4 mo (n = 10). At the end of P1, we paired the subjects for 30 d, but without ultrasonographic evaluation. The second period (P2) was characterized by the presence of mating, with examinations once a week, during 7 consecutive months (n = 9). We evaluated the uterus and ovaries in sagittal and transverse scans, using a 5–12 MHz linear array probe. The uterine volume (UV) was directly proportional to the number of previous parturitions. The right ovary volume (RtOV) is greater than the left (LtOV) in P1 and P2. There is a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between the females’ mass, RtOV (r = 0.28) and LtOV (r = 0.16).     

Potential role of frugivorous birds (Passeriformes) on seed dispersal of six plant species in a restinga habitat, southeastern Brazil

Restingas are considered stressful habitats associated with the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and their ecological interactions are poorly known. The goal of the present study was to determine the potential role of frugivorous birds as seed dispersers in a restinga habitat. Data were collected in Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba, southeastern Brazil, where the main physiognomy (Open Clusia Formation) is characterized by the presence of patches of vegetation covering 20 to 48 % of the sandy soil and reaching a height of 5 m. Birds were captured with mist nets (12 x 2.5 m; 36 mm mesh; 1,680 net-hrs) and had their fecal and regurgitate samples inspected for seeds. Six plant species found in these bird samples were studied. The germination of seeds obtained from plants was compared to those from the birds. Both groups of seeds were set on Petri dishes at room temperature and washed when infected with fungi. In general, there was no effect on germination rate, and the effect on germination speed was negative. Germination of seeds from Pilosocereus arrabidae treated by the birds seemed to be influenced by storage of defecated seeds, while few Miconia cinnamomifolia seeds both from plants and from birds germinated. Ocotea notata presented a great variation in time to the onset of germination, perhaps an advantage against dissecation. Aechmea nudicaulis, Clusia hilariana and Erythroxylum subsessile probably take advantage of the arrival to favorable microhabitats, not by the gut effect on the seeds. All plant species studied are numerically important for the community and some of them are main actors in the succession of vegetation patches. Among the birds, Mimus gilvus is an important resident species, endemic to restingas in Brazil, while Turdus amaurochalinus is a visitor and may be important for plants that fructify during its passage by the study site. Although the effect of pulp removal was only tested for one species (Achmea nudicaulis) in the present study, we confirmed that the tested effect of restinga frugivorous birds on seed germination was generally null. Although there is a need for more detailed studies on specific animal-plant interactions on this habitat, the overall effect of the birds on seed dispersal in restinga is probably positive.     

Morphological and biochemical characterization of macrophages activated by carrageenan and lipopolysaccharide in vivo

Macrophages are able to recognize, internalize and destroy a large number of pathogens, thus restricting the infection until adaptive immunity is initiated. In this work our aim was to analyze the surface charge of cells activated by carrageenan (CAR) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through light and electron microscopy approaches as well as the release of inflammatory mediators in vitro. The ultrastuctural analysis and the light microscopy data showed that in vivo administration of CAR represents a potent inflammatory stimulation for macrophages leading to a high degree of spreading, an increase in their size, in the number of the intracellular vacuoles and membrane projections as compared to the macrophages collected from untreated animals as well as mice submitted to LPS. Our data demonstrated that CAR stimulated-macrophages displayed a remarkable increase in nitric oxide production and PGE2 release as compared to the cells collected from non-stimulated and stimulated mice with LPS in vivo. On the other hand, non-stimulated macrophages as well as macrophages stimulated by LPS produce almost the same quantities of TNF-alpha, while in vivo stimulation by CAR leads to a 30-40% increase of cytokine release in vitro compared to the other groups. In conclusion, our morphological and biochemical data clearly showed that in vivo stimulation with CAR induces a potent inflammatory response in macrophages representing an interesting model to analyze inflammatory responses.     

Double-phase culture system for large scale production of pineapple

We have developed an efficient and simplified method for shoot proliferation of the pineapple (Ananas comosus L.), using a Double-Phase Culture System (DPS) (semi-solid medium with a layer of liquid medium on the top). Under these conditions, up to 430 microshoots were produced from 5 initial shoots within 5 months, and without shoot manipulation. Thus, >50% shoots proliferated as compared to that on agar-solidified medium. Shoots taken from DPS were rooted within 4 weeks at a frequency of up to 100%, in full-strength or half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.5–2.5 μM indole-3-butyric acid. The plantlets were then transferred into soil, and they survived acclimatization with 100% success. Thus, DPS could be useful for large-scale micropropagation of a range of pineapple cultivars, with high production of plantlets at the end of process, and reduced labor costs during the subcultures.     

Prevalence of Colonization Factor Antigens (CFAs) and Adherence to HeLa Cells in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Feces of Children in São Paulo

Fifty-eight enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains, isolated from children with and without diarrhea in Sao Paulo, were examined for the presence of colonization factor antigens (CFAs) and their ability to adhere to HeLa cells. Antisera to CFA/I, the coli surface (CS) antigens CS1CS3, CS2CS3, and CS2 of CFA/II, CFA/III, and CS5CS6 and CS6 of CFA/IV were used. CFAs were identified in 43% of the ETEC strains: 40% of the strains with CFAs harbored CFA/I, 24% carried CFA/II (CS1CS3), 24% carried CFA/IV (CS6), and 12% carried CFA/IV (CS5CS6). CFAs occurred mainly among ETEC strains producing only heat-stable (ST-I) enterotoxin and in strains also producing heat-labile toxin (LT-I). No ETEC strains tested expressed CFA/III. A marked change in serotypes of ST-I-producing strains was found in Sao Paulo between 1979 and 1990. Adherence to HeLa cells was detected in 14% of the ETEC strains. All of them had a diffuse adherence pattern and produced only ST-I, and 88% carried CS6 antigen.     

The use of biophysical proteomic techniques in advancing our understanding of diseases

The use of proteomic approaches in investigating diseases is continuing to expand and has started to provide answers to substantial gaps in our understanding of disease pathogenesis as well as in the development of effective strategies for the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Biophysical techniques form a crucial part of the advanced proteomic techniques currently used and include mass spectrometry and protein separation techniques, such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography. The application of biophysical proteomic techniques in the study of disease includes delineation of altered protein expression, not only at the whole-cell or tissue levels, but also in subcellular structures, protein complexes, and biological fluids. These techniques are also being used for the discovery of novel disease biomarkers, exploration of the pathogenesis of diseases, development of new diagnostic methodologies, and identification of new targets for therapeutics. Proteomic techniques also have the potential for accelerating drug development through more effective strategies for evaluating a specific drug’s therapeutic effects and toxicity. This article discusses the application of biophysical proteomic techniques in delineating cardiovascular disease and other diseases, as well as the limitations and future research directions required for these techniques to gain greater acceptance and have a larger impact.     

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of hepatitis B virus in Luanda, Angola

An estimated 360 million people are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide. Among these, 65 million live in Africa. Despite the high levels of hepatitis B in Africa, HBV epidemiology is still poorly documented in most African countries. In this work, the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of HBV infection were evaluated among the staff, visitors and adult patients (n = 508) of a public hospital in Luanda, Angola. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B surface antigen was 79.7% and 15.1%, respectively. HBV infection was higher in males and was more prevalent in individuals younger than 50 years old. HBV-DNA was detected in 100% of HBV "e" antigen-positive serum samples and in 49% of anti-hepatitis Be antibody-positive samples. Thirty-five out of the 40 HBV genotypes belonged to genotype E. Circulation of genotypes A (4 samples) and D (1 sample) was also observed. The present study demonstrates that HBV infection is endemic in Luanda, which has a predominance of genotype E. This genotype is only sporadically found outside of Africa and is thought to have emerged in Africa at a time when the trans-Atlantic slave trade had stopped.     

The amino-terminal PrP domain is crucial to modulate prion misfolding and aggregation

The main hypothesis for prion diseases is that the cellular protein (PrP(C)) can be altered into a misfolded, beta-sheet-rich isoform (PrP(Sc)), which undergoes aggregation and triggers the onset of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Here, we investigate the effects of amino-terminal deletion mutations, rPrP(Delta51-90) and rPrP(Delta32-121), on the stability and the packing properties of recombinant murine PrP. The region lacking in rPrP(Delta51-90) is involved physiologically in copper binding and the other construct lacks more amino-terminal residues (from 32 to 121). The pressure stability is dramatically reduced with decreasing N-domain length and the process is not reversible for rPrP(Delta51-90) and rPrP(Delta32-121), whereas it is completely reversible for the wild-type form. Decompression to atmospheric pressure triggers immediate aggregation for the mutants in contrast to a slow aggregation process for the wild-type, as observed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The temperature-induced transition leads to aggregation of all rPrPs, but the unfolding temperature is lower for the rPrP amino-terminal deletion mutants. The higher susceptibility to pressure of the amino-terminal deletion mutants can be explained by a change in hydration and cavity distribution. Taken together, our results show that the amino-terminal region has a pivotal role on the development of prion misfolding and aggregation.