The Importance of a Proper Aetiological Diagnosis in the Management of Patients with Invasive Mycoses: A Case Report of a Brain Abscess by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scedosporium apiospermum</Emphasis>

Scedosporium apiospermum is a saprobic fungus responsible for many different clinical manifestations. Although it affects mostly immunocompromised patients, pulmonary and disseminated scedosporiosis have also been reported in immunocompetent subjects. It often causes subcutaneous mycetoma, despite its preferential tropism to CNS. The authors describe a fatal case of a S. apiospermum brain abscess in a 58-year-old female. She was affected by chronic liver disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and had been treated with corticosteroid therapy for a long time. She recovered in a neurosurgery unit, wherein TC scan and cerebral MRI revealed an expansive left temporo-parietal process with vasogenic oedema. A stereotactic puncture of the lesion was carried out, and pus of brain abscess was evacuated. Empirical antifungal therapy was initiated with liposomal amphotericine B based on the clinical suspicion of Zygomycetes infection; after 3 days, posaconazole was added. The correct aetiological diagnosis arrived too late and the patient was treated with no specific therapy. This fatal case confirms the necessity of having a fast and correct aetiological diagnosis to improve the patient’s outcome.     

A novel procedure for protein extraction from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues

Most of the archived pathological specimens in hospitals are kept as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues (FFPE) for long-term preservation. Up to now, these samples are only used for immunohistochemistry in a clinical routine as it is difficult to recover intact protein from these FFPE tissues. Here, we report a novel, short time-consuming and cost-effective method to extract full-length, non-degraded proteins from FFPE tissues. This procedure is combined with an effective and non-toxic deparaffinisation process and an extraction method based on antigen-retrieval, high concentration of SDS and high temperature. We have obtained enough intact protein to be detected by Western blotting analysis. This technique will allow utilising these stored FFPE tissues in several applications for protein analysis helping to advance the translational studies in cancer and other diseases.     

Welcome aboard: are birds migrating across the Mediterranean Sea using ships as stopovers during adverse weather conditions?

Birds use stopovers during migration to interrupt endurance flight in order to minimize immediate and/or future fitness costs. Stopovers on ships is considered an exceptional and anecdotal event in the ornithological literature. This does not match the experience we had in the summer of 2021, during an oceanographic campaign in the Central Mediterranean, when we regularly observed on average 2.8 birds, of at least 13 species, stopping on board during the 25 days of the campaign. The median stopping time was 42 min, ranging from a few minutes to overnight stays on board. The probability of finding a bird stopping aboard increased with wind force and cloud cover. Birds also stopped more often in a headwind and did not stop when the wind came from different directions other than the headwind. The Central Mediterranean is one of the busiest sea routes in the world, combining the mean daily number of birds on board with the thousands of ships that pass through it during the 3 months of summer migration; we estimate that nearly 4 million birds could use ships as stopover sites. This behaviour may represent a modern-day strategy that uses ships as stopovers in the event of adverse weather conditions or could act as an ecological trap, increasing the mortality of migrants. This phenomenon deserves more research attention and further studies recording body condition and tagging of individuals on board would be informative.     

Assessment of Real-time PCR Based Methods for Quantification of Pollen-mediated Gene Flow from GM to Conventional Maize in a Field Study

Maize is one of the main crops worldwide and an increasing number of genetically modified (GM) maize varieties are cultivated and commercialized in many countries in parallel to conventional crops. Given the labeling rules established e.g. in the European Union and the necessary coexistence between GM and non-GM crops, it is important to determine the extent of pollen dissemination from transgenic maize to other cultivars under field conditions. The most widely used methods for quantitative detection of GMO are based on real-time PCR, which implies the results are expressed in genome percentages (in contrast to seed or grain percentages). Our objective was to assess the accuracy of real-time PCR based assays to accurately quantify the contents of transgenic grains in non-GM fields in comparison with the real cross-fertilization rate as determined by phenotypical analysis. We performed this study in a region where both GM and conventional maize are normally cultivated and used the predominant transgenic maize Mon810 in combination with a conventional maize variety which displays the characteristic of white grains (therefore allowing cross-pollination quantification as percentage of yellow grains). Our results indicated an excellent correlation between real-time PCR results and number of cross-fertilized grains at Mon810 levels of 0.1–10%. In contrast, Mon810 percentage estimated by weight of grains produced less accurate results. Finally, we present and discuss the pattern of pollen-mediated gene flow from GM to conventional maize in an example case under field conditions.     

A classification of major natural habitats of Amazonian white-water river floodplains (várzeas)

Most countries sharing the Amazon basin have signed the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance but still lack complete wetland inventories, classification systems, and management plans. Amazonian wetlands vary considerably with respect to hydrology, water and soil fertility, vegetation cover, diversity in plant and animal species and primary and secondary productivity. Here, we propose a classification system of major natural habitats of Amazonian white-water river floodplains (várzeas) based on hydrological, water and soil chemistry and biological parameters. The Amazonian várzea is one of the largest Amazonian wetlands. It is exceptionally rich in plant and animal species and plays important roles in landscape history, evolution, hydrology and biogeochemical cycles of the Amazon basin. Most of Amazonia??s rural population lives in or along the várzea, emphasizing the economic importance of its natural resources. Our classification indicates five major systems, which are subdivided into 10 main habitats and up to 40 functional (vegetation) units of which the most important mesohabitats are described. We understand this classification as a dynamic system, as it is open to the inclusion of future research attempts and habitats without affecting the entire classification system. Our classification may be used for scientific purposes, such as comparative studies on biomass, productivity, biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity. Also, because the classification builds on habitat types and/or vegetation and functional units already distinguished by the local population it may be especially useful in guiding intelligent use of várzea habitat for specific management activities, such as agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries, and conservation.     

Reproductive cycle of the European clam Ruditapes decussatus from Óbidos Lagoon,Leiria, Portugal

ABSTRACT

In Portugal, the European clam (Ruditapes decussatus) is an important commercial resource. Óbidos Lagoon is a strong candidate as a cultivation area to increase European clam exploitation. However, the reproductive biology of this population has not been described. In this work, the reproductive cycle of R. decussatus was characterized by determining gonadal development stages, gonad index, condition index, and biochemical composition. The relationship between reproduction and environmental parameters (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a, and particulate organic matter) was assessed. Ruditapes decussatus had an annual reproductive cycle. The gametogenic cycle started in late winter, and the ripe stage in spring was followed by spawning that began at the end of spring/early summer and extended until early autumn. The subsequent period of sexual rest occurred during the winter. Condition index showed seasonal variations related to food availability (chlorophyll a). The European clams in Óbidos Lagoon recovered rapidly after their reproductive period, most likely owing to the availability of food. This study will help to improve sustainable management of this wild stock and is important for future aquaculture development of this species.     

Sublocalization of an Ataxia-Telangiectasia Gene Distal to D11S384 by Ancestral Haplotyping In Costa Rican Families

In an effort to localize a gene for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), we have genotyped 27 affected Costa Rican families, with 13 markers, in the chromosome 11q22-23 region. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected for 9/13 markers between D11S1816 and D11S1391. Recombination events observed in these pedigrees places A-T between D11S1819 and D11S1960. One ancestral haplotype is common to 24/54 affected chromosomes and roughly two-thirds of the families. Inferred (ancestral) recombination events involving this common haplotype in earlier generations suggest that A-T is distal to D11S384 and proximal to D11S1960. Several other common haplotypes were identified, consistent with multiple mutations in a single gene. When considered together with all other evidence, this study further sublocalizes the major A-T locus to ≈200 kb, between markers S384 and S535.     

Long term regulation of nucleoside transport by thyroid hormone (T3) in cultured chromaffin cells

The adenosine transport in cultured chromaffin cells was increased by the presence of triiodo-l-thyronine (T₃) throughout the prolonged period studied. The V_max values of this transport obtained in absence and presence of 1 M T₃ were 36.21±2.1 and 44.17±3.5 (means±SD) pmol/10⁶cells/min respectively for 26 hours incubation-time with the hormone. The K_m values were not significantly modified. The number of adenosine transporters in cultured chromaffin cells, measured by [³H]nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBTI) binding, was increased by 1 M T₃ for 26 hours incubation-time. The values of binding sites per cell were 33,500±3,000 and 40,153±3,700 in absence and presence of T₃ respectively, without changing the K_d constant. When the transport studies were carried out in presence of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, the adenosine transport capacity decreased with a half-life values of 23.9±2.8 and 24.3±2.1 hours both in the presence or absence of T₃ respectively. When cells were incubated in the presence of both T₃ and cycloheximide, not only the activatory effect of T₃ was completely abolished but also adenosine transport was decreased to the same extent as with cycloheximide alone. These results indicated that T₃ activation of adenosine transport in chromaffin cells required the protein-synthesizing mechanism.     

What is the story telling? Examining discovery with the storytelling method (TSM) and testing with a control group.

This research tested the storytelling method of dream interpretation (TSM), which expands on previously established methods of interpretation by adding an additional step that involves creating a story after word association is completed. Two studies tested the method, the efficacy of the method, and assessed dreamer discovery. Study 1 revealed a significant relationship between word association and discovery and between the story that was created and discovery. Furthermore, word association significantly predicted discovery in Block 1, but the story added to the prediction of discovery, above word association alone, in Block 2. When testing with a control group, there was a significant difference between the group who interpreted a dream with TSM and those who used the method with association alone. Results reveal a significant difference between the groups, indicating that discovery, insight, and bridging to waking-day circumstances was more likely with TSM when participants used their own dream rather than a dream that was not their own. These findings extend previous research and show that TSM is a brief, effective dream technique that shows therapeutic promise. Limitations and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)