Chlamydia and mycoplasma infections during pregnancy and their relationships to orofacial cleft

Serum antibodies to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis have been studied in a group of newborns with orofacial cleft (OC) and their mothers (n = 59) as compared to a control group of healthy newborns and their mothers (n = 40) assayed by ELISA and Western blot analysis. In the first group, IgG antibodies to M. pneumoniae were found by ELISA in 12 newborns with OC and 22 mothers, while IgA antibodies were detected only in 5 and 11 cases, respectively. IgM antibodies indicating an acute infection were found in 2 mothers only. IgG antibodies to C. trachomatis were found in 2 newborns with OC and 4 mothers. In the control group, IgG antibodies to M. pneumoniae were found in 3 newborns and 7 mothers. IgG antibodies to C trachomatis were observed in 1 newborn and 1 mother, while IgM antibodies to C trachomatis were present in 1 mother only. Immunoblot analysis revealed in newborns with OC and their mothers C. trachomatis-specific bands associated with MOMP 1, 29 kDa, 45 kDa, and heat shock proteins (HSP) 60 and 70. Based on these results we suggest that the risk associated with the exposure to M. pneumoniae and/or C. trachomatis is so far unknown and further study is needed for its elucidation.     

Mono- and binuclear copper(II) complexes containing di(2-pyridyl)sulfide (DPS) as chelating ligand: Spectroscopic characterization and crystal structures of [Cu(DPS)(H2O)Cl2] · H2O and [{Cu(DPS)Cl}2μ-(Cl)2]

The complexes [Cu(DPS)(H₂O)Cl₂] · H₂O (1a) and [{Cu(DPS)Cl}₂μ-(Cl)₂] (1b) where DPS = Di(2-pyridyl)sulfide have been synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, thermal analysis (TG/DSC), vibrational and electronic spectroscopies as well as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Additionally, the crystal and molecular structures of both compounds have been determined by X-ray diffraction techniques.     

Diet and ingestion of synthetics by Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea off southern Brazil

Cory’s Shearwater, Calonectris diomedea, is a pelagic seabird that winters in the waters off the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Elsewhere, its diet is comprised mostly of fish and cephalopods, but dietary details out of the breeding season are unknown. The present study analysed the diet of Cory’s Shearwater along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul based on the stomach contents of 185 birds found dead during beach surveys between July 1997 and July 1998. Food items were classified taxonomically and non-food items were categorized. The taxa identified included the cephalopods Argonauta nodosa and Histioteuthis sp. and the fish Paralonchurus brasiliensis, Porichthys porosissimus, and Prionotus punctatus. Cephalopods were present in 97% of stomachs and fish in 33% of stomachs. Synthetic materials were found in 81% of stomachs. Our data corroborate the general ideas of Procellariiform diet during migration. The high amount of synthetic materials indicates the pollution of the marine environments of southern Brazil and we call attention to this situation.     

Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy Success Regarding Different Treatment Period Based on Clarithromycin or Metronidazole Triple-Therapy Regimens

Background: The study compares the eradication success of standard first-line triple therapies of different durations (7, 10, and 14 days).
Materials and Methods: A total of 592 naive Helicobacter pylori -positive patients were randomized to receive pantoprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin or metronidazole for 14 days (PACl14 or PAM14), 10 days (PACl10 or PAM10), or 7 days (PACl7 or PAM7). H. pylori eradication was assessed by histological, microbiological, and rapid urease examination.
Results: The intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses have shown no overall statistically significant differences between the eradication success of PACl and PAM treatment groups (ITT p  = .308, PP p  = .167). Longer treatment duration has yielded statistically significant increase in eradication success for clarithromycin (ITT p  = .004; PP p  = .004) and metronidazole (ITT p  = .010; PP p  = .034) based regimens. Namely, PACl10, PACl14, and PAM14 protocols resulted in eradication success exceeding 80% in ITT and 90% in PP analysis. Primary resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole equals 8.2% and 32.9%, respectively. Prolonging the metronidazole-based treatment duration in patients with resistant strains resulted in statistically significant higher eradication success.
Conclusions: For all antimicrobial combinations, 14 days protocols have led to a significant increase of H. pylori eradication success when compared to 10 and 7 days, respectively. Prolonging the treatment duration can overcome the negative effect of metronidazole resistance. Only PAM14, PACl10 protocols achieved ITT success > 80% and should be recommended as the first line eradication treatment in Croatia.     

Native Plant Regeneration on Abandoned Desert Farmland: Effects of Irrigation, Soil Preparation, and Amendments on Seedling Establishment

Direct seeding methods to revegetate abandoned farmland were tested at a desert site west of Phoenix, Arizona. Native seeds were broadcast onto plots prepared by mulching, imprinting, chiseling, and fertilizing with phosphorous in a split-plot design. Each main plot was split into subplots that were not irrigated, irrigated with saline (3.25 dS/m) well water, or irrigated and hand weeded of Salsola iberica . Native seeds germinated poorly on all treatments, and three annual exotic weeds ( Brassica nigra , S. iberica , and Schismus spp.) dominated the plots. None of the main plot treatments (mulching, imprinting, chiseling, or fertilizing) had a significant effect on seed germination or canopy cover. Irrigation increased plant cover on plots, but weeds dominated the cover (<4% native species, up to 50% weeds). Near the end of the second growing season a seed bank study was conducted in the greenhouse. Undisturbed desert soil had relatively few weed seeds and more native plant seeds than the disturbed agricultural soil samples, which had few viable native seeds and were dominated by Schismus spp., B. nigra , and S. iberica . The results illustrate the difficulty of establishing native plants on abandoned desert farmland due to the dominance of weedy species, the presence of salts in the soil, and the lack of adequate soil moisture in the treatments without supplemental irrigation.     

Traits reveal how habitat‐quality gradients structure small mammal communities in a fragmented tropical landscape

Understanding the relationships among community structure, vegetation structure and availability of food resources are a key to unravelling the ecological processes that structure biological communities. In this study, we tested (i) whether the composition of small mammal communities changed across gradients in habitat quality in tropical forest fragments, and (ii) whether any observed change could be explained by the functional traits of species. We sampled 24 trapping grids in fragments of semi‐deciduous forest, in each of two 6‐month periods. We considered each trapping grid as a sampling unit, for which we collected three datasets: an environmental matrix (vegetation structure and food resource availability), the abundance of small mammal species (community structure) and a matrix of functional traits (ecological and morphological traits which express tolerance to habitat disturbance and trophic guild). We used an RLQ approach to evaluate the association between traits and environmental gradients. Forest‐specialist and scansorial–arboreal species were associated with more complex habitat that had greater litter and canopy cover and more fallen logs. In relation to trophic guilds, granivore (fruit seeds), insectivorous and omnivorous species were also associated with higher complexity habitat, while frugivores were associated with shrub cover and availability of fruits. We conclude that functional traits (habitat use, use of vertical strata and diet) provide valuable insights into the distribution of small mammals along gradients of habitat quality in tropical forest fragments. We highlight that communities studies in fragmented landscapes should investigate the different components of biodiversity not only in landscape‐scale but also in habitat scale. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

Unbalanced resting-state networks activity in psychophysiological insomnia

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - Psychophysiological insomnia (PI) is a clinical condition characterized by sleep-related disturbing cognitive activity and biased self-related information processing....