Density estimates of two endangered nocturnal lemur species from northern Madagascar: new results and a comparison of commonly used methods

Very little information is known of the recently described Microcebus tavaratra and Lepilemur milanoii in the Daraina region, a restricted area in far northern Madagascar. Since their forest habitat is highly fragmented and expected to undergo significant changes in the future, rapid surveys are essential to determine conservation priorities. Using both distance sampling and capture-recapture methods, we estimated population densities in two forest fragments. Our results are the first known density and population size estimates for both nocturnal species. In parallel, we compare density results from four different approaches, which are widely used to estimate lemur densities and population sizes throughout Madagascar. Four approaches (King, Kelker, Muller and Buckland) are based on transect surveys and distance sampling, and they differ from each other by the way the effective strip width is estimated. The fifth method relies on a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) approach. Overall, we found that the King method produced density estimates that were significantly higher than other methods, suggesting that it generates overestimates and hence overly optimistic estimates of population sizes in endangered species. The other three distance sampling methods provided similar estimates. These estimates were similar to those obtained with the CMR approach when enough recapture data were available. Given that Microcebus species are often trapped for genetic or behavioral studies, our results suggest that existing data can be used to provide estimates of population density for that species across Madagascar.     

Peculiar H+ Homeostasis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the Late Stages of Wine Fermentation

Intracellular pH (pH(in)) is a tightly regulated physiological parameter, which controls cell performance in all living systems. The purpose of this work was to evaluate if and how H(+) homeostasis is accomplished by an industrial wine strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae while fermenting real must under the harsh winery conditions prevalent in the late stages of the fermentation process, in particular low pH and high ethanol concentrations and temperature. Cells grown at 15, 25, and 30°C were harvested in exponential and early and late stationary phases. Intracellular pH remained in the range of 6.0 to 6.4, decreasing significantly only by the end of glucose fermentation, in particular at lower temperatures (pH(in) 5.2 at 15°C), although the cells remained viable and metabolically active. The cell capability of extruding H(+) via H(+)-ATPase and of keeping H(+) out by means of an impermeable membrane were evaluated as potential mechanisms of H(+) homeostasis. At 30°C, H(+) efflux was higher in all stages. The most striking observation was that cells in late stationary phase became almost impermeable to H(+). Even when these cells were challenged with high ethanol concentrations (up to 20%) added in the assay, their permeability to H(+) remained very low, being almost undetectable at 15°C. Comparatively, ethanol significantly increased the H(+) permeability of cells in exponential phase. Understanding the molecular and physiological events underlying yeast H(+) homeostasis at late stages of fermentations may contribute to the development of more robust strains suitable to efficiently produce a high-quality wine.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cabruca</Emphasis> agroforests in southern Bahia,Brazil: tree component,management practices and tree species conservation

In southern Bahia, Brazil, cabrucas are the traditional agroforests in which cacao trees are planted under thinned-out native forests. To analyze the role of cabrucas in tree species conservation, we inventoried the non-cocoa trees in 1.0 ha plots of cabruca in 16 cocoa farms and compared our results with a similar survey undertaken in the early 1960s in the same region to analyze the long term changes. We also interviewed 160 cocoa farmers to investigate their preferences for species and the main practices used in managing shade trees. The cabrucas showed high levels of tree diversity for an agroforestry system (Shannon index ranging from 2.21 to 3.52) and also high variation in structure and composition among the different farms. Forest specialist trees accounted for most species (63.9%) in the survey and were among the species most preferred by the farmers, although we found evidence that some of these trees are gradually being replaced by other species. Our results indicate that cabrucas are poor substitutes for undisturbed forests in terms of tree species richness, but their presence in human-altered landscapes is of utmost importance to the conservation of forest tree species as they increase overall heterogeneity and may serve as ecological corridors, additional habitats, and buffer zones.     

Species loss of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the Czech Republic during the 20th century

1. Rapid expansion and intensification of anthropogenic activities in the 20th century has caused profound changes in freshwater assemblages. Unfortunately, knowledge of the extent and causes of species loss (SL) is limited due to the lack of reliable historical data. An unusual data set allows us to compare changes in the most sensitive of aquatic insect orders, the Plecoptera, at some 170 locations in the Czech Republic between two time periods, 1955–1960 and 2006–2010. Historical data (1890–1911) on assemblages of six lowland rivers allow us to infer even earlier changes. 2. Regional stonefly diversity decreased in the first half of the 20th century. Streams at lower altitudes lost a substantial number of species, which were never recovered. In the second half of the century, large‐scale anthropogenic pressure caused SL in all habitats, leading to a dissimilarity of contemporary and previous assemblages. The greatest changes were found at sites affected by organic pollution and a mixture of organic pollution and channelisation or impoundment. Colonisation of new habitats was observed in only three of the 80 species evaluated. 3. Species of moderate habitat specialisation and tolerance to organic pollution were most likely to be lost. Those with narrow specialisations in protected habitats were present in both historical and contemporary collections. 4. Contemporary assemblages are the consequence of more than a 100 years of anthropogenic impacts. In particular, streams at lower altitude and draining intensively exploited landscapes host a mere fragment of the original species complement. Most stonefly species are less frequently present than before, although their assemblages remain almost intact in near‐natural mountain streams. Our analyses demonstrate dramatic restriction of species ranges and, in some cases, apparent changes in altitudinal preference throughout the area.     

A new method to predict the epidemiology of fungal keratitis by monitoring the sales distribution of antifungal eye drops in Brazil

Purpose

Fungi are a major cause of keratitis, although few medications are licensed for their treatment. The aim of this study is to observe the variation in commercialisation of antifungal eye drops, and to predict the seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil.

Methods

Data from a retrospective study of antifungal eye drops sales from the only pharmaceutical ophthalmologic laboratory, authorized to dispense them in Brazil (Opthalmos) were gathered. These data were correlated with geographic and seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil between July 2002 and June 2008.

Results

A total of 26,087 antifungal eye drop units were sold, with a mean of 2.3 per patient. There was significant variation in antifungal sales during the year (p<0.01). A linear regression model displayed a significant association between reduced relative humidity and antifungal drug sales (R2 = 0.17,p<0.01).

Conclusions

Antifungal eye drops sales suggest that there is a seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis. A possible interpretation is that the third quarter of the year (a period when the climate is drier), when agricultural activity is more intense in Brazil, suggests a correlation with a higher incidence of fungal keratitis. A similar model could be applied to other diseases, that are managed with unique, or few, and monitorable medications to predict epidemiological aspects.     

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.     

铼-188标记生物分子在肿瘤治疗中的应用

目的：研究铼．188标记生物分子在肿瘤治疗中的应用。方法：选取小白鼠作为实验的研究对象,将荷瘤鼠的肉瘤切成小块接种到小白鼠身上,达到试验条件时使用,即将没有明显差异的小白鼠16只随机分为4组,每组4只,注射含有铼一188的药物后分别在不同的时间将其处死,之后取出重要器官进行测量分析,进而得出铼一188的应用效果。结果：瘤内注射的要去在不同时间放射性在瘤内的保持率分别为（90．5±7．7）D％（1h）,（92．2±8．6）D％（24h）,（88．3±10．9）D％（48h）和（91．5±7．6）D％（72h）,在荷瘤鼠内注入生理盐水、非放硫化铼和188Re．硫化铼混悬液,肿瘤质量分别为2885．3±1241.3、2839．9±1965．2和98．4±45．5mg。188Re-硫化铼混悬液在生理盐水、磷酸盐缓冲液和小牛血清中均可稳定72h,而且188W-188Re发生器的应用还可以降低188Re-硫化铼混悬液的价格。随着处死时间的延迟,小鼠肿瘤质量和体积逐渐减小,相临两组比较,后组测定值均明显小于前组,数据经统计学比较具有显著差异（P〈0．05）。结论：188Re-硫化铼混悬液是一种适宜的肿瘤治疗剂。