Genetic Variability of Melipona subnitida (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Introduced and Native Populations.

Melipona subnitida (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a stingless bee native to Caatinga biome in Brazil, well adapted to hot and dry climate of that region and has been traditionally explored for honey production. Here, we evaluate the genetic structure of 173 colonies of M. subnitida in northeast Brazil by partially sequenced mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase I (COI) to compare an introduced population isolated for 30 yr into the Island of Fernando de Noronha (IFN) with the continental populations.

Genetic variability and spatial distribution in small geographic scale of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) under different climatic conditions in Northeastern Brazil.

Background: The study of the genetic structure of Aedes aegypti is essential to understanding their population dynamics as well as for the analysis of factors responsible for their resistance and ecological adaptation. The use of molecular markers in identifying differences amongst populations of Ae. aegypti in different geographical areas as well as the temporal variation of the vector populations has contributed to the improvement of vector control strategies.

Fluctuating asymmetry in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as bioindicator of anthropogenic environments.

The successful distribution of A. mellifera is due to their ability to adjust to seasonal variations, considerable control over their internal physical environment and exploration of different resources. However, their populations have experienced different forms and levels of environmental pressure.

Sandfly fauna in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil.

Introduction: In recent years, visceral leishmaniasis, a major public health problem, has been spreading from the rural to urban areas in many areas of Brazil, including Aracaju, the capital of the State of Sergipe. However, there are no studies of the sandfly fauna in this municipality or its variation over the year.

Methods: Phlebotomine sandflies were collected from a rural area of Aracaju from September 2007 to July 2009.

The prevalence of urogenital infections in pregnant women experiencing preterm and full-term labor.

Urogenital infections are extremely prevalent during pregnancy and are an important cause of premature labor. However, the prevalence of urogenital infections during childbirth is not well known. Objective.

Opinions concerning pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and sex selection among gynecologist-obstetricians in Brazil.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess a sample of obstetrician-gynecologists on their technical knowledge of PGD as well as their views of PGD and sex selection (SS).

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study, carried out during a Congress on Gynecology and Obstetrics. A self-report questionnaire was offered to all professionals registered to attend the Congress and answers of 723 physicians were analyzed.

[Total and specific IgA in colostrum and milk of mothers of Natal-Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil].

Purpose: To determine the concentration of total secretory IgA and evaluate the repertoire of IgA antibodies to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri antigens in colostrums and milk from mothers in Natal, RN.

Methods: The sample was constituted by 22 healthy clinically women whose babies were born at public hospital in Natal, RN. To determine total secretory IgA a radial immunedifusion tecnique (Mancini et al, 1965), was employed and to detect specific antibodies, immuneenzimatic assays, ELISA was used.

Evaluation of the secretory immunoglobulin A levels in the colostrum and milk of mothers of term and pre-term newborns.

Objective: To determine and to compare the levels of secretory immunoglobulin A in samples of colostrum and milk of mothers of term and preterm neonates.

Material And Methods: The levels of secretory immunoglobulin A of 10 mothers of term neonates and 10 mothers of preterm neonates were determined from 5 mL of colostrum or milk collected on the 1st, 4th, 10th and 15th days of the puerperal period, using the radial immunodiffusion technique. We employed anamnesis, as well as physical and gynecological exams in women in the puerperal period.

Geometric estimates of heritability in biological shape.

The recently developed geometric morphometrics methods represent an important contribution of statistics and geometry to the study of biological shapes. We propose simple protocols using shape distances that incorporate geometric techniques into linear quantitative genetic models that should provide insights into the contribution of genetics to shape variation in organisms. The geometric approaches use Procrustes distances in a curved shape space and distances in tangent spaces within and among families to estimate shape heritability.