Dynamics of maternal and paternal effects on embryo and seed development in wild radish (Raphanus sativus).

Background And Aims: Variability in embryo development can influence the rate of seed maturation and seed size, which may have an impact on offspring fitness. While it is expected that embryo development will be under maternal control, more controversial hypotheses suggest that the pollen donor and the embryo itself may influence development. These latter possibilities are, however, poorly studied.

Mansonella ozzardi in Amazonas, Brazil: prevalence and distribution in the municipality of Coari, in the middle Solimões River.

This study investigated some epidemiological aspects of the Mansonella ozzardi in municipality of Coari, Amazonas. Clinical symptoms were correlated with the filarial infection and the parasitic infection rates (PIR) were estimated in simuliid vectors. The general M.

Invariant NKT cell development requires a full complement of functional CD3 zeta immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs.

Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells regulate early immune responses to infections, in part because of their rapid release of IFN-gamma and IL-4. iNKT cells are proposed to reduce the severity of Lyme disease following Borrelia burgdorferi infection. Unlike conventional T cells, iNKT cells express an invariant alphabeta TCR that recognizes lipids bound to the MHC class I-like molecule, CD1d.

Anticoagulant activity in salivary gland homogenates of Thyrsopelma guianense (Diptera: Simuliidae), the primary vector of onchocerciasis in the Brazilian Amazon.

In this study, anticoagulant activity was detected in salivary gland homogenates (SGHs) of Thyrsopelma guianense (Diptera: Simuliidae). The SGH yielded 1.07 microg +/- 0.

The impact of plant and flower age on mating patterns.

Background: Over a season, plant condition, amount of ongoing reproduction and biotic and abiotic environmental factors vary. As flowers age, flower condition and amount of pollen donated and received also vary. These internal and external changes are significant for fitness if they result in changes in reproduction and mating.

Healing of surgical wounds made with lambda970-nm diode laser associated or not with laser phototherapy (lambda655 nm) or polarized light (lambda400-2000 nm).

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of two phototherapies, laser and polarized light, on diode laser (970lambda nm) wounds.

Background Data: Lasers have been used in surgery, and some wavelengths may cause thermal damage to the tissue and affect healing. Several studies have shown that some wavelengths are effective in improving healing.

Laryngeal vocal and endoscopic alterations after thyroidectomy under local anesthesia and hypnosedation.

Unlabelled: Vocal alterations after thyroidectomy are generally related to laryngeal nerve injury or laryngotracheal mobility disorders caused by postoperative fibrosis or strap muscle lesion.

Aim: this study aims to evaluate the frequency of vocal and rima glottidis disorders after thyroidectomy.

Materials And Method: This is a prospective study based on 35 patients submitted to thyroidectomy under local anesthesia and hypnosedation.

Structural analysis of the corpora cavernosa in patients with ischaemic priapism.

Study Type: Therapy (case series).

Level Of Evidence: 4.

Objective: To evaluate, using quantitative and qualitative methods, the changes in the corpora cavernosa of patients with ischaemic priapism.

Infection by Trypanosoma vivax in goats and sheep in the Brazilian semiarid region: from acute disease outbreak to chronic cryptic infection.

A study was undertaken to investigate the role of Trypanosoma vivax in sheep and goat mortality and abortions in the Brazilian semiarid region, where outbreaks had been previously reported in bovines. For this purpose, 177 goats and 248 sheep (20% of herds) were randomly sampled on four farms in the State of Paraiba in May and October 2008. The animals were screened for trypanosomes by the buffy coat technique (BCT) and PCR.

Larval ontogeny and morphological variations of Psaroniocompsa incrustata (Lutz) (Diptera: Simuliidae) in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil.

Psaroniocompsa incrustata (Lutz) is an antropophilic species widely distributed in Central and South America. It is the vector of Onchocerca volvulus in a Brazilian focus and has been considered a plague in several areas of this country. The objective of this study was to determine the number of larval instars and to describe the morphological variations and teratologies of a population of P.

The cytoplasmic tail of the T cell receptor CD3 epsilon subunit contains a phospholipid-binding motif that regulates T cell functions.

The CD3 epsilon subunit of the TCR complex contains two defined signaling domains, a proline-rich sequence and an ITAM. We identified a third signaling sequence in CD3 epsilon, termed the basic-rich stretch (BRS). Herein, we show that the positively charged residues of the BRS enable this region of CD3 epsilon to complex a subset of acidic phospholipids, including PI(3)P, PI(4)P, PI(5)P, PI(3,4,5)P(3), and PI(4,5)P(2).

[Occurrence of Mansonella ozzardi (Nematoda, Onchocercidae) in riverine communities of the Purus river, Boca do Acre municipality, Amazonas State, Brazil].

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Mansonella ozzardi and calculate the parasitic infection rate in simuliid blackflies. The research was conducted in communities on the Purus River, Boca do Acre municipality, Amazonas State, Brazil. Prevalence was measured using the thick smear method.

Lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli prevents indomethacin-induced gastric damage in rats: role of non-protein sulfhydryl groups and leukocyte adherence.

Objective And Design: To investigate the role of non-protein sulfhydryl groups (NP-SH) and leukocyte adhesion in the protective effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli against indomethacin-induced gastropathy.

Materials Or Subjects: Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: saline, LPS, saline + indomethacin and LPS + indomethacin, with six rats in each group.

Treatment: Rats were pretreated with LPS (300 microg/kg, by intravenous) or saline.

Chondrocutaneous marginal ear flap.

This paper discusses a technique for the treatment of helical tumors that most times occur in aging patients with precarious clinical conditions and who wish to solve the problem in a single-stage operation. For these reasons, we have used a chondrocutaneous marginal flap of up to 4.0 cm in length based on the artery of the lobe that penetrates the helix at the level of the antitragushelicin cleft.

Mansonella ozzardi in Brazil: prevalence of infection in riverine communities in the Purus region, in the state of Amazonas.

This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of Mansonella ozzardi infection and to estimate the parasitic infection rate (PIR) in simuliid black flies in the municipality of Pauini, Amazonas, Brazil. We used thick blood films to examine 921 individuals in 35 riverine communities along the Pauini and Purus Rivers. Simuliids were caught in several communities.

Archaeal and bacterial communities of heavy metal contaminated acidic waters from zinc mine residues in Sepetiba Bay.

Mining of metallic sulfide ore produces acidic water with high metal concentrations that have harmful consequences for aquatic life. To understand the composition and structure of microbial communities in acid mine drainage (AMD) waters associated with Zn mine tailings, molecular diversity of 16S genes was examined using a PCR, cloning, and sequencing approach. A total of 78 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from samples collected at five different sites in and around mining residues in Sepetiba Bay, Brazil.

Morphological modification of female bladder after prolonged use of soy-based diets.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a prolonged use of organic and transgenic soy upon the lipid profile and the collagen/muscle ratio of the detrusor muscle of the bladder.

Methods: Wistar rats were fed three different diets from weaning until sacrifice (15 months old): control group (CG) casein-based diet; organic soy group (OSG) organic soy-based diet; genetically modified soy group (GMSG) transgenic soy-based diet.

Results: There was no difference in the food consumption or in the diet isoflavone components among the groups.

Neonatal exposure to citalopram, a serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor, programs a delay in the reflex ontogeny in rats.

Serotonin influences the growth and development of the nervous system, as well as its behavioral manifestations. The possibility exists that increased brain serotonin availability in young animals modulates their neuro-behavioral responses. This study investigated the body weight gain and reflex ontogeny of neonatal rats treated during the suckling period with two doses of citalopram (5 mg, or 10 mg/kg, s.

CoRoT measures solar-like oscillations and granulation in stars hotter than the Sun.

Oscillations of the Sun have been used to understand its interior structure. The extension of similar studies to more distant stars has raised many difficulties despite the strong efforts of the international community over the past decades. The CoRoT (Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits) satellite, launched in December 2006, has now measured oscillations and the stellar granulation signature in three main sequence stars that are noticeably hotter than the sun.

Bioavailability of heavy metals and their effects on the midgut cells of a phytopaghous insect inhabiting volcanic environments.

Organisms living in volcanic environments are chronically exposed to metals, either as particles or associated with gases, from volcanic emissions, being therefore potential sentinels of the effects derived from such exposure. Concentrations of Ca, Cd, Cu, Mg, Mn, Pb, Rb, and Zn were measured in soil, grass (Lolium perenne), and larvae of Pseudaletia uninpuncta captured in sites exposed and non-exposed to volcanic activity. The midgut epithelial cell morphometry and apoptosis of P.

Current profile of Mansonella ozzardi (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) in communities along the Ituxi river, Lábrea municipality, Amazonas, Brazil.

The objective of this paper was to describe the current status of Mansonella ozzardi prevalence among the inhabitants of 12 communities along the Ituxi river, in Lábrea municipality, state of Amazonas. The prevalence of M. ozzardi was determined using thick blood smears obtained by digital punctures.

[First record of simuliidae (Diptera) with pollinaria of asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) attached].

The presence of pollinaria of two species of Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae), possibly Tassadia cf. martiana Decne. and T.

Restless legs syndrome in institutionalized elderly.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by disturbing leg sensations associated to sleep complaints and excessive daytime somnolence. In the elderly, it affects 10 to 35%. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of RLS in institutionalized elderly, analyzing its relationship with clinical, laboratorial and neurophysiological features.

The protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN4/PTP-MEG1, an enzyme capable of dephosphorylating the TCR ITAMs and regulating NF-kappaB, is dispensable for T cell development and/or T cell effector functions.

T cell receptor signaling processes are controlled by the integrated actions of families of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). Several distinct cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatases have been described that are able to negatively regulate TCR signaling pathways, including SHP-1, SHP-2, PTPH1, and PEP. Using PTPase substrate-trapping mutants and wild type enzymes, we determined that PTPN4/PTP-MEG1, a PTPH1-family member, could complex and dephosphorylate the ITAMs of the TCR zeta subunit.