Publications by authors named "S E Lima-Junior"
Ants use chemical cues known as cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) for both intraspecific and interspecific recognition. These compounds serve ants in distinguishing between nestmates and non-nestmates, enabling them to coexist in polydomous colonies characterized by socially connected yet spatially separated nests. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the intraspecific aggression level between nestmates and non-nestmates of the bullet ant Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775), analyze and compare their CHCs, and evaluate the occurrence of polydomy in this species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen an insect walks, it leaves chemical cues that derive from the arolium, a tarsal structure. These cues may contain important information about other species that occur in their community and can then mediate interactions of competition, predation, and information about resources with ants from their own colony. The compounds of these cues are released into the substrate in the form of chemical footprints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical factors associated with severity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Brazil based on 2-year national registry data from GEDIIB.
Sci Rep
February 2024
Article Synopsis
- The Brazilian Organization for Crohn's Disease and Colitis (GEDIIB) created a national registry to study factors linked to the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among Brazilian patients.
- The study included 1,179 patients, primarily diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's Disease (CD), and found that many had extensive disease, with a significant portion needing biologic treatments.
- Factors like age, disease extent, and certain complications increased the severity of IBD, particularly for those with extensive colitis or specific disease behaviors.
Article Synopsis
- This study examines cases of leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) linked to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), highlighting it as a rare complication.
- Out of 2442 assessed IBD patients, five (0.6%) were identified with LCV, mainly affecting women aged around 32 who were on anti-TNF medications like adalimumab.
- The study emphasizes the importance of recognizing unexplained skin rashes as potential signs of LCV in IBD patients on anti-TNF therapy, as treatment with oral steroids led to complete remission in all cases.
Article Synopsis
- Anti-TNF therapy has proven effective in treating ulcerative colitis (UC), but there's limited data on its impact on Brazilian patients; this study compares the efficacy of adalimumab (ADA) and infliximab (IFX) in achieving clinical and endoscopic remission after one year of treatment.
- Conducted across 24 centers, the study included 393 UC patients and utilized various statistical methods to analyze treatment outcomes, finding that IFX showed better clinical remission rates compared to ADA at 26 and 52 weeks.
- Results indicated a clinical remission rate of 82.82% at week 52, with IFX patients experiencing fewer instances of loss of response, although endoscopic remission rates did not significantly differ between the